Huevos Rancheros

One of my favorite blogs is Smitten Kitchen - it's a cooking blog full of gorgeous photos (the photo above was taken right from her blog) and a variety of recipes, ranging from super-fancy to totally doable. In a word, it's just plain lovely. Sometimes, I just look this blog to get motivated to make dinner - the way that the author, Deb, approaches cooking as an art, as an expression of herself, is so inspiring. Always makes me want to whip something up.

Anyway, I thought I would share this now on Recipedia because I just made her Huevos Rancheros (again!). This is dinner is so crazy-easy, barely costs anything to make, and it is so yummy. Basically, ever since she published this on Smitten Kitchen, huevos rancheros have become my "I-don't-know-what-to-make" or "I-don't-feel-like-cooking" dinner. Here's the link: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/huevos-rancheros/

I hope you enjoy them as much I do!

Pizza Frittata

This is really yummy - I'd never made a frittata before, but it was surprisingly easy. For those who aren't familiar with them, it's basically a baked omelet. This one is really good with some garlic bread on the side. This recipe takes about a half hour from start to finish - it's also a good stand-by because it only needs a few ingredients (all of which are pretty inexpensive). Enjoy!

1 Tbsp. plus 4 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion
6 large eggs plus 2 large egg whites
coarse salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 can (14.5 oz.) whole tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tsp. oil over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes. Cool completely.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 2 Tbsp. water. Stir in onion and 3/4 cup mozzarella.
3. In the skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat. Add egg mixture; reduce heat to low, and cook until beginning to set around the edges, about 3 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven; bake until set, about 12 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tsp. oil in a saucepan over low heat. Cook garlic until soft, 2 minutes or so. Add tomatoes, parsley, and 1/4 tsp. salt; simmer, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon, about 5 minutes.
5. Spoon sauce over frittata; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese. Return to oven for a minute, until the cheese melts.

Note: If you're pressed for time, you can always skip step four (no need to buy garlic, tomatoes, or parsley) - just use 1 1/2 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce. Serves 4.

Spicy Shrimp and Fettuccine

Oh baby! This recipe was so yummy! I made it for the first time last night for dinner and it was so delicious that I had to share. It's also really easy to make. Plus, I got it from Cooking Light's website, so it only has a little over 400 calories a serving. One note: it may be too spicy for small kids. You could use less (or omit) of the red pepper, depending on your family's tastes.

8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 5) (I used a 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes, without the juice, since I forgot to buy the tomatoes. They worked just fine.)
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 T. of fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add red pepper and garlic to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add shrimp; sauté 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and next 4 ingredients (through salt); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pasta; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.

Place 1 1/2 cups pasta mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese. Serve immediately.

Rice Krispie Honey Chicken

1 pkg. Boneless, Skinless Chicken (I just cut 2 B/S chicken breasts into smaller pieces)
1/2 cube margarine, melted
2-2 1/2 C Crushed Rice Krispies (We used corn flakes, and that was good, too.)
Honey

Dip chicken in melted butter then roll in crushed Krispies. Place on un-greased cookie sheet. Bake 40 minutes at 325 degrees. Remove from oven and put a generous amount of honey on chicken. Cook 10 minutes more. Watch carefully to make sure honey doesn't burn.

Lime Rice

1 C. white rice
2 Tbsp. chicken broth
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. minced dry onion
pinch of sale

Cook all ingredients for rice directions, Substitute broth for water. When rice is done, add

1/2 - 1 C. cilantro
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 cup green enchilada sauce

I tried to make this using the Japanese way to cook rice, and it didn't turn out so well. I think I'll stay away from trying it again; I'll let my husband try to cook it. He'll probably have better luck.

Cafe Rio Meat

3 1bs. Rump Pork Roast
1 C. Dark Brown Sugar (don't substitute)
1 C. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
1 tsp. Powdered Ginger
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp. Dried Minced Onions

Cook all ingredients in a crock pot all day. 1 hour before serving, shred meat. Dump out juice. Put shredded pork back in crock pot and add...

1 C. Dark Brown Sugar
1 C. Red enchilada sauce

Don't know what your opinion of homemade knock off food, but this one is not too bad. My sister-in-law makes it and found this recipe. We've made it at our house and we found that this is a pretty cheap / good meal to have. The pork is relatively inexpensive, even for 3 lbs. The Worcestershire is the expensive thing, and it uses a lot of it. Make sure you throw out the sauce that it cooks all day in, though. Good Luck!

Shrimp Curry with Snow Peas

I LOVE curry, so whenever I'm craving it (and I don't have the time or money to go to the Bombay House), this is the recipe I go to - it's fast, easy and really good (I probably should mention it's from the Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers cookbook).

1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 large onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I used olive oil - worked fine)
2 Tbsp. curry powder
5 oz. snow peas, cut in half on the diagonal (about 2 cups)
3 tomatoes, chopped (2 cups) - I sometimes just use a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 14 oz. can of coconut milk (it's in the international section at most grocery stores)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or basil

If your shrimp is frozen, place it in cold water before you start. Because the shrimp cooks in the coconut milk, it does not have to be completely defrosted.

In a saucepan on medium-high heat, saute the onions in the oil for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the shrimp and curry powder and cook for a minute or two, stirring to prevent sticking. Add the snow peas and tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes, and turn the shrimp to cook on both sides. When the shrimp are mostly pink, pour in the coconut milk, salt, and lemon or lime juice and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cilantro or basil and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot over rice.

Serves 4
Total time: 20 minutes

Chicken Pot Pie-Too Easy

2 cups boiled chicken, cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of potato soup
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups frozen veggies
1 can biscuits

Cook frozen veggies in micro-wave safe bowl for 6 minutes. In 9X9 inch baking dish add chicken and vegetables. In separate bowl, mix soup and milk together. Add chicken and mix together. Bake in oven 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with biscuits. (do not let biscuits touch) return to oven and bake 10 minutes or until biscuits are browned.

Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 slices Swiss Cheese
6 slices ham
1 TBS margarine
2 cans cream of chicken soup
10 TBS. milk

Flatten chicken with mallet. Cover each breast with cheese and ham. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Brown each chicken roll in margarine in skillet, making sure pieces are fully covered. Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours. (This makes a gravy for chicken and rice or potatoes.

Easy Empanada Recipe

Easy Empanada's

1 lb. cooked ground beef

1/2 c. water

1/2 or 1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

2 8oz. cans crescent dinner rolls

4oz. shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Brown ground beef. Stir in desired amount of taco seasoning and water. Cook 3 minutes. Seperate crescent rolls into 16 triangles. Spoon 2 Tbsp. of meat on 8 crescent rolls, top it with cheese. Then add the other 8 crescent rolls and seal edges. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy with sour cream and salsa for toppings.

CROCKPOT CHICKEN TORTILLA

CrockPot Chicken Tortilla

1 doz corn tortillas torn

2-3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

1 can chopped green chilis

3 cups grated cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

Place a small amount of soup in the crockpot. Place a layer of tortillas, layer of shredded chicken, layer of green chilis, layer of cheese. Top with a little soup. Then repeat adding a little extra cheese on top of the soup. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.