Honey-Mustard Glazed Carrots

This was a hit in our house, even with the kids!  I got this recipe is from a Pillsbury booklet or you can go on their website.

1 bag (1 pound) ready-to-eat baby carrots
2 TBSP honey
1 TBSP olive or canola oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 TBSP chopped fresh parsley.  (I used dried)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper


In a 2 pt saucepan, heat 1/2 cup water to boiling.  Add carrots.  Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until tender.  Drain.

In medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients.  Add carrots; toss lightly to coat.

Unstuffed Shells

Wow, it's been two months since I posted!  I've kind of been in a rut with making the same recipes and the few new ones I've tried haven't been worth posting.  Until I made this!  The orginal recipe can be found here on the Kraft website.  This is going to be a regular meal in our house!  I made garlic bread and veggies to go with it.  I had leftovers for lunch the next day and I can't remember the last time I've been so excited for what I brought for lunch!


Unstuffed Shells

4 cups medium pasta shells, uncooked

1 lb.  extra-lean ground beef

1 jar (24 oz.) marinara sauce

1 tub  (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Original Cooking Creme

 

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil.  I used dried basil.  I didn't really measure it but I would estimate that I used around a tablespoon or a little more. 

 

1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1-1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Small onion or green pepper, chopped (optional)

 

 

 
Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, brown meat in a large skillet. If using an onion or green pepper, cook it with the beef.  Stir in marinara sauce; simmer on medium heat 2 min. Remove from heat. 

Drain pasta. Mix cooking creme, basil and Parmesan in large bowl; stir in pasta. Spread half the meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with layers of pasta mixture and remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella; cover with foil. 

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Take foil off after 20 minutes.

The recipe says you could refrigerate this for 24 hours before baking.  Then you would bake for 40-45 minutes, taking the foil off after 30 minutes. 

 

 

Beer Dip

I've tried a few new recipes in the past couple of weeks but nothing worth sharing so I thought I would share my beer dip recipe since it's been a couple weeks since I posted.  Well it's not actually my beer dip recipe.  I originally got it a couple years ago from someone I work with.  I've also been told it's the same beer dip recipe that's on the Taste of Home website.  Nonetheless, it's an awesome beer dip and I've gotten a lot of compliments on it since I usually make it for family get-togethers.  It's usually one of the first things to go!    My kids even love it when I make beer dip!  After eating some, my four year old usually says "I love beer!"

Beer Dip

2  8oz blocks of cream cheese.  I have used low-fat and it still tastes good!
1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dry seasoning
shredded cheddar cheese (the amount depends on your preference)
1/2-3/4 can of beer  (In my opinion a heavy beer tastes better in the beer dip then a light one but that is totally up to your preference.)
Pretzels for dipping.  Or you could use crackers or vegetables.

Mix together all ingredients.  Put it in a bowl or serving dish and put some cheddar cheese on top if desired.  I also mix in a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese into the dip.  I pour the beer in a little bit at a time to get  the dip to the consistency and taste that I want.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

This is a really easy and yummy chicken casserole recipe.  It's so easy my husband can even make it!  The original recipe came from the Kraft Foods website.  I usually don't add the tomato because others in my family don't like tomatoes, although I think I will one of these times because I don't think they would even notice it.  I also leave the green pepper out if I don't have one on hand. 

Mexican Chicken Casserole

3/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tsp ground cumin

1 green pepper, chopped

1-1/2 cups Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, cubed

1 can  (15 oz.)  black beans, rinsed

1 tomato, chopped

2  tortillas (6 inch)

1/2 cup  Mexican Style Shredded Cheese, divided

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COOK and stir chicken and cumin in nonstick skillet on medium heat 2 min. Add peppers; cook 2 min., stirring occasionally. Stir in salsa; cook 2 min. Add cream cheese; cook 2 min. or until melted. Stir in beans and tomatoes.
SPOON 1/3 of chicken mixture into 8-inch square baking dish; cover with 1 tortilla and half each of the remaining chicken mixture and shredded cheese. Top with remaining tortilla and chicken mixture; cover.
BAKE 20 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese; bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until melted.

Spaghetti a la Philly

This is my most current favorite meal!  The original recipe can be found at Mommy's Kitchen.  I've made this twice in the last two weeks and it's a hit with the kids as well!  I think this would also be good as a meatless meal and plan on making it like that in the near future.


Spaghetti a la Philly
1 - lb lean ground beef, browned & drained
1 jar (24 -26 oz) Spaghetti Sauce
1/2 package (4 ounces) cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 - (8 ounces) pkg spaghetti, cooked and drained (I usually use whole wheat pasta.)
2 - tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the beef in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat. Stir the sauce and cream cheese in the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 3 minutes or until the cream cheese is melted, stirring often. Place the spaghetti into a large bowl. Add the beef mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and serve.

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
(about 1 1/2 cups each)

Debdoozie's Blue Ribbon Chili

This is our favorite chili recipe. Or I should say our favorite beef chili recipe because we also have a favorite chicken chili recipe. The original recipe can be found here. It's easy to make, doesn't take a lot of ingredients and tasts so good! I've also made this in the crock pot and let it cook on low for a few hours. Sometimes I also make some noodles, either spagetti noodles or elbow macaroni, on the side to add to the chili if desired.

Debdoozie's Blue Ribbon Chili

2 lbs ground beef (sometimes I only use 1 lb)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 (8 oz) jar salsa
4 tablespoons chili seasoning mix ( I use one chili seasoning packet)
1 (15 oz) can light red kidney beans
1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans

In a large saaucepan over medium heat, combine the ground beef and the onion and saute for 10 minutes or until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain grease.

Add the ground black pepper, garlic salt, tomato sauce, salsa, chili seasoning mix, and kidney beans. Mix well, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour.

Strawberry Pancakes

I make pancakes for my kids about once a week. Usually we make chocolate chip, but I wanted to try something new. My kids love strawberries so I thought this would be a good fit for them...and it was! I got this recipe from mommy hates cooking. This recipe made about double the amount of pancakes we needed. We ate them as leftovers a couple days later and they were still good, but if you don't want leftovers it should be fine to halve this recipe.

Strawberry Pancakes

2 cups baking mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped strawberries

Combine baking mix, milk, and eggs until well mixed. Mix in the strawberries. Cook on a skillet over medium heat. Top with syrup if desired.