Beef and Gravy

This was super flavorful and yummy. Cole saw it and started complaining that he hates gravy but once he ate it, he really liked it. We put ours on top of mashed potatoes, but it would be yummy on rice, pasta, probably even quinoa or something else a little more healthy. ;)

• 2-3 pounds beef, like a chuck roast (cut into 2 or 3 pieces)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
• ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ cups beef broth or stock
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1/3 cup flour
• 6-7 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Place the meat, salt, pepper and onion in a slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the garlic salt, Worcestershrie sauce, beef broth and ketchup. Pour over the meat.

Cook for 7-9 hours on low, or 4-5 on high. (Or as I often do, a combination of both.)

About 30 minutes before serving, combine the flour and water in a small bowl, whisking to combine well. The roux should be thick but still pourable. Pull out the chunks of meat from the slow cooker. Pour the flour mixture into the slow cooker, whisking quickly to mix in the roux with the juices and to avoid lumps. Shred the meat with 2 forks and put back into the sauce.

Cook on high for 30 minutes. Stir in ½ cup sour cream right before serving.


If it makes way too much, I'm sure you could freeze portions in ziploc bags and then thaw the day before in the fridge and reheat over the stove. 

Lentil and Rice Casserole

I don't even know that I'd call this a casserole, but that's what the recipe is called, so I'll stick with it. But this is an incredibly easy dinner. All my boys liked it. Even Seth. And he didn't even mention missing any meat, which is huge. I like to try and make a couple meals a month that are meatless and this is a perfect one. (Mom and Mandie tasted the leftovers of this at my house months ago and both really liked it too.)

Lentil and Rice Casserole
3 C. chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
3/4 C. lentils, cleaned and picked over
1/2 C. brown or white rice, uncooked
3/4 C. fresh onion (the recipe calls for that much, but I only do like 1/4 cup because it seems insane to put as much onion in as lentils and I worry it would overpower everything and my boys wouldn't like it, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad?? And one time I only had onion powder so I didn't put any fresh onion in.)
1/2 t. basil
1/4 t. oregano
1/4 t. thyme
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 C. cheese

1.  Combine all ingredients except cheese in a casserole dish.

2.  Cover and bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours.

3.  At the last 20-30 minutes of baking, sprinkle cheese all over, bake uncovered.

Serve with any of the following: avocado/guacamole, sour cream, salsa, tortilla chips, cilantro or olives. (I've never put all of those at once, just chosen a few.)

Chicken Pot Pie

 Holy cow! I can't believe it's been so long since we posted. I've been having a hard time coming up with dinners lately, so I thought I'd start posting recipes so I can easily look up ones that I've made before and love.

This is the yummiest chicken pot pie I've ever had. And I've tried a lot. Easton even said today that this may be what he chooses for his birthday dinner. Just a warning- this is not a healthy meal. But so worth it. It's pure comfort food!

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (although today I only used one and used extra potato to make up for it and didn't even miss the extra chicken)
3 cups frozen peas
3 cups frozen corn
3-4 potatoes, cooked and cubed
(add or subtract any veggies you like)
3/4 cups margarine or butter
2/3 cup + 3 Tbls flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
4 cups chicken broth (I just heat up 4 cups water and add in chicken boullion)
1 + 2/3 cup milk

Thaw vegetables. Melt butter in large saute pan. Add in flour and all the seasonings. Slowly add in the chicken broth and milk. Bring to boil then simmer over medium-low heat til it thickens. Add in chicken and vegetables.

Make into pot pies. There's so many ways you can make these. I make individual pot pies in ramekins and top them with phyllo dough. I spread with a little melted butter or margarine to help make it brown on the top. You can use cresent roll dough. You can use regular pie crust to top it. I don't like putting a crust or anything on the bottom just cause those are unnecessary extra calories. But you can totally make it however you want. It's this filling that is delicious! The only baking you'll have to do will depend on your topping as the filling will already be warm. If you're taking it out of the freezer, you can heat up the filling to cut back on the time needed to bake it, or you can just bake it longer if the topping needs to bake a while anyways.

This recipe makes a ton. So I usually have quite a bit leftover to freeze for another meal another day. Super easy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwiches

Recipe and picture taken from Six Sisters' Stuff.

This was a dinner that all my boys loved, especially Cole, which is saying something since he's the pickiest. It's also very versatile, but I'll give you those tips at the end.

Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwiches
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (I did use the actual shredded kind, rather than the dried crumbly kind, but then I just put the rest of the cheese in my freezer for next time)
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (if you don't have fresh use around 2 teaspoons of dried parsley)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
12 slider buns or 4-6 regular sized hamburger buns

1. Place chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water, cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours. I also seasoned the chicken with a little bit of minced onion and garlic powder.

2. Remove chicken from cooker using a slotted spoon and drain the water from the slow cooker. Place chicken on a cutting board and pull chicken into shreds, discarding any fat.

3. Place chicken back in the cooker and pour dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top. I really make sure that I discard any fat pieces so by the time I was done I only used about 1/2 cup of dressing but you make need more if you have more chicken. Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until mixture is hot.

4. Spoon 1/4 cup mixture onto each slider bun if you are making sliders or more for regular sized buns. Top with extra shredded Parmesan cheese and lettuce to serve (we also added a little bit of dressing on on the buns).

MY TIPS- I only used maybe 1/4 cup dressing because I was very worried about the taste being too strong for my boys. So it did seem somewhat dry but I just spread some extra dressing on my own bun. Obviously, just remember it's much easier to add to it than take away. ;)

The day later I had some for lunch. I toasted a bun, spread dressing on it, put some lettuce and then the chicken and didn't put on the top bun (trying to eat just a little less carbs when I can stand it :). And I thought that was SO much yummier! I think it was mostly the toasted bun that did it. Delish!

As I was eating it for lunch, I realized this could totally be wrapped up in a lettuce leaf and be so yummy and actually healthy. I'll definitely be trying that next time.

Add some fresh fruit and baked chips as sides and you have an incredibly easy and healthy meal!

This is definitely one I'm adding to my normal list of dinners. :)

Seriously. So good. So easy!

Okay are you ready for one of the easiest dinners you'll ever make??? Oh, and it is yum yum yummy! Ingredients: -3 or 4 chicken breast -1/4 cup Parmesan cheese -1/8 cup mayo -1/8 cup sour cream -italian bread crumbs (I just used plain and added garlic salt, pepper, etc) Pre heat oven to 425. Lay chicken breast flat on cookie sheet. (I cut mine in half or thirds only cause I prefer all my chicken to be in smaller strips). Mix Parmesan, mayo and sour cream together then spread over the top of chicken. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top covering chicken. (thin layer). Cook for 20-30 min until chicken is done. That's it!!! The first time I made it I used all mayo cause that's what the recipe said but the 2nd time I wanted to make it less fatty and did sour cream and it was way better! I bet you could try all sour cream too if you wanted or even Greek yogurt?!? Goes great with lots of different sides! Yum!! Try it and let me know what you think!!! Just make sure to eat it before 8:00pm!! ;)

hello Chinese girl...

I need to start this out by reminding us all of that one time the little boy walked up to Bone and said, "Helloooo Chinese girl!" hahaha...

The other night I made baked sweet and sour chicken.  http://pinterest.com/pin/160370436701021095/  You can re-pin it here if you'd like. 

I thought it was fairly easy and really YUMMY!  Loo, I bet you could try this with tofu too..I think it would be delish! 

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe:

(Recipe from Life as a Lofthouse)

Chicken:
3-4 boneless chicken breasts
salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil (I just used veggie oil.)

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
4 tbs ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs. Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.

Curtiss and I both loved it and we will be making it again for sure!!!

Baked Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

 I found this recipe here. 

These were pretty tasty. The older boys ate more than I did, so that's saying something. Her recipe seemed like it'd make a ton and since I hadn't tried them yet, I cut it in half and that made about 14 still. She does mention that they work as freezer meals, so you could use her quantities and stick a bunch in the freezer for meals later on.

Baked Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

Ingredients:
4 oz cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel cheese)
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (my new favorite way to cook bacon is in the oven!)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 (1 oz) packet dry Ranch Dressing mix (here is a recipe for a homemade Ranch Dressing mix)
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (I used more, probably like 1 and 1/2 cups)
3-4 Tablespoons green onion, chopped (I didn't use these)
12 (6-inch) flour tortillas (the quantity just depends on how full you fill them)
Salt
Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cover a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

Mix together cream cheese, chicken, bacon, cheese, and green onions. Add in about 1/3 of the dry Ranch dressing mix and taste- add more if you want more of a Ranch taste. (It's hard to know how much you're adding in, but I think I did about 1/3 and it didn't have too much of a ranch taste, so I'm not sure how necessary it is, unless you want to add more and have a big ranch taste. Next time I make them I'll probably leave this out completely and see if anyone misses it.) Mix well. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into a flour tortilla and roll it up.

Place taquito seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat about 12 times (I had to use two baking sheets). Once finished, spray the tops of the taquitos with non-stick cooking spray (or you could lightly brush some olive oil on them) and sprinkle with salt (I used Kosher salt, the bigger granules and really liked it for this).

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes (or until edges and tops are golden, mine started getting golden more around 10).

Homemade BBQ Beef Sandwiches

Homemade BBQ Beef Sandwiches

{I love love LOVE the crock pot. So I'm always trying to find recipes to use it. This one is great any time of year.}

1 1/2 cup ketchup

1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tsp Chili Powder (add more, if desired)

1/2 tsp Garlic Salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

Combine sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Take a 2-3 lb chuck roast and brown it on all sides. (This is actually the first time I've followed that step and it did turn out to be the softest, shreddiest ;) meat I've done in the crock pot, so I think it actually did probably help. Contrary to my previous beliefs that the step was just a time waster.)

Put the roast in a crock pot and dump all the sauce on top. 

Add half a can petite (important when you have picky boys and husband) diced tomatoes. (I added a whole for this one and Seth said it was way too tomatoey. While I still liked it, the sauce definitely didn't shine like normal, so I'll stick with half. Or I guess you could also not add it at all, but it all may get too dry in the crock pot without the extra juice the tomatoes provide.)

Cook on LOW for at least 6 hours, preferably 8. 

Enjoy!

This meat freezes perfectly. And this recipe makes enough for our family for 2 meals. So we'll eat it for one night and then put the rest in a freezer bag to be eaten later on. Just in case you didn't know the definition of 'freezer meal' ;)

My entry to  the appliances online  crafty creations competition. You can enter too at Lil’luna!

Cowboy Quesadillas

I've made these for dinner twice now, and have loved them both times. The boys don't  care for them but I'll keep making them try. :) On a side note, they used to hate Hawaiian Haystacks and would only have rice and cheese on it, no sauce or anything and then cucumbers on a different plate on the side and just this past week when we had them, they ALL were putting EVERYTHING on top of their rice. It was too cool! ;) 

They are definitely a quick meal and super healthy, at least in my opinion. You could also easily leave out the chicken -Linda- and it would still taste great. 

When you first read it, it sounds not too yummy or kinda like a weird combination of things, at least to me, but the first time I tried it, it was like 6 at night and I still had no clue what to make for dinner and happened to have all these ingredients on hand. So glad I tried it.

Here's the link to where I got it - http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/10/cowboy-quesadillas/

 

Cowboy Quesadillas
Recipe by Our Best Bites
1/2 C white rice - leftover rice (because who would really cook just a little)
1/3 C black beans
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1/3 C fresh frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw)
2/3 C diced tomato
3 Tbs sliced green onion - I've never added this
1 1/2 C shredded cheese (any type or combo you like)
1/4 C bbq sauce
6 small tortillas (fajita size, about 6″) - I used 5 bigger ones

Dipping Sauce
equal parts bbq sauce and ranch dressing - I think I did this the first time and liked it *I think*, but didn't do it this most recent time, so I can't say for sure

Combine rice, beans, chicken, corn, tomato, green onion and shredded cheese.  Add bbq sauce and stir to combine.  Place about 1/3 C of mixture on half of each tortilla and fold over to close.
Heat a skillet to medium heat on the stove top.  When hot, spray lightly with cooking spray, or drizzle with canola or olive oil.  Place quesadillas in pan and cook for 2-4 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crisp.  Flip and repeat on opposite side.  Cool for a few minutes and then serve with BBQ-Ranch dipping sauce.

Enjoy!