Daily Cooking Recipes Let Me Make Cooking Easy

March 31, 2014

Manicotti

 

Manicotti Photo

Manicotti

Florence

Ingredients
  

  • Manicotti pasta shells
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves - minced
  • 1/4 Cup olive oil
  • 3 Cup cooked ham chopped
  • 1 Cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
  • 6 Tablespoons butter
  • 6 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 3 Cups milk
  • 2 Cups shredded Swiss cheese
  • Freezer wrap

Instructions
 

  • Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Add the onion and garlic.
  • Cook until tender about 5 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat.
  • Add the ham and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
  • Stir in 1/2 C of the Parmesan cheese.
  • Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.
  • Drain and allow to cool.
  • Place the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat.
  • Cook until butter becomes foamy looking.
  • Carefully stir in the flour.
  • Cook 3 minutes until it begins to bubble.
  • Be sure to stir continuously so the flour doesn't burn.
  • Carefully pour in the milk.
  • Stir continuously until the sauce begins to thicken.
  • Stir in the Swiss cheese until smooth.
  • Place 1/4 of the cheese sauce into the ham mixture and stir.
  • Fill each shell with the ham mixture.
  • Place enough cheese sauce to cover the bottom of a large glass baking dish.
  • Place the shells in the cheese sauce.
  • Pour the rest of the cheese sauce over the top of the pasta shells.
  • Place in the refrigerator to cool.
  • Once cool wrap with the freezer wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
  • When ready to cook thaw the dish overnight in the refrigerator.
  • Uncover and cover with the 1/2 grated Parmesan cheese.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Bake casserole for 1 hour or until heated completely through.

 

March 29, 2014

In a Flash Burgers

 

In a Flash Burgers Photo

In a Flash Burgers

Florence

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb ground chuck
  • Wax paper
  • Freezer paper
  • Butter or margarine

Instructions
 

  • Shape the ground chuck into four inch patties.
  • Place the wax paper on a flat surface.
  • Place a patty on the wax paper.
  • Add a piece of wax paper to the top of the patty.
  • Add another patty.
  • Continue until all the patties are stacked alternating back and forth between the patties and wax paper and being sure to end with the wax paper.
  • Wrap in the freezer paper and secure tightly.
  • Freeze for up to 2 months.
  • When ready to use place the butter in a skillet.
  • Heat on medium heat until butter is melted.
  • Add the patties.
  • Cook 7 minutes.
  • Flip and cook an addition 7 minutes or until as well as you like.

 

March 25, 2014

Tuna Rice And Veggie Bake

Filed under: Budget Friendly Rice Dishes,Rice,Seafood — Tags: , , , , — Chef @ 8:00 am
Tuna Rice And Veggie Bake Photo

Tuna Rice And Veggie Bake

Florence
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 bag 16 oz frozen mixed vegetables
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 3 cups cooked rice
  • 1/2 cup diced green pepper
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 2 teaspoons dried dill
  • 1 can 12 oz white tuna in water, drained
  • 2 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup bread crumbs

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375°F
  • Lightly Grease 2 quart baking dish.
  • Mix together vegetables, mayonnaise, sour cream, cooked rice, green pepper, onion and dried dill.
  • Mix in Tuna.
  • Place in Greased baking dish.
  • In a small saucepan, melt the butter, add the bread crumbs and heat just until combined, then spoon on top of the tuna mixture in baking dish.
  • Bake (uncovered) in oven for 30 minutes or until hot and lightly browned on top and around the edges.

March 11, 2014

Simple Ways To Save Money On Lunch

 

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but lunch is what gets you through until dinner time. The price of school lunches rises each year and it is hard for some parents to keep up. This is besides the fact that many lunch menus, not just in schools either, are not as nutritious as they could be. Most kids don’t like what they are serving on the lunch menu at school anyway.  They are “trying” to make them more healthy, but in doing so they are making it so kids don’t want to eat them.  Here are some money saving lunch ideas for frugal families.

  1. Take your lunch. This goes for parents as well as kids. We are tempted to eat out with the group everyday, too. That adds up after awhile. Those cute insulated lunch bags make it easier to carry hot and cold items. We can throw even throw out the brown bags in favor of reusable options which are more environmentally friendly. When you pack your own lunch, you know what is in it so it is easier to avoid a lot of unhealthy fats and junk food.
  1. Make a sandwich. I’m not talking about just any sandwich. This can be a wrap, pita, crust less bread, or bun sandwich. Varying the bread each day will help you decide what ingredients to put on it. You may want turkey with alfalfa sprouts, tomato, and onion on a pita or chicken strips with barbecue sauce, lettuce, and shredded cheese in a tortilla wrap. Many kids like bread without crust for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This makes lunch fun and your kids are more likely to eat it if they have a creative variety. Invest in single packs of condiments. They can be used in lunches as opposed to putting them on the sandwich and saturating the bread before lunchtime rolls around.
  1. Bottled water and drink crystals. Water has never been the same since they came out with those handy packs of flavorings. You can find them everywhere. Best of all they have five calories or less. You can turn a bottle of water into a drink that is better than soda. Kids love them too.
  1. Dessert courtesy of home. Stop! Put down that candy bar and walk away from the vending machine. Instead, choose a better option. Homemade granola can be shaped into bars and used as an after lunch snack. How about dried fruit pieces? They are sweeter than candy bars and won’t spike your blood sugar. It’s okay to have a naughty treat every now and then, but even at those times you can choose a healthier option than chips or candy. Make a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies and pack a few in your lunch.
  1. Ice packs. These nifty items will keep lunch from spoiling. The perfect complement to an insulated bag, they allow you to take yogurt or a sandwich with meat and not have to worry about it getting warm before it’s time to eat.
  1. Veggie sticks. Eat them with your sandwich and add some Ranch dressing for dipping.

Lunch doesn’t have to come from the school cafeteria or the fast food joint around the corner to be good. Coming from home, it can be healthier, taste better and cost less. Now that’s a combination you can’t beat.

March 8, 2014

5 Quick and Frugal Breakfast Ideas

It is the first meal we eat when we get up in the morning. After a long night of sleep, we can’t do without it if we want to get our bodies going. No, I’m not talking about coffee. I’m referring to breakfast. Here are some ideas for breakfast that don’t require a drive-thru window.

1.  Have a piece of casserole. It takes time to cook eggs and bacon for breakfast. No one wants to ruin their clothes with the mess it can create. On Sunday night, get breakfast done early. Put together a casserole using your favorite ingredients. Fewer eggs are needed in a casserole than when frying or scrambling them for breakfast each morning. Depending on the size of your family, the casserole may last two to three mornings.

2.  Yogurt. Yogurt is a healthy and economical breakfast choice. When you are eating on the run, grab a container of yogurt and some dried or fresh fruit. Cutting up fruit on top of the yogurt adds carbohydrates to fuel you for the morning in addition to the calcium and protein in the yogurt itself.

3.  Breakfast shake. This is even quicker and can be ingested while driving without taking your eyes off the road or both hands off the wheel. Put together some frozen fruit favorites, ice cubes, frozen yogurt, and unsweetened juice in a blender. Pour into Styrofoam cups to keep it cold. Everyone can grab a cup on the way out the door. The nutritional effect is about the same as yogurt, but without the spoon.

4.  Pigs in a blanket. This is the homemade version. Whip up a batch of pancakes and freeze them in short stacks of three. A package or two of frozen link sausage is needed to create this quick and economical meal idea. Thaw out a stack of pancakes. Heat up three sausages in the microwave. Wrap a pancake around each sausage. Voila! You’ve got an instant pig in a blanket. Eat it as you watch the last of your favorite morning show or as you walk to the bus stop. It can be eaten in the car without too much fuss or mess. For a sweeter taste and less mess, add a little maple syrup or honey to the batter when making the pancakes.

5.  Breakfast sandwiches. In the evening, while you are getting things ready for the next day, grill up a few breakfast sandwiches. Choose whatever you like: turkey slices, ham slices, cheese, tomato, bacon, etc. When the sandwich cools, cut it into bite size pieces and put it in a container. In the morning, just grab a container; pop it into the microwave for fifteen or twenty seconds and breakfast is served.

These breakfast ideas are time saving and money-saving too. They make use of items you buy normally and also whatever you have around the house to create delicious fare for a morning rush. No more excuses for skipping breakfast or swinging into the fast food restaurant every morning. 

March 6, 2014

Burritos That Are Sure To Please

 

Burritos That Are Sure To Please

Burritos That Are Sure To Please

Florence
Course Entree
Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients
  

  • 3 boneless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 jar 16 oz size salsa
  • 1 14.5 oz can refried beans
  • 1 8 oz pkg shredded taco cheese
  • 1 8 count pkg burrito size tortillas
  • Wax paper
  • Freezer bags

Instructions
 

  • Place the chicken breasts in a large sauce pan and cover with salsa. Add just enough water to cover the chicken completely. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 15 minutes.
  • Chicken should be white all the way through when done. Remove the chicken from pot and cool completely and then shred and return to pot. Bring back to boil to reduce liquid of the mixture looks to watery. Remove from heat when it is at your desired thickness.
  • Lay down tortilla flat.
  • Place 3 T of refried beans down the middle of the tortilla.
  • Place 4 T of the chicken mixture on top of the beans.
  • Sprinkle with cheese.
  • Fold in the sides of the tortilla and roll until completely closed.
  • Continue until you used all the tortillas.
  • Wrap each burrito in the wax paper.
  • Place the burritos in a freezer bag.
  • Freeze for up to 3 months.
  • To cook unwrap the burritos.
  • Place in the microwave for about 3 minutes or just until the burrito is beginning to thaw.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Lightly spray a cookie sheet with a non stick cooking spray.
  • Lay the burritos on the cookie sheet.
  • Bake 12 minutes or until the burrito just begins to brown.

 

February 27, 2014

All in One Breakfast Rollups

 

All in One Breakfast Rollups

All in One Breakfast Rollups

Florence
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 Ham steak cut into bite size pieces
  • 2 C frozen southern style hash browns thawed
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/2 C salsa
  • 1 pkg 6 in size tortillas
  • 1 C shredded Mexican style cheese
  • Wax paper
  • Freezer bags

Instructions
 

  • Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
  • When hot add the ham and hash browns.
  • Cook until they are both beginning to brown.
  • Place the salsa in a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the eggs and stir until mixed together.
  • Pour the salsa mixture in with the ham mixture.
  • Leave heat on medium high and cook until the eggs have set.
  • Place a tortilla flat.
  • Place about 4 T of the ham mixture down the center of the tortilla.
  • Roll the tortilla up completely.
  • Continue until all the tortillas are used.
  • Wrap each roll-up in wax paper.
  • Place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
  • When ready to eat remove from the freezer and unwrap.
  • Place each roll-up on a microwave safe plate and cover with paper towel.
  • Microwave 2 minutes on high or until the burrito is as heated as you like.

 

February 20, 2014

American Barbecue Sandwiches

All-American Barbecue Sandwiches

Florence
Course Meat
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 4 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 1/2 cups onion -- chopped
  • 2 1/4 cups ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons prepared mustard
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon pepper
  • 18 hamburger buns

Instructions
 

  • Brown ground beef and onion.
  • Drain off grease.
  • Add ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and stir well.
  • Serve on buns
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