Grilled Bean & Cheese Burrito

What can I say other then . . . fill a whole wheat tortilla with fat free refried beans and grated sharp Cheddar cheese.  Lightly spray your electric skillet and grill until heated through and the cheese melts. 

Provide lots of different garnishes . . . sour cream, black olives, salsa, avocado . . . and enjoy!

Ginger Pork

small 1 pound pork butt roast

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

8 oz can pineapple chunks with juice

8 oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained

3 large carrots, sliced

Spray your crock pot with olive oil, slice the pork roast into serving size pieces and place them on the bottom, add water chestnuts and carrots.  In a small bowl mix the tapioca, soy sauce and ginger and pour over meat.  Cook on LOW for five to six hours.  Stir in the pineapple chunks and turn the heat up to HIGH.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes while you prepare your rice.  Serve over hot, cooked rice.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

2 cups of cooked pasta
2 cans of white albacore tuna, drained
1 cup of frozen or fresh peas

1 can of concentrated cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup of milk

3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta (or in my case tonight, we had leftovers from yesterday).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a casserole dish, add pasta, tuna and peas.  Then in another bowl, add soup and milk and mix together.  Then add the soup/milk mixture to the pasta and tuna and blend well.  Last, add an even layer of shredded cheese across the top.

Bake for 20 - 30 minutes.  Serve hot.

This is a very quick and easy dinner, especially if you have leftover pasta.  When I make and serve this dish it always reminds my husband of family dinners when he was a kid. 

Sweet & Spicy Chicken in a Bun

Last night's sweet and spicy chicken leftovers became tonights quick and easy meal. 

I simply shredded the chicken and slowly simmered it in its own juices until it was heated though. 

I made a pasta salad with garden veggies and we were enjoying dinner in no time.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

2 pounds chicken thighs or breast

¾ cup chili sauce

¾ cup packed brown sugar

1 (1 oz.) packet dry onion soup mix

¼ cup of water

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Spray your crock pot with olive oil and place chicken pieces in the bottom of the crook pot.  Combine chili sauce, brown sugar, dry onion soup mix, and ¼ cup of water and spoon over chicken sprinkled with cayenne pepper.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.  Serve with hot, cooked rice and an egg roll.  Delicious!

Meat Pie

Meat Pies can be found in many different countries and are called by many different names.  Bierosks in Germany.....Tourtiere in France.....Cottage Pies in England......Empanedas in Argentina

They all contain the basic ingredients:  cooked meat, onions, garlic, seasoning, potatoes and carrots wrapped in light flaky pastry dough.  

They are quick and easy to make.  I like to add a little brown gravy in the mix and my daughter loves to smother them in ketchup.  Either way they are a treat.

Grilled Chicken Salad

Today I was busy making appetizers for a bridal shower I’m hosting tomorrow.  I had just finished browning little cocktail weenies wrapped in bacon in my electric skillet and I got to thinking…. Why let the hot bacon fat go to waste.  So I quickly dredged three chicken breast cut into quarters in a mixture of finely chopped bread crumbs and grated parmesan cheese.  I pan seared the chicken breast in the hot skillet, blotted them on paper towels and stuck them in the refrigerator for dinner.

When my family got home from their busy days, I simply sliced the chicken breast and placed them on a bed of fresh spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese and crunchy crotons.    There you have it ~ a delicious, healthy dinner!