What's for Dinner?- Sausage and Potatoes

Some days we just need a quick and easy meal for dinner. Sometimes we just don't plan out our meals or what we had planned will take more energy than we're willing to dole out.

On Monday, we were busy. I was getting ready to leave in less than an hour, the kids were doing homework and Michael was tired from being a parent volunteer for both Sidda and MJ's classes. It makes for a busy long day.

We really didn't have a dinner planned but we needed something fast. So I opened the 'fridge and saw some smoked sausage, and DING I had an idea.

I started by washing up a chopping 4 potatoes and one onion.

Next, I heated up a little olive oil in a large skillet. After it had warmed up a couple of minutes I added the potatoes and onions. Be sure to add salt to your potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are soft to your preferred texture. If you let them cook a little longer at little higher heat they can get crispy.

 While the potatoes are cooking, chop your sausage into bite size pieces.

Add it to the pan and cook until heated through.

We served it up with a side of scrambled eggs for the kids and fried eggs for the adults. 

Including chopping, this meal took less than 30 minutes from start to finish. It's would also make a delicious breakfast.

So, tell me, what is your favorite go to meal when you are short on time or energy?

What's for Dinner?- Salmon, Garlic Pasta and Green Beans

 In an attempt to try new things WE ATE SALMON!  Woot!

We don't really consume a lot of fish around here.  I've only had salmon once or twice in my entire life.  So we gave it a shot.

I found a recipe through Pinterest at Running a Ragnar.

I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great!  It was flaky and delicious.  Even Sidda liked it; she is my picky eater.

Line a baking sheet with foil and place salmon skin side down.

Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

Place in a cold oven set at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

MJ is checking it out. 

The results were great!  The fish flaked easily and tasted great along with the garlic pasta.

Anya will eat just about anything.

Sidda loved it!

We finished dinner off with Popsicles.  Anya stole mine.

What's for Dinner?- Taco Fajita Crockpot

Yesterday was a busy day.  There was school to teach, a house to clean, meals to make and company coming over.  That was all piled up on top of very little sleep because a certain little baby decided she didn't want to sleep, nor did she want to be awake.

I wanted something easy to throw into the crock pot that would make dinner super easy.  I looked around to see what I had on hand and just dumped it all in.

Taco Fajita Crock Pot Recipe

3 Chicken Breasts
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bag frozen corn
1 bag diced onions and 3 peppers (frozen)
1 package taco seasoning
1/2 cup of water.

Just dump everything in and cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Shred chicken and service over rice with shredded cheese.  You can add sour cream if you like as well.

It was delicious and baby approved!

What's for Dinner?- Oven Fried Chicken Drumsticks

The other night I make some chicken drumstick goodness.

We were getting ready for the Super Bowl and we had planned on having sandwiches and chips.  A really easy night.  But Michael was in the mood for a little something more.  He wanted at least something to be hot.

So, it's Pinterest to the rescue!  I found this recipe at foodloverr.com

I changed it up a bit but the end result was marvelous!

For my seasonings I used garlic salt, cajon seasoning, oregano and pepper.  Loaded that up with some flour in a freezer bag.  I threw the drumsticks in a shook it all together.  Put some butter in a couple of 9X13 dishes and put in all in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.  I flipped them and cooked for another 30 minutes (they were really big drumsticks) and flipped one more time for 10 minutes.

The end result was delicious, moist chicken drumsticks that added just what we needed to watch some football!

What a sad blurry picture.  It was a last minute after thought to take a quick picture.

Michael approved!

What's for Dinner?- Creamy Marinara Chicken Pasta Pasta

I love when I can make a meal on a whim that feeds a large group. Our kids had friends over the other night and it added three extra mouths at the dinner table.  After searching my cabinets to try to find something yummy for all of us to eat I finally decided to try my hand at my own concoction.

I had read on other blogs on how mixing alfredo sauce and marinara makes an easy creamy sauce.  So that's when my mind started working.

First I chopped up 4 chicken breasts and sauteed it in a little oil with salt and garlic.

While the chicken was going I boiled some pasta.

After the chicken was cooked through and the noodles were drained I added two cans diced tomatoes, one package frozen spinach, thawed, 1 jar alfredo sauce and 1 jar marinara all into a 9X13 dish that was lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  I cooked it in an oven on 350 until bubbly, about 45 minutes.

I then served it up and topped with a little shredded cheese.

And you know it's good when the baby gobbles it all down and asks for more. 

It was a hit and left tons of left overs even though we were feeding 8.  The leftovers were awesome as well.

Recipe

1 lb pasta

4 chicken breasts, chopped

garlic and salt

1 package frozen spinach

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1 jar alfredo sauce

1 jar marinara sauce

shredded cheese, as desired.

What's for Dinner?- Chicken and Chorizo Soup (in the slow cooker)

I don't know if you know this... but it has been super cold outside the last few days.  Brrrrr...  And when it gets cold it soup time.  My favorite kind of soup to make is Chicken and Chorizo soup.  To me this soup is somewhere between a soup, a chili and a stew depending on how I make it.

I first found this recipe on allrecipes.com and it was pretty good.  I don't think I've ever made it exactly as it says because I like to mix things up a bit.  But here is how I like to make my soup.

Chicken and Chorizo Soup (in the slow cooker)

1 chopped onion

1 lb chorizo (we used deer chorizo)

1-2 lbs chicken (depends how much I want to use)

1-2 Tbsp Worcestershire

galic salt to taste

chili powder to taste

cumin to taste 

(I use quite a bit of the seasonings.  I like my food to have some flavor)

minced garlic

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans corn

1 can black beans, rinsed (optional, I only add this sometimes)

2-3 cups of water or chicken broth (depending on how soupy you want it.)

1/2-1 cup of milk or cream (depending on how creamy you want it)

sour cream and shredded cheese to serve with.

I chopped up my onion.  I love onions.  They bring such goodness and flavor to other foods!

Throw the chorizo and onions in a pan and cook together until the chorizo is brown and the onions are soft. I added a pinch of salt while sauteing.  Drain.

Add chicken to the crock pot.  As you can see mine was still very much frozen.  It went in fine and tasted great when it cooked.

Add on the garlic salt and garlic and seasonings.

Add in corn, tomatoes, beans, chorizo, water/ broth (I typically use water with bullion cubes) and milk.  Cook of low for 8 hours or more.  Shred your chicken and stir.

I almost forgot to get a picture of the soup!  This isn't the best picture.  This is Michael's bowl and it was halfway gone.  Oops.  Top with sour cream and shredded cheese and enjoy.  We usually have cheese quesadillas on the side.  Yum!

I had friends over to share in our soup and this batch fed 5 adults, 5 kids and a baby with a little left over.  It makes a ton.  It also makes great leftovers.

What's for Dinner?: Veggie Pizza My Way

One of my favorite things to do with Sidda is to make homemade pizza.  She loves helping with sauce and the toppings.  I love making a delicious pizza crust that my whole family likes.

We always make 3 pizzas whenever we have pizza night.  A cheese for Sidda and Anya, a pepperoni for MJ and a third one for Michael and me that's not so basic.  Lately, we have been making veggie pizza.  This is more than your average peppers, mushrooms and onions pizza.  It's so much for and I love it!

I put a little oil in a pan and saute some stir-fry frozen veggies.  In the bag there are green beans, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, celery and red peppers.  Then I added some frozen pearl onions (these are super tasty!).  And finally I added some spinach.  I let it saute until the veggies were crisp.

On the pizza crust I put some marinara sauce, then the sauteed veggies followed by some pizza cheese.  We put the veggies under the cheese because it helps keep them from following off while eating it.  Put in a 500 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is crisp.  This time we added a couple of pepperonis to the tops too.

Don't let the picture deceive you.  The veggies are under the cheese!

What's for Dinner?- Pork Chops, Baked Potato and Salad

I used this Marinated Baked Pork Chops recipe from allrecipes.com.

The only thing I did differently was I added a couple teaspoons of minced garlic to the marinade.  It was awesome!  Michael liked it and the kids ate it without a fight.  I will be making it again.  It was delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 6 pork chops, trimmed 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a small bowl, thoroughly blend soy sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and ketchup.
3. Place pork chops in a medium baking dish, and spread with 1/2 the sauce.
4. Bake pork chops 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn, and spread with remaining sauce. Continue baking 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chops has reached 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

What's for Dinner?- Mini Pizza on Bagels

Well, it's more of a what's for lunch than what for dinner post.  But it's ok.  It's food and it's good.  Michael and I had some meatball subs the other night and had some leftover marinara sauce that I wanted to use up before it wen to waste.  I also had on hand some mini bagels and pizza cheese.  So mini pizzas it is!  Yay!  They were super easy to put together and went over great with the kids and the husband too.

Just split the bagels on a baking sheet, through on some sauce and cheese.  Heat in the oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes- until the cheese has melted and the bagels toasted.  Enjoy!

What's for Dinner?- Hamburgers and French Fries (with homemade buns)

I love days that I get to spend in the kitchen!  I love to cook but I really haven't been able to like I like because Anya has a way of needing me right when it is time to get to work.  But last night I was able to make some homemade hamburger buns to go with our burgers and fries!

Found black grapes at the grocery store!  They were an awesome snack!

Before they went into the oven.

The recipe I used for the homemade hamburger buns from the Brown Eyed Baker.  You can see it here. These were some of the best buns I ever had.  They were delicious, but didn't take away from the other flavors on the burger.

For the the burger patties I just took some ground beef, a little salt and pepper and mixed it all up and shaped into patties.  And I think that they turned out amazing!  Michael grilled them up perfectly! (Yup, this was a bit of a team effort.)

The finished product.  I topped mine off with tomatoes and avocado!

Delicious!

What's for Dinner?- Roast Chicken

Last night I made roast chicken.  Out of a whole chicken!  And not to brag or anything but it turned out awesome!

I usually just throw a whole chicken in my crock pot to make shredded chicken to freeze.  That way I always have some ready to put in casseroles or enchiladas or whatever.  But this time I wanted to do something else.  You know actually cook it to eat right away, not to save for later.

So here is what I did.  I put my oven on 375 and while it was preheating I mixed some butter with parsley, salt and pepper.  I put some of it under the skin on top over the breasts, and then poured the rest on top over all the skin.  Then I put it in the oven for 40 minutes.  After it beeped I turned up the oven to 450 and let it cook for another 30 minutes.  And it was beautiful!  It smelled so good and made a wonderful dinner!

What's for Dinner? Roast Beef Sandwiches

I haven't made roast beef for sandwiches in forever!  But I knew that last night I needed something easy to make that I wouldn't have to worry about.  I knew that we wouldn't be home until after 6pm because Sidda was in her first school play last night!  It was so much fun to watch and I loved every  moment of it!

So back to dinner, roast beef.  This is something I make in the crock pot, and its made similar to how you would make a pot roast, but I don't really like pot roast in the crock pot.  I personally cannot stand mushy carrots and the potatoes never seem to come out quite right.  But the meat cooking by itself always turns out great!

In the pot I put 2 cans of cream of mushroom, a 2.5lb beef round and topped it off with onion dip mix.  Make sure to turn the round to coat in the cream of mushroom.  Then cover, set to low and cook for 8-10 hours.

When it's done all you will need to do is shred to beef with two forks, and stir in the gravy that the soup created.  The beef will soak it right up.

Then you put the roast beef on a bun and enjoy!  Put any fixins on that you might like.  Tastes great and super easy!

What's for Dinner?- Pork Chops, Couscous and Broccoli

So tonight for dinner I made pork chops, broccoli and Parmesan couscous.  I would have to say that this dinner was a hit.

The pork chop was pan seared and only seasoned with Season All at Michael's request.  The couscous came from a box, but was good anyway and the kids gobbled it up.  The broccoli was the best broccoli that I've ever had.  The kids actually ate it and Michael enjoyed it.  I personally don't like broccoli that much but I received in my Bountiful Basket this week and I didn't want it to go to waste.  I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It's not very hard to make but does take a little effort, but it's worth it.  It is delicious.

All in all, dinner tonight was good, and now I know how I will cook my broccoli if I receive it again instead of letting it go bad in the fridge before throwing it away like I have in the past.

What's for Dinner?- Meatloaf

Now I know that somehow meatloaf in general has got a bad rap, but I do have to say that mine is delicious!  It's so good even Sidda will eat it (she is my picky eater).  My secret is in the sauce that you put on top.  It's a mixture of ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar that really  makes it stand out.  Michael loves it when I make meatloaf; it's one of those meals the whole family gets excited about. It's ok to be jealous of my meatloaf.

What's for Dinner?- Chicken Enchiladas

Last night for dinner we had GIANT chicken enchiladas. I used the 12 inch tortillas that I received from Bountiful Baskets.

Inside the enchilada is chicken, onions, red bell peppers, taco seasoning, chili powder, ground coriander, basil, refried beans, cilantro and cheese. I don't know the measurements.... I just tossed it in as I felt it needed. Then before baking, it was covered in enchilada sauce and cheese.

I do have to say, it turned out so good. But they're huge, so eating one was the most you can eat in a sitting, maybe not even that. But I do know that Michael took some leftovers for lunch today!

What's for Dinner?- Homemade Pizza and Garlic Knots

Last night for dinner I made homemade pizza. This is a normal occurrence here. We make homemade pizza every couple of weeks. What made this week different was that I also made homemade garlic knots. Also, one of the pizzas was made with roasted garlic parmesan sauce, topped with cheese, chicken cooked in salt pepper and garlic, and fresh chopped tomatoes. This dinner was a hit with the kids and with Michael as well. Sidda and MJ also had a couple of friends over who enjoyed the garlic knots so much that they took some home with them. It was a great night!

What's for Dinner?-Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love when I get a chance to try something new. I went looking on allrecipes.com today for something new for my family to have for dinner tonight, but I had some specifics for whatever I chose.

1. I didn't want to go to the grocery store today, so it had to be ingredients that I already had in the house.

2. I wanted it to be something that I could put together in the crock pot because I was feeling kind of lazy.

3. It had to be something that my kids would actually try to eat.

After searching for awhile I found this recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup that I had everything in my house for except for the green chilis, so I just omitted them because Michael is very sensitive when it comes to any kind of food that puts any amount of spice into dinner, so it wasn't a total loss to not have to worry about it. When getting it ready to go into the crock pot the only thing that I had to do to prepare it was chop an onion. This was great.

At the end, Michael and I liked it better than Sidda and MJ did, but they are very picky. I think that this recipe is a keeper.

What's For Dinner?- Maryland Fried Chicken

The hardest part of any day is deciding what is for dinner. Any where you look for advice says to plan out your menu about a week in advance that way you can make sure you have all the ingredients you need to prepare your meals. I try this on a regular basis. I plan out our meals and there is a definite pattern to the way our meals go each week. Every Wednesday we have sandwiches for dinner because I have to bring the food to church so we can all eat before Mpact Girls and Royal Rangers begins. On Tuesday or Thursday I tend to do a crock pot meal to try to keep things easy. My favorite day for dinner is Fridays because that is when the whole family meets at my mothers house to all spend time together and I don't have to figure out what to eat, that's left up to my mom.

Last night for dinner we had Maryland Fried chicken. It's a saltine coated chicken breast seared in oil and then simmered in milk to make the chicken tender. We also had fettuccine with a roasted garlic sauce along with corn. This meal was a hit with the kids and my husband. If my kids are willing to eat dinner without a fight I call it a win!