Hearty Tomato Soup

Does anyone else just love a simple but delicious meal sometimes?

I love to take a classic meal, keep it easy, and turn it into something new and better.

That is exactly what happened here. My husband loves grilled cheese and tomato soup, and I often decline fixing it because it seems too "easy". One day I decided to make a homemade tomato soup for him. I knew I wanted a recipe with basil and cream cheese, and luckily I found a recipe in a Betty Crocker cookbook and it was perfect. I guess it is really just a doctored tomato soup because it still uses canned soup.

I think he raved over this soup as much as anything I have ever made. It was unbelievably good and crazy easy! It didn't take but a little longer than a plain old can of soup, but the taste wasn't even comparable.

2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups milk
2 cans (10 3/4oz.) condensed tomato soup
2 cans (14 1/2oz.) whole tomatoes, undrained

Melt butter in 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in butter about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender; remove from heat.

Stir in paprika, basil and cream cheese. Gradually stir in milk and soup. Beat with hand beater or wire whisk until cheese is melted and soup is smooth.

Stir in tomatoes, breaking up tomatoes with a fork or snipping with kitchen scissors. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until hot.

1 serving (1 cup)= 195 calories
8 servings

Crispy Onion Chicken

After surveying my pantry I found a little bit of French's fried onions left over from green bean casserole season. That season...it runs through Thanksgiving and Christmas if you didn't know. I bet grocery stores sell 97.5% of their fried onions in the last two months of the year.

Rather than tossing them I set out to find another use for them. I created this yummy chicken from something that would have been garbage.

I am thrifty like that...

I am totally the person who scoops more then their fair share of fried onions from the famous casserole. I bet some of you are the same way. With my love of these fried onions I am wondering why it has taken me so long to find another excuse to eat them.

I had some chicken already thawed out, so I whipped up this super quick and easy dinner. It was delicious and a great way to update a plain boring chicken breast!

If you get a chance to try it, make sure you come back and let me know! It always brightens my day to see where someone tried my recipe...

4 Chicken breasts

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard

2 cups French's Fried Onions

In a large zip top bag crush the fried onions with a rolling pin. Dip the chicken breasts in the Dijon mustard until coated. Place the crushed fried onions in a small baking dish. Roll each chicken breast into the onion mixture. Place on a baking sheet.

Bake at 400 until cooked, about 20-25 minutes.

Do you have any recipes using these delicious french fried onions? If so, please share...

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

The days were dwindling. The plan of attack had been in place for a while.

Attack of the extra poundage, that is!

I knew that I had to make the most of my last week. Leave no stone unturned.

I did it. I think I successfully finished off every food I love...and maybe gained an extra ten pounds to lose in the process. I had a wonderful Moe's burrito, pizza, Mexican, my favorite brownies, a Caribou Mocha. Oh, and I can't forget the evil liquid calories in my beloved Coke!

(I ate it all...and here I am now, my only indulgence is sugar free jello. When I am feeling really wild I top it with a dollop of light Cool Whip. Wild, I tell you!)

One thing on my list of foods to indulge in last week was this Roasted Red Pepper Pasta. I had cream in the fridge, a jar of roasted red peppers, and the creative juices were flowing! I wanted to try it out before all cream and pasta would be banished. I am so glad I did.

I declared this my best pasta recipe, ever! The great things about it is that it meets all of my blog criteria with flying colors. It is delicious, quick and easy, and very "Cutting Back"!

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained
Crushed red pepper (amount depends on how spicy you like it, I used about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 chopped parsley (plus more for garnish)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-1 1/4 cup heavy cream (depending on how saucy you like it)
Salt and Pepper
1 lb. pasta, cooked


Add olive oil to a large skillet. Heat and add onion and garlic. Saute until they are translucent. Add drained red peppers and parsley and continue cooking until heated through. Blend in the pan with an immersion blender (if you don't have on transfer mixture to a regular blender and puree and add back to pan). On med-low heat add in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Continue cooking until thoroughly heated. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Add in cooked pasta. Garnish with additional parsley or Parmesan cheese if desired!

This post is linked to Ultimate Recipe Swap

Fresh Summer Pasta

A few weeks ago I was faced with "dinner dilemma". You know...I didn't want to make what was scheduled and was missing one ingredient to everything that sounded good. I was by myself and just when I was content to eat from the cereal stockpile I decided to check the status of my garden.

I know what you are thinking right now...I had all kinds of beautiful, juicy, ripe tomatoes waiting for me. Well, the story didn't go exactly like that...

I had a fresh zucchini and I was really wanting to make this pasta that I had been dreaming of. A trip to the garden (if you can call a 2x2 foot plot of land a garden?) brought me disappointment as I had no squash and no ripe juicy tomatoes, just lots and lots of green ones. My neighbor, with whom I have major garden envy, came out with a bag of summer squash and tomatoes just for me.

As I skipped inside I was so full of joy for I know could make this fresh summer pasta. The only thing I lacked was fresh garlic, but garlic powder worked just fine.


1 box angel hair pasta
1 zucchini, diced large
1 summer squash, diced large
5-6 fresh tomatoes
1/3-1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil

Cook pasta according to box directions. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Saute zucchini, squash, and garlic in olive oil just until vegetables are cooked. Cut tomatoes in half and squeeze juice in a bowl. Dice the tomatoes and add to the juice. Add tomato mixture and basil to sauteed vegetables. Add pasta and olive oil to your liking. Mix in 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Stir until mixed well. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4-6




This post is linked to Ultimate Recipe Swap at www.lifeasmom.com

Smoked Sausage, Macaroni, and Tomatoes

I have just recently started to explore “easy” meals. It isn’t that my husband expects a big meal on the table, quite the contrary. He has always requested tomato soup and grilled cheese, but it rarely graces our dinner table. Maybe it is because I am kind of picky myself, maybe I just like to cook, maybe I try to be a modern day Betty…I don’t know why, probably a little bit of all.

The problem is that most nights I just don’t have the time to cook a big meal… then dinner ends up being Qdoba or Pizza. In effort to keep with my menu plans I started cooking “easy” meals on those busy nights.

My husband had mentioned many times how much he liked macaroni and tomatoes. I had never had it, or even heard of it. I finally decided to make it and I couldn’t believe how much I loved it. It is about the easiest meal you could make. There is nothing to it...

1 pkg. smoked sausage
1 box macaroni
2 cans diced tomatoes (I used the chili seasoned kind but use what you like)
1 small can tomato sauce

Cook macaroni according to package directions. While macaroni is cooking, chop the smoked sausage into smaller pieces. Drain macaroni and put back in pot. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce. Place your smoked sausage on top and simmer until the sausage is warmed through.

*This makes a lot of food. If you have a smaller family you may want to consider cutting it in half by using half of the macaroni and one less can of tomatoes. That way I won’t be eating the leftovers all week.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I know, I know, it sounds kind of weird. At least that's what I first thought when I ran across this recipe several years ago. I have mentioned several times about my obsession with recipes and cookbooks. I guess word travels fast, Daniel's grandma gave me several used cooking magazines. She had clipped out the ones she wanted and thought I may be interested in the rest.

Unbeknownst to her, an awesome recipe was left un-clipped! I looked at this several times before I decided to try it. I mean, sweet and sour belongs with chicken, right? When I tried it, it was absolutely delicious. I love that the meatballs have a slight hint of garlic, it goes really well with the sweetness of the sauce.

It has become one of our favorite meals!

1 can (20oz) unsweetened pineapple chunks

1 egg

1 cup soft bread crumbs

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 large green peppers

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup cider vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

Drain pineapple, reserving 1/2 cup juice (discard the remaining juice or save for another use). Set the juice and pineapple aside. In a bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 40 meatballs.

In a nonstick skillet, brown meatballs in oil; drain. Cut green peppers into chunks. Add broth, peppers, and reserved pineapple to meatballs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Stir in the vinegar, soy sauce and reserved pineapple juice until smooth. Add to meatball mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over rice.

Yield:8 servings

Hint: You could most certainly substitue frozen meatballs or your own favorite recipe!

Recipe Source - Light and Tasty Magazine

Mexican Lasagna

I will start by saying that I just love Mexican food. I mean, I.LOVE.IT!!!! We used to go out for mexican EVERY week! When my mom told me about this recipe...I knew I had to try it. It is a Rachael Ray recipe, so it is another quick one for all you busy cooks. It seemed to be kind of "gourmet" to be made in 30 minutes. It was quite a bit quicker than regular lasagna!

One thing that I really liked about this recipe is that it is extremely versatile. I created my own version of the recipe, and next time will do it differently. It is a basic recipe that can be tweaked just to your family's liking. Next time I am going for spicier! You could use shredded chicken in stead of beef, refried beans instead of black...you get the point!

Here is my version

3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 pound ground beef

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 (15 oz. can0 black beans, drained

1 cup medium taco sauce or stewed tomatoes

1 small can diced green chilies

1 cup frozen corn

salt

flour tortillas (1 package)

2 1/2 cups shredded taco cheese
sour cream, for topping

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add ground beef and season with chili powder, cumin, and onion. Brown the meat, and drain the grease. Add the green chilies, tomatoes or taco sauce, beans, and corn. Heat the mixture through, about 2-3 minutes.

Coat an 8x8 pan with the remaining olive oil. Cut the tortillas into halves or quarters to make them easy to layer. Build lasagna in layers of meat and bean mixture, then tortillas, then cheese. Repeat meat, tortillas, and cheese again. Bake 12-15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Serve with sour cream!

Recipe source:

www.foodnetwork.com Rachael Ray

This post is linked to URS at www.lifeasmom.com

Stuffed Shells

Here is another quick and easy meal per your requests. It is also one that I regularly make for the freezer. I am sure you have seen it on my menu plan, we eat it all the time. The recipe calls for spinach, but you could easily substitute ground beef or whatever you like. I really think this recipe was meant for Popeye, he sure loves him some spinach, doesn't he? Seriously though, even if you *think* you don't like spinach, I challenge you to try it in these shells. It is good for you, afterall!

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 box of jumbo shells

1 pkg. mozzarella cheese

Filling:

1 onion, diced

10 oz. frozen spinach, cooked and drained

1 chicken bullion cube

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese

Cook shells al dente. Mix filling and stuff into shells. Place shells in a baking dish. Pour sauce over shells and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

To freeze:

Prepare dish up to the baking point. Cover and freeze. To eat, thaw, and follow baking instructions.

Apple Cider Chicken

I sat down the other day to drink some hot apple cider that had been "gifted" to me. While I was savoring it, I decided I needed to come up with something else to do with it. I knew we couldn't drink it all, and I hated to see those good apples go to waste! I'm all over the idiom, "waste not, want not"!

I came across a recipe and immediately wrote it down on my menu plan. I tweaked it to make it my own (or maybe I just didn't have all the ingredients on hand), and the result was great. I made it with apple cider, but I am sure it would be equally good with apple juice if that is what you have on hand!

Another plus, besides you probably have most of the things on hand already...is that it is quick and easy! See, I listened when you all said you were looking for some quick and easy meals. I have added a "quick and easy" label on the side bar so now you can search by that!

2 Tablespoons oil
2 Tablespoon butter
¼ cup all purpose flour
4 boneless Chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ Vidalia onion, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
1 Teaspoon dried Thyme
1 bay leaf
1 ½ cup apple cider/apple juice

Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Place the flour in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and shake off the excess. Add the chicken to the pan and sear until golden, about 4 minutes on each side.
Remove chicken from pan and set aside, cover with foil to keep warm. Add remaining butter, apple, onion, thyme, and bay leaf. Saute until apples get color and onions soften, about 6 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons flour and stir for 2 more minutes. Add chicken back to pot, and add apple cider/juice, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes. Serve over rice, if desired.


Recipe adapted from Food Network