November 17-23, 2013

Sunday:  Crockpot Venison Tacos with Cilantro Lime Rice

Crockpot Venison Tacos

·          This recipe is actually intended for a beef brisket, but we have a few venison roasts in our freezer, so I used one of those instead.  I used this recipe from Gimme Some Oven – a blog I really enjoy!  The flavor of this dish was perfect, but sadly, I didn’t account for the lack of fat in venison, so our lunch ended up very dry.  We still made due and added barbeque sauce and made quesadillas for everyone.  But, we were both disappointed.  L  We will try this again, though!  We have plans to increase the cooking liquid and decrease the cooking time.  I’ll let you know!

Monday:  Roasted Chicken & Veggie Tortellini

Roasted Veggie & Chicken Tortellini

·          This recipe is great because you can really add any vegetables you have on hand.  It's a one-dish meal that has everything tossed together.  Using a rotisserie chicken makes it super easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

- 1 rotisserie chicken

- 2 small zucchini

- 1 tomato

- 1 head cauliflower

- olive oil

- Italian seasoning

- 9 oz package of cheese tortellini

- 4 Tbsp pesto

- parmesan cheese

Cube the zucchini and cut up the cauliflower.  Put them on a foil-lined cookie sheet (for easy clean-up!) and toss with a little olive oil and the Italian seasoning.  Roast at 400 degrees until they just start turning golden brown - about 15 minutes depending on size.  Sprinkle with some freshly grated parmesan when done.  Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the bones and dice up the tomato.  Make the tortellini according to package directions.  Toss the chicken, roasted veggies, tomato, pesto, and tortellini together.  Enjoy!

Tuesday:  Grilled Venison Steak, Roasted Ranch Potatoes, & Roasted Green Beans

·          Again with the venison…I know!  But, since Chad shot it, we will eat it!  Chad actually took the lead and seasoned and grilled the venison, so all I did was take care of the sides.  My mom was over for dinner, so she diced potatoes for me.  J  Then I tossed them with a little olive oil and a generous amount of dry Ranch dressing mix.  I roasted those alongside green beans for 20 minutes (our potatoes were diced smaller so they would cook faster) at 425 degrees.  We really enjoyed Chad’s steaks, and I enjoyed a dinner with a very easy clean-up!

Wednesday:  Breakfast Night!  Biscuits, Bacon & Cheese Omelets,  & Fruit

·          Chad was out of town, and I could barely chew food because of a little adjustment to my braces, so it was to one of the boys’ favorite dinners we went…breakfast!  Seriously…this is never a bad idea in my house. 

Thursday:  Dinner at Mom’s!

Friday:  Grilled Kickin’ Chicken with Roasted Asparagus and Seasoned Yellow Squash

Grilled Kickin’ Chicken

·          We love making this chicken, and it pretty much never fails to be amazing.  It’s so easy too, which is a big plus in my book.  The longer it marinates, the better it tastes!

Roasted Asparagus & Seasoned Yellow Squash

·          I washed and trimmed asparagus and placed it on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Then I sprayed on a little olive oil with my olive oil spritzer and sprinkled a little pepper and season salt on it.  Done!  For the squash, I cut two regular sized yellow squash into slices and threw them in a bowl.  Then I drizzled on olive oil.  After that, I added Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  I tossed that all together and added a little more olive oil and breadcrumbs until I liked how everything was sticking to the squash.  I put that on the other side of the baking sheet with the asparagus and roasted them together at 425 for about 15 minutes.  They both turned out great, and I was especially happy with the squash.  My boys really like a crispier zucchini or squash, and this was a perfectly quick way to make that happen!

Saturday:  Kickin’ Chicken Quesadillas with Spinach & Apple Salad

·          We had chicken leftover from the night before, so I diced it up for quesadillas.  I tried a new way of making quesadillas based off of making grilled cheeses in the oven.  I saw a tip on Pinterest several months ago that you could make several grilled cheese sandwiches in your oven at the same time by placing them between two baking sheets.  (I, of course, line mine with foil for easy cleanup!  J) 

I thought that the same method could work for quesadillas, and it did!!  I buttered the tortillas and put chicken and cheese in between them.  I placed a sheet of foil on top of the quesadillas, then another baking sheet over the foil, thus “smooshing” the quesadilla together.  I had the oven going at 425 degrees and let the quesadillas cook for about 12-15 minutes.  They turned out perfectly!  They were golden and crispy, and everything inside was hot and gooey.  I will definitely use this method for quesadillas again!

November 10-16, 2013

Sunday:  Chicken Tenders with Roasted Carrots & Zucchini

·          We’re hosting our small group at our house this month every Sunday night at 5:30.  So, dinner after group needed to be quick and easy!  Adding fresh vegetables to Purdue Simply Smart chicken tenders makes a healthy meal that we all enjoy.

Monday:  Simple Crockpot Paella with Toasted Whole Grain Bread

Simple Paella

·         This recipe is from Parents Magazine a few years back, and I actually haven’t ever tried it.  I’m not sure why I finally did, but I’m happy I gave it a shot!  It’s delicious and easy.  I’ll probably add a little more spice to it the next time I make it.  Also, don’t worry if your rice seems a tad thick or dry before you add the seafood and peas.  It will receive quite a bit of moisture from those last ingredients.  J

Crockpot Seafood Paella

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

3/4 cup chopped sweet peppers

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (reduce by half if you have younger kids)

1/4 tsp. ground turmeric

12 oz. fresh or frozen shrimp

12 oz. tilapia fillets, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1 cup frozen peas

Directions:

1. Coat a 3-1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray; add peppers, onion, and garlic and set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl combine the broth, rice, thyme, crushed red pepper, and turmeric. Microwave on high for 4 minutes or until just boiling. Pour over vegetables in cooker.

2. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 4 hours. An hour before it's finished cooking, stir in shrimp, tilapia, and peas. Cover and cook for the last hour. Remove cooker from liner; let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Tuesday:  Dinner with My Mom!

Wednesday:  Jamie’s Pasta Casserole with Peas & Bread

Jamie’s Pasta Casserole

·          This is a flavorful and easy recipe from my sweet friend, Jamie.  It makes a good amount and is a great leftover or freezer meal!

Ground Beef

Spaghetti Sauce

8 oz cream cheese

8 oz sour cream

Pasta of your choice

Mozzarella cheese

Prepare a meat sauce how you would typically make it.  Cook your pasta.   After pasta is finished, combine warmed cream cheese and sour cream, then mix the combined mixture with pasta. Pour pasta in an oven safe dish and pour meat sauce over pasta.  Top with mozzarella cheese, cover, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Thursday:  BBQ Turkey Sausage, Baked Beans, & Mashed Potatoes

·          We had been gone most of the afternoon, so a quick meal was my plan.  I sautéed turkey sausage with BBQ sauce and made two quick sides of Bush’s Baked Beans and mashed potatoes.  Apparently this was a green veggie-free night!

Friday:  Family Dinner with Friends

Saturday:  Date Night! 

·          My mom came and stayed with the kids so Chad and I could have a date night!  Yay!

November 3-9, 2013

*The kids and I were out of town late last week and early this week, so I took a week off from the blog.  I hope this week’s recipes make up for it.  J

Sunday:  In New Mexico

Monday:  In New Mexico

Tuesday:   Coming home from New Mexico – Here’s a recipe I made the week before!  J

Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken Tenders

·          I made this several months ago, and we really enjoyed it.  She’s actually altered the recipe just a bit, and I think for the better.  This time around, I used chicken tenders instead, which I think made it even better because the yummy pretzel breading covers more of the chicken.  Yum!  The homemade honey mustard dressing really makes this recipe special.  Try it!  (http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/)

Wednesday:  Quick Fettuccini Cacciatore, Kale Salad, & Whole Grain Bread

Quick Fettuccini Cacciatore

·          I’ve had this recipe from Kraft Recipes since Chad and I were newlyweds, but I haven’t made it in forever.  It’s an easy and flavorful recipe, and even my boys ate it without too much prompting.  It makes a good leftover too!

Kale Salad

·          Wash and chop fresh kale into bite-sized pieces.  Top with chopped nuts (I used pecans) and freshly grated parmesan cheese.  Then drizzle over a little olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice.  Sprinkle with ground pepper and toss everything together.  If you like kale, I think you’ll really enjoy this salad.  If you don’t know much about kale, this is a great way to give it a try!  What’s also great about kale is that it holds up well to the dressing, so it can be eaten a day or two later and still have a good bite to it!

Thursday:  Balsamic Glazed Salmon with Brown Rice & Quinoa and Sautéed Spinach

Balsamic Glazed Salmon

·          Salmon has always been a bit of a tricky fish for me.  It needs to be cooked the right way, or it just seems a bit off.  We’ve had success grilling it, but I wanted to try it in the oven.  The Pioneer Woman has a simple way of baking salmon that I was really pleased with.  I placed our salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzled with olive oil.  Then I sprinkled on salt and pepper.  That’s it!  Place your salmon in a cold oven and heat to 400 degrees.  Leave it in the oven for 25 minutes, and it’s done!  I thought ours cooked perfectly.  While the salmon was in the oven, I made a simple glaze that is a recipe from my sister-in-law, Amber.  It was the perfect way to flavor the salmon!

Balsamic Glaze:

¼ cup water

¼ cup vinegar

1 ½ T fresh lemon juice

1 T plus 1 tsp. brown sugar

Stir together in bowl.  Simmer until thick and boiled down to about 1/3 cup.

Sautéed Spinach with Feta

·          In a cold skillet, place a tablespoon or two of olive oil.  Put in a few garlic cloves that have been finely chopped.  Heat these together until the garlic just starts to turn golden.  Don’t let it burn!  Once your garlic and oil are hot, put fresh, washed spinach in your pan.  Put quite a bit…the spinach will cook down to almost nothing.  There needs to be enough that it’s mounded in your pan.  If you are cooking for more than 2-3 people, do a few batches.  Toss the spinach around so it’s coated in the oil and garlic, then sprinkle on some salt and pepper.  Cover and cook for 1 minute ONLY.  After 1 minute, remove the spinach to another plate.  Cook more spinach if necessary.  Before serving, top with crumbled feta cheese.  Delish!

Friday:  Britney’s “10 Chicken,” Baked Spaghetti Squash with Garlic & Butter, & Roasted Green Beans

Britney’s “10 Chicken”

·          We visited with family last weekend, and one night I saw what my cousin Britney was making her family for dinner.  She called it “10 Chicken” because the first time she made it, her son, Maverick said, “This is so good, I could eat 10 of them!”  I told Ranger this story, so naturally he tried it and said the same thing.  Hehe…sometimes peer pressure isn’t a bad thing.  J

Chicken (we used boneless thighs)

Italian Dressing

Soy Sauce

Garlic Powder

Marinate the chicken in the dressing, soy sauce, & garlic powder in a Ziploc bag.  I think this would just taste better and better the longer you marinate it.  Britney pulled hers out from the freezer.  Chad grilled it up for us, and it was so, so good!

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Butter

·          This is our absolute favorite way to eat spaghetti squash.  It’s so easy, and of course adding garlic, butter, & parmesan cheese makes it absolutely delicious!  (www.steamykitchen.com)

Saturday:  Chicken Fried Venison, Pinto Beans, and Caesar Salad (And also a Buttermilk Chess Pie!)

Chicken Fried Venison

·          Chad shot a deer a few weeks ago, so he came home with venison that he cut up and froze into a few different cuts.  He used part of the meat for chicken fried venison tenders that he cooked outside on the grill burner.  They were yummy!!  Ranger ate a ridiculous amount.  We had some pinto beans frozen from the last time I made a batch, so those were an easy addition to the meal.  I added a simple salad, and we all ate to our heart’s content!   

Buttermilk Chess Pie

·          Since Chad was using buttermilk to prepare the venison, I used some of it for a buttermilk chess pie.  Callen has been wanting to make pie for several weeks, so we finally did!  I even made a pie crust from scratch, which I haven’t often done.  I used The Pioneer Woman’s recipe, and it was so flaky and wonderful!  After making it and seeing how easy it is, and then tasting how delish it was, I will make this pie crust again and again!  The Buttermilk Chess Pie recipe is from AllRecipes.com.  We ate it warm, about 1 hour after I pulled it from the oven.  Seriously…it was amazing!

October 20-26, 2013

Sunday:  Crockpot Creamy Chicken Taco Chili

Crockpot Creamy Chicken Taco Chili

·          This was a perfect soup to throw in the crockpot before church and cook on low until we were home for lunch.  I used a rotisserie chicken that I had shredded and placed in the freezer several days ago and just put it in the crockpot frozen.  Since I was using already cooked chicken (instead of raw, frozen chicken breasts as the recipe originally calls for), I also added one can of vegetable broth.  This helped the soup stay creamy and not dry.  We all loved it, and it made excellent leftovers for a couple of days!  (http://coffeeandgiggles.com/)

Monday:  Chicken Strips with Roasted Broccoli & Carrots

·          Soccer and softball night!  As always, a quick easy meal is a MUST!

Tuesday:  Oh My Goodness Chicken, Roasted Parmesan Green Beans, & Bread

Oh My Goodness Chicken

·          I came across this on Pinterest (of course), and it seemed easy enough to try!  It was tasty, and plain enough that the boys had no problem with it.  Chad & I added Frank’s Red Hot to ours to give it more of a kick!  I might play with the flavors a bit the next time we try this.  (http://theenchantedcook.blogspot.com/)

Wednesday:  Elbow Pasta with Turkey Sausage & Marinara, Caesar Salad, & Warm Garlic Bread

·          I had some turkey sausage in the freezer that I thawed out and browned.  After draining it, I added it to marinara sauce and then poured it over prepared whole wheat, elbow macaroni pasta (my kids’ favorite).  I rounded out the meal with Caesar salad and warm, toasty, whole wheat garlic bread.  Yum!

Thursday:  Burger Night!

Friday:  Birthday Party!

·          We attended a friend’s birthday party, so we ate dinner there.  J

Saturday:  Baked Tacos, Cilantro Lime Rice, & Spinach Salad

Baked Tacos

·          I haven’t made these in quite a while, but Chad is always happy when I do!  They are really delicious, and they are also quite easy to prepare.  It’s a great way for our kids to eat tacos, as baking them helps keep them all “stuck” together and also softens the shells so there’s less mess.  It’s definitely a nice way to change up taco night.  I did use her recipe for homemade taco seasoning, but I bought my taco shells from the store.  J  (http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/)

Cilantro Lime Rice

·         This tasty rice could not be easier.  Just make rice as you normally would, then add butter, cilantro, lime juice & zest, & a little garlic salt.  Yum!

October 13-19, 2013

Sunday:  Sandwiches

·          We have small group at 5:30, so the kids had sandwiches before we left.  They were able to enjoy a few treats while we were at group.  J  Chad & I ate after we came home.

Monday:  Dinner at Grammy & DadDad’s

·          Chad was out of town, so we spent the day at Grammy & DadDad’s house.  It was great!  They fed us lunch & dinner, the kids played with all their favorite toys, & I had a relaxing afternoon without any chores.  J

Tuesday:  5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili with Toasted Whole Grain Bread

5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili

·          This is one of the tastiest soups we’ve ever had.  I almost feel silly saying that because it’s so ridiculously easy that it seems unfair that it’s also ridiculously good.  I used the meat from a rotisserie chicken.  We topped ours with fresh avocado and shredded cheese.  I actually doubled the recipe and took some over to some friends.  Even with that, we had more than enough for our dinner and a couple of days’ worth of lunch leftovers!  This will be repeated throughout this fall and winter, without a doubt.  (http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/)

**  It would be easy to make this even healthier by making your own salsa verde and making white beans ahead of time rather than using canned…but I am not quite that together.

Wednesday:  Meredith’s Chicken & Veggie Tacos with Rice, Tortillas, & Grilled Corn, Avocado, & Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Meredith’s Chicken & Veggie Taco

·          This is definitely a favorite in our house, and it’s a wonderful recipe to make when having company.  We had some friends from church over, and everyone seemed happy with this meal!  I love dicing all the vegetables up ahead of time.  When it’s time for dinner, it’s so simple to just throw everything together over the stove and have a delicious, healthy meal in no time!

Ground Chicken  (I used 2 pounds.)

Finely chopped/diced veggies of your choice (I used 1 zucchini, 3 big carrots, & 2-3 big handfuls of spinach.  I use my mini food processor to chop everything really small.)

1 Can Rotel

Taco Seasoning

Olive Oil

Minced Garlic

Cook the chicken with olive oil & minced garlic until no longer pink.  Drain chicken if necessary. Add your finely diced veggies, Rotel, & taco seasoning.  Mix it all together until everything is heated through.  Serve with tortillas or chips of your choice.  We used corn and flour tortillas and topped them with some shredded cheese.

This ground chicken is delicious and healthy and very easy to freeze and have on hand for other meals.  I always make more than we need because it’s such a good leftover and great to freeze.

Grilled Corn, Avocado, & Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

·          I’m still holding on to a little bit of summer with this salad.  Instead of grilling the corn, I roasted it in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes, turning occasionally.  Before placing it in the oven, I sprayed on a little olive oil.  It turned out perfectly!  This salad is a delicious addition to any meal.  (www.tastebook.com)

Thursday:  Bacon, Pear, & Raspberry Grilled Cheese with Zucchini Chips

Bacon, Pear & Raspberry Grilled Cheese

·           These sandwiches are so, so, SO delicious!  I can’t even tell you how much we enjoyed these!  I love when someone thinks of such a great recipe, and I repeat it.  I followed her recipe exactly.  When I told Callen we were using “muenster” cheese, he heard “monster,” and was pretty happy about it!  To make the sandwiches “smoosh” together a bit more, I placed a heavy sauce pot on top of them while they were grilling on the stove.  If you have a Panini press, it would be even easier.  J  (http://pinchofyum.com/)

Zucchini Chips

·          My kids love making and eating these, and they seemed like the perfect accompaniment to our grilled cheeses.  (http://www.nutritionistinthekitch.com/)

Friday:  Date Night!!!

Saturday:  Dinner with Friends!!

October 6-12, 2013

Sunday:  Pizza with Small Group

Monday:  Sautéed Spinach & Mozzarella Ravioli

·          Ranger & Chad had soccer practice at 6:00, and then Chad had a softball game at 7:30.  So, I went easy and made sautéed spinach ravioli.  I buy it frozen from CostCo, and it’s delicious!  I melted butter in my skillet and then added the frozen ravioli.  I sprinkled a little of the cheese that comes with the ravioli over the top.  Once it browns on the bottom, flip them over and add another sprinkle of cheese.  Once the other side it browned, dinner is ready!  This was a great meal to make for the whole family, even though everyone ate at different times. 

Tuesday:  Breakfast!

·          Chad was gone, so we had our go-to breakfast for dinner! 

Wednesday:  Dinner Out

·          Chad was still gone, and the kids and I had been gone all day, so we grabbed a little Chick-fil-a for dinner.  J

Thursday:  Swedish Meatballs over Egg Noodles with Roasted Parmesan Broccoli

Swedish Meatballs

·          Ranger has become quite the fan of meatballs.  He particularly likes Swedish meatballs like you can buy at Ikea.  I’ve had this recipe for a while…I was a subscriber to E-Meals several years ago and this was one of our favorites.  It’s so easy, can be prepared ahead of time, and everyone enjoys it!  The gravy really puts this one over the top.

Ingredients:

Meatballs

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1/2 c bread crumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/4 t allspice

Gravy

1 pkg onion soup mix

1 c water

2 T flour

1 c milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all meatball ingredients together.  Form into 1″ balls.  Place in 9x13 pan and bake for 30 mins.  In large skillet, mix together the onion soup mix, water, flour, and milk.  Heat until thickened.  Add cooked meatballs to skillet.  Simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally.  Serve over egg noodles, cooked according to package directions.

Roasted Parmesan Broccoli

·          Cut up your broccoli into bite-sized pieces and place on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up!).  Drizzle with a little olive oil (I use my olive oil sprayer) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, and toss it around.  Roast for 5 minutes more.  The broccoli is ready when the edges become brown and crispy.  Yum!  Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and add a little fresh lemon juice if you have it.  It’s delish!

Friday:  Jeff’s Mexican Tacos

·          I took the boys late in the afternoon to see “Turbo” at the $1 movie theater.  Chad stayed home with Payton, and after she went to bed, he made dinner for us!  I came home after a fabulous date with my boys to a home-cooked meal…a girl could get used to this!  Our friend, Jeff, is a wonderful cook, and he shared this recipe with Chad.  **A bonus of this meal was that we had enough leftover to add with eggs the next day and have breakfast burritos for lunch!**

Jeff’s Mexican Tacos

Ingredients

1 Yellow Onion

1 Green Bell Pepper

1 Potato

1 lb. Ground Sirloin

1 Tsp Cumin

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Pepper

3-4 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

Tortillas, or chips… if you want to serve as nachos

Brown ground sirloin in a skillet while you dice the onion and bell pepper.  After meat is browned, add garlic, onion, bell pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 6-7 minutes while dicing the potato.  Add potato, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 40 minutes, turning occasionally.  If you want tacos, serve in tortillas.  Chad decided the boys might have more fun building and eating their own nachos on this night, so he served the taco mixture in ramekins with tortilla chips and a mound of grated cheese on each plate.  The boys loved it!  And Chad chose to add Siracha to his nachos… because he likes it spicy!

Saturday:  The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm!

·          Our church went to The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm in Celina and served hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner.  J

September 29 - October 5, 2013

Sunday:  Grilled Chicken & Kale Salad with Feta, Strawberries, Pecans, & Raspberry Vinaigrette

·          We had a make-up soccer game this evening, so I fed the kids an early dinner before the game.  When we arrived back home, Chad grilled us some chicken while I made a fresh kale salad.

Monday:  Chicken Nacho Bake with Roasted Green Beans & Carrots

Chicken Nacho Bake

·          I found this recipe from a Kraft Foods magazine years ago (in our no-kid days!).  It’s really delicious and SO easy to prepare.  I made the kids’ chicken breasts without any salsa since they don’t like spicy foods.  Everyone was happy with this simple but tasty meal!

Tuesday:  Spaghetti Pie with Caesar Salad

·          This is a fantastic recipe from my sister-in-law, Amber.  It’s easy to prepare, and can even be done ahead of time if need be.  It’s also just as delicious as a leftover meal the following day!  I used mild Italian turkey sausage.

Spaghetti Pie

(Amber Smith)

4 oz. spaghetti noodles

1 Tbsp. Butter

1 egg

¼  cup parmesan cheese (grated)

½ cup mozzarella cheese

½ lb Owens Italian style sausage

½ jar spaghetti sauce (I use Bertioli brand)

1 small package of cottage cheese

cooking spray

Brown sausage. Drain and add spaghetti sauce.

Boil pasta. While hot, mix with butter, egg, and parmesan cheese. Press into a greased pie pan, making it look like a pie crust. 

Put cottage cheese on top of pasta “crust”.  Pour meat sauce over cottage cheese. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. 

Wednesday:  Pizza Night!

·          Sometimes you just need a pizza night, right?  J

Thursday:  Leftover Pizza

·          Chad was gone this evening, but we had plenty of pizza leftover for the kids, my mom, and I to eat for dinner.  I added a salad to our meal, which kept this a super easy and low-key meal!

Friday:  Chicken Taquito Enchiladas with Spinach Salad

Chicken Taquito Enchiladas

·          This recipe is from a wonderful class I was part of called “Apples of Gold.”  It’s been over 5 years now, but the church where we were members has a wonderful group of Godly women who started this class to mentor young wives and mothers in the church.  We met each week for an amazing meal and wonderful lesson.  When the 6-week class was over, we were filled with knowledge from some fantastic women, and we also had a little book full of delicious, new recipes.  This is one of them, and it is ridiculously good & easy!

18 chicken taquitos

1 pint sour cream

1 can green enchilada sauce

1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare the taquitos according to the package directions.  Place in a sprayed 13x9 baking dish.  Mix together the sour cream and enchilada sauce and pour over the top of the taquitos.  Top with the shredded cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until cheese is bubbly and sauce is heated through.  Enjoy!

Saturday:  Pinto Beans and Cornbread

·          I love this time of year when comfort foods can really come out of summer hibernation.  Beans and cornbread is such a delicious, economical, & filling meal that hits the spot on a fall day!  I tried The Pioneer Woman’s Beans, and I must say, they are wonderful (as most of her recipes are)!  I ended up adding 2 teaspoons of salt at the end (she recommends 1) because my bacon wasn’t all that salty.  I also added onion powder and garlic powder.  The greatness of her recipe is that you cook the beans over the stovetop for 2 hours, without soaking them first.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve wanted to make beans, but have forgotten to soak them overnight.  With this recipe, there is no need!!  Yay!!  I made enough for a small army, so we will eat off of them and add them to our meals for a few days, I’m sure.  J