Crock Pot Pork Chops & Dijon Potato Salad

We're obsessed with Lawry's Caribbean Jerk 30-Minute Marinade on pork. It is a perfect combination, and it is what Ryan used for our pork chops on Monday night.

INGREDIENTS:

2 thick cut, boneless pork chops (ours came from The Choppin' Block, of course)
1 yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 bottle Lawry's Caribbean Jerk

Put everything in the Crock Pot, and cook on high for 4 hours. He made a sauce from the liquid in the crock pot by removing the onions and celery and putting the liquid in a small pot on the stove over med-low heat. All he added to it was chicken stock.

He also made potato salad with two cubed potatoes, light mayo, dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt and pepper. I have no measurements for ingredients...it was totally done by taste, texture and "feel."

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As you can see we had broccoli, too. This was a Food Lion brand steamer bag. Food Lion brand is our favorite for plain broccoli steamers. Our experience has found that, normally, it has the best pieces of broccoli when compared to other brands. Not just a lot of pieces of stalk.

Sweet BBQ Wings & Ranch Roasted Potatoes

No one wanted to cook tonight, which calls for....drum roll....THE CROCK POT.

I got some fresh wings at Publix, dropped 'em in the pot, poured honey barbeque sauce and pineapple chunks with juice over them, and turned it on high for about 4 hours. I did get up to stir them around every hour, at least. ;-)

Also, I peeled and cubed two potatoes and let the cubes set in a bowl of water while I got their seasoning ready...

1/2 packet of dry ranch
1 Tbsp olive oil
Dashes of garlic powder, salt & black pepper

I stirred all of the above together well, drained the potatoes, blotted them dry and put them on a non-stick metal baking sheet. Next, I poured the oil mixture over them, and coated them all over with the oil (using your hands is the best way). Bake at 450 for 30 minutes, stirring/flipping halfway through cooking time.

Every thing turned out to be delicious, and the really good news is that we have enough wings left over for tomorrow's supper. :-)

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Easy White Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:

6 Whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 Jar Ragu Light Parmesan Alfredo
3/4 lb Chicken breast tenderloins
1 10oz Box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
1 6.5oz Can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 14.5oz Petite cut diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp Oregano
Tony Chachere's More Spice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta in boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes
2. Cube chicken and brown in skillet with a mild sprinkling of Chachere's; when cooked, chop chicken into finer pieces
3. Combine, sauce, chicken, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and spices in mixing bowl; stir well
4. Treat glass baking dish with non-stick spray
5. Spread enough of the sauce mixture to cover the bottom of the pan
6. Layer three noodles, side-by-side, longways over sauce
7. Spoon half of the remaining sauce mixture over the noodles
8. Sprinkle with six cheese Italian mix shredded cheese (amount is up to you...I used about 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup)
9. Layer three noodles on top
10. Spoon the rest of the sauce mixture over noodles
11. Sprinkle more cheese on top (same amount as before)
12. Cover with foil and bake on middle rack at 350 for 45 minutes
13. After 45 minutes, uncover and bake for 5-10 more minutes

This was enough for about 8 large servings. We didn't serve anything with it, so we had kinda large servings. ;-)

You can be creative with this recipe and substitute various veggies, leave out the chicken, add more chicken, or even sub shrimp or crab meat for the chicken.

If you'd like an even lighter lasagna, only add the shredded cheese on the very top.

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Panko Fried Chicken Breasts

I think I have covered this once before, but in case anyone missed it, I LOVE Panko bread crumbs! One of the reasons is because you can coat anything in it and bake, and it is still crunchy!

However, last night, Ryan cooked, and he "fried" Panko chicken breasts in a skillet with olive oil.

INGREDIENTS:
4 Small, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-2 Cups Panko
1 Egg
2-3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp Tony Chachere's More Spice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Scramble the egg in a bowl; spread flour on a small plate; combine Panko with Chachere's and garlic powder in a bowl or large plate
2. Place large skillet on stove over medium heat; put olive oil in skillet
3. Lightly coat chicken with flour; then,dip in egg; lastly, coat with Panko mixture and place in warmed skillet
4. Cook over medium-low to medium heat on both sides for about 5 minutes
5. Continue cooking until desired color is achieved - should be golden brown to dark brown
6. Remove from skillet; ready to serve!

We also had blanched fresh broccoli and brown sugar and cinnamon pears.

I used canned pear halves in 100% juice. Put the pears in a small glass baking dish treated with non-stick spray. Take a stick of salted butter and shave off very thin pieces with a butter knife. Put the butter shavings onto each pear and evenly sprinkle with light brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 425 for about 30 minutes. Pears should be very soft and easily cut with a fork.

When making the chicken, you can mix up any spices with the Panko before breading. We have also added grated parmesan cheese to the same mix in this recipe, and I have added dry ranch to Panko for breading pork chops. Try it with your favorite seasonings and let us know how it turns out!

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Shrimp & Broccoli Alfredo

INGREDIENTS:

2.5 Cups penne pasta or any pasta you want to use; we also use linguine alot

1 Head of fresh broccoli, trimmed

1/2 Lb shrimp, "cubed" and "de-tailed" - from The Choppin' Block

1/4 Medium yellow onion, minced

5 Garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp Tony Chachere's More Spice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta in salted water as directed on box

2. Saute onions and garlic in 1-2 Tbsp butter in a deep skillet

3. Add shrimp

4. Sprinkle with Chachere's

5. Cook over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes

6. Pour in 1 cup of Ragu Light Parmesan Alfredo, simmer

7. Add cooked, drained pasta to the skillet, stirring to make sure all ingredients are coated with the sauce

This made about 2.5 to 3 servings. The sauce was not very thick, and the shrimp, broccoli and pasta were perfectly, lightly coated. I just LOVE fresh broccoli and alfredo. We've also done a similar dish with aspargus and mushrooms...I guess, pretty much anything goes with yummy alfredo!

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Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon

I needed my salmon fix for the week. So, Ryan got us some fillets from The Choppin' Block, and I tried a new way to cook them.

INGREDIENTS:

2 8oz Salmon Fillets

3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

1.5 Tbsp dijon mustard

salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place fillets (skin-side down, if applicable) in a glass baking dish treated with non-stick spray

2. Mix sugar and mustard together to form the glaze

3. Salt & pepper the fillets & spread the glaze evenly over them

4. Bake in oven at 350 for about 15 minutes on the middle rack

5. After 15 minutes, turn off the oven and turn the broiler on high

6. Leave dish under broiler til the glaze begins to bubble up and becomes darker

Our sides were fresh broccoli and garlic brown rice.

For the broccoli, all I did was trim it, wash it, and put it in a medium pot of water on the stove. Heat to a simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes, and then, turn off the heat. The broccoli can set until you are ready to serve it.

The rice was instant brown rice. I put a cup of chicken stock, a Tbsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp olive oil and a sprinkling of parsley in a small pot and brought it to a boil. Add 1 cup of rice and turned down the heat to simmer with a lid on the pot. Cooked for about 10 minutes - until liquid is gone - stirring occasionally.

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I will definitely make this salmon again. We both cleaned our plates!

Surprise spring weather in February means GRILLING!

They called for snow, but what we got was a high of 57 and sunshine. I had planned on making beef stew/soup, but, instead, Ryan grilled burgers. He had already gotten some ground chuck from The Choppin' Block, so we were set.

He patted out the burgers, seasoned with just salt, pepper and garlic powder and added a slice of american cheese on top when they were ready. To go with it, I microwaved a bag of Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers Valley Blend, which contain broccoli, golden cauliflower and carrots in a butter garlic sauce. Contrary to the way it sounds, the sauce is very light. I also baked some Alexia Spicy Sweet Potato Fries. Spicy-hot and sweet is one of my favorite combinations!

Obviously, everything was simple to cook but did not taste simple! These flavors went so well together, and besides the beef, were overall, pretty healthy choices. So, I was happy...and full.

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Tuna Casserole

I love this casserole! The original recipe comes from one of my best friends. She and I lived together for a couple of years after college, and I was ALWAYS excited when she made it. It has become one of my comfort food meals!

Ingredients:
1/2 bag of yolk-free egg noodles
2 cans albacore tuna
1 can cream of celery
1 cup mayonnaise
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 or 2 celery stalks, diced
2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Cook noodles as directed on packaging
2. Drain tuna very well, break it up with a fork and place in mixing bowl
3. Add soup, mayo, garlic, onions, celery, s&p and 1 cup of cheese to bowl, stir together
4. When noodles are ready, add them to the bowl, stir until it is mixed well
5. Pour mixture into glass baking dish treated with nonstick spray, put more cheese on top - amount is up to you - and sprinkle it with parsley
6. Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes; Until cheese is melted on top and beginning to brown

I normally serve this dish with steamed broccoli or a salad, and sometimes, like this past Saturday, I just want the casserole by itself! Sooooo tasty.

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Spicy Beef Chili

Ok, so I'm a weirdo who doesn't like beans. No beans PERIOD. Nope, not green or black or even white. No pintos. No peas (black eyed or green). NO BEANS.

Thank goodness Ryan makes a delicious chili without beans, and, of course, it's easy.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb of ground chuck

1 half of an onion, chopped

3 fresh small jalapenos, diced

1 half of a can diced tomatoes or Ro Tel, including liquid

1 can tomato sauce

1 cup chicken stock

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tablespoons chili powder 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown meat with onions, jalapenos and garlic

2. Place all ingredients in soup pot/dutch oven; Stir well

3. Bring to a boil, slowly; turn down to med-low to low and let simmer for at least an hour

He also made us grilled cheese sandwiches with Honey Wheat Bunny Bread and 2% Milk American Kraft Singles.

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Talk about comfort food!!! Have a great weekend, everyone. :)

Valentine's Dinner

I hope everyone had a beautiful Valentine's Day. :) We take it easy on Valentine's - no big gifts or celebrations - just a good dinner and time together with, maybe, a card or flowers.

Ryan had to work til 7 last night, so dinner was my treat. He requested meatloaf, which I shaped into a heart to make it more Valentine's-ish.

Here's the meatloaf before baking...

My Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground chuck from The Choppin' Block
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, minced and cooked in skillet until almost clear
• 1 green bell pepper, diced and cooked in skillet until soft
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 can of diced tomatoes or Original Ro Tel, drained (optional...I don't always used tomatoes)
• 3/4 tsp oregano
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
• 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce - keep the jar of sauce out, you'll use more after you combine all the ingredients to make the loaf (I used Ragu Light Tomato Basil, but you can use any kind)
• 1 egg, beaten

Put dry ingredients in a small bowl and stir together well. Break up the ground chuck with your hands into a large mixing bowl. Put all ingredients in the bowl with the meat and mix together with your hands. Be careful not to handle it too much, or it won't stick together as well.

Form the meat mixture into a loaf (or whatever shape) and pour spaghetti sauce over the top to cover the whole loaf. Put it in a meatloaf pan, if you have one. I don't have one, so I just layered a sheet of aluminum foil along a glass baking dish, sprayed it with non-stick spray, and placed my meatloaf heart in it. Cook at 425 for approximately 45 minutes.

Our sides were Broccoli and Garlic Creamed Potatoes. I cut the fresh broccoli into florets and cooked in a medium-sized pot on the stove...brought water to a slow boil with broccoli in it and then turned off the eye. The heated water will continue to cook the broccoli to the perfect texture.

For the potatoes, I peeled and cubed two small Idaho potatoes, and put them in a small pot with water and two finely minced garlic cloves. I let it simmer until the potatoes were very soft. Then, removed them from the heat and added a Tbsp of butter, a tsp of salt, a tsp of black pepper and a splash of 2% milk. Combined it all with an electric mixer. I continued to add milk until the potatoes were as creamy as I wanted them (probably a total of approximately 1/4 cup of milk was used). I taste-tested and added a couple of dashes of garlic powder and a few more dashes of salt and pepper. Remember when it comes to salt and pepper: you can always add but you can't take away.

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Homemade Mexican Fix

As I have already covered in a previous blog entry, we LOVE MEXICAN FOOD! Or, well, really, I guess it's the cheesy-ness of mexican food that we love. So, last night, I made Cheesy Chicken Quesedillas with creamed spinach as our veggie. I wanted to add fresh spinach to the quesedilla, but we were out of it.

For the chicken:

• Pull the meat from the legs and thighs of a rotisserie chicken (We had already used the breast meat) and put in a skillet
• Empty half a packet of taco seasoning, a few dashes of garlic powder and minced onions into the skillet with a little less than 1/2 cup of chicken broth and simmer for 5-7 minutes - until the seasoning and broth have combined and become thick to coat the chicken

For the quesedilla:

• Butter one side of a burrito-size tortilla and put it butter-side down in a skillet treated with non-stick spray
• Sprinkle shredded monterey jack cheese over the entire tortilla - use as much as you like; I used about a 1/4 cup
• Put half of the chicken meat evenly on to one half of the tortilla (the rest will be used for the 2nd quesedilla); fold the cheese-only side of the tortilla over the chicken and cheese side with a spatula
• Flip the quesedilla over; continue to flip until both sides are as brown and crisp as you like

I steamed the Birds Eye Creamed Spinach in the microwave as directed and added salt. I also added shredded monterey jack to Ryan's serving of spinach.

I put Mexican Lime & Cilantro Ro Tel on top of my quesedilla...it added a good KICK of heat, though, so use sparingly, if you don't like the hot.

This was a very tasty supper that was probably one of the easiest meals I have made in a while...try it! And let me know what you change or add to the meal. Happy Eating!!! :) (oh, and happy cooking!)

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Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

This meal was an experiment of leftovers.

Ryan combined shredded chicken, julienne-sliced carrots, and diced celery in a skillet with olive oil, two minced garlic cloves, salt and black pepper in a skillet on med-high heat to get the outside of the chicken browned quickly. Once it browned, he turned it down to med-low and added about 1/4 cup of broth and two cubed potatoes and let it all simmer.

Next, he mixed Bisquick Heart Smart to make biscuits. (Directions on box.)

Into a large mixing bowl, he emptied a can of cream of mushroom/cream of chicken condensed soup in the bowl. (We were out of plain cream of chicken, which is what he would have preferred to use.) He added the contents of the skillet to the bowl and stirred everything together well.

Once it was all combined, he poured it in to a small rectangle glass baking dish, and placed the Bisquick biscuit dough on top in dollups. Baked at 350 for about 20-30 minutes - until the biscuits begin browning.

Here's what we got:

It was very chicken pot pie-esque, but a little lighter tasting with a great flavor! And, it was - as you can see - very easy.

Ryan will probably make this again...I hope!

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Chicken Broccoli Penne Pasta

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE broccoli pasta dishes! The funny thing is, I didn't even know I liked broccoli until I was around 23 or 24 years old. My mom doesn't like it, so I never had it growing up. But, now, I eat broccoli at least twice a week and sometimes three times a week. I think my mom is proud of me - especially since she didn't think she'd ever see the day I would eat a vegetable!

Ingredients:

• Three small chicken breasts from The Choppin' Block
• Fresh broccoli florets, about 1.5-2 cups
• Barilla Penne Pasta
• Ragu Light Parmesan Alfredo Sauce
• Low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:

1. Cube and brown the chicken with salt and black pepper in a large/deep skillet; Once the chicken gets some color, add the garlic and about a 1/4 cup of chicken broth; Let it simmer
2. Bring a pot of water to boil, add salt, add pasta (enough for two servings); Cook til al dente
3. Steam or simmer your broccoli for about 5 minutes; it should be just beginning to soften in the stalk
4. After chicken has simmered and the liquid has reduced some, add alfredo sauce (enough for two servings - which is more than the bottle says - we use about half the bottle when we have other ingredients in the dish besides pasta); Add broccoli and let simmer
5. Add pasta to the sauce and stir; pasta should be coated well and all the ingredients "mixed" well
6. Serve and EAT!

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Parmesan Panko Chicken Breasts

Parmesan Panko Chicken is one of my FAVORITE ways to cook chicken! I love the crunchy Panko bread crumbs. I think it's the perfect breading for chicken's texture.

Here's what I do...

1. Put about a cup of breadcrumbs on a plate, sprinkle in garlic powder, Tony Chachere's More Spice Seasoning, parsley and grated parmesan. (A couple or three dashes of everything, except add a few more dashes of parmesan. AND...more Chachere's if you want to spice it up.)
2. Coat the chicken breasts with all-purpose flour, dip in egg (that you've scrambed up in a bowl) and then, coat really well with the Panko mixture on both sides.
3. Place breasts in a glass baking dish that has been lightly coated with non-stick spray.
4. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes - depending on the size of the chicken breasts.

Our chicken breasts always come from The Choppin' Block. They are trimmed beautifully and are the perfect size! I don't like the GIGANTIC chicken breasts you find nowadays. I find them difficult to cook properly, and they're more than people really need for a serving, anyway. Not to mention that they must be injected with hormones, etc. to get that size! The Choppin' Block's chicken is all natural, steroid free, and solution free.

Here's a close up, so you can get a better idea of the size of the chicken breasts:

Our sides were garlic sauteed broccoli and brown sugar pears.

Garlic Sauteed Broccoli:

1. 1.5 teaspoons olive oil warmed over medium heat in a skillet
2. Minced 2 cloves of garlic and put it in the skillet with the fresh broccoli florets (2 servings)
3. Sauteed for about 5 minutes, keep turning and stirring broccoli to cook/brown evenly

Brown Sugar Pears:

1. Open 1 can of pear halves and place pears in glass baking dish
2. Put a "sliver"/almost paper thin slice of butter in center of each pear
3. Sprinkle light brown sugar over each pear
4. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes

Normally, I add cinnamon to these pears, too, but I didn't have any on hand.

I was so proud of my presentation that I didn't realize I should've used a more brightly colored plate for the picture. Oh, well, I'm learning, and, anyway, the food tasted delish - that's what matters, right? :)

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Monday Meals

Mondays normally make for a pretty lazy evening around my house. So, our meals are typically made up of leftovers, take out or --gasp!-- hamburger or tuna helper.

The leftover portion of this Monday's meal was the hashbrown casserole from Sunday. (I didn't have any, but Ryan said it was better last night than it was on Sunday.) I also microwaved a bag of Bird's Eye Steamfresh Creamed Spinach. (You'll probably be seeing a lot of that on here. I could eat spinach every day!) I added grated parmesan, crushed red pepper flakes and salt.

For the salmon, I marinated it in Kroger brand 30-Minute Lemon Pepper marinade by simply pouring it over the salmon on a plate and sprinkled dill with a dash of garlic powder on top. I let it set for 15-20 minutes and baked for 15 minutes on 350.

There you have it - a very quickly prepared meal and, most importantly, easy enough for a Monday!

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Super Bowl/Lazy Sunday Food

Ok, so, we were kinda boring and stayed at home for the Super Bowl. But, we still celebrated it with snacks and adult beverages, of course.

I made Buffalo Chicken Dip and Nacho Dip. Both were so simple and...SO GOOD!

Chicken Dip (the really, Really, REALLY easy way):

• 2 Large cans of chunk chicken breast in water
• 1 small bottle of hot sauce (I use Texas Pete)
• Drain chicken, put in a bowl and shred it
• Shake hot sauce bottle and pour over chicken, stirring to evenly disbribute
• Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes
• Combine 1 8oz block of cream cheese and a medium size bottle of ranch (or blue cheese) in a large bowl and mix well
• After the chicken has set in the hot sauce for at least 30 minutes, put the chicken in the bowl with the cream cheese-ranch mixture, sprinkle a couple of dashes of garlic powder; Stir well
• Pour mixture into small glass baking dish
• Sprinkle mexican shredded cheese on top - amount is up to you
• Bake at 425 for approximately 25 minutes & serve with tortilla chips

Nacho Dip:

No garlic was used in this dish, but it is too yummy and easy not to share.

• Brown hot pork sausage in a skillet; Drain & blot with paper towel
• Return sausage to the skillet (after wiping the grease out)
• Add to the skillet a can of Original Ro tel, NOT drained & an 8 oz block of cream cheese
• Stir together over medium heat until creamy
• Serve in a bowl for dipping tortilla chips, or pour over a layer of tortilla chips on a plate (if you do the latter, you should eat immediately)

For the meal, Ryan grilled cheeseburgers and made hashbrown casserole...

The burgers were frozen patties from my uncle's home-raised beef...SOOOOOO GOOD. All Ryan did was sprinkle with salt and black pepper before grilling.

Hashbrown Casserole:

• Sauteed half of a medium yellow onion, diced and minced garlic (3-4 cloves)
• Cooked 2 slices of bacon
• Place one bag of frozen shredded hashbrown in a large mixing bowl
• Add 8 oz of sour cream, onions, garlic, and bacon to the bowl; Stir well
• Add salt & black pepper to taste; Stir well
• Pour mixture into small glass baking dish; Sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar on top - amount is up to you
• Bake at 425 for about 30 minutes - til cheese is melted and top is beginning to brown

Everything was delicious and, as you can see, extremely simple, which is perfect for a lazy Super Bowl Sunday!

*Light Hidden Valley Ranch, light sour cream and 1/3 less fat cream cheese was used in all recipes (I don't recommend using fat free for cooking. It makes a "runny" dip or casserole.)

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Saturday Night In

Last night, we stayed in for dinner and a movie: "The Ides of March" and Creamy Chicken Noodle casserole with Roasted Veggies.

The movie gets a B. The dinner gets an A+.

Here's what I did for the casserole:

Brought a soup pot of water to a boil, salted the water and cooked 3 C of yolk-free egg noodles for about 10 minutes.

Cubed 4 small chicken breasts (approximately 16 oz) and browned in a skillet with salt and black pepper.

When chicken was done, removed it from skillet and browned sliced baby bella mushrooms with 4 garlic cloves, crushed. (Amount of mushrooms is up to you. I used about half of a regular size container.)

When noodles, chicken and mushrooms were done, I placed it all in a big, mixing bowl. Then, added a can of cream of chicken, a can of cream of celery, a dash if onion powder, about a tsp of parsley, and a handful of shredded sharp cheddar. Stirred everything together well.

Poured mixture into a 13x9 glass baking dish, and sprinkled shredded sharp cheddar on top - amount is up to you. Baked at 400 for 20-30 minutes...until the cheese on top is melted and starting to brown.

For the veggies, Ryan cubed a zucchini, a yellow squash and diced onions. Placed them in a bowl with about a Tbsp of olive oil. Put veggies on a non-stick cookie sheet, and sprinkled Lawry's Seasoned Salt and garlic powder on them. Baked in the oven with the casserole for about 30-40 minutes.

This was probably my favorite meal this week! (Besides the salmon.)

Tomorrow, I will be sharing our Super Bowl food with you! I am so looking forward to eating it all! :-)

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The Joy of Cooking

We went out to eat with friends last night, so I don't have a recipe or cooking experience to share. Instead, I thought I would tell y'all about Ryan's favorite book, "The Joy of Cooking."

"The Joy of Cooking" was originally published in 1931 and has been published over 10 more times since then. It contains classic recipes for almost anything you can name.

We use it mostly for reference. To get the basics of a recipe, and then, make it what we want it to be.

If you feel like you need a foundation for your recipes/cooking, we highly recommend getting a copy.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

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I'm almost embarrassed by how EASY this dish is...

So, sometimes you need a quick, good meal. Last night was one of those times.

CHEESE RAVIOLI with ITALIAN SAUSAGE MARINARA & 5 CHEESE GARLIC BREAD

Ingredients:

• Walmart brand frozen cheese ravioli
• Ragu Light Tomato Basil sauce - added approx 1 tsp oregano & 2 garlic cloves (crushed), salt and black pepper to taste
• Italian sausage from The Choppin' Block
• Shredded mozzarella
• Grated parmesan
• Pepperidge Farm Five Cheese Garlic frozen french bread loaf

Ryan's Steps:

• Broke up one sausage link and browned in skillet; Preheated oven to 350
• While sausage is cooking, put pot of water on stove and brought to boil
• Added half the jar of Ragu & additional spices to the skillet with the browned sausage, and let simmer
• Added dash of salt to water when boiling began, and then, added half the bag of frozen ravioli - followed directions on packaging for cooking time
• Put bread on cookie sheet and placed in oven once preheated - followed directions on packaging

When everything was ready, Ryan put the ravioli on the plates, poured on the sauce and the finishing touch was shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan sprinkled on top. He sliced the bread and added it to the plates. Voila!

See, easy peasy! I'm, seriously, almost embarrassed to put it on here...it's as if I think this is some masterful cooking breakthrough that needs to be blogged about to the world. ;-) I definitely don't think that about this dish (or any other, for that matter). But, I think it's helpful to share super-easy cooking, too. Especially when it tastes sooooo good.

There is one problem with this meal, though...that 5 cheese garlic bread is LIKE CRACK! We were so full but couldn't stop ourselves from devouring it. It will definitely be purchased ONLY for special occasions going forward. (Valentine's Day will be here soon, right...?) ;-)

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Teriyaki Salmon, Ginger-Garlic Brown Rice & Creamed Spinach

I try to have one or two meals a week with fish, and, normally, that fish is salmon. I try to make it interesting whenever we have it, so we don't get bored with it. But, this teriyaki salmon is a classic and always an easy go-to dish.

My Salmon Preparation:

1. Thawed the individually packaged salmon fillets in the sink with room temp water.
2. When completely thawed, took fillets out of packaging and placed on a plate.
3. Poured Kroger brand 30-Minute Marinade: Teriyaki over the fillets. Amount you use is up to you. I make sure the fish is entirely covered - even the sides.
4. Lightly sprinkled Tony Chachere's More Spice on fillets.
5. Turned oven on 350 and let fish set until oven is preheated.
6. When oven gets to 350, gently place fillets in glass baking dish (make sure the marinade has begun being absorbed by the fish) and put in oven on middle rack. Set timer for 15 minutes. Then, start on your rice.

Rice Preparation:

1. Poured 1 cup of chicken broth into small saucepan.
2. Added 1/4 tablespoon of ground ginger, 3/4 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1 tsp olive oil to water. (If you use low-sodium broth, you may want to add a dash or two of salt, or you can always wait to the end and add it if necessary.)
3. Bring water to a boil and stir in 1 cup of instant brown rice.
4. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes - until rice is cooked through.

When the time is up on the salmon, take the dish out of the oven. Find the thickest part of the fillet(s) and lightly press your finger on it. If the fish gives and you feel it sort of flaking/separating, then it is ready. If it feels firm and does not seem to be ready to flake, return it to the oven, and check again in a few minutes.

The spinach was Bird's Eye Steamfresh creamed spinach. I treasure this stuff b/c it's no work, tastes good and takes 5 minutes in the microwave! I do add to it, once the 5 minutes it up, though. I always add a couple of dashes of salt, sprinkle grated parmesan into the bag and stir well. Sometimes, I add other spices, but I didn't feel like this meal needed any more flavors. I also sprinkled some more parmesan on top once I put the servings on the plates.

This was a pretty tasty, healthy and filling meal. Ryan, of course, still had dessert later, but I was good for the rest of the night...especially since I didn't have to do the dishes. :)

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