Bacon Tomato Cups

These are what I made this morning for Easter Brunch. 

8 slices bacon, cooked crisply ( I used Kirkland bacon bits)
4 roma tomatoes
1/2 small onion
6 oz. shredded swiss/baby swiss cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, jack...whatever)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 can refrigerated Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (it will say Flaky Layers somewhere on the can)

Preheat oven to 375.  Coarsely chop the bacon, tomato (don't use the seeds) and onion and mix with all the other ingredients except the biscuits.  Set aside.  Pop open the can of biscuits and separate each of the 8 biscuits into 3 thinner biscuits.  (Some may be a little thinner or thicker than others but this is OK)  Use a non-stick mini muffin pan and lay each of the separated biscuits over the mini muffin cup and press down to shape.  Fill each one with the above mixture.  Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown.  Makes 24

Baked Oatmeal

I thought I should add something before the year is up. This is my new steal from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  I think the main complaint against oatmeal is that it is too mushy.  This takes care of that problem.  It is more like a giant oatmeal cookie.

6 cups oatmeal, either quick or old-fashioned
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (I think less could be used)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups milk
4 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 9X13-inch baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with milk and/or fresh fruit.
The recipe can be easily halved and baked in an 8X8-inch pan.

Chicken Parmesan Subs

This one is for those ones of you who roast two chickens each week and are looking for new ways to use the leftovers. If you don't roast two chickens, that's okay, just cook any kind of chicken for this recipe!

Cheater Chicken Parmesan Open-faced Subs

2 c (? depending on how many servings you're making) cooked chicken: shredded or cubed
1 jar pasta sauce
1/2 c or so of bread crumbs
shredded mozzarella cheese
sandwich rolls (or loaf of french bread)

simmer the chicken in the pasta sauce until heated through. stir in the bread crumbs and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens a little bit.

split open the sandwich rolls and spoon the chicken mixture onto each half of the rolls. sprinkle with shredded cheese and put under the broiler until the cheese melts and turns a little bit brown. serve open-faced and enjoy!

Sweet and Spicy Slow-Cooker Chicken

I made this meat for the 5 de Mayo lunch at work and it was a HUGE hit and super easy. I got it from Mel's Kitchen Cafe (the same place the pb recipes came from for that April birthday party)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Coat the inside of your crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Place all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours, or until chicken shreds very easily with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Chicken will absorb liquid after it is shredded.) Serve in tacos or however your little heart desires.

Since I had to bring it to work with me I was a little nervous, but it worked perfectly. My mom cooked it for me (just dumped the things in the crock pot) then put it in the fridge - pre-shredding. When I got to work I turned it on high for a little bit to warm it up then literally just wiggled a fork around in it and it fell into shred. Then I left it on warm for a few hours until we were ready to eat. All of the juice was completely absorbed (but it wasn't dry at all) and, for those of you with non-tomato eating families, you can't even tell there are tomatoes.

French Dip Sandwiches

Bryana turned me onto a meal planning website called E-Mealz.com that has super easy, family friendly recipes and corresponding shopping lists. They even have specialized meals based on different grocery store sales (not Safeway yet) and meals based on diet points, etc. Although I haven't yet signed up for the service, they allow you to print 3 sample menus from each category- I think there are like 8 or 10 categories! The first meal that I tried was from the "Any Store" menu and it was these delicious French Dip Sandwiches....

1.5lb chuck roast
1 packet onion soup mix
1 can beef broth ( i only had chicken broth so i used that instead)
1 loaf french bread ( i had french sandwich rolls on hand)
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Combine beef broth and onion soup mix in crock pot. Add roast. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove meat to slice or shred. Slice bread in half lengthwise and add beef (and shredded cheese if you want*). Slice. Serve with bowls of au jus for dipping.

* if you choose to add cheese, wrap the sandwiches in foil and heat @ 375 for 25 min to melt everything together.

Now really, wasn't that the easiest recipe ever!

Yummy Leftover Ham

Just a friendly reminder that there are TWO amazing recipes on here that use leftover ham! Click the "ham" tab on the right side to see the recipes....

And while you're there, maybe you have a recipe or two that you should add :)

Moroccan Beef Stew

I made this the other night and it was a hit. It was fun to play with different flavors for a change without being too drastic. It's super easy and could be made vegetarian (as if you would want that!) I served it over couscous and it was deeee-licious.

Moroccan Beef Stew (serves 4 but could easily be added to to feed more)

1T oil
1 1/4 lb beef steak cut into stew sized cubes
1 c chopped yellow onion
2 carrots chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
2t paprika
2t cumin
2t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 c beef broth
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained (if vegetarian, add another can)
1 c pitted kalamata olives, drained and halved (i use black olives b/c dylan doesn't like any other kind)
1/2 c raisens (golden or regular)
1/4 c chopped cilantro

1. heat oil over med-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned on all sides. You may need to do this in batches so it browns, not boils (i speak from expecience here!). Remove beef from pan and set aside.

2. add onion, carrots and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, until softened. Add spices and cook for 1 minute. Return beef to pan and add broth, chickpeas, olives and raisins. Bring to simmer then reduce heat to med-low and continue to simmer until beef is cooked through (5 min or so). Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and serve over cous cous.

3. i used a carton of beef broth and since i only used just over half of it for the stew, i used the remainder in my couscous to make it extra flavorful.