Easy Pot Pie

Ok, so this was supposed to be chicken pot pie.. but when I went to start cooking, I realized I'd forgotten to thaw some chicken. Since I didn't have enough time to thaw and cook, I decided to turn this into ground turkey pot pie...Haha :)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground turkey, cooked through
• 1 large red potato, diced
• 1 large yam, peeled and diced
• 8 celery stalks, diced
• 1 lb carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup frozen diced onions
• garlic powder to taste
• 10 ready-to-bake biscuits (the rolls in the fridge section)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
   
2. After washing, peeling and dicing the veggies, steam them until soft; about 15-20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, brown the ground turkey (or dice and cook the chicken if you remembered to thaw it out! ;)
4. Grease a 9x11 baking dish.
5. Mix cooked veggies, meat, seasoning, onions, can of soup, and milk in a bowl.
6. Pour mixture into the baking dish and top with the uncooked biscuits.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until biscuits are lightly browned and cooked through.
   

Cheddar Broccoli Chicken Shells / or / Cheddar Spinach Chicken Shells

I was just skimming through a magazine (don't even remember which one) and spotted an ad for a Campbell's (?) recipe that looked yummy. So I decided to recreate it tonight with what I had (without the original recipe, just the picture in mind). It turned out really good and was so filling! We have enough for a whole other meal left over so I froze it.. hopefully that will reheat well later :)
INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts
2 cups frozen broccoli spears
1/2 box of medium size pasta shells
8 oz bag of shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup Ranch dressing
1/4 cup butter
nutmeg, to taste
Mr. Dash, to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.
Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.
Steam broccoli until done and set aside.
Dice chicken and cook in pan with olive oil. Add Mr. Dash and nutmeg, or whatever seasoning/spices you like. Cook until juices run clear.

Mix pasta and broccoli in a square baking dish.
Add Ranch and butter, while pasta is still hot, and mix.
Mix in the cheese until well blended.
Add chicken and mix.
Sprinkle leftover cheese on top.

Bake on 350 for about 10 minutes, until cheese is well melted, everything is warm, and the cheese on top is a bit crispy.


I made this with spinach instead of broccoli, and no butter, and it turned out great as well!

Zesty Chicken BBQ in the Slow Cooker

Original recipe found on Crockpot Tuesday's Blog: http://crockpottuesdays.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/zesty-chicken-bbq/

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 3/4 of a 12 ounce bottle BBQ sauce
• 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Garlic powder, to taste

Directions:

1. Place chicken breasts in crockpot.
2. In a bowl, mix bbq sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce until combined. Pour over chicken.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4.

Zesty Tomato Chicken Pasta Casserole

Yet another throw-things-together casserole recipe! :)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2.5 cups pasta of choice (I used medium shells)
• 2 cups shredded fresh spinach leaves
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced (or color of choice ;)
• 1/2 cup frozen diced onions
• 1 can tomato soup, no water added
• 2 cups sharp shredded cheese
  
• garlic powder, to taste
• zesty seasoning powder, to taste
• 3/4 cup of chicken "broth" (you'll make this while cooking)

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil chicken in a pot of water for 45 minutes.
2. Remove chicken, leaving water in the pot, and shred/dice.
3. Remove 3/4 cup water for use later (this is your "broth").
4. Put pasta in boiling water left over from chicken and cook a few minutes. Pasta should still be firm since you will later be cooking it some more. Make sure to not overcook!
5. In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients: diced chicken, diced bell pepper, shredded spinach, diced onions, can of soup, pasta, cheese, seasonings and "broth".
6. Put into a large baking dish and bake on 350 for 30 minutes.
   

Cranberry-Pear Chicken

I had some pears I wanted to use and some leftover canned cranberry from Christmas so I decided to try something from scratch. The sauce turned out delicious!!! Though next time I make this, I think I'll use whole berry canned cranberry rather then jellied.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2 can cranberry sauce
  
• 1 pear, diced
  
• 1 cup diced frozen onions
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
  
• olive oil
• Mrs. Dash seasoning
• garlic powder to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook chicken on skillet in some olive oil until cooked through.
2. In a separate skillet, heat olive oil.
3. Add diced pears and frozen onions and cook on medium heat until soft, about 5-10 mins.
4. Add brown sugar and mix well.
5. Add the cranberry, mix, and continue cooking until all is blended well and cranberry sauce is a creamy consistancy.
6. Pour sauce over chicken and serve :)

I served this with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Gravy Baked Pork Chops

I don't make pork very often. Rarely. But I'm finally starting to get a taste for it after years of disliking pork... Trying something new! :)

This recipe is from allrecipes.com. Gravy Baked Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pork loin chops
• salt and pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
  
• butter
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a skillet, melt butter and brown pork on both sides for 5 minutes.
3. Add salt, pepper and garlic as meat is browning.
4. In a bowl, mix soup, milk and water.
5. Spray olive oil into a baking dish and put in the pork chops.
6. Pour soup/gravy mixture over meat.
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until meat is cooked through.
   

Taco Crescent Bake

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Taco-Crescent-Bake
This looked too good to pass up. I probably won't be making it too often since it's not exactly healthy, but what a great comfort food! I did edit the recipe a bit to make it a little healthier..
INGREDIENTS

• 1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 cup crushed corn chips, divided
• 1 pounds ground beef
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, shredded
  
• 1/2 jar tomato sauce
• 3/4 envelope taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Unroll crescent dough into a rectangle and press onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. x 9-in. baking dish.
   
2. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of chips.
3. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
4. Stir in tomato sauce and taco seasoning; then bring to a boil.
   
5. Add shredded spinach, reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
   
6. Spoon over chips and top with sour cream, cheese and remaining chips.
7. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

Beef Kabobs on the grill

I won't go into detail with this recipe ;) Just add on what you like, sprinkle with olive oil and steak seasoning, and grill until meat is cooked through.

I served this with steamed potatoes seasoned with Mrs. Dash (no salt and super yummy!)

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

Perfect for a cold and snowy winter day :)

Good to serve w/ corn bread.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 lb ground turkey
• 1 can of pinto beans
• 1 can of Great Northern beans
• 1 24oz jar of chunky salsa (I use mild)
• 5 medium tomatoes, diced
• garlic, oregano, cumin seed to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Brown the meat, drain excess juices
2. Rinse the beans and wash/dice the tomatoes
3. Put all ingredients in slow cooker and mix well.
4. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
5. Serve with corn bread and enjoy!
   

Skillet Lasagna

Original recipe from: http://christines-cuisine.blogspot.com/1998/12/skillet-lasagna.html
Easy, one-pot meal!

INGREDIENTS

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
3/4 jar of tomato sauce

1/2 cup frozen diced onions

3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
3/4 tbsp garlic powder
3/4 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 lb ground meat (beef or turkey)

8 lasagna noodles, broken to fit in pan

2 cups of baby spinach

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1 cup mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour diced tomatoes, with juices, into a large measuring cup.
   Add water so that the mixture = 2.5 cups.
2. Add tomato sauce and mix.
3. brown beef in a large skillet.
4. Add onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning.
5. Add pasta over the meat. Do not stir.
6. Pour tomato mixture over pasta and bring to a boil.
7. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until pasta is soft, occasionally stirring.
   
8. Add baby spinach during the last 5 minutes. Stir.
9. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses.
10. Serve with Parmesan to taste.
    

Spanish Omlet with potatoes and smokies

INGREDIENTS

Olive Oil
3/4 cup frozen chopped onion
1/2 package of "cocktail smokies", sliced into thirds
2 large red potatoes, sliced and diced thinly
1.5 yellow squash
dried rosemary to taste (I used about 3/4 tbsp)
8 large eggs
1 cup sharp cheddar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400

In skillet on high, head olive oil and onions.
Add the smokies, squash, potatoes, rosemary.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Beat eggs in a 2.5 quart oven safe dish.
Add skillet ingredients and mix.
Sprinkle with cheese.

Transfer to oven and bake until puffed and brown around the edges and knife comes out clean, about 15-30 minutes.

Easy Crock pot Chicken

Decided to cook tonight... with a 3 week old and a busy 21 month old, it's best to prep everything while they're both napping! Haha :) So crock pot cooking tonight it is :)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 frozen chicken breasts
• 1 bunch of carrots; washed, peeled and sliced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Place ingredients in crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours.
Serve with rice.

Creamy Chicken Pasta

Original recipe HERE from allrecipes.com. I changed it up a good amount and it still turned out delicious :) Wanted to try something new!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 bottle of Italian dressing
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2-3/4 cup cream cheese
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1.5 cups frozen peas
  
• spaghetti - Pasta Barilla Plus

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325.
Slice chicken breasts into strips and lay flat in an 8x8 baking dish.

In a sauce pan, melt butter.
Add dressing and cream of mushroom soup. Mix well.
Add cream cheese and stir until smooth. Do not boil.

Pour sauce over chicken and bake for 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions.
Cook peas according to package directions.

Pour sauce and chicken over pasta, mix in peas, and enjoy :)

Italian Chicken Soup

Original recipe from Parenting magazine, November 2009

Perfect on a cold Fall day! Next time I'll probably use fresh chicken (just haven't found frozen chicken that I like..) and will serve w/ French bread.

INGREDIENTS

• Chicken stock
• precooked chicken slices
• bunch of spinach, chopped
• pinto or cannellini beans
• frozen gnocchi
• oregano to taste
• garlic to taste

DIRECTIONS

Head prepared chicken stock in a large pot.
Season.
Add chicken, spinach, and beans.
Bring to a boil and then add in frozen gnocchi.
Cook for about 8 mins (or according to gnocchi package directions).

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I found this recipe on thenest.com, posted by living_insanity

Sounded great so I thought I'd give it a try :) Below is her recipe. I made it a while ago and had enough for 3 meals out of a 2 lb pork butt. I can't remember exactly how long I cooked it for, but I just guesstimated times and amounts based on how much I was making. Since it was so long ago, I am just going to copy/paste her recipe instead of try to guess how I did it.

It was sooooooo so good!

"I buy a 6-8 pound pork butt (to feed a lot of people) and even then I ALWAYS run out and never have leftovers.

1 liter of cheap cola

a few bottles of BBQ sauce

I put the pork in my crockpot, cover the pork with the cola

cook on low for about 10 hours. If you buy a smaller piece of meat, you will need to cook it for less time.

Then I pull the pork out (It should be falling apart into pieces, thats how I know mine is really done) and I shred it. I dump out my liquid, put the pork back into the crock with the BBQ sauce and put it on warm. I stir it up several times until its all warm throughout."

French Toast Casserole

I wanted an easy French Toast Casserole recipe that I could make the previous night for my playgroup, and then easily throw in the oven in the morning. I found THIS recipe on cooks.com. It was a hit! :)

INGREDIENTS

1 long loaf French bread (about 1/2 lb.)
8 eggs
3 c. milk
4 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces

DIRECTIONS

• Generously butter a 9 x 13 inch pan.
  
• Cut bread in 1 inch thick slices.
  
• Arrange bread in a single layer over prepared dish.
  
• Beat eggs, milk, sugar, salt and vanilla until mixed.
  
• Pour over bread, cover and refrigerate overnight.
  

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
• Dot bread with butter.
  
• Bake uncovered until puffy and lightly browned approximately 45 to 50 minutes.
  
• Serve with syrup or honey.
  

Open-faced Chicken Parm Sandwich

Found this recipe in the October 2009 issue of Parenting, in the M-F: 5 meals ready in minutes section.

INGREDIENTS

Loaf of whole-grain Italian bread
4 pieces of cooked chicken breast.
Baby spinach leaves
Jarred marinara
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Precook chicken (I pan fried it in olive oil)
Slice bread in half, then in half lengthwise.
Lay the cooked chicken on the four slices of bread.
Top with baby spinach leaver.
Pour marinara sauce on top.
Sprinkle with cheeses.
Broil until cheese is bubbly.

Chicken,Tomato, Broccoli and Pesto Calzone

Another Good Thymes and Good Food blogger recipe! Original recipe Chicken, Artichoke, Pesto Calzones

INGREDIENTS

• refrigerated pizza dough
• Pesto (I used store bought)
• 2 thin grilled chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large diced tomato
• 2 broccoli heads, cooked and chopped
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Olive oil, for brushing

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Grill chicken in olive oil, then cut into small pieces.
3. Saute broccoli, then chop.
4. Dice tomato(es)
   
5. Unroll pizza dough, spread thin, and cut into 4 even rectangles.
6. Put about a tbsp of pesto on each piece of dough, covering only 1/2 a side.
   
7. Add chicken, broccoli and tomatoes.
8. Top with cheese.
9. Fold untopped dough over to cover toppings.
10. Press down around edges to seal, then brush over with olive oil.
11. Bake for about 13 minutes (original recipe called for 13-15 minutes. My oven always takes longer then suggested bake time, but 15 minutes was a bit too long!)
    

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I saw this recipe on the blog Good Thymes and Good Food (check it out in my blog roll!) and it looked really good.. so I decided to give it a try, with a few modifications :) Turned out great!

http://goodthymesandgoodfood.blogspot.com/2009/06/chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole-award.html

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded
• 1 cup diced ham
  
• 1 cup frozen chopped onions
• 2 bell peppers
• 1/2-1 cup diced carrots
  
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1.8 oz package of instant brown rice
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• garlic to taste
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add veggies, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until tender.
Add garlic and meats and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until heated through.
Add butter and stir until melted.
Add flour, salt and pepper.
Mix in rice.

Transfer to an 8x8 baking dish and top with cheese.
Bake about 20 minutes.

Child-Friendly Mini Frittatas

My 18-month old loved this.. and so did I!
I made enough for just the 2 of us because my husband had to work late tonight.

Recipe makes 3 little 6oz ramekins.
INGREDIENTS

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup peas, cooked
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 hotdog, sliced in 3 long-ways and then thinly sliced again width-way
• dash of salt
• garlic to taste
• oregano to taste

DIRECTIONS

Head oven to 375.
Lightly coat 3 6-oz ramekins with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, then stir in the rest of the ingredients.
Ladle evenly into ramekins.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until puffed, set, and lightly browned.

Applesauce Chicken in the Crock Pot

Original recipe can be found HERE, from the blog: A Year of Slow Cooking (crockpot 365).
I can't believe how fast this was to make... took all of 3 minutes to throw all the ingredients together!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 frozen chicken breasts
• 1 cup apple sauce
• 1 cup frozen chopped onions
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

• rice to serve as a side (I used Uncle Ben's instant brown rice)
  

DIRECTIONS

Place chicken and onion in crockpot.
In a bowl, mix the applesauce, vinegar, garlic and spices together. Pour on top of chicken.
Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Serve with rice.

Super Veggie and Beef Casserole

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 lb lean ground beef, browned and drained
• 2 large diced potatoes
• 1.5 cups sliced carrots
• 1.5 cups frozen peas
• 6 celery stalks, sliced
  
• 10 3/4 oz can cream of celery soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tsp garlic powder
  

DIRECTIONS

Brown beef (and onion if you want) in saucepan. Drain
Combine all ingredients except for the milk in slow cooker.
Cover and cook on high for about 4 hours (I cooked on high for 2 hours and on low for 3).
Add milk and mix well.

Chicken Enchiladas with Tomato-Corn salad

This turned out so good!

INGREDIENTS

For Enchiladas:

• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 6 whole wheat tortillas (8 inch)
• about 1+ cup shredded mozzarella (or your choice) cheese
• 1 10-oz can enchilada sauce (I used mild)

For salad:

• 1 can corn, drained
• 2 small tomatoes, diced
• Ranch dressing to taste

DIRECTIONS

Cook and shred the chicken in advance. (I put 2 frozen chicken breasts into the crockpot with 1 can of chicken broth and cooked on high for about 4 hours, until chicken was done).

Preheat oven to 400.
Put shredded chicken and some cheese (I used about 3/4 cup cheese total for the 6 tortillas) in each tortilla.
Roll up and place in an 8x8 baking dish, seam side down.
Pour enchilada sauce over top.
Sprinkle with about 1/3 cup of cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes, until hot throughout and cheese is well melted.

While enchiladas are baking, mix drained corn, diced tomatoes, and Ranch dressing together for a simple salad.

Honey Chicken

I love this easy and super flavorful recipe! Great with roasted potatoes and vegetables.INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1/2 cup honey in a pan
2 chicken breasts

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.
Heat up butter, mustard and honey in a pan.
When it's melted, coat chicken breasts on all sides.
Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes, until chicken center is no longer pink.

Ham and Scalloped Potatoes

I decided to try out a different recipe this time.. it's pretty similar to the last one, with a few changes, but those few changes made a rather large difference! My husband went back for seconds... and thirds! :)

Recipe modified from Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting with your Slow Cooker by Dawn J Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good.

INGREDIENTS

* 4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
* 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup chopped frozen onions
* 1 cup chopped cooked ham
* 1 can cream of celery soup
* 4 stalks celery, sliced
* paprika to taste


DIRECTIONS

Layer potatoes, ham, celery, shredded cheese and onion in slow cooker.
Spoon soup evenly over the potato and ham mixture.
Sprinkle with paprika.

Cover and cook on High for 2 hours then on low for 3 hours.
(original recipe calls for cooking on Low 8-10 hours, or High 4 hours)