my top viewed posts for 2017

wow this year has gone by so quickly, thought I just did this for 2016...

in no particular order

tuna noodle casserole
spam pie
loaded baked potato soup
alice springs copy cat quesadilla
million dollar spaghetti
cheese fondue
orange dreamsicle pie
slow cooker bbq ribs
hamburger stroganoff, one skillet
chicken and rice teriyaki bowls
hamburger rice and gravy

a few of these remained from last year, cannot wait to see what stays this year

getting ready for week ahead

for my chemo, I do 2 weeks on and one week off...this has been my week off and been so nice, I feel almost human...ha, but it won't last...go back on Thursday...

so I used to use the weekend to get ready for meal planning by making things ahead, cause I would be going back to school...

now, I am getting ready for chemo...

here is what I did for the next 2 weeks...

....I already put a pan of baked penne in the freezer
....boiled eggs (egg salad sounds good)
....made 4 cups of rice
....cooked stew beef for stew
....made a small roast for sandwiches
....made pasta salad

this will help me a little, at least I hope

teaching Zoie...baked penne with meat sauce

since I got sick, when I am able to eat, I have been craving spaghetti with meat and sausage...

this is my week without chemo and decided it was now or never to make a big dinner...

no surprises here...

2 pounds of browned hamburger
1 pound of sweet italian sausage, cubed and browned
2 large jars of spaghetti sauce
1 large can of tomato soup (this is my way of cutting down on the acid of tomatoes)

I mixed all together and poured over 2 boxes of cooked till al-dente penne.

added mozzarella cheese to the top and baked at 350 for about 20 minutes....

was what I had been craving and paired with texas toast

posting my holiday menus...Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years...

I am still confused about this, but it doesn't change anything really anyway...

Cancer does not run in my family...heart disease does and I always thought that heart disease would be the thing that brought me down...especially since I do have Congestive Heart Failure and Chronic Pulmonary Disease...Cancer threw me for a loop and has brought me down...

starting chemo was not quite as bad as I thought it would be, I am dealing the best I can...on chemo days, they give you enough nausea meds through the IV and it lasts for 4 days which is very nice...nausea, and fatigue are the worst...

I still have to feed my family, although I sure have scaled back...I try very hard to make big meals that will last for a couple of days to cover the days when I feel so bad...so for my holiday menus,

Thanksgiving
I made an oven roasted turkey and then since it was just Tim and me, we got a ham dinner from Marie Callendar and still ended up with tons of leftovers...

Christmas Eve (my favorite, we do a appetizerbuffet, but scaled back this year) 
swedish meatballs
cheddar and sour cream potatoes
pizza rolls
bbq little smokies
homemade pumpkin bread
Tim made a cranberry and pear tart

we scaled back so much I thought there would be complaints, but I think we are finding that just being together is better than slaving all day in the kitchen

Christmas Day
spiral ham
brown butter mashed potatoes
gravy
biscuits
maple glazed carrots
sweet potato cake

New Years Eve
macaroni salad
ham and cheese pinwheels
veggie tray
bisquick fried cheese
homemade egg rolls
million dollar dip

New Years Day
beef stroganoff

Kings Day
cheese fondue

so there you go...happy eating

teaching Zoie: oven baked pork ribs, corn casserole, parmesan noodles and peas

the store had these pork ribs (the boneless ones) on sale and it was just Tim, Zoie and me and I got away with only one package of meat...I am so not used to cooking for a small amount of people...

when we were in the process of loosing our house, after the cat had gotten laid off from aerospace, he took a part time job in a meat market but they could not afford to pay him so he took his wages in meat and the first time he brought these home, I did not know what to do with them...

but every time now, I do them like this and my family loves them...

I put them in a baking pan and minimally put BBQ sauce on them (they have their own liquid also) and I wrap tightly with aluminum foil and bake them for about 3 hours...they come out so tender...

tonight I paired with:
parmesan noodles (I used boxed ones tonight)
corn casserole
peas

family is happy


http://www.jiffymix.com/recipe.php/jiffy+corn+muffin+mix/156-spoon+bread+casserole

teaching Zoie; hashbrown casserole

This totally is one of our all time favorites...we love it for dinner too...there is not a person in this house that does not love it...I used it as a bribe for my 9 year old grandson this week...

here is what I do...
I take 2 pkgs of frozen shredded hashbrowns and lightly fry them in a small amount of oil to brown them (I think the browning adds to the flavor and helps to thaw them also)...I have to fry them in 2 batches as my fry pan is not big enough...

I add them to a bowl and sprinkle some cheese (this time I used colby and jack) saving enough cheese for the top...

then I add 6 lightly scrambled eggs to the mixture along with sausage (and with this I cheat, I buy the Jimmy Dean crumbled fully cooked turkey sausage)...

mix all together with 1 1/2 containers of sour cream...add which seasonings you like (I added garlic salt, pepper, and onion powder...)

put into a large baking pan and spread with cheese...

bake at 375 for about 1/2 hours or until bubbly and cheese is melted...

you will love it, I promise

teaching Zoie; baked meatball sliders

I had a really late appointment at Loma Linda and knew once home I would not feel like making dinner and we are trying really hard to eat at home and eat healthier too...so I got everything out and ready and told Zoie what to do and she came through big time....I was proud of our little girl...

so here is what she did...

she put frozen meatballs into a saucepan that she had poured one jar of spaghetti sauce into and she cooked the meatballs for 10 minutes...

we used King's Hawaiian rolls which she spread the bottoms in a baking pan...and she put one meatball onto each bottom slider...then the mozzarella cheese and the top bun...

she covered the pan with foil and baked at 350 for 10 minutes...next uncover the pan and bake an additional 10 minutes and the cheese is all melty and gooey...

Tim loved his dinner and he paired it with a green salad...

teaching Zoie; scalloped potatoes and ham

we had ham left over from Thanksgiving and I didn't want it to go to waste and Zoie was only too happy to help me this night with dinner...

we took 8 russet potatoes (when I was doing my research for this recipe, most people said russets make the best scalloped potatoes because of the starch) and we sliced them very thinly and started layering them in a baking pan...
in between each layer, we also added a layer of cut up ham...added seasonings to the top and poured half and half over the top with some chunks of butter...

baked at 375 for about an hour and then sprinkled some montery jack cheese and put back in oven to melt the cheese for about 5 minutes...

so good reminded me of my childhood, we had this a lot growing up

teaching Zoie; hot ham and cheese pinwheels

these are so good and would be fantastic for an appetizer for Christmas and are very easy to make also...

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/hot-ham-cheese-party-rolls/

everyone in my house loves these and I will be making for Christmas Eve...

my love for cooking, I am trying to pass off to my grand daughter Zoie...and it means more to me since my cancer diagnosis...she loves to cook too and has already said that if anything happens to me she wants my cookbooks...this kid also makes a mean roux...she is turning out to be better than I ever was...

please try these rolls you will not be disappointed...

teaching Zoie: loaded baked potato soup

getting scary diagnosis' this past week surely brings to mind how quickly life can pass you by...you never know where life is going to take you, your life can be gone in an instant...and we were shown this when my husband passed...life with his health was always a roller coaster...he could be fine one minute and the next being pretty sick...
and see I knew this, we just went through this with him and yet when I got "the bad news" (I guess I am still in shock, not sure how this could happen to us...)
but it also tells me to get my affairs in order and to live each day as if it is the last day...and one of those things (although I started this cooking thing with her before this happened) I really want to make sure she will be ok without me and cooking is one way I can make sure...

tonight?  loaded baked potato soup...(I have made this before, but not for awhile)

I baked 4 big potatoes and then scooped out the insides and lightly mashed them...in a seperate pan Zoie made a roux with 2/3 cup of butter and 3/4 cup of flour with 4 cups of chicken stock and 3 cups of milk...she stirred till thickened and then added the potatoes with some diced up ham and seasonings (garlic salt, onion powder and black pepper...

it came together very nicely and Zoie is very proud of herself...

teaching Zoie: chicken lazone

this recipe?   oh my goodness how much I love it and so does everyone in the family...the cat loved it too abnd he was getting more and more picky...

Zoie would eat this every day if she could...

here is what I do, since I do mine a little different...

    I take 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut them into bite sized pieces and then brown them
    in a little butter...I season them with garlic salt, pepper, and onion powder...I brown them till the
    pink is gone...

    while chicken is browning, I cook my pasta (usually vermacelli)

    once the chicken is ready I add a large container of half and half and slowly bring to a slow boil...I
    I mix a little cornstarch to the half and half and stir constantly till thickened...we love a lot of sauce
    to go over the pasta...

this recipe is what dreams are made of...

teaching Zoie: creamed chipped beef on toast

I was brought up on this stuff but since we were very poor this was always a huge treat for us kids and I still love it to this day...I will not touch the Stouffers stuff...

http://www.sweetlittlebluebird.com/2017/02/creamed-cplhipped-beef-toast-weekend.html

in the freezer section of most stores, they sell phyllo dough cups and chipped beef on top of these makes it seem so luxurious...my MIL loves it like this...
I sometime add frozen peas...

please try this, you will love it

teaching Zoie: hamburger soup

Tim won 4 tickets to Disneyland for tonight for their Halloween Party but he cannot go...he is leaving for DC for a journalism conference...so Sam, and Zoie and I are going...but I wanted a good stick to your ribs dinner for Tim before he gets on the plane...

this is my go to recipe and very easy too for hamburger soup...

5 cups of water, add 1 package Lipton onion soup mix and 1 large can of tomato sauce and bring to a boil...add frozen vegetables (we used corn, peas, carrots) and 1/2 package of elbow macaroni...turn down heat till pasta is al-dente...

and voila a nice hearty and easy soup that everyone loves

teaching Zoie: slow cooker hawaiian pork chops

http://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/slow-cooker-hawaiian-pork-chops/

my husband loved pork chops and would have loved these...it calls for 6 hours on low, but I think it was a little long and I would try at 4 1/2 hours instead...

otherwise these were very good...

we paired with Trader Joes Rice Medley and green beans...

teaching Zoie: shephard's pie

when we took our las road trip to the East Coast, and took Zo with us, we ate one night at an Irish Pub in Rhode Island...she got shephard's pie and ate the whole thing...so, she has been thinking of that dish and we decided to try to replicate it...
it was a very simple dish and she loved it...

it was not a tomato based pie so I was watching that...and I came upon a recipe on Kraft and decided to copy that one...

simple enough, it used jar gravy...

so we browned hamburger (used 2 pounds as we wanted a lot of hamburger) and only added 1 1/2 jars of beef gravy...added frozen corn...and a lot of seasonings...(garlic salt, pepper, onion powder, parsley)...
then we added Tim's famous mashed potatoes to the top, added some cheese and bacon to the top and baked at 375 for about 30 minutes...

so delicious, everyone loved it

monthly menu plans for the month of October

I am finding money to be a little tighter since my husband died and need to plan ahead...if I plan enough ahead and at least have the meat and most of the ingredients bought, I think it will be easier on me...
I also try to think of the next day's meal as I am cooking so I can get what I need out of the freezer and have it all ready when I get back from school...
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these are not in any particular order, in the next post I will sort them into weekly posts...

so...

homemade pea soup
chili (our Halloween tradition)
bacon hash
cheese fondue
porcupines
some type of breakfast, thinking pumpkin pancakes
rice bowls (Tim loves these)
tuna, noodle casserole
beef parmesan
foil packet chicken
potato soup
chicken pie, homemade
mac and cheese
chicken fried fingers
taco salad
john wayne casserole
sloppy joes
meatloaf
risotto with veggies
impossible pie
korean beef
chicken lazone
roast chicken
meatball stew with barley
slow cooker shredded orange chicken
pecan chicken with apple sauce
cheesy chicken doritos casserole
chicken and stuffing casserole
roast whole chicken
hawaiian pork chops
shepards pie
hamburger soup

now, hoping this will help me more...

teaching Zoie: chicken salad

she loves chicken salad and had 3 helpings...

I taught her how to roast the chicken breasts first and we roasted 6 breasts with the thoughts of keeping what we did not use for chicken fried rice later in the week...she seasoned the breasts and kept basting them while in the oven

she took the cooked breasts and cut into bite sized pieces, added cut up granny smith apples, cut celery, some dried cranberries and enough mayo just to coat all of the ingredients...

there was enough for Tim to take for lunch also...

great dinner

teaching Zoie: taco casserole

this recipe has always been one of her absolute favorites...

she browned 2 pounds of hamburger, and added it to a large can of tomato sauce, 1/2 package of taco seasoning, frozen corn, can of black olives sliced, tortilla chips crushed and some cheddar cheese...

put into a baking dish and sprinkled cheese to the top and bake at 375 for about 20-30 minutes...

little kids were still here and wanted to try dinner and they loved it...

teaching Zoie...her own version of bratwurst, corn and potato soup

teaching Zoie how to cook, she came up with wanting a brat soup and she looked it up on google and found several versions and combined them to make her own...

she took:

one package of Johnsonville brats and scored them browned them on all sides and then cut into bite sized pieces...

she added them to 6 cups of chicken stock, with a lot of seasonings (garlic salt, onion powder, pepper, parsley...)

she added 2 potatoes, cut into pieces, frozen corn and carrots and let boil till tender...

everyone loved it...

teaching Zoie to cook for a week with her own personal favorite menus

I told Zo that she could plan the menus for the week, we would shop together and she could cook for a week...

I think she had a good time and it seems that she is learning a lot...I want her to be a much more accomplished chef than I was when I first started out...

here were her menus for the week...and of course they were all her favorites...

taco casserole
creamy pasta, bacon and peas
chicken fried rice
chicken salad
spam pie
hamburger rice and gravy
this was a new recipe...she looked a similar one up on google and gave her own spin...bratwurst, corn, potato and carrot soup....and it was very good...
twice baked potatoes with ham...(she had these done even before I realized she was in the kitchen!)

she wants to keep making dinners and who am I to stop her?  besides it gives me a break...

my version of swiss steak

this recipe is the one my whole family loves and I have been making for 40+ years...


I found round steak on sale, which I was very happy about...(you can also use london broil)

I cut the round steak into serving pieces...then dusted them with flour...I braised them on both sides...
then stacked them in the slow cooker and inbetween meat I added sliced onions...season well with your choice of seasonings...(I used garlic salt, pepper, and onion powder...

over the top, I pored one large can of cream of chicken soup (you could also use cream of mushroom)...

cook on high for about 4-5 hours...

the soup makes a wonderful gravy...
paired with brown butter mashed potatoes...

my little grandchildren were here when I made this and they wanted to try it...now the last time my 4 year old tried my potatoes, she did not like them as she said there were lumps in them...(at home then only use boxed potatoes)...but she still wanted to try them this night...they won her over and both her and her brother had 2 helpings of meat and potatoes...Cj said he absolutely loves my cooking...LOL

weekly menu posts 9/10 through 9/16

it is still very hot here...with crazy storms and flash flood warnings...I cannot wait for the temps to be cooler and I can finally use my oven again...casseroles, please hurry up and get here...the 2 things that  when the cat was alive, were the first things I would cook in fall were chicken pie and my mock lasagna (2 of his favorites) and even now I cannot wait to make again...
ok for this week.............

sunday...........it is just Tim and me...one skillet hamburger stroganoff
monday.........baked potato bar
tuesday..........sloppy joes
wednesday....cheese fondue
thursday........breakfast
friday............chef's salad
saturday........hawaiian pork chops

good luck with cooking and happy eating

weekly menu posts from 8/27 through 9/2

since my surgery I still cannot eat much at all and sometimes, I will only eat a piece of toast all day or a bowl of cereal but am hoping all that will change soon...

and have I mentioned we are having 100+ degrees for the rest of the week and the poor kids and teachers started school today too?

Saturday................we had ham and turkey tortilla rollups
Sunday..................I made bacon waffles and eggs for lunch
                              chefs salad was good for this terrible heat wave we are under for dinner
Monday.................honey sesame chicken over rice in the slow cooker
Tuesday.................creamy pasta bacon and peas
Wednesday............korean beef
Thursday...............slow cooker meat loaf
Friday....................applebees copycat chicken salad
Saturday...............corn chowder, hopefully the heat will have subsided at least a little by then...

happy eating

browned butter mashed potatoes

man oh man were these good...so yummy

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/browned-butter-mashed-potatoes

they were the best mashed potatoes I have ever had...

slow cooker braised short ribs

https://bakeatmidnite.com/slow-cooker-braised-short-ribs/

I don't usually make short ribs, they are a little on the expensive side for me but a found a bunch marked down in the meat section...cat would have loved these...

very easy to prepare and they fell apart...

everyone loved them...

I'm back

hi there...

so sorry for being gone...

a lot going on with illness etc. but I am better now and ready to do this...

today school started and it is supposed to be 110, poor kids and poor teachers...

weekly menu post 7/2 through 7/8

Sunday..........creamy pasta, bacon and peas
Monday.........honey garlic chicken in slow cooker
Tuesday...... ..BBQ hamburgers, pasta salad
Wednesday....Applebees copycat chicken salad
Thursday.......loaded baked potato soup
Friday............pancakes, eggs, sausage
Saturday........hamburger rice and gravy

sounds good to me...simple and great for heat as it is supposed to get very hot here again (triple digits)

copycat outback...alice springs chicken quesadilla

https://wearychef.com/alice-springs-chicken-quesadilla/

although I am still not able to eat...this apparently was very good...

Tim loved it and said he definitely wants to have it again...

paired with tator tots and raw veggies...

a great summery meal with not too much work...

it was so hot here today, reported at 109 and I most definitely did not want to grill chicken on the BBQ...
so after I had cooked the bacon, I cut the chicken into tiny bite sized pieces and browned them in  a little bit of butter and then the quesadillas were so easy to put together...

will be on our regular summer rotatin

million dollar spaghetti, slow cooker version

today we celebrated Sam's birthday and this is her absolute favorite...but it is 105 here today and there is not way I was turning my oven on...

http://ashleyspinterest.blogspot.com/search?q=million+dollar+spaghetti

so I used this recipe which is basically mine but in the crock pot and it came out tasting very good...everyone was happy with dinner...

cheese fondue

this is definitely not a cat approved dinner, he hated this stuff...

been making this for many years and is one of Tim's favorites...

6 tablespoons of melted margarine, make a roux with 6 tablespoons of flour and about 3 1/2 cups of milk...I sometimes add some chicken stock to it also to thin it out...
once thickened I add about 3 cups shredded cheese (I used colby jack tonight)...

we always pair with
...giant wheat thins
...cut up veggies
...french bread
...little smokies

was perfect for our hot summery day...

honey sunflower french toast

I bought an artisan honey sunflower bread to go with chef's salad and that dinner keeps getting put on back burner...

it is so very hot here...and for sure I do not want to be making huge meals, but we tend to eat out a lot if I don't cook especially with Door Dach willing to bring you whatever you want from your favorite restaurants...

I didn't want to wast this expensive bread so it was Tim's idea to make french toast and it came out so very good...was done perfectly...

Tim mixed up the egg mixture with 6 beaten eggs, a little vanilla, some cinnamon and just a tad milk...

the french toast came out a little crispy on the top and bottom and was so yummy...

paired with sausage and scrambled eggs...

orange dreamsicle pie, so yummy, you must try

http://www.spendwithpennies.com/dreamy-creamsicle-pie/

this was so easy that Zoie made it with no help from us...and it was amazing...so good...

the cat would have approved...

slow cooker BBQ pork ribs, homemade potato salad, & maple glazed carrots

I layered pork ribs onto a slow cooker liner, and with each layer, I poured BBQ sauce over each one...with 4 people to eat here tonight, I only had 10 ribs, so 2 layers...

I let cook on high for about 5 hours...so so tender, everyone said they came out very delicious...

potato salad, here is what I do...

about 15 red potatoes, I boiled until almost tender, then diced them up and put them into a bowl then I added...
diced celery
chopped green onions
diced dill pickles
about 6-7 hard boiled eggs (I love a lot of eggs in my salad) diced
black olives, sliced

seasonings, garlic salt, black pepper, celery salt, and onion powder

I liberally add some yellow mustard, enough mayo just to cover and I add a little pickle juice to the salad also, I feel it gives a little something more...refrigerate for about 4 hours if possible...

for the carrots I use frozen carrots and when done cooking, I add a littl butter and some maple syrup...everyone declared dinner a huge success as the cat would have done also if he were alive

getting ready for upcoming summer week, weekly menus too updated...

today is Saturday, the second day of summer for me...YAY...but I decided to stay with my current way of doing things and trying to do as much as I can at the beginning of the week to help me out all week...

since it was supposed to be very hot today, I got up at 7:30 and went to the store...
I found a nice roast marked 1/2 off
...nice looking pork ribs marked down
...and some chicken marked down

so my menus for the week, are going to be so simple people...it is hot, I do not feel good and I am tired...I want to work more on my house then on dinners too...

Saturday........tuna sandwiches (and they were so good tonight too) with chips and cantaloupe
Sunday..........bbq pork ribs in slow cooker with potato salad
Monday........Alice Springs chicken quesadillas (yum I cannot wait)
Tuesday........chef's salad
Wednesday....pancakes and eggs
Thursday.......million dollar spaghetti (sam's BD)
Friday...........trader joe's rice medley bowls
Saturday.......loaded baked potato soup

I boiled my eggs, cut up veggies, cut up cantaloupe and cooked the roast...tomorrow I plan on cooking some bacon up ahead of time, & making some rice

hamburger stroganoff, one skillet pan

back when my kids were little and before I had really gotten into cooking like I am now, there was a Hamburger Helper stroganoff and I loved it...unfortunately my family did not...

so I decided to try to replicate it but in a way my family would like it too...

so here is what I did...

2 pounds of hamburger, browned, I added 4 cups of water and brought to a boil and then I added 1/2 package of noodles and let cook till al-dente...

I used the McCormick stroganoff seasoning mix (2 of them) and added to the noodle mixture where it became thickened and I then added 16 oz of sour cream...

and voila just like that, everyone loved it...the left overs were so yummy too...what I liked was the hamburger to noodle ratio...

so yummy

homemade pea soup in slow cooker

decided on spur of the moment to make this for lunches all week and for Samantha too who has decided to eat vegetarian from now on...

into a slow cooker with a liner, I added 2 bags of dried green pea...covered with 8 cups of water (usually I would add chicken stock, but with Sam eating vegetarian I was trying to help her out)...
I also added a few carrots and some onion...
I let cook about 3 1/2 hours until peas were soft and then I added seasonings (garlic salt, onion powder and celery salt and pepper) and I put into blender with some half and half (to each time of blending, I added maybe not quite a cup of half and half...)

to ours, I then added some cut up cooked potato and carrots...

Tim and Zoie loved it...

one of the last cool days, chicken and wild rice casserole

as I have previously posted in the heat of summer, I do not turn my oven on (especially when it gets in the triple digits here) but this is my absolute favorite dinner of all times...absolutely love it and when I make it, I always make extra to give a pan to someone else...this time I picked Cj's kinder teacher...she loves this too...

so for our size family and one to give away, here is what I do

4 roasted chicken breasts, diced into bite sized pieces
4 envelopes of Uncle Ben long grain and wild rice (the 90 second microwave one is fine)
2 large cans of cream of chicken soup
16 oz of sour cream
slivered almonds
1 bag of frozen peas

Tim has to mix this up for me, it is too much in the bowl...
mix all together and put (I use foil lasagna pan) into pan and enough in a square size cake pan too, if you want to be nice and give to someone else...

once in the pan, I crush up a sleeve of Ritz crackers and sprinkle on top and drizle a little melted butter on top...

bake 350 for about 30-45 minutes...

I am already missing this for the summer...this is little boy's favorite dinner too

leftover huli huli chicken into chicken salad

I on purpose made extra chicken in hopes of making chicken salad with it and Tim and Zoie both loved it this time, they said the extra sweetness really added to the salad, it was gone in 2 days...

I diced into small pieces the left over chicken (3 breasts left)
and then I added
...2 diced granny smith  apples
...diced celery
...chopped walnuts
...cranberries
...just a tad of garlic salt

mixed it all together with just enough mayo to moisten it...

so yummy

morning glory muffins

so glad that I made these today...they will be great for breakfast on the go...

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/20995/easy-morning-glory-muffins/

so I made a few changes and they still came out so yummy...everyone loved them...

instead of raisins, I added cranberries
I doubled the recipe
I added 1 cup of applesauce instead of grated apples

these were super easy to make, and I will definitely make them again

huli huli chicken and homemade fried rice

this was very good tonight...it is in the 90's here and too muggy and I was going to BBQ, but am not feeling 100% and didn't think that the smoke would be good for my COPD...so I took a chance and oven baked these...
Tim said it was delicious..

.http://therecipecritic.com/2016/05/grilled-huli-huli-chicken/

I made this once before when the cat was alive and he loved it...

for my homemade fried rice, here is what I do...

6 cups of rice, made ahead much earlier in the day to dry out...

then I take 1/2 at a time and fry in a little oil, add seasonings and soy sauce (I like enough soy sauce so there is no white showing...) and I continue cooking for a few more seconds and then start adding:
...green onions
...bacon
...cashews
...frozen peas
...shredded carrots
...scrambled egg

yum, so good

Hamburger soup

I have posted of this previously and is one of my favorite recipes...when the cat was still here, he liked it also...
I had some already browned hamburger in the freezer so this was very easy today...

So here is what I do...

Browned hamburger (I had about 2 1/2 pounds already for me)
6 cups o water
1 large can of tomato sauce 32 ounces
1 packet of onion soup mix
Whatever frozen veggies you like (I use corn, peas, and carrots)bring all of this to a boil and then add 1/2 box of your favorite pasta

I give it a stir and turn off heat and cover with a lid...

We had this for lunch and then again for dinner, it was so good...

getting ready for the upcoming week, weekly menus posted too

well it is only Saturday and I usually do all of "this" on Sunday, but decided to get a good start on the week...we still have one full week and 3 1/2 days left of school and as much as I hate to see the school year come to an end, I am so ready for summer (not the heat, tho)...I just love the lazier days and not having to be somewhere with 2 kids first thing in the morning...
I always make myself goals for the summer and a couple of mine are...
...help out with kids (esp the free movies)
...finally get my house organized and pictures on the walls
...pack up all hubby's things
...sew
...make a ton of freezer meals

trying to not make my goals too hefty or I won't get them done...

so what did I do to get ready for the week?
...boiled eggs for egg salad (it was so good the other week that I have missed it)
...roast in slow cooker
...big pot of hamburger soup on stove
...huli huli chicken marinating (plan on grilling tomorrow and have leftovers for chicken salad too)
...hash brown casserole assembled for slow cooker for breakfast tomorrow
...maple blondies made up, ready for evening when I can turn on my oven
...cut up veggies
...made some rice and put in ziploc bags

tomorrow, I would like to...
...make spaghetti
...roast 2 chickens
...make jello
...make muffins for mornings
...slow cooker pea soup for lunches

weekly menus

saturday..........hamburger soup
sunday............roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, maple carrots,
monday..........huli huli chicken, fried rice, pea pods
tuesday.......... tuna melts, pea soup (if I get it done), raw veggie
wednesday.....supposed to be cooler, chicken and wild rice casserole
thursday.........still cooler, oven baked pork ribs, baked beans, garlic bread
friday.............ground beef stroganoff, buttered noodles, green beans

sounds good to me...hope I am as ambitious as I sound right now...

maple blondies

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/10/maple-walnut-blondies.html

going to try this recipe tonight as soon as it cools down here...92 here today, I guess summer is here and I hate it...will not turn my oven on in this heat...

weekly menu post ( a little late)

sorry I am a little late with posting this...you would think since I had 3 days off, I would have been better, ha...

so...

Sunday..............chef's salad with garlic bread and it was so yummy
Monday............BBQ
Tuesday............hamburger soup
Wednesday.......spaghetti
Thursday..........chicken and wild rice casserole (before it gets too hot)
Friday..............tuna melts
Saturday..........hobo packets on my new BBQ

sounds good to me

Memorial Day BBQ

our first without the cat...but if he had been here, he would have wanted a steak...haha

instead we BBQ'd hamburgers, brats, corn on the cob, beans and pasta salad...I made a cherry pie tho no one ate it...

everyone loves my pasta salad...

ditalini cooked al dente
hard boiled eggs
celery
dill pickles
green onion
black olives
mustard
mayo
onion powder, celery salt, garlic salt, pepper
just a tad pickle juice

so yummy and there are leftovers too

impossibly easy mini breakfast sausage pies

https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/impossibly-easy-mini-breakfast-sausage-pies/daeffa4b-355d-466f-b712-86388de26b3f

I love Bisquick...and I love making these delicious little muffins or as the recipe title says, mini pies...everyone thinks they are good, even the cat liked them

it was just Tim and me for dinner and these just sounded good when I was at the store, paired them with tator tots...

yum

great for a nice breakfast or dinner too

cherry crisp for teachers

to go along with their mac n cheese for lunch, I wanted a quick dessert for the teachers and this one fit the bill...

2 cans of Comstock cherry pie filling (put on bottom of 9 x 13 greased cake pan
covered with oatmeal crumble that I keep extra of in the freezer...

bake at 350 for about 25 minutes...

oatmeal crumble
    1 1/2 cups of oatmeal
    1/2 cup flour
    1 cup brown sugar
    1 stick melted margarine
    cinnamon, if wanted
    nuts if wanted

so nice to have extra put away in freezer for a quick dessert

mac and cheese for teachers...

I have posted my recipe for mac and cheese before...everyone I know loves this recipe and I was going to make it for dinner and then I was at the doctors for a long time and made more sense to go out to Pick Up Stix (especially when I had 2 coupons for free entrees, ha...) but I had promised one of my favorite teachers that I would bring her lunch and she loves this one...
so I went ahead and made a bunch for all of the teachers...

here is what I do...

I made a lot

I used 2  16 oz pkgs of elbow macaroni (cooked al dente)
4 cans of evaporated milk
4 cans of cheddar cheese soup
2 sticks of margarine melted
16 oz of sour cream
lots of cheese, about 5 cups

mix all together and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, can also go in slow cooker for about 2 hours...

I brought it uncooked to teacher's lounge and baked it in their oven...also made them biscuits (had high hopes for making homemade but ran out of time and they liked the canned ones well enough)/

there were some happy teachers and a lot of people wanted my recipe

creamy one pan pasta, bacon and peas...

http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/one-pan-pasta-bacon-peas-recipe/

I have posted about this dish previously and it is one of our absolute favorites...Tim and Zoie always ask for this dish and I like it since it is a one skillet recipe...(I need more of these most definitely...ha)

think my family likes it also cause it is pure comfort food...

Zoie will be so happy when she gets home from school and sees what is for dinner...

I always follow this recipe exactly except I also double it...it is great as leftovers too...

yum yum chicken and rice teriyaki bowls

these were so so so good...Tim now wants them at least once a week and I think they will make a terrific summer dish too...

I bought the frozen 3 rice medley from Trader Joes (love this stuff and could eat it daily) and then I put out for everyone to make their own bowls...

what I put out...

the rice of course
chunk pineapple
cranberries
almonds
shredded carrots
sugar snap peas
broccoli florets
teriyaki sauce
and chunks of chicken

almost forgot Zoie diced up some Spam and lightly fried it for her bowl...

and it was fun to see what everyone put in their own bowls...and of course everyone loved dinner so much...
to add...I also cheated...I was at the Plaza, getting lunch for Tim and I and I went to Dickies BBQ and noticed that they sold chicken breast, grilled by the pound...and so I bought a pound...it was very tasty, moist and so easy for me...I will definitely remember this for when it is very hot again...although I did buy a new BBQ (just not put together yet)...

so yummy you must try this...
sort of stole the recipe from Island's beach bowls and then expanded on it...this will be a staple for the summer coming up...

taco salad for a very hot Sunday

this is a great staple for our summer dinners and the cat loved it too...he used to order it a lot at Mexican restaurants (either that or fajitas...)
I am sure that I do mine so different than a lot of people...
and what is funny that I do mine a certain way (with no lettuce, I know, I know...) and Tim just makes nachos with his, that I forgot other people were eating with us yesterday and I did not buy lettuce (cause Tim or I do not use it) and Sam said what kind of salad is this without lettuce?  hahaha...she had to make nachos too...
Zoie and I made ours the usual way...
here is what I do...

brown hamburger (how much depends on your family) I do about 2-21/2 pounds...and I season it with garlic salt, pepper and onion powder...sometimes I add taco seasonings...

then I layer hamburger, cheese, tomatoes, black olives, green onions and crushed up tortilla chips and mix it all together with a little ranch dressing...sometimes I use tortilla chips then with this as the dip...

so yummy and filling...love it...

cat liked it with lettuce and salsa and sour cream with avocado

getting ready for the upcoming week...weekly menus, etc

it is supposed to be very hot here today, was yesterday too...said yesterday was like 107 but I don't think it actually got there...though it seemed like it to me...stated before how much I absolutely hate this heat...and it is just starting...thank goodness we moved a year ago to a place with air conditioning...not sure how I did it for 15 years without...I shudder to think about it...

every Sunday, I am trying to prepare for the week ahead, especially since I have gone back to school and with my oxygen problems, (cannot keep my oxygen numbers up to the accepted levels) I don't have a lot of time on my hands where I am feeling 100%...so preparing in advance helps me in so many ways...I also need as easy as possible, having 3 kids after school every day...

weekly menus...
today...taco salad
tuesday...mac and cheese
wednesday...alice springs chicken
thursday...rice bowls
friday...potato soup
saturday...chefs salad (Tim and I love this night)
sunday...creamy pasta, bacon and peas (one of Tim's favorites)

for lunches for the week
chicken salad
tuna
deli meats
p nut butter

for baking (if I am really ambitious)  ha
applesauce cake
morning glory muffins

first I have to go grocery shopping, and hope I don't collapse after that...

new recipes I want to try...

1.     http://www.plainchicken.com/2015/11/oatmeal-pie.html?utm_content=bufferb449c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

2.     http://www.afamilyfeast.com/morning-glory-muffins/

3.     https://www.thecountrycook.net/cheesy-chicken-tater-tot-casserole-slow/

4.     https://www.thekitchenmagpie.com/ginger-citrus-chicken-couscous-coleslaw/

5.     http://chindeep.com/2016/07/05/just-like-island-restaurants-beach-bowl/

6.     http://meatpasty.wikidee.org/Meat-Pasty.html

7.     http://athomewithmyhoney.com/pink-lemonade-cake/

8.     http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/2014/09/bacon-cheddar-scones.html

9.     http://www.fromvalerieskitchen.com/hash-brown-scrambled-egg-cups/

10.   http://www.twohensandtheirchicks.com/holiday-recipes---orange-cranberry-pecan-loaf.html

getting ready for the week ahead...

on Sundays, I like to prepare for the week ahead and help myself out...

I like to:

brown some hamburger and put it in freezer for the week ahead
brown some italian sausage, and put in freezer
bake some good cookies, cake or brownies and set aside
boil eggs...they are good for either just eating or I like to make a huge bowl of egg salad
I will buy a beef roast in the day old section and then cook it in slow cooker with onion soup mix and
     put in bad for sandwiches for the week...(this week I found a $25 roast for $10)
cut up vegetables for snacking (so nice to have healthy alternatives handy)
if I am really energetic, I will make up whole meals for slow cooker, put in freezer bags, label them
     freeze them...great for days when I am so tired...
roast chicken breasts in the oven...great for chicken salad, rice bowls, or casseroles
make a big pot of rice, either white or brown
make a big pot of any kind of soup
make jello
I always have extra oatmeal crumble in the freezer ready for a fruit crisp

even tho Tim is old enough (LOL) to make his own lunches, he usually does not do it, thinks he will go out and then doesn't and comes home grouchy...I like making lunches, for him and Cj and so I every night when making dinner will just make 2 lunches at the same time...it makes me feel good too...

this is a little work on one day but helps out so so so much during the week...it is so nice to come home from work and have a choice of egg salad or chicken salad or rice or a roast beef sandwich waiting for you

spam pie

I have written about this previously...it is one of our favorite recipes...although the cat hated it...

I was raised on spam, it was a cheap alternative for meat...and as kids we all loved it...I introduced it to my kids tho the cat would have no part of it...
when my kids were younger, Hormel had published a recipe for Spam Pie in a magazine...but now I cannot find it on their website...it is a simple recipe and easy to remember...

depending on how big you want to make this...here is what I do...

2 rolls of refrigerated crescent biscuits
2 cans of Spam
1 brick of cheddar cheese
1 brick of monterey cheese
6 eggs beaten...

into a 9 x 13 deep dish pan, I roll out and press into the pan to make a bottom crust but on the sides too, sealing the perforations...
I dice the Spam and cheeses into nice little pieces and mix them in with the beaten eggs and then pour into the pan...
it bakes at 375 for about 30-40 minutes or until the middle is set...

with extra biscuit dough you can make a lattice crust on top...

the family loves this and so does my old neighbor, who like me was raised on Spam so whenever I make this, I make an extra one and call him...
he was so happy this night...

Sundays...tator tot breakfast, ham dinner, maple blondies

Sunday is the one day I usually stay home and try to catch up with cooking and the blog etc. and I hardly ever have kids...so a couple of months ago, before the cat died anyway, I had wanted to start where I would cook a great family dinner early, work on the week's lunches, make a great breakfast (or go out, LOL) and bake something and I am so happy to post that I achieved my goal this week...

to start with I made this for breakfast...
http://www.cookingpanda.com/content/get-recipe-tater-tot-sausage-breakfast-casserole

I chose this particular one as I had read many other recipes and this one had less eggs...one recipe called for 12 eggs...now even this one had 8 and Tim commented that maybe I should add less than that...but otherwise it was very good...I added turkey sausage (most grocery stores sell the packages of already cooked, crumbled sausage, makes it so easy)...this made a big pan and so the next day, I sent the leftovers home with the little kids and they had it for dinner...they said it was so good...

this is what I made for the baking part of my goal for Sunday...
http://stephiecooks.com/2013/10/21/maple-walnut-blondies/
'
now this could be my fault...I did not follow the recipe exactly...I did not pulse the oatmeal like it said to do...I had really great hopes for this recipe...I love maple and I love a good blondie...but these came out hard and not moist like I really wanted them to...I will try it again and pulse the oatmeal...

then for dinner I put a spiral sliced ham in the slow cooker and Tim made mashed potatoes and green beans...I love the way Tim makes mashed potatoes...he adds cream cheese to the potatoes, garlic salt, pepper, butter and a little sour cream...he very lightly had mashes the potatoes, leaving some chunks...

I was happy with myself today getting everything done that I wanted to...the cat would have been proud...

creamy orange almond chicken and rice

http://www.goodlifeeats.com/creamy-orange-almond-chicken-and-rice/

I am trying to play catch up with this blog...has not been easy being sick and I have gone back to work and babysit too...so once kids go home, I am tired and ready for bed as early as 7 o'clock...

but Tim and I still need to eat and Zo too when she stays...

so I made this one night and the only change I made to it was to cut the chicken into bite size pieces before cooking...I just did not want to stand there till the whole chicken breasts cook...it was much easier this way...

I did not eat this night but, Sam. Tim and Zoe all said it was very good and want it again...

beef stroganoff and chocolate cake

it was Tim's birthday and I was sick...heart failure put me into the hospital so I kind of ruined his special day and I felt so bad...

took me a couple of days to get back into the normal...

so when I felt better, made him his favorite dinner one night to surprise him...beef stroganoff (I like it too and so does Zoe)...

I have said previously that I use the McCormicks seasoning mix and it is so easy and there is no reason to change the way I do it now...

for the cake, I like my cakes moist and have discovered the best way for us anyway...

1 box of chocolate cake mix, 4 eggs, 1 box of chocolate pudding mix, the oil it calls for and for the water instead I add the same amount of buttermilk...I beat it on high in the kitchen aid for a good 10 minutes...it comes out thick, but is so moist when baked...

he was happy

Top 3 things I really want to try...

1.  Oatmeal pie

2.  Maple walnut bars

3.  Creamy orange almondchicken

Weekly menu posts 5/1 through 5/6

Here is me really trying...

Monday......macaroni and cheese

Tuesday....hash brown casserole

We'd......Alice springs chicken

Thursday...hamburger soup

Friday...beach bowl

Saturday...tuna sandwiches

Life and blogging and cooking...

I seem to have forgotten about blogging, but I really haven't....Tim and I still have to eat, right...Life since hubby died has been a lot harder in ways I never imagined...and so that also means my way of cooking also changed...I show love to family by cooking and I like to go all out doing so...it's so different cooking for just Tim and me when I was so used to making huge displays for A huge family...
This is not to say that I have not prepared dinners...we make sandwiches and salads and easy pastas...tacos one night...but I do not feel the need to blog about such easy stuff...

Besides, ever since the cat left...I have been sick and cannot seem to get better....hard to think of cooking when you yourself cannot even stand the smell of food...
I am really going to try better...Tim deserves better than this...am currently in the hospital for oxygen problems, the doctor said it is fine tuning me...hahaha...

new meatloaf recipe, mashed potatoes and cornbread casserole

I have been sick with bronchitis, and that severely afftected my cooking...since it is just Tim and me now, when I am sick, I can get away with just soup and sandwiches or eating out...
I did make a couple of things but, have previously posted about them...

I love meatloaf and am always looking for new ways to make it...when I was a kid and my mom would make our birthday dinners mine would always be meatloaf and scalloped potatoes...

so tonight, I tried something new...I combined another recipe with mine and everyone seems to like it...do not ask me, for some reason with bronchitis I have not been able to eat too much, tho I really wanted to tonight...

so here is what I did...

3 pounds hamburger
1 pound of Italian sausage
cooked bacon
shredded cheese
tons of seasonings
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
8 ounces tomato sauce
bbq sauce
1 pack of ritz crackers crushed

mix all together and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes...(I make into oval patties)

at the end of cooking, I basted with 1/2 bbq sauce mixed with some tomato sauce

this recipe made so much, I gave to my old neighbors and still have a ton left...

hamburger, rice and gravy...

posted about this previously and it is very easy and everyone loves it...

I have made this so many times over the 42 years I have been married...in fact, I began making it while I was still single...on my day's off from nursing, I would baby sit another nurse's kids for her and she always left out a certain hamburger helper for me to cook for the kids...we all loved it and then they quit making it, so I decided to make my own...so simple...

ground beef, canned beef gravy and white rice...with lots of seasonings...we always add chow mein noodles and sliced almonds...

tonight paired with carrots and biscuits...

little boy is here and he loved it

farmers breakfast skillet

http://www.melissassouthernstylekitchen.com/farmers-breakfast-skillet/

we have been eating out a lot lately...I went back to work, after my husband died and then I was sick...been back to work for 2 weeks now and was exhausted...friday I even worked a whole day...(so tired)...have to get used to it all over again...

so Saturday, decided to make something and I was craving breakfast...

this really fit the bill and everyone loved it too...

next time, however, I would make sure to season the potatoes better than I did...I also saw a similiar recipe that called for less eggs (this one has 12 eggs in it) and uses evaporated milk instead of the half and half...might try that one next...the new one also calls for it to be refrigerated over night...

yum you should try it

weekly menus (a little late) for 3/19 to 3/25

so sochrry that I posted these late...so much on my mind lately...

not so good news at the doctors has me feeling so overwhelmed and tired...but we still have to eat, right?

Sunday...............porcupines
Monday.............,homemade pea soup
Tuesday..............pork ribs, oven baked
Wednesday.........meat loaf
Thursday............cheese fondue
Friday................chicken and wild rice casserole
Saturday............farmer's breakfast casserole

Monday night dinner...homemade pea soup in slow cooker

previously posted one time before...

the four people that were going to eat dinner tonight all love pea soup...the cat hated it...so I hardly ever got to make it...

turns out it is really easy to make...

here is what I did...

in the slow cooker (with a liner of course) I added 48 ounces of chicken stock to a pkg of split green peas, and one onion chopped... and cooked them on high for 5-6 hours...

once done, I blended the mixture till nice and creamy (we do not like chunks of peas) and added a little half and half...

once blended, I added one can of carrots, one can of potatoes (I like them as they are already cooked) diced, tons of seasonings and chopped ham...

paired with some homemade garlic and cheese biscuits...

yumm

Sunday night dinner...sloppy joes, tator tots and corn casserole

http://www.jiffymix.com/recipe.php/jiffy+corn+muffin+mix/156-spoon+bread+casserole

everyone always loves this casserole, and I never have any leftovers...the cat loved it also...I had been craving it for awhile...

and I liked it paired with the sloppy joes too...

my sloppy joes are not a secret, I use the McCormick's seasoning mix and my family loves them this way...I tried one time to make them from scratch and no one liked them...they wanted me to make them the "old" way...

paired with wheat buns, corn casserole and tator tots...

Saturday night dinner...porcupines, parmesan noodles

http://momsdutchoven.blogspot.com/2016/11/porcupines.html


I have previously posted about these earlier so included link to last post...

I asked my 16 year old dictate what she wanted to have for dinner tonight and I actually was surprised that she picked this...
everyone does love these...

paired with parmesan noodles, green beans and biscuits...

leftovers were taken by Sam to work...

meatless...tuna noodle casserole

trying to still eat more healthy...my husband would have hated dinner tonight...he HATED tuna...but all of the rest of us love it...I do have to have albacore and I really don't like it to smell too fishy...

since I made this the last time and we all loved it, they asked for it on this rotation...I was happy to do what they asked...

here is what I did tonight...

1 large pkg of egg noodles, cooked till al-dente
1 large can of cream of chicken soup
8 oz of sour cream
frozen peas
sliced almonds
of course tuna, flaked (I hate chunks)
ritz crackers  crumbled on top with a little melted butter on top

bake 375 for about 25 minutes...

simple, easy to make, and yummy too

weekly menu posts for March 12th through March 18th

I have been pretty good since the cat passed away with cooking more at home and eating out less...we are also trying to eat a lot more healthy...

so here goes, for the week...

Sunday...........apple cider pork roast in slow cooker with homemade mashed potatoes, veggie

Monday..........honey sesame chicken with brown rice, broccoli

Tuesday.........tuna casserole

Wednesday....beef and barley soup, homemade bread

Thursday.......chicken and wild rice casserole (making this so soon as I want to give one to somebody)

   a little while back, I was making extra and advertising on facebook "to the first person that sees 

   post come get banana bread, or a casserole (whatever it was)" and I always had takers...it was fun to    do that and I want to do it again...

Friday...........cat's favorite dinner, corned beef, mashed potatoes, cabbage and carrots

Saturday.......porcupines, alfredo noodles, green beans, biscuits

starting a new thing (really started a couple of weeks ago) to make a Sunday breakfast and bake something...(last week was apple crisp, cat's favorite)

Sunday morning breakfast...sausage bisquick pie

Sunday dessert...texas tornado cake

have fun whether you follow me all week or just try one of them...all of them are super yummy...

Sunday night family dinner slow cooker apple cider pork roast updated

I cannot wait to try this...am posting now before I cook to save the recipe...I am dreaming of this with my homemade mashed potatoes....


http://ourbestbites.com/2016/11/crockpot-apple-cider-pork-roast/

will let you know how it turns out...

ok.........so I put this finally in the crock pot on Monday, but I had a busy weird day and did not get it going till about noon or so (maybe a little later)...my youngest turned 5 a couple of days ago and she wanted a party at my house (with the little girl I babysit also) and so we made cupcakes, etc.  and it was my first day back working at school, tho I only stayed till about 10:30...but my day was busy...
anyway so it did not cook all the way and so I recooked it on Tuesday, then again a busy weird day...late doctor appointment that lasted 2 hours (I know I know) and then I went to vvisit a friend in the hospital...

so tonight, is Wednesday and I have this cooked pork roast...

I sliced it but was so tender and fell apart...and I followed the rest of the recipe with the gravy, etc.

and let me say this is wonderful and everyone wants it again...was wondering if the cat would have liked it...pretty sure he would have...

out to eat...Maddliciious...

so I decided to post when we go out to new places to eat...

so Tim through the newspaper heard of a new restaurant opening here in Riverside and he said it sounded pretty good and he mentioned a meat loaf cupcake...intrigued me so we went Saturday after Tim got off of work...

oh my goodness, it was so yummy and the prices are pretty reasonable too...the service was a little slow but as they explain, everything is cooked to order and they bring a bread basket to your table too...

so as I mentioned,
the meatloaf cupcake with mashed potatoes on top was very good...
Sam got the borsetta, which was a big turkey meatball inside of puff pastry, put on top of marinara sauce...and there were grilled veggies on the plate too...
Tim got a burger and said it was very good, he got the Java bourbon burger and cole slaw (which was good...)

next time we go, I want to try the shepards pie in a baked potato, the lasagna roll ups or the thanksgiving sandwich...

they have specials every day which today was a chicken alfredo with penne and Italian mac n cheese (which Sam got to go for later...)

nice looking salads, soups and desserts too...

you have to try this place and the owners are very nice too...this place is pet friendly, with places to sit outside and they have homemade dog treats too

creamy pasta, bacon and peas

this is my new down home comfort meal, my go to when I want something so yummy but not time consuming...and after dinner Tim proclaimed this is his new favorite...

for the first time in many days, I was able to eat after feeling nauseated...and I am so glad that it was this that I got to eat...Tim took leftovers for his lunch too...

so I have posted about this many many times but here is the link again...

http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/one-pan-pasta-bacon-peas-recipe/

what I really love about this recipe is the ease in cooking...everything including the pasta cooks in one pan...

what I changed a little, was I added a little less broth (last time it was a little soupy) and I usually add half and half instead of the milk but tonight I did add the milk and a little watered down cornstarch and this worked wonderfully...

so good you must try this (how many times do I have to tell you to try it?)  you will not be sorry...

taco lasagna

http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2016/01/25/taco-lasagna/
I have stated many times on this blog how when I come across a new recipe, the first time at least I follow it to a T...there have been a few exceptions to that rule and tonight was one of them...

not sure how I can comment on tonight's dinner as all week I have not been feeling well and I did not take a chance on feeling worse by eating...I am exsisting on rice and top ramen...yuck and I am tired of both of them and I really wanted to try this...

everyone else in the family loved it, had seconds and definitely want me to make this again...

here is what I did...(since I did not follow directions):

so I used flour tortillas and original poster said you can use either corn or flour...
and then I followed directions except I substituted cheddar cheese soup instead of nacho cheese soup...
I used a 15 oz can of tomato sauce (my family hates chunks of tomato)
I added about 1/2 can of refried beans to the soup and sour cream and...
I added some sliced black olives and some frozen corn...

Sam took some for lunch the next day and said it was just as good as the previous night...

you must try this and I think you will love it as much as my family did...

buckwheat pancakes and scrambled eggs...for dinner

as a kid we always had buckwheat pancakes, I never had plain pancakes till way after I had left home...
wanted buckwheat ones but lately having a lot of problems finding buckwheat flour or pancake mix...even Trader Joes does not have it...and then suddenly one night, I thought why not try amazon and voila they have it...

Zoie loves these, not sure where she started getting them but when she got home after math tutoring she was one happy little (16?) girl to have dinner tonight...

Amazon has a lot of different mixes but I bought the one that was about 5.00 a package...

everyone was so happy for dinner tonight...hubby would have been upset...(I would have just made him french toast instead and I smile with the thought that he did not put syrup on his french toast, he always sprinkled (a whole bunch) of powdered sugar on top of his...

chicken lazone a slightly different version

the first time I tried this recipe, everyone absolutely loved it...but the original calls for browning the chicken breast first...where I changed it was to cut the chicken into smaller bite sized pieces and browning them, it takes such a shorter amount of time to do it this way...

so here is what I do...

I had 6 chicken breasts and cut them into small bite sized pieces and browned them in a little margarine...till the pink was gone

I also had 16 oz of thin spaghetti boiling till al-dente while the chicken was cooking...

to the browned chicken I added one medium carton of (fat free) half and half and to thicken it I added a little cornstarch mixed into a couple of tablespoons of water to thicken the sauce...

this is so yummy, you must try it...everyone in the family was happy to have it tonight...even hubby used to like this and he was picky

rice bowls...

Sunday evening it was just Tim and me at home and we had been to the movies earlier (he took me to the movies and watched something he didn't care about just for me...)
and our movie theater now serves some really nice looking (and tasting) food like BBQ beef sandwiches, specialty tacos, pretzels with sauce and desserts like cheesecake and molten cake...we got the warm pretzels and cheesecake and it was so yummy...

so that meant we were not particularly hungry for dinner and it was so cold and rainy here too...

we have in the freezer boxes of rice medley from Trader Joes and it is so yummy...I have them for lunch a lot too...
so we already had some cooked, diced chicken and I put out some pineapple, cranberries, shredded carrots, almonds, terikaki sauce and we each put what we wanted in our bowls...I love this stuff...

totally easy but so yummy

sausage, cabbage and noodles

http://www.spendwithpennies.com/cabbage-noodles/

this is what we had for dinner tonight...Sam, Tim and Zoie all liked it but said it needed something like a sauce with it...I sort of agree...

so this is what I did...

I followed the recipe exactly except when it came time to prepare the cabbage, I used cole slaw mix and then when I added it to the noodles, sausage and peas I immediately turned the burner off...(I like my cabbage with a little bit of bite still to it...and all in all it was pretty good...

think next time I will (once sausage has been browned) add some chicken stock to the pan and cook the noodles in the broth and make this recipe a one skillet meal...

try this and see what you think and how you might make it a little different...

day one meatless monday, homemade mac and cheese

I have posted about my mac n cheese several times on this blog, but it really bears repeating...I absolutely love mac n cheese and looked for a very long time for the perfect one...this is it...and I keep making it again and again...the cat liked it and so does everyone else in the family...

the original recipe called for beaten eggs to be added, but I do not like eggs, as it seems to kind of curdle at the end of cooking...

here is what I do...

1 box of elbow mac, cooked till just al-dente
2 cans of evaporated milk
2 cans of cheddar cheese soup
1 stick of melted butter
8 ounces of sour cream
seasonings to your taste
cheddar cheese to your taste...

mix all together, and put in 13 x 9 inch baking pan, reserving some cheddar cheese for the top...

I bake at 350 for about 25-30 min...

I put the cheese on top after it has cooked for the 25 minutes...

to let you know, it appears that it is "soupy" when putting in pan, but I promise that it does cook down...
this can also be cooked for 2 hours in slow cooker...

yum

very rainy day here, cold and nice to have oven on...

apple crisp, hubby's favorite

this was hubby's all time favorite dessert and he would request it for his birthday instead of cake...I had started to make this for our anniversary but didn't feel good enough to finish it up so this morning
I got up early...and by 7 am I was on my scooter going to the store (and fraps too) and was determined to make this dessert for dinner...

before he passed I had started making Sundays all about family dinners and now most definitely want to make sure I continue the tradition, no matter what...

I was shown that life can go by so quickly for a reason and I do not want it to be so fleeting without me at least trying to do some good for my family...I have always felt that I show a lot of love with my cooking and baking...

so every Sunday I want to make a nice dinner for everyone, I would also like to bake something then too and to make some kind of breakfast since Tim is off on Sundays...so, so far I am good for today...dinner is all prepped, breakfast was made and eater (hashbrowns, eggs and sausage) and the apple crisp is in the oven...and all of this when I am not at 100% (I really need for my oxygen levels to come up and stay up, hard to do all I want to while also wearing oxygen...)

here is how I made the apple crisp...

I already had a can of apple pie (from Comstock) and so I layered them in a round cake pan and then mixed together 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 1 1/3 cups of flour, some cinnamon, 1 stick of melted butter, and 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal...once mixed together put on top of the apples and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes...

we will think of hubby eating this tonight

million dollar spaghetti casserole

http://www.thisgrandmaisfun.com/million-dollar-spaghetti/


this is not the recipe I usually follow when making this, but it looks about the same...
this is Sam's favorite dinner and she helped me make it as it is a little labor intensive...

we made extras to take some to our old neighbors also...

yummy...

so I decided to try this one as I liked the blog site since it is 3 grandmas writing the blog and they have all sorts of other good ideas that I cannot wait to try...

Weekly menu posts from 2/26 through 3/______

Thinking ahead, waiting to go to sleep...

Saturday........we had chicken salad sandwiches
Sunday...........a Samantha request for million dollar spaghetti (making extra for our old neighbors too)
Monday.........rice bowls
tuesday .........mac and cheese
Wednesday....tuna casserole
Thursday.......chicken lazone
Friday...........sausage, noodles and cabbage

so without the cat here, Tim and I really want and need to eat a lot more healthy...so we want to have as many meatless dishes as possible, hence the mac and cheese and the tuna casserole and the rice bowls...so three nights with no meat is pretty good to start with...

sounds good to me...follow along

chicken salad from leftovers

on Sunday we made roasted whole chickens...and we made double so that we would have leftovers...tonight is the night to use them...LOL

I have several different recipes for chicken salad and I have a favorite one, but not everyone in the family likes this version...http://chindeep.com/2011/07/19/chickadee-cottage-chicken-salad/

I love the concept of the macaroni in this and the surprise ingredient always wows people (cool whip) but I cannot imagine the recipe after tasting it, to be without it...

the one I made today is simple...

cut up chicken, chopped walnuts, cranberries, diced celery, seasonings and mayo to taste...

everyone will be happy tonight when they get home from work...hubby even liked this for a treat...

hamburger soup

today would have been our 43 rd anniversary if hubby had not passed away...a sad day for all of us...if he were still alive, we would have celebrated by going to Famous Dave's for BBQ...and he would have complained that why could our anniversary not fallen on a Monday when the restaurant offers a military discount on Monday...

I particularly did not want to eat out tonight with us being sad and all and I had hamburger out so I made hamburger soup tonight and everyone loves it...Tim had bought a nice apple bread at the bakery by his work and that is what we had to go with it...

I have posted about this soup many times before and I make it fairly often as everyone likes it...hubby liked it too...

5 cups of water
1 pkg onion soup mix
32 oz can tomato sauce
tons of seasonings

then I add 1/2 box of macaroni (I used elbows tonight) and 1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables...

we needed down home comfort tonight and that is what we got...

pot roast sandwiches

today I had a roast cooking all day in the slow cooker with some onion soup mix and when I went to finish it for dinner (I had wanted a full on pot roast with gravy and mashed potatoes) I discovered I had no potatoes and with my eyesight acting up, was not going to the store...

so we had the roast in sandwiches, I toasted the buns, cut the roast in small bite sized pieces, dunked the meat in some of the juice and added provolone cheese to the top...everyone loved this and said they wanted it again...(I had bought the roast marked 1/2 off the day before...)

paired with tator tots and a terrific green salad with kale...

great dinner

new chapter: weekly menus for 2/19 through 2/25

we are starting a new chapter in our lives after the death of my husband a month ago...my husband was a huge lover of food but, only what he liked to eat...and if he hated something I made, it usually ended up in the trash...I usually made him what he liked, but there were also days that the kids and I wanted something and we could sometimes change his mind whether he liked it or not...
when we first married, he made it very clear that he was a meat and potatoes kind of guy...he loved his steak (rib eye) and french fries...he also loved his Italian food as his mom was a terrific cook...she would start spaghetti sauce in the morning and leave it simmering all day long on stove top and throw any meat that was left over from the week into the sauce...so good...and we always had lasagna for Christmas Day dinner...
so he was very set in his ways about what he wanted to eat...but I got him to try and then love things like chicken pie, mac and cheese, my american style of spaghetti and many other types of down home comfort meals..he hated breakfast for dinner and he was not crazy about soups or salads for dinner either....he did not especially like me trying out new recipes and would usually turn up his nose, until he tried it...sometimes it was a sucess and sometimes not...

so when making these weekly menus I thought of him and wondered if he would approve them or not...

Sunday.............roasted chicken, scalloped potatoes (healthier) and snap peas
Monday...........slow cooker sausage and potatoes and green beans
Tuesday...........homemade mac and cheese
Wednesday......hamburger soup, artisan bread
Thursday.........meat loaf, mashed potatoes, maple glazed carrots
Friday..............teriyaki rice bowls
Saturday..........breakfast

Trader Joe 3 grain rice medley

Tim happened to buy these from Trader Joe for Christmas and I fell in love with them...they are so versatile and so so yummy...so I started thinking how I could incorporate them into main meal ideas and the possibilities are endless...,

one night we had the rice medley with cut up chicken, shredded carrots, almonds and some teriyaki sauce...

for lunch I love to have a bowl of the rice mixed with some cranberries and almonds...Zoie also loves these and I have to make sure we keep a couple of boxes in the freezer at all times...

new chapter...roasted whole chicken and scalloped potatoes

it is really hard to go on with life and I feel guilty doing so too...but at the same time we do have to go on and we do have to eat and we cannot eat out every night...I love to cook and I love to blog and so maybe this will get our minds off of his passing too...I still think about him every time I cook and will think to myself, will he eat this?  or do I have to make him something else?

Sam has been staying here since before Christmas and it is good to have the help until I can handle this on my own...and she Tim and I are all under the same agreement that we have to eat better than we have been and I will be trying to put a healthy spin on the recipes I post from now on...but also while I am feeling good (having an oxygen tank with me while I am in the kitchen is limiting) we need to think easier meals too...

whole roasted chickens sounded like they would fit the bill tonight and we made enough for plenty of leftovers for chicken salad too...
Sam put an onion and lemon half into the cavity of each bird and seasoned the outside well with pepper, garlic salt and onion powder...put them into a brown in bag and roasted for 1 1/2 hours...

for the scalloped potatoes, she thinly sliced red potatoes and layered them in a baking dish, seasoned them well and added lower fat half and half, covered with foil and baked for 1 1/2 hours...

fresh pea pods with carrots complete the meal...

thanks for sticking with me and still reading my blog through life happening to us...

easy meals when all is not well

not feeling 100% but we still have to eat so have been trying to come up with easier meals I can make with lowered energy...

1.    ham in the slow cooker, mashed potatoes, green beans

2.    hashbrown casserole

3.    chicken and wild rice casserole (made this for Valentine's Day)

4.    creamy pasta, bacon and peas

5.    korean beef with peas

6.   grilled cheese sandwiches

trying to get on with life, a new chapter

it has now been 5 weeks since my husband died and a lot has happened in those weeks...

we had his service on Saturday the 28th of January...since he was a Past Exalted Ruler of the Riverside Elk's Lodge, they were so wonderful to put on the service for us and they had a nice luncheon afterwards also...before he passed my husband always used to say that no one would come to his service and boy, were we shocked for him...the place was packed...we could not have asked for a better turn out...it was a very nice service...all of his family came, tons of Elks, teachers and parents from Magnolia School, Press Enterprise people and a lot of personal friends that we have know for a long time...the Press Enterprise sent a photographer and he took some really nice pictures...some of the grandkids came out so wonderful but they are also pretty sad...the photographer at one time found my 8 year old hiding under the food table crying and that just broke my heart...I cannot look at the pictures as they just break my heart...

so anyway, the next day we were just going to stay in jammies all day and take it easy but I needed some new meds at Target and then we came home and had leftovers from the service for dinner and about 6:30 or so, I started feeling not so good...trouble catching my breath and then chest pain, etc.  and it got so bad we had to call the fire dept...ended up being COPD (maybe all of the stress?)...in the ER they found that I did not have enough oxygen in my blood and so was on a Bipap machine for 3 days...was in hospital for a week...

now, 2 weeks later I am struggling to keep oxygen levels up and am on oxygen 24 hours a day and it is driving me crazy...I have a pulmonology appointment tomorrow and I sure am hoping to get good news so I can begin building this new life of mine...

have been back to cooking a little as energy permits...

week one of friends meals...

Saturday.....pasta with meatballs casserole...kids loved this one

Sunday.......chicken enchiladas, so so yummy

Monday.....stuffed pork chops and green beans...I have never had pork chops like these ones before...

Tuesday.....chicken, rice, tortillas, beans...

extra day....spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and dessert...

this is so special for someone going through something like I am...I really want to thank our PTA President Sheila for thinking of this and I cannot wait to feel better and help someone too..

hardest post of my life to write

my heart is broken...it will take awhile to put it back together...when people would say they have experienced indescribible grief, I did not know what they meant...I have only been to a handful of funerals in my life...
all of that changed less than a week ago...

my husband has been sick...heart problems, dialysis etc...he was a door gunner on a helicopter in Vietnam, joining when he was only 18...agent orange was responsible for all of his medical problems...
the day after Christmas at 3 am when he got up to get ready for dialysis he fell...but I did not think it was bad...he was arguing with the paramedics about going to the hospital (he was too big for me to try and get up and I had to call the fire dept)...they kind of forced the issue and said he needed checked out and so off they went...he was only to stay to get checked and get dialysis and then come home...they decided to keep him another couple of days to make sure he was ok...
in the hospital, his health went up and down a couple of times but they had him all better and were in fact going to transfer him to a rehab facility to have him walking good and wouldn't fall...he was to be transferred on Friday...on Wednesday we got a call that he "coded twice" and was in ICU...

we got up there and a doctor pulled me aside and said we needed to make some difficult decisions right away...we signed a do not resusciate order and they said they would give us a couple of days to see if we wanted to take him off life support...but they went ahead and took him off Friday morning and he woke up for a little while and we were able to tell him we loved him and he actually mouthed the words too...

he died Saturday morning...

this is a food blog and I did not mean for this to sound so morbid but I did not want everyone to think I abandoned it either...

the school that I "work" for and my grandchildren go to has set up a meal program for us...and can I just say that this is wonderful...I would not have been able to think of cooking right now too...so I thought I would list what is being brought to us and show everyone what great friends I have...

honey garlic chicken and veggies

http://damndelicious.net/2015/06/05/slow-cooker-honey-garlic-chicken-and-veggies/


this is what I wanted for dinner tonight but found this recipe too late for slow cooker so instead I am baking in the oven...chicken was roasted last night so I will add to veggies part way through to not over cook it...

this looks delicious...cannot wait to try it...

update...came out of the oven so yummy...

here is what I did...I had roasted some chicken yesterday and then I saw this recipe...and I really wanted to try it but not enough time for the slow cooker...
so I cut up all of the veggies and put into a baking pan (and can I just say that I have never in my whole life ever cooked a green bean from the produce aisle?)  hahaha...I usually use frozen ones...Tim and I are really trying hard to eat a lot more healthy and this really seemed like the ticket to do just that...
so, the veggies are playing nice in the baking pan and according to the recipe I made the sauce and poured over the veggies...covered with foil and baked about 45 minutes in the oven at 350...took off the foil and added cut up chicken (cause remember it was already roasted) and cooked for aobut another 20 minutes...
there is so much yummy sauce that I made some brown rice to soak up that goodness and it was so so so yummy, definitely a keeper...

you must try this and next time I will try in the slow cooker...

Tuna noodle casserole

I am still sick (dr tomorrow) and cat is still away and I am desperately seeking comfort food...remembered way back when my mom used to make tuna casserole all the time (it was cheap for 12 kids...) and this most certainly was not on my monthly rotations...ha...but I craved it still the same...
my mom was not real creative but how could you be, being the mom to 12 kids and being very poor...her casserole consisted of shell roni, tuna and cream of chicken soup...come on, you know me I had to be a lot more creative than that...

cat is still in the hospital and hates tuna so I have to cook like this now, when he is not here...

so I researched different blogs all morning on what would make the perfect tuna casserole and I know that the pasta plays a big part in this...but, I wanted a noodle...

so here is what I did...

1 pkg of cooked noodles, I added tuna (I don't like big chunks), 1 small can of cream of chicken soup, 1/2 container sour cream, frozen peas, cheddar cheese and my seasonings...put into a baking pan and crushed up some ritz crackers on top and poured some melted butter on top of that...baked at 400 for about 20 minutes and I must say I am very happy with the results...

will definitely make this again, it was the comfort food I so badly need right now

forgot to add, when it seemed to need a little moisture, while mixing, I added a little half and half...

Fully loaded baked potato soup...yum

I am so sick today...oh my...this is day 12 of prednisone and I was starting to feel halfway normal from the Christmas day bug I had gotten...then today I wake up  with a headache, really bad sore throat, cough and wheezing...I give up...I just want to feel better...

So if I have to cook when not feeling good, soup it is...http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/fully-loaded-baked-potato-soup-204503.aspx

this is the recipe that I hae always loosely based my potato soup on...I personally do not like huge chunks of potato in my soup, so I love that these are first baked potatoes and then mashed a little...one time family asked for a little chunkier and I just added one can of potatoes cut up...and it served the purpose...

note to self for next time...I tripled the recipe and I think it needed a little more potato...so instead of 2 potatoes per recipe maybe 2 1/2 or 3?  otherwise tonight it was spot on, perfect seasonings and everything...(my usual garlic salt, pepper, onion powder...)  and I add a couple of spoons of sour cream with the cheese at the end...

yum so perfect for a sick kind of night...

Oven BBQ pork ribs & homemade potato salad

when hubby first lost his really good paying aerospace job it was very rough on us...I got a job working for Wal Mart but he never got that pay status again...towards the end just before we lost our house and car, he took a job at a little family owned butcher and he got paid in meat instead of monies...he came home with these pork ribs one day and I had never seen them or cooked them and I asked the guy he worked for how to do them and this is what he said...guess they are not really ribs per se, but cut from the shoulder...

so, all I do is cover the meat with BBQ sauce, cover them with foil and let them cook for hours...today while at Wal Mart getting groceries (these were not on my monthly rotation) but I kept coming around and finally decided to just buy them and make them for tonight...I have been craving them for awhile now...

everyone is excited about dinner and I was not sure what to make to go with them, kind of wanted au-gratin potatoes but someone on facebook thought potato salad and cornbread sounded good so that is what I made...

my potato salad is so good,
red boiled potatoes, celery, green onions, black olives, dill pickles and of course chopped eggs...tons of seasonings (garlic salt, pepper, celery salt, onion powder) some mustard and mayo...today I added some crumbled bacon to the mix too...

made cornbread muffins and a vegetable medley...

yum

weekly post from 1/7 through 1/14 (pulled from my monthly post...

1.    chicken lazone with angel hair pasta
2.    apple cider pork roast
3.    loaded baked poatao soup
4.    cashew chicken with rice
5.    salisbury steak with mashed potatoes
6.    tt breakfast cass
7.  seas chicken. green beans  and potatoes in slow cooker
8.  chciken enchiladas, rice and beans

Epiphany Day cheese fondue

wanted to try something new this year to continue the spirit of Christmas a little longer and I read up on Epiphany...I knew about it, going to religious schools all of my life but wanted a more grown up version...to make a long story short we decided to celebrate Kings day by exchanging books with each other and we each came up with some really good subjects for books...everyone was happy...I will do this every year from now on...
and I wanted something easy for dinner not like the dinners I had made for Christmas Eve, Christmas night, Christmas morning and all of the New Year's meals too...

everyone oves my cheese fondue, especially Tim and Zoie so that is what I decided to make...

have posted about this before but I started doing it a little different and wanted to post before I forget what I actually did...

melted 1 cube of butter in dutch oven and made a roux with8 tablespoons Wondra flour (the soft stuff made for gravies, etc.) and this is were it is new I added about 2 cups of chicken broth and then 2-3 cups of milk...I let thicken and then seasonings and about 16 ounces of shredded cheese...a good sharp cheddar is good...let that thicken...

parired with;
little beef smokies
cut up veggies
french bread
and the have to have is wheat thin crackers...

so so yummy

our new tradition

oatmeal chocolate chip pecan cookie bars

http://www.melissassouthernstylekitchen.com/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-pecan-cookie-bars/

with everything so crazy in my life right now, I definitely needed a sense of normalcy,  and for New Year's I wanted to bake more...want to try for like every Sunday...and I believe Tim needs a treat every now and then even though he does not really eat sweets...

I hope this fits the bill...

Zoie is here and she actually made these by herself so we shall see...

these were so good, definitely a keeper, in fact they are all gone today...

sicilian mac and cheese

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sicilian-mac---cheese?trkid=FBPAGE_TOH_20161219_Dinner_New_OneDish_Pasta_DetailPage


cannot wait for this one to be done...am so excited about it...pairing with garlic bread and italian green beans...

this is a keeper...if I did not already have a go to my favorite mac n cheese this would be it...everyone loved it and Tim took for lunch today too...

yummy

creamy tomato tortellini soup with grilled cheese pot roast sandwiches

cold here and we need warmth...hard to turn heater on as it exacerbates Zoie's asthma, which is acting up anyways...she was in the ER on Sunday again...

so I knew I wanted soup but I had a pot roast in the slow cooker...

came upon this recipe for soup and it sounded so yummy that I decided to make sandwiches with the roast and the rest is history...

dinner is done but we have not eaten...

https://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/171098794/creamy-tomato-tortellini-soup/?locale=en

dinner was very good and everyone loved it...they want it again...

I cooked the roast all day in slow cooker with some onion soup and then diced it up really tiny and added it to grilled cheese on sourdough bread...

just what we needed tonight...Sam loved coming home tonight to a nice warm dinner waiting for her...I may never get her to go back home

bubble up pizza

http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/03/bubble-up-pizza.html

I have been wanting to try this for awhile now and just decided to make it tonight...helps cat is still not home, cause I don't think this is his kind of dinner...

Zoie helped make it and we made one pan of pepperoni and one with pepperoni and sausage...the only pepperoni one is already done and it really is pretty darn good...

will definitely make it again and just think of the different possibilities...

yum

paired with green salad and cut up veggies

one pot turkey skillet meal...very good

http://www.yummyhealthyeasy.com/2015/03/one-pot-turkey-skillet-recipe.html

I followed the recipe for everything (I always try to follow a new recipe exactly when I first do it...)

but for some reason I did not read the recipe before I tried it...and I already had part of a roasted turkey breast and had planned on using that but once I got ready to cook I saw the recipe called for ground turkey...I had to re-do the recipe...

so here is what I did...

I cut the turkey breast up into very tiny pieces and warmed them up in the skillet with some butter and seasonings (garlic salt, pepper and onion powder...)
to that I added 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 can of cream of chicken soup...I also added 1/2 package of frozen peas, 3 cups of cooked brown rice and for a little more creaminess I added 1 tablespoon of sour cream and 1 cup of shredded cheese...
I dished the mixture into individual bowls with some more cheese on top with some crushed fritos on top...(if I didn't have fritos, Tim said I should add some slivered almonds...)

the brown rice adds nuttiness to this dish

Timothy and Zoie loved this and definitely want this again...

yummy

my 15+ top viewed posts for 2016

here we go, this always excites me...in no particular order...

1.    my own hashbrown casserole

2.    cheese fondue

3.    creamy pasta, bacon and peas

4.    hamburger soup

5.    sour cream beef and rice bake

6.    mini meat loaves

7.    dreamsicle pie

8.    smothered pork chops

9.    round steak and onions

10.  korean beef

11.  my own swiss steak

12.  chicken and wild rice

13.  homemade mac and cheese

14.  layered chicken bake

15.  monthly menu plans

update...pea soup, my own chicken pot pie also placed high in most viewed


I love to see how each year compares to the last...