Chicken and Roasted Veggies!

I am always looking for something easy and relatively quick to make after work. I made this tonight after work and didn't take too long. It is also possible to get this ready the night before and just stick in the oven when you get home!


 INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb (4) chicken thighs (I removed the skin and trimmed fat)
• 1 bunch of asparagus (remove ends and cut in half)
• 2 bell peppers- your favorite color
• 1 cup baby carrots, cut in half
• 2 red onions, chopped in large chunks
• 10 oz whole mushrooms, cut in half
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar ( I used a half packet of Truvia)
• salt and pepper
• 1sprig fresh rosemary, chopped (I just make close cuts with kitchen sheers)
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed (I used the refrigerated garlic)
• 1 tbsp oregano 
• 1 tbsp thyme

Preheat oven to 425°.
Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
Combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl and mix very well.
Arrange chicken in a pan and the vegetables in a 2nd pan spread out as well as possible.
Bake for 35 - 40 minutes.

I loved, loved, loved the veggies and there were tons. That was great since I am trying to eat healthy.

Everything But the Kitchen Sink Meatloaf

So, you know what I hate? When a recipe calls for just a bit of something. I have heard that you can get tomato paste in a tube, but I am sure it costs more than my $.39 can of it, but how long does paste last? Even in a container? So, I defrosted some ground beef and decided to use a Kraft product that I got for a steal to make meatloaf. Of course, I am not happy with just dumping it in like the back of the container, so I rooted through my fridge and found a few leftovers from other meals and recipes that I dumped in to my meatloaf. My husband had 2 helpings. That's like saying it was from a 5 star restaurant. Especially because he already had one big meal today.
I expect you to root through your fridge and find things to dump in your meatloaf, but if you need some inspiration, here is what I found.

2 lbs Ground Chuck    
2 Large Eggs    
1 package Kraft - Fresh Take- Savory Four Cheese
3/4 can Peeled Diced Tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup chopped Yellow Onion
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce   
2 Tablespoons Spice Supreme - Garlic & Pepper Seasoning

The directions for this are real easy:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Dump all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. (Don't be squeamish, you gotta get your hands in there. Yuck, I know!)
3. Pack into loaf pan evenly.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Take out and pour off some of the grease. (If you are dumping it in the sink, run the water!)
6. Bake an additional 30 minutes.
7. Pour off grease once more and serve!


We put ketchup on it, but we love ketchup.

Bet you can't guess what kind of sandwich my husband is taking to work for lunch tomorrow! ;)

Cheeseburger Pie

I haven't been here in quite a while, but I need to get back to blogging. I have been sharing photos of my food on Facebook, but no recipes. Recipes are the most important part of cooking! People need to read the recipes and say, "I can make that better". Then tweak it and share it with someone. And so on and so on!

On to the reason you are here... FOOD!

Cheeseburger Pie

1 can crescent rolls (apparently, somewhere in the world they sell crescent sheets, but I have never

seen them!)
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped dill pickle slices (still saying, go mini food chopper!)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups shredded American cheese, divided

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Unroll crescent rolls and press into the bottom and up the sides of an 8 inch pie pan.
3. Cook ground beef in a skillet until browned. Drain well.
4. Stir in onion, chopped pickle, ketchup and mustard.
5. Sprinkle with flour and add pickle juice and milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
6. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of shredded cheese.
7. Pour into the prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes, or until edges of crust are golden brown.
8. Remove from oven and top with remaining cup of cheese. Let stand until cheese melts.

Yummy in my tummy :)

 

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

I love taco soup, BUT my sister makes the best taco soup. I am not entirely sure what is so different. This turned out tasty, still not my sister's though!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, with liquid
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans with liquid
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, with liquid
• 2 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
• 2 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• shredded mexican cheese
• sour cream

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet, saute the onions. Then cook the ground beef with one taco seasoning packet until browned over medium heat. Drain.
2. Place the ground beef, onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend, and cook on Low setting for 8 hours.
3. Serve in bowls topped with cheese and sour cream... YUMMO!

Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash Lasagna (with meat option)

This is an awesome meat optional dinner! I made half meatless for me and half with ground beef for my boyfriend and his roommate. I would attest that mine was better!

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 spaghetti squash
• 2 cans diced italian tomatoes
• 1 cup diced bell peppers (any color (I used green, yellow and red), diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 carton fresh sliced baby portabello mushrooms
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

optional:

• 1 lb ground beef or bulk italian sausage

1. Slice spaghetti squash in half and remove seeds.
2. Place squash on cookie sheet facing up and coat with olive oil, 1 tablespoon italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon garlic powder.
3. Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove squash from shell.
4. While squash is baking, mix tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and mushrooms, and remaining spices.
5. Bring tomato mixture to boil then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. Then add tomato paste and simmer until squash is done.
6. In a 13x9 casserole dish layer half of spaghetti squash, grated parmesan cheese, tomato sauce with vegetables, the other half of spaghetti squash and top with mozzarella.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until the mozzarella is bubbling.

(If you want to add meat, brown and crumble 1 lb of bulk italian sausage or ground beef with garlic powder, italian seasoning, pepper and salt. Add this as a layer in your lasagna.)

 

SOUP-ER!

I love soup. I could eat soup every day. I usually eat Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup a few times a week. I generally don't make canned soup as a meal for other people, but I still make them eat homemade soup with me all the time! My attempts lately have been trying to use up ingredients (namely, pastas and rices) that are sitting in the cabinet. This week I made Meatball and Orzo Soup. The conclusion was this is the second best soup I have ever made!

Ingredients

• 8 cups of chicken broth (I used water and chicken base)
• 24 oz bag of Italian Meatballs (Kroger is tasty!)
• 1 small zucchini
• 3/4 cup orzo pasta
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring chicken broth to boil. (This is most important if you are using water and chicken base.
2. Shred zucchini.
3. Add meatballs, orzo and zucchini to broth.
4. Season with pepper, parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder.
5. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
6. In a bowl, beat together lemon juice and eggs.
7. Mix 1/4 cup of hot broth from the pot into the lemon/egg mixture.
8. Stir mixture into the full pot of soup.
9. Add Parmesan cheese.
10. Serve hot.

 Easy and SOOOOO tasty! For left overs, you may need to add a little water to thin out broth. I thought it tasted better the next day. I forgot to take a picture that night, so this is my left overs at lunch the next day. MMM mmm good.

Smoked Sausage and Sauerkraut with Mashed Potatoes

I love my slow cooker! Another thing, besides the food chopper, I think everyone should have is a slow cooker. You will find a lot of my recipes that I use are with a slow cooker. Most of them can be modified to make on the stove top or in the oven. 
 
Ingredients

• 16 ounces sauerkraut, bag or can
• 1 pound smoked sausage
• 2 cooking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 2/3 cup beer (anything you have around will work)

• 5 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup cream cheese
• 1 cup milk

Directions
For Sausage and Sauerkraut

1. Rinse sauerkraut; drain and squeeze dry. 
2. Place half of the sauerkraut in a slow cooker.
3. Cut sausage into 2-inch lengths. Place in slow cooker. 
4. Continue to layer in slow cooker, apples, brown sugar, salt, and pepper, sprinkling with caraway seeds. 
5. Top with remaining sauerkraut. Add beer. Do not stir mixture.
6. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 3-1/2 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours, or until apples are tender. 
7. Stir before serving.

Mashed Potatoes

1. Place potatoes in pot covered with salted water.
2. Boil for 15-20 minutes, or until tender all the way through.
3. Drain the water from the potatoes.
4. Add garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, pepper and butter.
5. Begin mashing potatoes while adding cream cheese and milk.
6. Serve HOT!