Zuppa Toscana Soup

I love Olive Garden and especially this soup.  I was shocked at how easy it was to make and oh so delicious!!  The kids didn't even notice the kale which I thought added great flavor to the soup.   It was a hit and definitely curved the craving!!

Zuppa Toscana
Adapted  just a bit from Mom on Time Out
1 lb Italian Sausage (spicy if you prefer more heat)
5-7 slices of bacon
5 medium russet potatoes
2 cups kale, chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 large onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper

Brown the sausage and break into small pieces.  Drain and set aside.  Cook your bacon and crumble into pieces.  Place on a paper towel to drain.  

Slice the potatoes about 1/4 inch thick.  Just try to get them as close to the same size so they cook evenly.  I then cut the slices in half or fourths to make the bite sized pieces.  Put the potatoes, onions, garlic and chicken broth into a large pot.  Cook on medium heat until the potatoes are cooked through.

Then add the sausage, bacon, kale and cream.  Simmer for about 10-15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with some grated Parmesan cheese.

*This last time I doubled the recipe to take to a potluck.  After the potatoes were cooked I put it in a crockpot and then added the rest of the ingredients.  The next morning I cooked it on low for 3-4 hours.  I checked on it a few times and it must have been good because I did not bring any home.

I hear that it freezes well. 

Enjoy

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Cilantro Lime Chicken

This is a great freezer meal.  You can put is all in a big freezer bag and then dump and run as I call it.  Dump it in the crock pot just before you have to run out the door.  I actually put it all in the night before then pulled it out of the fridge in the morning and started it.  I had some extra kids for dinner and they all loved it.  You just need to make sure you use a slotted spoon when getting the meat mixture out of the crock pot otherwise the juice can be a bit messy.  A great meal!

Cilantro Lime Chicken
from October Morning
1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2  onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 
salt and pepper to taste

 Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours).  Shred the chicken.

Serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings  such as sour cream, avocado, salsa, and cheese. Whatever you like1

YUM!!

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Shredded Beef Taquitos

A few weeks ago we took out of the freezer some steaks to have the next day.  We were very surprised when we opened the package and found a huge roast instead.  Dinner plans then had to be changed for that day, but we did get the most out of that roast.  We ate it with baked potatoes, then made french dips, shredded beef barbecues and then these little beauties out of it!!  So it all turned out great.  It actually made for an easy meal planning.  I thought I had taken better pictures of these, but was wrong and the family ate them so fast!!  Anyway this is s for sure keeper!!

Shredded Beef Taquitos

Makes about 12-16 

2-3 cups roast, shredded

1/4 cup onion

4 oz cream cheese

2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 to 1 cup salsa

1 package 6 inch tortillas (corn or flour)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Soften the cream cheese in the microwave just a bit.  Place in a  medium sized bowl and mix the roast, onion, cheese and salsa together.  Lay your tortillas out and place about 1-2 Tablespoons of the mixture down one side. *Note it does help them roll better if you heat the tortillas for just a bit first.

Roll up and place on a greased cookie sheet.

Lightly spray the tops with cooking spray and sprinkle with a little salt.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes (or until edges and tops are golden). I rotated min after the first 10 minutes. 

Let cool for a couple of minutes.  

These also freeze well.  I was hoping to have some to freeze, but the family ate every single one in one sitting!!

They loved them!!

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Crock Pot Refried Beans turned into a Great Burrito Meal for the Freezer

I have never had good luck cooking dried beans.  They never seem to get soft.  I had a few packages of dried beans and my family has been going through a ton frozen burritos lately.  So I decided to try this recipe out and turn them into some bean burritos for the freezer.  The beans turned out great.  I was amazed how simple it was.  Why have I been buying the cans or buying the frozen burritos?? It was all such a simple process that will be making my own from now on!!

Crock Pot Refried Beans
from Six Sisters' Stuff
1 cup onion diced

3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed (you can also use Black Beans)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
5 cups water
4 cups chicken broth

Rinse and soak beans overnight in 6-8 cups of water (check your package)

I used 2 cups pinto beans and 1 cup black beans.

Place the onion, rinsed beans, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and chicken broth and stir to combine. Cook on High for 6- 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.

Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. 

Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency. ( I just stirred my beans to mash them.)

Not the prettiest picture, but you get what I am saying!!

For the Burritos:

18 to 24 Tortillas 

2 to 3 cups of shredded cheese

Slow Cooker Refried Beans

cooked hamburger

*anything else you like in burritos

Spoon some beans onto the tortilla. Add as much cheese as you would like. Fold in two sides of the tortilla then roll the rest of the tortilla.. I then put them on a cookie sheet and flask froze them for about 30 minutes.  Then you can either wrap them individually or bag them in freezer bags.

When you are ready to eat one, stick it on a plate and microwave the burrito for about 2 minutes or until the burrito is heated all the way through.
It made about 18 burritos.

Enjoy!

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Egg Shortcut for Homemade Breakfast Sandwiches

My family is always in a rush in the morning.  I am so not a breakfast person, unfortunately my family suffers a bit because of my issue.  To help with this problem I try to make things in bulk (such as french toast sticks), freeze and voila quick and easy breakfast that everyone can do on their own.  The grocery store had a killer deal on some of the canned refrigerator biscuits so I decided to put together some breakfast sandwiches.
They were tasty and have been a good change to the breakfast rut we sometimes get into.
The coolest shortcut I found for this is to bake your eggs in a muffin tin.

Shortcut Baked Eggs
adapted from Beauty and Bedlam
There is no true recipe for this it is more of a technique.  You can use the crack and dump method, scramble, or add anything you wish to make little omelets.  
I used:
12 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Spray your muffin tins with cooking spray.
I whisk it up in a bowl and divided into 24 muffins (about 1/4 cup each) ( I have seen it recommended to use a silicone muffin tin because the eggs do not stick and you can just pop them out. )

Here is the MAIN CONCERN I want to warn you about – rubbery eggs. This will happen if you over cook these.  Bake them at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Every oven heats differently plus, once you remove the eggs, they will still continue to cook a bit until they have cooled down, so set the timer for 8 – 10 minutes and check.  Mine took 8 minutes but your might need up to five more minutes.  Let them cool for a few minutes and pop them out of the tins.

I used a knife to run around the edged and slip underneath the eggs to loosen them from the tins.
Now you can cool and flash freeze or build your sandwiches.  I chose egg, cheese and sausage this go around.

My biscuits were a little big, but still tasty!!

I wrapped them individually and then put them in freezer bags and froze.

I will be doing this again.  It was quick simple and great for the kids!!

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24 Hour Lasagna

This is a flavorful homemade lasagna.  The key is to let the flavors blend together for 24 hours before cooking.  Double the recipe and freeze one for later. 

24 Hour Lasagna
Meat Layer
1- 1 1/2 hamburger, cooked and drained
1 clove garlic minced
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
1 Tablespoon basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 lb. canned tomatoes
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste

Cheese Layer
3 cups cottage cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon parsley
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 (10 oz.) box lasagna noodles
2-3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

1. Mix together the hamburger, garlic, 2 teaspoons parsley, 1 Tablespoon basil and salt.  Add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Let simmer while you prepare the cheese mixture and cook the lasagna noodles.
2. Mix together the cottage cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley and parmesan cheese.
To put the lasagna together:
Spray pan lightly with cooking spray. Place one layer of noodles across the bottom of pan. Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture over the noodles and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Spread 1/3 of the meat mixture over the cheese.

Top with another layer of noodles and repeat this two more times ending with the meat mixture and top with another layer of cheese.

Now the key to this recipe is to refrigerate for 24 hours. (you can also freeze at this point.) If frozen unthaw in the fridge.  Bake at 350 degree for 40-45 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allow to sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

DELICIOUS!!

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Meatball Week: Barbecue Meatballs

This is another simple and delicious meatball recipe! My family loves this one! It is a keeper!

Barbecue Meatballs

Make a batch of meatballs. You can find my favorite recipe here.
Place meatballs in the bottom of a 9 x13 casserole dish and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and drain grease.
* If you are using frozen meatballs either defrost them in the fridge or bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees before pouring the sauce over. 

In a saucepan combine the following ingredients:

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional: I just love the flavor)

1/4 tsp. liquid smoke (I did not have this and it was not missed.)

Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2 minutes. Pour over the meatballs. You may need to stir a bit to get them meatballs covered in the sauce.

Return to oven and bake 10-12 more minutes.

Serve!!

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Meatball Week: Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Here is a quick, simple and delicious meal using those frozen meatballs from yesterday's post. This is one of my favorites and it is so good you almost can't stop yourself.  It is a huge hit with the whole family!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Warm up desired amount of frozen meatballs in a pan or make fresh ones. You can find my meatball recipe here.
Sauce
1- 8 oz. can of pineapple tidbits (use tidbits and the juice)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Mix water and cornstarch together. Then add the other ingredients into the pan. Cook on medium heat, until the sauce thickens. Pour sauce over meatballs and heat through. Serve over rice. 

* I usually double the sauce.

You can check the original post out here.

If you have a great recipe using meatballs please email me the recipe or a link  to tiffaneeg@yahoo.com. At the end of the week I would love to put together a list of meatball recipe from you!!            

Thank You!!

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Meatball Week: The Basic Recipe

I've been thinking about this for along time and decided tot mix things up just a bit and experiment here this week at One Crazy Cookie. My plan is to take a basic recipe and share ways to help you make some delicious and simple meals.  Hopefully making meal time a bit easier on all of us!
As you can see from the title of this post this week I am sharing with you a basic meatball recipe.  It is so versatile and very delicious! I'm lucky to get to keep any of them for the family eats them right off the pan as they come out of the oven.

Next time you find hamburger on sale buy a few extra pounds and bake up some of these beauties to put in your freezer!!
Meatballs
Makes one batch: double or triple to get the amount you want if freezing them.
1 lb. hamburger
1 egg
1 Tbs. corn starch
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. minced onion
dash of pepper
Mix all ingredients together. Shape into balls or use cookie scoop and place on a cookie sheet.

Bake 350 degree for 15-25 minutes depending on the size of your meatballs. These were smaller ones (about 1 Tbs worth. I used my small cookie scoop.) I baked them for 15 minutes. 

Depending on the fat content of the hamburger

you may have to wipe the fat off each meatball before freezing. 

Flash freeze until solid (about 1/2 hour). Place in freezer bag and freeze.

Now for example: when you want Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner, it will be ready to impress and eat quickly!

Now the rest of the week I will share with you some other recipes to use these in to help aid your dinner rush!!

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Baked French Toast Sticks

This is the perfect quick and easy breakfast (or when ever), that can be made ahead and frozen.  They taste delicious!!  My kids thought they were in heaven!! I am really LUCKY that any of them made it to the freezer.  The family devoured them straight out of the oven.

Baked French Toast Sticks

makes 36 sticks

4 eggs

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon vanilla

12 thick (about 1 inch) sliced bread or Texas toast sliced bread

3-4 Tablespoons butter (optional)

Cut each slice of bread into three pieces.

In a shallow bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, milk , maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla with a fork or whisk, until well blended.  Dip each bread strip into the egg mixture, coating completely, but do not over soak.  You don't want the bread to be super soggy.

 

Place on a greased cookie sheet.  If you want you can brush a little melted butter underneath each strip before you place it on the cookie sheet.  I found that worked well!  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Let them sit while the oven is preheating.

Bakefor 10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter and turn them over to toast the other side.  Return to oven and bake for 5-10 minutes more or until golden brown.

Now you can either eat or flash freeze (put them in the freezer for a bit so they freeze individually.)

and place them in a freezer bag.  They make for a great quick breakfast. 

When ready to serve reheat in the toaster oven for 3-5 minutes.

Eat plain or serve with syrup and garnish with a little powdered sugar.

Oh YUM!!

Linked to:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tuesdays at the Table
Tasty Tuesday
Hearth & Soul Hop
Tuesday Night Supper Club

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