two easy meal ideas

 Now that many of the kids' activities are resuming, so is our crazy spring schedule which makes for rushed dinners which are either at 4:30pm or 8pm:). I am having to get creative again about meals since there is not much time for meal prep. We have made this Mexican baked pasta and crockpot salmon twice a month for the past few months so I thought I would share the recipes since they seem to be favorites in our house and are easy to make ahead of time. 

I know crockpot salmon sounds strange, but this creamy lemon salmon is so delicious. 

Have a great week! 

~Amber

chicken corn chowder

I always tend to pull out some soups as summer winds down and thoughts of school circle my mind.  Those back-to-school thoughts are really circling my mind these days and I am sure your mind too. My  go-to summer soup is corn chowder.  This time I added chicken. 

A little trick for a mess-free way of cutting the corn off of the cob is to use your bundt pan. Stabilize the corn in the center of the pan while you cut the corn off. It falls right into the pan.

bundt pan  and dish towel (similar)

I roughly followed this recipe. I added chicken from a rotisserie chicken instead of the salmon, but I would love to try the salmon next time. It is not pictured here, but I served our corn chowder with a grilled romaine salad and a french bread loaf. There are so many great recipes for grilled romaine out there, but I drizzled ours with olive oil and sprinkled them with sea salt. Once grilled, they were topped off with Parmesan cheese and Caesar dressing. 

summer frittata

The summer heat and humidity are in full swing in the Carolinas so light dinners are what I have been craving. We also continue to eat at home a little more than we used to. One meal I have been making more often is a frittata. At the beginning of quarantine, I asked my sister for some ideas and she mentioned that she makes frittatas a lot. You truly can add anything in them. We have been just adding whatever vegetables we have on hand. It is a delicious, light and tasty dinner! 

I followed this recipe, but used spinach, mushrooms, onions, cherry tomatoes and red pepper flakes in mine. I also used 8 eggs for the hungry boys in my house. I served ours with a side salad.

Eggs do not make pretty pictures, but they taste so good! 

steak cobb salad

I have always been a big fan of cobb salads. Several nights ago, I was looking thru my Williams Sonoma catalog and saw this recipe for a steak cobb salad. We tried it out last week and it was delicious. I am apparently on a radish kick. We added radishes and green onions to ours. I will definitely be adding the cobb salad and some of these other steak salad recipes to our summer meal lineup.

You cannot see it, but I have blue cheese crumbs on my salad too. 

easy chocolate mousse

I have a super easy dessert recipe for you. Chocolate Mousse. I decided that I would try to make this for our New Year's Day dinner and it was a big hit with the kids. My kids are not big cake, pie or cobbler lovers like myself so I am always on the hunt for other dessert options. It is delicious, easy and makes for a nice presentation for adult guests as well. 

All you need:

1 pint Heavy whipping cream

10-12 oz package of milk chocolate morsels

Any fruit you want to add for garnish (we have used strawberries and raspberries)

1. Beat the whipping cream in a bowl on medium speed for about 2-3 min or until peaks begin forming (has consistency of mousse)

2. Melt your chocolate morsels. I literally poured mine in a microwave safe bowl and heated it for 1 min. 45 sec. 

3. Pour the chocolate into the bowl with the whipping cream. 

4. Fold the chocolate into the whipping cream (do not over-stir)

5. Refrigerate for 1 hour (if you can wait that long:)

I poured mine into ramekins before I refrigerated them so they are ready to serve. I would say it serves 6-8 people easily. 

Top with garnish and enjoy!

pesto spinach artichoke chicken bake

I am always looking for quick and easy dinner ideas especially once the school year kicks off with other extra-curricular activities at night. I found this Pesto Spinach Artichoke Chicken Bake recipe earlier in the summer and have made it several times now. It is a delicious and easy dinner that I will be using throughout the year! Just thought I would pop in and share. I found the recipe here! Enjoy! 

pork chops with cilantro rice

The past couple of days have been glorious signs that Spring is coming. It always energizes me when the weather warms up to try new recipes. I fixed these pork chops with cilantro rice a couple weeks ago and again the other night. They are delicious so I thought I would share the recipe. 

What you need:

4 boneless pork chops

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lime

2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

1. Mix dry seasonings in bowl and sprinkle over both sides of pork chops

2. Heat olive oil in pan over medium and place all pork chops on the pan. Cover. Flip Pork chops every couple minutes until cooked thru

3. Cook rice as you normally would then place in bowl. Toss in cilantro and juice of half a lime into rice and stir. 

If you want the avocado cream sauce, take the flesh of one avocado and two tablespoons of plain yogurt and puree in food processor. Drizzle on top of pork chops. It adds a great flavor! 

I served ours with fresh pineapple chunks!

Enjoy! 

penicillin soup

I don't know about you, but colds seem to stick around for a long time in our house. All soups, especially, penicillin soup, seem to satisfy everyone in our house whether it is to warm us up or mend a nasty cold. Penicillin soup is a perfect blend of comfort with a kick of flavor. The recipe is below. Enjoy!

Penicillin Soup:

3 carrots chopped 

2 celery stalks chopped

2 cups extra wide egg noodles

1 cup broccoli florets

1/2 cup chopped onion

3-4 cups Swanson chicken broth

3-4 cups water

Salt and pepper to taste

A dash of red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon ground thyme

1 cup shredded chicken

Wash, peel and cut the carrots, cut the celery and add ALL ingredients to a large pot. I typically buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and easily tear all the chicken off.  I also buy frozen broccoli florets. Use equal parts chicken broth and water. In most pots, I use 3 cups of each. Heat to boiling and when vegetables are tender, serve. It is sure to warm you up! 

garden fresh baked ziti

Here's a perfect and quick summer recipe that I recently found that the whole family will enjoy. I've made this a couple times now and our family is really enjoying it - even Georgia. It's packed full of fresh veggies that you'll be able to get at your local produce stand, farmers market or maybe even your own garden this time of year. The BEST part is that it makes two batches of ziti - one for dinner and one for freezing. 

1 pound whole wheat ziti

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 28-can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (next time I may try fresh, cooked spinach)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 medium zucchini, grated

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray two 8 by 8 inch baking pans with cooking spray.

2. In large pot cook the ziti. Drain and return to pot.

3. Heat the olive oil in large pan over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Reduce to low and saute' until soft. Add garlic and saute' for a few more minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to simmer and cook 20 minutes. 

4. Add tomato sauce to ziti, along with ricotta cheese, spinach , Parmesan, zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir all ingredients. 

5. Divide the past between the two pans. Top with mozzarella and add pepper to taste. 

6. Bake for 20 minutes. 

To Freeze: Complete the process thru step 5. Cover with foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To cook: transfer frozen ziti directly from freezer to oven and back for 90 minutes at 375. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes. 

It's delicious! I was shocked that Georgia would eat it, but that's probably because it is smothered in cheese. Oh well, it is the only way I can get her to eat most vegetables. Enjoy!

potato soup (no potato peeling involved)

Here is another recipe for you! It is delish and easy. You can throw everything in the crock-pot and either chase the kids around for the rest of the day, head off to work or tackle a full day of Christmas shopping and know that a hearty, warm meal is waiting for you when dinner time arrives. Here is the recipe for the slow cooker potato soup. 

chocolate swirl muffin cake

Here is a dessert recipe you must try. I warn you that it is not completely homemade, but it is moist and delicious and easy peasy! The recipe for the chocolate swirl muffin bundt cake can be found here. 

Happy Holiday baking!

winding down

Summer is winding down and school is now in session. We are still soaking up the final days of summer though since technically the seasons haven't changed yet. 

Blackberry cobbler reminds me of summer so I decided to make one last night. I followed the same recipe as this peach cobbler recipe, but just used blackberries instead of peaches. It was delicious!

Georgia loves to be outside. She's a summer baby and I think she will always like the warmth of the sun and running in the grass with those sweet bare feet. Oh summer. You are lovely and we will miss you, but are looking forward to the cool, crisp days that fall will bring! Enjoy the final days of summer friends!

beef and carrot ragu

Here is a slow cooker recipe that you have to try. It is delicious and super easy which is what I need these days. My mom made this Better Homes and Gardens recipe one day and I liked it so I decided to try it myself. I think you'll like it too!

What you need:

1 lb boneless beef short ribs

10 cloves garlic (ok, I used 1/4tsp of minced garlic b/c that's what I had)

1 8oz pkg. peeled fresh baby carrots, chopped

1 lb roma tomatoes, chopped (I used 5)

1/2 6oz can tomato paste with basil, garlic and oregano

1/2 cup water or red wine

1. Trim fat. Cut beef in chunks and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place beef in slow cooker.

2. Smash garlic cloves. Place garlic on beef. Add carrots and tomatoes to slow cooker.

3. In bowl, whisk together tomato paste and water or wine. Pour over meat and vegetables.

Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours.

I served it with extra wide egg noodles. We plan on having it again this week!

By the way, you may have noticed that I have rearranged some things on the blog. I hope you find it easier to navigate the recipes now.

baked apples

Need an easy fall dessert? Here you go!

Core an apple.

Place apple onto the bowl stem of your apple baker.

Fill the hollow core of the apple with brown sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Place a small piece of butter on top of the apple and heat in the microwave for 5 minutes.

Your easy fall dessert is ready! Don't forget to pair it with Russian tea!

chicken enchilada casserole

Here's a delicious mexican dish for you!

What you need:

1 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into thin bite size strips

1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 can Progresso Light Southwestern-style vegetable soup

1/4 cup uncooked instant brown rice

1 oz fat free cream cheese, cut into cubes

3 tablespoons Old El Paso refried beans

4 corn tortillas (6 in)

1/3 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350 F. Cook chicken and bell pepper over medium/high heat in skillet for 4-6 minutes until chicken begins to brown.

Stir in soup. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir cream cheese into chicken mixture until well blended.

Spread 1 tablespoon of the refried beans on 1 tortilla, place beans side up, in bottom of ungreased 1-quart casserole dish. Top with 1 cup of chicken mixture, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of cheese. Repeat 2 times.

Top with remaining tortilla and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and bake 20-25 minutes.

It serves about 3 and it's delicious!

taste of belmont...

or at least that's what we're calling it! Paul's mom started a little something called the Taste of Belmont. She said that each family (Paul's parents, my parents, Ashley, Daniel and Leighton, and Andrew and Danielle) has to cook something that they haven't cooked before. Paul and I hosted last night's Taste of Belmont. It's a lot of fun, but I must say we were a little intimidated to serve something that we had never made before. Everything turned out good though.

What was on our menu:

- Pesto Brie and homemade pigs in a blanket (Paul's recipe) for our appetizer

- Sliders with caramelized onions and mushrooms

- Garlic oven fries

- Fall salad with maple vinaigrette

- Apple cobbler and cinnamon ice cream

Here's the spread.

Mom and Danielle are in deep conversation while Leighton is just dancing away. Love it!

Here are some recipes from the evening that I think you might enjoy.

1. Fall salad with maple vinegrette

2. Garlic oven fries

We ended the evening with apple cobbler. Paul made the cobbler using his Eagle Scout skills;)

What you need:

Fresh apple slices

cinnamon

2 cans apple pie filling

White cake mix

12 oz can of Sprite (yes, that is not a typo)

Paul's directions:

- Line your dutch oven with foil

- Layer your apple slices and apple pie filling in the dutch oven

- Mix the cake mix and Sprite in a medium bowl and then pour the mixture on top of the apples

- Sprinkle the mixture with cinnamon

Paul dug a small hole in our back yard and filled it with coals. He then heated the coals until they turned white and then he placed the dutch oven on top of the coals. Let it bake for about 30 minutes. Tada! I couldn't believe it. It tasted great!

We had such a fun evening! You know it was a good night when your ending looks like this!