Category: Main Meal

Easy & Delicious 15 Minute Alfredo

Published on by Tracie6 Comments

Hayden loves Alfredo.  He doesn’t care for spaghetti, but he will ALWAYS eat Alfredo.  This is what I make every single time I make everyone else spaghetti.  It’s easy, fast and delicious.

Start with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil or canola oil in a hot pot.

Add in 2 or 3 heaping teaspoons of minced garlic.

Fry the garlic for about a minute.  You do NOT want it to burn!

Add in 14 ounces of chicken broth…..

And a couple of cups of milk.  You could also substitute heavy cream here.

Throw in a few tablespoons of butter…..

With salt and pepper.

Bring this yumminess to a simmer and add in your fettuccine.

Simmer on low to medium until the pasta is done.  About 10 minutes. 

Here is where I add the Parmesan.  OR the Asiago if you don’t have any Parmesan!

Grate it up and add it in!

Delicious!

You’ll be so glad you didn’t open a jar!

Here is the handy dandy printable!

Easy & Delicious 15 Minute Alfredo

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 3 to 4 tsp minced garlic
  • 14 ounces chicken broth
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 to 3 TBSP butter
  • salt and pepper
  • 16 ounces fettuccine
  • 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan

Instructions
 

  • Pour your olive oil into a hot pot.
  • Add the minced garlic and fry until just golden.
  • Add in the chicken broth, milk, butter, salt, pepper and the fettuccine.
  • Simmer until done.
  • Grate in the Parmesan and enjoy!

Easy and Delicious Taco Salad

Published on by Tracie10 Comments

This is another one of my “recipes” that’s really so easy I can hardly call it a recipe.  But, it’s so, so good!

Here’s how I make it.

Start with your favorite tortilla chips in a bowl….

Smash them into bite size pieces.

Sprinkle on your taco meat.   (fry whatever meat you are using, I even use tofu for Liv, mix in your taco spices – cumin, chili powder and garlic powder)   I’ll make an actual post of my taco seasoning for those who want the printable to refer to!

Add shredded cheese….

Refried beans……

Tomatoes……

Onions, of course.

Lettuce, yum.  I am loving this red leaf lettuce right now.  I think I’ll try to grow some.          

Mix it all together and you have something utterly delicious.  Points for how quick and easy this is!  Here’s the handy dandy printable of ingredients.

Easy and Delicious Taco Salad

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Use your own judgement here for how much or how little you want!
  • Tortilla chips crushed
  • Taco meat
  • Shredded cheese
  • Refried beans
  • Tomatoes
  • Onions
  • Lettuce

Instructions
 

  • Mix everything together and enjoy!!
  • Note: You can add other ingredients as you like. Examples: Avacado, sour cream, greek yogurt, corn, fried eggs, salsa, hot sauce, cilantro, jalepeno, rice, etc., etc.! The list is endless.

Simple and Delicious Tuna Salad

Published on by Tracie2 Comments

Simple and Delicious Tuna Salad

I love tuna salad.  Okay, let me rephrase that.  I love MY tuna salad.  I’m not picky about a lot of things.  Okay, maybe I am.  But.  I am excruciatingly picky about tuna salad.  Basically I won’t eat it unless I have prepared it myself.  Not my Mama’s.  Not Denton’s Mama’s.  Not Denton’s.  And especially not somewhere like Subway.

Don’t get me wrong, all of those people are wonderful cooks.  I love Subway.  But not any of their tuna.  The reason being that I can’t stand it if it’s wet.  At all.  I want it bone dry.  And I never, ever, ever, get it that way unless I make it myself.

So I solved that little problem by never ordering it anywhere I go and just make it myself when I crave it.  That way I’m not disappointed.  Enough talking, more making tuna salad.  Here’s how I do it.

If you like your tuna bone dry like I do, you need one of these.

I use it to completely and totally get all of the water out of the tuna.  Then I flake it into a bowl with salt and pepper.

I add minced onion……

Hellman’s mayo……

Mix it all together…..In the meantime, toast your bread…

and add some Hellman’s to it too…..

Finally, add a thin layer of your delicious tuna salad to the bread.

Denton always requests boiled eggs for his.  The recipe for Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs is here.  They are perfect every single time!  Try it.

I think simple is best when it comes to my tuna salad sandwiches though.  Here’s the handy dandy printable.

Simple and Delicious Tuna Salad

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can of 5 ounce tuna in water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 TBSP minced onion
  • 1 heaping TBBP Hellman's Mayonnaise

Instructions
 

  • Using your new tuna can strainer, squish out all of the water from your tuna. Flake into a bowl and add salt & pepper. Mix in the onion and mayo.
  • Add to your toasted bread with more mayo and you are done!
  • Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Coca~Cola Pork Loin

Published on by Tracie16 Comments

You guys.  This recipe.  It is so, so good!  I want to create this dish at least once a week, because not only is it divine the first day you prepare it, it makes the most amazing leftovers to use in quesadillas, grilled paninis or just to snack on that you will ever eat!  You can also shred the meat and mix it with the leftover sauce for pulled pork sandwiches, yay!

The marinade is spectacular.  And the Coca~cola sauce…..it is marvelous.  Seriously.  I believe that you could put this stuff on a shoe and it would make it taste great.  You have to try it.

Here’s what you need.

A pork loin of whatever size you choose.  You can choose a two pound pork loin or an eight pound pork loin, it won’t matter.  It just needs to fit in your marinade container and you’ll have more leftovers, yum!

Put all of your marinade ingredients into a gallon size ziploc bag and mix.  To do this, I seal it up and squish it around.  Easy peasy, and done.

Place your pork into the baggie and stick into the fridge overnight.  You will be so glad you did this, I promise.

The next morning, put your pork loin into the slow cooker and discard your marinade.  I know it’s painful to just dump something down the drain, but it has done it’s job.  All of the liquid you see in the photo above is from cooking all day on low.  You are definitely going to want to eat lunch, because otherwise you are going to starve to death on the day you make this from the incredible smells that will be wafting through your kitchen.

About an hour before you are ready to sit down and eat, make your Coca~Cola sauce.  Mix all of the sauce ingredients in a pot over medium and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until thickened.  Pour 1/3 of the sauce over the pork and cook for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.

Keep the remainder of the sauce to spoon over everything in sight.  It’s so, so good!

Here’s the handy dandy printable!

Slow Cooker Coca~Cola Pork Loin

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • Marinade:
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 cup coca~cola
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 TBSP mustard
  • 3 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 TBSP worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 2 cloves garlic minced (I always used jarred!)
  • 1 TBSP dry mustard
  • 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp ginger I use the jarred stuff here too
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 5 pounds of pork loin
  • Coca~Cola Sauce:
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 TBSP corn starch
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3/4 cup coke
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • The night before you want to cook your pork loin, mix all marinade ingredients in a gallon ziploc bag. Add the pork and refrigerate overnight.
  • The next morning, place the pork loin into your slow cooker and discard the marinade. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
  • One hour before you are ready to eat, put all Coca~Cola sauce ingredients into a pot and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until thickened. Pour 1/3 of the sauce over the pork loin and cook for another 30 minutes.
  • Serve and enjoy!!!

 

 

Black Bean Burgers

Published on by Tracie5 Comments

Black bean burgers.  Yum.  Liv hasn’t eaten meat in over two years now.  Actually, I think it’s closer to three years.  Finding ways to up her protein was high on my list when she made the decision to become vegetarian.  This one is easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Start with your favorite can of black beans.  Or cook your own from dried beans.

Drain and rinse very, very well.

Yum.  Black bean burgers are so good!

Put your drained beans into a food processor.  You don’t have to, you can mix everything by hand, but I’m tired at the end of the day and I have a food processor soooo…..  Then add a big spoonful of minced garlic.  I always used the canned stuff.  See earlier sentence.

Salt and pepper.

Bread crumbs and a good glug of olive oil.

Jujsh it until the mixture comes together….

Patty out your burgers.  One recipe will make four of the hamburger happy meal type burgers you would get at a fast food joint.  I always lay the other three onto wax paper and put them into a freezer bag.  Tada, I have three extra burgers for later because Liv is a tiny human who can’t eat four burgers, but you may want to eat all four.

You will want to put this burger onto oiled aluminum foil to grill.  Trust me, they do NOT do well if you put them straight onto the grates.  Flip once and you are ready to eat!

Deliciousness on a plate.   Here’s the handy dandy printable.

Black Bean Burgers

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 15.5 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 heaping tablespoon of minced garlic
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs
  • 1 TBSP of olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Put everything into the food processor.
  • Mix until combined - less if you want some whole beans in your burger.
  • Patty into four burgers.
  • Place onto oiled aluminum foil and grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
  • Eat and enjoy!

 

Easy and Delicious Chicken Salad

Published on by Tracie27 Comments

This is one of those recipes that I can make in my sleep. It is simple, delicious and like most of my recipes you can tailor it to your specifications. This is perfect for your lunch, a snack or to take to a get-together as an hors d’oeuvre. In other words, you can make it as simple or fancy as you would like.

First things first. You can start with a chicken breast and cook it the way you love and then shred OR you can be lazy like me and use canned. Either way it’s going to be scrumptious.

If you go the canned chicken way, make sure that you drain it very, very well. There is nothing worse in my opinion than soggy chicken salad.

Flake the chicken well and add in salt, pepper, sugar and diced onion. You can also add in other things you love here, like crisp apples or sweet grapes, whatever floats your boat.

Don’t forget my tip about using the ends of your onions. Recipes like this one are perfect for using them.

Yum.

Next, add your favorite mustard and my favorite mayonnaise. One of the reasons I love this mustard is the container it comes in. I LOVE that narrow nozzle.

Perfection.

Mix it all together…..And put it on your favorite cracker for heaven.

Here’s the handy dandy recipe.

Easy and Delicious Chicken Salad

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 chicken breast cooked and shredded OR
  • 1 12.5 ounce can of cooked chicken
  • 2 tsp mayo
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 to 2 tsp diced onions
  • Whatever else floats your boat that day!

Instructions
 

  • Flake the chicken and add all of the other ingredients.
  • Mix until combined.
  • Put on your favorite cracker or toast and enjoy.
  • (Or just eat it straight from the bowl with a fork!)

3 Secrets to Amazing Mashed Potatoes

Published on by Tracie14 Comments

Mashed potatoes are heavenly when done right.  I do believe that this is Denton’s favorite thing I make.  He could eat them every single day.  As long as I make them with my three little secrets.  Here we go.

First Secret:  Start with well scrubbed Russet potatoes.  I’ve tried a LOT of different potatoes and they always turn out like glue if I don’t use russets.  Don’t deviate.  Trust me.

Potatoes, yum.  I even like them raw.

Cut them into roughly the same size for faster cooking times.  Not that mine are roughly the same size, but still.  😉

Second Secret:  Start cooking your potatoes in COLD water.  Please trust me again and don’t deviate.  It makes a world of difference.  I promise.

Add salt….

And pepper…..

A heaping amount of minced garlic cloves.  I always cheat and use the canned stuff.  Cook potatoes until tender.

Third Secret:  This one is the most important in my opinion.  Drain the potatoes and return them to your HOT pot.  You want it to cook off any of the residual cooking water and to dry out the potatoes.  It’s going to hiss and steam, and it gives the potatoes the most amazing toastiness, that you will not believe.  You will have to watch them like a hawk, you don’t want to burn them, just dry them out as much as possible.

And in an obscene amount of butter….. 

Add in whole milk and mash with your trusty potato masher.  Here is where I would be in trouble with Chef Gordon Ramsey.  I like my mashed potatoes with some lumps.  If you don’t, you can always put the potatoes through a ricer to ensure lump free potatoes.  But for me, they need to be slightly lumpy.  I love them that way.      

Additional salt and pepper could be required if you are me or my daughter, then sit down and enjoy all of the deliciousness you have created.  You’re going to love them.

NOTE:  This is my basic recipe, you can add in anything you like to make them your own and it doesn’t affect this recipe.  Cream cheese, chives, mayonnaise, yes mayonnaise, anything your heart desires.  Just use the basic recipe to cook and dry out your potatoes and you are going to love them!

Here’s the handy dandy printable recipe.

3 Secrets to Amazing Mashed Potatoes

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 4 to 6 medium russet potatoes
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 TBSP minced garlic
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup of whole milk

Instructions
 

  • Scrub and peel your RUSSET potatoes.
  • Dice into roughly the same size and put into COLD water.
  • Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Drain potatoes and put back into your HOT pot and steam away all cooking water.
  • Add butter and milk and mash until you are happy with their consistency.
  • Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Hot Dog Chili

Published on by Tracie18 Comments

I love a good hot dog.  We don’t eat them very often, but when we do, I always want a tasty hot dog chili to go with them.

Hot dog chili is not the same as a chili that you would eat as a meal.  It’s finer and doesn’t have beans.  Although according to Denton my homemade chili recipe is awesome on hot dogs too!

Here is my version of the best hot dog chili made.

Start out with your favorite meat.  You can use ground beef, turkey, chicken, or even the substitute meat crumbles that you can buy in the store.

Brown until no pink is showing.  I like to use my potato masher to make the meat as fine as possible.  That’s just my personal preference.

I like to use 80/20 ground beef.  See all of the juicy goodness?  That’s flavor, people!

Drain, but do not rinse your skillet.  Flavor, people, we want to keep as much of it as possible.

Make your spice mixture.  I like:

  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp chili powder

I only use half of a 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, but you can use it all if you like.  It will just be more saucy. 

2 or 3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce.

1/2 cup of ketchup…..

After you drain your meat, sprinkle in the spices…..

Add in 1/3 cup of water and the ketchup and tomato sauce……

And mix it all together.

Simmer for 20 minutes to let everything combine and for the sauce to reduce.

Voila!  You have the perfect hot dog chili.

Note:  The leftovers freeze well.  If you can hide them from everyone.

Here’s the handy dandy printable recipe.

Quick and Easy Hot Dog Chili

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb of ground beef or turkey, chicken, or meat substitute
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 4 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1/2 tsp EACH -
  • black pepper
  • salt
  • onion powder
  • garlic powder
  • sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp chili powder

Instructions
 

  • Brown your meat and drain.
  • Add ALL of the other ingredients.
  • Simmer for 20 minutes on medium to medium low until thickened.
  • Enjoy with your hot dogs or as a chili dog!
  • Note: The leftovers freeze well! If you can hide it from everyone.

Restaurant Style Baked Potatoes

Published on by Tracie5 Comments

Potatoes.  I absolutely love potatoes.  In any shape or form.  Baked potatoes are a great favorite of mine.  We have them at least once a week with supper.  Here is my favorite way to prepare them.

Start with giant, well scrubbed potatoes.

Find a sturdy sheet pan, your favorite olive or canola oil, a sharp knife and aluminum foil.

Gently stab all of your potatoes – so they don’t explode in your oven.

Generously coat with the oil…..and rub until covered completely.  Then, rub the rest into your hands.  It feels good and is very hydrating!

Heavily sprinkle with salt…..

Yummy.

Wrap tightly in the foil…..

Make sure that there are no loose spots.

Perfect.

Place them all on the baking sheet, and bake at *400 for 1 hour.

Sublime.  Utterly sublime!  Enjoy them on their own, or as a side.

Here’s the handy dandy recipe.

Restaurant Style Baked Potatoes

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 4 giant russet potatoes
  • olive oil
  • salt

Instructions
 

  • Scrub your potatoes well.
  • Drizzle with oil and rub all over.
  • Heavily sprinkle with salt.
  • Wrap tightly in foil.
  • Bake on a baking sheet for 1 hour at *400.
  • Enjoy!

Fast and Delicious “Lasagna”

Published on by Tracie12 Comments

This is an easy and fast way to make a “lasagna”.  Hayden won’t touch spaghetti – he’s a fettuccine guy – but he will eat lasagna.  Liv barely weighs 100 pounds, but can eat her weight in any kind of pasta.  Denton, as he says, will eat anything.  So I consider this recipe an all around success.

Start with a pound of your favorite pasta and boil for 8 minutes.  I had half of a box of rigatoni and 8 ounces of this supergrain pasta that I mixed.  It was delicious.  And you can’t beat the price!

Yummy.

Next, get out your favorite spaghetti sauce.  I love Classico.  It has the most luscious taste.  And I can get it for $1.50 a jar on sale at Kroger.   I found these on closeout for $1.34, woohoo!

Mix the pasta, and sauce….

Add in the cottage cheese…..

Mix it all together.

Top it with some shredded cheese and bake until bubbly.  I always turn on the broiler for the last 2 or 3 minutes to make the cheese have some crispy edges, YUM!

lasagna

We always have this with my homemade garlic bread.  It was worth every single second of the 30 minutes it took to put it all together.  Try it and let me know what you think.

Here’s the handy dandy recipe.

Fast and Delicious “Lasagna”

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb pasta
  • 1 24 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
  • 1 24 ounce container of cottage cheese you could also use Ricotta
  • 2 cups shredded cheese

Instructions
 

  • Boil the pasta in salted water for 8 minutes.
  • Combine the pasta, sauce and cottage cheese in a baking pan.
  • Top with shredded cheese and bake at 400* for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Note: I always turn on the broiler for the last 2 to 3 minutes to make the cheese have some crispy edges!
  • Enjoy!