I know fish is healthy for you, and I try to feed it to my family, but unfortunately they only like it when it's fried shrimp or sushi. For just about as many meals as I've made with fish, I've gotten just as many no thank yous. However, tonight that changed!!! I got sneaky with my cooking. My lovely children consumed tuna taquitos tonight quite happily. They weren't even fried! I hope you can trick your family into eating this delicious fish meal too :) Enjoy!
Italian Taquitos
Ingredients:
1 Can Tuna, drained
1 Can Beans, drained (I used Kidney beans)
1/2 Cup Cooked White Rice
1/8 Cup Italian Salad Dressing (I used Ken's Northern Italian)
1/4 Cup Diced Onions
1/3 Cup Diced Green Peppers
1 TBSP Mayonnaise
1 Tsp Dried Basil
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Heaping Tsp Minced Fresh Garlic
1 and 2/3 Cup Shredded Mexican Cheese
12 to 15 corn tortillas
1. Mix together tuna, beans, white rice, Italian dressing, onions, green peppers, mayo, basil, salt, garlic and 1 Cup of the shredded cheese.
2. Preheat oven to broil- high. Place oven rack on the second to lowest level. Spray a large baking sheet liberally with non-stick spray.
3. Wrap 3-5 corn tortillas in a damp pamper towel and microwave for about 45 minutes. They need to be flexible so you can wrap them easily without the corn tortillas cracking. Uncover one at a time. Lay a large spoonful (about 1 and 1/2 to 2 TBSP) of tuna mix on one end and roll. Lay taquito folded side down on baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the tortillas, heating up more when needed. If you have any mix left, push a bit more into the ends of the taquitos.
3. When finished folding, spray taquitos with another liberal spray of non-stick spray. Broil in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, sprinkle the remaining 2/3 cup of shredded cheese on top. Turn off the oven and let them sit in there for 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with a side of salsa.
I love after holiday sales! I went to Dollar General the other day and I got these 3 Chocolate Bunnies for ten cents apiece. What a savings! Andy's cousins moved into a new house so I made these Chocolate Bunny Bars for them for a housewarming gift. They were oooey gooey chocolate goodness and easy to make! Enjoy :)
Chocolate Bunny Bars
Ingredients:
For the Base:
1 Devils Food Cake Mix
3 Chocolate Bunnies (I used the hollow ones)
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup of Vegetable Oil
1/4 Cup of Milk
For the Top:
1/2 Cup Cake Mixture
1/2 Chopped Chocolate Bunnies
3/4 Package Cream Cheese, chopped into small cubes
1&1/4 Cup Coconut
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 glass baking pan.
2. Chop Chocolate Bunnies into small pieces, then set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil and milk. Add 1/2 of the chopped bunnies.
4. Set aside 1/2 Cup of the mixture in another bowl for the topping. Spread the rest of the cake mixture onto the bottom of the 9 x 13 pan.
5. In the other bowl, add the rest of the chocolate bunnies, coconut and creme cheese cubes. Mix together with 1/2 cup of cake mixture. When mixed, drop onto base in small dobs. Make sure to dob evenly across cake base.
6. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
This is a coffee cake I made for our Easter Breakfast at church. I have been working on "healthifying" my recipes, so this one is made with skim milk, pineapple and apple sauce. There's not any oil or eggs in it! It turned out incredibly light and delicious. It was so easy to prepare, I will definitely make it again. If you cut the cake in 10, there's about 5 weight watchers points per slice. Enjoy!
Pineapple Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup applesauce
1 cup bisquick
1/2 yellow cake mix
1/2 cup skim milk
1 can pineapple chunks and juice
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Mix together applesauce, bisquick, cake mix, skim milk and the juice from the pineapple in a bowl.
3. Spray 9" pie pan and pour pineapple on bottom. Pour batter on top. Sprinkle ground cinnamon on top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
4. Let cool and serve, or flip coffee cake over onto a serving platter and have Upside Down Pinapple Coffee Cake.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner (Holy Cow!!!), I thought I should start working on some "leftover" recipes for our favorite Thanksgiving foods. This one I made for dinner tonight. If you don't have leftover turkey, it also works great with leftover chicken. This recipe is a tasty change from normal turkey salad and it's very simple to make. It'll take you 15 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to bake. If you're as busy as we are during the holiday season, it's nice to have a great meal that doesn't take a lot of work. Enjoy!
Turkey Curry Melts
Ingredients:
1 Loaf of French Bread
2 Cups Chopped Turkey or Chicken
1 & 1/2 Cups Cooked Corn (cooled)
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Tbsp Curry Powder
1 Tbsp Seasoning Salt
1 Large Green Pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together turkey, corn, mayo, cheese, curry powder and seasoning salt.
2. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Slice loaf of bread in half long ways. Place two halves onto baking sheet. Spread turkey salad onto the two halves of bread. Slice green pepper into thin circles. Place on top of turkey salad.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Serves 4 to 6 people.
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We have had such a beautiful, mild fall, but I'm excited for some cold weather and some cold weather cooking! Just this afternoon Celia told me, "Mom, I love winter! I can't wait to stand outside in the cold!" While I'm not quite that excited, I am thrilled to share some hearty What's for Leftovers recipes with you all! Here is one for leftover roast beef. The nice thing is you don't even have to cook a roast for this recipe. If you want to make it quick, get some thick slices of roast beef deli meat from your grocery store. After cooking for a half an hour with the stuffing, you (and your family!) won't even be able to tell that you used deli roast beef. Your short cut will be your secret!
One Pot Roast Beef Dinner
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Water
1 Green Pepper, diced
1 Onion, diced
2 & 1/2 Cups Roast Beef, chopped into large chunks
1 Can Green Beans
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 Cup Water
1 Box Stuffing Mix
2 Cups Chicken Broth
1. In a large, oven safe, skillet, saute green peppers and onions in 1/2 cup water on high for 5 minutes.
2. Add roast beef and green beans to skillet. Pour 1/2 Cup of water on top. Next add a layer of cheese. Then add stuffing mix to the top. Pour chicken broth over entire dish. Cover and cook on med/hi heat for 15 minutes.
3. Broil in the oven for 7 min. until top is golden brown and crispy. Serves 4 to 5 people.
With God, all things are possible :)
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It seems like a bag of baking potatoes lasts us forever! I looked in my crisper drawer just the other day and I have a 5 pound bag that desperately needs to be used. Since the weather has been fabulous lately, we've been spending as much time outdoors, soaking up the sun before cold, yucky weather starts. Here's a veggie recipe for the grill to make during those beautiful, golden fall days.
Potato Packets
Ingredients:
3 Large Baking Potatoes
2 Apples
1 Small Onion
2 Green Peppers
1 Red Pepper
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Tsp Pepper
1/2 Tsp Salt
1. Wash potatoes, trim off ends and microwave for 90 seconds.
2. Chop potatoes into large chunks. Chop apples, onion, and peppers into chunks 1/2 the size of the potato chunks.
3. In a large bowl, mix together potatoes, apples, onion, peppers, olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper.
4. Fold veggie mix into 3 large pieces of aluminum foil. BBQ on the top rack of bbq grill for 25 minutes on high.
Good Evening!!! I can't believe it's already the end of September. This school year is really flying by. It has been a challenge keeping up my posting and working full-time. But, have no fear, I have a pile of What's for Leftovers recipes that I need to post. They're just waiting for some spare time!
Here's a new recipe that you can use with leftover tuna salad. My husband, Andy, only like a few types of fish: fried catfish, tuna fish and shrimp. A little while ago, I made a speedy dinner of tuna fish. I made a large batch, so we had quite a bit leftover. Since tuna fish salad doesn't last very long, I wanted to have it again the next day, but didn't want to have tuna salad sandwiches again. Soooo, I baked it. It turned out fantastic! Enjoy!
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10 to 11 inch baking pan with Pam.
2. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes. Baked Tuna Salad is finished when the top is lightly browned and bubbly.
My mom is semi-Southern, so, we grew up eating fried okra. For us, it was a treat when my mom would take the time to cook this Southern delicacy. Although, I have battered and fried okra by hand, I am lucky enough to be able to buy it in the grocery store. I love it when it is on sale for $1 a bag. While I think fried okra is simply delicious, I was very surprised to find out that my children aren't as thrilled about it (although they both tried it for me!). With all this fried okra leftover, I seriously thought I might have to throw it out, but then I got to thinking. I hid it in this Cajun Spaghetti that went over extremely well with my husband and father. Enjoy the recipe, it's spaghetti with a twist!
Cajun Spaghetti
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Diced Onions
2 Celery Stalks, Chopped
1 TBSP Minced Garlic
2 Chorizo Sausage Links
1 Brat or Smoked Sausage
1/2 Cup Chopped Ham
1 Diced Tomato
1 Cup Fried Okra
I Can Diced Tomatoes
1 & 1/2 Cups Spaghetti Sauce
1 Cup Water
1 TBSP Creole Seasoning
4 Cups Cooked Pasta
1. In a large soup pot, saute diced onions, celery and minced garlic in a little olive oil for 5 minutes.
2. When celery turns bright green add chorizo (decased and crumbled). Cook for another 5 minutes. Add smoked sausage, ham, tomato, fried okra, diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, water, and creole seasoning. Simmer on high for 10 minutes.
3. Turn to low and mix pasta in. Cook until pasta is thoroughly heated. Serves 6 people.
After being back at work full-time for a month now, I feel like we can finally breath. The first couple of weeks we went out to eat a lot! However, there were a few nights I was able to sneak in a well-balanced, healthy meal. Here's a recipe that I created during those weeks. It is incredibly simple and you can start it the night before, so there's virtually no prep (besides your side dishes) when you get home from work. You can also use this marinade on vegetables or chicken, just follow directions substituting the shrimp with your preferred ingredients.
Shrimp on a Stick
Ingredients:
Bag of Frozen Shrimp (the already cooked kind you would thaw out and serve for a party)
2 TBSP Tandori Paste
1 Cup Orange Juice
Kebab Sticks
1. Start preparing this recipe the night before while you're cooking that night's dinner. In a large bowl, whisk together o.j. and tandori paste. The kind of tandori paste I used is pictured above.
2. If your shrimp bag has a ziplock on it, just use the shrimp bag. If yours doesn't have one, use a large ziplock bag. Dump o.j. and tandori paste marinade onto the frozen shrimp. Lay bag onto a plate and put in the fridge. Evertime you open the refigerator, flip the bag. Leave in the fridge until dinner the next day.
3. Next Day: Soak kebab sticks in water for 20 to 30 minutes. Heat BBQ grill to medium. Skewer shrimp on the kebab sticks. Spray grill racks with Pam. Grill on medium, away from the direct flame. 5 to 7 minutes per side. (We used the top rack of our grill) Shrimp are done when they are bright pink/orange and a little smaller.
Ohhh, I had forgotten how busy the start of the school year is! After a crazy month of August, I finally get to sit down and post a recipe. Hooray! This is a recipe I made a couple of weeks ago. I loved it! It was a fabulous mixture of tastes that you wouldn't necessarily put together regularly. We bought our Sicilian Eggplant and all the peppers from our local farmer's market. If you can't find a Sicilian one, just use a small regular one. Happy cooking!
Tortellini with Eggplant and Peppers
Ingredients:
1 Small Sicilian Eggplant, peeled and diced
1/2 TBSP Salt
1 Fresh Banana Pepper, diced
1 Poblano Pepper, diced
1 Small Onion, Diced
1 TSP Minced Garlic
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/3 Cup French Onion Dip
1/2 Can of Milk (use cream of can)
2 Bags of Meat Tortellini
1. Pour olive oil and eggplant into a large skillet. Sprinkle salt on eggplant. Saute on high. When skillet is hot, add peppers, onion, and garlic. Stir frequently. Saute until eggplant softens.
2. Add cream of mushroom, French onion dip and milk to skillet. Lower heat to medium, continue stirring frequently. Cook until bubbly and thicker (about 15 minutes).
3. While finishing sauce, cook meat tortellini in a separate pot following directions on package. Mix sauce and cooked tortellini together and serve. Serves 4 to 6 people.
Last weekend we had friends over for a fantastic, end of the summer bbq. (It's only the end of the summer because our school is back in session.) As always, we had way too much food. When I was little, we used to eat a dish called pizza burgers at school. I remember I loved them. This gave me the idea to turn our hamburgers into breakfast burgers. These were easy to make and only need a couple ingredients. Enjoy!
Breakfast Burgers:
Ingredients:
2- 1/4 Hamburgers, crumbled
2 Eggs
1/3 Cup Dip (I used spinach artichoke, but any will work.)
3 Hamburger or Hotdog Buns
Shredded Cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together hamburger meat, eggs, and dip. Spread out over hamburger or hotdog buns. Top with shredded cheese.
3. Bake for 10 minutes. Makes 6 Breakfast Burgers.
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I love to make rice salad. It's so easy, a little of this, a little of that, some cheese and Italian dressing and voila, ready to eat. Unfortunately, I'm the only one in our family who really loves rice salad, so I either need to be making it for a party or be prepared to eat it every night for a week. Last week I got tired of eating leftover rice salad, so I snuck it into a dish for dinner. Wouldn't you know, my family loved the dish, so I now know what I can do with leftover rice salad. Enjoy!
Chicken Vino
Ingredients:
6 Chicken Breast or Thighs, thawed
1 Can Cream of Mushroom
1 & 1/2 to 2 Cups of Rice Salad
1/2 Can Black Olives, Sliced
1/2 Green Pepper, Chopped
1/2 Onion, Chopped
1/4 Cup Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Red Wine
(*My rice salad had peas and tomatoes in it, if yours doesn't you can also add these to your dish.)
Put your chicken into a large slow cooker. Pour all other ingredients on top. Cook on High for 1 &1/2 to 2 hours until chicken is done. Check periodically and stir, add a little water or milk if sauce starts to dry up.
We had a bbq last night and amazingly enough, we ended up with more food leftover than when we started. It was totally loaves and fishes :) We have such great friends! This morning when I was figuring out breakfast, I realized that I should probably use some of the myriad of hamburger buns sitting on my counter, but I was tired of making the same old breakfast regulars. Here's a twist on French toast and peanut butter and jelly that was a huge hit! We ate them as a finger food. They are great for kids and husbands with very little clean up!
PB Jammerwiches
Ingredients:
4 to 6 Hamburger Buns
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup Milk
1 Tsp Cinnamon Sugar
Peanut Butter
Jelly or Jam
Powdered Sugar
1. In a shallow bowl, mix together milk, cinnamon sugar, and eggs.
2. Spray your griddle with non-stick spray and heat it up.
3. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter and jellly on the "wrong" sides of the bun. Put together like a sandwich and smash flat. Dip both sides of sandwich in egg mixture. Place on griddle and cook until both sides are golden brown. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Makes 4 to 6 PB Jammerwiches.
I don't normally buy coconut because I don't like the texture. I love the taste, I love the smell, but not the texture. My friend Kimberly gave me an extra bag of it to cook with and it's been sitting in my fridge for awhile, just waiting for inspiration to occur. Lucky for us, it occurred last week in the form of a dessert recipe. Growing up, my neighbor Cathy used to make us a dessert called dump cake. This is a very easy pie/cobbler dessert where you just dump everything into a cake pan and bake. I took that idea and used the coconut to make a cherry cream cobbler. It is delicious and very simple to make. It is a perfect summer dessert: fast, easy, and unforgetable :)
Cherry Cream Cobbler
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1 Cup Almond Flour
1 and 1/2 Cups Pecan Meal
1 Cup Coconut
1 Stick of Butter
For the Filling:
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Can Cherry Pie Filling
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 11" deep dish baking pan.
2. Take out 2 bowls. In one, mix together almond flour, pecan meal, and coconut. In the other, mix together milk and cherry pie filling.
3. Spray pie pan. Pour milk and cherry pie mixture on batter. Spread out evenly. Pour flour and coconut mixture on top.
4. Melt butter. Drizzle over the top of the cobbler. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Top will be golden brown when finished. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
It is so hot in St. Charles, but I don't want to stop cooking! To avoid heating up our whole house with a gas oven, I made stuffed green peppers in my slow cooker. They turned out great, were a snap to make and really easy to clean up. I had 3 HUGE peppers, so I cut them in half and stuffed each half. If you have smaller ones, feel free to use the whole pepper.
Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
3 Large Peppers (green, red, yellow or orange)
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 & 1/2 Cups Cooked Instant Brown Rice
1/2 Cup Black Bean & Corn Salsa
1 Egg
3 TBSP Hummus
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Water
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1. Cut peppers in half. Take half of pepper with stem. Carefully cut around stem and pull out seeds.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together ground turkey, rice, salsa, egg, hummus and salt. Stuff peppers with mixture.
3. Pour 1/2 cup of water into bottom of a large slow cooker. Place stuffed peppers into cooker. Cook on high for 90 minutes. Place shredded cheese on top of peppers and cook for 15 more minutes on high. Keep on warm or low until ready to serve. Serves 4-5 people.
Sometimes I look in my pantry and refrigerator and think, "I have no idea what to make for dinner." Usually if I stand there long enough, something catches my eye and voila, I know what we're having. If you're having one of those days, here's an easy soup recipe for you to make :) Serve it with a salad and warm garlic bread and you have a great meal. Plus you'll probably have some leftovers to freeze for another one of those days when you're at a loss as to what to make.
3 Bean Soup
Ingredients:
1 Can Tomato Soup
4 Cans of Beans (I used red, black & butter)
Lg Can (28oz) Crushed Tomatoes
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Chopped Ham
2 Cooked Pork Chops, Chopped
1/2 Large Onion, Chopped
1 and 1/2 TBSP Minced Garlic
1 TBSP Onion Soup Mix
1 Tsp Salt
Grated Cheddar Cheese
1. Pour all ingredients except cheese into a slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours until soup thickens up. Stir every so often, so soup won't burn.
2 When finished, top with grated cheese and serve. Serves 6 to 8.
Cauliflower and cabbage are not my favorite veggies. I love cole slaw and I love fried cauliflower, but beyond that they're just okay. My family feels the same way. We had a whole bunch of frozen cauliflower and cabbage that we needed to use up. This dish was a huge hit for everyone. Celia even had thirds! So now I have a third way to serve these veggies that everyone loves.
Au Gratin Cauliflower & Cabbage
Ingredients:
4 to 5 Cups of Cooked Cabbage, Chopped
1 to 2 Cups of Cooked Cauliflower, Chopped
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 Tsp Dill Weed
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
Large Squirt of Mustard
1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan or Roman Cheese
2/3 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/3 Cup Bread Crumbs
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cabbage and cauliflower in a large baking dish or bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together mayo, egg, milk, dill, onion powder, salt, mustard and parmesan cheese. Pour over cabbage and cauliflower and mix.
2. Bake for 20 minutes. Spread cheddar cheese and bread crumbs over top. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes until cheese has melted and bread crumbs have browned.
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This is a recipe for Gordita filling. My husband loves Mexican food. Gorditas are really easy to make and they're a neat treat for your family. To make the gordita shell, you'll need to buy Corn Masa Mix from your grocery store. I found it at Aldi's, but you can find it at almost any store. Follow the directions on the bag for gordita or tortilla shells. In case there aren't directions, you're going to want to mix equal parts of water and mix to make a dough. Heat up a skillet with oil. Make dough into balls and flatten out. Fry dough in your pan until both sides are golden brown. Fresh gorditas are the best! You'll never want to go back to Taco Bell :)
Here's a recipe for a potato filling to top your shells with. This recipe makes enough for 6 to 8 people. This is a mild filling, spice it up with red pepper flakes and jalepenos if your family likes spicy. Enjoy!
Potato Gordita Filling
Ingredients:
5 to 6 Baked Potatoes
1 Lb Ground Turkey
1& 1/2 TBSP Dried Cilantro
1 TBSP Cumin
1 TSP Onion Powder
1/2 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Monterey Jack Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste.
1. Chop up potatoes into small chunks. Brown ground turkey in a large frying pan. When brown, add olive oil and potatoes. (I leave some of the skin on the potatoes.)
2. Add spices, water and cheese. Cook until turkey is completely finished, cheese is melted and potatoes have become soft. Add water while cooking if your filling becomes to dry!
3. Spread filling on Gordita shells and top with lettuce, tomatoes and salsa.
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This is a great meal if you're ever in a hurry. It's also a non-traditional way to use leftover turkey.
Mexican Turkey Skillet
Ingredients:
1 Box Spanish Style Rice-a-Roni
3 Cups Cooked Turkey, Cut Bite-Sized
1 Cup Corn (Canned, Frozen, or Leftover)
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
1 Can Water (use tomato can)
1/2 TBSP Dried Cilantro
1 & 1/2 Cups Colby Jack Cheese
1. Follow instructions on rice box. Brown rice in olive oil or butter. Add turkey, corn, tomatoes, water and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until rice is cooked.
2. Mix in cheese. Cool for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.
My neighbor Mathilde made us some awesome, homemade Mexican rice. We weren't able to finish it all, so the next night, I used the leftovers to make Tropical Fried Rice. This is a fun dish for summertime. It's light and flavorful. The ingredients are surprising, but their tastes compliment each other perfectly. Enjoy!
Tropical Fried Rice
Ingredients:
1/2 Large Vidalia Onion, Chopped
1 & 1/2 Cups Fresh Pineapple, Chopped
1 Package Cooked Bacon, Cut up into bite-size pieces
1 Package Immitation Crab Meat
2 & 1/2 Cups Mexican Rice
1/2 Cup Pineapple Orange Juice (or use just Orange or Pineapple Juice)
1/3 Cup Harry & David's Pepper & Onion Relish
1. Pour a thin layer of olive oil in a large frying pan or wok and heat over medium heat. When hot, add onions and pineapple. Cook 5 minutes or until onions start to become softer.
2. Add bacon, crab meat, Mexican rice, relish and juice. Cook until thoroughly heated and onions are translucent.
