casseroles and quick meals Archives - Page 10 of 16

Applelicious Apple Dishes

October 3, 2010 12 Comments

(Photo Credit – Paula Deen)

Among my collection of “Recipes to Make” is this really yummy Apple Cake. I had planned on making it this week, but then my husband practically begged….. err– requested his favorite yellow cake with chocolate icing. (If you read my blog enough, you may notice that this is a recurring theme at our house.)

So for this week, I decided to put together a collection of Apple Recipes for you instead. Enjoy!

Here’s an oh-so-easy recipe for Apple Pinwheels from Taste of Home.

In case you didn’t see the Caramel Apple Cake at Friday Favorites the other day, here’s another one I found over at A Whisk and a Prayer.

Lots of great flavors in this Hot Apple Dip from Kraft. Wouldn’t this be perfect for your next party? Or ya know….just a night at home?

Usually I head over to Hoosier Homemade to see her latest cupcake masterpieces, but a couple of weeks ago I was really intrigued by these Caramel Apple S’mores.

I just love breakfast foods! This yummy looking Apple-Cheddar Strata was over Pillsbury.

And last but certainly not least, no recipe round-up can possibly be complete without a cookie recipe! These scrumptious Apple Raisin Cookies were featured over at Martha Stewart.

I’m linking up this week to my usual parties, plus over Taste and Tell for the Celebrating Autumn recipe party on Tuesday.

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, desserts, recipes

Country Bob’s Burgers with Sauce Review & Giveaway

September 20, 2010 41 Comments

I just love homemade burgers! We don’t really grill food that often, so whenever we do hamburgers I usually cook them on my George Foreman Grill. It cooks them up in about 8 minutes, and they’re always delicious!

This past weekend I was out of the usual marinade that I use for burgers, so I decided to try something new. I received a couple of sample bottles of Country Bob’s Sauce a couple of week’s ago, and with the sauce came a brochure which included recipes from The Original Country Bob’s Cookbook, so I decided to try out their recipe. The burgers came out very tasty. In fact, after trying them, I’ve decided that this recipe could double as a great meatloaf recipe as well.

For those who haven’t tried Country Bob’s All Purpose sauce, it has a very interesting flavor. It reminded me of a cross between honey barbeque and a traditional dark steak sauce. It has a very strong taste with a spicy kick. And I’d say it would go well with any meat you had in mind to grill. It would even make a great dip for veggies and grilled appetizers!

Since it’s still 90 degrees here, I say we may as well extend the summer grilling season, and this sauce will definitely add something bold and new to your grilling experience, so go pick up some for next week’s football party and fire up the grill!

Recipe for Country Bob’s Burgers (Adapted from The Original Country Bob’s Cookbook)

Ingredients:
2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup Country Bob’s Sauce
1/2 pouch of Onion Soup Mix

Directions: Place meat in a bowl. Break up using a fork or hands. Add sauce and soup mix. Work in together using hands, and roll into patties. (I made 4 Half-Pound patties.) Fire up the grill. Cook and enjoy!

Giveaway Closed. Congrats to our winner Jessica of My World and My Five Little Blessings

For a list of linky parties I’m linking up to, check out my sidebar or this page.

Disclosure: This Product Was a Free Giveaway Sponsored by Tomoson.com

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Giveaways, product review, Sponsors

Buffalo Chicken Calzones

September 6, 2010 17 Comments

I have always loved calzones, stuffed sandwiches, Hot Pockets, or whatever you wish to call them. There’s no telling how many Ham & Cheese pockets I’ve eaten over the years for lunch or for a snack! Hubby, on the other hand, isn’t much of fan. However, when I saw this recipe over at Tidy Mom, I just new it was one calzone that he would approve of.

I made a few changes to the recipe and gave it a try. At first my husband had a negative response when I told him I was trying a new recipe for calzones, but when I told him it was buffalo chicken calzones, he quickly changed his tune. And of course, he loved it. Now this recipe is a new favorite at our house!

Recipe for Buffalo Chicken Calzones:

Ingredients:

1 can of refrigerated pizza dough (Pillsbury works best. I used the Thin, Crispy type that comes in the long tube.)

1 can of chicken breast (or use one or two boneless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped)

Buffalo Sauce (I like Frank’s)

Ranch Dressing (alternatively you could use bleu cheese dressing)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions: Drain the water off your chicken. Place in a small bowl. Add buffalo sauce and ranch dressing. I didn’t meausure; I just put a little of each end. The amount will depend on just how spicy you want the calzones to be. (Just keep in mind that you want the mixture to be of the same consistency of a tuna or chicken salad, not runny.) Next add your cheese. Again, I just threw some in. I’d say it was about 1/3 or 1/2 cup. Mix well.

Next roll out your pizza dough on to a baking sheet. I rolled it out on top of a piece of parchment paper to prevent sticking. Take a knife and cut your dough into fours as shown below. (Note: The first time I made this I used an off brand pizza crust, and I was only able to cut the dough into threes, otherwise they would have been too small. This also meant that I had a little bit of the chicken mixture left over. This is why I recommend the Pillsbury crust.)

Spoon your chicken mixture on to each piece. You need to place it on one side so that you can easily fold it over to make the calzone, but place it about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch away from the edge so the stuffing doesn’t fall out. Now take the side that isn’t covered in the chicken mixture and fold it over. Use a fork or your hands to seal the calzone on each side. Bake according to the directions on your pizza crust and serve!

Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week Tagged With: football food

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza with a Twist!

August 16, 2010 11 Comments

It’s over a hundred degrees here and very humid and has been this way now for weeks! It’s been so hot for so long that the grass is brown. Even our neighbors who ordinarily mow every week (often twice a week….no lie!) and who have the TruGreen guys come out once a month to ensure they have the greenest lawn in the neighborhood……yes, even they have brown grass now!

Needless to say, the last thing I want to do is heat up the house by cooking. But sometimes it’s just unavoidable. So I’ve been trying to do a lot of stove top meals, and if I do use the oven, I’m trying not to cook anything that takes over 30 minutes to bake. So pizza is a great option!

Here’s a bacon cheeseburger pizza that I made with a slight twist that I think adults and kids will like. My only regret was that I didn’t have enough cheese to top it off as I normaly would, but it was still quite tasty.

Recipe for Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza

Ingredients:
1 refrigerated pizza crust.
1 lb hamburger meat
several pieces of bacon, crumbled (or bacon bits)
shredded cheddar cheese
ketchup
mustard
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
1 tomato,chopped or sliced (optional)

Directions: Brown your hamburger meat and cook bacon in a skillet on the stove. (To save time, I use precooked bacon. Or you can also use bacon bits.) Drain the fat and set aside. Roll out your pizza dough on a pizza pan or baking dish. If you do any prebaking on your pizza crust, do it at this time. In a small bowl, mix together your ketchup and mustard. (I didn’t measure it out; I just started mixing until I got the consistency and amount I needed.) Spoon out your ketchup and mustard mixture on to crust. Next chop up your onion and tomato if using, and add all toppings to your pizza as desired. (I like to do a layer of cheese, followed by other toppings, and then another layer of cheese on top.) Bake pizza as directed on crust package, and serve!

Linking up at these parties.

-Jerri

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Grilled Chicken Florentine (and a Giveaway!)

August 9, 2010 157 Comments

Did you know that Macaroni Grill had a new line of Frozen entrees? They are designed to give you a delicious Italian food experience within the comfort of your own home.

Available in the freezer section of your local grocery store this summer, Macaroni Grill frozen entrées contain delicious authentic Italian flavors inspired by the Macaroni Grill Restaurant you know and love. The four new Macaroni Grill frozen entrées are perfect for quickly and conveniently recreating premium quality meals right in your own kitchen.

The new Macaroni Grill frozen entrées are made with high quality meats, colorful vegetables, distinct pasta and flavorful sauces and come in 4 delicious varieties:

-Grilled Chicken Florentine

-Spicy Italian Sausage Pomodoro

-Roasted Garlic Shrimp Scampi

-Basil Parmesan Chicken

I recently had the opportunity to try the Macaroni Grill Frozen Entree in Grilled Chicken Florentine. I was very excited to try this because Chicken Florentine is one of my favorite pasta dishes (second only to alfredo). Before I even opened the package, I was immediately impressed by this product because I found this was something I could make in less than 20 minutes on the stove top. Furthermore, the only additional ingredient I would need was a little milk.

For anyone who’s ever been pressed for time or found themselves having to make dinner at the last minute (and I daresay, that’s probably all of us), you know how convenient it is to have something like this on hand!

The entree features Grilled White Meat Chicken, Spinach with Farfalle Pasta, and a Creamy Parmesan Cheese and Garlic Sauce. Upon cooking this meal, I was very impressed by the quality of the ingredients, including the chunks of spinach (as opposed to tiny specks). And I was very impressed by the overall flavor of this dish, especially the taste of the cream sauce. Furthermore, my husband, who seems to be the authority on taste in our house, was very impressed by the meal, and he concluded that he’d definitely like to eat it again in the future.

Finally, the size of the entree was just perfect for the two of us. Obviously, most of my readers have children and would need food for more than two people, but I figure you can always buy more than one package if you need it. Right? And then again, I think if you served everyone a salad and bread to go with this, you could possibly stretch it out to feed 3 or 4.

Overall I’d recommend this product to anyone who loves Italian food and is looking for a new quick and convenient meal to make at home.

Buy it! If you’d like to try Macaroni Grill’s new frozen entrees, they are now available in the freezer section of your local grocery store. Go to Macaroni Grill at Home to print out a coupon for $1.50 off.

Connect! Follow Macaroni Grill on Twitter. Or check them out on Macaroni Grill on Facebook.

Win it! One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a prize pack which includes one of the new Macaroni Grill Frozen Entrees, a pasta dish, and tongs.

Giveaway Closed. Congrats to Jenn at Just Getting Started!

-Jerri

Disclosure: Information, frozen sample, prize pack and giveaway have all been provided by Macaroni Grill through MyBlogSpark. The opinions in this post are mine.

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Giveaways, Sponsors

BBQ Stuffed Potatoes

July 26, 2010 10 Comments

Previously I’ve written about Big Bob Gibson’s barbeque on this blog. It is a local restaurant here in my town, but you may have seen them on shows like Paula Deen, Rachel Ray, and The Today Show. Or you may have seen their book: Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book: Recipes and Secrets from a Legendary Barbecue Joint

Anyway, we go to their restaurant about once a month for one of their famous Barbeque Stuffed Potatoes (like the one pictured above). These things are so good! And they’re huge! (I’ve never been able to eat a whole one in one sitting.) They’re so great that my husband says that people shouldn’t come to this area without trying it out.

I also attempt to make my own BBQ potatoes from time to time, although mine aren’t nearly as good as Big Bob’s. But still, it’s a good alternative when you can’t have the real thing. So if you ever have any pulled pork, beef, chicken, or turkey on hand, you should give this a try!

How to Make BBQ Stuffed Potatoes:

Ingredients:
Baking Potatoes
Butter/Margarine
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream
Bacon Bits
Chives
Meat Choice, shredded (Pulled Pork, Chicken, Turkey, or Roast Beef)

Directions: Cook your meat choice in a crock pot. (I usually just cook it in a little Dale’s Sauce (& water of course). And I know sometimes my dad just seasons with salt/pepper and adds a little Coke.) You can also cook in a smoker if you have one, which would actually taste better and be more authentic.

Wrap your potatoes in foil and bake in the oven till done. When done, pull back foil and cut potato down the middle. Add your butter, followed by your sour cream, cheese, bacon bits, and chives. Finally top with your cooked meat.

You also top your potato with barbeque sauce if you wish. We buy Big Bob’s red sauce, which is on sale at their website, and that’s what my husband puts on his potatoes. (I eat mine “plain”, although I do love their white sauce on grilled chicken!)

I’m linking up at It’s a Blog Party, Blessed with Grace, Crazy Jayz and some of these linky parties.

-Jerri

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Szechuan Sweet & Sour BBQ Chicken (& Lawry’s Giveaway)

July 12, 2010 83 Comments

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love summer grilling season! Where I live, every weekend there’s some grilling going on in our neighborhood. I know because we can smell it from our front porch! Now Lawry’s is making the summer grilling season even more exciting with their new marinades. Flavors include:

-Applewood & Plum – Juicy plums accent smoky applewood and add flair to all-American barbecue.

-Cilantro & Lime – Cutting across the diverse cuisines, this bright and zingy pair is a refreshing taste of summertime.

-Rosemary & Fig – Figs are an unexpected and regionally inspired match for aromatic rosemary.

-Chipotle & Maple – This culinary comingling deliver a fresh take on smoky, spicy and sweet.

-Brown Sugar & Bourbon – This duo brings a delicious dose of Southern charm to the patio.

-Cinnamon & Coffee – Bold and confident – with just the right edge of bitterness.
-Red Chili Sauce & Mango – The flavor of mango takes hot or sweet red chili sauce far beyond mere “condiment status.”
-Tuscan Sun Dried Tomato – Featuring extra virgin olive oil, sun dried tomatoes, sweet red bell peppers, and a blend of herbs and spices.
-Szechuan Sweet & Sour BBQ – features Chinese five spice blend with a touch of Szechuan heat.

Recently I got to try two of Lawry’s newest flavors: Szechuan Sweet & Sour BBQ and Tuscan Sun Dried Tomato. Not only are these marinades delicious, but they have a very unique taste.

I was very excited to serve the Szechuan Sweet & Sour BBQ Chicken to my husband last week. I’ve never made any chicken quite like this, and it was very well received. The marinade features a Chinese five spice blend, ginger, sesame oil, and red pepper. Just imagine the best sweet and sour chicken from your favorite local Chinese joint and then add a spicy kick and your back yard grill! The result is yummy!

As you can see from the photos, I served our chicken over a bed of Asian style rice and vegetables. This was perfect for a quick and inexpensive gourmet meal. And I love that these are 30 minute marinades, so I don’t have to worry about doing the marinading the day before. (Perfect if you sometimes have to throw something together at the last minute!)

I’m very excited to be trying the Tuscan Sun-Dried Tomato next and will be posting the food as soon I’ve made it. For this purpses of this post, I’ve gotten a taste of the marinade already. It’s an oil and vinegar based marinade, infused with sun-dried tomatoes, sweet red peppers, and a blend of herbs and spices, including rosemary and oregano. Yum! I’ll let you know how it turns out on food, but I can already tell you, if the taste of the marinade alone is any indication of how it will be on cooked meat, we are in for another super-delicious meal!

Win it! One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a Lawry´s Get Grilling Kit. The kit includes:

Both of the new Lawry´s marinades: Tuscan Sun-Dried Tomato and Szechuan Sweet & Sour BBQ
Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
A set of skewers.
Pyrex marinating dish.

Giveaway closed. Congrats to Rene at Three Boys and an Old Lady!

I’m happy to link up each week to some fabulous blog parties.

-Jerri

Disclosure: The opinions in this post are my own. For hosting this give away I received a Lawry’s prize pack like the one being given away. I was not paid to post. Lawry´s products, information and additional prize pack to give away are provided by Lawry´s through MyBlogSpark.

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Giveaways, Home/Garden, Recipe of the Week, Sponsors

Taco Salad

July 5, 2010 12 Comments

One of my favorite meals to eat at home is tacos. I just go the easy route and purchase a taco kit. Sometimes I get Taco Bell brand, and other times I get Old El Paso. But I also buy taco seasoning alone for potential new recipes I may find, and I almost always keep corn chips on hand, which makes taco salad a very convenient meal for us.

The taco salad pictured here today was actually put together by my husband. Hubby doesn’t cook at all. Sometimes when I’m not feeling well, he’ll put together some tuna salad or something like that for us. But I’ve never seen him make an actual recipe. But he did wait tables for several years, some of which was at a real upscale place, and he discovered he had a natural talent for plate presentations. In fact, at one of the resturants where he worked, he put together a lot of the plates for their menu photos.

So the other day when we had taco salad, I decided to take a couple of pics of his handy work. We started with Blue Tortilla Chips. (We usually get white, but we were shopping at Aldi, and they didn’t have white.) Next came the meat mixuture, followed by lettuce, salsa, cheese, and finally sour cream. Yum!

Making a Taco Salad Buffet – By the way, if you’re ever having a lot of of people over for dinner, a taco salad buffet would be perfect choice. It’s fast, convenient, and fairly cheap compared to other meal choices. And I never met anyone who didn’t like Mexican food, so it’s sure to be loved by all! All you’d really have to cook is your meat and some refried beans. And then you’d just have to prepare some toppings for the buffet, such as lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, cheese, and condiments. Very easy!

-Jerri

———————————–

I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Delicious Dishes is hosted by It’s a Blog Party
Tuesday Tastes is hosted by Crazy Jayz Place
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Tackle it Tuesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom
Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse
Friday Food is hosted by Mom Trends
Friday Foodie is hosted by Designs by Gollum
Finer Things Friday is hosted by Amy’s Finer Things
I’m Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
Show off Your Stuff Thursday is hosted by Fireflies and Jellybeans

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, party ideas, Recipe of the Week

Mahi Mahi – The Catch of the Day!

June 13, 2010 12 Comments

Believe it or not, I’m not real big on seafood! It just wasn’t something we ate a lot in our home growing up (except for Captain D’s! lol.) But in the past few years, I have grown more open to it. But still my favorites remain shrimp or just a simple white filet. But Mr. Simply Sweet Home grew up in Mobile, right near the gulf, so he’s just the opposite of me! He loves seafood, and he’s probably tried just about everything. In fact he tells me the fried catfish sold in resturants “up here” is not real seafood.

One of his favorite restaurant “down there” is Wintzell’s Oyster House. (If you ever take a trip to Gulf Shores or Mobile, you should definitely check it out. They not only have great food, but they have fun sayings written all over the wall, which you can read while you wait for your food. They also have other locations in Alabama, one in Mississippi, and one coming to Pensacola, Florida soon.)

Anyway, my husband always gets a platter of oysters for an appetizer and Mahi Mahi for his meal. Mahi Mahi is very similar to tilapia. It’s also known as dolphin-fish, but don’t worry! I’m happy to report that it has nothing to do with the dolphins (which are mammals), that we typically think of when we hear dolphin.

Several months ago I was looking at the fish in the store, and I just happened to run across some fresh mahi mahi. Admittedly mine looks nothing like the stuff at Wintzell’s. They put all kinds of stuff on top of it. (I’ve only seen it a couple of times, so I can’t remember what). But hubby likes mine too (as he should, since he’s the one that told me how I should make it when I had no idea). And even I, the “non-seafood lover” like it! So that should be a good endorsement!

This post was featured for the People’s Choice Award at Tuesday Tastes.

Recipe for Mahi Mahi:

Ingredients:

Mahi Mahi filets (I always eat one, but most people would probably want 2.)

Italian Dressing

Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dip filets in Italian Dressing. Top with additional dressing if necessary. (After dipping, I always take any dressing left in the bowl and pour it on top of the filets. Place on baking sheet. (I usually line mine with tin foil for easy cleaning.) Spinkle with lemon peper seasoning. Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

-Jerri
———————————–

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Ranch Pasta Skillet

May 30, 2010 15 Comments

I normally like to bake things in the oven, but when it’s nearly a hundred degrees outside, I’d prefer not to heat the oven to 350 for an hour! So for the summer time, skillet meals come in handy!

I’ve taken my ranch chicken recipe and converted it into a rice casserole before, and I had been wondering how it would be to do the same thing using noodles, sort of like chicken helper. So I threw some things together and voila!

It turned out pretty good. My husband’s only complaint was that it was a little salty. So if you decide to make this, you should probably use reduced sodium soup, and you could also adjust the other ingredients to suit your taste (less seasoning, more water or milk, etc.) But all in all, this was a great quick meal!

Recipe for Ranch Pasta Skillet:

Ingredients:

2-3 cups egg noodles (or pasta of choice)

2 cans chicken breast (or about 3 chicken breasts shredded)

2 cups milk

3/4 cups water (use broth from chicken)

1 – 1 oz. packet of ranch salad dressing mix

1 can cream of chicken soup

Directions: Spray skillet with cooking spray. Place canned soup in skillet, along with about half the dressing mix. Mix well. Then add chicken. (If using the chicken broth from the canned chicken, no need to drain. Just add the broth along with the chicken.) Mix well. Add uncooked pasta, milk, remaining dressing mix, and water (if you didn’t use broth). Stir together. Heat to boiling. When it starts to bubble, reduce heat to medium, and cover, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 10 minutes. Let stand for a couple of minutes before serving so the sauce can thicken.

-Jerri

———————————–

I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Tuesday Tastes is hosted by Crazy Jayz Place
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Tackle it Tuesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom
Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse
Friday Food is hosted by Mom Trends
Friday Foodie is hosted by Designs by Gollum
Finer Things Friday is hosted by Amy’s Finer Things
I’m Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
Show off Your Stuff Thursday is hosted by Fireflies and Jellybeans

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Applelicious Apple Dishes

Country Bob’s Burgers with Sauce Review & Giveaway

Buffalo Chicken Calzones

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza with a Twist!

Grilled Chicken Florentine (and a Giveaway!)

BBQ Stuffed Potatoes

Szechuan Sweet & Sour BBQ Chicken (& Lawry’s Giveaway)

Taco Salad

Mahi Mahi – The Catch of the Day!

Ranch Pasta Skillet

Welcome

My Shop

Pin with Me

Archives

Categories

Welcome

Subscribe to Simply Sweet Home

My Shop

Pin with Me

Archives

Categories