I made a batch of these and took them to Thanksgiving Dinner. People descended on them, saying Oh my grandma used to make these and I loved them. Straight from the Sixties and Seventies, folks. Or Eighties. Or Nineties. Or the Aughts. Guess that’s what makes them a classic! It is tempting to roll out the candy mixture and treat it like cookie dough. Does not work well, as the small mints are difficult to handle and quickly become distorted beyond recognition. I tried! The stars and Christmas trees on the plate were the result. Total result! At least, that remained recognizable. And they took as much time as the rest of the mints put together. Your mileage may vary, but I found the roll and press method far more efficient and consistently better looking. Leaving the mints ... [Read More]
Budget Friendly
Easy Baked Ziti
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]
Baked Honey Lemon Chicken
Tender and delicious, from Grandma’s favorite cookbook, this is a can’t miss recipe for serving 8-10. Grandma started with a whole chicken – but you can pick up a package of sliced chicken breast and have it in the oven quickly. It bakes for an hour, which gives you enough time to scrub 8 medium potatoes and toss them in the oven for an easy side. Don’t bother to wrap. No potatoes in the pantry? Grab a couple of boxes of sauced pasta or brown rice. Make a quick dessert like Buttery Apple Crisp or the Classic Naked Brownie and put it in the oven soon after the chicken. Grab a packaged green salad from the fridge and toss in a single large bowl for diners to help themselves. Or take a few more minutes and portion the salads in individual bowls for each place setting. Better yet, ... [Read More]
Creamy Wild Rice Soup in the Slow Cooker
This supremely satisfying Creamy Wild Rice soup is comfort food. The wild rice is filling, while the finely minced and chopped vegetables give the soup consistent flavor. Healthy, nutritious and earthy good. Beans aren’t usually on the menu at Chez Charlene’s. Hearty Calico Beans, of course, which uses kidney beans, lima beans or navy beans. Tacos or taco salad with black beans or refried beans. I had to look up Cannellinni beans when I saw this recipe. It is one of four types of white beans -- Navy beans, Great Northern beans, Cannellini beans, or Baby Lima beans aka butter beans. I’ve heard of the other three and used them in cooking. How did I miss Cannellini beans? Cannellini beans are the largest of the group and because of their traditional kidney shape, they can also be ... [Read More]
No Noodle Chicken Lasagna
No Noodle Chicken Lasagna saves you the time needed for cooking and placing the noodles used in a full out lasagna. But you still get to enjoy the creamy deliciousness of the lasagna filling topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. And it is delicious! Quick too. No one step that takes way longer than the others. They all flow together swiftly. Takes less than 10 minutes to put together. Baking time is only 25 minutes. You can have it in the oven shortly after arriving home from work and on the table in just over 30 minutes. Serve with a salad – freshly made while the chicken bakes or poured from a bag and dressed at the last minute. And since there are no carbs from noodles, enjoy that warm, buttery, fragrant slice of garlic bread! Sounds like a winner to me!! This ... [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]
