Spanish Rice with Beef

Ingredients:
1. 1 Pound ground hamburger meat
2. 1 Can diced tomatoes
3. 1/2 Medium onion, finely chopped
4. 2 Tablespoons butter
5. Salt and pepper
6. 2 Cups hot water
7. 1 Box Rice-A-Roni Spanish Rice (Do Not Use A Substitute)

Directions:
1. In a large sauce pan, heat several tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter.
2. Add 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped with salt and pepper, cook until tender.
3. Add 1 pound ground hamburger meat, brown and drain fat. Set aside.
4. In the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 box Rice-A-Roni Spanish Rice. Brown until golden, mixing constantly.
5. Add hamburger meat, canned tomatoes, 2 cups hot water, seasoning packet, and bring to a boil stirring often.
6. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Serve with Smashed Potatoes or Steamed Veggies.

ENJOY!!!



 

The Perfect BLT Wedge Salad

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 Slice lettuce wedge
2. 6 Grape tomatoes halved
3. 3 Lightly cooked stripes of turkey or regular bacon, chopped
4. 4 tablespoons cheddar cheese
5. 1/4 tablespoons sunflower seeds
6. 2 tablespoons ranch dressing

Directions:

1. Slice lettuce wedge and make a bed where ingredients can rest.
2. Slice tomatoes and lay on and around lettuce wedge.
3. Cook, chop and crumble bacon around salad.
4. Add cheddar cheese and sunflower seeds to the top.
5. Drizzle ranch dressing on top and serve.

ENJOY!!!

Creative Soft Taco's

Ingredients:

1. 1 pound ground beef, pork or turkey
2. 3- soft taco shells
3. 4- tablespoons taco seasoning
4. 1/4 cup melted nacho cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a large skillet brown 1 pound ground beef, pork or turkey and drain fat. Return to skillet.
3. Add taco seasoning and 1 cup hot water
4. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes until sauce thickens.
5. In a glass pie plate, layer 1 soft taco shell on the bottom and then 1/3 the meat mixture and repeat until all taco shells and meat mixtures are gone.
6. On the very top, add melted nacho cheese sauce that has been first added to a sandwich bag and one corner cut to spread evenly.
7. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes, serve hot.

ENJOY!!!

Semi-Homemade Spaghetti with Fresh Herbs

Wheat Pasta:

• In a large pot bring water and salt to boil
• Add wheat pasta ( I like wheat pasta for the flavor, as well as, the nutrition value but you can use regular pasta if you prefer.)
• Boil until Ala dent te (firm but tender)
• Drain and place back into the pot that the pasta was cooked in so that excess water can be absorbed

Meat Sauce:

• In a sauce pan add a few sprinkles of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of garlic, allow to cook over medium heat for a few minutes.
• Add 1 pound ground beef, pork or turkey. Brown meat and drain excess fat.
• Add favorite spaghetti sauce or homemade sauce (see separate blog for homemade sauce) and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer.
• Add freshly chopped basil and oregano to sauce as it simmers, can also garnish with just before serving.
• Before serving toss noodles with spaghetti sauce and serve or serve with noodles on bottom, whichever way you prefer.

Brushetta For True Italians

Ingredients:
1. 1 cup halved Ripe Grape Tomatoes
2. 1 Glove Minced Garlic
3. 1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil
4. 3 tablespoon olive oil
5. 1 1/2 tablespoon vinegar
6. Salt and pepper to taste
7. Freshly baked Italian bread, sliced

Preheat oven to broil and bake at high temperature to crisp very fast, watch carefully or it will burn. Mix together sliced tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped basil, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Allow to sit covered in refrigerator until ready to use. Once bread has finished baking and is crisp, place tomato mixture on top and serve.

Serve as a meal with a salad or side dish!

ENJOY!!!

Homemade Pizza and Salad

Salad Ingredients:
1. Baby Spinach
2. Various Lettuce (Whatever you Prefer, Darker the better)
3. Purple Cabbage
4. Carrots
5. Celery
6. Radishes
7. Orange Tomatoes

Dice all ingredients into bite size pieces. Place in a separate bowl. In a medium size mason jar add 2/3 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup vinegar, salt, and pepper. Shake to mixed well and pour over all veggies. Toss to mix all ingredients well. Serve once dressing has been added, if not ready to serve, place veggies in a separate bowl and cover and leave dressing in mason jar until ready to serve.



Pizza Ingredients: (For 3 small Pizza's)
1. Hand Bought Pizza Crust -mini's (3)
2. 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese   **Shred at home
3. 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese Also   **Shred Yourself
**I suggest freshly shredding your own cheeses because many of the cheeses that you buy that are already shredded have added ingredients that make the cheeses taste overly processed and they don't melt as well. Plus, you get to determine exactly what kinds of cheese to use.
4. Pizza Sauce -either canned like Ragu or freshly made - See on another blog.
5. Pepperoni

*There are also other alternatives for pizzas and pizza crust that I will explore during other blogs coming very soon; including Pesto with Roma Tomatoes and Basil, Olive Oil with Bruschetta and Basil/Garlic both of these with Italian Bread Crust. More to come

Preheat oven to 375 F. Select your favorite crust, pizza sauce and toppings. If choosing the one from the picture, which kids and men love, lay hand bought pizza crust on baking sheets, smooth with a good amount of hand made or bought pizza sauce. Lay a flat layer of pepperoni's over the sauce and cover with two layers of freshly graded cheese. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is completely melted at 375 F.

 ENJOY!!!

Italien Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1. 1 box fusilli or like pasta
2. 1 basket grape tomatoes sliced in half
3. 2 1/2 peeled, seeded and sliced cucumbers
4. 1/2 can sliced black olives
5. 1/2 can thinly sliced roasted, red peppers
6. 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
7. 1 1/2 cup Italian dressing
8. Lightly Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Cook pasta until firm but done, al a dente.
2. Drain, rinse and allow to dry completely
3. Slice all vegetables into bite size pieces
4. Add pasta and vegetables together, then add cheese and Italian dressing.
5. Mix well.
6. Allow to sit in the refrigerator over night till chilled before serving. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
ENJOY!!!

Oven Roasted Kale Chips

Ingredients:
1. Fresh and large kale leaves
2. Olive oil
3. Salt
4. Pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Rinse and dry kale
3. Place kale on a baking sheet in a single layer
4. Sprinkle both sides with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper
5. Cook in oven until crispy but not brown, around 8-10 minutes.
6. Serve as a side dish (Pictured here is the Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo from a previous Blog) or as a great, delicious and healthy snack.

Enjoy!!!

Low-Cal And Delicious Tuna Salad

Ingredients:
1. 1-2.6 oz pack of tuna
2. 1 medium tomato
3. 1 small stalk celery
4. Handful of lettuce
5. 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard
6. Salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
1. Chop all ingredients up into bite size pieces
2. Mix all chopped ingredients together and add tuna
3. Combine in mustard, salt and pepper and mix well
4. Eat alone or with Crackers

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

1.  Place fettuccine noodles in very salted boiling water for 6 minutes or until tender but still firm, Al dente. Drain and place back into pot to allow excess moisture to be removed.
2.  Slice Chicken into bite size pieces, place olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter into a hot skillet and sear chicken till cooked.
3.  Place steamed broccoli, chicken, noodles, 4 tablespoons butter, salt, pepper and your choice of alfredo sauce ( see separate blog for make your own sauce) into the skillet. Cook till heated and serve.

Spring Time Herb Dinner

Oven Roasted Butter and Rosemary Pork Chop:
1.  Add EVOO to both sides of pork chop, salt and black  pepper.
2.  In a hot skillet sear each side till golden brown color
3.  Preheat oven to 375 F, once heated place 1 tablespoon butter per pork chop and sprinkle with fresh chopped rosemary on top. Place in oven for 15 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Sour Cream And Chives Smashed Potatoes:
1.  Slice several new potatoes with skins in small pieces to boil faster and place in salted water with 2 tablespoons butter.
2.  Allow to boil until tender, drain and place back into pot.
3.  Add 4 tablespoons butter, 1- 8 oz cup sour cream, 1/4 cup skim milk, salt, pepper and 4 tablespoons fresh chopped chives.
4.  Smash with a potato masher until mostly creamy.


Oven Roasted Fresh Beets:
1. Peel and slice fresh beets into small 1 inch pieces.
2. In a bowl, add beets, 2 Tbsp Olive Oil, 11/2 Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 clove of fresh garlic minced. And mix all ingredients well.
3.  Preheat oven to 375 F
4.  Use a glass baking dish and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
5.  Place Beets in dish and cover with aluminum foil for 20 minutes
6.  Remove aluminum foil and continue to cook for an additional 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes until golden.

Hearty Homemade Beef Stew and Rice

1.  Heat Olive Oil and 2 tbsp. butter in a dutch oven
2.  Add 2 pounds beef stew meat that has first been seasoned with salt and black pepper, also add 2 tbsp. flour and brown.
3.  Once meat is brown, add 16 oz of beef broth and simmer on low for 2-3 hours.
4.  Once meat is tender, add in sliced potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions.
5.  Increase heat to medium and cook for an additional 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.
6.  Cook white rice as directed and place beef stew over rice and serve.