Menu Monday :: What We're Eating This Week

Sorry this post is a little late!  Our nanny had a loss in her family and had to unexpectedly take the week off last minute so we've been scrambling to figure out work and appointments this week.  With that said, life goes on and we've still gotta eat dinner!

And as I was pulling my recipes for the week, I realized that all but one came from some of my favorite bloggers.  You can clearly see how I get my meal ideas!  

Sunday :: Bow Tie Fiesta Casserole {Blue Eyed Bride}

This is a repeater from just a few weeks ago, but we had company over on Sunday and I knew we'd be hanging out by the pool all day so I wanted something so easy that I could prep ahead of time and throw in the oven at the end of the day!  I served with fruit and salad.  

Also, be sure and check out the recipe for Sweet Corn & Zucchini Fritters with Avocado Crema {Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers}.  Such a yummy lunch/snack when hanging out by the pool all afternoon. 

Monday :: Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps {Mama & Mou}

This is one of my favorite weeknight recipes.  Easy to throw together, crowd-pleaser (even Jack) and it makes excellent leftovers for the week.   Since I was excited to watch the season finale of The Bachelorette Monday night, I dubbed these the "Wrap It Up" Lettuce Wraps. 

Tuesday :: Sweet & Tangy Meatballs, Asian Salad

I'm almost embarrassed at how easy these are AND how gross the ingredients actually sound together, but it's surprisingly good.  ...and easy!  Being a working mom/SAHM this week, easy is needed!  I serve these over brown rice with sugar snap peas and an Asian salad.  Jack will eat these with the rice and orange slices.  

Wednesday ::  Crunchy BBQ Brisket Tacos {Mix & Match Mama}

Another yummy and easy dinner since it's done in the crockpot.  These are delicious and give you something a little different than traditional tacos or BBQ. 


Thursday :: Turkey Taco Casserole {Honey We're Healthy}

This meal reminds me of the lettuce wraps above in terms of making them.  Super easy and throwing a mix of ingredients in a skillet.  We eat these like a little "burrito bowl" with some cheese, sliced avocado and jalapenos (except for Jack, ha). 


Have a great week!  I'm linking up with Colleen of Meet the Sullivans for Menu Monday today.  Be sure and check out the other great meal ideas. 

Menu Monday :: What We're Eating This Week

Happy Monday!  I love to read what others eat in their house so I thought I'd share our menu this week.  As you can see below we aren't currently in "dieting" mode as I'm pregnant and just like easy, comfort food.  We do try to watch our portions, especially when eating meals with pasta and cheese.

I love slow cooker meals since I work during the day.  It's nice to have dinner made so I can enjoy a few hours with Jack when I get home rather than trying to find a distraction for him while mommy cooks.  My husband doesn't arrive home until dinnertime (or often after Jack and I have already eaten on some days) so dinner planning and prep all falls on momma...tired, pregnant momma!  


Sunday :: Bow Tie Fiesta, Chopped SW Salad
I made a few pans of this meal on Sunday for some friends so of course had to make one for us too.  Not exactly healthy, but something that everyone will love and makes great leftovers to eat on all week.   And yes, I linked you to a pre-made, bagged salad mix, but it's my favorite so I wanted to share with you!  You can easily replicate it if you don't like bagged salads. 


Monday :: Chicken Parmesan and salad
I don't have a recipe for this meal.  There is a chef in my neighborhood who does a service out of his home every Monday called "Souper Monday".  Each Monday he offers a new soup that you can purchase by the quart.  I am a regular customer because it makes my Mondays  little more bearable!  We haven't had a bad meal from him yet.  This week he also made Chicken Parmesan and I snatched up a pan...it sold out in minutes!  So this afternoon all I have to do is make some pasta and quick salad and dinner is served!

Tuesday :: Slow Cooker Taco Soup & Cornbread
I've made this recipe several times.  I know there are better taco soup recipes out there, but I love how easy this one is to prepare!  Plus Jack likes it so win-win.  I reviewed this recipe here.  

Wednesday :: Hamburger Patties and Egg Noodles
No recipe here and probably super boring for most, but this is my Czech comfort food: meat and buttered noodles.  I just make the hamburger patties in a skillet with a chopped onion and seasoning and serve with noodles and fruit. 

  

Thursday :: Slow Cooker BBQ Spareribs, Mashed Potatoes and Salad
I've made this recipe before and it was super easy and good.  I reviewed it here.

Friday :: Pickup/Out to Eat
Fridays are our traditional "mommas night off" night where we either pickup something on our way home, order Pizza or go out to eat (usually Mexican).  It's a great way to celebrate the end of the week!

Saturday :: Throw something on the grill.  Lots of options here! 


What are you eating this week?  If several of you like these posts, maybe we can organize a simple linkup...unless there is already one out there that I don't know about.  Then please share! 

Taste of Summer with Red Gold Tomatoes :: Italian Turkey Burgers

To me the taste of summer = throwing something on the grill after a day of being at the pool.  I love to prep our meals and serve appetizers {like chips and queso which we ate lots of this 4th of July weekend} while Jason mans the grill and Jack gets to play outside in the backyard.

Last year, I featured some of Red Gold's delicious grilling recipes in honor of their annual "summer grilling giveaway" which they are doing again this year!

During the dates of June 24-July 22, Red Gold will be giving away a Large Big Green Egg every week, as well as 800 insulated tote bags on their Facebook Page.  Jason would love to win a Big Green Egg.

Last year we tried Red Gold's recipes for their Caribbean Chicken Burger and Spicy Tomato Burger.  Both were perfection and we continued to make them throughout the year.

This year I was anxious to try their Italian Turkey Burger.  We use turkey a ton in our household and I knew Jack would like the Italian flavors.

Italian Turkey Burger

• 1 pound ground turkey (I used 99% lean)
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Red Gold Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano, drained very well
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste 

1.  Combine ground turkey, tomatoes, egg and bread crumbs in a bowl.  Form into patties and season with salt and pepper.  (I ended up using more bread crumbs than it called for just to make the patties stick better).

2.  Grill the patties and you are done!

3.  I served with whole wheat hamburger buns.  You can add ketchup or thick pasta sauce to the burger and add a little mozzarella cheese too! 

Another success!  Both Jason and Jack gobbled them up and I loved it too.  It made great leftovers for lunch the next day.  Double score!  I just served the burgers with grilled veggies that were skewered so it was super easy to throw on the grill with the meat.  Can you tell I'm all about quick and easy?

For something off the grill, but still 100% summer, I'm anxious to try the Peach Chicken Chipotle Salad!  That just screams summer.

Image via

What is your favorite summer grilling meal?  Favorite burger?  

Don't forget to like Red Gold's Facebook Page to try and win a Big Green Egg now through July 22!

I was not compensated for this post.  I was given the product and cooler bag in order to try and review.  All opinions are my own.

Weight Watchers Wednesday :: Raw Cacao Brownie

Happy Wednesday!  I wanted to share a yummy recipe for all of you fellow chocoholics.  It's not low calorie, but is "clean" and in moderation is a great chocolate treat after a strict diet day.  This was actually one of the desserts during my three day juice cleanse.

This recipe makes 2-4 servings.  Don't eat the whole thing and think you are doing good - ha!  But, it's actually very rich so one serving is all you want.  Last time I made this I got three servings out of it. 

Raw Cacao Brownie

Recipe via Define Foods

Ingredients:
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup dates, pitted
3 Tbsp raw cacao powder
2 tsp pure maple syrup
pinch Celtic sea salt

Directions:

1.  Place the nuts in a mini food processor and blend until finely ground.  I don't own a food processor (gasp) but my blender worked great.

2.  Add the cacao powder and sea salt and pulse to combine.  Add the dates one at a time (I added them altogether), followed by the maple.  Process until the mixture sticks together when pressed between your fingers and the dates are well processed.  The mix should appear to be "cake-like" crumbs.

3.  Press the mixture into a small bowl or pan and press down firmly with your hands.  Refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve.  

Okay, so not the prettiest, but it's good!

 Hope you are having a great week!  Be sure and leave and comment or linkup and let me know some of your successes!

Taste of Tuesday: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last week I had a huge craving for my mom's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies so Friday evening after putting Jack to bed, while watching Dateline, I whipped up a batch.  Even my husband likes these and he isn't really a pumpkin fan - gasp!

These taste like fall even if it doesn't feel like fall outside quite yet!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Canned Pumpkin
1 Egg, Beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 Cups Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 - 6 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips (or more)! 

Directions:

Mix first 5 ingredients.  Mix remaining ingredients except chocolate chips.  Add wet to dry, mix well.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Set oven to 350.  Bake approx. 15 minutes

I'm linking up today with Kate and Emily for Tuesday's Recipe Swap!

Taste of Tuesday

For today's Taste of Tuesday, instead of posting one recipe for you I'm simply linking to all of the great recipes I've been making lately that I've discovered through the blogosphere.  Thanks to so many wonderful bloggers I haven't had to crack open a cookbook in ages. 

Here's what we are eating this week:

Sunday - Spicy Tomato Burger, recipe via Red Gold Tomatoes.  Read more about this here. 
This is a great way to spice up your normal burger recipe.  I made a plain patty for Jack that wasn't so spicy and served with roasted sweet potato sticks. 

Monday - "That's a Wrap" Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps for Emmy Night!
These lettuce wraps are delish and super easy.  Bonus that the rest of my house loves them too.  Lucky me there is usually enough for my lunch the next day too!

Tuesday - Taco Turkey Casserole for our weekly "Taco Tuesday" theme
I love this recipe from Megan of Honey We're Healthy & Honey We're Home.  Again, super easy and there will be leftovers for lunch the next day!

Wednesday - Sweet Corn and Zucchini Fritters with a big salad
Ya'll, these are to die for!  I made them last week as an appetizer when we were hosting Jason's family and they were such a hit that no one was hungry for dinner.  Thank you so much Natalie for sharing this recipe a few weeks ago!

Thursday - Black Bean Taco Soup with Guacamole for the Texans Game
I've made this a handful of times and I love that it is made in the crockpot.  Thursday afternoon/evening is a little hectic for us so I will be happy to have dinner ready to go when I get home.  This will be the perfect meal to eat with some other munchies like fresh guacamole for the Texans game. 

Friday - Pizza Night!
By Friday night, the kitchen is usually closed.  The routine is for Jason to either pick up something on his way home from the office or we order in.  Not super healthy.  We will see how the week goes and maybe mama can find the energy to whip up something a bit healthier for us!

Thanks for stopping by!  I'd love to hear what's on your menu this week. 

Linking up with Emily and Kate for Tuesday's Recipe Swap. 

Taste of Tuesday: Red Gold Tomatoes Grilling Recipes

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Red Gold Tomatoes to see if I was interested in trying some of their new canned tomatoes and grilling recipes.  Some bloggers get jewelry and clothing.  I get canned tomatoes.  Go ahead and be jealous. 

I thought it would be fun to try some new recipes so I said sure, send me those tomatoes!

I was given 6 cans of different flavored tomatoes, a cute red apron and some recipes to try.  This past Sunday (our typical grill night) Jason and I made two of the recipes and oh my goodness they were yummy...and took all of 5 minutes to prepare!  These will become regular staples in our house. 

Spicy Tomato Burger

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles, drained very well
• Salt and pepper to taste (we just used a pinch of salt, but a lot of pepper)

Mix all ingredients together, grill and cook to desired temperature! 

Garnish however you desire.  I used a medium cheddar cheese and Jason wanted some extra kick so he used jalapeno jack cheese. 

Jason's Masterpiece



My Masterpiece - I wanted to try both without blowing my diet

Caribbean Chicken Burger

• 1 pound ground chicken (this would work great with lean turkey too)
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes w/Lime Juice & Cilantro {so yummy} OR 1 (14.5 ounce) can Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes with Chipotle, drained very well. 
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used Saltine crackers)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, grill and cook to desired temperature!  Serve with guacamole, avocado or roasted pineapple slice.  Top with mango chutney or fruit salsa. 

I garnished mine with a grilled pineapple slice and a scoop of mango pico de gallo from HEB and it was delish!  Jack gave his stamp of approval on this recipe too!

You can get more recipes here including a grilled tuna burger and Italian turkey burger that I want to try!  You can also enter to win Red Gold's Summer Grillin' Party Promotion for a Large Big Green Egg...which Jason is drooling over right now. 

I was not compensated for this post.  I was given the product and apron in order to try and review.  All opinions are my own. 

--

I'm linking up today with Kate and Emily for Tuesday's Recipe Swap!

Pinterest Project Update: 8 Slow Cooker Meals in 1 Hour

We have now tried all 8 meals from the 8 Meals in One Hour pin floating around Pinterest.  Read all about my experience thus far below:

Introduction Post about Prep Process
Recipes and Shopping List from SixSistersStuff.com
Meal Update #1
Meal Update #2

The last four meals that we tried were {mostly} good with one failure that couldn't even be consumed. 

I apologize for not taking more pictures.  Dinner time is the worst time for my brain {hunger, fussy baby, tired} so I kept forgetting to take personal pics.  FAIL!

Cilantro Lime Chicken - Success!

Image via Six Sisters' Stuff

This meal was really good.  In fact, it's one that I've already made again.  You can eat it by itself or serve it with warm corn tortillas like we did.  I also used a lot more lime juice than the recipe called for and added some guacamole when I served it. 

Beef Stew - Good

Image via Six Sisters' Stuff

This meal was just okay.  There was nothing wrong with it and both Jason and I ate it, but we just weren't wowed.  Maybe because it's hard to get excited for stew in 90 degree weather.  It gets points for being easy though.  Next time to modify I would use more meat and less peas.  I may have gone overboard on the peas. 

Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken - Epic Fail

Image via Six Sisters' Stuff

 

Yuck...something went terribly wrong!

 

I am in no way blaming Six Sisters for this recipe disaster as I'm sure it was 100% user error, but something went wrong!  I followed the directions on how long to cook, but I came home to black chicken breasts in a puddle of brown glaze.  Not appetizing at all.  I tasted it to see what the flavor was like and that wasn't good either.  My only guess is that I cooked it way too long and maybe needed to add some water to the crock pot.  Had I been home to check on the progress throughout the day the crisis would probably have been avoided.  Needless to say we ordered pizza that night.  Proceed with caution on this one. 

Chicken Cacciatore - Success!

Image via Six Sisters' Stuff

This was the last meal we tried and after the maple chicken incident, I was a little apprehensive.  I cooked just like the instructions said, but didn't thaw the chicken completely this time.  I came home after work to a perfect meal!  I served it over spaghetti just like they suggested, but not other sides.  Jason thought it needed more seasoning, but I thought it was perfect (I just used salt and pepper to taste).  Our nanny and her daughter ate the leftovers the next day and raved about it too.   Will definitely make this one again soon. 

Pinterest Project UPDATE: 8 Slow Cooker Meals in 1 Hour

We tried another 2 meals this week (that' now 4 of the 8).  It's safe to say that since we are halfway done, this is a Pinterest Project success and definitely worth you 1 hour or so.

Introduction Post about Prep Process
Recipes and Shopping List from SixSistersStuff.com
Meal UPDATE #1

French Dip Sandwiches - Success!

Photo via Six Sisters' Stuff

I forgot to take a picture of this meal because I was running out the door, but it turned out just like the picture in the recipe.  Both Jason and I loved this one.  We ate the sandwiches with chips and fruit...there really was fruit this time!  The recipe made enough for leftovers the next night plus lunch for our nanny.  Major bonus!

Black Bean Taco Soup - Success!

Photo via Six Sisters' Stuff

I forgot to take a picture again...sheesh!  You can tell that when it's time to eat there is only one thing on my mind.  It look exactly like the picture above.  This is not the best taco soup you will ever eat, but it certainly does the trick!  It gets major points for being so easy.  We will for sure be making this one again.  Once the soup is ready you can add sour cream, cheese or avocado to it.  We just added a little cheese and called it a day.  I did not make any sides with this.  The soup has it all and is very filling. 

Have a great weekend! 

P.S.  Giveaway coming up on Monday!!!

Pinterest Project: 8 Slow Cooker Freezer Meals in 1 Hour

I'm sure many of you have seen the pin "8 Slow Cooker Freezer Meals in 1 Hour."  This was so appealing to me since my time with Jack after work is precious.  I hate spending that time cooking dinner when I've been gone from him all day. 

I have never made a Pinterest recipe...I'm not much of a cook (that's an understatement), but this one called me. 

This post from SixSistersStuff.com includes everything from the 8 recipes, to a shopping list and suggested sides. 

This past weekend I was determined.  I grocery shopped on Saturday for all of the meat, produce and ingredients I didn't already have.

Sunday after Church while Jack was napping and Jason was watching football, I put it all together!  I will say that instead of 1 hour, it took me almost 2 hours (cleanup included).  I'm sure the next time I do it, I'll be quicker.  I would also recommend doing it with a partner if possible.  That would drastically make things move quicker. 




The night before I gathered all of the ingredients together and labeled the freezer bags

On prep day I bagged all of the meat first

All done!  You just dump the ingredients in with the meat and freeze.

I now have 8 meals stored in my freezer ready to go!  I plan to do blog post followups to let you know how the actual meals turned out.  So stay tuned...we are eating this first one tonight: BBQ Spareribs.

Has anyone else tried this or other Pinterest Freezer meals??  Follow me on Pinterest so we can share recipes!

Candy Corn Bark

 

I got this recipe for Candy Corn Bark from Allyson over at Mimosas in the Morning.  Love her blog and was so happy to meet her at the Houston Blogger Symposium!  Go check out her post about this Halloween treat, as her pictures are 500% better than my amatuer iPhone pic.

 

This recipe is so easy and quick.  It looks great on a plate or in a cute Halloween treat bag. But be warned that it is sugar overload...a little goes a long way! 

 

Ingredients:

14 Halloween Oreos, broken (I couldn't find Halloween Oreos, but the regular ones still looked great)

2 bags of white chocolate chips (preferably Ghiradelli)

1 cup candy corn

1/2 cup of pecans (if you don't like nuts, another recipe used broken pretzels)

Halloween sprinkles (I purchased mine at Michael's, but Target has too)

 

Instructions:

Cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Spread 1/2 broken cookies, 1/2 nuts and 3/4 of the candy corn onto paper. Place your white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring between, until melted.  The chocolate melts quicker than I thought so be careful not to burn.

Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the pan and spread if necessary for even coverage. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients over the white chocolate while it is still wet. Place cookie tray into refrigerator over night (or until it is firm).  I put mine in that morning and it was ready by lunchtime.  Remove and break (using your hands - I gripped the outside of the paper and tried to break within the pan - toppings will fly) the bark into smaller pieces.



Junior Mint Cake

We all remember the Seinfield episode, appropriately titled "The Junior Mint" in which Kramer and Jerry get to observe a surgery taking place from a gallery above.  Kramer is enjoying a box a Junior Mints during the procedure and accidentally drops one into the patient's body. 

This pretty much sums up my love of Junior Mints.  Also read here and here.  You can usually find at least 3 boxes in my house at any given time.  Both my mom and dad feel the same way about this candy so I guess I was destined to love them too.  I'm not sure I've watched a movie in the last few years without eating a box of them. 

For my dad's birthday, his coworker, Susan has made him a Junior Mint Cake for the past 2 years.  This year I not only had to get the recipe, but I wanted to share it with you:

Bundt Cake (From Mix)
From cooks.com
Ingredients:
-  1 pkg. cake mix
-  1 (4 serving) pkg. instant pudding
-  1/3 cup oil
-  1 cup water
-  4 eggs
Blend.  Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Bake at350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Cool for 25 minutes.  Invert onto plate. 

Notes from Susan: Make it how you like...chocolate cake mix with chocolate pudding, white mix with vanilla pudding, etc.

Chocolate Mint Sauce
From cooks.com
Ingredients:
-  6 oz. Junior Mints (two 3 oz. pkgs.)
-  1 tbsp. butter
-  2 tbsp. milk
1.  In microwave bowl, combine all ingredients.  Cook on high 1-1.5 minutes or until mixture is hot.  Stir until sauce is smooth OR combine ingredients in small saucepan and stir over low heat until smooth.
2.  If making cake, drizzle onto the cake.  Other ideas: serve warm as a sauce for ice cream, banana splits and sundaes or on cake slices with fruit.  Makes about 2/3 cup. 
NOTE:  Recipe may be doubled; increase microwave time to 2.5 minutes. 

Notes from Susan:  On the icing, I like a lot, so I used 2 of the 12oz boxes of Junior Mints!

Thanks Susan for this recipe!  I can't wait to try it! 

Recipe: Sea Scallops and Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes

From Peace Meals, by the Junior League of HoustonServes 4

I've made this recipe twice and it's is so good!  Jason loves it too.  Very impressive for a dinner party, but ridiculously quick and easy.

Ingredients:
-  1 cup dry orzo pasta
-  2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
-  3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
-  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided (I used way more than that)
-  1 pound sea scallops (about 8 large scallops equals one pound).  When I made this for 4 people I bought about 1.5 pounds of scallops, but kept all other ingredients the same. 
-  1 cup chopped sweet onion
-  4 cloves garlic, minced
-  1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
-  2 cups cherry, grape or cherub tomatoes, halved
-  2/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
-  1/3 cup fresh basil chiffonade

Directions:
1.  Cook the orzo according to package directions.
2.  While the pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high.
3.  Sprinkle half of the salt and half of the pepper evenly over the scallops.
4.  Add the scallops to the skillet and saute for 3 minutes each side or until done.  Remove the scallops from the pan and set aside.
5.  Drain excess liquid from the pan and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 
6.  Add the onions, garlic and red pepper, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
7.  Stir in the pasta and scallops and continue to cook for 1 minute or until heated through. 
8.  Remove from heat, season with remaining salt, pepper, and stir in the tomatoes, cheese and basil. 

Perfect meal all by itself, in my opinion!

Hello Dollies

Easiest recipe ever!  This is a family staple during the holidays.  Quick, easy and everyone loves it!  I made about 6 batches of these throughout December for cookie exchanges, co-worker and client gifts.  I found some cute (and VERY cheap) treat boxes from Hobby Lobby (below) that I used for delivering.  I also put some in clear bags, with an Erin Condren personalized gift label, and cute ribbon for a nice gift too.

Oh, and we have no idea where the name came from!

Ingredients:

-  1 stick of butter or margarine

-  1 cup graham cracker crumbs

-  6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

-  6 oz. butterscotch chips

-  1 cup chopped pecans

-  1 cup shredded coconut

-  1 can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut up margarine in 9 x 13 baking pan and place in oven to melt (or melt butter in microwave and pour into pan).  Spread graham cracker crumbs evenly in pan.  Layer the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, pecans and coconut.  Pour condensed milk over the top.  Not necessary to spread, it will melt all together.  Bake for 30 minutes until coconut is slightly brown.  Cool and cut into bars.

Recipe: Stuffed Bell Peppers

This is such a quick and easy meal!  My mom used to make this for me when I was younger and it was always a favorite!  So filling and Jason loves it, plus there is always enough for leftovers the next day.  You don't have to serve anything else with it, but if you want you can make some extra plain rice to serve under the peppers (and then pour the extra sauce on the rice).  I'm not normally a left-over kinda girl, but this is great the next day too. 

You will need:

-  1 cup instant rice (for the peppers...more if you want to make this as a side too)

-  3 large green bell peppers

-  1 teaspoon salt

-  1/4 teaspoon pepper

-  1 tablespoon sugar

-  1/2 cup of ketchup

-  1 medium onion chopped

-  1 egg

-  1 pound of ground beef (I use extra lean)
-  1 can 15 oz. tomato sauce
-  1 tablespoon worchestire sauce
-  1/3 cup water

Instructions:

1.  Mix the beef, egg, rice (uncooked), onion, worchestire sauce, ketchup, 1/2 the can of tomato sauce, salt, pepper.
2.  Cut the peppers in halves (lengthwise), clean out all seeds and extra stuff.  Place in a baking dish.
3.  Fill the peppers with the meat mixture
4.  Mix the remaining ingredients together (remaining sauce, water, sugar)
5.  Our the mixture over the peppers
6.  Cover the dish with plastic wrap
7.  Microwave (yes, I said microwave) on high for 20-25 minutes.  Make sure your meat is fully cooked.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Pour the extra sauce in the sauce pan over the peppers and optional rice! 
8.  Enjoy!

Linguine with Peas, Pancetta & Sage

I got adventurous on this one!  Not because it was hard, but because it used lots of ingrediants that I don't normally keep stocked in the house.  Overall- great dish!  Jason loved it and we even ate the leftovers the next night and it was just a yummy (and we don't normally eat leftovers)! 

This dish comes from The Newlywed's Cookbook.  We registered for this at Crate & Barrel, $24.95.  I highly recommend picking it up. 

I was off my "blogging" game the night I made it so I didn't take any pics, but the finished product looks colorful and clean on the plate. 

You will need:
2 cups of peas (I used 1 bag of frozen peas- 10oz.)
5 tablespoons EVOO
1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
16 oz. linguine
3 oz. thinly sliced pancetta, chopped...(I used a little more than this)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
few springs of fresh sage, finely chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
handful of fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper

1.  Lightly blanch the peas in a saucepan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  Drain and set aside.
2.  Heat 2 tablespoons fo oil in a skillet and brown the breadcrumbs until golden (3 minutes).  Season with salt and pepper
3.  Cook pasta and drain
4.  Heat 1 tablspoon of oil in a saucepan (large enough to hold the pasta later) and cook the chopped pancetta until browned (2-3 minutes).  Add in garlic, cook for 1 minute.
5.  Stir in the sage, wine for about 1 minute.  Set aside.
6.  Add the pasta to the pan of pancetta/garlic/etc.  Add peas, 1-2 tablespoons of oil and cook over low heat while tossing well to mix. 
7.  Stir in cheese, parsley, pepper, salt. 
8.  Sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs adn serve hot.


Enjoy!  Tell me how you liked it! 

Ground Beef 'n' Biscuits

Since I am no longer in school at nights, I have been trying to branch out with my cooking.  Before you get too impressed...don't!  I only attempt really easy recipes, so you can feel confident that if you try one the dishes I post, you can do it!

I found this recipe in the Taste of Home: Dinner on a Dime cookbook that I got for Christmas from my friend Sarah of One Stitch Short. 

It turned out great (it's definitely not diet) but it is very filling so Jason loved it and I didn't eat that much before I was stuffed.  Enjoy!


You will need:
1.5 pounds of ground beed (I only used 1 pound of extra lean beef and I thought it was plenty)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon pepper (J and I love pepper so I used way more than that!)
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomoto sauce
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas
1 tube (7-1/2 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded  cheddar cheese

1.  In a large skillet, cook the beef, celery and onions (medium heat) until meat is no longer pink.  Drain.  Stir in flour, salt, oregano, and pepper until blended.  Add tomato sauce and peas.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

2.  Pour in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish.  Separate biscuits; arrange over beed mixture (don't let the biscuits touch).  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and cheese is melted.  Yield:  6 servings.

Before the oven

The finished product