Easy Red Sauce Pasta
1 jar of your favorite red sauce
5 hand-fulls of macaroni pasta
4 italian sausages
1/2 cup water
In a large pot cook pasta as directed, drain, and set aside. Put sausages in a large sauce pan with water and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Turn and cook for another 5 minutes. Continue turning until sausages are cooked through. Sausages should be lightly browned on the sides but not burnt. Remove sausages from pan and let cool while you clean out the pan. Slice sausages on an angle. Add sausage and sauce back into pan and warm on medium low. Combine pasta and sausage sauce. Mix and serve!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Chicken Kabobs & Grilled Potatoes
One of my favorite ways to cook is on the grill. I looooove grilling. It is quick, tasty, and most importantly EASY CLEANUP!! So this recipe is perfect for me. This meal will feed 4-5 people.
Chicken Kabobs-
4 boneless skinless chicken cut into 1 inch cubes
1 green pepper cut into 1 inch squares
1 red pepper cut into 1 inch squares
1 red onion cut into 1 squares
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1 cup bbq sauce
In a large bowl add chicken, peppers, and onions. Add oil and cajun seasoning and toss until completely covered. Let sit for at least 1 hour tossing once or twice during the hour. Pierce and slide chicken, onions, and peppers onto kabob sticks alternating as desired. Pre-heat grill on medium. Place kabobs on grill for 3 minutes. Turn and let cook 3-5 more minutes until chicken is no longer pink on the inside.
Grilled Potatoes-
6-8 red potatoes chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
3 crushed or finely minced galic cloves
1 large onion chopped
1 tsp olive oil
salt
pepper
heavy duty foil
Lay out sheet of foil approximately 2 feet long. On foil add potatoes, garlic, onion, oil and a few shakes of salt and pepper. Toss lightly. Add another sheet of foil on top and seal the edges by rolling and crunching together with the bottom sheet. This should create a completely enclosed package. Place directly on grill on medium heat. Let cook for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft and easily mushed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Chicken Kabobs-
4 boneless skinless chicken cut into 1 inch cubes
1 green pepper cut into 1 inch squares
1 red pepper cut into 1 inch squares
1 red onion cut into 1 squares
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1 cup bbq sauce
In a large bowl add chicken, peppers, and onions. Add oil and cajun seasoning and toss until completely covered. Let sit for at least 1 hour tossing once or twice during the hour. Pierce and slide chicken, onions, and peppers onto kabob sticks alternating as desired. Pre-heat grill on medium. Place kabobs on grill for 3 minutes. Turn and let cook 3-5 more minutes until chicken is no longer pink on the inside.
Grilled Potatoes-
6-8 red potatoes chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
3 crushed or finely minced galic cloves
1 large onion chopped
1 tsp olive oil
salt
pepper
heavy duty foil
Lay out sheet of foil approximately 2 feet long. On foil add potatoes, garlic, onion, oil and a few shakes of salt and pepper. Toss lightly. Add another sheet of foil on top and seal the edges by rolling and crunching together with the bottom sheet. This should create a completely enclosed package. Place directly on grill on medium heat. Let cook for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft and easily mushed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Haha
So it happens. Any cook who says they never experimented and made a mess is probably not telling the truth. Sunday night I decided to experiment with some spices I use very infrequently. The spice of the day was going to be coriander. Well word from the wise....don't put an experimental spice into a whole batch of something you are making. I completely ruined the whole thing. Even my husband said he would rather have something else and he eats EVERYTHING.
Live and learn.
Live and learn.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Andy Boys
We went out tonight to a pizza place!
You can see their info here:
Andy Boy's Pizza
Kind of a drive for us, but it was nice and quiet and kid friendly! There were lots of people picking up food for take-out, but only one other family there for dinner. This place was a hidden gem!
You can see their info here:
Andy Boy's Pizza
Kind of a drive for us, but it was nice and quiet and kid friendly! There were lots of people picking up food for take-out, but only one other family there for dinner. This place was a hidden gem!
Italian Penne-roni and Caesar Salad
Italian Penne-roni is my version of an italian macaroni. Its full of flavor, but maybe not the most diet friendly of dishes so watch the portions and save for a deserved diet vacation day :)
Caesar Salad:
Romaine Lettuce
1/4 cup parmesaen cheese
Croutons
Caesar Dressing of your choice
Mix ingredients and serve! Delicious!
Italian Penne-roni:
1 Box Penne Pasta
4 italian sausage casings removed
3 cloves garlic crushed or finely minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock (or water can be substitued
1 cup italian mix shredded cheese
1 can diced tomatoes strained
1/2 cup parmesean cheese)
salt pepper
Preheat broiler to 500 degrees farhenheit. Cook pasta as directed on box. Drain and set aside. Brown sausage in large sauce pan. Once fully cooked drain in strainer and set aside. In cleaned sauce pan spray non-stick light cooking spray. Saute garlic and mushrooms for 3-5 minutes or until mushrooms are soft add chicken stock, heavy cream, and italian cheese mix. Stir until cheese is completely melted. Stir in diced tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix cooked pasta, cooked sausage and sauce all together and put in lightly spray baking dish. Sprinkle parmesean cheese on top. Put under broiler until cheese is lightly browned.
Caesar Salad:
Romaine Lettuce
1/4 cup parmesaen cheese
Croutons
Caesar Dressing of your choice
Mix ingredients and serve! Delicious!
Italian Penne-roni:
1 Box Penne Pasta
4 italian sausage casings removed
3 cloves garlic crushed or finely minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock (or water can be substitued
1 cup italian mix shredded cheese
1 can diced tomatoes strained
1/2 cup parmesean cheese)
salt pepper
Preheat broiler to 500 degrees farhenheit. Cook pasta as directed on box. Drain and set aside. Brown sausage in large sauce pan. Once fully cooked drain in strainer and set aside. In cleaned sauce pan spray non-stick light cooking spray. Saute garlic and mushrooms for 3-5 minutes or until mushrooms are soft add chicken stock, heavy cream, and italian cheese mix. Stir until cheese is completely melted. Stir in diced tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix cooked pasta, cooked sausage and sauce all together and put in lightly spray baking dish. Sprinkle parmesean cheese on top. Put under broiler until cheese is lightly browned.
Use What You Got Mexican
An easy meal in our house is wrapped in a tortilla and baked in the oven with enchilada sauce on top!
Basics:
6 flour tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped and fully cooked you can boil or pan saute
1 can pinto beans
1/4 cup cheese (you can use the mexican mix or just cheddar)
Optional Fillers:
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can diced tomatoes
sauteed peppers and onions
rice
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray baking dish with non-stick light cooking spray. In each tortilla add desired ingredients. Like something that no one else does? No problem! Mix and match to make your favorite combination. Wrap the tortillas up folding the bottom and top in slightly then wrapping the sides around. If you have problems keeping them closed try adding a small amount of beans to the place where to two sides of the tortilla meet almost like you are gluing them together. Pour about a half can of sauce per six tortillas of the enchilada sauce over the wraps and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Basics:
6 flour tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped and fully cooked you can boil or pan saute
1 can pinto beans
1/4 cup cheese (you can use the mexican mix or just cheddar)
Optional Fillers:
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can diced tomatoes
sauteed peppers and onions
rice
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray baking dish with non-stick light cooking spray. In each tortilla add desired ingredients. Like something that no one else does? No problem! Mix and match to make your favorite combination. Wrap the tortillas up folding the bottom and top in slightly then wrapping the sides around. If you have problems keeping them closed try adding a small amount of beans to the place where to two sides of the tortilla meet almost like you are gluing them together. Pour about a half can of sauce per six tortillas of the enchilada sauce over the wraps and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Lean Burgers with Sweet Potatoe Fries!
I've been looking forward to Spring recently with the lack of a "real" snow here I suppose I'm just ready to move on to spring! So here is a spring time bbq preview!
Lean Burgers:
1 lb lean ground beef
1/3 cup egg beaters
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 clove garlic crushed or finely minced
1 teaspoon black pepper
Extras (use as desired to top on burgers):
Light Whole Wheat Buns
Sliced Onion
Tomato
Lettuce
Ketchup
Mustard
Mix all of the ingredients for the lean burgers in a a large bowl. It is best to mix them with your hands. So dig in! Form into desired burger sizes. I normally use this to make about four burgers. If you have extra burgers through them in a freezer bag and they are great later on. Then grill the burgers on medium high for 3-5 minutes on each side or until desired temperature is reached. Remember that bacteria is killed between 145 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sweet Potato Fries:
2 sweet potatoes
light cooking spray
Salt
Pepper
Pre-heat oven to 425. Thinly slice the the potato into shoe string size fries. Lightly spray the fries with light cooking spray and spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Cook in oven for about 5 minutes or until desired "cripsness" is obtained. After cooking sprinkle salt and pepper and serve hot! Sweet potatoes are a great alternative to regular fries and are packed with healthy benefits!
Lean Burgers:
1 lb lean ground beef
1/3 cup egg beaters
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 clove garlic crushed or finely minced
1 teaspoon black pepper
Extras (use as desired to top on burgers):
Light Whole Wheat Buns
Sliced Onion
Tomato
Lettuce
Ketchup
Mustard
Mix all of the ingredients for the lean burgers in a a large bowl. It is best to mix them with your hands. So dig in! Form into desired burger sizes. I normally use this to make about four burgers. If you have extra burgers through them in a freezer bag and they are great later on. Then grill the burgers on medium high for 3-5 minutes on each side or until desired temperature is reached. Remember that bacteria is killed between 145 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sweet Potato Fries:
2 sweet potatoes
light cooking spray
Salt
Pepper
Pre-heat oven to 425. Thinly slice the the potato into shoe string size fries. Lightly spray the fries with light cooking spray and spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Cook in oven for about 5 minutes or until desired "cripsness" is obtained. After cooking sprinkle salt and pepper and serve hot! Sweet potatoes are a great alternative to regular fries and are packed with healthy benefits!
Soooo
My blog is taking a different turn these days. I will continue to share my life lessons as they come, but on a more regular basis I'll be sharing something a little lighter for your enjoyment!
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