Meals to Make in Minutes

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

2008-09-02T20:50:00.002-05:00

Oh MY Goodness - This was some wonderful chicken. I would even venture to say - this is my new favorite recipe.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing, divided
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil leaves

Directions:
Place large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; preheat grill to medium heat. Pour 2 Tbsp. of the dressing over chicken in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with the dressing. Refrigerate 10 min. to marinate. Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade.
Grill chicken on uncovered side of grill 6 min. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, cheese, basil and remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing.
Turn chicken over; place, cooked-side up, on foil on grill. Top evenly with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill an additional 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF).

Recipe from Kraft Foods.

Cold & Creamy Banana Pudding

2008-07-30T10:40:00.003-05:00

Ingredients:

1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 1/2 cups cold water

1 (3.5 ounce) package instant pudding and pie filling

2 cups (1 pint) whipped cream, whipped

36 vanilla wafers

3 medium bananas, sliced and dipped in lemon juice

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and water.
Add pudding mix and beat until well blended.
Chill 5 minutes in refrigerator.
Fold in whipped topping. (Do this slowly and as few times as you possible to combine, so the mixture will retain its thickness.)
Spoon 1 cup pudding mixture into 2 1/2 quart glass serving bowl.
Top with 1/3 each of wafers, bananas and pudding. Repeat twice.
Garnish as desired.
Chill thoroughly. Refrigerate any leftovers. You can also layer in individual serving dishes

Aloha Chicken Kebabs

2008-07-12T12:14:00.002-05:00

Thanks to my cousin Britney - she submitted our first recipe!! They sound so yummy and I cannot wait to try them.

Here is a yummy & healthy recipe to try out with your family, whether it's just you or you and the kiddos. I won't claim it as my own; I found it in Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook, "Deceptively Delicious."

*To make the purees: (1) cook/steam the sweet potato just like you would a baked potato. Allow to cool and then scoop the guts into the food processor & puree. (2) cut a fresh pineapple (or use canned if you want) into the food processor and puree. THESE CAN BE DONE AHEAD OF TIME AND KEPT IN THE REFRIGERATOR TILL YOU NEED THEM!

* 1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs

* 1/4 cup flaxseed meal

* 1/2 cup sweet potato puree

* 1/4 cup pineapple puree (I use a little more, though)

* 1 Tbsp. soy sauce

* 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

* 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

* 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders, cut into large chunks

* salt and pepper to taste

* 2 Tbsp. all-purpose or whole-wheat flour

* Nonstick cooking spray & olive oil

* wooden skewers (soak in cold water for about 30 minutes before using)

To make:

In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the flaxseed and set aside. In a second bowl, combine the purees, soy sauce, egg white & coconut, and mix with a fork; set aside next to the breadcrumbs.

Thread the chicken lengthwise onto the skewers. Sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper and flour. Dip the chicken into the egg-white mixture and then roll it in the breadcrumbs mixture until completely coated.

Coat a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and set the heat to medium-high. When the pan is hot, drizzle olive oil over the pan.

Add the chicken in a single layer to the skillet and brown for 3-4 minutes on one side, until the breadcrumbs coating is crisp and golden. Turn the skewers and cook 4-5 minutes longer, until the chicken is cooked through. (turn the heat down a little if your chicken skewers are browning too quickly - coconut burns easily).

ENJOY!

Are You Still There? - RECIPE EXCHANGE AND GIVEAWAY

2008-07-08T16:56:00.004-05:00

Do I actually still have readers? I cannot believe how busy the last couple of months have been. I have neglected my recipe blog and in all truthfulness my family. I cannot remember the last new recipe I have tried. We have eaten a lot of the same old, quick thinks that I don't have to put any effort in to. I am ready for things to slow back down and allow me to start experimenting with new recipes.

So here is what I am doing. I am trying to build a collection of recipes on my blog. I want super quick dinner (20 minutes or less). Preferbly these recipes will be kid friendly, healthy, and just a few ingredients. So I am having a Recipe Exchange.

Here’s where you come in:
* Post such a recipe on your blog (or e-mail it to me if you don't have a blog) and link back to this post.
* Leave a comment here and let me know that you posted your recipe.
* I will add the link to your recipe to my blog as they come in.

We will then all have access to lots of peoples favorite, super fast and easy recipes. So what is in it for you? I am going to give something away. I will randomly pick a comment and send that person a cookbook of simple and easy recipes.

Be sure to let all your friends know about the giveaway and recipe exchange.

**UPDATE- The last day to enter for the giveaway is July 15th. I will pick the winner the next morning and post it online.**

Southwest Chicken with Corn and Rice

2008-05-20T14:47:00.012-05:00

I tried this recipe this week and it was pretty tasty. I am not usually a big fan of baked chicken because it seems to be too dried out, but I guess with the chicken broth and water in the pan it helps keep the chicken moist.

Ingredients:
2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
1 can chicken broth
1 can corn with sweet peppers, undrained
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. chili powder, divided
1/3 cup Shake 'N Bake Original Coating Mix
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix rice, broth, corn, water and 1/2 tsp. of the chili powder in 13x9-inch baking dish. Measure 1/3 cup coating mix and place in plastic bag with remaining 1/2 tsp. chili powder; use to evenly coat chicken as directed on package. Place chicken over rice mixture. Bake 30 min. Sprinkle with cheese; bake an additional 5 min. or until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through (170°F).

Let me know what you think!!

Homemade Cereal

2008-04-27T15:01:00.002-05:00

You guys are in for a treat today. I have posted three of my favorite recipes right now!! I have given some of you this recipe for Homemade Cereal, but now all of you are lucky enough to make it yourself!!

Ingredients:
8 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups raisins or dried cranberries

Directions:
Mix oats, nuts, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in large bowl. Combine honey and oil and heat in microwave just to warm. Add vanilla.

Toss oats mixture and oil mixture together with a rubber spatula. Spread on cookie sheets and bake at 350 for 15 minutes - just until it starts to toast. My oven toasted faster than 15 minutes, so be careful that it does not burn!! (I burned a batch or two before I got it right.)

Mix in raisins or cranberries when cool. Store in airtight container.

This stuff is also good on yogurt and ice cream or just as an afternoon snack.

Mexican Roast - YUM

2008-04-27T14:18:00.004-05:00

This is a new found favorite of mine. I really love the traditional roast with potatoes, carrots, and gravy!! I like that so much that I was afraid to try this new twist, but I really LOVED it just as much, if not more.

Ingredients:
1 arm roast
1 cup dry pinto beans, rinse but do not cook or soak
1 onion, chopped
1 can chopped green chilies, undrained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans diced Rotel tomatoes
1 can water

Directions:
Spray crock pot with Pam. Place roast in crock pot and sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, and pepper to taste. Add beans, onion, chilies, soup, rotel, and water. Do not mix or stir. Cover and cook on low for 12 to 16 hours. Do not peek. Serve with flour tortillas, cheese, guacamole, salsa, etc.

Oh and this is only 170 calories per serving with 4 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber.

Green Beans & New Potatoes

2008-04-27T14:05:00.007-05:00

This great recipes is from my cousin Britney. I don't really care for green beans, but these were great!!

Ingredients:
2 cans green beans
2 new potatoes with skin, cut into small pieces
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
2 tbsp. butter
steak/meat seasoning
bacon, optional

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together, except butter. Use the seasonings as your taste buds please. I use a little more garlic than onion!! Melt the butter and drizzle on top of green beans and potatoes. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough to stick a fork through.

ENJOY!!

Cheesy Pepperoni Pulls

2008-04-04T08:00:00.006-05:00

Okay - so I haven't tried this one, but it definitely looks worth trying. If you try it before I do, let me know how it turns out.

Ingredients:
4 oz. Pepperoni slices
1 green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 pkg. refrigerated pizza dough

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Combine pepperoni, peppers, onions, tomatoes and dressing in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cheese.
Unroll pizza dough; cut into 2-inch pieces with sharp knife or kitchen shears. Place evenly over cheese.
Bake 30 min.; cool 10 min. Invert onto platter; carefully remove dish.

Manadrin Orange Salad

2008-04-03T21:12:00.003-05:00

So sorry for the really long hiatus. It is amazing how important things, like blogging recipes, can get away from you. I kind of got in a rut these last couple of weeks and have cooked the same old things each week. However, he is a yummy (I mean YUMMY) salad that my aunt Jackie taught me how to make. It has a couple of steps, so pay attention!

Ingredients for Salad:
Mix different kinds of lettuce with
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 green onions, chopped
1 small can mandarin oranges; drained very, very well

Ingredients for Dressing:
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon parsley
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon white vinegar
Dash of Tabasco

Also, grab a 1/2 cup of sliced almonds and 3 tbsp of sugar.

Directions:
Place in a pot on medium heat and stir almonds and sugar constantly until almonds are coated well with sugar. Place in an airtight container and place in refrigerator. *I usually double this part
Then toss all salad ingredients together. Top with almonds and dressing. Eat, enjoy, and don't feel too guilty!!

Crunchy Baked Fish

2008-03-09T14:18:00.004-05:00

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash Chicken Grilling Blend
4 (4 Oz.) fish fillets, like tilapia or catfish
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs
vegetable Oil Spray
1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9x9 inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Place fish in dish. Mix corn flake crumbs with Mrs. Dash Chicken Grilling Blend and Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper. Sprinkle over fish. Spray fish lightly with vegetable oil spray. Bake for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Nutritional Information:

Calories:193

% of Calories from Fat:42 %

Total Fat:9 g

Saturated Fat:2 g

Unsaturated Fat:6 g

Trans Fat:0 g

Cholesterol:53 mg

Sodium:140 mg

Potassium:354 mg

Carbohydrates:9 g

Fiber:0 g

Protein:19 g

Garlic & Soy Grilled Pork Chops

2008-02-27T09:17:00.002-06:00

Elizabeth actually found this recipe in my South Beach Diet Cookbook. They were AMAZING!! I think some of the best, tastiest pork chops I have ever had.

Ingredients:
Grill up chunks of fresh vegetables alongside these lip-smacking pork chops for an irresistible outdoor feast. Bell pepper, sweet onion, and zucchini would work quite nicely.

2 boneless center-cut pork loin chops, trimmed of all visible fat
1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Fresh herbs, for garnish

Instructions:
Sprinkle the pork chops all over with soy sauce, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper. (I actually just doubled it and made more of a marinade for it to soak in. I used a little extra soy sauce too.) Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Coat a grill rack or broiler-pan rack with cooking spray. Preheat the grill or broiler. (I just put mine in an aluminum pouch and cooked on the grill!!)

Cook the pork chops 4" from the heat, turning once halfway through cooking time, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center of a chop registers 155°F and the juices run clear. Garnish with the herbs.

And look - I even came up with all the nutritional information for you guys!! :-) Yeah right. It is nice when they provide this stuff for you so that you know!!

Nutritional Information:
105.71 calories
2.91 total fat (0 g sat)
55.28 mg cholesterol
0.54 g carbohydrate
18.22 g protein
0 g fiber
168.88 mg sodium

Jell-O Cake

2008-02-20T13:24:00.004-06:00

This is for you Elizabeth and Jana!! I was telling them about how yummy it was to add Jell-O to your cakes and I finally found the recipe. This was given to me by Tamika Rybinski!!

Ingredients:
1 box white cake
1 box Jell-O (any flavor)

Directions:
Bake cake as box instructs. Let cool. Prepare teh Jell-O as box instructs. Poke holes in cake with fork and pour 1/4 Jell-O over. Chill in refridgerator for a couple of hours.

*You can add more or less Jell-O according to taste. Also, you can use more than one flavor of Jell-O. What ever tickles your fancy!!

Serve with Cool Whip!! See isn't that easy?

Cheese Potato Soup

2008-02-20T13:10:00.007-06:00

As the cold front is moving in, maybe this will be something that will warm you up! I am not guaranteeing that all my recipes will be the lowest in fat or calories, but man this one is yummy.

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter (you could probably substitue olive oil)
1 grated carrot
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
3 cans potato soup
2 cans chicken broth
1 1/2 cups fat free sour cream
1 lb. Velvetta cheese

Directions:
Saute in butter the carrots, onion, and celery. Add soup and chicken broth. Simmer 30-45 minutes. Stir in Velvetta and sour cream. DO NOT BOIL - JUST HEAT!!

*NOTE: Be sure to stir it pretty frequently. If the burner is too hot and you are not stirring, the potatoes like to sink the bottom and sometimes burn. Not good!!

This is great served with saltine crackers!!

And for all you Deceptively Delicious folks out there - try adding some cauliflower!! I am sure it will still taste great (although I have not tried it - so let me know if you do)!!

Chicken Spaghetti

2008-02-18T17:09:00.004-06:00

Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts cooked and cut into bite size pieces
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 stick of butter
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cheddare cheese soup
1 package whole wheat spaghetti noodles
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat ovent to 350 degrees. In a large pot saute 1/2 stick of butter, 3 stalks of celery, 1/2 onion, and 1/2 bell pepper. Add chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup, and cheddar cheese soup. Simmer sauce for 15-20 minutes. Boil 1 package of whole wheat spaghetti - drain. Combine chicken, spaghetti, and sauce. Grease 9x13 baking dish. Place the spaghetti in the disch and top with 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.

Serve with salad and garlic bread.

King Ranch Chicken Enchiladas

2008-02-18T16:58:00.005-06:00

I will start off with one of my favorite recipes from my mom!! She is a great cook and passed a lot of good recipes on to me. I am constantly calling her for new things to try.

Ingredients:
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded
3 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can chopped green chiles
1 can rotel tomtatoes
1 (16 oz) container of sour cream, fat free
8-10 flour tortillas
1 package Monterray Jack Cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cream of chicken soup, chopped green chiles, rotel, and sour cream. Mix well. In an 9x13 pan, layer 4-5 tortillas (I like to tear mine into strips), 1/2 of the chicken, 1/2 of the soup mixture, and then 1/2 of the grated cheese. Then repeat the layers. Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly. In my oven that is about 30-45 minutes.

Serve with a salad and Mexican rice.

I hope you enjoy.

New Cooking Blog!!

2008-02-18T16:51:00.002-06:00

Does anyone have as much trouble as I do finding new and exciting recipes to make for you family? I feel like I am constantly making the same old things over and over again. Luckily, I have a great husband who never complains about what I put out on the table. This is my attempt to put out some yummy recipes that we love and hopefully gather a few from you guys to put out as well. I will even try to post pictures of my finished product, but no guarantees. Happy cooking!!