Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

It has been ages since I last posted!  Sorry for the unexplained absence, but in February we got a BIG surprise that I was pregnant.  Pretty much the next day morning sickness set in and stayed there for four solid months!  I've gotten fairly sick with all my pregnancies, but this one was a doosey.  I pretty much couldn't do anything, our family was in full survival mode.  If it wasn't for our family and friends we would have had cold cereal for every meal.  But we got blessed and folks brought us a lot of dinners.  This however meant I did very little cooking, and what I did do was super basic.  But I am now feeling better, as in I'm done throwing up every day.  Just the aching feet,back, and legs and basic uncomfortableness to deal with now.  But I am cooking again, which makes my family very happy.  And the most important thing is our baby is healthy.  I'm five months along and we are having another girl!  Its a house overran by ladies here.  My hubby and son will just have to sick together and take hikes when things get to be too much ;)

These buffalo chicken quesadillas are one of the few new things I've tried over the last five months.  I saw a recipe for BBQ chicken quesadillas, and I thought, "Those sound good but  buffalo chicken would be better!"  So I gave it a whirl and I can't believe I've never thought of this before.  They are super easy and so, so tasty.  Serve 'em up with some ranch for dipping and you'll be a happy camper.  Here's the DL...

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup Franks hot sauce
2 teaspoons vinegar
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
butter for grilling
6 flour tortillas

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Whisk together the melted butter, Franks hot sauce and vinegar.  And mixture to chicken and stir to coat.
Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Throw in a little butter and lay down a tortilla.
On half of the tortilla spread a sixth of the chicken, shredded cheese, and blue cheese.  Put a lid on until cheese is melted and tortilla is browned.
Gently fold over the side of the tortilla with nothing on it to make a half circle.
Set quesadilla in the oven on a cookie sheet and repeat with remaining tortillas.
Serve warm with a side of ranch and enjoy!

*You can add other ingredients like chopped green onions, bacon, parseley, or whatever else goes good with buffalo chicken in your mind.

Green Enchilada Casserole

This is my go to dish if I need to pull off dinner in an instant.  It's quick and easy, super yummy, and makes for great left overs.  Everyone in the family likes it and cleans their plates when I serve it up.  I think I might even make it tonight.  (My recipe calls for a lot of canned items, that's because  what I like about this casserole is how quickly I can pull it together.  However, you could definitely substitute canned items for homemade if you have the time.)  You've got to give it a try!  Here's the DL...

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, diced
4 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 can (10 oz) green enchilada sauce
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
9 corn tortillas
2 cups grated Montery Jack cheese
2 cups gated Cheddar cheese (or instead of both cheese, 4 cups Mexican cheese blend)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In saucepan over medium heat melt butter.  Add onion and cook for 8 minutes, or until translucent.  Set aside.
Fill a medium size bowl with water.  Emmerse tortillas into the water.  Set aside.
Mix the two cheeses together.  Set aside.
In a medium bowl mix enchilada sauce, cream of chicken soup, green chilies, sour cream, garlic, and cumin.  Reserve 1 cup, set aside.
Add chicken and onion to the remaining sour cream mixture.
Spray the bottom of a 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish.  Spread the cup of reserved sour cream mixture evenly in baking dish.

Place three tortillas down, you can tear them apart to fit, but try not to overlap them.  Evenly spread a third of the chicken mixture on top.  Sprinkle on 1 cup of the cheese blend.  Repeat the tortilla, chicken, and cheese layers 2 more times.   Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese on top.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until bubbly.  Serve in squares and enjoy!  (serves 6-8)

Quick & Easy Spasagna

I've been making a lot on quick dinners, and this one fits the bill.  There are a number of recipes for spasagna, but I like this one because I always have the ingredients I need to make it.  Plus, it takes no time at all to pull together and everyone likes it.  The cream cheese keep everything moist and creamy.  Even kids who aren't too wild about spaghetti sauce will like this because of the creaminess added by the cream cheese sauce & mozzarella.  This would be a great freezer dish or meal to take to someone.  Here's the skinny...
Ingredients
16 oz thin spaghetti
4 cups spaghetti sauce or Red Sauce
1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage (without casings)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
10 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup half & half
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook spaghetti until al dente and drain.
Meanwhile brown ground beef in skillet until cooked through.  Add spaghetti sauce.  Set aside.
In medium saucepan over medium-low heat melt the cream cheese.  Whisk in the half & half, Italian seasoning, garlic powder & 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese.  Add mixture to spaghetti & stir until noodles are coated.
Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Spread a layer of the meat sauce on the bottom of the dish.  Place spaghetti on top.  Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella   Top with remaining meat sauce.  Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top.
Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.  Let cool for a few minutes, cut into squares & enjoy!

Quick & Easy Burritos

 I just had one of those weekends.  You know, the ones where you don't stop for a second and then you suddenly realize it's Monday and you're not even going to get to think about a break or mildly sleeping in for five more whole days.  Yeah, I had one of those.

First of all I did a booth at a vintage market called The Prairie Sisters with a couple friends.  I love doing this and it's only twice a year.  But it is non stop for a day and a half and requires a lot of loading, unloading, and moving furniture.  I'm not as young as I use to be, that physical stuff wears me out after a while!  Our booth did great and I walked away with a few fabulous items as well [I'll share them with you on the Home & Garden page].

During the middle of our show on Saturday I had to quick (and by quick I mean on hour worth of travel) drive out to The Ranch and snap some pictures of a couple horses we're trying to sell.

Once I got our there I saw my children who had been out of my care since Friday afternoon and in the hands of their grandparents and father.  I found my daughter wearing her skinny jeans (that are suppose to only be for school and church, not ranch work), a pj shirt that is a size too small, and dirtier than all get out.

I also snap a few pictures of these cute baby birds by our tack room.  Then I headed back to the market to finish out the day.  Sunday is always busy around here.  This Sunday I also taught Sunday school to the cutest two and three year olds you've ever seen, the three older kids had a birthday party, and I spent the afternoon editing a pile of wedding photos.

Needless to say Sunday dinner was not in traditional form.  I had  thirty minutes to whip something together, so I made these super quick and easy Mexican Sausage Burritos.  My Mom makes these and I love them.  It's just a bonus that they literally take no time at all to make.  These are also great to freeze and have later or take to a friend in need of a meal.  They are a great meal to make when you only have a brief moment to feed your crew.  Here's the DL...
Ingredients
1 pound sausage
1/2 medium onion diced
1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, drained
1 can (10 oz) Rotel or diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup sour cream
3 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend
8 flour tortillas (soft taco size)
sour cream, sliced green onions, picante sauce for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Cook onion and sausage in skillet until meat is cooked through.  Turn off head and stir in black beans, Rotel (or if you need it to not be spicy just plain tomatoes), and 1 cup sour cream.
Put about 2 tablespoons of cheese and 1/2 cup meat mixture into a tortilla.  Roll it up and place seam side down in baking dish.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Top burritos with remaining cheese and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starting to bubble.  Let cool for 3 minutes and serve.  Enjoy!
*These burritos pair wonderfully with a fried egg!

Tomato, Basil, & Goat Cheese Pizza

I love making pizza.  And tomato, basil, and goat cheese is by far my favorite pizza combo.  Something about those three things put together just brings out their best flavors.  I've had many people be skeptical of this pizza combo, but once they taste it they can't get enough.  This is a great pizza to make during the summer when tomatoes & basil are fresh from the garden.  Here's the skinny...
Get yourself a batch of pizza dough ready.
I like to make this pizza smaller, about 12 inches, & with thinner crust.  If you do a whole dough recipe you'll  need to divide the dough into fourths, roughly.
You'll also need to make some sauce.

Pizza Dough & Sauce Recipe Here

Ingredients (for one 12 inch pizza)
pizza dough
1/3 cup pizza sauce
1/2 medium tomato, thinly sliced
2 sprigs of fresh basil
3 ounces goat cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 550 degrees.
Spread out fist size portion of pizza dough onto greased cookie sheet or parchment paper into a 12 inch circle.  

In circular motion spread pizza sauce onto dough leaving about an inch un-sauced dough  around the edges. 

Lay tomatoes on top of sauce spreading them out to cover most of the pizza.  Place small spoonfuls of the goat cheese on top of pizza.  Pull off fresh basil leaves and spread them out on top of pizza.  

Sprinkle mozzarella over the top of everything.  

Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until crust is golden around the edges.  Serve warm and enjoy!

Green Chili Enchilada Stacks

Things have been a little quiet around here.  I didn't have internet for almost a week, long story.  Thus, blogging wasn't accomplished.  But now I'm back online and have a stack of recipes to share with you.  Speaking of stacks (sweet segue), may I introduce to you these amazing Green Chili Enchilada Stacks.  These are a great quick dinner and they are super duper yummy.  There is minimal work involved and they will fill you up.  If you make shredded chicken ahead of time and freeze it then these puppies are even faster.  This is a great twist on an old classic and takes less time to pull off.  Here's the skinny...
Ingredients
12 corn tortillas
canola oil for frying
1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 Tablespoons butter
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
1 can (10 oz.) green enchilada sauce
sour cream (for topping)
salsa (for topping)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put about a half inch oil in a small frying pan and heat on medium.  Once oil is hot flash fry the tortillas, about 2 seconds on each side (you want them to get soft, not crispy).  Place on paper towel to drain.  Set aside.
In frying pan over medium heat melt butter.  Add onion and garlic & cook for about 10 minutes, until onion is soft.  Turn off heat and mix in chicken.

Place tortillas on a baking sheet.  Top with a little bit of chicken mixture and plenty of cheese.  Remember you will be stacking these so do over do it on the toppings.  Place in oven for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is totally melted.
Meanwhile in small saucepan over medium-low heat mix together the green chilies and enchilada sauce.  Cook until heated through.

On a plate stack three of the chicken and cheese top tortillas.  Cover with green chili sauce to your liking.  Top with sour cream and salsa.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Cheddar Oven Fried Chicken with Cheesy Herb Sauce

I saw this recipe for cheddar fried chicken and thought it sounded heavenly.  So I took the idea and ran with it. And let me tell you, it done turned out real good.  What's nice about this recipe, besides the fact that it incorporates so much cheese, is that you don't have to fry the chicken in oil.  Yet, it comes out crispy and delicious.  And the cheesy herb sauce... well, you know how I feel about cheese sauce.  This meal is easy and quick to whip up.  Perfect for a quick dinner.  Here's the DL...
Ingredients
8 chicken tenders, or 4 breast cut in half
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups crushed Ritz crackers
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put chicken in  a bowl and pour buttermilk over the top, set aside.
Grease a 9"x13" baking dish.  (You can use butter or non-stick spray depending on how skinny you feel that day ;)
Put your cheese and cracker crumbs in separate shallow bowls.  Take a piece of chicken out of the milk bath and put it into the cheese.  Using your fingers press cheese into chicken until it is coated.

Then put cheese covered chicken into the cracker crumbs and coat well.  Place in the prepared baking dish. Do this with the remaining chicken.  Cover with tin foil and bake for thirty minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until edges are brown and crispy.  Serve with cheesy herb sauce on top.

While chicken is baking make your Cheesy Herb Sauce:
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon goat cheese
1 chicken bullion (or enough for 1 cup of broth)
2 teaspoons parsley
Directions
Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Whisking constantly add flour & cook for about 1 minute or until bubbly & brown (make sure you cook it to this point to get all the flour taste out).  Add milk, gently whisking until mixture gets thick.  Add the chicken bullion and whisk until it is incorporated.  Whisking constantly add the goat cheese until melted.  Then slowly add the Parmesan, cheddar cheeses.  Stir until cheese is completely melted.  Add salt to taste (if it doesn't taste right you probably haven't added enough salt) and parsley.  Serve over Cheddar Oven Fried Chicken.

Braised Pork in Sweet Soy Sauce

If your looking for a quick and simple Asian inspired dish, look no further.  This is a super easy main course that is full of flavor and affordable to make.  The sauce is absolutely scrumptious, and folks will think you spent hours cooking.  Serve it over rice and everyone will have smiles on their faces and full bellies.  Here's the DL...
Ingredients
2-2 1/2 pound pork roast or loin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cup water
2 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
2 green onions chopped
sesame seeds for sprinkling
Directions
Cut the pork into one inch bite size pieces.  Saute in pan over medium heat in vegetable oil for about 3 minutes, or until no longer pink, stirring frequently.
In medium bowl whisk together garlic powder, olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, water, and sweet chili sauce.  Pour sauce over pork & bring to a boil.  Once boiling reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes, or until sauce is greatly reduced and there is only about 4 tablespoons left in pan.  Stir one more time to make sure pork is coated in sauce.  Sprinkle with green onion and sesame seeds.  Serve over steamed rice.  Enjoy!

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Easy Lo Mein Noodles

Chinese Chicken Salad

Easy Lo Mein Noodles

This is a great Friday night dinner.  Easy and quick and everything cooks in two pots.  Bonus: it's healthy and tasty.  I often make this dish when I'm in a pinch or just don't feel like cooking and cleaning up.  I always keep a bag of frozen stir fry veggies on hand for this very reason.  This is an honest to goodness thirty minute meal.  Not like some of the thirty minute meals I've tried that actually take me ninety minutes because I don't have a commercial kitchen and a prep cook.  This dish really only takes thirty minutes, but you don't have to sacrifice your diet or taste.  Here's the skinny:
Ingredients
1 box (13 oz) thin spaghetti broken in half
2 cups chicken cut in bite size pieces
3 cups frozen stir fry veggies (Of fresh veggies.  Carrots, peas, mushrooms, red pepper, zucchini are all good options.  Throw in a can of water chestnuts if you have 'em)
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup sauce (teriyaki, Yoshida, soy sauce- whatever floats your boat)
2 tablespoon flax seed*
1 green onion, green part sliced
Directions
In large pot boil spaghetti noodles until al dente, about 9 minutes.  Once noodles are done, drain & rinse with cold water & set aside.  Meanwhile in large frying pan or wok heat up oil, add chicken & vegetables.  Cook stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.  Turn heat down and add noodles, sauce, flax seeds.  Stir until everything is mixed together, coated with sauce and heated through.  Add more sauce to your taste preference.  Sprinkle extra flax seeds & sliced green onion on top to make it look pretty.  Serve and enjoy!
*I use flax seed because of it's health benefits.  But sesame seeds work just as good for this recipe.

Sunday Dinner: Chicken Gravy

Since I'm married to a pastor, Sundays around here are pretty crazy.  But at the end of the day I still want to have that big 'ol traditional Sunday dinner.  Unfortunately, my energy level is shot & I just don't feel like preparing a big meal.  Enter Chicken Gravy.  This is home-down comfort food at it's finest, but without all the preparation.  It takes about 30 minutes to whip up (And I mean that.  Not like those "30 minute meals" you get off of Food Network that actually take you 90 minutes.)  It's filling, healthy, and perfect for Sundays.  Make it super quick by using boxed mashed potatoes.  Here's the DL...
Ingredients
1 pound chicken
3 cups chicken or turkey gravy
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 cup carrot finely chopped
1 celery stock finely chopped
8 cups mashed potatoes
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder & thyme to taste.  Cover with tin foil & bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.  Meanwhile, in medium pot boil the carrots & celery until carrots are fork tender.  Make mashed potatoes while chicken is cooking.  (If making homemade mashed potatoes get water boiling before preparing the chicken.)
Remove chicken from oven & allow to cool slightly.  While chicken is cooling in large pot heat up the gravy until heated through (I use dry gravy mix, but the jarred/canned stuff works great too).  Drain carrots & celery and add to the gravy.  Add parsley.  Pull apart or cut chicken into bite size pieces & add to the gravy.  Stir it all up & serve over warm mashed potatoes.  Enjoy!
*This makes quite a bit of food.  Serves about 8 people.
*You can do this same idea with country gravy & ground hamburger- Hamburger Gravy.

Chinese Chicken Salad

I love cool refreshing Summer dinners.  Ones that make you actually want to eat despite the relentless heat.  Well, this salad fits the bill.  It requires very little oven/stove action & you can make it in the morning so that's it just ready to go come dinner time.  Pair it with some fresh fruit & a cooling drink & you're set.  Super easy, super yummy, & super cooling... I like it!  Here's the DL...
Ingredients
2/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoon flax seed (sesame seeds work too, I just like the color of the flax seed)
small head of cabbage shredded or chopped
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 packages Ramen noodles, uncooked & broken up
2 chicken cooked chicken breast
Directions
Cut chicken breast into small chunks.  In a bowl mix the oil, sugar, salt, vinegar & flax seeds.  Add cabbage, chives, & Ramen noodles & mix well.  Add in chicken & stir to coat.  Cover & set in fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.  Enjoy!

Sloppy Joes

If you got this recipe way back from this blog bare with me.  I need to re-post a few recipes since the revamp of The Mixing Bowl page.   Plus I made these last night & am always so happy how easy they are & how much everyone loves them.  I finish off my Sloppy Joes with a butter toasted bun & some cheese.  My hubby likes to add pickles.  You can really get creative with toppings to make them more fun.  

If Sloppy Joes have a bad name in your life try this from scratch recipe.  They're nothing like the hot lunch ones you had in grade school.  And they please young & old, male & female, cosmopolitan & redneck alike.  They also make a great finger food for a get together or child's party if you make them as sliders on rolls or mini hamburger buns.  Here's the word on the street...

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 pounds ground beef/elk/deer

1/2 onion diced

1/2 green bell pepper diced

3 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 cups ketchup

1 8oz can tomato sauce

1 cup water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon mustard

1 teaspoon paprika

salt to taste

2 teaspoons hot sauce or chili powder (optional)

Directions

In large skillet cook ground beef  until brown.  Remove from skillet & drain fat.  Add butter, onions, green peppers & garlic to the skillet and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.   Add ketchup, tomato sauce, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, hot sauce, & paprika. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt to taste.   Serve on butter toasted hamburger buns, top with cheese or pickles if you like. 

Homemade Pizza

Pizza is a big deal in our family.  We eat pizza once a week.  It's my hubby's & son's favorite food.  When we lived in town we would just order pizza or grab a take-and-bake.  But living in the country has changed this habit & I have had to learn how to make tasty pizza from scratch.  I have been searching & altering pizza dough & sauce recipes for a couple of years now.  I finally have a recipe that I love & don't alter any more.  Here's the scoop:

Pizza Dough
A great pizza crust is most of the battle when making homemade pizza.  If you don't have a good crust folks just plain won't like it.  Here is my most favorite crust.  It bakes up light & fluffy with a crusty outer layer.  It is flavorful & the perfect foundation for a yummy pizza.  Plus, it's easy to make & requires no kneading
 Ingredients
(makes 2 large pizzas)

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sugar

4 cups flour

1/3 cup olive oil

Directions

Pour yeast into the warm water (make sure it's warm & not hot, hot water will kill the yeast) & stir once, set aside.  In a bowl combine flour, salt, garlic powder, sugar (sugar is "food" for the yeast, so make sure to stick it in there).  Drizzle in olive oil & mix until just combined.  Slowly pour in the water yest mixture & stir until dough forms into a ball.  In a seperate bowl pour in a little olive oil & spread around with your hand until entire bowl is coated.  Place the pizza dough ball into the oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap & set in a warm place for 1-2 hours to rise.

This is how the dough compares from when you make it until it has fully risen.

Once dough has risen preheat the oven to 550 degrees.  On a large baking sheet drizzle a little olive oil & then spread around with your hands to coat the entire surface.  Do not wash your hands & pick up half of the pizza dough and set in the middle of the baking sheet.  Using your hands gently spread the dough around until it is at your desired shape & size.  If you like thick crust spread it around accordingly, if you like thin crust do likewise.  The crust will not look like it came from Pizza Hut, which is perfect.  You want it to look authentic & homemade.  As you spread the dough around you may want to add a little more olive oil to the top to help it from not sticking to your hands.

Now spread a little (not too much, nobody likes soggy pizza) pizza sauce on the top to within 3/4 inch of the edge.  Then cover with your favorite toppings.  Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes & enjoy immediately!

Homemade pizza is  quick & easy dinner.  You could even make the dough in the morning & set it in the fridge to rise all day so that when it's dinner time all you have to do is assemble.  It's also fun to make individual pizzas & experiment with toppings.  Or try using pesto as the sauce... the possibilities are endless.

Pizza Sauce

This is so easy you'll cry.  The best part about making your own sauce is switching up the flavor to meet your preferences.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves minced

1 can tomato sauce (15oz)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon Brown Sugar

Italian Seasoning to taste

Directions

In a saucepan over medium heat mix olive oil & garlic.  Cook a few minutes until garlic starts to sizzle.  Turn heat down to medium-low.  Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, & Italian seasoning to your liking.  Cook on low for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  You can now either use the sauce immediately or stick it in the fridge to use later. This will make enough sauce for about 3-4 pizzas.  Freeze left overs for later use.

Wheat Crust

Omit 1 cup of white flour & in it's place add 3/4 cup wheat flour.  This still keeps your crust light & fluffy but adds the whole grains we all need.  If you like a denser crust you could experiment with adding more wheat flour.

Tomato, Basil, & Goat Cheese Pizza

My new favorite creation is my Tomato, Basil, & Goat Cheese Pizza.  I make it on wheat crust (instructions below) & it is actually really healthy.  Coarsely chop the basil & goat cheese so there are large chunks.  Thinly slice the tomato into large circles.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over the top so there is a nice layer but not a huge amount of cheese.  Arrange tomatoes and goat cheese on top of the mozzarella.  Bake in the oven as directed above.  About 1 minute from being done sprinkle on the basil & top with just a small amount more of mozzarella to hold everything together.  Enjoy at once.  The lightness of the tomatoes & basil mixed with the richness & creaminess of the goat cheese is like heaven.

BBQ Beef Hash

This one super easy but very filling dinner.  It's also super fast to make & you will have everything in your pantry already.  Make some homemade biscuits to accompany it & your meal is complete (& has all the food groups except fruit, you're on your own with that one).  This is a good hearty meat & potatoes meal that you can prepare in a flash.

Here's the skinny:

BBQ Beef Hash
1 lb ground beef/elk/deer
1 cup sliced carrots
1 can green beans
4 medium potatoes
1/2 medium onion diced
1/2 green pepper diced
6 Tbls butter
Salt & pepper
BBQ sauce

Cook ground beef and set aside.  Cut potatoes into one inch pieces (like homefries).  Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in large pan, add onion & green pepper.  Cook for 4 minutes.  Add remaining butter an allow to melt, then add the potatoes.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Fry potatoes until they are cooked through & have a little crispiness to them (you may need to add more butter or vegetable oil to achieve this & keep them from sticking to the pan).  Meanwhile blanch carrots so they are tender but not  falling apart.  Mix beef, carrots, beans, & potatoes together in the pan.  Then add your favorite BBQ sauce until everything is coated.  I like to make my own BBQ sauce, but you can use any BBQ sauce you like.  Dish up while hot & enjoy!

My Favorite BBQ Sauce
1 onion diced
3 Tbls butter
2 cups ketchup
1/3 cup molasses
1 tsp mustard
2 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup whiskey

Melt butter in sauce pan.  Add diced onion & cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients & allow to simmer stirring often for at least 10 minutes.  Taste it & add more salt or sugar as desired.  It you like things a little spicy add some chili powder.  So good you could eat it by the spoonful, but I suggest using it as a topping.

Quick Meals

All moms have a dire need for a recipe box of quick meals.  This is never more true than when you live in the boonies, like I do.  See, we use to live right in town, one block away from a gyro place, Subway, & Hoagieville (local fast food drive in... kind of like a Sonic) & six blocks from Dairy Queen.  And of course pizza was always an option if the night was getting late & I hadn't planned dinner.  But now, if I don't cook dinner we are plain stuck with cold cereal.  So I have brushed up on a few quick meals.

The first one is Sloppy Joes.  I would like to dedicate this one to my friend Kylie who is not sure that sloppy joes qualify as a meal (or even "real" food).  Well, Kylie, come on down to my neck of the woods & try one out. Now, I'm not talking about adding a packet or can of sloppy joe mix to some ground meat (I say meat because I use deer or elk, but a lot of people use beef or turkey.  So I'll call it meat.)  The recipe I'm going to give you is from scratch, taste great & is super easy & fast to prepare.  Plus, you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry.  My family loves sloppy joe night, so I've had some practice.  I think sloppy joes get a bad wrap because they are a typical hot lunch menu item.  But these ain't your lunch lady's sloppy joes!  I also like to put these on dinner rolls & make them into sliders, perfect for the little ones.

Sloppy Joe Recipe

My second quick dish is homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.  Another crowd pleaser & super easy & fast to make.  Once again you most likely have all the ingredients in your pantry ready to be whisked together in the all time comfort food dish.  Get yourself some good rolls & your done with dinner.

Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Now it's your turn.  I need more quick meal ideas (don't we all).  So, put your quick meal idea in the comments section below.  If you have a full on recipe you want to send me that would be even better & I will post it in the Mixing Bowl page.  Send recipes to j.yphotography@yahoo.com

More Quick Meal Ideas:

Chicken Strips

Spaghetti
(Whenever I make spaghetti sauce I do a double batch & then freeze half of it.  Then when I'm in a pinch all I need to do is thaw it out & boil some noodles.)
Quesadillas & Spanish Rice

Grilled cheese & tomato soup

Stir Fry Noodles
(Using frozen stir fry veggies makes this a quick fix.)

Breakfast Dinner
(That's what Maddie calls it.  It's her favorite, but sausage must be involved or she is not happy)
Meatloaf
Tacos
Frozen Pizza ;)

Happy quick cooking!http://nestingcorral.blogspot.com/2011/07/sloppy-joes.html