Herb Crusted Tenderloin

Daddy Rating: 5

From time to time at my grocery store pork tenderloin is buy-one-get-one. It something I usually have in my freezer. I came across this Paula Deen (Love her!) recipe on the Food Network website and it turned out great. I put the meat ingredients together before work, cooked it when I got home and served it with some freezer green beans. We actually ate dinner right off the cutting board after my daughter went to bed...some days are just like that.

Dinner's Ready!

You'll need:
1-1.5 lb Pork Tenderloin
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
.5 Teaspoon salt
4 Cloves Garlic
1 Teaspoon dried thyme
1 Teaspoon dried basil
1 Teaspoon dried rosemary

If you line the cooking sheet with foil, you actually have NO dishes to clean up!

Mix oil, salt, garlic and herbs in a small bowl. Place defrosted tenderloin on a foil lined cooking sheet, massage herb mixture onto the top half of the tenderloin, cover with saran and go to work.

Get this ready in the morning and go to work!

When you get home, reheat the oven and cook tenderloin according to directions on the package (I did it at 425* for 25 min for 1.5lbs). Serve with the veggie of your choice - ENJOY!

Soo Yummy Thai Pasta & Chicken



Yummier than it looks!

Perfect weeknight dinner even if there is homework to do - Less than 30 min to make, one pot and flavor to boot. I tried and tried to get a good picture of this one, but you're going to have to take my word for it, it's fantastic. Many birthdays ago my mom put together a bunch of her favorite recipes in a book for me - this recipe card has "EASY & YUMMY" written on it, she's right!
You'll need:
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 lb linguine
Roasted chicken, torn, as much or as little as you like
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice (or the juice of 1 lime)
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

Bring water to a boil for pasta, cook, drain, set pasta aside in a colander. In the same pot you made the pasta, mix together, broth, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and chili flakes. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir pasta in with broth mixture. Add chicken, lime juice. Put on plates/bowls and sprinkle cilantro and peanuts on top. Enjoy!!

Fun Ravioli Lasagna

Daddy Rating: 3/4

Lining the pan with raviolis

I have a fantastic lasagna recipe from my mom that I make...when I have a couple extra hours. But THIS is a perfect "everyday" lasagna and it took me all of 15 minutes to prep. It's so easy, it's fun - be sure to get the kiddos involved on this one. FYI: You will have more ravioli than you need - save it and make some "Toasted Ravioli" - recipe coming soon.

Ingredients:
1 package frozen meat ravioli
1 package frozen cheese ravioli
3 cups shredded mozerella
2 - 26 oz jars of your favorite marinara sauce (you'll have about half a jar left over)
2 - 10 oz packages of frozen chopped spinach (defrosted and water pressed out)
shredded parmesean for topping

Preheat oven to 350*

In a 9x13 baking dish spoon some marinra sauce on the bottom of the dish. Place a row of meat ravioi, sprinkle half of the spinach, sprinkle cheese, pour more sauce. Do another row of cheese ravioli, sprinkle the rest of the spinach, sprinkle cheese, and some Parmesean cheese.

Cover the dish in foil (I use the non-stick kind) and bake for 20-25 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 10-15 min or until brown  and bubbly.  I made this on a Sunday and it is currently waiting in my basement 'fridge until we are ready to cook! (I'll post the finished picture then)

Enjoy!

Smoky Beef and Bean Chili

Daddy Rating: 3/4

This dish goes well with a pint since there is beer in the chili!

I love when summer comes because I'm ready for salads and light meals on the BBQ - I love when fall comes because it is time for warm crock pot meals like this one to simmer all day and fill the house with a wonderful aroma. To me a Crock pot meal shouldn't have a ton of prep work to do besides chopping and this recipe fits the bill. Simple, totally affordable with a lot of flavor and makes plenty so you will have left overs for the week.

Ingredients:
2 - 15.5 oz cans kidney beans, rinsed
1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes (Fire Roasted are the best)
12oz lager beer
1lb stew meat, trimmed down a bit, you want about 3/4" pieces
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons chili powder
Salt
1-3 teaspoons chopped chipotles in adobo sauce (this makes the whole recipe)
Cornbread, sour cream, grated Cheddar, chopped red onion, whatever your heart desires for toppings

In a 4-6 quart slow cooker, mix together beans, tomatoes (with their juices), beer, beef, yellow onion, garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, chipotles, and a touch of salt....how easy is that!

Cover and cook until the beef is tender, on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. I always opt for the low setting, the meat just gets more tender that way. I just made some simple cornbread from a mix and topped it with cheese. Husband was happy and full on a chilly winter day and I had some great leftovers for lunch during the week.

Football Crock-Pot Chili

Daddy Rating: 1 (For Football Sunday of course)

The resident bachelor at work brought in this chili during an office pot-luck and I HAD to get the recipe. I was shocked when I learned it was all canned food, but I knew it would be perfect for a chilly football Sunday. I always try to have some hearty food or snacks on hand for the hubs when he watches football. I score major points when I bring him a bowl of food during a football game - he loves it.

Photo Courtesy of Resident Office Bachelor

Ingredients:
2 cans - Campbell's Steakhouse Chili
1 can - Bush's Chili Beans, hot
1 can - Manwich Bold
1 can - DelMonte diced tomatoes with zesty green chilis
1 can - DelMonte stewed tomatoes
1 cup - small whole wheat pasta not cooked all the way (shells or elbows are good)

Dump everything in a crock pot (drain beans and tomatoes) and cook on low until everything is heated up. You may also want to add some crushed red pepper, creole seasoning or cayenne pepper per your taste buds. Add Pasta about 30 min before serving so it doesn't get mushy. Top with your favorite chili toppings, cheese, sour cream, or french fried onions. YUM

Forget the wine, it's football - serve with a frosty beer!

Chicken with Tomatoes & Thyme

Daddy Rating: 2/3

I'm not sure if there could be an easier meal to prepare and it is YUMMY, I can't believe I have't posted this sooner. I make it in the morning before work and put half in a Zip-loc bag in the freezer for a future yummy dinner. What's great is all of the prep is in the morning, and it doesn't require any attention when it's cooking so you can have quality time or help kids with homework.

AM Prep - how good does this look!

Ingredients
1 lemon
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes with basil
8 sprigs thyme
1 (or so) tablespoons capers
4 small chicken thighs (bone-in, skin on)
4 small chicken drumsticks (bone-in, skin on)
salt/pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Freezer bags
Cooked rice for serving

Slice the lemon into rounds, keeping the peel on. In a bowl combine tomatoes and their liquid, lemon, thyme, and capers. Put about half of the tomato mixture into a 9x12 baking dish. Arrange 3-4 thighs and 3-4 drumsticks in the dish so they aren't touching. Cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate until you are ready to cook. Put the rest of the tomato mix and chicken in a freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months.

As soon as you get home from work, preheat the oven to 400*, remove the platic wrap and drizzle olive oil over the chicken. Roast until the chicken is is brown and cooked through (about 40-50 minutes). Serve over rice.

Enjoy with a nice glass of wine

Pesto Steak Pizza

Daddy Rating: 4 (but I think he was really hungry)

So Hubby and I had a date over the weekend where, of course, he ordered the Fred Flintstone size steak. Surprisingly, he only ate half, so I used the other half for this dinner. There is no recipe to quote from - I saw a picture of a pizza like this in a magazine and it inspired me.

Ingredients:
Boboli Pizza Crust (I had to use 2 since my husband ate one pizza himself)
Red, yellow green bell peppers
Pesto
Onion
Leftover steak
Italian shredded 4 cheese
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 325-350-ish. Warm oil in skillet. Add onions until soft, add peppers until just soft - keep in mind they will still cook on the pizza in the oven. Spread pesto on pizza crust. Slice leftover steak into strips and arrange on pizza. Cover with a little cheese. Add Onions and peppers. Add more cheese on top.

 Bake on a cookie sheet until bubbly and a little browned. My husband was quite pleased with this dinner and ate the entire pizza in one sitting.

Always serve with a glass of wine. ENJOY!

Fish Tacos!

Daddy Rating: 4

I consider this one of my specialties. I think the idea originally came from an Everyday Food issue, but I have modified it and just make it without a recipe so I claim it to be my own. This is especially good for warmer weather because the oven doesn't have to be on too long, in fact you could do it all out on the grill if you wanted.

Ingredients:

Tilapia - 1 Filet=2 tacos, so get as much as you will need.

Sour Cream

Avocado

Purple Cabbage (it's just so pretty)

Shredded CHEESE

Fresh Tomatoes

Corn or Flour Tortillas (splurge and get the good gourmet ones - totally worth it)

Paprika

Olive oil

.5 teaspoon Ground Coriander,

.5 teasp Ground Cumin

Limes

Slice the filets into small chunks. On a foil lined cookie sheet, brush with olive oil. Line up the tilapia, brush with more olive oil and sprinkle with as much paprika as you want. Put under the broiler until fish is opaque.

Fish ready for cooking!

Chop all your fixins. Combine Sour cream with Coriander, Cumin, Paprika and lime juice - let this warm up to room temp so it isn't so cold on your tacos.

Yummy chopped fixins

My favorite is to warm the tortillas directly on the grill... there's just something super yummy about it. Combine all of the ingredients to your liking and ENJOY!

Always serve with a glass of wine.

This was my husband's FIRST plate...he made two more tacos after this.



Ro-Tel Quesadillas

Daddy Rating: 3

This is a fantastic, stand-by, go-to, yummy dinner. My sister discovered it on the back of the Ro-Tel can and shared the idea with me when I was new ideas. Two pans, kid friendly, easy clean up - Love it.

Ingredients:
- Canola oil (recipe calls for PAM spray, but oil is more yummy)
- Big can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with green chilies
- Roasted chicken
- Shredded cheese
- Med onion
- Burrito-size tortillas
- Guacamole

Easy Ingredients

Heat a little oil in a skillet and saute chopped onion until soft. Add can of tomatoes and shredded chicken into skillet until warmed.

Place tomato mixture on half of a tortilla and cover with shredded cheese and fold in half. Coat the bottom of a second 12"-ish skillet with oil and place filled tortilla in skillet. When it gets warm and the cheese melty, gingerly flip quesadilla in skillet to brown other side (I use two spatulas to achieve this task).

Eddie the dog wishing the Quesadilla to fall off the counter

Remove from pan to plate - cut into 3rds with a pizza cutter and serve with Guacamole. My husband was full from ONE of these, but I think he snaked on too much Chips and Guac while I was getting dinner ready.

Always serve with a glass of wine...or beer...or margarita

Super Good and Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

(Daddy Rating: 5)

I don't usually make a lot of soups because my husband is more of a full, hearty meal kind of a guy. But he actually LOVED this I think it may become a staple in our house. I got this recipe out of my latest Rachel Ray Magazine, she called it "Jane Fox's Famous Tortilla Soup". This makes pretty much, you'll have enough to bring for lunch the next day.

If you don't have a Dutch Oven, I highly recommend getting one - perfect for dishes that will sit and simmer for a while which happens a lot in my house!

Ingredients:
- Corn Tortillas (or corn chips out of the bag!)
- 4 tbsp Corn Oil (I used Canola)
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic (I always use the kind in a jar)
- A handful coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 small can diced green chilies
- 1 15oz can diced tomatoes (I used the fire roasted kind, yum!)
- 1 rotisserie chicken (you won't need the whole thing, you'll have plenty left for lunches/snacks)
- 2 avocados (I didn't use this)
- 2 limes cut into wedges (I skipped this, too)
- 1 small red onion (didn't do this...there's already onion in it and I'm not chopping two onions)
- 2 large jalapenos, seeded and chopped (I didn't do this, there is already enough flavor)
- shredded cheese
- sour cream

Cooking the spices makes the house smell sooooo good.

In a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add oil, yellow onion, garlic, cilantro, bay leaves, chili powder, cumin, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until spices are toasted and onion is soft (about 7 minutes or so). Add the stock, green chilies, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add however much chicken you want in the soup. I just tore it into big chunks. Reduce to a simmer until you're ready to eat!

Slice corn tortillas into strips and bake until crispy - OR open up a bag of chips...both work fine. Put tortilla chips on the bottom of the bowl, pour soup into bowls and top with cheese, red onion, more chips, jalapenos, lime wedges if you feel like it...again, I didn't have time for the additional toppings and it was still really, really good.

Always serve with a glass of wine.