Monday, March 31, 2008

...Leftover Ham...

Okay, so I made a ham yesterday and guess what KATHY, you'd be so proud of me!! Tonight we had Beef with Broccoli, so I made HAM fried rice with my leftovers!! It was so yummy and easy! And since my strange kiddos don't LOVE shrimp like me, they really like the ham this time!! I'm not as creative with my leftovers as Kathy is with hers, so, I'm really trying to take notes...heehee!!

Monday: Beef with Broccoli and HAM fried rice
Tuesday: Chili dog/frito pie
Wednesday: Chicken strips, mashed potatoes, salad
Thursday: YOYO....daddy out of town, eat whatever (soccer/track practice too)!!
Friday: YOYO....still eat whatever just b/c it's FRIDAY....haha!!

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Kathy's menu - week 18 & 19

Sunday - Spinach Salad with chicken and Strawberries, and fresh garlic bread from the bakery!
Monday - take-out night (gymnastics)
Tuesday - Taste-testing... Chicken and Bacon Shish Kabobs, and rice
Wednesday - Crab cakes, fish sticks (kids), coleslaw, potato wedges
Thursday - My Beef tips and rice
Friday - Homemade Margherita Pizza
Saturday - Grilled Pork chops, grilled corn-on-the-cob, baked potatoes and onions, rolls

Sunday - Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches
Monday - take-out night (gymnastics)
Tuesday - Taste-testing... Garlic Beef Enchiladas, Beans, and Spanish Rice
Wednesday - Beef Stir-fry, rice, and egg rolls
Thursday - Bunko for me, and pizza delivery for them!!! ;)
Friday - King Ranch Chicken - still didn't get around to this last time!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

hello again......

Well, as Kathy mentioned, we've been neglectful, some of us more than others....heehee! Anyway, tonight I'm making this recipe I tried at our local HEB...it's so yummy and easy (only 4 ingredients)!!!! AND, my kids tried it and are begging me to make it!!

Wednesday:
Tomato Basil Tortellini Casserole
1/2 jar canyon foods tomato basil soup (i've only seen this at the HEB cooking station)
3 cups cooked chicken (i'm using a rotisserie chicken)
2 bags tortellini (i use cheese ... frozen, but thawed)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, combine tortellini, chicken and tomato basil soup. Spread mixture in a 9x13 baking dish and top with shredded cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes till hot and bubbling.

YUM!!!!!!

This with crusty bread and a good salad!!

Thursday:
Beef with broccoli and shrimp fried rice

Friday:
Kathy's crockpot steak & gravy.....YUMMY!! Gotta wait for the hubby to be home for this yummy one!!!!

I will keep you posted with the coming weeks!!!!!

YUM YUM....

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Leftover Ham...

Well, here's what I finally decided on...


Delicious Ham and Potato Soup - This was most excellent!!! We topped our soup with shredded Cheddar. Yummm.... This definitely made our "keeper" list!!

Breakfast Burritos

Savory Ham and Bean Soup - this isn't rated very high, but I think I can "doctor" it up a bit!

Ham and Swiss Bread Pudding - I'm really excited about this one!!!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Celebration Time....


It's our 100th post!!! Yay!!
I can't believe how quickly we got here?! What a fun journey this has been!

Sorry for our lack of posting lately. It's the kid's Spring Break and it's also my older boys' birthdays. So, we've been busy and eating out, running around, etc... I won't really have a menu up this next week either since we have so many leftovers from Easter and we'll be going out of town this coming weekend. I promise new things in April - and that's no joke!!! ;) I do need to get creative this week with all that ham - so if anyone has any ideas, PLEASE send them my way!!!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

What's your favorite... tuna recipe?

Eating tuna sandwiches really brings back memories of picnics with my grandparents! Here's my grandmother's recipe - my favorite!

Tuna Salad Sandwiches - adjust these to your liking:

tuna, rinsed and drained
miracle whip
eggs, boiled and chopped
1 red delicious apple, chopped
pecans, chopped



Sometimes I want tuna sandwiches, but I want something a little different. Nothing beats a good tuna melt...

Tuna Melt
I follow the recipe but add more mayo and mustard, otherwise it's a little too dry. I then put it on toasted bread with cheese and anything else you might want on there!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Aunt Billie's Mexican Vermicelli...

This was one of my favorites growing up as a child. When I got married and moved off to England - I quickly called Aunt Billie for this recipe. She is married to a Hispanic man and cooks authentic Mexican food everyday - even for lunch! My fondest memory of her is standing over her hot stove making homemade tortillas. The only hard thing about this is there's no real recipe - she does a little of this and a little of that!!! ughh... That's a really cruel joke to play on a recipe-follower like myself!!! ;) So, here goes... bare with me...


You crunch up the vermicelli noodles to 1/2"-1" or 1-2 little boxes of the noodles, sized just right. Melt grease in a pan - just enough to cover the bottom of your pan. You stir the noodles and cook until brown. Baby them so they don't burn!!! Once your noodles are brown, add a couple cups of water - just enough to cover your noodles. Season your noodles at this point with garlic powder or fresh garlic if you prefer, cumin, salt, and pepper. I wouldn't go too crazy with your spices - you can always add more at the end. Put the lid on and simmer on low. Once the water is gone add one can of whole tomatoes, cut up. Now it's time to taste and adjust your seasonings if you need to. Don't be afraid of the Cumin!!! Go ahead - give a couple more shakes! Besides the noodles, this is the most important ingredient!!!

Serve with Guiso or whatever you prefer. Since we're all visual eaters/cooks I promise to post a photo as soon as I can!!!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Kathy's menu - week 17

Monday - take-out night (gymnastics)

Tuesday - Taste testing... Leek and Mushrooms Egg noodles

Wednesday - Pasta alla Carbonara and Italian Bread

Thursday - King Ranch Chicken

Friday - Burgers for us, Burger Bites for the kids, and French Fries w/ all the toppings!

Saturday - No1here's famous Steaks, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans, rolls

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Corn Chip Chili Pie

This recipe tastes even better than it looks! I promise! No1here went back 3 times. I even had leftovers of it the next day - and I hate leftovers!!! If you give it a try, let me know if you love it as much as we do.


Corn Chip Chili Pie

For the chili:
1 lb. lean hamburger meat
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes, with juice
1 can (15.5 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup water (optional)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

For the crust:
6 cups corn chips, divided (I use Frito Scoop chips)
extra chips for the rim of the pie

For the garnish:
1/4 cup red onion
1 Tbs. fresh cilantro, minced
1 medium tomatillo, finely chopped (optional)



preparing the chili...
Cook your hamburger meat, onion, and garlic in a skillet on the stove. Add chili powder, flour, cumin, salt, and pepper and continue cooking for about a minute longer. Add tomatoes and beans to the skillet; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is blended and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. If mixture begins to dry out, add water.

preparing the crust...
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour 3 cups of corn chips into a pie plate. Using the bottom of a ramekin or coffee cup, crush corn chips into small pieces. Repeat this process with the other 3 cups of corn chips in a second pie plate. With extra Fritos, arrange around the edges of the pie plate to form a raised rim.

assembling & baking the pie...
spoon chili into crust, smoothing top. Sprinkle cheese evenly over chili. Bake pie until cheese is melted, about 10 mintues.

For the Garnish, sprinkle pie with onion, cilantro and tomatillo; serve.

Serves: 6

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Go Greek...

Enjoy the same flavorful Greek beef and pasta taste in a lighter, easy one-skillet meal. We have this with pita bread and yogurt on the side. We also make a homemade Greek Salad as well. It's a nice change to add to your normal list of meals. I also love that it's a cinch to make!!!

Prep Time:5 min
Start to Finish:25 min
Makes:4 servings (about 1 1/4 cups each)


Greek Beef and Orzo (lighter recipe)
recipe and photo source: Betty Crocker


1 pound extra-lean ground beef
2 cans (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 medium celery stalk, sliced ( 1/2 cup)
1 cup uncooked orzo or rosamarina pasta
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or less if desired)
1/2 cup fat-free yogurt


Cook beef in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat about 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until brown; drain.



Stir in remaining ingredients except yogurt. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until liquid is absorbed and pasta is tender. Serve with yogurt on the side.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Kathy's menu - week 16

Monday - Take-out night (gymnastics)

Tuesday - Taste-testing... Tried and Trues' Avacado Chicken, Risotto, Homemade Bread

Wednesday - Warm German Potato Salad with Kielbasa

Thursday - Greek Beef and Orzo, Pita Bread, Salad

Friday - Cheese Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce, Spanish rice, Refried Beans

Saturday - Brisket, Coleslaw, Beans, Potato Salad, and Beer Bread

Sunday - Corn Chip Chili Pie