Yummy for my tummy
When I was in high school and learning to cook, it used to drive me crazy the way my mother could cook without measuring anything or reading a recipe. Now, I'm one of those mothers too. For most of my favorite meals I don't have an exact recipe, so keeping that in mind, here are a few of my most recent successes :-)
Three bean chili con carne
1 lg can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 can brown beans (undrained)
1 can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
2-3 cups cooked ground beef
1 package chili seasoning (because of my lack of smell, I'm seasoning-challenged, so I cheat ;-)
sauteed fresh mushrooms, onions, peppers if you wish
Mixture should be very thick since it will become runnier as it cooks. Once it's mixed together, I'll sometimes tweak it by adding more beans or meat if it looks too runny. Easy to double the recipe, cooks great in the slow cooker or on the stove.
Last night for supper I threw something together and it was so super yummy! I took 4-5 chicken breasts and cut them in half lengthwise (so they'd cook faster) and I cooked them in a bit of olive oil. When they were browned and cooked through, I sauteed some chopped onion, then poured 2-3 cups of ready-made pasta sauce and a good amount of parmesan cheese over the chicken and onion and let it simmer together. Meanwhile, I cooked a pot of spagettini (1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 "Smart" ). I put the sauce and chicken in a pyrex dish and sprinkled grated mozza over top, put it in the oven on broil to melt and brown the cheese, then served it over the pasta. I was in a hurry otherwise I would have made a big green salad to go along with it, but O.M.G. it was yummy!! Skillet Chicken Parmesan maybe?
Then tonight, another success. I was at work and craving meat loaf and mashed potatoes. I only get an hour for my break and I knew I wouldn't have time to cook a meatloaf so I improvised. As soon as I got home I put about a pound of raw ground beef in a bowl with an egg and a good squirt of bbq sauce. Then I opened a box of Stove Top stuffing and put some of the dry mix ture into my blender and pulsed it to make the crumbs smaller - added it to the meat mixture and made thick hamburger patties. Kim peeled potatoes while I made the mini meatloaves. I cooked the mini meatloaves on our George Foreman grill and when they were cooked, I lifted the lid and put a spoonful of topping on them (ketchup, bbq sauce, brown sugar). Mashed potatoes, meat loaf, steamed green and yellow beans and carrots - cooked and served in less than 30 minutes! It was so, so yummy!!
Three bean chili con carne
1 lg can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 can brown beans (undrained)
1 can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
2-3 cups cooked ground beef
1 package chili seasoning (because of my lack of smell, I'm seasoning-challenged, so I cheat ;-)
sauteed fresh mushrooms, onions, peppers if you wish
Mixture should be very thick since it will become runnier as it cooks. Once it's mixed together, I'll sometimes tweak it by adding more beans or meat if it looks too runny. Easy to double the recipe, cooks great in the slow cooker or on the stove.
Last night for supper I threw something together and it was so super yummy! I took 4-5 chicken breasts and cut them in half lengthwise (so they'd cook faster) and I cooked them in a bit of olive oil. When they were browned and cooked through, I sauteed some chopped onion, then poured 2-3 cups of ready-made pasta sauce and a good amount of parmesan cheese over the chicken and onion and let it simmer together. Meanwhile, I cooked a pot of spagettini (1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 "Smart" ). I put the sauce and chicken in a pyrex dish and sprinkled grated mozza over top, put it in the oven on broil to melt and brown the cheese, then served it over the pasta. I was in a hurry otherwise I would have made a big green salad to go along with it, but O.M.G. it was yummy!! Skillet Chicken Parmesan maybe?
Then tonight, another success. I was at work and craving meat loaf and mashed potatoes. I only get an hour for my break and I knew I wouldn't have time to cook a meatloaf so I improvised. As soon as I got home I put about a pound of raw ground beef in a bowl with an egg and a good squirt of bbq sauce. Then I opened a box of Stove Top stuffing and put some of the dry mix ture into my blender and pulsed it to make the crumbs smaller - added it to the meat mixture and made thick hamburger patties. Kim peeled potatoes while I made the mini meatloaves. I cooked the mini meatloaves on our George Foreman grill and when they were cooked, I lifted the lid and put a spoonful of topping on them (ketchup, bbq sauce, brown sugar). Mashed potatoes, meat loaf, steamed green and yellow beans and carrots - cooked and served in less than 30 minutes! It was so, so yummy!!