Baked Ziti is one of those classic, “everybody makes this dish” – but I never did until I saw this super simple recipe. You can add herbs of your choice, if you like. Add some Italian seasoning if you want. Or not. I used ready made spaghetti sauce with basil and garlic, and with the garlic called for in the recipe, it was good. Use the refrigerated package of shredded parmesan – or grate your own. This is also a very dense recipe so you won’t need a large serving. In fact, we made three meals (9 servings) of this and served it with a medium sized green salad and simple fruit dessert. I’m told it’s traditionally served with garlic bread – but we skipped that in pursuit of our staying (relative) low carb goal. We’re not big tomato sauce fans so this was just right, but if it seems ... [Read More]
cheese
BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Grilled cheese sandwiches show up on the lunch menu, not frequently but regularly, at our house. Barbecue chicken grilled sandwiches – a whole new level of lunch goodness! It is also a very versatile recipe, easily customized to your family’s taste. Make your own delicious barbecue pulled chicken by following the steps above. The sauce will cook into the chicken so your sandwich will have all the chicken and enough sauce to give flavor, but not drip. You can make the chicken ahead of time and refrigerate until time to warm and add to the sandwich. (See note below.) I recently found out you can also buy packaged garlic butter. If you can’t find it, make your own by stirring about half a teaspoon of garlic powder into softened butter (15 seconds in the microwave) until it is ... [Read More]
Bacon and Three Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers
Bacon and Three Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers are a quick and easy appetizer for any occasion. A plate full of this colorful deliciousness turns the occasion into instant party! The hardest part of this easy dish is waiting five minutes for the cheese to turn golden underneath the broiler. Party in less than fifteen minutes!! To make things go even faster, use precooked bacon instead of cooking your own. I always have a package of bacon in the freezer, but sometimes we need something faster than the bacon would thaw and then cook. Precooked bacon to the rescue. You can cut the precooked and packaged bacon slices into small bits. OR you can open a package of precooked bacon crumbles. I'm talking the real deal bacon -- no imitation meat or bacon flavor or anything like that. One ... [Read More]
Easy Beef Enchiladas
These easy, versatile beef enchiladas are packed with flavor and sure to become a family favorite. This recipe takes about an hour to come together, as written. However. . you know we’re all about quick and easy at our house so here are some time savers: 1) Prepare double or triple batches of the enchilada sauce to freeze for later use. 1a) Or use canned sauce. (Mild, of course!) 2) Brown ground beef when you bring it home from the store and freeze it. Measure out two cups of browned and cooled ground beef. Zip it in a quart freezer bag and you have a pound of ground beef ready to go. 2a) Prepare double of triple batches of filling and freeze for later use. For either one; thaw ahead of time OR 3 minutes on 50 percent power in the microwave will let you break it apart and finish ... [Read More]
Baked Tacos — Chicken or Beef!
Baked Tacos are so easy, so quick and so delicious, it almost seems like cheating to have them on the menu. Use precooked shredded or chunked chicken. Or prebrowned ground beef. I nearly always have 2 cup bags (1 pound) of both in my freezer because that saves so much time on a busy day. Either one will make these wonderful tacos a snap to stir together. Use frozen diced onions to save time instead of chopping a fresh onion. If you want green chilis, add a small can or buy diced tomatoes with green chilis added. You already know me – I skipped the additional zip. Same with the taco seasoning. I only used half a package. Prebaking taco shells turns them into a whispery crunch that is s-o-o-o good. They are also only 6 carbs each. Compare that to the 22-28 grams of carbs in ... [Read More]
Toad in the Hole Grilled Cheese Sandwich
I’ve wanted to make Toad in the Hole ever since I read a British children’s book that referred to it – maybe at age 11 or 12. The name fascinates me! Recently I saw a grilled cheese sandwich topped with Toad in the Hole. What could be better than that? One more check mark on the bucket list!! Toad in the Hole Grilled Cheese Sandwich Print Prep time 5 mins Cook time 10 mins Total time 15 mins Fun and delicious! Author: A Pinch of Joy by Charlene Vance Recipe type: Sandwich Cuisine: American Serves: 1 Ingredients For each sandwich: 2 slices sour dough bread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise 1 large egg 1 slice cheddar cheese 2 cooked bacon strips Instructions Cook bacon slices in small skillet over medium heat. While cooking, follow steps below. Using ... [Read More]