BBQ Cups

You know me... I go for QUICK and EASY (and yummy!). So, I have recently fallen in love with this beautiful and simple recipe. It will definitely become one of our "usuals".

BBQ Cups

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

2/3 c. BBQ sauce

shredded cheese

2 cans of quick small rolls

(found in the refrigerated area by the the croissants and cinnamon rolls in the grocery store. They come in packs of 8 or 10 usually, you can get the cheap ones that are like .50)

Ground the beef, add 2/3 of cup of BBQ Sauce, mix well.

Flatten and stretch out rolls and put them in a 12 cupcake holder pan.

Add the beef mixture in each little cup and put in oven.

Bake according to instructions on the rolls, usually 10-12 min.

About two minutes before done, pull out and add extra sauce on each and top with shredded cheese.

Serves 4.

Yum. I got this recipe from an email recipe exchange - thank you Becky!

Orange Cookies

So - usually I am not one to go for "citrus" desserts. They just don't do it for me. But this cookie I fell in LOVE with. It felt festive and light and fun and different and delicious! You HAVE to try them. Oh, and I made them today - so if you are in the area just stop by for a free sample. :)

Orange Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c. shortening or margarine

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 c. orange juice

1 T. orange rind

2 1/2 c. sifted flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Blend margarine, sugar, salt, and eggs. Add rind and juice, sift flour and baking powder and add. Mix until smooth but don't overmix. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Frost while slightly warm, or leave plain.

Frosting ingredients:

1 T. orange juice

1/2 tsp orange rind

1 T. melted margarine

1 c. powdered sugar

I got this recipe from an old nursing buddy, Camber. Thanks Camber!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

We love homemade Chicken Noodle Soup - especially if we can enjoy it with warm biscuits or homemade bread. Once I even made homemade soup bowls to go with it - super yummy!

Ingredients

onion

carrots

celery

zucchini

yellow squash

1 box rotini noodles

6-8 cups of chicken broth

1 chicken breast, cooked and cut into bit size pieces

1-2 Tbsp. butter

Italian seasoning

salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Saute the veggies in 1-2 Tbsp. of butter until just tender - I usually add some salt & pepper for extra flavor

In a separate pan I cook 1 box of noodles according to the package instructions. My favorite is whole wheat rotini noodles - but whatever you have is great. Drain and set aside.

Combine 6-8 cups of chicken broth (I just use water and chicken boullion if that is all that I have), cooked chicken breast, cooked noodles, and veggies. Heat until warm throughout. I add salt & pepper, italian seasoning, and lemon pepper to taste - but you can season it however you like.

Serves at least 6.

Enjoy!

Meat Pie

Meat Pie

For some reason meat pie is one of my most comforting meals. I almost always seem to crave it and enjoy it - especially in the Fall and Winter months. Anyway, this is a SUPER fast and easy version of a meat pie recipe.

Pie Filling Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground beef, cooked and seasoned with salt and pepper (I use ground turkey)

1/2 bag frozen hashbrowns

1/2 bag frozen mixed veggies

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Crust Ingredients for 1 single crust:

1 1/4 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. cold water

Instructions:

Cut butter into flour and salt mixture. Add cold water. Stir or knead until you have a sticky ball of dough. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

The recipe calls for 4 hours of refrigeration. I through it into the refrigerator while I brown the ground beef and mix the filling - so maybe 20-30 minutes - and it works just fine. :)

Brown and drain ground beef. Combine with other ingredients.

Roll out dough and place in a pie pan. Pour in filling. Roll out top crust and cover it all.

Voila! Meat pie!

I then bake it at about 325 - 350 degrees for about 45 -60 minutes. Just until the crust is nicely browned and the filling is bubbly hot.

Makes 1 meat pie. Serves 4-6 people.
This recipe is a variation of a recipe from my mother.
Ratings: Jeremy 3.5 - Kendra 4.5

Zucchini Casserole

Zucchini Casserole

This is a really simple dish - it's just a casserole - but we really like it!

1 1/2 lb. zucchini (6 cups) cut in 1/4 " slices

1 lb. ground beef (I use ground turkey and I only use a 1/2 lb.)

1/2 medium onion, finely choppped

1 1/2 c. uncooked white* rice

(brown rice works - but it take FOREVER to cook in this recipe - so I recommend using white)

2 cloves garlic, minced (I often don't have garlic - so I just sprinkle in a little garlic powder and call it good :)

1 t. Oregano (I use Italian Seasoning - because that's all I have)

2 c. cottage cheese

1 can cream of celery soup

1 c. grated cheddar cheese

1 c. water

Instructions:

Cook zucchini in boiled salted water until BARELY tender. Drain well.

Saute beef with onion and garlic, drain well.

Add rice and seasoning to the beef mixture, brown slightly.

Add water.

Place half of sliced zucchini on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.

Cover with beef mixture.

Spoon cottage cheese over beef mixture.

Cover with remaining zucchini and then spread can of soup over all. Okay, I'll be honest - it always looks gross to me at this point - but don't worry - it's yummy!

Bake at 350 degrees, covered, for 40 minutes. Remove and sprinkle cheese ove rthe top. Check rice for tenderness and cook for 5 minutes more. This recipe is from my mother, Mickie Niland.

*I usually only cook with brown rice - and it does work in this recipe - but it take FOREVER to cook - so I recommend using white rice instead.
Rating: Jeremy 4 - Kendra 4.5

Zucchini Soup

Zucchini Soup

It's a different taste - but we really like it.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 1/2 T. olive oil1 ld. zucchini sliced

1 3/4 c. chicken brothpepper to taste

3/4 c. milk

squeeze of lemon juice*

salt to taste

Instructions:

In a large pan, saute the onion in olive oil for 3 minutes or until it is transparent.

Add the zucchini and cook for 2-3 minutes longer.

Stir in all remaining ingredients (EXCEPT milk) cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Puree the soup until smooth. (I have a wand blender that I use - but if you let the soup cool a bit you can just transfer it to your blender to blend it).

Add milk and reheat soup. Serve hot at this stage or transfer to the fridge and chill thoroughly to serve cold (we always eat it hot).

Makes 4 smallish servings.

*I sometimes just use lemon pepper seasoning - the lemon juice can be really strong so just add a little bit at a time so that you get the fresh zest of lemon and not lemon soup.

Stuffed Zucchini

Stuffed Zucchini

This could be a yummy side dish if you wanted to - but we use it as a main dish.

Ingredients:

1 box stove top stuffing

3-4 medium zucchini

1 egg

2 c. cheese (any type) grated

1 26 oz. jar spaghetti

*chopped tomato, onion, garlic, olives, etc... (optional toppings/stir ins)

Instructions:

Scrub zucchini. Cut off the ends. Slice lengthwise in half. With spoon scoop out inside of zucchini into a medium bowl. Leave 1/4" rim on the boat.

Combine zucchini pulp with all other ingredients (EXCEPT spaghetti sauce).

Mix well.

Restuff boats with mixture.

Arrange boats in casserole dish (I use a 9x13 pan).

Pour spaghetti sauce over everything. Cover with tin foil.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes covered. When it is finished I always add some grated cheese to the top and broil it to make the cheese all yummy and bubbly.