I'm always on the look out for something new to make for dinner. Its not that I mind cooking so much, its the effort of planning, deciding, and shopping that takes its toll. We seem to eat the same thing over and over again. My go to place for new recipes is allrecipes. I like to read the reviews and see the suggestions that others make. I've tried some good recipes, and we've had a few busts too, but since my family expects dinner EVERY DAY, I keep trucking along. Here are a few recipes I've found to work (with a few personal tweeks) for our family. They aren't going to win any recipe contests, but it may be something different to answer the dreaded question of, "What's for dinner?" Let me know what you think:)
Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 – 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 – 10 ounce can enchilada sauce
1 – 4 ounce can chopped green chilies
1 – 8 ¾ ounce can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 bay leaf
1. Add all ingredients to a slow cooker.
2. Cook on low setting for 6 – 8 hours.
3. Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, and fresh lime juice and serve with tortilla chips.
Pizza Casserole
½ pound penne pasta
½ pound mild sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced pepperoni cut into quarters
14 ounces pizza sauce
4 tablespoons milk
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage with onion and garlic. Drain excess fat.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add sausage mixture, pizza sauce, pepperoni, milk, and 1 cup cheese.
3. Transfer to a 13x9 inch baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Salsa Chicken Casserole
1 – 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 2/3 cups water
1 1/3 cups uncooked white rice
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounces sour cream
1 ½ cups salsa
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake chicken for 10 – 20 minutes, or until fully cooked. Let cool and shred.
2. Boil water, add rice and onion, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Mix together cream of chicken soup, sour cream and salsa.
4. In a greased 13x9 inch baking dish, layer half of the rice and onion, half of the soup mixture, and half of the cheese. Repeat rice and soup layers.
5. Bake in 350°F oven for 30 minutes. Add remaining cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Here is a little advice. Never buy a house that has to be completely painted from floor to ceiling and needing various other home improvements, when you are in your first trimester. Or really, if you are pregnant at all. You know those shows you watch on Saturdays that are about people who buy fixer-uppers hoping to rehaul and "flip" them? I watch those shows and I see all the mistakes people make, thinking they are going to get X amount done in X amount of time. I always thing of how foolish those people are.
Now I know better. While we are not attempting to flip our house, we did intend on making many improvments before we moved into the house. We went into closing thinking we could get everything done in six weeks. Yeah, right. Combine a sick and tired pregnant woman, a guy already putting 40 hours a week into his day job, 2 rambunctious children needing constant entertaining, and a house older than half of my siblings and delays happen. I had such high hopes of moving into a house where all the projects were finished and we just got to enjoy living there - gone! The plan is to move in this weekend. While the driving back and forth between houses (a 20+ minute drive) and living off of fast food life will hopefully be over, I think we'll just be trading one form of chaos for another. Well we've got about five months until the newest Lewis joins our family, so that is our new goal. Wish us luck!
Over the past week I've been thinking about a few things that have brought a smile to my face. In no particular order, these are a few of my favorite things.
* Living on the coast and already having been to the beach three times.
* Already rocking an awesome tan.
* Girls night out and wonderful friends to spend time with.
* Hearing my 19 month parrot back almost everything that is said to her.
* Mani/Pedis and having long nails (not super long, but longer than usual).
* No Bake Cookies (Yes, I got the recipe to work!!!)
* Talking to my mom and my sister.
* Good books to read.
Yes there is more, and this list is ever evolving, but for now this will do:)
Last Sunday I wanted somthing sweet. Big surprise, right? I decided to make some cookies - some No-Bake cookies. Now I used to make awesome No-Bake cookies. They were pretty and shiny and moist. Now my cookies are dry and flaky. I found a recipe that assured me my No-Bake cookies would be restored to their previous awesomeness. That was not the case. As I was stirring in the oatmeal, the mixture became dryer and dryer. Eventually I was left with this, not even suitable to try to shape into cookies. All wasn't lost as Erik is using it as an ice cream topping. Perhaps my problem is in trying to halve the recipe. Maybe I'll use fewer oats next time. If there is a next time.
