Easy Slow Cooker Meal – Pork Roast

I love it when 15 minutes in the morning equals a delicious and healthy dinner! I made this yesterday, and it was great to have a hot and yummy meal waiting after a day of errands.

You can also prepare this meal the night before, and store the crock pot liner in the fridge overnight (but be sure to wrap the top in foil to try to keep the aroma from the rest of your refrigerator). You can swap in different meats – beef roast or a whole chicken are delicious - with these same vegetables and flavorings.

With a salad, this is an especially filling and healthy meal – not to mention inexpensive! The leftovers are also terrific.

Gina’s Easy Crock Pot Pork Roast

Serves ~8

~3 lbs pork shoulder, fully thawed*

1 ½ c. baby carrots (or regular carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces)

3-4 red potatoes, or 1 large russet potato, cut into 1-2 inch pieces

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch pieces**

2 T. spicy or Dijon mustard

1 t. garlic salt

1 t. pepper

1 t. dried rosemary

1 t. dried oregano

½ onion, sliced

1-2 stalks celery, sliced (optional)

1 ½ c. water

Place prepared potatoes and carrots in the bottom of your slow cooker insert. Trim all visible fat off of pork shoulder (you can skip this step if you don't care about the fat content), and place pork on top of vegetables. Put mustard and herbs directly on pork, and rub into meat with your hands or a spoon. Top with onion and celery, if using. Add water to the side of the roast, as you want to keep the herbs and onions on top of meat.

Cook ~8 hours on low.

* Sometimes I can only find pork shoulders that are 5-6 lbs. If that’s the case, cut it in half and freeze the rest for another day.

** Until today, I always just used regular potatoes, so feel free to just use extra white potatoes. But I must say the sweet potatoes really jazz up the recipe and are delicious!

Easy, disappearing appetizer - Bacon water chestnuts

Just in time for the holiday season... you will be a star of the night if you bring this to a party or serve it at your home!

This recipe is (with few modifications) from my grandpa who made this at many, many holidays - miss you, grandpa!

Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts
Makes 3-5 dozen, about 1 9x13 pan. Feeds 8-12. [Easily doubled!]

2 cans whole water chestnuts
2 small or 1 large package(s) pre-cooked bacon (20-30 slices)*
1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 t. worchestershire sauce
Toothpicks

Cut bacon slices in half. Wrap 1 bacon half around 1 water chestnut. Secure with a toothpick and place toothpick side up in a baking dish. Continue until all water chestnuts are used.

For sauce, combine ketchup, brown sugar, and worchestershire sauce in a bowl and stir until mixed. Pour sauce over bacon wrapped water chestnuts in baking dish (it's okay if some gets on the toothpicks!).

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until hot and sauce is bubbly.

* You can also use raw bacon for this recipe. You may want to cut slices in 1/3s depending on the size. Prepare the rest of the recipe as instructed, but they will take an additional 10 minutes to bake.

Easy, sneaky ways to make recipes healthier

This topic is by request, and one of my favorites (thanks, Laurie!). 

Question: I often try to substitute lower fat/calorie ingredients, but inevitably my family notices and scoffs. Any tricks to hiding healthier ingredients would be appreciated!

Answer: I'm going to expand the question a little bit and talk about how to make recipes healthier in general. Note that these apply more to cooking than baking, as you have to be more precise when baking. I hope these tips help!

1. Choose the right substitute for the recipe. I typically rely more on reduced fat ingredients than fat free, especially if they are a major ingredient in the recipe. For example, reduced fat sour cream and reduced fat cream cheese taste pretty much the same as the regular ingredients so you should be able to substitute these without anyone noticing. I have found that fat free ingredients do work in some cases; you can get away with them in recipes with very flavorful ingredients, such as sausage or buffalo sauce, or when they are a minor part of the recipe, such as creamy mashed potatoes.

2. Use less of the rich/fatty/caloric ingredients. Start by reducing the ingredient by ¼, and see how it tastes; you may be able to cut back even more next time! For example, a few casserole recipes I have call for 16 oz. of cheese on top for a 9x13 pan; I have been able to successfully top them with 8 oz. instead and they still taste very cheesy. Butter is a place that I nearly always cut back, and the recipe will still taste similar.

3. Use more of the healthy ingredients, especially veggies! This is the flip side of the last hint, and using extra healthy ingredients when you take out some less healthy ones will keep the total recipe size the same, or even make it larger. Instead of ½ of a pepper, use a whole pepper, for example. Vegetables (and fruit!) really stretch out meat and starch, and you’ll still get some of the heavier ingredients in each bite.

4. Add extra healthy ingredients to the recipe. My favorites are additional types of vegetables and canned beans. The key to no one noticing is to keep the new ingredients aligned with the cuisine (for example, tomatoes in an Italian dish, beans to Mexican, mushrooms and onions go with most anything…). I’ve added beans to all kinds of casseroles and salads and they really add a lot of nutrition and stretch out the meal a little bit.

5. Season well, and at the end. Don’t cut back on herbs or garlic; I usually tend to use even more as these ingredients add a lot of flavor for barely any calories and no fat. If you’re trying to cut back on salt, you might be able to use less by saving some for the end. I don’t use a lot of salt in general, but I try to use only about half the amount called for in the beginning, and then taste later. If and when you need to add more, sprinkle it on the top and you can probably use a little less than usual because it will be more pronounced.

What’s in Dan’s lunch – Healthy Taco Salad

Yes, an absolutely delicious taco salad without a shell, chips or even rice. This is so good Dan requested it for lunch 3 days in a row! It also makes a fast and yummy dinner in 20 minutes flat.

Feel free to adjust the ingredients to fit your liking. I make 1 lb. of meat (enough for 4 servings) at once, but you can easily make as much or little as you like. And, I really just use a handful of each ingredient but I tried to give an approximate measurement here.

Healthy Taco Salad

Per serving:

2-3 cups lettuce of choice

Vegetables of choice, chopped. Some good options include carrots, tomatoes, fresh peppers (green, red and/or hot), red onion, olives and corn

¼ cup canned beans (such as black, kidney or great northern), drained and rinsed

4 oz. taco-seasoned ground turkey *see instructions below*

½ small or ¼ large avocado, chopped (optional)

1-2 T shredded cheese of choice, such as cheddar

For topping: salsa, sour cream, and/or ranch or blue cheese dressing

Prepare taco meat as directed below*. If eating right away, layer all ingredients through cheese in order listed above. Drizzle/scoop toppings over the salad as a dressing. Enjoy!

* Taco meat – enough for 4 servings:

Cook 1 lb. ground turkey breast in a medium to large saucepan over medium heat, breaking up, until cooked through. Drain. Add ½ packet taco seasoning and 1-2 T water. Stir well. Best served hot.

Note: Per serving, this equates to ¼ lb. turkey and ~1 t. taco seasoning if you want to make a different number of servings at once.

Packing instructions: In a medium/large container, layer lettuce, beans, vegetables and cheese. Pack meat in a separate small bowl. Toss the chopped avocado with just enough lemon juice to coat, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Finally, you’ll want the salsa, sour cream and/or salad dressing in another container.

   

To serve: Reheat turkey in microwave. Add meat, avocado, and salsa/sour cream to lettuce bowl and enjoy!

Homemade Butterfinger Candy Bars - So easy!

Yes, you read that right. Just in time for Halloween you can make your own candy! I modified an already easy online recipe to be so easy, anyone can do it! We really enjoyed these, as did the friends we shared them with!

This treat has it all!

• 3 ingredients (including a surprising one you are likely to have on hand right now!)
• Very easy
• No special equipment - all you need is a microwave!
• Fast
• Delicious - Obviously. It tastes like a Butterfinger!
• Inexpensive
• * Well, it isn't healthy, but it's candy after all! *

Homemade Butterfinger Candy
Makes ~24 bars (one 9x13 pan)

1 lb candy corn
1 16 oz. jar peanut butter
16 oz. package chocolate candy coating*

Place peanut butter in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl that is microwaveable, melt candy corn in microwave 1 minute; stir. Continue cooking for 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until melted. Pour candy corn liquid into peanut butter bowl and stir together; make sure to work quickly as the mixture will harden in just a few minutes. Spread peanut butter mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. Let cool completely; you can even do this step 1-2 days ahead as the bottom layer becomes crunchier/more like the candy with time.

Melt chocolate coating in microwave and pour over peanut butter layer. Cool until coating is set, cut into squares, and enjoy!

I prefer to store this in the refrigerator as the texture is a bit more crisp, but you don't need to.


* Note, you could definitely substitute part of the candy coating for semi-sweet or other chocolate chips for a more gourmet version, but this tastes just like the candy we all know and love.

By request – Country-style green beans

I’m quite excited to be posting my first recipe by request. Thanks for the question, Megan! 

I had to do a little research and experimenting on this one to come up with an easy recipe (i.e. one that doesn't involve a ham hock or whole ham). I’m happy with how it turned out, but please try it and post what you think. Enjoy!

Everyone else, I would love your requests on the “Comments, Requests and Questions” tab. Post one now!

Country–style green beans (some recipe call a similar dish Kentucky green beans)

Serves 4

~1 lb green beans - trim stem ends, and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 T. deli ham, diced very small*

1 T. butter

1 c. water

1 T. white vinegar

¼ to ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until green beans are at desired tenderness, at least 40 minutes, or up to 1 hour or more. Serve with a slotted spoon.

* Note: You can buy diced ham, or dice medium-thick sliced ham. If you do happen to have a ham hock you would like to use instead, omit the butter.

Amazing salad: pear, gorgonzola and chicken with berry vinaigrette

I just made this for the first time tonight with leftover chicken, and it is absolutely delicious! The dressing especially is awesome - can't beat 2 ingredients! The whole recipe is really fast, easy and nutritious too.

Pear, gorgonzola and chicken salad with berry vinaigrette*
Serves 2 for a main dish - easy to halve, double or triple

4-5 cups lettuce of choice (we had romaine and baby spinach)
1 c. cooked, sliced chicken
1/2 pear, thinly sliced (eat the rest for a snack!)
2 T. crumbled gorgonzola cheese
2 T. nuts (we had almonds)
Black pepper
1.5 T berry jam (we had blackberry)
1.5 T. balsamic vinegar

In individual bowls, layer lettuce, chicken, pear, gorgonzola and nuts. Sprinkle with pepper.
Combine jam and balsamic vinegar in a small microwave-save bowl and microwave for 10 seconds; combine with a fork or small whisk. Top salad with dressing and enjoy!

* This recipe was heavily inspired by Susannah Locketti's Endive and Pear Salad in Food Network magazine.

Anniversary (or any special occasion) dinner – Steak w/ blue cheese, garlic smashed potatoes and asparagus

For those of you who don’t know, it was our 5^th (!!) anniversary on Friday. Dan and I thought about going out but decided to enjoy a nice meal at home instead.

Not only was it much more affordable, I personally think it was restaurant quality and no need to deal with Friday night crowds! We served the meal with a $4 bottle of White Zinfandel wine from Trader Joe’s. I’m far from a wine connoisseur, but I really like it; try it before you knock it!

Steak with Blue Cheese topping

Serves 2, but can easily be doubled or tripled

2 Strip Steaks - That’s what we had but you can use others. Rather than the cheapest cut, find a mid-tier+ one that’s on significant sale – I got this $4 per pound off.

Pepper and/or steak seasoning

2 T gorgonzola or other blue cheese crumbles

1 T softened butter or margarine

Preheat grill (or appliance of choice – we used our George Foreman), and season steaks on both sides with pepper/seasoning to taste. Cook ~2 minutes or 1 level less than desired; for example, medium if you want your steak to be medium-well. While steaks cook, preheat oven to broil – toaster oven is fine if there’s only 2. Mix blue cheese crumbles and butter until thick and uniform, then spread on top of steaks. Broil 2-3 minutes, or until steaks and cheese mixture are golden brown. Serve immediately.

Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Serves ~4

Around 1 1/3 lb potatoes, diced into 1 inch pieces. We had red potatoes, but regular russet are fine too. If you use russet, be sure to peel them – you don’t need to peel most other types.

2/3 c. garlic sour cream*

Pepper to taste

Other herbs as desired – I used dried dill and parsley, ~1/2 t. each

Put potatoes in enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer until fork tender - meaning a fork will go in easily and split the piece in half, 20-30 minutes.

Smash potatoes with a spatula or large spoon (or a potato masher if you happen to have one, but I do not!) just until potatoes reach desired consistency; we like a few chunks still in. Stir in garlic sour cream and season to taste.

* I actually made potatoes this way to use up this new sour cream, which I got on super sale (of course). It has a very strong garlic flavor, so is great for this recipe, but not the best plain. To substitute, you can use 4-6 cloves of minced garlic and 2/3 c. sour cream.

Steamed Asparagus

Serves 4

1 lb. Asparagus - I always look for relatively skinny stems as they are the most tender.

Seasoning to taste

I didn’t do anything special here. Trim off the tough bottom end of asparagus spears, usually 2 to 3 inches.  Place in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam for 5-7 minutes, or until desired texture is reached (if you don’t have a steamer basket, boil 1 inch water in a pot wide enough for the asparagus, and place asparagus in the water to simmer).  Do not overcook! 

New space for requests and general comments!

I figured out how to add a page dedicated to general comments/questions/requests.

Look on the right hand side of the blog. "Home" is the regular page. The self-explanatory "Comments, Requests and Questions" page will allow you post things not specific to a particular post.

I'll check it regularly and you might just find any requests in a future post!

Enjoy!

My famous White Chicken Chili

I managed to hold off until the weather isn’t scorching, but I can’t wait any longer to share my white chicken chili recipe. 

When you look at the ingredients and see it’s nearly all canned, you will quickly recognize it is easy. What you might not know is this has won or placed in at least 3 chili cook offs – yes, it's true! The spice level is perfect for a crowd - enough for people who like heat, but still mild enough for those who don't like things too spicy.

On top of being delicious, it’s also fairly low in calories and fat; it is high in sodium, but otherwise is healthy. And, it's easily doubled as long as you have a big enough pot!

Easy White Chicken Chili

Serves 6

2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced OR 2 small cans chicken (If starting from raw chicken, I usually place it in water and gently simmer while I work on the rest, then chop and add at the end)

2 - 15 oz. cans great northern beans, undrained

2 – 10 oz. cans condensed cream of chicken soup

1-2 soup cans water (I usually use 1.5 but you can adjust based on your desired thickness)

1 – 10 oz. can Rotel Original - diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 packet white chicken chili mix (found in the spice aisle)

1 onion, diced

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Then, simmer on low for 20-30 minutes or until hot and flavors are combined

What’s in Dan’s lunch – Exploding Chicken Fajita Wraps

I’m only calling these exploding b/c I stuffed so much into them, it barely closes! Feel free to use whatever cheese and veggies you have and like. But, I strongly recommend roasting chicken this way – not only is it way more delicious than deli meat, it’s 1/6^th the price!!

Do not be intimidated by bone-in, skin-on chicken… I actually had not made bone-in chicken before this but it turned out great and was so yummy. I found out that it are easy (as long as you have a little time - but it is leave and forget time!), and are much more fool-proof than boneless skinless chicken breast – you would have to try pretty hard to dry them out.

This chicken is perfect for entertaining, but I definitely recommend making extra as the leftovers are delicious! I made 6 bone-in breasts for 5 adults when we had my family over, and had enough left over for 3 wraps and another 1+ pound for a chicken casserole.

Roasted Chicken

Bone-in, skin on chicken breasts. Assuming you want leftovers, I would use at least 1 more than the number of adults you have coming. These are full breasts so usually run about 1 lb each (read: not everyone will eat a whole one)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic – ½ clove per chicken breast, diced

Optional: Other ingredients to stuff under the skin. I had basil and mozzarella cheese, but you don’t need anything.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare baking sheets by placing cooling racks on top of rimmed sheet pans. You could omit the cooling racks if you don’t have them, but it allows the chicken to cook more evenly.

Place chicken breasts on top of baking trays. Loosen skin with your fingers. Place garlic and any optional ingredients under the skin; no need to be too particular about getting it even.

Spritz or brush top of chicken with olive oil. I have an olive oil mister I love; helps you only use a little but make sure it is covered. Then, season top of chicken with salt and pepper.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Exploding Chicken Fajita Wraps

Per wrap:

1 tortilla – We had flour but any would work. I would not suggest bread with this though; sliced chicken and all these veggies need to be contained!

Leftover roasted chicken, shredded or cut into pieces

Leftover veggies - I had leftover cooked onions and peppers, but you could certainly use fresh veggies - it would still be delicious but just may not be as fajita-like

Shredded cheddar jack cheese (or cheese of choice)

Salsa or sour cream for serving (optional)

Packing instructions: Assuming you want a hot wrap, pack the meat, veggies and cheese in a separate container from the tortilla. Of course, keep any condiments for dipping on the side.

Reheating instructions: Heat veggies, chicken, cheese in the microwave. Drain any liquid, then add filling to tortilla and roll up tightly. Serve with salsa or sour cream, if desired.

Easy, affordable entertaining recipe - Bruschetta

We had my grandma, aunt and uncle over for dinner last night. I made bruschetta, roasted chicken and a salad.  It was amazingly easy (and cheap and delicious too!). The roasted chicken recipe will be making an appearance in a "what's in Dan's lunch" post soon, so stay tuned!

I took my family up on their offer to bring dessert. In my opinion, it's rarely a bad idea to let your guests bring a dish if they ask; it makes them happy they contributed and saves you some work!

This bruschetta is so delicious, fast and inexpensive that you will never want to order it at a restaurant again.



Classic Bruschetta
Serves ~6

2 T. fresh basil, chopped OR 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried basil
2-3 large tomatoes or 4-6 Roma tomatoes - approx 2 c. diced
2 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. olive oil (you can use more or less to taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 loaf French baguette (I've used multi-grain but white would be great too. Look first in the day-old bakery rack since you're toasting it anyway)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Note that you can actually use anywhere from 375 to 425 for this if you are cooking anything else in the oven.

Seed and chop tomatoes; seeding just means to scoop out the inside, liquid part with a spoon. Combine in a small bowl with basil and balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Thinly slice baguette at a slight angle. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle garlic over the top. Bake bread for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown.

Drain extra liquid from tomatoes before serving. Let people top the bread slices with tomato mixture as you serve; do not top the bread before serving or it will get soggy.

Variation: Cheesy bruschetta
It's not traditional, but I added some sliced fresh mozzarella to half of the baguette halfway through the cooking time and baked until melted. I happened to have fresh mozzarella because I got it on mark-down at the store, but any shredded Italian cheese such as mozzarella or provolone would work. This allowed people to just have cheesy bread if they don't want the tomato mixture, but the cheese bread with the tomato topper was my absolute favorite.

Our favorite chunky guacamole

I first made guacamole only a year or two ago, but we are now hooked! It only takes 10 minutes so it is fast and easy enough for any day of the week. This is a recipe I made up... really chunky and flavorful (almost salsa-ish), which is just the way we like it. It's great with chips of course, but it's also good on top of chicken. Enjoy!

Chunky Guacamole
Makes at least 2 cups

2 medium avocados, or 1 extra-large Florida avocado (that's what I had today)
1 tomato, diced and patted dry with a paper towel (or seeded before cutting)
1/4 c.  red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped, optional (I usually add this but didn't have one today and it was still great.)
2-3 T lemon or lime juice (bottled works just fine for this)
Salt and pepper to taste (1/2-1 t. each)

Cut avocados in half around the pit, and remove pit. Cut the avocado in its peel by carefully running your knife across each half vertically and horizontally so the avocado is diced into ~1/2 in. pieces (this is so much easier than cutting it on a cutting board!). Use a spoon to get the avocado pieces in a bowl. Add all other ingredients and stir well; don't mash unless that's the way you like it. Taste and season more if desired. Serve immediately.

Fast, yummy, nutritious meat + veggie pasta sauce

I made some manicotti today, and it turned out great. I started with a couple of recipes for inspiration, but adapted pretty liberally based on what we had on hand so the end result was an original creation. I will definitely make it again. Manicotti or any baked pasta is a great make-ahead meal, but the dish as a whole is not my fastest or easiest recipe, so I thought I would just share the sauce recipe today.

This will jazz up a simple pasta night in the time it takes to boil and cook pasta! Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes flat.

Stick with lean ground beef or turkey, and serve with whole grain pasta and a salad to keep the meal extra healthy and balanced.

Gina's meat and veggie pasta sauce
Serves 6

3/4 lb. gr. beef, turkey or sausage - I used a combination of turkey and sausage because that is what I had.
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano or jalepeno pepper, minced (optional)
1-2 small zucchini or squash, shredded and patted dry with a paper towel
1 c. kale, blanched for 1-2 min. in boiling water, then thinly sliced. (Or, use a green pepper, diced. I just happened to have kale today)
1 24 oz. jar marinara sauce
1 t. Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown and crumble meat in a large skillet. Then add vegetables (except kale, if using) until cooked, 3-5 minutes. Add marinara sauce and seasonings, and cook just until heated through; stir in kale if using. Serve with pasta and enjoy!

What's in Dan's lunch... Buffalo Chicken Salad

I hope you all like this theme as it will likely become a regular feature... It was honestly a few years before I realized Dan's (usually leftover) lunches often got comments from his colleagues. =)

These should give you 2 for 1; a dinner idea and a leftover idea. For the record, I often have the same lunch even though these posts will be named for my dear hubby.

Buffalo Chicken is an all-time favorite. Really easy - Dan made it tonight! - and MUCH healthier than chicken wings because it is baked and has no breading... not to mention faster and less messy too! Of course, this is another inexpensive recipe. The whole meal is basically the cost of the chicken (make sure to only buy chicken when it's on sale and stock up!); I can often get Frank's Buffalo sauce for pennies to nothing with a coupon, and it's hard to get cheaper than salad dressing, carrots and celery!


Buffalo Chicken Salad

Leftover Buffalo Chicken (see below)
Romaine lettuce
Celery, chopped
Baby carrots
Other vegetables of choice: today I included tomato, green pepper, banana pepper, cucumbers & red onion
Cheese (optional)
Dressing - we usually use blue cheese

* Packing and reheating notes: You need 3 containers: 1 for the salad, 1 for the chicken (add ~1T water so it doesn't try out), 1 for the dressing. Heat the chicken when ready to serve, if desired, then top salad with chicken and dressing. Enjoy!

To Make the Buffalo Chicken

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (we usually use ~1lb, but you can make as much or as little as you want)
Buffalo Sauce to taste, likely at least 1/2 c.
Pepper and garlic powder to taste

This is so simple it is hardly a recipe. Slice the raw chicken breast into desired thickness, ~1/2 inch slices. Season with garlic powder and black pepper. Bake at 375 degrees for about 7 minutes. Add desired amount of buffalo sauce to fully coat chicken. Baked ~3 more minutes or until fully cooked through.

We usually serve with carrots and celery and blue cheese dressing to dip.

Variations: If you or someone in your household doesn't like Buffalo sauce, you could use this same method with Barbecue sauce or even Dijon or Honey Mustard.

This might just be the most versatile recipe ever - Zucchini Casserole

I wanted to share this one while zucchini is still very prolific. This is a fabulous recipe if you have a garden, know someone with a garden, or just want to take advantage of zucchini while it is cheap and delicious!  This dish calls for 6 cups zucchini - for perspective, zucchini bread usually calls for 1-2 cups.

This is a really yummy, inexpensive dinner (it costs me ~$6 for the whole pan). It can also be pretty healthy, depending what ingredients you use. This recipe is a wonderful way to use up whatever you have on hand... aside from the zucchini, you can substitute the other ingredients with whatever meat, vegetables and seasonings your family likes and what you have available.


Zucchini Casserole
Serves 6

1 lb hamburger (I used 92% lean) or sausage - I am sure it would also be great with chicken but I haven't    tried it yet
1 medium onion, diced
1 package seasoning (I have used taco), OR 1-2T of the seasonings of your choice
1-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
4 oz. can mushrooms
6 cups shredded zucchini
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (I even used 1 1/2c. marinara sauce once for the liquid instead of the soup - you can be creative!)
Salt and pepper to taste (I only use pepper because the seasoning is very salty)
8 oz. shredded cheese - any flavor

Brown meat with onion in a skillet; then add seasoning packet. Once meat is cooked, layer everything in order listed in a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until casserole is cooked through and cheese is browned.

* Note: this recipe was heavily inspired by a recipe I saw in the newspaper by Lovina Eicher (aka: The Amish Cook)

And so it begins...

After months of thought and prodding from my dear hubby and others, I am finally starting a food blog. Anyone reading at this point probably knows me, and thus knows that I've always been really interested in food. I have increasingly been finding myself adjusting or dreaming up recipes to make them easier, healthier, or to match what I have on hand. Plus, I was frugal before it was en vogue. =) Because of all of this, I and at least a few others think I have tips to share.

I hope you like my blog and find it helpful! Assuming you do, please follow my blog, post questions, and pass my blog on to friends or family you think may like it - it's an open blog so all can enjoy.

My plan is to post once or twice a week for now. Let me know what you think and give me any suggestions in the comments section!