Taco Shephard's Pie

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, here's a tasty potato dish. If you really wish to be Irish, add green food coloring to the mashed potatoes.

This is a quick cheater recipe which is good for a quick dinner after work or when you're tired.

I say "cheater" because there's not a lot of cooking involved. However it's very tasty.

TACO SHEPHARD'S PIE

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups Cheesy Instant Mashed Potatoes
1-2 lbs ground beef
2 packages taco seasoning mix
2-3 cups water
mixed vegetables (optional)


DIRECTIONS:

Brown ground beef,  Add taco seasoning mix and 2-3 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer until most of the liquid has boiled off.

At the same time, make mashed potatoes per package instructions.

If you want vegetables, heat in microwave

Pour ground beef mixture and if desired, vegetables, into a large bowl or casserole dish. If vegetables are added, mix well. Spoon mashed potatoes on top of taco meat.

Serve warm.

 

Grilled Cheese & Ham

My youngest daughter just asked, "Can you ever sit still?" Of course I answered, "No". At age twenty two she shouldn't have to ask. She's had years to observe me.

I'm pretty sure that I am the source of ADHD in four out of my five children. I have to multi-task or I fall asleep. I can't watch a movie without doing something else whether it be reading, writing, cooking, or playing on the computer.

She can't understand me. Worse, it seems I annoy her.

But that's me. I can't sit still.

So I've been up and down cooking while blogging, and taking pictures of my creations to add to the blog. Before I started cooking we shopped at BJ's Discount Center. Did I mention I have a family of 6, almost all big eaters and food lovers like me? I have to save money any way I can to afford to feed this troop.

Tonight I made a very simple, yet tasty dinner - grilled cheese with ham. Whereas I hate tuna, I LOVE ham. Ask my lunch friends at work.

I used to get this dish at a local diner. Unfortunately, the diner closed so I'm making this tasty sandwich myself.

GRILLED CHEESE & HAM

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices fresh thick bread per sandwich (Texas toast is really yummy)
2 slices American cheese per sandwich
3-4 slices deli ham per sandwich (the more the better)
butter or margarine

DIRECTIONS:

Butter one side of each slice of bread. Spread butter evenly over the bread.

Place the butter side down on the plate of one slice. Place one slice American cheese on top of bread. Cover with 3 slices ham. Top with the remaining slice American cheese. Then top with the remaining slice of bread, butter side on top so that it will touch the skillet.

In a preheated non-stick skillet, place two sandwiches at once. Fry until the side is golden brown. Flip the sandwich. Fry until the second side is also golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Transfer to its plate. Cut into four equal pieces, one catechorner to the other.

Serve warm with fries, sweet potato fries, or a bowl of soup.


 

Spicy Cajun Green Beans & Mushrooms

My husband came up with this recipe so he gets the credit. We used to serve it only on holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. Then I decided it was too good and too healthy to only eat a few times a year.

When I went on Weight Watchers several years ago, I ate this dish as a main course quite often. I lost 95 pounds and I enjoyed every bite of my green beans. I cut back on meat intake in favor of veggies and fruit and lots of exercise, something I need to do again, sadly.

Some people find it too spicy. If you do, cut back on the spices and try it again. I like mine spicy.

SPICY CAJUN GREEN BEANS & MUSHROOMS

INGREDIENTS

1 large can Italian cut green beans (you can use other green beans, but this variety works best for this recipe)
1 small can mushroom pieces (optional)
Cajun Seasoning
Black Pepper


DIRECTIONS

Pour 1 large can Italian cut green beans and 1 can mushrooms into large non-stick skillet with their juice.

Cover the green beans and mushrooms with a thick layer of Cajun Spice and Black Pepper. Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer. Cover with a lid until the liquid steams off. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn.

This is a great side dish to serve with ham or turkey and macaroni and cheese on a holiday. It's also a great dish to eat to lose weight, holiday or not.

 

Shrimp Fried Rice

An ex boss shared this recipe with me and it's become a family favorite. Even though it has shrimp, it's economical as we cut it into small pieces.

I like this better than many of the restaurant Chinese dishes I buy. I also imagine this is closer to Chinese home-style cooking than the restaurant variety. At any rate, it's very tasty and a long time favorite.

SHRIMP FRIED RICE

(12 servings - we are a family of 6 and we get 2 servings each and more from this recipe)

INGREDIENTS

1-2 pounds shrimp, deveined, heads and tails off, cut into small pieces, and uncooked
2-3 slices ham
1-2 eggs, scrambled
4 cups rice, uncooked
1 bunch green onions (optional - I like them a lot, my kids do not)
Oyster Sauce, to taste
Soy Sauce, to taste
Salt, sprinkle
2 Tblsp Peanut or other oil

DIRECTIONS

Cook rice per package directions. Set aside.

Scramble eggs. Set aside.

Meanwhile, dice shrimp, ham, and green onions.

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp, ham, onions in about 1 Tblsp Soy Sauce and Oyster sauce each, until shrimp are no longer pink.

Pour this mixture and eggs into rice. Also add more Soy and especially Oyster Sauces to taste. Sprinkle a tiny bit of salt. Mix well.

Serve warm.



 

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

A few years ago I lost 90 pounds following Weight Watchers. One of my go to favorites was Spaghetti Squash with spaghetti sauce. It wasn't just low cal and healthy, but really tasty!

I still haven't convinced my family to partake, but I still love it and bake a spaghetti squash for me when I heat up pasta for them.

Like my lasagna, I make it quick and easy by opening a jar of spaghtti sauce.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH SPAGHETTI

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 spaghetti squash, baked
1 jar Prego spaghetti sauce (I prefer mushrooms or meat flavored)
1-2 lbs. Hamburger


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Cut spaghetti squash in half with sharp knife. Put in oven baking dish. Bake spaghetti squash in the dish until soft, about 1/2 -1 hour.

 

 

 

You may either remove the seeds now or after baking.

Meanwhile, brown and drain the hamburger. Towards end of baking the squash, add spaghetti sauce to the drained meat.


When squash is cooked, remove from oven. Cool enough to touch. Use fork to remove seeds then rake out "spaghetti" (spaghetti-like strands of squash).

Place desired amount of squash on plate.

 

Top with spaghetti sauce.

 

 

It's that simple.

Delicioso!

Skillet Zucchini

I don't know about you, but I'm a full-time working mother and wife. Although I recently moved much closer to work and I don't have a long drive home, I still usually don't want to stand on my feet too long after a long hard day at the day job. I also write romance novels so I don't want to waste all my remaining energy cooking. Thus I prefer to make simple recipes on week nights whereas I'll get more creative and take more time on weekends to cook.

I will admit that since I get home a lot earlier (except this week when I had to work late to make up time for doctor appointments), I'm much more in a mood to cook and I'm having more fun with it than I have in a long time.

What about you?

Did I mention my youngest daughter HATES vegetables? I have to hide them in her food to get her to eat them. Even then, she usually figures out my madness and refuses to eat. Except for potatoes. We call her the "Potato Queen" and "French Fry Queen".

I'm a little picky when it comes to eating veggies, too. I was worse when I was her age although I've always eaten spinach and green beans, especially when my grandma cooked them.

I didn't touch zucchini, egg plant, spaghetti squash, or a number of other veggies until I was well into my adult years. I was absolutely sure I'd hate them and positively gag. Now, I'll fix a spaghetti squash or zucchini just for me.

Here's my favorite zucchini recipe, daresay as yummy (or more so) than Duffy's.

SKILLET ZUCCHINI

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium to large zucchini (per person)
1 pat butter
Lemon juice
Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse the zucchini. Slice off the ends and discard. Cut zucchini in half or thirds depending how long it is. Then slice lengthwise into several sticks. Leave skin on.

Melt butter in large non-stick skillet.

In a bowl, drizzle sliced zucchini with lemon juice. Generously sprinkle with pepper.

Cook in skillet, turning often to brown zucchini. If desired, sprinkle more pepper on as the zucchini cooks.

When the zucchini is browning and softened, remove from heat.

Serve warm.




 

Tuna Casserole

Obviously this is a new blog so I'm still decorating and setting up housekeeping. I will try to post a new recipe every Sunday and Wednesday. Stay tuned for lots of yummy stuff!


I HATE tuna, so it's extremely rare you'll see a tuna recipe from me. I wish I liked it as it's healthy and cheap and my family loves it.

This is the one tuna recipe I can stand. It's also my youngest son's favorite meal which he requested for his last birthday dinner.

I like it because it's budget friendly, quick and easy to make, so it's one of my go to meals. I can stand it because I smother it with cheese, milk, oregano and garlic salt.

TUNA CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:

1 large can drained tuna
1 - 8 oz box cooked elbow macaroni noodles
16 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz evaporated milk (regular milk will work in a pinch)
Oregano, to taste
Garlic Salt, to taste
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.

Cook and drain macaroni noodles. Put in large 9 x 13" casserole dish.

Mix well with 1/2 cheddar cheese, all of tuna, and salt and pepper to taste.

Pour on evaporated milk. Toss well again.

Generously sprinkle oregano and garlic salt on top of noodles. Sprinkle with a tad more salt and pepper.

Layer evenly with remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake about 30 - 40 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Goes well with French bread or garlic bread.

French style green beans can be added if desired.  I usually omit them due to my husband's request.



 

Tasty Lasagna

It's been awhile since I blogged anywhere about anything and a lot of things have changed. One thing hasn't - I still have to eat to live and I SHOULD NOT be living to eat. Admittedly, I've often been about the second. As the full-time working mom of one husband, four human children, and four furry children still at home, I prefer recipes that are budget friendly (make that as close to zero cents per serving as possible), time friendly, and people pleasing to my picky family, as possible.

Thus, most of my recipes will be quick and easy, probably budget friendly, and sometimes healthy. When possible I'll choose the healthier, cheaper alternatives.

Last night was a birthday party night in celebration of my second oldest child, so it was NOT one of those nights. Instead of thrifty, I chose people-pleasing and made lasagna. When my father-in-law came up to me after the meal and asked skeptically, "Did you make that lasagna?" with the tone of voice he thought I'd bought it and heated it up, my heart dropped. Why did I spend so much money on home-made lasagna to have him think I'd cop out on the home made version? But my kids knew the truth and so do you, so I let it slide.

Even though my lasagna isn't the most budget friendly on the planet, it is extremely tasty and simple to make and so I'd like to share it with you. Because I have picky eaters and a vegetarian friend who sometimes join this, I make two, sometimes three versions of this dish. As I usually make two casseroles to feed my big family (add my oldest daughter, her spouse, and my two grandchildren, plus my father-in-law and friends), that's not a problem.

TASTY LASAGNA

INGREDIENTS:

Lasagna noodles, cooked and drained or precooked (6 per 9 x 13" casserole dish)
1 lb beef or pork, cooked and drained
1 can spinach, well drained, optional
1 - 48 oz container ricotta cheese
8 -16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
1 large jar Prego spaghetti sauce (I LOVE Prego, so I only use this brand and I usually use the meat flavored version except when making vegetarian)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Meanwhile cook and drain lasagna noodles and meat.

Layer each 9 x 13" casserole dish with thin layer of spaghetti sauce. Top with one layer of 3 lasagna noodles. Layer with another thicker layer of spaghetti sauce.

If spinach is desired, spread equally over sauce.

If meat is desired, spread equally over spinach and sauce.

Generously spoon ricotta cheese on top of the last layer. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 mozarella cheese.

Layer with 3 more lasagna noodles. Spread remaining spaghetti sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over sauce. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil. Bake for about 30 minutes until cheeses are bubbly.

* I make two casseroles, one with spinach and one without, because of my spinach-hating/loving family. When my vegetarian friend joins us, I also make a bread-loaf pan size without meat. I prefer the casserole with spinach even though my veggie hating daughter prefers it without.

 ** Serve with French bread, salad, and dessert.

Our Christmas Eve tradition includes having this dish.

Bon appetit!