Fun Foods Friday: Minestrone Mac

So I have been on this new recipe trying kick as of recent and been buying these cheap little recipe magazines at the check out lane. I bought one recenty called Dinner on a Dime and it was a recipe for a new way to use elbow macaroni.

It was pretty darn delicious, so I thought I would share!

Minestroni Mac

1 lb. ground beef
2 cans (14.5oz) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
2 1/4 cups water
1.5 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 beef bouillon cube
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) cut green beans, rinsed and drained

1) In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the tomatoes, water, macaroni and bouillon; bring to boil.

2) Reduce the heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Stir in the beans and cook until heated through.

Deni's Tips:: First, I loved this recipe, it was so easy and flavorful. I will say I added in the beans before I boiled for the 12-15 minutes so that they would get cooked through well. I used chickpeas (because I LOVE THEM) and it was yummy. I also used ground turkey - we actually don't eat a lot of ground beef...

I think next time I might add in some onion and garlic, but all in all, this was so easy and yummy! Not to mention Parker ate a ton - and he doesn't really even like hamburger that much! I hope you enjoy!

Chicken Bruschetta Bake - FFF

I am re-installing Fun Foods Friday today. Meaning every friday I will come on here and share a recipe! Enjoy!

Chicken Bruschetta Bake

I.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
28 oz can Italian-Style stewed tomatoes, well drained
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese - shredded
6 oz pkg. stuffing mix - chicken
1.5 cups water

Preheat oven to 375

1. Place chicken in lightly greased 8x13 baking dish - sprinkle with seasoning
2. Spread tomatoes over top.
3. Sprinkle with cheese.
4. In a mixing bowl combine stuffing mix with water. Spoon over baking dish ingredients.
5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for another 15-30 minutes.


Deni's Tips: I actually started using diced Italian style tomatoes because I couldn't ever get the stewed ones drained well.

Also, I decided to do actually do the chicken, then stuffing, then tomatoes and cheese and loved it this way, felt more like bruschetta to me.

This is a family favorite!

Fun Foods Friday!!!

Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches
(from allrecipes.com)

2lbs Pork Tenderloin
12 oz can/bottle of root beer
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Bottle BBQ Sauce

1) In a crock pot place your pork tenderloin then pour the root beer on top of and around it. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
2) After 6-7 hours, pull your pork out and let it rest for 15 minutes, dump excess juices and root beer out and into bowl.
3) Once rested use two forks to pull pork apart and put back into crock pot. Pour in just enough of the root beer and juice mixture to coat the bottom of the crock pot.
4) Pour as much of the BBQ sauce as you want on the pork, mixing it well. Allow to heat through - about 30 minutes.

Deni's Tips: I ended up turning the pork about half way through the cooking process so that the top got good root beer flavor.
I also didn't use a whole lot of BBQ sauce. There was really no need to - I don't like it overly BBQ'd. And I think the leftovers are even better the next day :) Enjoy

Fun Foods Friday!!!

Apricot Beef Stir Fry
- Taken from Taste of Home Magazine

1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup apricots preserves
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound boneless beef sirloin steaks, thinly sliced.
1 tbsp canola oil
1 pkg frozen asparagus stir-fry vegetable blend

directions
1. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Stir in the apricot perserves, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper flakes, set aside.
2. In a large skillet or wok, stir fry beef in oil until no longer pink; remove and keep warm. In the same pan, stir fry the vegetable blend according to package directions. Return beef to the pan. Stir apricot mixtue and stir into the beef mixture. Cook and stir until slightly thickened. Serve with rice.


Deni's Tips:
I couldn't find an asparagus stir fry, so I just bought a different mix of stir fry veggies, added in mushrooms and my own asparagus!
I don't like a lot of spice - so I didn't actually use the red pepper flakes!
I served this over brown rice

Enjoy!

Friday Meme Time! Aloha #4 and FFF

I was gonna go with the easy question and say something like, what was your favorite Michael Jackson song, but I actually have a very thought provoking question today. In light of the recent celebrity deaths, Ed, Farrah and Michael, and thinking about how each in their own way, good or bad, shaped several generations, I am wondering...

Who, in your life, has shaped you and your "generation"?

For me, I think it was my late children's minster and his amazing wife. It weren't for them, I truly believe I would not be who I am today. Especially Marilyn. She is the reason I wanted to be a children's minister, she is the reason I can say I have worked through my parents divorce. I am so thankful for both Danny and Marilyn. Danny died too soon, but I would like to think that he is looking down on me and very proud of me! And that means a lot!

Head over to An Island Life for more info on Aloha Friday.

-----------------AND NOW ON TO SOME YUMMY FOOD!!!!---------------------------

Ham and Cheese Lasagna
(from Taste of Home Magazine)

3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups thinly sliced celery
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 can diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic, undrained
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pkg shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
9 no cook lasagna noodles

1. In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, celery, onion and carrots in oil for 4-5 minutes. Add ham and garlic; cook 1-2 minutes longer or until garlic is tender. In a small bowl, combine the flour and cream; stir into ham mixture. Add tomatoes and pepper.
2. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until heated through (sauce will be thing).
3. In a small bowl combine cheeses. Place the noodles in a greased 13-in. x 9in x 2in baking dish; top with a third of the ham mixture and a third of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice.
4. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover, back 15-20 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand for 20 minutes before cutting.

This is so freaking good, hope you enjoy!

Friday Fun!!! ALOHA FRIDAY #3 and FFF!!!!

It's Friday - which means time for Fun Foods Friday and my new favorite friday meme - Aloha Friday.

So I have a new addiction - Grey's Anatomy. I always swore I wouldn't ever like it. The couple times I attempted to watch it on TV it was just annoying and more like a soap opera too me. Well then my husband decided to get the seasons through netflix....I watched the first episode because I was on the couch and half paid attention. And that's all it took - and now, I am so stinking addicted to it.

So my question is this: What's your newest addiction???
(it can be anything from TV, games, books, food, anything - just anything you found recently that you are addicted to!)

For more on Aloha Friday head over to An Island Life!!!



---------------------------------------------
Fun Food Friday:

I have been cooking a lot more recently, I have found this magazine called Taste of Home: Simple and Delicious (I don't think it's published anymore - but there are other kinds of Taste of Homes!) And been using a lot of recipes out of it recently. So here is my fun food to share with you today!

BBQ Chicken Pita Pizzas

1 cup frozen diced cooked chicken, thawed and chopped
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
4 pita breads
1/3 cup real bacon bits
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 sm. green pepper, julienned
1 can (4ozs) chopped green chilies
1 can mushroom pieces, drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a small bowl, combine the chicken and BBQ sauce; spoon over pitas. Top with bacon, onion, green pepper, chilies, mushrooms and cheese.
2. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes or until heated through


Deni's Notes:: I didn't have frozen chicken so I just cooked my own and I actually also cooked the onion, green chilies and mushrooms in with it. ( I omitted green pepper since I don't like it when it's cooked). I wanted the onion and mushroom and chilies to be nice and cooked before I just stuck it in the oven for a bit. I served this with grilled asparagus and garlic bread.

We will be making this again!

Enjoy!

Fun Food Friday!

It's back! Woohoo. To be honest, I hadn't been cooking a lot because of the over all busyness of life at the time and when I did cook, I did recipes that I already had posted! But things are more normal, so it's time for me to reinstall fun food friday!

Salisbury Steak and Gravy
(I got this from the magazine Taste of Home Simple and Delicious!)

1/2 cup fat-free milk
14 fat free saltines, crushed
2 tbsp. dried minced onion
2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 jar (12ozs) fat-free beef gravy
2 tbsp. ketchup
2 tsp. worcesterchire sauce
pepper


1. In a large bowl, combine milk, saltines, onion and parsley. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into four patties. Place in an 8in square baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, combine the gravy, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and pepper, pour over patties. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 50-55 mins or until meat is no longer pink.

Deni's Tip: I ended up not using dried minced onion. I minced my own (or chopped as finely as possible!) I liked it a lot better. It made it a lot more moist. Also, I didn't actually have a jar of gravy, so I made my own - 2 tbsp butter melted, add in slowly 2 tbsp of flours, whisk vigorously until smooth. Add in 2 cups beef broth slowly, whisk together. It will be a not super thick. I added in half a can of cream of mushroom soup and a small can of mushrooms. This really helped thicken it and it added another element of flavor.

I served this with couscous on the side as well as a veggie. Enjoy!

Fun Foods Friday

Today's recipe I did for the first time this week, I have never ever made pork tenderloin so I was a little nervous, but it came out great!

Breaded Pork Tenderloin
(Busy People's Low-fat Cookbook)

1 pound pork tenderloin roast, cut crosswise into 6 pieces with all visible fat removed
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. seasoned salt
3/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
2 egg whites beaten
2 tblsp skim milk

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Spray cookie sheet with nonfat cooking spray
- Pound the pork into 1/4 to 1/8 inch thickness
- In a small bowl stir together the flour, seasoned salt, and breadcrumbs
- In a seperate small bowl beat together the egg whites and skim milk. Coat the meat in the flour/breadcrumb mixture.
- Dip the coated meat in the egg mixture, and then dip again into the flour/breadcrumb mixture.
- Place the prepared meat on the cookie sheet
- Spray the top of the breaded meat with nonfat cooking spray.
- Bake for 10 minutes
- Turn the meat over. Spray the top with nonfat cooking spray. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. The breading will be crispy and slightly brown when done.

Deni's Tips: Since I have only made this once, I don't really have any, but I do plan that next time I make this, I will be using more seasoning...maybe some rosemary or something.

Fun Foods Friday

Making this tonight for dinner - one of my FAVORITE meals! So easy and yummy! I got this out of a 4-H cookbook!

Pork Chop N' Potato Bake

6 pork chops
1 can cream celery soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
1 (24 oz.) pkg. frozen hash browns, thawed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 (2.8 oz) can French Fried Onions

Preheat oven to 350

Brown pork chops in oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside. Mix soup, milk, sour cream, pepper and salt. Stir in potatoes, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 can onions. Spoon into 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange pork chops over potatoes. Bake, covered for 40 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and onions. Bake uncovered, 5 minutes longer. Makes 6 servings.

Deni's Tips: I don't use the french fried onions because I don't like them. So I omit them. Also, when I brown the pork chops, I like to put a little rosemary on them as it gives them another element of flavor.

Hope you enjoy!

Fun Foods Friday

This might just be one of my most favorite ways to cook my chicken and flavor it! I hope you enjoy it too!

Cheesy Mexican Chicken

6 Chicken Breast, Boneless, Skinless
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 cups corn chips
1/2 cup milk
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Place the chicken in a 9x13 baking pan. Mix the soup, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, milk and seasoning mix. Spoon over the chicken and top with the chips. Cover and bake in a 375℉ for 30 minutes. Remove cover, top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake uncovered 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Deni's Tips:: Because I tend to buy plumper chicken breasts, I only do 4 breasts, but I cut them in half to make the portions smaller! Also, when I do the chips, I use fritos, that is my personal favorite, but I also crumble them, it makes it more like a crumb consistency and it makes it easier to eat them, with out these big chips in your mouth. I normally serve this with rice or mashed potatoes and a veggie.

I hope you enjoy this!!!!

Fun Foods Friday

This is something my mom made for us a lot - because it is super easy. (My mom is not the best cook - but I love her anyway!)

Mashed Potato Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
4 potatoes - mashed
1 - 2 cups Shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper to flavor

Preheat oven to 350

1) Cook potatoes until soft, drain and mash.
2) Brown ground beef, drain.
3) In a large casserole dish - layer mashed potatoes, then meat, then cheese
4) In a 350 degree oven place casserole and allow to warm through 15 - 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Deni's Notes: Here is the great thing about the recipe...you can add so many things! I like to had different herbs and spices, also love to add onion and garlic. Not to mention you can do whatever cheese you want, I have done mozzarella, cheddar, colby jack, velveeta....I love to experiment. Each time you make it, it can taste different so it feels like a completely new dish. Also, add in some veggies, I love to use mushrooms in with the meat. I also use ground turkey or chicken more than I use beef!

Enjoy! This is easy to double, but trust me, we always have a ton of leftovers!

Praying For Tuesday/Fun Foods Friday

Head over to this site and say a prayer for this family. My heart is just breaking for them.



Oh and of course, today is friday so it's time for fun foods friday!

This weeks recipe meatloaf. Nothing too special, but it's really easy to make (well I think!)

Easy Meatloaf

1 tbsp evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3/4 cups of oats
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp worscheshire sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg beaten
3 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 375.
Chop onion and then sautee until tender - about 2-3 minutes.
In a medium size bowl mix meat, oats, egg, ketchup, worst. sauce salt and milk. Add in onion. Fold it all together and place in a greased loaf pan.
Cook at 375 for one hour.
When done, take out and let sit for 5 minutes.

I like to add in garlic and spices. Also, the other night instead of ketchup and wors. sauce, I did bbq sauce and it was yummy.

Enjoy!

Fun Foods Friday!!!

This is my favorite soup at olive garden, but I found this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks...and I make it alot! :)

Pasta e Fagioli
(From the Ultimate Flex & Core Cookbook - Weight Watchers!)

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
(instead of celery - which I hate - I use carrots)
4 garlic cloves - sliced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 (15.5oz) can cannellini beans - rinsed and drained
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
1 cup ditalini (or any small pasta)
3 tbsps chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tbsp of dry)
1/4 tsp pepper
6 tbsps parmesan cheese

1. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over high heat. Add the onion, celery (carrots), and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies start to soften - about 2 mins
2. Add the broth, beans, tomatoes, and pasta; cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover the saucepan and cook until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley and pepper. Serve sprinkled with the cheese.


My Tips/Tricks: This is supposed to be a meatless option, but sometimes, I will add in ground meat (mainly turkey or chicken). Also, I will use chicken broth or beef broth to give it a little extra taste. I like to add fresh herbs when I get them (which isn't often.) Like I said, I use carrots instead of celery because I hate cooked celery...gag! But if you want, add both! This makes a nice big pot! It can be thick, so feel free to thin it out with another cup or two of broth or water.

I serve it with salad or sometimes grilled ham and cheese panini's or sandwiches!

Enjoy guys! :)

Fun Foods Friday!!!

YAY! Decided to start this again soon!!!

Potato Soup
(from 4-H cook book)

3 Medium Potatoes - cubed
2 cups of water
1 small onion - finely chopped
3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP flour
1/2 tsp flour
3 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cubed ham
red/black pepper to taste

Cook potatoes in 2 cups of water until tender. Reserved 1 cup of cooking liquid and set aside. Drain potatoes. Melt butter and cook onion until tender. Add flour and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add potatoes, followed by cooking liquid, milk and sugar. Stir, then add cheese and ham. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

Its super easy, and smells good, though I haven't had it, I am making it for my friend who had a baby. It's her dinner. But I took a taste and it's awesome!

:) enjoy

Fun Foods Friday!!!

Mushroom Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS
4 pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch garlic salt, or to taste
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup


DIRECTIONS
Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste.
In a large skillet, brown the chops over medium-high heat. Add the onion and mushrooms, and saute for one minute. Pour cream of mushroom soup over chops. Cover skillet, and reduce temperature to medium-low. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes, or until chops are cooked through.

I got this from allrecipes.com

Fun Foods Friday!!!

Pumpkin Cookies 1 (taken from Allrecipes)
- I call them Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin because that's what the really are!

INGREDIENTS
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and pumpkin.
In a separate bowl, mix together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, raisins and flour. Stir into pumpkin mixture.
Drop cookies by the heaping teaspoonful on to cookie sheets covered with parchment paper. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly browned around edges.
Remove from oven and place on cooling racks. Frost with your favorite powdered sugar glaze or leave plain.

Fun Foods Friday!!!

Is your mouth drooling for something fun to eat??? Well here ya go! 

Breakfast Casserole

1lb of sausage - browned

7 eggs

2 cups of cheese

1 1lb bag of hash browns

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

1) Preheat oven to 350. Brown sausage, drain.

2) Crack eggs and whip in bowl, add in mushroom soup, sour cream, half of the cheese and hash browns and the sausage.

3) Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan, top with remaining cheese, cook for 60-90 minutes until brown on edges and a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

I made this for dinner recently and LOVED it. I added a little chopped onions to the mixture too and some Mrs. Dash....

Enjoy!

FUN FOODS FRIDAY!!!

Easy Mexican Chicken

 6 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless

1 can cream of chicken soup

3 cups of Corn chips

1/2 cup milk

1 pkg of taco seasoning

2 cups shredded chedder cheese, divided

 Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken in 9x13 baking pan. Mix soup, 1.5 cups of cheese, milk, and seasoning mix. Spoon over chicken and top with chips. Cover and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove cover, top with the remaining .5 cup of cheese. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I made this the other day, I served it with Spanish Rice and Corn. It was super delicious!

Fun Foods Friday

Stromboli

1 10 oz tube pizza dough

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Pizza toppings  - whatever you want :)

Marinara Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pizza dough into 8x12 inch rectangle. On half of dough, put cheese and then toppings. Fold in half width wise and crimp edges. Put on sheet.

3. Cook at 375 for 20-25 minutes, serve with warm marinara sauce. 

I typically make two since the dough comes in a two pack. And I change the toppings all the time! 

Enjoy!!!