QUICK CARROT AND RICE SIDE DISH

To make an easy and complete dinner meal, just add this delicious side dish to your favorite meat entree. It combines rice and carrots with tasty chicken flavoring that will please kids or adults.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rice (I like Uncle Ben's converted rice)
2 cups grated or chopped carrots (use baby carrots or peeled regular carrots)
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. sea salt
4 cups water
1 cube Wyler's chicken bouillon or 1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon granules
(note - can substitute 2 cans chicken broth or stock for part of the water, instead of using the bouillon cube/granules)
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In medium sauce pot, bring water, bouillon cube and salt to boiling. Stir in rice, butter and carrot. Bring to boil again. Pour into a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for approx. 25 min. Stir; sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and bake uncovered for 5 minutes longer (cheese should be hot and bubbly).

This recipe is a great way to get kids to eat their veggies!

SHOPPING TIP:
If you like to shop at Costco or other food warehouses, check out their frozen meat entrees that come in larger packages. Simply cook as many meat entree portions as needed for your family, and package the rest in a smaller container for a future meal.

TOO TIRED TO COOK - EASY RECIPES

Today was one of those days when I was too tired to cook. But at the grocery store this week, my son had found a can of Batter Blaster like the one reviewed earlier on this blog.
Tonight's dinner? Pancakes. The kids had a ball playing with the Batter Blaster, and even my hubby ate the pancakes.
But I also wanted to post that I found a cool Squidoo Lens with recipes for nights like tonight, when you need something quick but economical to avoid hitting the fast food restaurant down the street.
Here's the link:
TOO TIRED TO COOK RECIPES

I hope you find a recipe or two to add to your quick-cooking arsenal.

Super Cilantro-Lime Chicken Tacos

When my kids were home from college a couple of weeks ago for a visit, we decided to try out a yummy looking fish taco recipe I'd found in a magazine. The only problem? I don't really like fish very much. So we decided to adapt the recipe for chicken tacos instead, and came up with something so scrumptious that we made it twice in one week! After my son returned home, he experimented some more and found a way to use ground turkey to make another version that he said was equally as delicious and faster to prepare. Here are both versions of our Cilantro-Lime Tacos.

CHICKEN TACOS WITH CILANTRO-LIME MARINADE

Serves Four People.

Marinade Ingredients:

2 limes - juice and zest
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl.

To Make Chicken Tacos:

Wash and pat dry:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin slices.
Put chicken in a ziplock bag and pour marinade into bag.
Put in refrigerator to marinate for approx. 1 hour.

While chicken is marinating, get your outdoor grill ready (or chicken can be prepared in the oven if you prefer.)
Use large sheet of non-stick foil; remove chicken from marinade and discard all but 1 Tbsp. Put chicken pieces in the center of foil sheet; pour 1 Tbsp. reserved marinade over it. Add 1/2 a small red onion, thinly sliced, on top of the chicken. Take a second sheet of foil, cover the chicken and onion, and fold all the edges together to form a packet. Put chicken filled packet on the grill, and cook for approx. 20 minutes, or until chicken slices are done. Be careful when opening the packet - let the steam escape out one end first.
Oven version - Bake at 375 degrees for approx. 20 min., or until chicken slices are done.

TO SERVE:

Heat four taco size flour tortillas on the grill, or on stove top.
Fill with 1/4 of the cooked chicken, plus the following toppings:

Thinly sliced red cabbage
Homemade or fresh store bought salsa (not the jarred kind)
Thinly sliced green onion, whites and tops
Chopped fresh cilantro
Sour Cream (if desired)

The combination of topping ingredients with the cilantro-lime marinade is divine!

CILANTRO-LIME SKILLET TURKEY TACOS

Ingredients:
Cilantro-lime marinade (above)
1 lb. ground turkey

Put turkey and marinade together in ziplock bag; marinate in refrigerator for approx. 1 hour.

Heat skillet to med-high heat; add marinated turkey and cook until done.
Add cooked turkey to heated tortillas; top with the same ingredients above.

The turkey version is quicker to make because you do not need to slice the chicken or grill it. My son said he had enough turkey for more than one meal.

Enjoy!

Quick Pasta Salad

It's all about quick and easy when you have nine people to feed for dinner! This Quick Pasta Salad recipe has always been a favorite at our house and my kids invariably ask for it when home for a visit. With a minimum of ingredients, no muss or fuss, it's a great Go To recipe for every day and can be made ahead.
INGREDIENTS
1 16 oz. box pasta (we like tri color spirals)
1 bottle good Italian dressing (Newman's own is great)
1 8 oz block cheddar cheese
1 can small black olives
1 box grape tomatoes
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 to 1 lb. sliced Lebanon bologna, cut into small pieces
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced

Cook pasta as directed on box; drain and rinse in cold water. Put in large bowl, and add remaining ingredients except Italian dressing. Toss together.
Add enough Italian dressing to suit your family's taste. I usually add part of the bottle to begin with, and sometimes a little more at serving time, if I have made the salad in the morning.

MEMORIAL DAY CORN ROAST

photo courtesy Creative Commons - taken by ann-dabney
In Pennsylvania, a corn roast is a big event! The first roasted corn I ever had was at a local fair 20 years ago. The silk is removed, then the corn is soaked in water and put on the grill to roast in the husks. The fire was hot and the corn got yummy grill marks on it in places where the husks had separated a little. It was then dipped in melted butter from a big vat and handed over to me for some serious chowing down. I can't tell you how delicious that corn tasted, straight from the field to the grill in a few hours time. Our little town is surrounded by fields of tall growing corn in the summertime and corn roasts are usually held at the end of summer. But thanks to modern transportation, we can enjoy a Memorial Day corn roast with delicious Florida corn too. In my opinion, at a corn roast, CORN should be the main event and not a side dish. Who needs anything else? Just put on a bib and get ready to sink your teeth into some corny goodness.
What could be an easier Go-To dinner recipe than a simple meal of summer corn for the whole family. Add a refreshing fruit drink or green salad and you're all set.

MEMORIAL DAY CORN ROAST

Ingredients:

12 ears farm fresh white, bi-color or yellow sweet corn

Tub of ice water

Melted butter for dipping (or serve butter or margarine table side)

Sea Salt

Carefully pull back husks from corn; remove silk. Pull husks up around corn cobs and secure with rubber band. Put in tub of ice water to soak.

Get BBQ nice and hot; remove corn from ice water, shake off and remove rubber band. Place corn (in husks) on BBQ grill and grill for 12-15 minutes, turned to grill on all sides. The husks get brown and crispy - that's okay!

Pull back husks and discard; either dip corn in butter or serve 'naked' for those who want less fat. Sprinkle with sea salt to bring out that roasted goodness. Bet you can't eat just one! And at a corn roast, you don't have to.

Variation: You can also wrap each husk-covered ear in a piece of aluminum foil if desired for grilling. But that takes half the fun out of it!

PARMESAN ORZO

My 13 year old son loves pasta, but he hates red sauce! I've had to find other ways to serve pasta that he will eat. One way is with my quick and easy Parmesan Orzo recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1 - 1 lb. box Orzo, Acine Di Pepe, or mini Wagon Wheels pasta

1 bunch Spring Onions (scallions)

1 Ham Steak (we like Hatfield's honey ham or traditional ham steak)

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta to Al Dente stage and drain. Finely dice ham steak and chop onions; mix butter, Parmesan, ham, onions and seasonings in with pasta.

This makes a maindish at our house; it's great served with a big green salad on the side. Enjoy!