Tangy Chicken Fajitas

2-3 chicken breasts cut into strips
1 bell pepper of your choice juliened
1 red onion cut into strips
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. vinegar
1 pkg. Good Seasonings dry Italian Dressing

Combine olive oil, lime juice,vinegar, and dressing. Add chicken and cut vegetables to marinade and marinade at least 3-4 hours (I put my chicken out in the morning to thaw and then add it to marinade around lunch time) Cook chicken and vegetables until chicken is fully cooked and vegetables tender.

Meat Loaf

So I totally hesitate to post this only for the reason that most people already have their own meat loaf recipe, or they just flat out don't like meat loaf all together. Also I don't have a specific recipe, it's one of those that's a little of this and a little of that, but I'll try to get it down to a little more specific. Again I really hesitate with this only because I feel everyone has kind of a different idea of meatloaf, but if you are willing to try I think this is a pretty good recipe compared to other ones I've tried. If your use to a more plain and somewhat dry meatloaf, this is completely opposite. The original recipe that my mom made used fresh onion, but my husband's not a big onion person and it tended to be a little oniony, but just like all these recipes do what works for your family.

1 egg
2 T. dried minced onion
1/2 sleeve of Ritz crackers crushed- or if you don't have those you can use your kids snack, gold fish:) that's what I used yesterday.
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 c. Heinz 57
ketchup
honey
3 slices of bacon

In a medium bowl mix egg with onion, and crackers. Add in ground beef and Heinz 57 and mix together. The best way to do this is with your hands but a fork works as well. Put meat loaf into a loaf pan and drizzle ketchup and honey on top. Top meatloaf with bacon slices and cook at 375 for 45 minutes. I'm not going to lie this turns out really greasy, but what do you expect with ground beef and bacon? Just drain the grease and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I love this recipe for sweet potato fries. They're super easy to make and it makes me feel like I'm eating healthier than just a regular fry. I'm not a big fan of frying, not for the reasons that I probably should be, but just because I feel it is time consuming and messy. I made these along with chili cheese dogs in a bundle which was another Rachael Ray recipe from her Yum-O cook book. They were good but I think they could have been better. It was pretty much a glorified pig in a blanket with chili and cheese using refrigerated pizza crust. Anyway if I ever get around to making it better I'll post the recipe if not you can kinda guess and try it yourself.
I found the recipe for these sweet potato fries on Ourbestbites.com. There's also a recipe for coconut chicken on there as well which is really good with these fries. Anyway here's the link for Baked Sweet Potato Fries http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/01/baked-sweet-potato-fries.html

Sausage Stroganoff

Well it's all in the name, this is just a spin on the regular stroganoff. If your not a fan of sausage this is probably not for you. I think the sausage gave a little more flavor than just using hamburger and if you made or plan on making Pepperoni Pizzazz you can use your left over mushrooms in this recipe. Again this is another recipe I switched cream of mushroom for sour cream, but use whatever your family likes..and enjoy!


1 lb. pork sausage (I just used the Jimmy Dean regular bulk sausage)
small onion chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms sliced
1 1/4 c. chicken broth
1 T worcestershire
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 c. flour
1 can cream of mushroom or 1 c. sour cream
12 oz cooked egg noodles ( you could actually probably do more noodles, that's just how big the bag was that I had)

Cook sausage and onion until sausage is cooked thoroughly. Add mushrooms and cook for another couple minutes. Add 1 c. of broth, worcestershire, and pepper and let simmer for a few minutes. Mix remaining broth with flour and pour into sausage mixture. Lower heat and add cream of mushroom or sour cream and heat through. Serve over noodles:)

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Lasagna

I've kind of slacked with posting, but to be honest I haven't made anything worth posting. I made another Rachael Ray roll over meal which was jerk chicken that didn't turn out that great for us, but fortunately the rollover meal a pasta dish using the leftover chicken was really good, but I figured most probably wouldn't want to make the first meal just to get the second, right? This recipe for the Chicken Tortilla Lasagna is not a new one in our house, to be honest it really wasn't even planned. I had no clue what I was going to make and this is what Frank suggested so..voila here it is! This can be a little spicy so if you have kids you can cut back on the taco seasoning and use a mild enchilada sauce. The original recipe calls for sour cream and since we're not big sour cream fans I switched it for cream of mushroom. If you do like sour cream just switch it out with an 8 oz. container or even half of each if you want. It also calls for 2 9 oz. packages of frozen southwestern-seasoned chicken strips, thawed and diced but I choose to just cook about 3 chicken breasts in the crock pot instead. Anyway use whatever works for you or what fits your family's taste.

This would probably look much better to most of you with more cheese, but I'm just funny like that sorry:)

1 10 oz Old El Paso enchilada sauce
3 cooked chicken breasts shredded
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 c. sliced green onions
1 T. taco seasoning
8 corn tortillas torn in half
2 c. Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
2 c. tortilla chips
1 large tomato diced
2 T sliced olives-optional

Spread 1/4 c. enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Mix remaining enchilada sauce with cream of mushroom, taco seasoning, 1/2 of green onions, and chicken. Arrange half of your corn tortillas on top of enchilada sauce. Then top with half of chicken mixture, and 2/3 c. cheese. Repeat layers ending with chicken and cheese on top. Cover with foil and and cook at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover and layer chips, tomatoes, olives, remaining onions, and remaining cheese. Bake another 5 minutes to melt cheese.

Pepperoni Pizzazz

So I have to admit that I'm a little intimidated after going into my husband's work and finding out so many people actually read my blog. They have all been giving my husband grief about me making and packing his lunch and dinner, little do they know what my house looks like:) I know I kind of spoil him in that respect, but he works his butt off especially lately by going back to work every night for another 5 hours of work, but most of all I truly enjoy cooking and trying new recipes so don't think I cook all this food JUST for my husband:) Anyway this recipe is super easy and if you love pepperoni pizza you'll love this!

Obviously picture with cheese:)

8 Oz cooked penne, or rotini
1 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 package (8 ounces) sliced pepperoni
1/2 8 oz. pkg mushrooms sliced
1 green pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t. oregano
1 can 8 0z tomato sauce
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Combine 2 1/4 c. spaghetti sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, parmesan, garlic, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, oregano, and cooked pasta. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Mix remaining spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce and pour over pasta mixture. Cover and cook at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with mozzarella and cook another 5 minutes until melted.

Brown Rice

Ok don't think I'm just slacking, I still have been cooking just nothing worth posting about, except for my new found love of brown rice. I mentioned awhile ago I wanted to switch over to whole grains and so far so good. Most things have tasted rather similar such as pasta and even hamburger buns, but brown rice is a totally different case. If you don't use rice often, which I think is the case for a lot of people, you really have to give this a try. Brown rice is actually very good for you and gives food a lot of flavor when you cook it in broth. Rice is a perfect addition to tacos, enchiladas, meatballs, sweet and sour chicken, and many other dishes. I made tacos last night and cooked the rice in beef broth (just used beef boulion granules) and it added so much extra flavor! Brown rice takes a little extra time to cook and some will say extra effort. Honestly I didn't really have a problem. I used 2 1/2 c. water to 1 c. rice and cooked it the same way I cook white rice except cooking for 45 minutes. If you prefer a little firmer rice use 1/4 c. less water. Anyway food for thought, next time you make tacos try a little brown rice with them!

Enchil-lasagna Day 2 rollover meal

Ok so I'm officially a Rachael Ray fan. I've always loved her show, but I'm officially a fan of her recipes too! This turned out really good, so good that I couldn't get enough to Parker fast enough. He was going nuts over this, which officially makes this a new favorite for me. This dinner worked great for a Sunday dinner and then rolled over perfectly for a quick weekday meal. I loved loved loved this recipe. The other part that I really liked about this was that it was so different from any other meal I've made. I would have never thought to use a meat loaf this way. So if you had any second thoughts of making the turkey stuffin' meatloaf hopefully I've convinced you to try it now so that you can try this meal as well!

3 c. reserved gravy (I have no clue where these measurements came from when you only make the gravy using 2 c. of stock the night before, so how that happens I'm not sure so I just quickly made some more)
1 16 oz. can of green chili salsa (this has become a new favorite ing. of mine ever since the chicken ole)
8 whole wheat flour tortillas (don't use mission tortillas they're horrible)
10 oz bag frozen corn ( I bought a much bigger bag and just kind of guessed)
1 14 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
4-5 green onions chopped
1 turkey meatloaf from night before, thinly sliced
2 1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack or pepper Jack

In a medium bowl combine gravy and salsa. Spread a thin layer in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Layer 2 tortillas, 1/3 corn, 1/3 black beans, 1/3 green onion, 1/3 meat loaf, 1/4 green salsa mix, and 1/4 cheese. Repeat layers until all gone ending with a layer of tortillas, gravy, and remaining cheese. Cook at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Sorry I forgot to take a picture but will hopefully get one soon:)

Turkey Stuffin' Meatloaf

I found this recipe in Rachael Ray's Yum-O recipe book. If you know Rachael Ray, then you'll know that the Yum-O recipes are meals specially made for kids. Besides being kid approved they're suppose to be healthy as well which is always a bonus in my book. I've really been pleasantly surprised with the recipes in this book. Her food always looks really good and simple, but sometimes almost so simple that I wonder if it has much flavor, if that makes sense. That and the fact that she tends to use ingredients that I just never would buy. Although most of these recipes included things that I don't usually use, I thought I would still give it a try. This specific recipe uses ground turkey which I've only used two times prior. The first time turned out great, the second time on the other hand was a complete failure, so much so that I had to throw the whole meal out because I couldn't even gag it down. I'm not really sure why the difference all I knew was that I didn't feel like trying it ever again..until now, and thank goodness this turned out really good. The best part of this recipe is that it is one of her rollover meals, meaning that you cook enough for leftovers to make another meal the following day. So if all works out tomorrows dinner will be as good as tonight's:)


2 T EVOO- extra virgin olive oil-or just regular veg. oil
6 T. butter
1 large onion
5-6 celery ribs from the heart, leaves included (I always buy just the celery hearts, it's the best part of the celery, and the leaves have the most flavor)
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
1 16 oz stuffing cubes such as Pepperidge Farm (I couldn't find these so used corn bread stove top, but use whichever you can find or like best)
2 T. poultry seasoning- I didn't use this since I used stove top, so don't feel like you can't make it without using this
6 c. chicken stock (I just use chicken bouillon granules and water to make stock)
3 lbs. ground turkey-I think I used Tyson's Honeysuckle
2 eggs

Melt butter with oil and saute onions, celery, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add stuffing cubes and 4 c. stock (if using stove top I would cut this down to 2 1/2-3 c. stock.) Discard bay leaf. Place in bowl and let cool. Add turkey and eggs. Mix until incorporated with stuffing. Cook in two well greased meat loaf pans. Drizzle with EVOO or if your like me and ran out I just put a little butter on top just so it doesn't try out. Cook at 400 for 45 minutes or until done. For gravy melt 4 T. butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in 1/4 c. of flour and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add 2 c. chicken stock and cook another 6-7 minutes until thickened. The second meatloaf and half the gravy will be used for tomorrows dinner, otherwise I guess you get meat loaf for 2 days.

Tangy Barbecue Chicken

This is another quick and easy crock pot recipe. This recipe was actually suggested to go over a baked potato, but I chose to make it a sandwich and I'm sure there's plenty of other ways to eat it as well. I hope you enjoy this super easy twist on barbecue chicken.

4-5 chicken breasts

12 oz bottle barbecue sauce (I use Famous Dave's)

1/2 c. Italian dressing or anything similar I used a sundried tomato dressing and it turned out great

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 T. worcestershire sauce

Combine barbecue sauce, dressing, brown sugar, and worcestershire and pour over chicken in crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours of high for 3-4. I threw my chicken in frozen and cooked on low for about 8 hours. I cut this recipe in half and had enough for about 6 sandwiches.

Crunchy Chicken Casserole #2

Just like crock pot meals, you can always use a new casserole recipe. This is another recipe I found on Recipe Zaar. The original recipe called for mayo, but the thought of mayo in a casserole grosses me out, and I can actually say that because I've tried it once. I'm sorry if I offend anyone with this comment, but mayo in a casserole is just wrong. Dips, dressings, and sandwiches yes, casseroles no; but that's just my opinion. Anyway for those of you who like mayo in casseroles please don't let it stop you from trying this recipe. I have to admit, my husband didn't love this one the first time I made it, I think the water chestnuts were a little different for him and like a lot of men he wants only meat and potatoes. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with meat and potatoes, but I like a little more variety than that. Anyway if your willing to take the risk, this is a really good casserole if your like water chestnuts:)

2 c. chicken, cooked, and cut into bite size pieces (I prefer to cook my chicken in a crock pot, but I've also heard of people baking all the chicken they're going to use for the week and then freezing it, either way works great)
1 c. sliced celery
1/2 onion chopped
2-3 Tb. butter
2 c. cooked rice
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom ( I've even used cream of celery which is really good as well)
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1 can sliced water chestnuts, chopped so less noticeable for those who are not fans:)
3/4 c. crushed corn flakes

Saute onions and celery in 1 Tb. butter. In greased 9x13 pan combine soups, rice, almonds, water chestnuts, and sauted onions and celery. Melt remaining 2 Tb. butter and mix in corn flakes. Sprinkle corn flakes over top and cook uncovered for 30 minutes at 350.