Lemon Garlic Chicken

crock pot meals are something i really enjoy.  the scent of food cooking in a slow cooker is so enticing and knowing i don't have to scramble at 5:30 to find something by 6:00 is relieving.  i look through cookbooks, blogs, and "real" sites, using, tweaking, and adapting the recipes i find to fit my food inventory and what my family likes.  i've inevitably had a few bad outcomes, like a cranberry dump chicken... blegh!  but a whole chicken in the crock pot has never failed me yet.  incredibly tender, the chicken falls off the bone!  and what's even better is that we can easily get 3 or 4 meals out of the bird.  


remember how i like to hide vegetables in my cooking to get the extra nutrients, fiber, antioxidants, etc. into my family?  this was an excellent way to repurpose the previous night's roasted squash as the base for a sauce for my side dish of rotini.  who doesn't like their chicken with a little noodle?  am i right?  read on for the complete recipe.  it was so good, i dug in before i took a picture of the finished product... sorry!


slow cooker lemon garlic chicken
this recipe could easily be altered for an oven - just budget a minimum of 1.5-2 hours, depending on the size of your bird.


ingredients:

• 3-4 lb. whole chicken, giblets removed, rinsed, and patted dry
• 2 C water
• 2 t instant chicken bouillon
• 2 T minced garlic
• 4 T lemon juice
• 2 t thyme - this herb compliments lemon very nicely
• 2 t parsley
• 2 t garlic salt
• 1 t peper

preparation:

• as mentioned, removed giblets, rinse, and pat dry the bird
• place into your crock pot
• heat water briefly and add in bouillon, minced garlic, lemon juice and pour over bird
• now add seasonings to bird; if you added them before the liquids, they would just wash off
• set the crock pot on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5

notes:

• i highly recommend using fresh lemons for their juice and to add the slices into the crock while cooking, but i rarely keep them on hand so bottled lemon juice is my go-to for this recipe.

rotini with creamy squash
i find i "match" my side dishes to the main dish, using as many similar tastes, like herbs and seasonings to help tie the meal together.  you could very easily make this without already having leftover squash or using another vegetable mash like potatoes or carrots.  it did make preparation a lot quicker, though.  you could make this with a roux, too; but as i mentioned early on, i like "hiding" vegetables and this is a perfect opportunity to do so.


ingredients:

• 1/2 an acorn squash, roasted or steamed
• 1/2-3/4 C milk
• 1/2-3/4 C liquid from crock pot
• 1 T butter
• same seasonings as bird, but in your desired amount
• 8 oz. noodle of your choosing - minihe picked rotini although i was thinking penne

preparation:

• boil noodles according to package directions, but just until al dente - you will finish cooking them with the addition of the sauce
• while that is going, mash your squash
• mix together squash, liquids, and seasonings in a large 2 cup measuring cup or small bowl
• drain noodles
• add sauce and cook down until reduced to your desired thickness - i think it took mine only 2 minutes
• add butter and serve immediately

Sunday Night Meals

typically speaking, my most elaborate meals are on sunday nights.  i have completed my weekend tasks (hopefully) and love to bring my weekend to a close with a very nice meal.  growing up, sunday noon was always the meal my grandma took the most time and care preparing.  to this day, i still love a deliciously cooked pot roast with root vegetables and brown gravy.  i think it is with this memory that i strive to do my best for my family on sunday evenings, keeping this tradition alive and instilling family meal time in my own children’s hearts.  this week was no exception.

here is my rendition of pork steaks, mashed potatoes, roasted acorn squash, and fruit fluff.  i hope you enjoy it as much as we did!  everybody was a member of the clean plate club tonight!

mashed potatoes ingredients:

• 5-6 small yukon gold potatoes
• 5-6 small red potatoes
• 1/2 C cubed acorn squash with skin removed
• salt, pepper, and parsley to season
• 2 oz. whatever-fat-content-you-want cream cheese
• 1/3 C sour cream
• 2 T butter

preparation:

• after boiling potatoes and squash until tender, drain off water and add remaining ingredients and seasonings.  
• mash or mix with a hand mixer

roasted acorn squash:

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 1/2 C water
• 1/4 C canola oil
• nutmeg, cinnamon, all-spice, ground cloves to suit your taste
• 2 T brown sugar

preparation:

• cut squash in half and scoop out seeds and stringy stuff
• cut into strips and cut strips in half
• remove skin from a few strips and cube for use in mashed potatoes
• place in a baking dish; add other ingredients and toss to mix
• cover with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes; i removed tin foil in last 5-10 to encourage the liquid to evaporate and condense flavors

notes:

i had never eaten squash with the skin on it but it was just fine.  the steaming/roasting left the skin very tender and not chewy or rubbery like i expected.  i did melt a few small pats of butter over the squash after i removed it from the oven and it was really yummy!

pork steaks ingredients:

• 4 pork steaks
• 1 T oil
• s&p

preparation:

• heat oil until smoking on a griddle or frying pan; this could also be done on the grill or broiling pan very successfully
• lay seasoned side down and season the side up with s&p
• flip
• continue frying until internal temperature reaches at least 165* degrees - pork must be cooked at a slightly higher temperature than beef to kill any bacteria; i typically am not too concerned with this but as this meat was not our own, i took extra precautions. 
• total cooking time was right around 15 minutes
• *Since originally writing this, the USDA relaxed on their guidelines and the new recommendation for pork is 145 degrees Fahrenheit for internal cooking temperature.

notes:

i saw these greek seasoned pork steaks at the grocery store for a very reasonable price (approximately $2 for 2 steaks).  although i'm not a pork fan i picked them up and thought i'd give it a whirl.  it was interesting to eat supermarket meat after only consuming home-raised; something i don't especially care to do again, but these were ok considering what my taste buds are programmed to like.

fruit fluff ingredients:

• fruit on hand - i had apples, bananas, and a can of tropical fruit mix
• 1/2 mini marshmallows
• 1 t lemon juice (this is an excellent way to protect against browning of apples and bananas before you serve them)
• 1/2 vanilla yogurt (a great way to get some additional protein and calcium into our tummies)
• 2 T cool whip (i find this helps give it a fluffier texture)

preparation:

• mix ingredients together in a bowl and place back in the fridge to remain chilled until served

notes:

my grandma also used to add a little miracle whip, probably something like 1-2 T to her fruit salads in addition to the yogurt or cool whip.  that extra tang was different and i always liked it.  d, however, does not think miracle whip belongs in a fruit salad, so i don’t include this ingredient anymore.  sounds a little gross, but seriously give it a try sometime!

Quick Weeknight Meals

i adore meals i can get on the table in under 30 minutes.  in fact, this is primarily the type of meals i make.  this week was a whirlwind and at the end of the month, and i was scraping together what was left in the fridge and pantry.  despite this, i had some winners!  the recipes that follow are eggs benedict, bake deli sandwiches, and sausage and biscuits.

eggs benedict: on the table in under 15 minutes, this quick fix was yummy!

ingredients:

• eggs - as many as you need to serve your family; we used 6
• bread slices for toasting

mock hollandaise sauce--

• 1/2 C miracle whip or mayo
• 1/4 C sour cream
• 1 T mustard
• 2 T lemon juice
• dill and thyme to your taste
• milk to thin

preparation:

• boil a pot full of water; salt boiling water
• crack an egg into a measuring cup and very carefully pour into boiling water
• boil 2-3 eggs but make sure egg has enough room to "breathe"
• once egg floats freely, remove from boiling water with a slotted spoon
• meanwhile, add miracle whip/mayo, sour cream, mustard, lemon juice, dill and thyme to another small pot, heating through; add milk to thin to your desired consistency
• toast and butter bread
• serve egg on top of toast, slather a little mock hollandaise sauce and enjoy!

baked deli sandwiches: a very quick, but delicious take on the typical deli meat and cheese sandwich.  i love reading other people's blogs and this recipe is my adaptation from karly's buns in my oven baking blog.

ingredients:

• buns 
• 4 slices of deli meat per bun (i used a combination of 2 slices turkey and 2 slices roast beef)
• cheese slices (i folded the slice into 1/4's and placed two of the small squares on top of each meat pile
• 1/2 C melted butter
• 1 t ground mustard
• 1 t poppy seeds
• 2 t onion flakes or 1 t onion powder
• 2 T worcestershire sauce

preparation:

• slice buns open and place bottoms in a pan that accommodates your number of sandwiches
• layer meat, followed by cheese
• place bun top on sandwich
• mix melted butter, mustard, poppy seeds, onion flakes/powder, sauce and pour over buns.
• cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

sausage and biscuits: my uncle gordy from omaha makes exceptional sausage and biscuits at our thanksgiving get-togethers.  no matter how much i try to reconstruct this recipe, it is never quite as good as his.  this recipe came as close as i have gotten yet, though!

sausage and gravy ingredients:

• 1/2 lb bulk pork sausage
• 1/2 lb italian pork sausage
• 1 t lawry's seasoning salt
• 1/2 t garlic salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• shake of red pepper flakes
• 2 T corn starch
• 1 1/2- 2 C milk

preparation:

• cook sausage with seasonings, draining any ridiculous amount of grease off. (i left a little grease so i wouldn't have to add butter to create the roux)
• when thoroughly cooked, add corn starch, stirring into meat
• after 30-60 seconds, add cold milk, heating on medium low until the gravy reaches your desired consistency.

biscuit ingredients:

• 2 1/4 C bisquick mix or any bisquit mix of your choice
• 2/3 C milk
• 1/2 C shredded cheese
• 1/2 t minced garlic
• 2 T butter

preparation:

• mix all ingredients together in a bowl
• drop by spoonful onto a baking sheet
• bake for 9-12 minutes in a 400 degree oven

serving suggestions:
gordy serves his sausage biscuits and gravy with hard-boiled eggs, green peppers, and onions.  adds another dimension of flavor!

Broccoli Cheese Soup with Potatoes - Slow Cooker

with a basketball game this last week that i had the joy of taking minihe along to, i planned ahead with a crock pot waiting for us with this winter favorite.  a special thank to my fil (father in-law) for actually getting out the crock pot and starting it up for me since i forgot!!  :)


i looked at probably ten different recipes for this kind of soup and found everything on the spectrum - things that were incredibly rich and incredibly bland; different ways to increase the thickness and creaminess.  i finally decided on the following hybrid.  i did all of the prep monday night while waiting for my shrimp to cure in their marinade so all i had to do in the morning was turn the crock on.


broccoli cheese soup with potatoes - slow cooker:
prep time - 30 minutes
cook time - 8-10 hours (on low) 4-5 (on high)
ingredients
3 heads broccoli, trimmed and chopped into small chunks
4 carrots, peeled and cut on the angle 
*the angle cut is probably not necessary but i think it looks nice when i eat soups that way in a restaurant, so when in rome, right?
1 medium onion, finely diced
10 small potatoes, peeled and quartered
*i happened to have both red and yukon, so i used 5 of both and, as you can see, they are fairly small
*you could also use other vegetables like celery, corn, peppers...
*i bet bacon would be good in this, just make sure to fry it first and crumble it in, reserving a few pieces to crumble fresh when you serve the soup
1 C velveeta cheese, cut into 1" chunks
1 1/2 C milk
2 C chicken or vegetable broth
*i didn't want to use sour cream, cream cheese, creamed soup, more velveeta, or more milk to save on some extra calories, fat, and so on, but i did need some more liquid...  see preparation for how i plan to make the soup creamy without the use of these ingredients
2 T butter
s&p
other choice of herbs/seasonings you enjoy


preparation:
throw everything in the crock pot
cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5
when done, remove approximately half of the soup and let cool slightly
place in small batches in the blender, and run until smooth
add back to the crock
serve and enjoy!


let me know if you have any recipes similar or what you do with a soup like this.  i think had i had more time, this would have been delicious with some seasoned croutons or oyster crackers...  i'll be trying that next time!

Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Butter Noodles

as promised this afternoon on facebook, here is what was for supper tonight at reeder ranch!  at the bottom is a picture of the finished meal, served with steamed green beans and fruit salad.  the fruit salad is my grandmother's concoction, and i cannot locate it in my recipe box.  i'll post it sometime later this week after grandma emails it to me.  the kid's call it frozen cupcakes and go crazy for them!


lemon garlic shrimp and butter noodles:
preparation time - 35-65 minutes
cooking time - 10 minutes


basic ingredients:
thawed shrimp
*enough to serve your family; i used 1/2 pound but probably could have done the whole pound... i'm trying to cut back on my portions, so it's also probably fine that i didn't use the whole package :)
*could use uncooked, but pre-cooked makes the process faster and more cost efficient
8-10 oz. thin noodle (spaghetti works fine)
*again, use as much as needed for your family. i had a 32 oz. box of vermicelli and used about a third.


shrimp marinade:
3-4 T lemon juice
2 T honey
1 T oil
1 T minced garlic
1 T soy sauce
sprinkle ground mustard
sprinkle salt
sprinkle red pepper flakes (optional)


butter noodles:
3 T butter
medium palmful parsley flakes (1/2-1 T?)
small palmful garlic salt (1/2 t?)
extra small palmful basil leaves (1/4 t?)
1-2 T leftover marinade, if desired
serve with a sprinkle of parmesan, if desired

preparation:
thaw, remove tails, rinse and pat dry shrimp 
*i remove tails because of the kids, but if you like it with tails on, by all means, do what you like...
mix with marinade and let sit for 30-60 minutes
prepare grill pan for skewered shrimp or frying pan for sauteed shrimp 
boil water, adding 1 T oil, 1/2 t salt to water 
*rachael ray says that the oil prevents the noodles from sticking to each other and the only time to season the noodles is in the boiling process
follow package instructions to prepare noodles
after adding noodles to water, heat pan for shrimp
*avoid overcooking pre-cooked shrimp or it gets rubbery
drain off water and immediately add butter, parsley, basil, garlic salt, and marinade
toss to melt butter
sprinkle with a dash of parmesan and some fresh parsley right before serving

Molasses Cookies

i have been promising minihe we'd make cookies for a while now but things just didn't work out for us - naptime, suppertime, bathtime...  i love molasses cookies but have never made them myself. probably because i don't happen to keep molasses on hand, but with seasonal items, like molasses, in stock and highly visible, i thought this would be a delicious project for the two of us.  the recipe is not my own, although i did have to use golden brown sugar instead of dark since that's what i had on hand. i also only had whole cloves instead of ground so i neglected that ingredient from my batter.  i used a tiny, itty, bitty sprinkling of nutmeg instead.  they're similar, right?   click here to view the website where this comes from.  

dry ingredients:

2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/2 t ground cloves (omitted)
preparation:
wisk together in a bowl and set aside

wet ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 C dark brown sugar (i used golden)
2 T oil
1/3 C molasses
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
preparation:
beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. scrape sides and bottom of bowl frequently.
add remaining liquid ingredients and beat until incorporated. scrape sides and beat briefly.


combine:
add flour to liquid bowl, beating with each addition.
refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.  this step is important because the batter is sticky and extremely difficult to work with.


bake:
preheat oven to 375 degrees.
cover baking sheet with parchment paper
place 1 C sugar in a bowl
roll dough into 1" rounds and then roll in sugar
using the bottom of a glass, flatten each round slightly
bake 9-10 minutes or until tops start to crackle
cool on a wire rack

don't these just look delicious?

more, please!

 fish is a dish i am not confident in my ability to prepare.  i have tried boxes of breading, countless cookbooks, consulted websites, all with an inconsistent level of success.  tonight's recipe worked out beautifully and ironically, i followed no recipe at all...  three of the four of us were members of the clean plate club, in fact!  i'll divide this recipe out a little bit differently than previous posts...


breading: mix the following in shallow pan
spattering of seasoned bread crumbs (probably 1/2 c)
2 T corn meal
2 T flour
1 t parsley
sprinkling of garlic salt
s&p


in a bowl, wisk together 
3/4 c milk
2-3 T sour cream
1 t lemon juice


fish:
tilapia fillets to fill your family, i think i fried 6 and could have gotten away with 4 or 5...
thaw fillets, rinse well, and pat dry


tartar sauce:
3/4 c miracle whip
1/4 c sour cream
2-3 T finely diced onion
1 T relish
1 T lemon juice
1 t dill
1 t parsley
s&p


mix all ingredients in a small bowl while fish is thawing to allow flavors to marry longer.


preparation:
in a skillet, heat 2 T oil
dip fillet in milk, dredge in breading, place on skillet
fry until golden and flip, total time around 7 minutes
*i am always concerned about cooking fish completely so i err on the side of over cooking...

french onion soup & burgers

i adore my slow cooker and use it as frequently as i can, usually once during the week, and once on the weekend.  i came across a recipe on betty crocker website and followed it, mostly.  i didn't have broth on hand but i did have instant bouillon.  (more about that below) i also didn't have any mozarella but i did have a block of muenster. (also more about that below)  the soup served 6 with leftovers for french onion burgers, the second recipe in this post.  it's delicious!!!


french onion soup: this is my adaptation of the betty crocker recipe i found online.
ingredients:
2-3 onions, sliced thinly
6 cups water
2 T instant beef bouillon
**or 4 cans beef broth**
one turn of worcestershire sauce
4 T butter
s&p
loaf of french bread
butter
garlic salt
parsley
4-6 oz. cheese
preparation:
slice onions, add to crock pot
add in four cups of water
microwave until warm, 2 cups of water and stir in 2 T instant beef bouillon, add to crock.
add butter, worcestershire, s&p, and stir to combine.
turn crock on low for 8-10 hours
for french bread -- turn broiler on low (i do this because i inevitably burn bread otherwise...)
i happened to have the kind that was sliced lengthwise and pre-buttered, so i placed my slices of muenster on top and broiled until bubbly.  otherwise, you could use the prepackaged texas cheese toast, or slice your bread the "right" way, butter and season both sides, pile mozarella sky high, and broil until bubbly.
notes:
i am a fan of homemade but semi-homemade is sometimes just as delicious and takes a whole lot less effort.  i think if i make this again i'll use texas cheese toast and save myself the expense and time...


french onion burgers: i used the leftover soup to make these tasty burgers.
ingredients:
1 lb burger
sprinkle of lawry's
1 t parsley - i hear that you're supposed to rub the dried seasonings in your hands to help refresh the aroma and flavor before adding to a dish (shout out to rachael ray, actually...) 
sprinkle of garlic salt
sprinkle of onion salt
1 T bread crumbs
4 buns
butter
onion salt
1 cup french onion soup (could use a can of soup, make a packet of it, or simmer some onions in a can of broth)
sliced cheese
preparation:
preheat the oven to a low broil (again, i use low so i don't burn the bread)
thaw the burger and mix in seasonings and bread crumbs
form patties - 1/4 lb patties was perfect for us and fit right on the bun, but you could make them smaller)
fry 'em up!  (or grill if the weather permits)
while the burgers are cooking, butter the buns and sprinkle with onion or garlic salt or both
when just about done, remove burgers from the pan and add soup
bring to a boil and cook out some of the liquid, condensing the flavor
when you add the burgers back to the pan, throw the buttered buns in the oven
serve the burgers with a slice of cheese and a side of the au jus left in the pan!  
notes: 
these were delicious and everybody ate every last morsel.  the toasted buns added a nice crunch, and the au jus made it seem a little more like a restaurant burger.

strawberry sour cream pancakes

pancakes are a huge hit in our house. anytime. i've experimented with bisquick, homemade batters, add-in's, syrups...  i've made this strawberry sour cream recipe several times with excellent results and very happy eaters.  i hope you like it!

strawberry sour cream pancakes: i eyeball a lot of my ingredients so this in generally a more or less kind of recipe.  add ingredients to achieve your desired consistency.

ingredients:

1 cup bisquick

1 egg

1/4-1/3 c sour cream

1/4-1/3 c milk

2 T sugar

1/2-3/4 c quartered strawberries (i used frozen and thawed them partially)

preparation:

mix together the first five ingredients, adding more milk or bisquick to achieve your desired consistency

fold in the strawberries; be gentle or your pancakes will turn pink

heat a griddle with a teaspoon of oil, spoon batter and spread out slightly. 

flip when bubbles pop and don't fill back in, 2-3 minutes.

second side goes faster, about 1-2 minutes.

yielded 14 pancakes

notes:

i have found that lowest heat setting yields the most even cooked, blonde colored pancakes.  it takes a little more patience, but definitely worth the effort. these go so fast i haven't had the chance to actually freeze this particular kind, but i have frozen blueberry, banana, applesauce, and regular pancakes very successfully.  just make sure to put them in a freezer bag, squeeze as much air out as you can, and seal it tight.  just pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds, sometimes less depending on thickness and size.

 my happy eaters dug right in!

let's roll a fatty

yes.  i just said that.  but it is in relation to a recipe.  d found, in his words "an amazing recipe we have to try!"  and try we did.  smoking-meat.com featured this fatty recipe of pork, wrapped in more pork, smoked, and served.  we literally rolled a fatty... of meat, that is.  i did not personally care for the recipe, partially because the 2 hours of preparation it took to just get the heart-attack-waiting-to-happen on the smoker was not returned in deliciousness for me.  d, his parents, and a co-worker thoroughly enjoyed it, however.  i will not go into detail of the recipe since i have linked you to it above, as it is rather labor intensive.  worth a glance if you like sausage and bacon and have some time on your hands...

UPDATE:
We have since tried this recipe again a time or two and while I still don't believe the end result is worth the time invested, it did improve for my tastes.  We did a maple flavored pork and applewood smoked bacon with hash browns inside that was pretty good.  Word to the wise -  fry up your hash browns first instead of throwing them in frozen/thawed.  It was ok, but they were a little soggy in the middle.  A co-worker of mine thought this also sounded amazing (men... they're weird) and tried several combinations of meat and fillings very successfully.  I would say just get creative!

what's cookin', good lookin'?

...a common phrase my husband begins a good percentage of our conversations with when he comes in the house every night.  i usually answer with whatever it may be, which is, of course, received by a facial reaction.  after our eighth year together, i have gotten pretty good at deciphering these subtle hints.
this week has not been a week in which to boast about my meal planning and what i served, but there were a few gems.  we smoked a whole chicken on sunday and it made four meals for us!  the here are those recipes:


smoked chicken
ingredients:
5-7 lb. whole chicken
your choice of seasonings
charcoal/wood chucks
preparation:
unpackage chicken, remove the stuff inside, rinse, and pat dry.
rub down with your favorite spices - i just used some lawry's seasoning salt, but have created some elaborate rubs.  it really doesn't make all too much difference because you throw away the skin anyway and the smoker flavor is most predominant.
i think it smoked with charcoal and hickory for 4-5 hours; d takes care of the smoker!  :)
notes:
we would like to try a beer butt chicken on the smoker at some point, so if any of you have any great suggestions, please send them our way!


chicken enchiladas: i wanted something mexican but that didn't require me to run to the grocery store - i looked in the pantry and found i had everything i needed for a quick enchilada bake!
ingredients:
1 1/2 cups shredded/cubed chicken (we had smoked a whole chicken on sunday and i shredded both breasts and had enough left over for chicken salad sandwiches... see recipe for that next!)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (i use the reduced sodium/reduced fat in all of my cooking) 
1 cup salsa
1/2-1 cup shredded cheese (& more for sprinkling on top)
1 can or recipe of enchilada sauce
preparation:
preheat oven to 400 degrees
mix chicken, soup, salsa, and cheese together in a bowl.  
scoop mixture into lower 1/3 of a burrito shell and roll up
place in greased 9x13 baking pan, seam side down
pour enchilada sauce over the top, covering each burrito
sprinkle more cheese on top
bake until heated through and cheese is melted - i baked 15 minutes, but could have gone 20-25
serve with your choice of typical toppings - lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, olives...


chicken salad: with the breast i had shredded but didn't need for the enchiladas, i repurposed for chicken salad sandwiches, but with a twist!
ingredients:
1/2-3/4 cup shredded/cubed chicken
1/2 c miracle whip/mayo
1/4 c finely diced onion
1 T mustard
1/2 t dill
1/2 t parsley
1/2 t thyme
s&p
red pepper flakes
drizzle of honey
preparation:
mix all ingredients and spread on your choice of bread.  
notes:  i don't like much spice, but the red pepper flakes added a whole spin on the typical chicken salad.  the dill was a nice change of pace as well, but with the onions, some bites tasted more like tarter sauce than chicken salad, so use your discretion with the amount of dill you use.


one skillet beef and noodles: needed a quick meal after getting home late from work one night this week.  i also had a half a jar of pasta sauce in the fridge that i needed to use.  kids despised it but i thought it was delicious.
ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, finely diced
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
1 can of mushrooms or 1/2-3/4 c sliced, fresh mushrooms
1 t minced garlic
s&p
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (i used 1/2 jar and 1/2-3/4 cup of water and it was not dry...)
3-4 oz velveeta (nice sized chunk - i'm estimating its volume)
8 oz. egg noodles (half of a bag)
water to cover
preparation:
brown beef, add s&p and garlic from the get-go
when beef is half done, add onion
when beef is almost done, add mushrooms and peppers and another dose of s&p
after beef is browned, add in to the same skillet the noodles
pour enough water to cover the noodles and stir to mix ingredients together
let mixture come to a boil and then reduce heat slightly
when noodles are done 7-9 minutes, add sauce and cheese
continue to heat and stir until cheese is melted and ingredients are combined.
notes:
it would be equally delicious without the peppers.  also, cooking the noodles in the same skillet may add a slightly higher starch content to the dish as a whole, so if that is something you're concerned about for you or your family, consider boiling the noodles separately.  other noodles could be used - penne, rotini, elbow, etc. - i have found egg noodles to be the quickest cooking.