A Recipe & Menu Planning

Do you menu plan? Sit with your stacks of cookbooks & magazine with paper & pen and start jotting down what you will make for the next week (or two) and what groceries you will need? It's a brilliant idea really. When that hour comes upon you and we all ask the same question... "What am I going to make for dinner???" all you need to do is look at your menu and you'll know. No more frantically thawing out meat in your microwave (that never quite seems to work!), or making {another} box of Mac & Cheese - HA!

In theory this is a splendid idea, but for some reason {for me} this is difficult to do. When I do it I wonder why I don't always do it! I think it's a time thing, although I probably waste just as much time trying to figure out what to make. So I figure if I start posting my weekly menu it might help me stick to it - a little thing called accountability :)

So... here's our menu for the week, drop me a line & let me know what your crew is munching on this week....

{Menu}

Chicken with Indian Spices & Yogurt

Red Snapper with Butter Toasted Pecans

Homemade Pizza

Tuna Casserole

Veggie Cakes and Salad

Classic Beef Stew

Leftovers

I always plan a day of leftovers (preferably Sundays!). Wonderful to have at least one night off from cooking :)

OK, here's a recipe for you. I know you like photos, and when I make it again (which I will be doing soon) I will try to remember to take a photo. My Mom made this while she was here and it is SO delicious. Trust me, you will want to try this! YUM!!

BROWN RICE QUINOA PILAF

olive or canola oil 1 tbsp.

finely chopped onion 1 cup

grated carrot 1 cup

long grain brown rice 1 cup

prepared chicken broth 3 1/2 cups

quinoa, rinsed & drained 1 cup

dried cranberries 1/2 cup

Heat olive oil in large saucepan on medium. Add onion & carrot.

Cook, uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until onion is

softened.

Add rice. Stir until coated. Add broth. Stir. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, without

stirring.

Add quinoa and cranberries. Stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to

medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, without stirring,

until rice and quinoa are tender and broth is absorbed. Makes about

7 cups

I haven't gotten into my stamping space for awhile. At the moment it's still full of sewing stuff with all the projects the girls did with my Mom. I will have to take some photos and upload them so you can see all the great things they made. Bags, bags and more bags. FAB-U-LOUS! :) And my youngest made some things for her barbies. Too cute & tons of fun. I will need to clean it up this weekend though as we start back to school on Monday after having a few weeks off with baby Matthew.

Have a splendid long weekend!

.j.

Spring Vegetable and Bean Soup

OK, I know what you're thinking... SOUP?! Seriously Jen in the summer, SOUP?? Every so often there's a cloudy day, right? Even if there isn't, this soup is THAT good!

Enjoy.

Spring Vegetable Soup

from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Cookbook

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

2 medium onions

2 cloves of garlic

1-3/4 quarts of chicken/veggie broth ( I used 8 cups)

olive oil

1 x 15oz. can of Cannellini beans (we use red kidney beans)

2 cups cauliflower

2 cups broccoli

7 cups spinach leaves

2 large ripe tomatoes

sea salt & freshly ground pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Peel and roughly slice the carrots; slice the celery. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Peel and slice the garlic.
2. Put the broth in a saucepan and heat until boiling. Put a large saucepan on medium heat and add 2 TBL of olive oil. Add all your chopped and sliced ingredients and mix together with a wooden spoon. Cook for around 12 minutes, with the lid askew, until the carrots have softened but are still holding their shape, and the onion is lightly golden.
3. Meanwhile, drain your beans. Break up the cauliflower and broccoli into small florets. Roughly chop the spinach. Quarter the tomatoes, removing any stalks.
4. Add the boiling broth to the vegetables in the pan. Add your cannellini beans, cauliflower, broccoli and quartered tomatoes. Give the soup a good stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or slightly more.

To Serve Your Soup:

1. Add the spinach to the pan and cook for a further 30 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat. If you like your soup a little less chunky, you can take out half of it, blend it (using our favorite tool, the immersion blender) then stir it back into the pan. (If using an immersion blender, there’s no need to take out the soup for blending and returning to the pot.)
2. Season carefully with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 6 to 8

Blueberry Scones

It's been awhile since I've posted a recipe! We've been busy "nesting" and getting our freezer filled with easy snacks & meals. Everything from muffins to loaves, to cooked hamburger (easy to through together sauces or tacos!), to meatballs... today was SCONES! YUM. I love them, and with all the fresh blueberries in the stores, this is the perfect time to pull out my favorite recipe from Martha Stewards website. Click here to view her link. Oh -- and ENJOY! ☺

BLUEBERRY SCONES

Ingredients

Makes 8

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling tops
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing tops
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in center. Place a baking mat on a baking sheet, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Stir in blueberries and zest.
3. Using a fork, whisk together cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, and pour in cream mixture. Stir lightly with fork just until dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times to mix well.
4. Pat dough into a 6-inch square about 1 1/4 inches thick. Using a floured knife, cut into four 3-inch squares. Cut squares in half on the diagonal to form eight triangles. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer scones to wire racks to cool.

I took a few pics for you. It's so easy to mix up, then form it into a rectangle...

Cut into squares and then into triangles. Brush with milk or cream & sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until slightly golden. I like them light & flakey! We enjoyed them for lunch today!

Fabulously Sweet Pear Cake

OK, seriously, this is DELISH. A must try. Even if your pears are looking SAD and mushy, this my friend, is the perfect way to use them up!!

FABULOUSLY SWEET PEAR CAKE

Ingredients:

4 fresh pears (I used five because all 5 were way over ripe)

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 cup chopped pecans (we didn't have any so we omitted these)

2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. Peel and slice pears thin. mix sliced pears with white sugar, brown sugar, and nuts. Let sit for one hour. After sitting puree pear mixture in blender. (Again, I skipped this step. I mashed them up and although there weren't pureed it was fine)

2. Preheat oven to 350. Grease & flour pan. I used a loaf pan (it was huge by the time it was done), they call for 9x13, but I'm thinking it might not be enough batter??, some use a cake pan, whatever you've got :) Cooking time might change 'tis all.

3. By hand stir in until just blended; the flour, salt & baking soda. Add dry ingredients to pear mixture and add oil vanilla and eggs. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes (loaf pan took an additional 20 minutes... might try two smaller loaf pans next time)

ENJOY! let me know what you think if you give it a try :)

.j.

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

I had never made orzo before going to my sister-in-laws house & tasting this amazing dish. Kids loved it as did all the adults! A keeper FOR SURE! Have you tried Orzo before? It's found in the pasta section & looks like chubby rice :)

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

3 TBSP. butter

1-1/2 cups orzo

3 cups of chicken broth

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

6 TBSP chopped FRESH basil (or 1-1/2 tsp dried, but TRY TO GET FRESH!!)

salt & pepper to taste

2 tbsp. plain yogurt (thinned with a little milk)

Melt butter in skillet over med-high heat. Add orzo and saute 2 min. until slightly brown. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover & simmer until orzo is tender & liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Mix in parmesan and basil. Season with salt & pepper. For a creamier pasta (YES!) stir in 2 tbsp. plain yogurt thinned with a little milk. Enjoy!

Japanese Chicken Wings

We made this a couple of weeks ago and the kids kept walking into the house saying WHAT SMELLS SOOOOO GOOOOD? :) Mom's love to hear that!

JAPANESE CHICKEN WINGS

3 lbs of chicken wings, tips removed (I used the dumettes)

1 egg

1/3 cup of flour

1 cup of butter

**I ended up needing more egg & flour, but I think I had more than 3 lbs of chicken.

SAUCE:

3 TBSP. soy sauce

3 TBSP. water

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

Cut wings in half. (obviously skip this if using drumettes) Dip in slightly beaten egg and then in flour. Fry in butter until deep brown and crisp. YUM. Place in shallow roasting pan. Mix all sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken wings. Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour baste wings with sauce during cooking. So easy & delish! Kids & hubby LOVED them!

Chocolate Pavlova

Pavlova is one of our favorite desserts - so yummy & so light. I came across this recipe in a cookbook that also had a chocolate layer....will HAVE to try it!! It does take TIME, not a last minute throw-together dessert. But looks like it's worth the effort. :)

Chocolate Pavlova

3 large egg whites

3/4 cup superfine sugar (I use regular, just takes more beating)

1 tsp. white wine vinegar (I use regular 'ol vinegar)

1 tsp. cornstarch

FILLING:

1 pound (16 squares - WHOA!) semisweet chocolate

1-1/4 cup heavy cream

GARNISH:

4 oz semisweet chocolate

1 pint fresh strawberries

2 oz white chocolate

1 cup fresh raspberries

The process:

Preheat oven to 350. Draw a 9" circle on a piece of waxed paper and put upside down on a baking sheet.

Beat the egg whites until very stiff, gradually beat in the sugar. Fold in the vinegar & cornstarch.

Spread the meringue over the circle on the baking paper. Make a large hollow in the center of the meringue.

Bake for 5 minutes then reduce oven temp to 250 and bake for 50 minutes more. Set aside to cool slightly. Carefully peel away the waxed paper & let the meringue cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In the top of a double-boiler set over simmering (NOT BOILING) water, melt the chocolate. Heat the cream in a pan until almost boiling. Gradually whisk the cream into the melted chocolate until smooth. Set aside for 2-3 hours to thicken but not to set completely. Stir occasionally.

Put the meringue on a large serving plate and carefully spoon the filling into the hollow. Garnish with chocolate curls, chocolate dipped strawberries.

Butterscotch Chocolate Chippers

Haven't tried these, but they looked yummy.

Butterscotch Chocolate Chippers

1-1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp water

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (mini)

1 cup butterscotch chips

3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

The process:

Preheat oven to 375

Mix together flour, baking soda & salt

Beat together butter, sugars at med. until light & fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla & water

At low speed, beat in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time until soft dough forms. Fold in choc. chips, butterscotch chips & nuts.

Drop batter by rounded tsp onto ungreased baking sheets 2 inches apart.

Bake until golden, 7 minutes.

Makes 4 dozen.

Chocolate Orange Muffins

MMM-MMmm Good!

Chocolate Orange Muffins

2 cup flour

1 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

1 TBSP. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 tsp. grated orange peel

The process:

Preheat oven to 400. Mix together flour, chocolate chips, sugar, baking soda & salt. mix together orange juice, milk, oil, egg & orange peel. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add milk mixture all at once to well, tossing with a fork until dry ingredients are just moistened (do not over-mix). Spoon batter4 into prepared muffin cups. Bake until tops are firm & golden - 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

ENJOY!

A new family favorite here!

Pecan Bars

OK - these are amazing. Seriously, candy! My daughter loves baking and she's terrific! She made these and the pan was nearly CLEANED OUT by the end of the night!

Pecan Bars

1-1/2 cups flour

1-1/2 cup brown sugar, packed & divided

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup pecans

2/3 cup butter

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter - beat 2-3 minutes.

Pat into ungreased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup butter & remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar. Cook until bubbly & stir one more minute.

Pour over crust & spread.

Bake 18-20 minutes until surface is bubbly.

Remove from oven & spread with chocolate chips. Let stand 2-3 minutes & then spread. Cook & cut. With the heat, we ended up putting the pan in the fridge to firm up the chocolate :)

ENJOY!

.j.

Curried Rice Salad

I made this for the reunion, I loved it. Rice was a bit mushy (would use a different kind next time).... but the overall TASTE was Mmm-Mmmm-Good! ;-) I love salads in summer weather... cold dinners are delish - let me know if you have a salad to share, I'll try it out FER SURE!!! K, try this one:

Curried Rice Salad

2 cups cooked rice (best made the day before)

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 Tablespoon vinegar

1 tsp. curry powder

2 tablespoons salad oil (I used olive oil)

2 cups frozen green peas

1 cup mayo

Mix rice, celery, onions, frozen peas, salad oil, vinegar & curry powder. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Add mayo. Can be pressed into a mold and when chilled turned onto a large platter (can't do this... grosses me out for some reason to have MOLDED salads.... dunno??), served on lettuce leaves or just as is (I'm an AS IS kinda girl, LOL!)

Enjoy!

.j.

Broccoli Salad

My Mom had a little family reunion last weekend and she wanted everyone to have a break and asked me to cook a ham and make some salads & deliver them to everyone on Saturday for dinner :) What fun! This is always a favorite at our house, so I thought I'd make it for the group!

Broccoli Salad

1 head broccoli

1 bunch of green onions

1`-1/2 cups chopped celery

1/2 cup crumbled bacon

1-1/2 cup green grapes

toasted slivered almonds

sunflower seeds

raisins

Dressing:

1 cup mayo or salad dressing (Miracle Whip)

1 Tablespoon Vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

Mix all together and enjoy. :)

Hugs & Kisses Cheesecake

OK, I really should have a photo for you, but we ate it! LOL. We love cream cheese, but they can be so expensive to make. MOST of the recipes I have call for 3 packages of cream cheese - OUCH. I love this one as it only calls for ONE! :) And it's still the perfect size for company.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake a.k.a Hugs & Kisses

1 package cream cheese, softened

1 (14oz) can of sweetened condensed milk (I make my own)

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. flour

1 cup chocolate chips

oreo cookie crust (I'll use graham crust if that's what I have on hand)

chocolate glaze

whipped cream

chocolate curls

The process:

Preheat oven to 350. Beat cheese until fluffy, gradually add sweetened condensed milk - beat until smooth. Add egg & vanilla and mix well. Toss chips with flour and fold into cheese mixture. Pour into crust (use a spring form pan). Bake 35 min until center springs back when lightly touched. Cool. Top with glaze, whipped cream & chocolate shavings.

Chocolate Glaze:

Melt 1/2 cup of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup whipping cream. Cook & stir until thickened. Smooth over cake immediately. makes one pie or double for largest spring form pan (I use this recipe with the med. sized spring form pan)

enjoy! It freezes beautifully!

.j.

Chocolate Raspberry Squares

I thought it has been awhile since I posted something sweet :) This yummy square fits perfectly!

Chocolate Raspberry Squares

1-3/4cup all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup Margarine, softened

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 cup red raspberry jam

1 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup sliced almonds

MAKE IT:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9 pan.
2. In a large bowl, thoroughly combine flour & sugar. Cut in margarine ( you can use a pastry blender, I just use my hands) until mixture is crumbly. Add egg and almond extract; mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside 1 cup of flour mixture for topping.
3. Press in remaining flour mixture into prepared baking dish. Evenly spread raspberry jam over dough.
4. Thoroughly combine reserved flour mixture, chocolate chips and almonds. Evenly spoon topping over raspberry jam & press with the back of a spoon.
5. Bake 40 min. or until lightly browned. Cool in pan on a rack. Makes 2 doz.

Manicotti made easy!

This is one of those meals that takes a bit of time (but worth the effort!). It's a nice big recipe so it's possible to have one for dinner tonight, and put one in the freezer for later! LOVE those kinds of meals. One mess, two meals! I make both the meat & cheese filling... and put a mixture of the two in a 9x13 pan. Kids do prefer the cheese ones though.

Manicotti with meat filling

18 manicotti noodles (I never use these, they break far too easily! I just use lasagna noodles instead, cut them in half after they're cooked, spread mixture on & roll them up - WAAAAY easier!)

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef

2 TBPS. vegetable oil

3 slices of bread, crumbled

2/3 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

1/2 tsp. salt

dash pepper

28oz. (796mL) spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

MAKE IT:

Cook noodles according to package. Brown meat & drain. Combine bread & milk. Allow to stand 2 min. Add cooked meat & remaining ingredients except spaghetti sauce & Parmesan cheese. Fill noodles.

Manicotti with CHEESE filling:

18 Manicotti noodles (lasagna noodles)

3 cups ricotta cheese or cottage cheese

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 TBSP. chopped parsley

2 eggs, beaten

dash nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

dash pepper

28oz (796mL) Spaghetti Sauce

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

MAKE IT:

Cook noodles according to package. Coming all filling ingredients except spaghetti sauce and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Fill noodles.

COOK IT:

Divide 1-1/2 cup spaghetti sauce in bottom of two 9"x13" pans. (yes, if you're using BOTH fillings you can get up to FOUR pans out of this!) Arrange filled manicotti (or rolled lasagna noodles) in each pan in a single layer.

Pour over remaining sauce.

Divide the 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese & sprinkle on top.

Bake COVERED, in 350 oven, 45 min, or until thoroughly heated.

Nice big salad, warm crusty bread.... YUM! Leftovers are great too. This is a great time to share as well. Have the gang over for dinner with this one, send a pan to someone you know who's not feeling well, a friend who's just had a baby.... and you'll still have some in your freezer for a busy day in the future!

enjoy!

.j.

Singapore Noodles

One of our family favorites :) Mmmmmmmmm.

Singapore Noodles

1/4 cup Cooking Oil (part sesame gives good flavor)

4-6 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 TBPS. Sliver ginger strips (I just mince these as well)

2 cups cooked pork, chicken, shrimp or beef, cut up

1/3 cup slivered green onions

2 tsp. crushed red pepper (may be halved) - I often omit

1/4 Oyster Sauce

3 TBSP. Curry powder (may be halved)

2 tsp. Soy Sauce

Cooked noodles. The recipe calls for vermicelli nests (4-6). This isn't our favorite, so I always just use spaghetti noodles.

Make IT:

Heat first amount of cooking oil in wok or frying pan. Add garlic and ginger. Cook until tender. Add pork, green onion & red pepper to wok. Stir-fry until hot.

Add oyster sauce, curry powder & soy sauce. Stir & toss well to mix thoroughly. Add & toss with drained noodles. May be served now or cover & place in 250 oven to hold until ready.

Enjoy. It's an easy recipe to play with too as far as how spicy your family likes it. We're fairly mild here, except for hubby.

.j.

All American Meatloaf

There are *so many* different meatloaf recipes. My Mom makes a yummy one with cottage cheese, another with stove-top stuffing... I think the options are endless. THIS recipe is one of our family favorites - I love that it has veggies right inside! I make a couple changes to this recipe (whole wheat bread instead of white, kids don't like heat so I leave out the Tabasco sauce, I find the onions on top burn, so I omit those as well...) that's the thing about meatloaves - you can switch things around and it turns out yummy! My hubby loves the leftovers in a sandwich (not my thing - but, to each their own! LOL). Enjoy!

ALL-AMERICAN MEATLOAF

From Martha Stewart

Serves 6
3 slices white bread
1 large carrot, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 celery, strings peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves, loosely packed
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons ketchup
4 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
8 ounces ground pork
8 ounces ground veal
8 ounces ground round
2 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus more needles for sprinkling
2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, cut into 1/4 inch-thick rings
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove crusts from bread, and place slices in the bowl of a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form, about 10 seconds. Transfer breadcrumbs to a large mixing bowl. Do not substitute dried breadcrumbs in this step, as they will make your meatloaf rubbery.
2. Place carrot, celery, yellow onion, garlic, and parsley in the bowl of the food processor. Process until vegetables have been minced, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. (Chopping vegetables this way saves time and ensures that vegetables will be small enough to cook through and not be crunchy). Transfer vegetables to bowl with the breadcrumbs.
3. Add 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, pork, veal, beef, eggs, salt, pepper, Tabasco, and rosemary. Using your hands, knead the ingredients until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. The texture should be wet, but tight enough to hold a free-form shape.
4. Set a wire baking rack into an 11-by-17-inch baking pan. Cut a 5-by-11-inch piece of parchment paper, and place over center of rack to prevent meat loaf from falling through. Using your hands, form an elongated loaf covering the parchment.
5. Place the remaining 3 tablespoons ketchup, remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons mustard, and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the glaze over loaf. Place oil in a medium saucepan set over high heat. When oil is smoking, add red onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and golden in places. Add 3 tablespoons water, and cook, stirring, until most of the water has evaporated. Transfer onion to a bowl to cool slightly, then sprinkle onion over the meatloaf.
6. Bake 30 minutes, then sprinkle rosemary needles on top. Continue baking loaf until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees. about 25 minutes more. Let meatloaf cool on rack, 15 minutes

Fried Rice

I think the person in our family who likes this most is...ME! I love making a HUGE batch and having it for leftovers - such a yummy lunch. Takes some effort in assembling, but worth it. Make sure you use COLD rice (leftover, or premade the day before is best). Warm rice will *not* work - it'll be mush - eww. NOT what we're going for here! :)

Fried Rice

8 bacon slices, cut in small pieces

1 cup shredded or finely chopped carrot

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup chopped green onion

1/2 cup cooked peas

3 cups cold cooked rice

3 tbsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. salt

Make IT:

Put bacon, carrot, onion and celery into frying pan. Saute until onion is soft & clear. If it appears dry, add some cooking oil. Add green onion, Saute another 1-2 min. Add remaining ingredients. Saute until heated through. Check for salt. If you are not using soy sauce, you may need more salt ( use the soy sauce! LOL). Serves 6-8

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

.j.

Weeknight Lasagna Toss

It's one of those nights where you don't know WHAT to have for dinner. You want something good, something the kids will eat and something QUICK! This is your recipe! I got it from my Kraft What's Cooking magazine. This is a total pantry raid....:)

Weeknight Lasagna Toss

3/4lb lean ground beef

2 green peppers, chopped (we used red)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (700mL) jar pasta sauce

1-2/3 cups water (you may need a bit more, we did.)

1/4 cup Kraft Zesty Italian

12 lasagna noodles, broken into quarters

1 cup shredded Cheese (whatever kind you like)

Make IT:

Brown meat in large saucepan; drain.

Stir in peppers, garlic, pasta sauce, water and dressing; bring to boil. Add noodles. stir. Cover.

Cook on medium-low heat 10-15 min. or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand 5 min. or until cheese has melted.

My family GOBBLED this up - very good :) We also stirred in 1/2 cup of cottage cheese into the noodle mixture before sprinkling with shredded cheese... little added protein! ;)

We'll be making this one again before our move - nice & easy.

Enjoy,

.j.

xo

Easy Brocooli Quiche

This is our family favorite! Grab one of those pastry "disks" out of your freezer that you made a couple weeks ago! :)))) (you'll only need 1/2)

EASY BROCCOLI QUICHE

Ingredients:
2 TBPS Butter
1 onion, minced
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1-9" unbaked pie crust
1-1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese (we use cheddar sometimes too!)
4 eggs, well beaten
1-1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 TBPS. Butter, melted
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Over med-low heat, melt butter in large saucepan. Add onions, garlic & broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the veggies are soft. (we often add crumbled bacon in here too -- YUM!)
3. Sprinkle cheese on crust & then spoon veggies on top.
4. Combine eggs & milk. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over cheese & veggies.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, or until center has set.

ENJOY!

.j.