Taco Beef Bake With Cheddar Biscuit Topping...

So I was having a major blonde moment when I was making this dish and learned something very important.  I will share this tidbit of knowledge with you, in case you ever have a blonde moment yourself...perhaps you can save yourself some stress.  The thing I learned is this:  If you have a casserole dish that has a little line in it...a little line that looks like a hairline fracture perhaps, but it doesn't FEEL like a crack (let's be honest, it was only a brief passing thought and you barely checked, because you weren't paying much attention...a new Maroon 5 song was on darnit!)...DON'T USE THAT CASSEROLE DISH!  Argh.  So that little line made a perfect tiny fracture right across the bottom of the dish and proceeded to leak into my oven...lovely!  It didn't really even separate...just leaked right on through that tiny, barely visible crack.  Thankfully, pretty much all of the food was still good...just scooped around that little section (it would've probably all been fine, since there were no pieces, and it looked like everything matched up perfectly with no missing bits of glass, but seriously...I may have had a blonde moment, but I'm not crazy!  lol).  Thankfully I got back in from walking the dogs before the smoke alarm went off...I don't think my apartment building neighbors would have appreciated that AT ALL at midnight.  Crisis (mostly) averted after I put another pan underneath to catch the leak, and got the windows open and fans on.  So...remember...just because it doesn't FEEL like a crack doesn't mean it's not a crack!  lol.  Man, I'm having one of those days.  Anyway, on with the recipe...you can find the original at Betty Crocker.  Here it is:

Taco Beef Bake With Cheddar Biscuit Topping
6 servings - 460 calories each

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 c. salsa of your choice
2 c. frozen corn
2 c. Bisquick
1 c. shredded cheddar
2/3 c. milk

Directions
Brown beef over medium high until browned, stirring occasionally.  Drain and put back in skillet.  Stir in taco seasoning, salsa & corn, and heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.  Pour mixture ungreased casserole dish.  In a separate bowl, mix bisquick, cheese & milk into a dough.  Drop in spoonfuls on top of the meat mixture.  Bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  And that's it! 

*It doesn't look like there's a crack all the way across the top end of the dish does it?  I assure you, there is.  You can barely see it (even in person), but it leaks like a sieve!*

No side dish this time, since the calories were already high enough, and the serving size was decent.  You could probably get 8 servings out of it and add a side dish if you wanted to, though.  I'll let you know how it turns out with the update later this month :)

Baked Chicken Panzanella...

Guess who's a little lazy this month?  That's right...it's me!  Not only did I pick recipes that were on Betty Crocker because they had the calories listed already, but they also tend to be a lot less labor intensive than some of the more *ahem* "foodie" sites out there.  Whatever...I like a good 20 step recipe somtimes...when I have time...and preferably when I'm cooking for more than just myself.  But it's good to have a recipe on hand that takes literally 6 minutes to prepare and not much more to cook.  And this is the recipe for THAT :)  You can find the original at Betty Crocker.  Here we go!

Baked Chicken Panzanella
6 Servings - 290 calories each

Ingredients
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I bought the kind in a bag for salads...cuz I'm lazy this month!)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with garlic, onion & oregano, drained (I may have forgotten to drain)
1/4 c. sliced green onions
1 pkg. (5 oz.) Italian seasoned croutons
1/4 c. Italian dressing
3/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/4 c. sliced fresh basil leaves (Peapod was out of stock, so I added some Italian seasoning instead)
Seasonings to taste

Directions
Put the chicken in the bottom of an ungreased 11x7 baking dish.  Layer tomatoes, seasonings, green onions, and croutons on top of the chicken.  Drizzle with Italian dressing.  Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Uncover, add parmesan cheese, and bake and additional 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with basil (if you have it!).  And that's it!  Couldn't be easier, right? 

I'm serving mine with a piece of garlic bread for a total of 443 calories per serving.  I'm slightly less optimistic about the croutons staying crispy due to the fact that I forgot to drain the tomatoes, but I'm still feeling okay about it.  I think it'll be tasty either way.  I'll let you know when I update later in the month.  It smells delicious for sure :)

Mixtape Mayhem...

Yes, I still call them mixtapes even though they're CDs and/or playlists.  So sue me.  It's nostalgic, dammit!  :)  Reminds me of when I used to sit by the radio for half the night trying to tape my favorite song while it was on and being irritated when it got cut off by the next song or the obnoxious announcer talking over it.  But alas, those days are gone.  *sigh*  Onward with the days of ever-so-convenient music at the click of your mouse!  Oh iTunes, the time you could've saved me had you existed in my youth!  Anyway, now that I'm done ranting about the reason I was unable to bring the title of this post into the current decade (Possibly even century?  When did we get rid of cassette tapes again??), let's get to the reason for this post. 

As I'm sure I've mentioned in some previous post, I'm a teensy bit addicted to music.  I swear if my satellite radio were to stop working at this point, I would probably have a meltdown on my way to work.  That said, I do still enjoy putting all my current favorites together and listening to them obsessively until there's new music on the radio again (It's amazing how long current hits stay current, isn't it?  There's still one running constantly at number two on the weekly countdown that I had on a mix I made 6 months ago, for pete's sake!  Where's the new stuff?!?).  Anyway, so when I get tired of what's playing (or when the songs I'm obsessed with aren't playing enough for my liking), it's off to iTunes to put togther a mix.  While initially irritated at Apple presuming to know what I like, I'm finally willing to admit that I love the Genius feature that tells me all the other songs I might like based on the songs I'm currently addicted to...I've found some really good stuff that way.  So for the last couple of years, I've been making a mix once a season or so, plus a very special Christmas mix every year (I get tired of the same old Christmas tunes...there's a lot of random other stuff out there to be found!). 

Anyway, so tonight I had a full-on music marathon and downloaded everything for my newest driving mix as well as everything for this year's Christmas CD (I'm sorry...I work retail...Christmas comes early for my kind).  I'll spare you the details of the Christmas Mix (for now), but I'm terribly excited about my new driving mix and thought I would share.  Feel free to despise every song on it...I won't be offended or even remotely swayed by your opinion :)  lol.  Here goes:

Fall 2012 Driving Mix

1. Blow Me (One Last Kiss) - Pink
2. Kiss You Inside Out - Hedley
3. One More Night - Maroon 5
4. Soldier - Gavin DeGraw
5. Too Close - Alex Clare
6. It's Time - Imagine Dragons
7. Some Nights - Fun.
8. Whistle - Flo Rida
9. Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men
10. Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
11. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift
12. Home - Phillip Phillips
13. Daughter - Loudon Wainwright III
14. Distance (feat. Jason Mraz) - Christina Perri
15. Stay Awhile - Ryan Star
16. Hall of Fame - The Script

Enjoy :)  Oh, and if have your own "genius feature" and think of some awesome song you think I should know about, by all means, leave me a comment!

September Menu Plan - Part 2

Well, after making meals with less servings recently and starting earlier and earlier each month, I'm finally a whole month off...hence, two September plans.  This one should legit last till October though, so that's good :)  It might even last a little longer than that since I'm going to be gone for about a week and a half at the end of September to go to Vermont for vacation (woot!).  Anyway, so I totally cheated this time because I was much too lazy to figure out calories for everything, but I wanted to make new stuff...soooooo...I got all the recipes of the Betty Crocker site so the calories were all calculated for me.  I'm doing all new meals this month, so fingers crossed I don't regret that decision.  lol :)  Here's the plan:

Pork Sausage Apple Loaf* (8 servings - 390 calories) + Parmesan Hashbrown Cups (101 calories) = 491 calories

Turkey Pumpkin Casserole* (8 servings - 350 calories) + Cream Cheese Corn (120 calories) = 470 calories

Sweet Potato Topped Shepherds Pie* (8 servings – 250 calories) + Biscuit (170 calories) = 420 calories

Taco Beef Bake w/Cheddar Biscuit Topping* (6 servings – 460 calories) + NO SIDE = 460 calories

Baked Chicken Panzanella* (6 servings – 290 calories) + Garlic Bread (153 calories) = 443 calories

 

Cooking in a week or so, hopefully.  Later!

September Recipe Update

Hey, I'm actually posting a recipe update BEFORE I'm cooking again...I'm doing good this month!  I figured since I only had one recipe to write an update for, I didn't have much of an excuse for continuing to procrastinate.  So here we go:

Stovetop Cheesy Chicken and Rice
All I have to say about this is "eh..."  It was okay, I guess...nothing special though, sort of bland, and majorly lacking in the texture department.  I don't anticipate having any need/reason to be making it again, so that's that!  Easiest update ever :) 

Now I'm off to work on writing Part 2 of the September Menu Plan.  My making smaller amounts earlier in the month has finally caught up with me, so I'm a whole month off now.  Soooo...back to work!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice...

Okay, this recipe was originally Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice, until I realized I had a brain fart and scheduled myself two slow cooker recipes this month, when I only have one slow cooker.  Sooooo...it is now Stovetop Cheesy Chicken and Rice.  Although, if I make it again, I'll probably do the slow cooker thing, the info for which can be found on the original recipe at Christy Jordan's Southern Plate (it's pretty much the same, except the chicken, onions, and cream of chicken soup go in the slow cooker on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours).  That said, here's the recipe as I made it today:

Cheesy Chicken and Rice
6 servings - 375 calories each

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I actually used a package of tenderloins instead)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 large onion, diced
1 package Zatarains Yellow Rice Mix
2 T margarine
2 1/2 c. water
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 can corn, drained

Directions
Put the chicken, cream of chicken soup, and diced onion in a pot on the stovetop and set on low/med. low.  Make sure to watch it!  I burned mine a bit because I was multi-tasking.  While the chicken is cooking, prepare the Zatarains according to package directions with water and margarine.  When chicken mixture and rice are cooked, mix together and add corn and cheese.  Heat until the cheese is melted and everything is combined.  And you're all set :)

September Menu Plan...

Well with how busy I am this month, it's going to be mostly a remix month (sorry!).  It just goes faster to make stuff you already know how to make than it does to make new things where you're looking back at the directions every few minutes (yeah, my short-term memory isn't always fantastic).  I've still got one newbie planned for you though (marked with an asterisk as usual).  Everything I already made is linked to when I originally posted it  :)  As always, calories are calculated on CalorieKing.com. 

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken & Rice* (375 calories) + Crescent Rolls (100 calories) – 6 servings @ 475 each

3 Envelope Roast Beef (261 calories) + Risotto w/Peas &Parmesan (165 calories) – 6 servings @ 426 each

Chicken & Broccoli Pie (306 calories) + Crescent Rolls (100 calories) – 4 servings @ 406 each

Lasagna (435 calories) – 8 servings @ 435 each

Sausage Rolls (334 calories) + Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes (123 calories) – 6 servings @ 457 each

That's all for now...new recipe later :)

August Recipe Update...

Alrighty, running behind again this month and doing my recipe update on the same day as posting my new menu plan AND cooking...woot!  Things have been crazy lately...I almost skipped the cooking thing this month entirely, because there just wasn't a really convenient time to do it, and I've got so many things to do.  But then, I remembered, if I do that I'll just eat like crap all month getting takeout and whatnot, and drop way too much money in the process, so cooking wins out again! 

Anyway, all that said, here's how last month's stuff turned out:

Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes -
Despite the fact that these didn't crisp up like the were supposed to, and that I had trouble smashing them like they were supposed to be, they did turn out rather tasty.  The flavor was good with a good level of seasoning.  The texture wound up being really soft and smooth, and like maybe they could almost become mashed potatoes if you added a little extra effort, so I might just consider doing that next time instead.  Either way, worth making again.

Beef Enchilada Pie -
Delicious!  I'll definitely be making this again.  It had all the flavor of the Santa Fe Enchilada Bake I made a couple of months ago, without the texture issue of the corn tortillas.  It had a good amount of heat with the green chiles and reheated well.  Will be making this again too :)

Bacon and Caramelized Onion Mac & Cheese -
Yum!  All in all, this was a really good month for new recipes.  This one was good as well.  The sweetness of the onions really added a nice extra layer of flavor.  Hearty and reheated well.  This will make it into another rotation at some point, for sure.

Crockpot Cube Steak -
As I said in the original post, I misread the instructions for the sauce a bit, so I would definitely make it a point to use a gravy mix next time to thicken it up.  The taste was good, although I'd probably scale back the time on the crockpot by a bit...it seemed a tiny bit overcooked.  I'll give it another go in the future and tweak it a little bit for a better turnout.

Lazy Sunday Casserole -
 This was awesome.  I'm really glad I used the hot italian sausage, because it added some heat that went well with some of the vegetables that added sweetness to balance it all out.  Very hearty...probably wouldn't have needed a side with it afterall.  I'll be making this again as well :)

Stay tuned for the menu plan for next month shortly!

Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes...

I have no idea what the "crash" part of this recipe is supposed to imply.  It was on the original recipe at dlyn, so I'm sticking with it.  I wound up adjusting the spices a little bit, based on what I had.  I'm not sure I'd make these again...they were kind of a pain in my butt.  I tried one, and they tasted good, but they didn't crisp up like they were supposed to either, which was sort of irritating.  They were also next to impossible to smash as recommended...my bowl just kept sliding around everywhere and not getting enough traction to smash.  It's not imperative that they BE smashed or anything, but it was still annoying.  I don't know.  We'll see how I like them over the course of the month to see if they have staying power or not.  Either way, here's the recipe:

Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes
8 servings - 75 calories each

(Yes, I forgot to put the potatoes in the ingredient picture...whoops!)

Ingredients
2-3 sweet potatoes
1 1/2 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. sweet smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Olive oil

Blend together spice mix first and set aside.  Peel potatoes and cut into rounds about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.  Place on baking sheet in a single layer.  Roast at 375 degrees until just tender enough to smash (you'll have to check...it depends on how thick you cut them).  Smash potatoes (if desired and possible).  Brush potatoes with a small amount of olive oil and top with half of seasoning mixture.  Flip and repeat process with other half of spice mixture.  Return to oven for 15 minutes.  Flip and return for an additional 10-15 minutes until caramelizing and starting to crisp (theoretically). 

I'm serving mine with my Tuna Bouchons for a total of 359 calories for each serving.  Is it weird that I'm totally annoyed that visually, there's way too much round food in each little serving container?  Yeah, probably.  Oh well :)

Crockpot Cube Steak & Gravy...

I haven't used my crockpot in a few months, and I figured it was about time again.  The whole fix it and forget it thing isn't all too conducive to my impatient nature, but alas...I keep hearing patience is a virtue, so I'm working on it...one crockpot recipe at a time.  :)  I'll warn you in advance that this totally doesn't look pretty in the pictures (and even worse in the last couple pics because I took them on my phone instead of my camera...sorry!), but it smells delicious, and based on the ingredients and Pinterest reviews should taste delicious.  I'll let you know for sure when I do updates later in the month though.  It's hard to find ways to prepare meat in something that ISN'T a casserole where it still reheats without getting dry, so I thought this would be a good option.  The original recipe is found at Cooks.com.  One thing to note:  I sort of combined it with another recipe I found that called for onion soup mix instead of onion gravy mix, because I didn't have any onion gravy mix on hand...the gravy turned out pretty thin though, obviously.  Next time I'll either track down the gravy mix or add a little flour.  Either way, I think it's going to taste just fine.  Here's the recipe:

Crockpot Cube Steak & Gravy
6 servings - 263 calories each

(Forgot to put flour in the ingredient picture...sorry!)

Ingredients
2 to 2 1/2 lb. cube steak
1 pkg. onion soup/dip mix  (next time, will use onion gravy mix or add a little flour to thicken)
2 c. water
Flour
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Cut steaks into portions, if necessary.  Salt and pepper steaks, and then dredge in flour.  Cook in a skillet coated with non-stick cooking spray just until browned.  Place in crockpot.  Cover with water, flour, and onion soup mix.  Stir gently to mix everything together.  Cover and set crockpot to low for 6-8 hours.

I'm serving mine with Cream Cheese Corn for a total of 383 calories per serving. 

Lazy Sunday Casserole...

So this one wasn't quite as lazy as I was hoping, based on the title.  It wasn't particularly labor-intensive or anything, but having an important step in the middle of baking instead of throwing it in and forgetting about it till it's done sort of de-lazy's it for me.  lol :)  I'm crazy, I know.  Anyway, the original for this one is found on Kayotic Kitchen.  I know, I'm racking up the recipes from that site, it seems, but I can't help it...they're all over Pinterest, and they all look delicious!  My only real concern about this is that reheating it might end up with way too much liquid from all the veggies.  I'm sure it'll taste fine either way, but I'm not a fan of it getting all soup-y on me.  We'll see...and I'll let ya know when I do the update later this month.  P.S.  I know I've heard before that fennel smells like licorice when you cut into it, but holy cow...the smell just smacks you in the face!  Don't worry though...it doesn't smells nearly so licorice-like once it starts cooking.  That said, let's get going:

Lazy Sunday Casserole
6 servings - 195 calories

Ingredients
4 sausages (I used Hot Italian Sausages)
1 lb. small red potatoes (quartered)
1/2 lb. carrots (I cheated and used the baby carrots so I didn't have to chop them)
1 bell pepper, chopped (the original called for 1/2, but hey...I didn't have anything to use the rest for)
1 lg. onion, cut into wedges
1 lg. fennel bulb, cut into wedges
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. oil
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 c. chicken broth
Pepper, to taste
4 T. balsamic vinegar

Directions
Put potatoes, carrots, pepper, onion, and fennel bulb into large casserole dish.  In a separate dish, mix together garlic, oil, Italian seasoning, and chicken broth.  Pour mixture over vegetables.  Cover with tin foil and bake at 450 degrees for 45 minutes.  In the meantime, brown the sausages (no need to cook completely...we're just trying to get a nice color on them).  Cut browned sausages into thirds.  After the first 45 minutes in the oven, add sausages and pour balsamic over top of everything.  Put back into the oven for 15 minutes, uncovered.  Remove and toss everything to coat with the liquid at the bottom of the dish, and return to oven for another 15 minutes. 

I'm serving mine with a biscuit (although given the final portion size, you probably wouldn't have to) for a total of 365 calories per serving. 

Bacon and Caramelized Onion Mac & Cheese...

Mmmm...pasta.  If I could only pick one cuisine to eat for the rest of my life, it would be Italian, for the sheer quantity of pasta possibilities.  And it doesn't get much more comfort food than Mac & Cheese...especially if you throw bacon in!  If you also throw in the fact that this particular recipe was found at EatBetterAmerica and therefore isn't horrendously bad for you, AND the calories are already calculated, it's pretty much perfect.  This turned out looking really delicious.  I didn't sample ANY of my recipes while I was cooking this time, so I'll have to let you know how it tastes when I do my update later in the month.  I wound up getting 10 servings out of this instead of the 12 listed on the original, which I reflected in the calories I have listed here.  I also discovered I apparently don't have the patience and/or attention span to caramelize onions.  I burned the crap out of part of them, and then spent the next 20 minutes trying to salvage what was left.  I'll put the instructions as they were listed on the original website, but just know that part is untested by me, because I ran out to walk the dogs and then got distracted and it all went downhill from there.  Here goes:

Bacon and Caramelized Onion Mac & Cheese
10 servings - 324 calories each

(You'll notice the would be "caramelized" onions in the pic..forgot to take one till after)

Ingredients
2 large onions, chopped
1 lb. uncooked penne rigate pasta
1 T. butter
2 T. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 c. skim milk (I may have cheated and used 2%...I don't like cooking with skim)
1/2 c. reduced fat sour cream
1/2 c. Gruyere (I used a Sargento artisan blend of Swiss and Gruyere, cuz I didn't feel like grating)
2-3 T. bacon bits
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
2-3 T. fresh basil, minced

Directions
**Put onions in a hot skillet coated with non-stick cooking spray.  Heat over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes.  Turn heat down to medium low, and cook for an additional 35-40 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until deep golden brown.**  Set onions aside.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add flour, salt, pepper, and dijon mustard.  Stir until incorporated and smooth.  Add milk slowly, ensuring flour mixture is incoporated and not clumping.  Heat until boiling, stirring constantly, and leave at a boil for 1 minutes.  Add sour cream, cheese, and bacon bits.  Mix into drained pasta, and put entire mixture into a casserole dish coated with non-stick cooking spray.  Top with panko and basil.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes, just until all heated through.  Note: this does NOT brown the breadcrums, nor is it supposed to (I'm really glad they put that in the original recipe, or I would've been really confused).

I'm serving mine with a crescent roll for a total of 424 calories per serving.

Beef Enchilada Pie...

This is really more of a casserole than a pie...I challenge you to fit it in a pie plate, because there's no possible way it would fit.  I used my round casserole dish instead and it worked great.  I love a good casserole.  Typically they're super easy to make.  They almost always reheat great.  They're hearty and tend to encompass the bulk of the food groups.  What's not to like?  Well, there is one thing...they get a bad rap for being bland...that's certainly not always the case, but with the prevalence of the "cream of" base with a combination of whatever else is in the freezer, they can all taste kind of the same if you're not careful.  So when I can find one that DOESN'T have a "cream of" base and includes some Mexican flavors, I'm in.  And that's exactly what I found in this recipe.  The original can be found at EatBetterAmerica, and conveniently came with a breakdown of calories (hooray, time saver!).  So, without further ado, here we go:

Beef Enchilada Pie
6 servings - 290 calories each

Ingredients
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1- 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce
1/2 c. frozen corn
1 - 4.5 oz. can chopped green chiles, drained
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
5 flour tortillas
1 c. shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese

Directions
Cook beef and onion in large skillet until beef is brown and onions are tender.  Add enchilada sauce (reserving 1/4 c. for later), green chiles, corn, cumin, and chili powder.  Reduce heat and simmer another 5-7 minutes.  Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Place one tortilla in bottom of baking dish, spoon over about 3/4 c. of meat mixture, top with about 3 tablespoons of cheese.  Repeat layers with 3 more tortillas.  Top with remaining tortilla, reserved 1/4. c. of enchilada sauce, and the last of the cheese.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until hot and cheese is melted. 

I'm serving mine with a crescent roll for a total of 390 calories per serving :)

August Menu Plan...

I'm running so behind this month!  I figured out my recipe plan a couple weeks ago, but I haven't had a chance to get it typed up on here till today...the day on which I will ALSO be cooking.  I feel like I've been living in my car all month, for starters, running around like a chicken with my head cut off...it's a good thing my dogs like car trips, because seriously...it's been ridiculous.  Work has been insane, Millie's been sick, I've been feeling run down all month, and I feel like I haven't given my apartment a good clean-freak-level cleaning in MUCH too long (it's actually making me a little crazy...I'm probably doing that today too).  Anyway, with all that going on, I was half-tempted to have another remix month, but I decided after much deliberation (ummm...maybe like 10 whole minutes worth...that's a lot of time on a month like this!) that I'd rather try some new stuff again.  I hit up Pinterest and found some good-looking recipes, and off we go!  New items are marked with an asterisk, repeat items are linked to the original, and calories are calculated at CalorieKing.com.  Soooo, here's the plan:

Tuna Bouchons (284 calories) with Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes* (75 calories) for 8 servings at a total of 359 calories each.

Beef Enchilada Pie* (290 calories) with a Crescent Roll (100 calories) for 6 servings at a total of 390 calories each.

Bacon Caramelized Onion Mac & Cheese* (324 calories) with a Crescent Roll (100 calories) for 10 servings at a total of 424 calories each.

Crockpot Cube Steak* (263 calories) with Cream Cheese Corn (120 calories) for 6 servings at a total of 383 calories each.

Lazy Sunday Casserole* (195 calories) with a Biscuit (170 calories) for 6 servings at a total of 365 calories each.

All that said, I better get to work if I'm gonna cook all of that today too!  Recipe posts later :)

Cream Cheese Corn...

Ahhh, another Pinterest special :)  The picture looked so good, I couldn't say no!  The original recipe can be found at Budget Savvy Diva.  I did add some onion and bacon, since I had them on hand from my other cooking and thought it would be a good addition.  Since I waited a little while to post, I have had a couple of servings and it's delicious.  You certainly wouldn't need the added ingredients, but I probably still would if I had them on hand.  I also doubled the recipe and changed the original portion size to go with the taco cups I made this month.  It's super, ridiculously easy too, so that's always a bonus.  Oh, and I forgot to take an ingredients pic on this one...sorry!  Here's the recipe as I made it:

Cream Cheese Corn
12 servings - 120 calories each

Ingredients
2 - 16 oz. bags frozen corn
2 T. butter
8oz. block cream cheese
2 T. bacon bits
1/2 medium onion, chopped
Seasonings, to taste

Directions
Here's the easy part...mix all ingredients together in saucepan, and heat, stirring occasionally until cream cheese is incorporated and onions start softening.  And that's it!  Enjoy!  :)

Twice Baked Potatoes...

Alrighty, I've procrastinated posting these couple of recipes for long enough...it's been a busy week since I cooked, and I just haven't been motivated to get on here and type everything up.  But I had an awesome, productive day yesterday, so we're going to try to keep up the momentum!  So this is my own personal recipe for twice baked potatoes.  Rarely can I say any of these are anything that I put together on my own...I'm a recipe girl for sure...but on a particularly stubborn afternoon a couple of years ago, I decided twice baked potatoes really can't be that hard...and lo and behold, they weren't :)  lol.  Plus, I do the first round of "baking" in the microwave, so that saves time.  The beauty of the baked potato is that you can put whatever you have on hand in it.  If you have bacon or ham or vegetables or whatever hanging around the kitchen, throw it on in!  The recipe below is what I actually put in today, and is for 8 potatoes, since that's how many I was making to go with the meatloaf portions, but obviously, you can adjust it for whatever you actually need :)

Twice Baked Potatoes
8 servings - Approx. 250 Calories Each

Ingredients
- 8 small to medium russet potatoes
- 1 to 1 1/4 c. milk, to desired consistency
- 1/2 c. + 1/2 c. shredded cheddar
- 1/4 c. sour cream
- 2 T. diced green onions or chives
- 2 T. bacon bits
- 2 T. butter
- Seasonings, to taste

Directions
Wash potatoes and pierce with a fork several times.  While still wet, microwave potatoes between paper towels in 2 batches until tender (approximately 8-10 minutes on high).  Cut a thin slice off of the top of each potato and scoop out the inside into a bowl, and set the skins on a baking sheet.  Mix in butter until melted.  Add all other ingredients (reserving the second 1/2 c. of cheese) and mix...add more milk if necessary...you want to make sure it's creamy or when you bake it again, it'll be dry.  Spoon mixture back into the potato skins.  Top with remaining cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.  And that's it :)  Enjoy!

July Recipe Plan...

July is going to be a remix month.  With the social plans and commitments I have in the next month, time and money are at a bit of a low point, and I'm saving energy and creativity for my planned scrapbooking weekend, so I'll be pulling favorites from old menus and adding in just a couple of new side dishes to put on here.  Recipes I've already done on here are linked, new items have an asterisk, and as always, calories are estimated at CalorieKing.com.  Here goes:

- Chicken Pillows (335 calories) with Potatoes ala Boulangere (117 calories) for 8 servings at 452 calories each.

- Sausage Rolls (334 calories) with Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes (123 calories) for 6 servings at 467 calories each.

- Taco Cups (203 calories) with Cream Cheese Corn* (120 calories) for 12 servings at 323 calories each.

- Meatloaf (250 calories) with Twice Baked Potatoes* (250 calories) for 8 servings at 500 calories each.

- Tuna Noodle Casserole (310 calories) with a Crescent Roll (100 calories) for 6 servings at 410 calories each.

- Baked Honey Oatmeal with Raspberries & Pistachios (223 calories each)

It worked out well substituting walnuts for the pistachios last month in the baked honey oatmeal, so I might try the leftover pecans I have around this month.  I don't think it probably matters, since I primarily see it as a texture bonus anyway.  lol :)  Also, the twice baked potato recipe is actually mine (I know, right?) from a bunch of experimenting a few years ago, and I haven't made them in forever, so I figured it was about time, even though the calories aren't exactly great.  I might figure out a way to slim them down a little before I actually cook...I'll post the updated calorie info when I actually post the recipe.  And that's all for today...cooking in a couple weeks!

June Recipe Update...

Well, the time has come to recap another month of recipes.  Here we go!

Penne Rosa with Chicken - I apparently had a moment of amnesia when I picked this recipe and actually decided to go with the whole wheat pasta they recommended.  I WANT to like whole wheat pasta...I keep trying it over and over again in all sorts of different dishes...I just don't like it though.  I don't think it picks up flavors as well, and it just seems bland no matter what I do.  That said, I may still try this again sometime, only with regular pasta.  Substituting the swiss chard for spinach worked out swimmingly though, and I will keep that in mind if my sister's in town again.

Santa Fe Enchilada Bake - This was really good and hearty.  I would consider making it with beef sometime as well.  My only sticking point is the corn tortillas...I might try it with flour tortillas next time...for some reason I have a bit of a texture issue with corn tortillas, and while it wasn't SUPER noticeable, it bothered me every once in a while.  I'll give it another try with some new variations though sometime.

Tortellini with Walnut & Mascarpone Sauce - This was the big winner for the month.  Ohmigosh was it ever delicious.  I will DEFINITELY be making it again.  I feel like it'd be a good go-to dish for when company is over too.  We'll see :)

Creamy Chicken Casserole - This was good.  The potatoes were DELICIOUS, and I will definitely be making them again, possibly on their own.  The chicken wraps were alright, but not super impressive.  Worth a shot to try again, but not at the top of my list.

Ham, Sauerkraut, and Apple Rolls - These were good too.  At least I did learn this month that I DO like sauerkraut, at least in this particular situation.  As with the creamy chicken casserole though, it was nothing to write home about necessarily.  And the potatoes weren't nearly as flavorful in this preparation.  I probably won't be making this again, but I AM glad I tried it.

Pain au Chocolat - Oh my lord...was this ever amazing.  It was totally worth four days of prep.  My sister and I kept a couple at the house, and I took the rest to work, and they were all gone when I came back on Monday, so they must've thought they were alright too.  I'll only be keeping these in mind for special occasions or when I'm feeling particularly domestic though, because 1) they simply must be terrible for you, and 2) it's a lot of work.  lol :) 

Next up, the July menu plan...  :)

Ham, Sauerkraut, and Apple Rolls...

And last but not least, the last recipe from Kayotic Kitchen for this month.  These rolls are served on cheesy potatoes...how could you go wrong, right?  Honestly, I've never had sauerkraut before (yeah, I know...sheltered, right?).  I felt like the concept of the sweet of the apples vs. the sour of the sauerkraut vs. the saltiness of the ham was a good one though, so off we go on a new food adventure for me.  lol :)  Obviosly with the hope that it works out, or I'm going to have a lot of this to power through before the end of the month.  Such is life, eh?  You never know till you try!  Here we go:

Ham, Sauerkraut, and Apple Rolls (on cheesy potatoes)
8 servings, 501 calories each

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb. potatoes, quartered
- 1 lb. sauerkraut
- 2 sweet apples, finely chopped
- 8 ham slices (again, I used the thin sliced Budding meat, so I actually used 4 slices for each roll instead of one of the thicker cut slices, for a total of 32 slices)
- 2 c. grated cheese (I used Boar's Head Chipotle Gouda...yum!)
- 1 1/2 c. milk
- 4 T. flour
- 2 oz. butter
- Nutmeg
- Seasonings, to taste

Directions

Pre-boil the potatoes (I did this in a casserole dish in the microwave...filled dish with water and microwaved 15 minutes on high).  Drain and place in the bottom of a baking dish.  In a skillet, heat apples on medium high until they start getting tender, then add sauerkraut and seasonings.  Turn heat down to low and simmer for about five minutes.  Assemble rolls by putting a generous amount of sauerkraut mixture into the center of the ham and rolling it up.  Repeat for all 8 rolls (I actually had enough saukerkraut mixture left over for a  ninth roll, so I made an extra), and set aside  Clean out your skillet (or grab a new one if you're feeling like doing extra dishes).  Heat butter over low heat. Sprinkle in flour, and stir constantly over low heat for about 2 minutes.  Slowly add milk, continuing to stir constantly.  Turn up heat and bring to a boil (still...keeping an eye on it and stirring frequently) till sauce thickens.  Turn down heat, stir in cheese, and continue to stir until melted.  Spoon half of the sauce over potatoes.  Place rolls on top of the potatoes in the baking dish.  Spoon the other half of the sauce over rolls.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. 

So, as I mentioned earlier, I got an extra roll out of this recipe, and it was, afterall, dinnertime when I finished making this dish, so I had the extra and a few potatoes, and it was quite tasty.  I officially like sauerkraut...at least when it's with apples and potatoes chipotle gouda bechamel sauce.  lol :)  How could you not, really?  Anyway, that concludes cooking for this month (unless my Pain au Chocolat actually turns out properly tomorrow, in which case I'll post pictures and a link for the recipe for that.  I was going to type it all up, but holy cow baking has a lot of directions, eh?).

Don't be afraid to leave a question or comment!  :)  I'd love to hear if anyone else tries any of these and how they turn out for you!  Enjoy!  Oh, and I have to give a shout-out to my biggest fans...this is a pic of my puppies, Lucy and Millie, who sit right in the doorway to the kitchen all day when I'm cooking...they're little goofballs :)  Night!

Creamy Chicken Casserole...

This is another recipe from Kayotic Kitchen that looked delicious.  I could've picked all recipes from her website this month, but I thought that would be a little narrow of me, plus all the ones I liked had potatoes...and as much as I like potatoes, having them for every meal for an entire month is still not the best idea in the world.  Anyway, I like how she talks about swapping things in and out to make the same dish with a bunch of different variations so it can more easily transition for seasons, who's coming to dinner, what your kids are willing to eat (if you have kids, which I don't), etc.  I used the recipe as it was, but I'll be keeping in mind alternatives for future use.  Also, I didn't realize she was using a large can of cream of mushroom soup instead of a small one, so I had to recalculate calories with the addition of another small can, so it's now 362 calories per serving (as opposed to the 330 in the menu plan).  That said here's the recipe as I made it today!

Creamy Chicken Casserole
8 Servings, 362 calories each

Ingredients
- 2 oz. bacon
- 1 lb. potatoes, sliced
- 1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins (usually 8-10 strips)
- 8 slices ham (I bought the thin cut Budding ham, so I wound up using 4 slices for each roll instead of 1 of the regular thicker cut ham, for a total of 32 thin slices)
- 8 slices cheese (I used colby jack, but you can use whatever you want)
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
- 4 T. sour cream
- 1/2 c. shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar, but use what you like!)
- Seasonings, to taste

*Note:  I used microwave bacon because I didn't read the directions thoroughly before I made my grocery list...and yes, I'm aware that's one of those lessons you're supposed to learn in grade school, but sometimes I forget...either way, it worked out fine, so use whatever you want :)  Also, there's only one can of soup in the picture, but I DID use two. 

Directions
Pre-boil the potatoes (I went ahead and did that in the microwave in a casserole dish...12 minutes on high).  Lay the bacon out on the bottom of a baking pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Assemble the rolls:  Lay out your piece(s) of ham, top with a slice of cheese and a chicken strip, then roll up and put on top of the bacon in the pan.  Repeat for the other 7 strips.  In a separate bowl, mix together cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and seasonings.  Spoon 2/3 of mixture over rolls.  Top with pre-boiled potatoes.  Top potatoes with remaining soup mixture.  Top the whole thing off with the shredded cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees (uncovered) for approximately 45 minutes.

I've gotta say, I hate handling raw chicken.  Normally I just dump it directly from the package into the hot pan without ever touching it, so actually touching it kinda bothered me.  I don't anticipate this to be an issue for most people...I'm just a little cuckoo, I guess.  Other than that hurdle to overcome, this recipe was totally easy to make.  Plus it looks/smells super tasty.  I'm adding a crescent roll to each serving for a total of 462 calories per serving.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Santa Fe Enchilada Bake...

This recipe is from Kraft Foods, which I've historically had really good luck with.  The added bonus of recipes from this website, is they already have the calories figured out for you (Hooray!  No  searching through each ingredient on CalorieKing.com for this one!).  I really like enchiladas, but I find that they're a pain the butt to make...so with the introduction of a casserole version of the enchilada...problem solved!  Plus I'm always looking for some sort of Mexican food to add into the rotation for my freezer meals to change it up a little.  This one was super easy (as is a requirement for the bulk of the meals I make, I guess...lol), and with the addition of the salsa that I used, I feel like it's gonna bring a lot of flavor to the table.  I used Desert Pepper Salsa - Roasted Tomato, Chipotle & Corn - Medium Hot.  I'm sort of obsessed with Desert Pepper Salsas lately.  Salsa = low calorie snack = my favorite thing.  lol :)  They've got a massive array of flavors, but I figured the chipotle corn one would work well with this recipe.  Here we go:

Santa Fe Enchilada Bake
8 servings - 370 calories each

Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins
- 1 lg. onion, chopped
- 1 lg. green pepper, chopped
- 2 c. salsa
- 1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen corn
- 12 corn tortillas (6 inch)
- 1 c. sour cream
- 1 1/2 c. shredded mexican style cheese

Directions
Spray large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and heat to med/med-high.  Add chicken and sear on both sides (season to taste).  Add onions and peppers and cook until tender.  Stir in salsa and corn.  In baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, arrange six tortillas.  Layer on half of the chicken mixture, half of the sour cream, and half of the cheese.  Top with another 6 tortillas and repeat layers.  Cover with foil (make sure to tent it so you don't melt all your cheese onto the foil), and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional ten minutes.

As always, let your casserole sit for at LEAST 5-10 minutes before cutting into it.  That way it has a chance to set up so you have a nice slice when you cut it, instead of it collapsing when you plate it up.  Looks/smells very tasty...I'll be excited to try this one, and I'll let you know how it tastes when I update later this month!

Tortellini with Walnut & Mascarpone Sauce...

So I had a massive math error on this one when I was originally figuring it out.  I remember thinking at the time that it didn't sound quite right (but it was late and I was tired, so alas), so I sat down and entered everything into CalorieKing.com again today before making it.  Sure enough, I miscalculated on the walnuts pretty substatially...I'm not sure how, but I was definitely off.  Sooooo...contrary to the menu plan, this dish will now be SIX servings instead of four and 511 calories instead of 470...whoops!  :)  Anyway, it seemed to have all worked out as far as portion size, etc., so it's all good.  I think I stumbled on this recipe on FoodGawker, although it could have been Pinterest...it's all starting to blur together this month.  The original is found on Kayotic Kitchen (which will be used for THREE recipes this month, if you can believe it...she's got some good looking stuff on there!).  The whole "Kayotic" thing was sort of ironic, since once I got into the recipe, there were some dramatically different measurements reflected in the ingredients list than were referenced in the actual body of the recipe.  I went with whatever looked right to me and/or what I actually had on hand.  I would normally have used a spinach tortellini, but again, as my sister will be in town, I skipped the spinach in order to avoid an accidental trip to the ER.  I also doubled the recipe (the measurements I actually used are reflected in my recipe below), as the original recipe was intended to be a side dish, and I'm making entree portions.  Anyway, here we go:

Tortellini with Walnut & Mascarpone Sauce
6 Servings, 511 Calories each

Ingredients
- 1 med. onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 oz. walnuts
- 2 - 9oz. pkg. tortellini
- 2 oz. shredded parmesan
- 1 T. olive oil
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- Flat leaf parsley, to taste

Directions
Toast walnuts in a dry skillet for a few minutes to bring out the flavor, and then run through food processor/chopper; set aside.  Mix together mascarpone, parmesan, and parsley; set aside.  Cook pasta according to package directions (don't forget to salt the water).  While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a skillet to med/med-high.  Add onions and garlic and cook until tender (I browned mine a little, which I hadn't intended to do, but I got distracted for a couple minutes by a phonecall, and let them go a tiny bit too long...either way, it'll be fine).  Add mascarpone mixture, and stir until melted and combined with onions/garlic.  Stir in walnuts.  Mix in drained pasta and enjoy!

This looks really tasty...I tried a little bit of the sauce and really liked it.  I think the portion size will be fine...I was a little worried when I made it into two extra servings to keep the calories semi-reasonable, but it looks like it'll be plenty.  I'll let ya know how it all turns out :)