Red Chicken Enchiladas

Day 2 ~ Chicken Enchiladas with classic red sauce.   This is the second meal from my $5.00 free range whole chicken from Nugget Markets.  I like to mix my shredded cheese with cottage cheese; I find it makes the enchiladas moister.  I also like to use the small 6 inch corn tortillas and a large can of red enchilada sauce.  There is always plenty of “baked sauce and cheese” leftover in my baking dish and it is great with refried bean and rice the next day for lunch.

My family really gobbles this meal up.  I had to quick snap a photo before the plates, and meal, disappeared.

Baked Chicken

There is really nothing special last tonight’s chicken dinner other then the fact it is the first of four meals my family will get from this five pound, five dollar, free range chicken.  No that wasn’t a typo – stay tuned and you will see:  Day 2 (today) Chicken Enchiladas’, Day 3 Stuffed Potato, Day 4 homemade Chicken Soup. 

Sweet & Sour Pork

Several weeks ago I prepared six thick pork cutlets, we ate three for dinner and I froze three for a later date.  This morning, I took the three cutlets out of the freezer and placed them in the refrigerator to defrost.  Twenty minutes before dinner, I cut the thick pork cutlets into one inch cubes, washed and sliced mushrooms and opened a can of pineapple tidbits.  I tossed all three into my electric skillet and whipped up a homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce to add to the mix.  In the meantime, I also reheated last night’s rice and made a Caesar Salad.  And there you have it…dinner in less than 20 minutes!  My family raved over the sauce and you will too!  Enjoy!

Joelle’s Sweet & Sour Sauce

Mix the following:  (then I added it to my pork, pineapple and mushrooms)

·         ¼ cup ketchup

·         1/3 cup pineapple juice

·         ½ cup white sugar

·         ¼ cup white vinegar

·         1 teaspoon soy sauce

Cook over medium heat till sugar dissolves and mixture boils.  Add a little corn starch and water if needed.   Makes 1 cup of sauce, great for chicken, pork or dipping.

au Gratin Rice & Poached Cod

I list the rice first because it stole the show.  It was fantastic!   It’s all natural Farmhouse Broccoli au Gratin made with Cheddar and Parmesan Cheese.  I didn’t taste the ‘broccoli’ but no matter…the rice was delicious! 

Poached Cod is an old family favorite from my childhood.  My dad use to poach fresh Cod and serve it dipped in melted butter.  It is a quick and simple meal.  If you’re counting calories, go light on the butter and limit your rice to no more than a third of a cup.  Do try this combination, the rich flavors are sure to please.

Pot Luck Beef Stroganoff

I know some of you have tried my Tri Tip Beef Stroganoff and loved it.  I’m so pleased to share this easy rendition of that very same recipe.  It works great for large crowds.

Mix the following four ingredients together and pour into a crock pot or skillet.

1.       1 can of cream of celery soup

2.       1 can of French onion soup

3.       ½ carton of sour cream

4.       A splash of Kitchen Bouquet

Add  fresh or defrosted (previously frozen) meatballs.  In a crock pot, cook on high for at least two hours.  In a skillet cover and cook until heated completely through.  Personally, I like to use the crock pot and I heat both the meatballs and the sauce before adding them to the crock pot.

Thirty minutes before serving, boil one package of wide egg noodles, drain and place in a 9x13 dish.  Top with the heated meatballs and sauce.   

Sometimes when I’m bringing this dish to a party I have the luxury of being able to plug in the crock pot and let the guests dish up their own noodles and meatballs, but if it’s outdoors or space doesn’t really allow for both the crock pot and a dish of egg noodles, I simple spoon the meatballs over the noodles and bring that to the table.

Kid Friendly Crescent Dogs

One thing I love about summer is all of the pot lucks and parties we get invited to.  I’m always happy to make and share a kid friendly main dish.  This one is always a hit.  Spend a little more on good quality Hot Dogs (I used the new Ball Park Deli Style Beef Franks) and the original Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.  They are so good; adults love them as much as kids so make plenty.

How To Make

To Make 16 Crescent Dogs You’ll need: 

One, 8 pack of hot dogs and Two, 8 packs of Crescent Roll Refrigerator dough.

Cut a full size hot dog is half and wrap it in refrigerator crescent roll dough.  Place the hot dog half on the large end of the dough triangle and roll it up just like you would if you were baking the crescent rolls.  Wrap the dog completely, sealing the ends and place with the tip down on a ungreased baking sheet.  Bake as directed on the roll package (12 – 15 minutes).  I like to brush the dough with melted butter for to get that nicely browned looked.

Serve with mustard and ketchup.  Watch them disappear! 

Grilled Cheese

My dear gentle chiefs, today I realized, sometimes we (I) make too big a deal over the age old question, ”What’s for dinner?”  You know how I like to have one vegetarian dinner each week, and to be honest it’s the hardest meal for me to plan.  Tonight was no exception.  Both my husband and I had BIG lunches (thanks Julie and BJ’s) so we were looking for something light.  I looked over what was in my pantry, the refrigerator and my garden and it hit me ~ grilled cheese sandwiches and a salad.  Now, was that so hard?  No!  So along with today’s meal suggestion I’m giving unsolicited advice.  Lighten up!  Let’s be thankful for the abundance of food we have and simply use what’s on hand every now and then.  J

New York Steak

Every now and then my dear husband craves a big juicy steak.  I’ve found nothing quite satisfies as much as a New York Steak.  Early this morning I placed three choice New York Steaks in a gallon sized zip lock bag with McCormick’s Grill Mates, Brown Sugar Bourbon naturally flavored marinade.  The meat absorbed the wonderful flavors throughout the day.   When I got home from a day of fun with my sister, I washed and par boiled three rather large red potatoes and made veggie- kabobs with sweet white onion, red pepper and button mushrooms. 

The meal was a hit with both my husband and daughter.  They are such good sports to eat light several days of the week so I like to treat them to a nice steak once in a while.

Crab, Shrimp, Scallop ~ Tomato Bisque Soup

If you like shellfish and if you like tomato bisque you will LOVE this soup.  It’s actually so good you could serve it to company.  Just be sure to toss the cans before they arrive and they will think you were in the kitchen for hours preparing this delicious homemade soup.  I like to serve it with crusty garlic bread for dipping. 

Betsy’s Crab, Shrimp, Scallop ~ Tomato Bisque Soup 

(serves 4, prep and cook time about 20 min. total)

·         1 medium sweet onion, finely diced

·         2 celery stalks, finely diced

·         2 Tablespoons butter

·         1 (26oz) can Campbell’s Tomato Soup

·         26 oz of milk

·         1 (6oz) can crabmeat

·         1 (4oz) can tiny shrimp

·         ½ pound bay scallops

·         1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Wash and dice onion and celery.  Melt butter in a medium sized sauce pan, sauté onion and celery until soft.  Stir in Tomato Soup, milk, crabmeat, shrimp and scallops.  Heat to serving temperature.  I like to bring it right up to the boiling point without actually bringing it to a boil.  Stir in 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning.  Let the soup rest while you toast some garlic bread.  Then serve up the soup and warm bread and enjoy!

Garden Salad with Chicken Breast

Tonight's dinner included fresh lettuce and spinach from my garden.  It was picked, washed and on our plate in minutes.  I topped the salad with a little feta cheese, olives, herb salad and light Asian Toasted Sesame dressing.  I also added a rolled slice of Muenster Cheese, and a bit of a buttery croissant.  I have several prepared salads and cottage cheese on the table and everyone added their favorites.  It was an easy fresh dinner.  Perfect for a summer's day.

Glazed BBQ Chicken Breast

The Dinner Queen has been on the go ~  a day at the ocean and a day on the lake ~

But tonight I was back in blog mode. 

Here is a poolside snap shot of the chicken breast I BBQed.  Don’t they look good!

Betsy’s Glazed BBQ Chicken Breast

1.     Wash and dry Chicken breast

2.     Season with Garlic Salt, pepper and Sweet Basial

3.     BBQ until about ¾ of the way done, turning frequently

4.     In a small mixing bowl add:

·        A little honey

·        A little soy sauce

·        A little orange juice and

·        A little catsup…..

5.With a basting brush gently stir the above ingredients, don’t over “mix” think of it like a stirred not shaken martin…you don’t want to blend the flavors just gently stir them about a bit.

6. Then brush them on the chicken, turning, brushing, turning, brushing…

You will be in for a treat.  Each bite will highlight a different flavor, sweet honey, tart O.J.  Salty soy…oh it is so good.  You will NEVER BUY JAR BBQ SAUCE AGAIN!

Homemade Pizza & Herb Salad

I looked at the leftover ingredients from the Risotto and thought I can either make a yummy pasta salad or homemade pizza…the family voted…pizza it is!  What do you like to put on your homemade pizza?  The possibilities are endless.  Here is what I created for our “sandwich night” meal according to my weekly menu plan (posted in April).

Homemade Pizza

·         Lightly spray olive oil on a round pizza pan (with the little holes in the bottom)

·         Boboli Crust

·         Pizza Sauce

·         Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

·         Shredded 3 Cheese Italian Blend

·         Sliced Pepperoni

·         Chopped Sun Dried Tomatoes (* leftover from the Risotto)

·         Chopped Artichoke Hearts *

·         Sliced Black Olives *

·         Sliced Green Onions

·         Sprinkling of Italian Herbs (dried)

·         And a dusting of grated Parmesan cheese for good measure!

·         Bake at 425 degrees in my convection oven for ___ minutes.  Enjoy

I paired the pizza with a Herb Salad Blend from Earth Bound Organic Farm.

......oh so good. 

Glazed Baked Cod

Tonight's dinner consisted of the most perfectly baked and glazed cod and fresh steamed veggies.  We skipped the carbs because…..we munched on chips and homemade dip pool side just before dinner.  My daughter mentioned she had never had homemade ranch dip, so of course, I had to make some.  It really brought back memories.  Ah, but…back to the cod fish Captain Hook.

The Glaze

·         3 Tablespoons of honey

·         3 Tablespoons of Dijon mustard

·         1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Mix all three of the above ingredients, spoon over fish fillets (which are placed in a 9 x 12 baking dish lightly greased with olive oil) and bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. 

 If you like fish ~ you will love this!

Mediterranean Risotto

Tonight for our weekly vegetarian dinner I made Mediterranean Risotto.  It was nice and creamy, full of the wonderful flavors or the Mediterranean ~ check out my recipe.  

A word of wisdom,  if you have never made risotto, it helps to have a sous chief to help with the prep and stirring, I had my sister.  J

Mediterranean Risotto

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons of butter and 3 cloves of garlic. Sauté till tender.   Add 1 cup of Arborio rice and stir until rice is coated in butter.  Slowly stir in one can of Chicken Broth.  I like to always keep the rice just covered in broth.  Slowly bring the mixture to a boil and continually stir and add water (1 ¾ cup) to keep the rice covered in broth.  Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes.   Then add:

·         1/6 cup of sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, snipped into strips

·         1 small jar of artichoke crowns

·         1 ( 3.8 oz.) can of sliced black olives, drained

·         1 ½ teaspoons of thyme leaves

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in ½ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately. 

I served a cole slaw and fruit salad to complete our poolside meal.

Taco Salad

This week we enjoyed a Taco Salad for dinner. 

Several days ago I purchased a large package of ground beef that I used for the stuffed cabbage rolls and tonight’s salad.   The package was over 1 ½ pounds and cost only $5.70.  Remember, I only like to spend ten dollars a week on “meat” for dinner.    Since we’ll get two meals from the stuffed cabbage rolls (I still have one meal in the freezer) and one meal with the ground beef tonight, I am satisfied I got my money’s worth, eat well and stayed within budget. 

I hope my money saving menu tips are helpful.  I love to hear you are expanding your menus with some of my dishes.  Enjoy!

Tuna Cheddar Bacon Melt

Tonight was sandwich night so I whipped up a delicious Tuna Melt. 

I add Cheddar Cheese, tomato and bacon to our open faced sandwiches.  I like to use the large round San Francisco Sourdough sliced bread so the sandwiches are big and filling. 

How do you make a tuna melt?

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Today’s dinner was a little more work than usual, but well worth it.  I was hungry for stuffed cabbage rolls.  This is an old recipe with a new twist ~ a secret ingredient.  Do try it if you have the time.  It’s very good.   Of course I made enough for another dinner; it’s packed away in the freeze and will come in most handy on a super busy day.

Betsy’s Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

·         7 or 8 large cabbage leaves (try and keep each leaf in 1 piece) you’ll only need 6 leaves total but some tend to break when peeling or cooking

·         1 beaten egg

·         ½ cup of milk

·         1/3 cup (or more) of sweet white onion, chopped fine

·         1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

·         ¾ teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste

·          ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon

·         1 pound ground beef

·         ¾ cup of cooked rice (brown or white)

·         1 (15 oz can) tomato sauce

·         1 Tablespoon brown sugar

·         1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1.       Wash cabbage leaves and place in a saucepan of boiling water with the heat off, soak for 5 minutes, drain and cool.

2.       In a bowl, combine egg, milk, onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and cinnamon (my secret ingredient) mix well.  Then add ground beef and cooked rice.

3.       Place ½ cup of meat mixture on each large leaf and wrap it like a present.  I secure each leaf with a tooth pick or two but caution guests if they aren’t familiar with cabbage rolls.  Place them with the seam side down in a 12x7x2 inch baking pan.

4.       Mix tomato sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice and pour sauce mixture over the cabbage rolls.

5.       Bake, uncovered in a 350 degree convection oven for one hour.  Baste at least once or twice with sauce.  Makes 6 servings.

Pork Chops

Pork chops pan seared in my electric skillet, mashed sweet potatoes and green beans. 

Oh, so good.  There is just something about the flavor and texture of a slightly crusty on the outside, tender and moist on the inside pork chop.  We were all chewing on the bone and smiling ear to ear. 

 The only thing that would have made this dinner better would have been home grown green beans…soon….soon.

Camping at Yosemite Lakes

Even while on the go ~ the Dinner Queen is thinking of her blog followers.  Camp cooking with the help of family and friends.  Yummy good!

St. Louis Ribs #2

Remember these ribs from last month?  I popped them out of the freezer this morning and into the oven this evening along with a baked potato and there you have it!  A scrumptious dinner!

Thanks to a friend and neighbor, I also made a quick cottage cheese and fruit salad.  She mentioned she never thinks of fruit for dinner.  Do try it, especially in the summer.  Enjoy my dear. 

8 Can Chicken Tortilla Soup

It was a busier than usual day so a quicker than usual dinner was in order. The family was hungry so I whipped up a homemade soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich guaranteed to satisfy. I always have these 8 cans on hand for a delicious homemade soup. Honest , it’s as good as any restaurant’s version.

 

 

8 Can Chicken Tortilla Soup (Cook time 15 minutes, Servings 5)

Open all eight cans into a large stock pot.
• 1 (15 oz) can of whole kernel corn, drained
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans of chicken broth
• 1 (10 oz) can chunk chicken (or you could use leftover if you have it)
• 1 (15oz) can black beans, drained really well
• 1 (15oz) can chili beans with sauce
• 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies peppers
• 1 (4 oz) can diced chilies

ADD:

•  ½ teaspoon chili powder
•  ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
•  ½ teaspoon minced garlic
•  1 Tablespoon lemon juice
•  ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped

Simmer all the ingredients over medium heat until the chicken is heated through. Serve topped with thin tortilla strips and shredded cheddar cheese. You can also add sour cream and avocado if you feel wild.