Farmers Market Primavera

I have NOT abandoned the blog, I've just been making the same old, same old and been busy with my two mobile children. Time flies!

During the summer, I love to visit the farmers market and see what I can get a deal on, and what just looks super yummy. After today's visit to the Minneapolis Farmers' Market, we got a lot of yummy veggies, so I decided to make a primavera to use them!

1 box enriched pasta (I used MP Penne Plus from Target)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 jar alfredo or garlic sauce (I used Ragu Roasted Garlic)
1 red pepper cut into bite sized pieces
green beans, cut into pieces
1 cup peas
handful matchstick carrots
drizzle of EVOO
shredded parmesan cheese

(remember, you can use whatever veggies you have, but if they're frozen, you'll need to cook them longer)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Heat EVOO and saute chicken in it until cooked through.
3. When the chicken is fully cooked, add sauce and veggies. Simmer on med-low heat until the pasta is done.
4. After you drain the pasta, add it to the veggie/chicken/sauce mixture and toss to coat.
5. Serve with a little bit of shredded parmesan on top.

Mexican Lasagna

I've found quite a few recipes for this, but decided to make a mish mash of a few of them to make my own version.

1 lb ground beef

1 can rotel

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can corn, drained, OR 2 cups frozen corn

12 tortillas

salsa

1 packet taco seasoning

water

cheddar cheese

1. preheat oven to 350

2. Prepare meat according to the directions on the taco seasoning packet.

3. Add corn, rotel and black beans and simmer.

4. Spray a 9x13 glass dish with cooking spray, layer tortillas so the entire bottom is covered. Spread some salsa on the tortillas.

5. Spread half of the meat mixture on top of the tortillas. Top with cheddar cheese.

6. Layer more tortillas on top of the cheese and add some more salsa. Spread the rest of the meat on top of the tortillas.

7. Layer the rest of the tortillas on top then spread more salsa and cheese on top.

8. Bake for 30 minutes.

9. Cut and serve!

Chili Macaroni and Cheese

I've been thinking about making something like this for a while, and it suited my midwestern husband's taste perfectly. I didn't plan to make chili to add to it, and from now on, I think this will only get made if I have some leftovers, since I made entirely too much, but I'll post the recipe and all it made. It's good for some lunches and leftover meals for sure, but I made enough to feed 8 people.

1 lb ground beef

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 T chili powder

1 can tomatoes and green chilis (ro-tel)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 tsp minced garlic

1 small or medium onion, chopped

3 cups elbow macaroni

1 lb velveeta, cut into cubes

1. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions.

2. While cooking the macaroni, brown the ground beef. Drain, then set aside.

3. Saute the onions and garlic together, then add the ground beef back in. When the onions are tender, add tomatoes, chili powder and black beans. Simmer until the macaroni is done.

4. After you drain the macaroni, return it to the pot. Add the chili to the macaroni. Stir.

5. Add the velveeta, stirring occasionally until the cheese is all melted.

This was GREAT the first night, but even better leftover.

Rice and Black Bean Enchiladas

This recipe was posted on Modern Bliss, but it's from Allrecipes. It's fan-freaking-tastic. My husband, who likes Mexican more than me and definitely more spicy than me, really likes this recipe.

I've made some changes to the original, but I'm including my changes below.

• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies (I use Ro-tel)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 - 2 cups meat, cooked (I use leftovers)
• 1/4 cup picante sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 12 flour tortillas, warmed
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup reduced fat shredded Cheddar cheese

1. In a large nonstick skillet, saute the green pepper, onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the beans, tomatoes, corn, meat, picante sauce, chili powder, and cumin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until heated through and mixture thickens. Add rice; cook 5 minutes longer or until heated through.

2. Spoon a rounded 1/2 cup down the center of each tortilla. Fold sides over filling and roll up. Place in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon salsa over each tortilla. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Bake 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Pigs in a blanket

Ah, comfort food. Not really healthy, but very kid friendly and good for those nights when you don't have a lot of time. And really good if you have a toaster oven. I highly recommend one, especially for the summer. (It doesn't heat the house the way the regular oven does.)

4 hot dogs

1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough

1. Spray a baking sheet with non stick spray.

2. Open the can of crescent rolls, and separate into four pieces, squares instead of triangles.

3. Wrap the hot dogs in the crescent rolls.

4. Cook according to the package directions of the crescent rolls.

In my house, these are served with macaroni and cheese (usually from a box) and veggies. It's great for those nights when I really need my toddler to eat something. She's super picky but will usually eat hot dogs, even if not the mac and cheese. You can serve it with whatever you usually have hot dogs with.

Scarborough Fair Pork Roast

I did this with a bone in pork shoulder roast, but it could definitely work with a beef roast!! I didn't much care for the veggies, but I prefer steamed veggies in general, but they add SUCH good flavor to the meat.

1 med onion, cut into slices

2 stalks celery coarsely cut

1 cup carrots, cut into one inch pieces (I used baby carrots cut in half)

1 large pork roast....I'd guess mine was about 3 lbs.

3 large potatoes, cut into chunks

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp sage

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chicken broth

Mix the spices together and rub on the outside of the roast. Feel free to use more if you have it. I really just eyeball it on spices and then guesstimate how much I used for the recipe.

After you've rubbed on the spices, throw everything in the crock pot however it will fit. I'd originally had the onions and veggies on the bottom, but there wasn't room for everything else and I have a 7 qt crock pot.

Cook on low all day and enjoy!!

This made WAY too much for my family of 4 (only two adults eat, and one toddler picks), but I'll be having a pulled pork sandwich for lunch. The meet is very flavorful, but not so spiced that it can't be repurposed for other recipes.

By the way, have you figured out how this recipe got it's name???

Cheesy Chicken and Hashbrowns

This is one of my crockpot recipes that I've actually gotten raves on from others that have tried it. I appreciate the feedback. This is actually a bastardized version of this recipe from Better Homes & Gardens. I used what I had in the house, and did originally use already cooked chicken, but figured, in the crockpot, it didn't matter if the chicken was cooked yet or not.

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 lb frozen hash browns (about half a bag)

1 cup sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

1. Place all ingredients in the crock pot. Stir and cook all day on low.

I'm sure you could add some veggies to this, since the original recipe calls for potatoes with onions and red peppers, but I prefer just to steam a veggie and serve that on the side.