Turkey Chili

Once again, my trusty America's Test Kitchen cookbook has come to the rescue! Oh. my. word. This was SO good. SoooooOOOOOoooo good. Yum!! There's just nothing else I can say, really. It's perfection.

Serve with cornbread for a really easy, filling, tasty meal! This chili can be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Or you can freeze it for up to a month. Reheat over low heat, adding additional water or broth as needed for the right consistency.

Ingredients:
2 onions, minced (just use 1 if you have a larger onion)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt
2 pounds ground turkey (I used 85/15, but use whatever you have)
2 15.5 ounce cans kidney beans, rinsed
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, UNdrained
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Toppings:
cilantro
lime juice
shredded cheddar cheese
avocado
fresh diced tomatoes
sliced green onion

Combine the onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, oregano, cayenne, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened, about 12 minutes.

Uncover and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir in the turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the beans, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, broth, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, until the chili has begun to thicken, about 1 hour.

Ladle into bowls, and top with your choice of toppings. ENJOY!

Are you salivating yet?! You should be!

Bagel Pizzas

Is summer going by crazy fast for anyone else? My hubby has summers off (he's a school psychologist), so we've been really busy almost every second. He goes back to work at the end of next week (BOO!), so things will start to settle down a bit after that. Come August, I'll have 2 of my 3 kids in school, so I'll have much more time for this little blog of mine!

So anyway, the other night we were late getting home from the pool and were starving. I had some bagels and pepperoni about ready to go bad and needed to use them up. Thus, this idea popped into my head. My kids scoffed at me ("Bagel pizzas? Are you sure, Mom?") at first, but then I reminded them that we always see those pre-made frozen ones at the store. They still were skeptical because we've never purchased the ones at the store before, but everyone loved these.

You could totally make them ahead of time and keep them in the freezer for quick meals. I plan on doing that and then popping them in the fridge to defrost to send with my kids to school that week. Pizza is so versatile (you can eat it hot or cold), so I think it'll be perfect for their lunches to change things up a bit.

Lastly, this is a perfect meal to let your kids prepare! My kids were fighting over who got to spread the sauce, and they loved spreading on the cheese and pepperoni. :)

Ingredients:
plain bagels
pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce
shredded mozzarella
pizza toppings

Break bagels in half, and lay them out on a foil-lined baking sheet. Top with a few spoonfuls of sauce, then cheese, then toppings. Sprinkle a little extra cheese on top before baking.

Bake at 375* for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and pepperoni starts to get crispy around the edges.

I served ours with some fresh, sliced cantaloupe and a salad. It was a really yummy summer supper!

What meals do you throw together in a pinch?

Spaghetti a la Philly

First off, I'm sorry about the lack of posting (again with the lack of posting!). It's finals for me right now, and it's just been a bit crazy. One week left! Woo!

A few weeks ago, I told you about the hot corn dip I found from Full Bellies, Happy Kids. Well, since then, I have tried many of her recipes and have really enjoyed them all! Today's is also from her site. She said she originally found it from Love My Philly. I have yet to check out that site, but I'm going to. We always have cream cheese on hand, and I'd love to come up with new ways to use it!

So this recipe was super simple and tasty. It's a perfect quick weeknight meal. It really intrigued my kids that their spaghetti had cream cheese in it. My kids love spaghetti anyway, but this made it even more kid-friendly. Admittedly, my husband was very skeptical ("Cream cheese in spaghetti? Are you sure about that?"), but he even said it was yummy after we were finished.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound spaghetti
1 pound ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions. While noodles cook, brown ground beef in a saute pan; drain. Add spaghetti sauce and cream cheese, and cook until cream cheese is melted.

Drain spaghetti, and toss with sauce. Serve topped with Parmesan.

Egg Drop Soup

This is a super easy and cheap dish to make for a crowd. I love it because it's so easy and comes together in a flash! We served it with potstickers from the frozen section of the grocery store for a really fast meal.

I'm not a huge Chinese food fan, but I do really like egg drop soup. The problem with soup from every restaurant I've been to is that it's usually really greasy. This soup doesn't have that problem, and I think it tastes just as good as any soup I've ordered at a restaurant. Next time I make it, I think I'm going to add mushrooms.

If you want, you can make it totally vegetarian by using vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock! It's an awesome meatless meal.

Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 eggs
green onions, sliced

Pour 3 cups chicken broth into a large pot. Add ginger, green onions and salt. Bring to a boil.

In another bowl, combine remaining chicken broth with cornstarch, mixing until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Set aside. Whisk eggs together, then pour slowly into the boiling broth mixture, stirring constantly.

After the eggs are poured in, then add the cornstarch. Serve immediately.

Are you ready for CHRISTMAS?!
I can't believe we're down to 2 days now!

Cream Biscuits

Christmas is coming! I can't believe it's this Friday. Crazy how fast this year has gone! In honor of Christmas being this week, I thought I'd post recipes that will make your holiday entertaining easier. There's almost nothing worse than having a house full of guests and not knowing what to feed them that is quick, easy and cheap!

These cream biscuits are quick, easy AND cheap. They come together in a flash and are really tasty. I love biscuits but never thought I could make them. My mom always told me it's tricky to make biscuits, so now I'm wondering what recipe she uses because this is seriously easy!

There are only 2 things to remember when making biscuits. First, don't over-knead the dough. Knead it as little as possible, otherwise the biscuits will be tough. And secondly, if you use a biscuit cutter, DO NOT (I repeat DO NOT!) twist the cutter. Just push it straight down, then pull it straight up. If you twist it, your biscuits will rise all wonky and will look really lopsided.

If you want to make these ahead, you can. But they'll only be good in the fridge for up to 2 hours. Just prepare the dough, cut out the biscuits, put them on the parchment-lined baking sheet and then cover with plastic wrap before refrigerating.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

**This recipe will make about 10 biscuits.**

Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until the dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gather into a ball. Knead until the dough becomes smooth, about 30 seconds.

Roll the dough into a 3/4 inch circle. Cut the biscuits into rounds using a biscuit cutter or into wedges using a knife.

Place the biscuits on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Then bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Serve with butter, jam, honey butter or sausage gravy!

Do you have company coming for Christmas?
Any special holiday meals you like to make?

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

K, the more recipes I try from my new cookbook, the more I love it. It is so awesome! Seriously, go get a copy! Are you sick of me raving about it yet? Go get a copy and I'll stop! ;-)

A couple of days ago, I was so busy that my day flew by, and it was dinner time before I knew what was happening or had anything planned. I had the bare minimum in the fridge and pantry, so I scoured my cookbook to see what I could possibly make. I found this recipe and decided to give it a try. I saw a cooking show years ago (Rachael Ray, I think?) where the chef made this dish, but I've never tried it. It was so easy and really yummy! Perfect quick, weeknight supper!

A word about the cheese. Just buy a bag of the pre-shredded Parmesan blend, which has the Pecorino and Parmesan already. It'll save you a lot of time and money, rather than buying a block of each.

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 slices bacon, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 pound spaghetti

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, cheeses and garlic together. Set aside. Then cook the bacon and olive oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat until the bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the wine (or chicken stock).

Simmer until it is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover.

Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water before draining the pasta. Toss the pasta with the bacon mixture and the cheese mixture. If needed, add additional pasta water to loosen the sauce before serving.

My kids inhaled this. My 4 year old literally had 4 helpings. Not kidding. Spaghetti and bacon? Yes, please!

What do you think of our new blinkie? Have you added one to your blog?
Let us know if you have!

Huevos Rancheros

I've been on a mission to find meatless meals and came across this one in my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I'd never even had Huevos Rancheros before, even at a restaurant, so I thought it would be perfect to try. It was super easy and really good.

You can make these for breakfast, lunch or dinner. We had them for dinner tonight, so I served them up with a side of refried beans and cheese.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
16 ounce can stewed tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons diced green chilies
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
5-7 corn tortillas
7 eggs
3/4 cup Monterey Jack or cheddar, shredded

In a large skillet, cook onion in olive oil. Stir in undrained tomatoes, diced green chilies, garlic powder and chili powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush tortillas with some olive oil and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until crisp. Once tomato mixture has thickened, crack one egg at a time into a measuring cup. Gently pour egg into tomato mixture, then repeat with remaining eggs.

Simmer gently, covered, for 3-5 minutes, or until the whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken (but are not hard). To serve, place a tortilla on a plate, top with 1-2 eggs, some of the tomato mixture and then cheese.

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Gnocchi

Every time I make this, it always makes me miss having cable. I got this recipe from the Food Network channel years ago. Good ol' Giada. I used to love Everyday Italian. I'd never tried gnocchi before and always assumed it took a painstakingly long time to make. Boy, was I wrong.

Normally, when I'm in the mood for Italian food, my brain automatically wants fettuccine Alfredo. I loooove me some Alfredo sauce. Considering my hips/waist/thighs/rear don't love Alfredo sauce as much as I do, it's great that I found a yummy alternative. Speaking of Alfredo, I'm going to try topping my gnocchi with it next time I eat it!

This is super kid-friendly, too. My kids gobbled this up. And had second helpings. Second helpings!! We ate it plain the first night (with just butter and shredded Parmesan), but then my husband and I ate more for a late dinner last night, and we topped it with tomato sauce (spaghetti sauce works, or you can use tomato sauce that you season with oregano, thyme, etc). Either way, it's delish.

It would be a big hit at a party! Perfect finger food (well, skewered with toothpicks). It's great as a main dish (which is how we ate it this time) or as a side dish.

ALSO (did you know there was so much to say about gnocchi?!), since it's made from potatoes (starch), it's super filling. And it's a meatless meal. I'm always on the lookout for meatless meals, so that's another reason why I love this dish. Cheap, meatless, yummy, easy, perfect.

Ingredients:
3 pounds potatoes (mine were on the smaller side, so I used about 8 potatoes)
3-4 cups flour
1 egg
salt

Put whole potatoes in a large pot of water (you won't be eating the skins, so you don't *have* to wash them, but I do anyway). Boil for 45 minutes.

While still warm, peel the skins off (they're so soft that you can just use your fingers -- after letting them cool a bit first!).

Place in your mixer and whip with your whisk attachment. If you don't have a mixer, you can just use a large bowl (or the pot) and a potato masher. But when I first did it that way, it was too chunky, so I used my mixer instead. Perfect consistency that way. After it's blended, make a well in the center. Crack the egg into the well and then sprinkle with flour (start with 3 cups and add more if you need it).

Then you knead. Knead until it all comes together. Add more flour if you need to. Now, this next part you can do one of two ways (i.e. the traditional way or my made up way). The traditional way is to take softball size balls of the dough and roll them out into long strips (like as snake). Then you cut them into 3/4" size pieces. I didn't really like doing that, so what I do is just take a portion of dough and roll them into balls in my hands (probably 1-1.5" balls). Much bigger than the traditional size, but I like them better that way. Plus, I have young kids, so it's easier for them to stab their forks into that way.

Next, you drop them into a few inches of simmering water. Do it in batches so you don't overload your pan (which will lower the cooking temperature of your water and make the process take longer). Swish them around a bit while they cook so they don't stick together. When they float, they're done.

Drain, and then brown them in a couple tablespoons of butter until lightly browned.

Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan (or tomato/spaghetti sauce) and serve!

What's your favorite starch?

Chunky Minestrone Soup

So it turns out that my mom has some really great recipes and it would take me literally years to go through them all... NOT joking! I need to explore more of her cookbooks. This recipe is so simple and easy to do at the last minute. And it's tasty too.

Chunky Minestrone Soup

1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano**

1 cup broken uncooked egg noodles

1 stalk celery, sliced

2 cans (14 oz) chicken or beef broth

1 can sliced carrots, drained

Combine all ingredients except carrots in large pot. Cover and simmer 10-12 minutes. Add carrots and simmer 5 more minutes. Serve with warm bread, if desired.

Serves 4-6

** Next time I will add some garlic and onion.

Taco Soup

And I'm baaaaaaack! My new charger finally came. Let's hope I can keep track of this one a little longer than last time. I never did find the original one. Strange.

Anyway, taco soup. This is pretty much the epitome of easy and delicious. My husband's grandma made this for us when we visited her, oh, 6 years ago or so, and I begged her for the recipe. We've made it frequently ever since. I really love it because the ingredients are all things I always have stocked in my pantry, so it's one of those "go to meals" for when nights get busy and dinner plans need to change.

This meal is also a great one to keep pre-made in the freezer for quick weeknight meals! It would freeze and reheat beautifully. It would also make a very tasty meal to take to someone who's sick or who just had a baby. And it's perfect for large get-togethers because it's so cheap without compromising any flavor. Kids and adults alike love this one.

This recipe can easily be modified to work for a crock pot, too. If you want to do it that way, just cook your ground beef, onion and garlic until meat is done, then throw everything into the crock pot on low until you're ready to eat. It only gets better the longer it sits.

My toppings are just the basics, the things I always have on hand anyway. But you can easily jazz it up by adding cilantro, avocado, using the fire roasted hot chilies instead of the mild kind, different cheeses, etc.

Ingredients:
3/4 - 1 pound ground beef
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can kidney beans, quickly rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can diced green chilies
1 package taco seasoning OR 1/4 cup bulk taco seasoning
1/3 cup water

Toppings:
shredded cheese
sour cream
Fritos

Brown ground beef in a large pot. Add onion and garlic. Saute until onion is tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Drain any excess fat. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.


Then you assemble the deliciousness -- Fritos, then a ladle of taco soup, then cheese, then sour cream. My husband does his with the Fritos on top because he hates them getting the least bit soggy. Either way works.

Cheese and Bacon Potato Rounds

First of all, I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving! :)

I don't know about you, but I bought a large bag of potatoes to make mashed potatoes with last week and ended up with about half the bag left and didn't know what to do with them. I was in a pinch a few nights after T-day and didn't know what to make. The kids said they wanted baked potatoes, but I didn't have an hour to wait, so I decided to come up with something similar. They turned out really yummy and were so very easy. It was the perfect way to use up the rest of the potatoes. No, this recipe doesn't call for half a bag of potatoes. I just enjoyed this so much that I made it 2 days in a row. :)

Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes
2 tablespoons butter, melted
salt and pepper, to taste
paprika
1/2 package bacon, sliced into 1 inch pieces and cooked
green onions, chopped
cheddar cheese, shredded
sour cream

Scrub potatoes, then slice into 1/4-1/2 inch rounds. Spread into a thin, even layer on a baking sheet. Put melted butter on both sides (this is where your silicone pastry brush comes in super handy!). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and flip rounds over. Sprinkle with paprika, shredded cheese, bacon crumbles and green onions. Return to oven until cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

I'd just spent 2 full days doing T-Day dishes,
so don't judge me on the paper plate! lol.

Cheese and Potato Enchiladas

I dubbed April the Queen of Cheap Cooking a long time ago. Her grocery budget puts mine to shame, and I have no idea how she does it. This recipe is one that she gave me, and it proves that cheap doesn't have to equal tasteless. It's so yummy and easy. She gave me this recipe one day when I was telling her how I was on the lookout for new meatless meal ideas, and this one is perfect! And the leftovers are just as good, which is always a huge bonus for me.

One quick word about the shredded potatoes. If you can find some with onions and peppers already in there, use those. This recipe will still taste really yummy with plain shredded potatoes, but the ones with the onions and peppers really gives it something extra and makes it even more yummy.

Ingredients:
3 cups frozen shredded potatoes
4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
14 ounces tomato sauce
1/4 cup chili powder
1/2 cup water
flour tortillas

Combine potatoes and half of cheese in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, combine tomato sauce, water and chili powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Spoon some potato mixture into each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a 9x13 baking dish. Top with sauce and remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. I like to serve mine with a dollop of sour cream on top.

Do you regularly make meatless meals?
Post your favorite, and we'll try it and post it!

Fiesta Rice Saute

This is a recipe we found off a Spanish rice box years and years ago. Seriously, years ago. I remember making this when my oldest was just a brand new baby, and she's turning 7 in January. Anyhow, it's super-duper easy and yummy, is quick to throw together, can feed a crowd and tastes great! How's that for some key selling points?

My husband and I just had friends over for a game night a few weekends ago. So we had 4 adults and 5 kids eating between all of us. We made the recipe as is, no doubling or anything, and we still ended up with leftovers. So yeah, really filling.

Ingredients:
3/4-1 pound ground beef
1 box Spanish rice
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can diced green chilies
shredded cheddar
sour cream
green salsa
tortillas

Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown ground beef. When meat is done cooking, add cooked rice, corn and green chilies. Heat through.

Serve wrapped in tortillas and topped with green salsa and sour cream. See, I told ya it was ridiculously easy!

Cornbread Casserole

I'm finally back in the game! My new laptop cord finally arrived yesterday -- it shipped from Hong Kong, so it took for-e-ver (said like Squints from The Sandlot. Great movie. Watched that all the time as a kid.). Anyway.

This is a yummy dinner that fills you up fast, which is great for cheap cooking! It's kind of like a one-dish chili and cornbread. We made a pan of this last night, and it fed our family of 5 with plenty left over for several lunches throughout the week. This recipe is one that my husband takes responsibility for preparing, since it's his grandmother's recipe. So that means I get a night off when we make this, which definitely adds to its appeal! :)

You can change it up tons of different ways! Add kidney beans, green chilies, jalepenos, Monterrey Jack instead of cheddar, toss in some leftover veggies, etc. Spice it up with cumin or chili powder, make it more Italian by adding some oregano and basil.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
cheddar cheese, shredded
1 package cornbread mix, or see our made-from-scratch recipe

Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Add onion, corn, tomatoes and bell peppers. Saute until veggies are soft. Meanwhile, prepare cornbread mix. When meat/veggie mixture is done, pour into a 9x13 casserole dish, top with cheese, and then spread cornbread mix on top. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until cornbread is done. **Insert a toothpick into the center to make sure cornbread is cooked all the way through before serving.** Top with sour cream, if desired.

Chicken Stuffing Skillet

If you're having a busy day and have like zero time to make dinner, this is a great recipe for you to serve that night. It's got very few ingredients (5) and comes together in like 15 minutes. It sounds so simple, and it is, but it's very tasty at the same time. My kids always have second helpings.

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise
1 package Stove Top Stuffing mix
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
milk
cheddar cheese, shredded

Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large skillet, cook chicken until done.

Meanwhile, prepare stuffing mix according to package directions. Mix soup and about 1/2 a can of milk. You want a nice saucy consistency, not too thin and not too thick. When chicken is done, pour soup over chicken.

Top that with the stuffing and then the cheese. Cover and cook until cheese melts, about 5-7 minutes.