Easy Dinner

Last night I dreaded going home to make dinner - it was a long day and the sky was throwing up slush so the drive wasn't even easy. I has planned to make this for dinner and bought most of what I needed but ended up not using the directions and doing it my own way...absolutely DELICIOUS and EASY!

The original recipe asked for a dutch oven or cast iron skillet.  Which we have but we also have a glass cook-top which is a nono so I used a large skillet then put everything into the cast iron when it came time for oven. I also pre-cooked 1 large chicken breast and let it cool while I chopped up the veggies.

You will need:

1/2 Large Onion - chopped fairly small

2 tbs Butter

1/3 Cup Flour

1/2 Bag Frozen Peas/Carrots mix

1 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth

1 Cup Milk

Cooked Shred/Cubed Chicken

Rosemary

Thyme

Sage

Bisquick/Milk - Follow bisquick directions

Preheat oven to 450. In a large skillet OR cast iron skillet melt butter over medium high heat.  Add chopped onions and cook until soft (3-5 minutes) whisk in flour, once combined with butter and onions, whisk in broth and milk.  This process is really fast, so have everything available.  Add chicken, peas, carrots and spices - continue to stir until it begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and place in oven (or in cast iron skillet THEN the oven).  

In a mixing bowl follow directions on the bisquick for dinner rolls.  I did not roll out the dough and cut it, I just divided it into 6 or 7 even balls and flattened them by hand.  Open the oven and place rolls evenly on top.  Keep in the oven until rolls are light brown on top and cooked through - 10ish minutes.  

Remove from oven and serve! Caution - its HOT!

I love this dish because it looks complicated, tastes like it's been cooking all day but takes about 30 minutes total.

Love,

PlusPeace

Washi Tape?

I love the idea of all the washi tape trending on Pinterest BUT I don't know where to get it nor do I want to stick it to everything only to have to peel it off and toss it later.  Bear was getting restless and I was trying to cook dinner (more on that below) and I needed something fast to distract him.  Playdough requires too much attention lately and coloring is not active enough.  I grabbed a roll of masking tape of the counter and told Bear to pick out some small cars.

I started with "parking" and made a road down to a building of sorts.  Then once he started playing he wanted to add the train tracks to the mix - genius! This was quite possibly the easiest activity we've done all week. Works on hard wood or carpet and leaves no sticky residue.

And now for dinner.  This is a $6 dinner that takes 15 minutes to cook and feeds 4 - yes that is only $1.50 per mouth! 

Tasty Baked Ziti:

1lb Box Ridged Ziti

Newmans or Classico red sauce (both were on sale but we used newmans)

Italian Blend Shredded Cheese

Boil water - add pasta and cook to directions (about 8 minutes).  Drain noodles and add to casserole dish.  Stir in red sauce and sprinkle cheese on top (do not stir).  Place in the oven and broil for approximately 3 minutes or until the top is bubbly.  

Garlic bread is optional, we had both italian bread and garlic on hand.

Enjoy!

PlusPeace

I Spy & Something for Mum and Dad

SUPER Easy project for a weekend - I spy bottle!!

I had a cool water bottle kicking around the floor of my car it was a $1 bottle of water from Walgreens so we used that.  Any smooth water bottle will do fine.  I got a half gallon of CLEAR hand soap from target for $3.49 and we rounded up all the knick-knacks and brightly colored choking hazards around the house (crayons, a plastic grenade, a mini teacup, some beads, etc..) OH and glitter...nothing is fun without glitter right?

I had Bear drop all the little pieces into the bottle then we poured the glitter and soap in together. Fill almost to the brim - leave about 1" of air. Squirt some super glue around the sides of the inside of the cap and twist on as tight as you can.  There will be a bunch of bubbles but it will be more fun in an hour or so when everything settles.

Good for finding trinkets and good for learning about what floats vs what sinks :)

For Mum & Dad:  It's hard to time find for our partners these days (gonna keep it g) if anyone wants to spice things up try out spicysubscriptions.com for a month (I'll let ya'll know if it's worth it, we'll get our first box next month) but if you want to try use my code: Holly3485

Love,
PlusPeace

Snowy Day & Recipes

Just a plain post today.  It's finally snowy here and Bear is thrilled (me not so much).  I am looking forward to some hot cocoa and maybe a stew for dinner.  I just wanted to share this super quick family favorite that only takes about 30 minutes cook time and about 10 prep.

Poppy's Quick-Stew

Ingredients:
1 Onion - whatever you have pearl onions work too
10 Little red potatoes - the kind that come in a bag
1 bag frozen broccoli
1 large tomato
2 Carrots (OR handfull of baby carrots)
1 lb Cube Steak
Beef Bullion - we use the better than bouillon low sodium paste
1/2 Cup Flour
Pepper
2 Bay leaves
Rosemary
Thyme
Dill
Olive Oil
1 tbs Butter
2 Cups hot water

How to:
Cut the potatoes into even 1 inch cubes, chop onion into bite size pieces as well as carrots. Set aside.

In a shallow dish combine 1/2 cup flour, 1 tbs rosemary, 1 tsp thyme and a few grinds of pepper.  Mix together and remove 2 tbs of mixeture to set aside.  Coat both sides of the cube steak.  In a large skillet, put 1 tbs butter and 2 tbs olive oil on medium heat.  Once sizzling, add cube steak and brown both sides. Toss the cut vegetables and bag of frozen broccoli and 2 bay leaves on top and add 2 cups of hot water and 1 bullion cube.  Cover and bring to boil.

In the bowl with your flour mixture add 2 tbs cold water and whisk until mixed in. Pour slowly into the skillet while mixing.  Let simmer on medium heat until sauce thickens.  If the sauce is not getting thick, add more flour/cold water mixture.

Slice tomatoes thin and put on top of the stew and sprinkle with dill.  Let cook covered until tomatoes are hot.  Remove bay leaves and serve.

I like to make biscuits to go with this but it is a perfect quick meal that tastes like it came from a crock pot - yum!

Love,
PlusPeace

Date Night - Possibly Father's Day?

So this one is between you and hubby - possibly on father's day evening?

I have made this meal 6 times in less than two months trying to perfect it and I have finally gotten the whole meal down to tasty.

On the menu: Tipsy Chicken over Angelhair with Vegetable Gratin & Crunchy Garlic Bread

Ingedients (Tipsy Chicken)
2 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 Cup Parmesan Cheese (sprinkle cheese)
Mrs Dash Table Blend
2 Cloves Garlic
Pinot Grigio - I get the yellowtail because it's <$6 but still a wine I drink anyways
Milk
Salt & Pepper
Butter
Angel Hair Pasta

How To: (Tipsy Chicken)
Pour 1/4 milk into a sallow bowl. on a plate (I use disposable for this) put 1 Cup of grated Parmesan and 2 tbs Mrs Dash and mix together. Wash and try chicken and cut each breast into three smaller pieces. I just them the long way and no more than 1" thick. Plunge each piece into milk and then coat in cheese mixture. In a skillet put 1 tbs butter and 1 clove chopped garlic. when pan is hot add chicken and flip as soon as the chicken is brown and coating is crispy. Begin boiling water and a dash of salt for the angel hair. Once both sides of the chicken are crispy, add 3/4 cup of Pinot Grigio and let simmer. I flip the chicken a few times until cooked through add more wine as needed. Strain the pasta and place the fully cooked chicken on top.

For the sauce leave excess from the chicken in the pan and keep the heat, add 1 cup wine, 1 tbs butter and a few pinches of Mrs Dash and whisk. Cook until wine is browned and reduced to 3/4 cup of sauce. Our over chicken and pasta.

Ingredients (Vegetable Gratin)
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Olive Oil
1 Zucchini
Leaks
1 Vidalia Onion
Red Pepper
Cherry Tomatoes

How To: (Vegetable Gratin)
Slice the zucchini, onion, leaks and peppers into 1/4 inch rounds. In a cast iron skillet (casserole dish will work but not as well) Layer in this order: Onions, Zucchini, Drizzle Olive Oil, half the cheese, half the bread crumbs, red peppers, leaks, remainder of zucchini and then slice the tomatoes in half and layer on top. Add remaining cheese and breadcrumbs, add a final drizzle and put in the oven at 400 F for 12 minutes or until you can easily poke with a fork. Broil for 3 minutes until the top is crispy.

For the Garlic bread i used butter, fresh garlic NOT garlic powder (ick) and put both generously onto thick cut sourdough and broil for 2 minutes (dont burn it!)

To plate this I put a nest of pasta with two chicken pieces then a slice of the gratin and toast on the side. YUMMY!

There is a craft that goes with this but Bear woke up - see ya!

PlusPeace

Couples Night

It's so hard to feel great about yourself and your relationships when time and sleep are lacking. Take a night this week with your significant other and enjoy a meal after the kids go to bed - or better yet send them to a relative for a night!

Winter Date Night In!

On the menu:
Mug Soup

Progresso Hearty Vegetable Soup
Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry (frozen aisle)
4 Small Red Potatoes
Rotini Pasta
Two Large Ceramic Mugs

Desert:
Butter
Cinnamon
Sugar

Preheat oven to 425. Dice potatoes and boil with pasta until everything is cooked through. Drain the pasta and potatoes and add the soup. After the dough is thawed place the mugs top down on the pastry and use a knife to cut a circle about ¼ inch larger than the top of the mug. Ladle soup into the mugs until ¾ full, place the pastry rounds on top of the mugs and carefully place mugs on a baking sheet and cook as directed on the pastry package (I believe it’s 15 minutes).

In the mean time cut the extra puff pastry into hearts or strips. Brush on melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar on each. When the soup is done, place the deserts on the baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes (or as directed on pastry package).

The soup is good with an arugula and feta salad and vinaigrette but can be eaten plain too. This meal is easy. Total cook time is about 25minutes. And prep is 8 minutes.

Sit at the table or by the fireplace (if you are blessed enough to have one – we don’t) with candles and low lights. I recommend wearing something a little nicer than the everyday attire. Dark jeans, heals or flats with a white button up and sweater look nice but not too nice. Make your hubby wear a button up too!

Movies and music are also great but I’d avoid TV for this one night…who knows maybe one thing will lead to another and hanging around in the bedroom will be more appropriate 

Enjoy the night,
PlusPeace

Versatile Foods

As my Bear get's older it gets harder and harder to actually make dinner. But I'm a big fan of everyone eating together. Because funds have been low lately and time is scarce we have been cooking with "versatile" foods - there is one food used in all recipes and only 4 other ingrdients. Below are a few recipes that I hope you enjoy too!

Frozen Chicken Patties:

Meal 1: Chicken Parm. - Put one patty for each person in the oven at 450 for 10 minutes while that cooks put a pot of water to boil for your choice of pasta. Flip the patties after 10 minutes and cook for 5 more minutes. By now your pasta should be done so strain and add red sauce to the put and remove from heat. Take out your patties and top with shredded mozarella, put back in oven for 5 more minutes. Put pasta in bowls and top with a cheezy patty.

Meal 2: Chrispy Ranch Sandwiches with home cooked crispy taters. - turn oven to broil. Slice up potatoes thin and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper, lay out evenly on a pan lined with tinfoil, put in the oven on the top rack until they start to brown, flip em and pull them out when they look crispy. If you want to skip this step buy frozen french fries or potato chips. turn oven down to 450 and cook patties 15 minutes then flip and cook for 10 minutes. Put on a bun with lettuce, ranch and whatever else you want - tomato, bacon, etc.

Meal 3: Crispy Chicken Salad. - cook chicken like above recipe. Slice up romaine, cherry tomatoes, peppers and then cut chicken into strips and top with your favorite dressing!

Other ideas - buffalo chicken sandwiches (add hot sauce to the ranch in recipe 2)

BlackBeans (vegetarian):

Meal 1: Black Bean Burrito. Make whole wheat rice (either in microwave or stove top) Drain black beans and a can of corn, rinse and add to rice. Add a can of diced tomatoes and shredded cheddar cheese. I usually add in some kind of seasoning like taco seasoning or soul seasoning but salt and pepper works too. This can be eaten as is or in a tortilla. Extra toppers: hot peppers, hot sauce, chives, sour cream, etc

Black Bean Nachos:

Meal 2: Turn oven to 450. Lay out tortilla chipscorn chips on a pan lined with tinfoil. Drain beans and rinse, evenly distribute over chips, sprinkle mild salsa and top with cheese and pop in the oven until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream and avocado slices.

Meal 3: Black bean breakfast for dinner! Drain and rinse black beans, cut up chives and add to beans. Add diced tomatoes to mix. Beat eggs in a bowl and heat skillet with butter. Add egg to skillet, when the bottom is cooked flip and add mixture and cheddar cheese. Fold omlette in half until cooked through.

I hope everyone else enjoys these simple recipes! Bear loves beans and chicken so I usually just cut all this up small and give to him too.

Love,

PlusPeace

Dinner for Two.

So I think a romantic evening for you and your significant other is in order and (most likely) long over due. I've asked my favorite blogging cook, Kelsey Jeanne, to do a week of "dinner for two" She is so great and even included a shopping list in the start (for all the weekly shoppers) so that you'll have everything you'll need.

So after feeding the little one and putting him to bed cook something nice for your honey.

Here's her intro to the day 1:

"For the Sandwiches, we're going to do a Foreman grill panini, with ham, Swiss, sprouts and spicy brown mustard. then a vegetable minestrone soup (tomato basil works really well too) and a mixed greens salad with celery, carrots, tomato and cucumber.

( I am going to put a shopping list in each post, and then the cooking directions, so that if your a once a week shopper you can just combined them all or you can just run out to the store after reading)"

The link for the recipe and for a new one every day this week go to http://kelseyjeanne-junk.blogspot.com/

She also goes over tips for cooking for two like, Pre Freeze, Post Freeze, Unfrozen Leftovers and Only Cooking what You'll Eat. Good tips for busy parents!

Love,

PlusPeace

PS Wearing something sexy optional. ;)

Easy Kitchen Classics

Now cooking is not my thing, I'm getting better at it (for really good recipes go to my sisters blog Junk by KelseyJeanne ) but for the time being I have stuck to really easy recipes, ones that work well for the tired mom and thought I'd share.

Quiche and Italian Quesadillas are my favorite ones so far so we'll start there.

Quiche!

For crust:

-2 tbs rosemary

-1 tsp salt

-1 cup flour

-1/3 cup shortening

-5 tbs water

mix all rosemary, salt and flour in a bowl. Using a fork add in shortening and water. Use hands to finish mixing. When it seems pretty well mixed sprinkle flour on a flat surface and roll the dough until its about 12 inches wide (circle) Place in your pie pan and then cover with tinfoil. Bake for 5 minutes at 450 and then remove tinfoil and bake until golden brown (about another 5 minutes) and remove from oven. Turn heat down to 350

For filling you will need:

-1 cup of any leftover veggies you have in the fridge (last night I used peppers, onions and garlic because they were on the verge of going bad)

-5 strips of crispy cooked bacon or ham

-2 eggs

-1 cup milk

-1 tbs flour

Sate veggies in a skillet with 2 tbs olive oil then put in a bowl. Add meat, eggs, milk and flour. Mix well and pour into pie crust. Put in over, uncovered for 35 minutes. take out and enjoy! Makes 8 slices and you can use leftovers. It's pretty easy and fairly fast.

Italian Quesadillas!

You will need:

1/4 onion

1/2 red pepper

2 tbs chopped garlic

fresh basil (i buy the tube of basil they have in produce section)

cherry tomatoes (halved)

olive oil

perdu pre-cooked roast chicken strips

Italian shredded cheese blend

tortillas

Preheat oven to 350. In a pan sate onions, peppers, garlic until golden brown, add tomatoes and chicken and remove from heat. if you bought the tube of basil spread thin over on of the tortillas if you bought fresh mix with sate veggies. Add veggies to torilla evenly and coat with cheese. Put another tortilla on top and bake in oven for 12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Yeah those are both fairly quick and the veggies can be whatever is in the fridge, same with the meat on both. So if you don't wanna shot and dont want to cook a whole big meal both of these have meat, dairy, vegetable and grain and work for lunch too.

Love,

PlusPeace