Beef Enchilada Skillet

This dish is so easy and you can have it on the table in a snap.  When you read the ingredients list I know you are going to ask...."I thought you didn't buy canned creamed soups?"  I don't.  However, in this case I do.  I use Amy's Organic Cream of Tomato soup.  The first draw was that it doesn't contain flour for a thickener.  The second, that the other ingredients besides tomato are water, cream, sugar, onions, salt and black pepper.   That's all, no funky preservatives or funny names. 

Someday I will try my home canned roasted tomato sauce to see how to re-create this dish using that.  I am thinking that it will be really good!

Ground pork would be a good substitution in this dish or maybe a mix and match with the ground beef. 

Beef Enchilada Skillet                                                          

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 small can condensed tomato soup (use Amy's Organic for gluten free)

3/4 to 1 cup salsa

1/4 cup water

6 - 6" corn tortillas

1 to 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexi blend cheese

Homemade Corn Dogs

Corn dogs can be found at any fair and if you have a craving you can use this easy recipe to make them at home! 

When I make a recipe there are always extras.  They are great for leftovers for school lunch or frozen for reheating another time. 12- 15 minutes in the oven will crisp them up and still be pretty tasty. Fresh is best but homemade frozen corn dogs are way better than store bought.

Homemade Corn Dogs                                                                    Printable Recipe

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup cornmeal

2/3 cup flour (3 T more if using Einkorn flour)

1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 package hot dogs

One Pot Creamy Tomato and Basil Pasta

Lazy...and no desire or time for washing more than one pan when we are done with the meal.  That's a good way to describe me lately.  I threw what we liked together in a pot and this is what I came up with.  

I can see several substitutions and additions to this dish that would be just as wonderful. Some ideas I had were to substitute chicken broth for the water and using some chopped veggies  (like squashes) from the garden.

One Pot Creamy Tomato and Basil Pasta                                        Printable Recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

14 leaves of fresh basil, sliced thin

2 dashes of cayenne pepper

3-1/2 cups water

9 ounces spaghetti (I used Jovial's Einkorn pasta but you could use GF too)

12 ounces grilled chicken, cut into chunks (optional)

1/2 cup whole milk (or cream)

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper as desired

Top 10 Recipes of 2015

2015 has drawn to its end and it's always fun to look back and see some of the fan favorites.  Most of them are from this year but a few from last year snuck in. 

I hope you enjoy the look back with me. Click on the title to see the recipe or click on the "pin it" link to go right to Pinterest to re-pin for later!

Sweet Swine Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are one of our favorite meals to eat.  We eat it on buns, on rice or scoop the meat up with chips.  It's your call on how you eat them! I have always made sloppy Joes with beef but this week I stepped out of the box and went with some local grown ground pork.  Then I threw in some pineapple.

I had a flashback to the first time I had ham and pineapple pizza.  I was dating my then boyfriend, now husband and he wanted ham and pineapple toppings.  Frankly, I thought he was nuts to put pineapple on his pizza but, hey, when your are in love, right?  So I tried it, it was pretty good.  It became my favorite way to eat pizza. That and spicy sausage and pepperoni is not a very good combo for dating breath!

Let's get to cooking!

Sweet Swine Sloppy Joes                                                                            Printable Recipe

1-1/2 pounds ground pork

1 small onion, finely chopped

8 ounce can tomato sauce

1/4 cup water

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 Tablespoon A1 sauce

Couple drops liquid smoke (optional)

8 ounce can pineapple tidbit, drained

salt and pepper

buns

Baked Chicken with Honey and Soy Sauce Glaze

For a quick, effortless meals boneless skinless chicken thighs are a great meat to use.  No bone to eat around and the meat is always juice and tender. Chicken is a very versatile, taking on any seasoning or flavor you pair it with. 

This marinade is a little sweet and little salty.  Serve it with your favorite side dish, salad or vegetable to round out the meal.

Baked Chicken with Honey and Soy Sauce Glaze                          Printable Recipe

1-1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons soy sauce (or 4 Tablespoons fauxy sauce - a homemade no-soy sub)
5 Tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Creamy Chicken and Rice

This dish is another one pot meal making for easy clean up.  Although, if you want to amp the flavor (and color) up a bit grill your chicken instead and then add to the cooked veggies.  The dish seemed a little lacking so I added carrots as an afterthought so you won't see them in my step by step photos.

Creamy Chicken and Rice                                                                 Printable Recipe

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1-1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" hunks
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
1 cup instant brown rice*
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan
Few pinches dry parsley (or 1/4 cup chopped parsley)
Salt and pepper (as needed)

Grilled Chicken Tenders with Cherry Citrus Glaze

Change up that plain ol' chicken dinner with this sweet fruit glaze.  A little goes a long way so be sure not to drown your chicken.  This main dish is ready in less than 30 minutes so you can have your meal in no time!

Grilled Chicken Tenders with Cherry Citrus Glaze                     Printable Page

1/4 cup cherry all fruit spread (I used Polaner)
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
2-3 teaspoons bourbon
olive oil
1 pound chicken tenders
salt and pepper (if desired)

Simple Carrot Soup

I've never been successful at growing carrots so I always purchase them.  We bought a huge bag of organic carrots a while ago.  Some of them we use in our smoothies, some in our dishes and then my husband asked me for a soup made with the carrots. This soup is creamy and easy to make.  The ingredients are easy to find. 

It makes a great side dish, adding a grilled cheese sandwich to round it out or serve it with some grilled chicken. 

A fancy blender will give you a smoother soup but you can still fine with an immersion blender, food processor or regular style blender.  Check out my tips at the bottom for your type of appliance.

Simple Carrot Soup                                                                                   Printable Recipe

olive oil

1 small onion, grated

4 large carrots, grated

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

2 Tablespoons orange juice

4 dashes cayenne pepper (more or less to your taste)

2 Tablespoons honey (more or less to your taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Unstuffed Green Peppers

When I was a child, my mom made stuffed green peppers.  I didn't like green peppers (except for raw) at the time so having a large cup made out of cooked green peppers didn't appeal to me.  I don't mind cooked peppers now but I find it much easier and faster to make this way.  If you want freezer meals for later this is the route to do it.

It is also a great way to get the green peppers into the dish for the picky eaters.  You can cut them as small as you like or even blend them.  They'll disappear even more after you add the tomato sauce. 

I use brown rice any more in my dishes so I'll give you the white rice version and you can change it up to match your brown rice/water measures and cooking times since brown rices can vary from brand to brand.

Unstuffed Green Peppers

1 pound ground beef

2/3 - 1 cup chopped green peppers

2/3 cup chopped onion

8 ounce can tomato sauce

1-2 Tablespoons Worcestershire

1-1/2 cup water

3/4 cup minute rice

1 -2 cup shredded Mexi blend cheese or 4 ounces Velveeta (optional)

"30 Minutes or Less" Main Dish Party

In a hurry?  Need lunch or supper fast?  Here are 50+ recipes to help you out.  These recipes are from my blog and other foodie blogger friends.

An InLinkz Link-up

Maple and Citrus Glazed Fish

My family likes fish and love REAL maple syrup so I came up with this glaze for something a little different for them.  I am not a fish fan myself but I tried a bite anyway.  It didn't win me over to love fish but it make me think that this glaze would be quite tasty on a piece of chicken and will try it the next time I make this fish for my family. 

Maple and Citrus Glazed Fish

1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
few dashes or cracks of salt
1 pound white fish (I used Swai)

Combine orange juice and maple syrup in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook 5-6 minutes. Add salt and stir.

Chicken Fajitas

When I go out to the Mexican restaurant I always order chicken fajitas.  I think it must be the sizzle of the cast iron serving vessel that gets my taste buds drooling.  It's an easy dish to make and you can eat the chicken fajitas wrapped in tortillas like they serve at the restaurants, on a pizza, in a quesadilla, or Mexican Chicken Alfredo (coming soon to the blog!)

The restaurant serves it with lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, refried pinto beans, and rice.   They also keep their veggies on the crunchy side.  We prefer our veggie soft and caramelized but cook them how you like them.  

There isn't really a recipe here but guidelines to which spices and flavors to use.  If you make it a lot like I do you'll learn what you like.  I like cumin so I use fresh ground and it's my star here.

Chicken Fajitas

boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
sliced green peppers, red, orange or yellow peppers 
sliced onions
olive oil
cumin (fresh ground if you can)
granulated garlic
granulated onion
cayenne pepper (dash or two)
salt and pepper
lime juice

refried beans
salsa
guacamole

Southwestern Chicken and Rice

Southwestern Chicken and Rice

olive oil

2/3 cup diced red pepper

2/3 cup diced green pepper

2/3 cup diced onion

1-1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts (can use boneless thighs) cut into 1 inch pieces

1-1/2 teaspoons taco seasoning

1 cup instant brown rice*

1 cup salsa

1-3/4 cups chicken broth

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

3/4-1 cup whole corn, drained

2 cups shredded Mexi-blend cheese, cheddar, Chihuahua cheese

Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of skillet.  Cook veggies until almost done. 

Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs

I love to grill and do so no matter the time of year.  You can't beat the flavor!  If the weather is not playing nice (like a downpour) I will use the grill pan indoors or you could leave the chicken off the sticks and cook them in a cast iron skillet.  

Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs (serves 3-4)                                   Printable Recipe

1/4 cup soy sauce* (or use my soy-free Fauxy Sauce)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Mirin (sweet cooking rice wine)
2 Tablespoons honey
1" knob of ginger (microplaned or chopped small)
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into chunks
bamboo skewers (soaked in water**)

Mix together soy sauce, Mirin, water, honey, and ginger for the marinade.  If your honey does not want to dissolve you can heat the liquid a little bit but be sure to cool it before you add your chicken. Cover and marinade for several hours.  

Homemade Corn Dogs

See recipe here....

http://www.inthekitchenwithjenny.com/2018/01/homemade-corn-dogs.html 

Walking Tacos

Food in a bag is fun.  Our church makes walking tacos to sell at our church "tent" in late summer at a local event in a nearby town.  They don't use tomato sauce in theirs but I like it saucy so I added it to mine.  It helps everything blend together when you stir.  If you really want to ditch the clean up, use a plastic spoon or fork instead of a metal one you have to wash. 

Walking Tacos

1 pound ground beef

2/3 cup diced green peppers

2/3 cup diced onion

8 ounce can tomato sauce plus 1 can water

2-1/2 teaspoons taco seasoning

4 dashes cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicy!)

4- 1 ounce size bags of Fritos corn chips or Doritos Nacho Cheese chips

Toppings:

shredded Mexi-blend cheese, cheddar, or Chihuahua cheese

thinly sliced lettuce

sour cream

salsa

cheater's guacamole

Cook beef, green pepper, and onions until veggies are soft and the beef is cooked through. 

Add tomato sauce to pan then fill can with water and dump that into pan also.

Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until liquid is almost gone.  It still needs to a be a little saucy.

Time to start layering. For individual bags of chips* open them on their side with a pair of scissors.   They put so much air in bags anymore you will have plenty of room for your toppings.   If you are using Doritos you will want to give your chips a smash to break them up a little.

Sprinkle in some cheese.  I like to add cheese now so when I add the meat the heat will melt it!

 Next is the meat mixture.

 Lettuce. 

 Sour cream.

 More cheese.

 Salsa and guacamole if you feel like it.

Stick a fork or spoon in it, stir and enjoy!  

If you don't want to buy the bags you can layer all your yummies into a bowl.  Just as good, just not as fun!

*(The best I could find for a single size sack was larger (4 oz) without buying several bags together so I had to cut it in 1/3 and dump out some chips to make it equal an individual size.)

Sausage Cheese Balls

Sausage Cheese Balls (Makes about 25 balls)                                  Printable Recipe

3 cups flour 
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) cold butter
1 pound pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean regular) 
8 ounces (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups buttermilk

Spaghetti Meatballs

Please see new posting here:

http://www.inthekitchenwithjenny.com/2014/11/spaghetti-meatballs-with-gluten-free-options.html

Thank you!!

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

I'm always looking for a change up in our pizza routine.   One of our favorite toppings lately has been sweet caramelized onions.  They add so much flavor! I made a "wit whiz" with a little variation on "Cheez Whiz" but  you could certainly use it instead.   

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

1 small onion
1-1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
4 ounces Velveeta
4-6 ounces of Medium Roast beef from the deli, sliced thin and chunked
shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
grilled pizza dough

Drizzle some olive oil in a non stick pan and add your onions.  Sprinkle a little salt on.  Cook slowly until nice and brown.  This is just the beginning color they start to get.  As you cook your onions you can a little broth or water to keep it from burning but continue the cooking and browning process.

While you onions are cooking make the cheese sauce.  Add olive oil to a saucepan and stir in the flour.  Cook for a little bit to remove raw flour taste.  Slowly pour in milk a little at a time.  Whisking to keep the lumps away. When it is thickened add Velveeta in hunks and stir until melted.  It may seem a little thin but it will thicken some as it cools. You could skip the homemade cheese sauce and use warmed up Cheez Whiz if you want it more authentic.

 Have your oven and pizza stone preheated to 450 degrees. Place pre-grilled pizza dough on the paddle or flat cookie sheet.

 Top with cheese sauce and chopped roast beef.

Sprinkle on the cheese, then the onions. 

Bake for 9-10 minutes until golden brown.