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]
Main Dish
Cod Fish with Garlic Herb Butter
Fish is not a big staple in the Great Plains where the buffalo roam and cattle graze. So it's not the first thing a Cornhusker thinks of when it it is time to prepare dinner. However, it is part of a healthy diet, especially if you are striving for better heart health and general health improvements overall. Or need a change of taste! I am always looking for a different way to prepare fish. But I also like quick and easy. This recipe fits both! And the garlic herb butter is also fantastic on that other staple of the Great Plains, especially this time of year! Corn on the cob. Cod Fish with Garlic Herb Butter Print Prep time 5 mins Cook time 10 mins Total time 15 mins Quick, easy and tasty! Author: A Pinch of Joy by Charlene Vance Recipe type: ... [Read More]
Barbecue Stuffed Corn Muffins
Barbecue Stuffed Corn Muffins is what’s for lunch today. Served with a side salad or melon slices these quick and easy muffins make a complete light meal. If you are looking for a more hearty meal, add baked beans. Or slow cooker Calico Beans. The cave hieroglyphs on top are a few shreds of cheese that vaporized in the hot oven. Didn’t add a cheesy topping, but created an imaginative lunch conversation. Is the upper left muffin depicting a charging elephant? A kangaroo? A water buffalo? Or a longhorn? Several weeks ago, while we were still doing in person grocery shopping – wait! has it really been that long!?! Anyway, I picked up a tray of pulled pork on sale at the grocery and popped it in the home freezer. I was glad I did! We had three meals from it. Meal #1 was pulled ... [Read More]
Asian Beef and Noodles
What’s for lunch? Asian Beef and Noodles. This is a colorful, budget friendly stir-fry dish that takes only five ingredients—all of which you're likely to have on hand. Ready to eat in about 20 minutes! Serve with fruit (fresh, frozen or canned – whatever you have available) for a complete meal. I had to raid Bytes’ cupboard to find the ramen. I don’t usually buy it, but he keeps it on hand because he likes it for a snack. Or a meal when he is pressed for time. It was worth sneaking down the stairs, avoiding the laser beam network, dodging under the security camera, giving the guard cat a generous handful of treats to keep him busy, and opening the cupboard door just right to avoid setting off the piercing alarm. Actually, I just asked over the stair rail, “got any ramen?” and ... [Read More]
Garlic Chicken and Spinach Pizza
I loved Garlic Chicken Spinach Pizza!! I really liked the cottage cheese dollops instead of tomato sauce. Just the right amount of garlic, and I used tender precooked chicken so less time in the kitchen. Rolling the prepared pizza crust thin, reduced the carbs significantly – and we like the thinner crusts on pizza anyway. It also gave us 12 servings, instead of the 6 it said on the package. So there was enough for two meals – and was just as tasty the second appearance. I was the nerdy kid (with my brother) who begged Mom to eat lunch at school on spinach days. In those days, we could trade food – and Jay and I got ALL the spinach we wanted! Unfortunately that trait did not pass to my sons. Bytes liked the pizza – but NOT the spinach. Oh well, more for me! Since we are ... [Read More]
Baked Spaghetti
What’s for lunch? A big pan of baked spaghetti. Or Pasketti as Bytes’ Big Brother used to say. The whole family will love it! Layers of pasta, meat sauce, sour cream and cheese – comfort food of the highest order! The number of servings will depend on the appetites at your house. It makes 8 large servings, which will serve the three of us with two man-sized servings (and one regular serving for me) for TWO meals. Two littles usually ate the equivalent of one of the 8 servings. Which means enough for the man sized eater, two littles and one regular serving. The point? You may very easily get TWO meals for the effort in making one! And that’s a bonus in my book. If your cooking tends to be based on last minute decisions, you’ll find no judgment here because there are a lot ... [Read More]
