Bacon-Cheeseburger Calzones

SERVINGS: 8
PREP TIME: 30 Minutes
TOTAL TIME: 50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
4          slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1          lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/4       cup dried instant minced onion
1/4       cup chopped hamburger pickle slices
1/4       cup ranch dressing
2          Italian plum tomato, thinly sliced, if desired
4          slices (3/4 oz each) American or Cheddar cheese, each cut in half
2          cans (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1          egg, beaten

STEP ONE:  Heat oven to 375°F. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium heat 2 minutes. Add ground beef and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain if necessary. Stir in pickles and ranch dressing.

STEP TWO: Unroll dough and separate each can into 4 rectangles; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press each into 7x4-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.
 
STEP THREE: Spoon about 1/3 cup ground beef mixture onto one end of each rectangle. Top each with tomato slices and 1 piece of cheese. Fold dough over filling; press edges with fork to seal (sandwiches will be full). Brush tops with egg.

STEP FOUR: Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Nutrition Information: 1 Serving (1 Sandwich)

Calories 420 (Calories from Fat 250), Total Fat 28g (Saturated Fat 11g, Trans Fat 1/2g), Cholesterol 75mg,  Sodium 820mg, Total Carbohydrate 25g, Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 8g, Protein 16g

Recipe Courtesy of Pillsbury

HAPPY EATS!
-Heather

Spicy Brownie Recipe

SPICY BROWNIES!
PREP: 10 Minutes
BAKE: 20 to 25 Minutes
SERVINGS: 16

INGREDIENTS:
1 ¼ ​cups flour
½​teaspoon baking soda
2​tablespoons cocoa powder
½​teaspoon cinnamon
¾ ​teaspoon ancho or chipotle chili powder
3​ounces unsweetened chocolate (3 squares)
½​cup canola oil
½​cup brewed coffee, cooled
2​eggs, beaten
1​teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ ​cup dark-chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, whisk together the first five ingredients and set aside.

3. In microwave on LOW or 50% power, melt chocolate squares, stirring often to avoid burning. Cool for about 5 minutes, then whisk in oil, coffee, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir in dry ingredients until well combined and then add chips.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

PER SERVING: 150 calories, 11 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 11 g carbohydrates, 55 mg sodium, 2 g fiber, and 3 g protein.

Recipe courtesy of Women’s Health.

Enjoy!
-Heather

Chicken Enchiladas

Total Time: 30 min
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 25 min

Yield: 4 servings

Level: Easy

INGREDIENTS: 

8 soft corn tortillas

FILING:

3 cups chicken broth
4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast, 6 to 8 ounces
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
2 sprigs fresh oregano
1 small onion, quartered
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/3 palm full
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt

SAUCE:

2 cups tomato sauce
2 teaspoons hot cayenne pepper sauce, several drops
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 pinches
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 1/2 cups Monterey Jack shredded cheese, available on dairy aisle

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Wrap corn tortillas in foil and warm in the oven. Bring broth to a boil in a saute pan. Set chicken into broth with bay and oregano and onion. Return to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Poach chicken in broth 10 minutes. Remove chicken breasts to a bowl and shred with 2 forks. Add 1/2 cup of cooking liquid and tomato paste, spices and salt and work through the chicken using the forks.

Combine all sauce ingredients and heat through, keeping warm until needed.

Remove tortillas from oven and switch broiler on high.

Pile chicken mixture into warm corn tortillas and roll. Line casserole or baking dish with enchiladas, seam side down. Pour hot tomato sauce over the chicken enchiladas and top with cheese. Place in enchiladas in hot oven 6 inches from broiler and broil 5 minutes to melt cheese and set enchiladas. 

 

Serve.

Enjoy!

-Heather

 

This recipe is courtesy of Rachael Ray and Food Network

Recipes for Families on the Go!

We had a special request for quick recipes for families on the go- I personally am always on the go! I have a number of cookbooks that I rarely get to bust open for a good big home cooked dinner. I understand the pain most American families feel now a days.

Below are a few of my favorite quick recipes and even a few websites that can give you more ideas!

Homemade Pizza

*Buy the roll out dough (I use Pillsbury) and preheat the oven as directed.

*While the oven is preheating get your pizza ready to go with all "fully cooked" ingredients or vegetables. 

((use fully cooked pepperoni, ham, turkey or bacon as you want on it.)

*Don't forget your favorite store bought sauce, just throw it all together.

*Place it in the oven for about 15 minutes (until dough is cooked thoroughly)

*Allow to cool for 5 minutes

*Enjoy!!

Sub Sandwiches

When I tell my husband we need a quick dinner this is his go-to!

*Preheat oven to 350* (optional)

*Use sub bread that can be found in your local grocers deli department. Cut off how much you want, slice to make the sandwich.

*Place the cheese and meats on your sandwich as you desire

*If baking do NOT place condiments on your sandwich before baking!!!

*Eat cold OR Bake for 5 minutes open faced, allow to cool for 3 minutes.

*Enjoy!

Chef's Salad

My personal favorite quick dinner!

*Place lettuce or salad mix in a large bowl

*Chop ham or turkey and place in bowl (your desired amount)

*Place cheese of your choice in bowl

*Chop boiled eggs and place in bowl

*Drizzle with dressing and mix together 

*Enjoy!

**This works best "quickly" if you boil eggs previously and place them in a sealed container in your refrigerator. 

**When baking a dinner be sure to get any extra "necessities" while it's baking such as plates, silverware or drinks.

Those were just a few of my families favorites- below are a few that I found online when I searched quick easy recipes.

Easy Garlic Chicken 

(Ready in 20 minutes!)

Cajun Spiced Pork Chops 

(Ready in 15 minutes!)

Stir Fry Sesame Vegetables With Rice 

(Ready in 35 minutes!)

Grilled Cheese and Veggie Sandwich 

(Ready in 25 minutes!)

Crunchy NO-FRY Chicken 

(Ready in 30 minutes!)

Ranch Style Pork Chops 

(Ready in 30 minutes!)

Chicken Cordon Bleu 

(Ready in 30 minutes!)

These recipes were pulled from allrecipes.com and from campbellskitchen.com .

I hope this helps you or gets you started with quick easy dinner recipes for your busy family!

-SC

Tasty Tuesday 2

With Valentines just around the corner I wanted to share a "recipe for 2" on tonight's Tasty Tuesday, perhaps it might spark some ideas to surprise your special someone with a home cooked meal this Valentines Day!

I want to share the "Broccoli Pork Stir Fry" tonight.

I will admit I snagged this recipe from All Recipes and can't wait to try it on my own, I'm sure the hubby will love it!

Broccoli Pork Stir Fry

Prep Time:10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1 (3 ounce) package pork ramen noodles

1 c warm water

2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2/3 c cold water

1 1/2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tsp white vinegar

4 tsp canola oil

1/2 pound pork tenderloin, thinly sliced

6 large fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 c fresh broccoli florets

1/2 c julienne'd sweet red pepper

3 green onions, sliced 

 To Make It:

1- Set aside 1 tsp of seasoning from seasoning packet (discard remaining seasoning or save for another use).

2- Break noodles into small pieces and place in a microwave-safe dish; add warm water. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3-  In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, garlic powder, pepper flakes and reserved seasoning. Stir in the cold water, soy sauce and vinegar until smooth; set aside. 

4-  In a large skillet heat oil; stir-fry pork and mushrooms for 5 minutes. 

5- Add broccoli and red pepper. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and pork is no longer pink.

6- Stir cornstarch mixture and stir into skillet. Add noodles and onions.

7- Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. 

I'm not sure of the "nutritional value" of this recipe, good luck with that.

ALSO, feel free to tweak this recipe however you want, but please share your tweaks and reviews with us all so we can try them as well!

Tasty Tuesday

Going along with my "Must-Have Monday" I am going to do a "Tasty Tuesday" where I will post a recipe every Tuesday. (usually one that I have tried before)

Today, I will share the "Oreo Cookie Ball" recipe. I made these around Christmas 2010 and they were a HUGE hit with everyone that tried them. It's fairly simple to make, and super delicious!

OREO COOKIE BALLS

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings: 48 total

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

36 OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 3 cups)

2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

 

To Make It:

1- MIX cream cheese and cookie crumbs until well blended

2- SHAPE into 48 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 min. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan

3- SPRINKLE the remaining cookie crumbs on top to add to the appearance

4- REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm

I hope you get to try this delicious cookie treat!

But to humor myself here... HERE is your nutritional information about the Oreo Cookie Ball:

Serving Size: 1 cookie ball

Servings per batch: 48

Calorie: 100

Total Fat: 6g

Cholesterol: 5mg

Sodium: 60mg

Carbs: 12g

Dietary Fiber:1g

Sugars: 8g

Protein: 1g

Iron: 4% DV