Category Archives: Entrees

Slow Cooker Chicken

Posted in Crockpot, Entrees by

This recipe requires that an entire small chicken be put in the crockpot….I have to admit, this sounded pretty scary to me.  So as I was doing some recipe-research, the very first recipe I found told me to put balls of foil on the bottom of the crockpot and then place the chicken on top and allow to cook for 8 hours on low…that sounds dangerous right?  Or maybe it’s just me. I just pictured myself coming home to a house in flames, due to balls of foil…

So I made up my own recipe.  It’s actually pretty similar to the pot roast I made one day last week.  The meat will FALL off the bones and will be so so juicy.  It’s such an easy recipe and it’s so healthy for you because all the fat just melts off as it cooks all day long.  Not to mention you can do so many different things with all the left overs!

Ok, recipe time! Enjoy!

Main ingredient: 1 whole chicken (2 – 3 pounds)

Now getting the chicken ready, is the worst part (for me at least).. you have to remove all the skin off the chicken and you must remove everything from the inside. Some chickens come still stuffed with their “insides,” and others come already cleaned.  Once skinned and cleaned out, rinse with water.  I hate this part… Kind of grosses me out if I actually process what I’m doing.

Before

 

After

Next, place any vegetables you’d like in the bottom of the slow cooker (I used small red potatoes, carrots, and a large chopped onion).  Sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper.

Now it’s time to season the chicken. I have to be honest and say that I took the lazy way out this time… I have a couple of different seasonings that I have used in the past.  This time I used the montreal steak seasoning (it’s a nice blend of salt, pepper, garlic salt..etc), it has great flavor! Once seasoned, place chicken over the vegetables at the bottom of the crockpot. Add two cups of chicken broth.   

 

Cook for a 8 hours on low….

8 hours later you will have a delicious meal!

 

Easy Skillet Chicken Parm

Posted in Entrees, Pasta by

Tonight for dinner I made an easy chicken parmesan recipe that I discovered on allrecipes.com.  I didn’t make too many changes to the recipe.  Chicken parm and eggplant parm are two of my favorite things to order at Italian restaurants, so I was pretty excited to find this recipe.  I like it for a couple of reasons, first because it doesn’t take forever to make and second because it didn’t involve any breading or deep frying, so it wasn’t as heavy (or unhealthy) as so many other chicken parm recipes are.  This turned out delicious, it’s a must try!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon garlic
  • 2 chicken breast, cut in half
  • Salt, pepper, italian seasoning
  • 2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
  • 1/2 pound of cooked pasta (pasta’s come in one pound packages, so I used half for the two of us)
  • 1/4 cup grated parmasean cheese
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions:
1.  On medium-high heat, heat olive oil in skillet. Once hot, add garlic and chicken.  While chicken is cooking add pinch of salt, pepper, and italian seasoning to each side of chicken breast.
2.  Cook chicken breast for about 15 minutes total, until each side is a golden brown.
3.  Add pasta sauce and parmesan cheese. Reduce to medium heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked through.
4.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and let stand until cheese is completely melted.  Serve over pasta of your choice.
On the side I made some asparagus, that I cooked the same way that I made the zucchini with parmesan.  It turned out delicious! (Although Mina’s thoughts on the asparagus were – ewww whats that, those look alive).
Tonights meal was a success!

Football Sunday Chili

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Very early on in our relationship, Mina made it pretty clear to me that football Sunday’s and Superbowl’s were no joke. Although I’m not an avid football watcher, I knew what I was getting myself in to and I accepted it.

Soon after we got married I started experimenting with different chili recipes and I eventually came up with a recipe that we both love.  It’s now become a tradition that once football season starts, so does chili-making season!  What’s better than chili, beer, and football all at the same time?

So here’s my “secret” chili recipe. It’s super quick to throw together, enjoy! 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
  • 1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 2 16 oz cans chili beans in a spicy chili sauce
  • 1 cup of corn
  • 1 medium green pepper, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground red pepper (* optional, we like ours spicy)
Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil in pan.  Add garlic and onion.  Once golden colored, add ground beef.
2.  Once ground beef is cooked, drain excess fat.  Now add ALL other ingredients.  Bring to boil.
3.  Lower heat and allow to simmer for 2 hours for best flavors.

Pot Roast

Posted in Crockpot, Entrees by

Unfortunately, school is officially in full swing and my days are getting longer and busier! Once things get more hectic, I start making more and more meals in my crockpot.  I love love love crockpot meals.  I’s so nice to come home to warm cooked meal after a long day.

One day this week I made a pot roast in the crockpot and it turned out perfect.  It’s so quick and easy to put together and it’s a tasty meal – especially when it’s a little chilly outside.  I’m not sure why I associate pot roast with cold weather, maybe because it reminds of of beef stew.  Either way, this is a great meal to plan on making whenever you know you’re not going to have time to make a yummy dinner!

 

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 lb pot roast
  • 6 small red potatoes
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 cups baby carrots (I usually use large carrots, but didn’t have any)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 packet of lipton onion soup mix
  • 2 cups of water
Instructions:
1.  Place small potatoes, carrots, 1/2 large onion sliced in large chunks, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of pepper, and 1 tbsp olive oil all in crackpot.
2. Trim excess fat of pot roast and place in crockpot on top of vegetables.
3. Slice other 1/2 of onion and place on top of pot roast.  Add 1 packet of lipton onion soup mix and 2 cups of water.
4.  Cook on low for 8 -9 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

 

Italian Crescent Casserole

Posted in Casseroles, Entrees by

One night this week I decided to try something a little different for dinner.  This is a recipe that I somehow found a couple of weeks ago on pilsbury.com.  It’s so simple and it turned out yummy, I thought it was worth sharing.  I like this recipe because it leaves room for some creativity! Next time I make this, I think I’m making this mexican style with taco seasoning, salsa, sour cream…etc.  Yum! (I haven’t eaten dinner yet and just talking about food is making my stomach growl…)

Anyways, for the moment here’s the Italian version 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup of your favorite pasta sauce
  • 1 cup diced, drained tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 can Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
Instrcuctions
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Stir in pasta sauce and diced tomatoes; cook until thoroughly heated.
2.  Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine mozzarella cheese and sour cream; mix well.
3.  Pour hot beef mixture into ungreased 10-inch glass deep-dish pie pan (If you don’t have one, any kind of baking or casserole dish will work!).  Spoon cheese mixture over beef mixture.
4. Unroll dough and separate into 8 triangles; arrange points toward center over cheese mixture, crimping outside edges if necessary. In small bowl, mix Parmesan cheese and butter. Spread evenly over dough.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown.
Kind of pretty right?  Enjoy!

Three Cheese Chicken Pasta Bake

Posted in Entrees, Pasta by

Tonight for dinner I made this three cheese pasta bake.  I’ve been eyeing this recipe for awhile and I finally got the chance to make it.  It was cheesy, delicious and fairly simple to make!

I got the original recipe from allrecipes.com, but after reading several reviews, I made a few changes.

Diesel stood with begging puppy eyes the entire time I was in the kitchen cooking... How can you say no to these eyes?

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups multigrain rotini pasta
  • 1 large handful spinach leaves
  • 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets (I added this because I needed to use it before it went bad!)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
  • 1 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1/4 cup light cream cheese
  • 1 cup mozzarella shredded cheese
  • 2 tablespoons grated light parmesan cheese
Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta as directed on package. Add spinach and broccoli to the boiling water for the last 1 minute.
2. Heat a large skillet and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add chicken, garlic and basil; cook diced chicken.
3. Add 2 cups of pasta sauce and 1 1/2 cups of diced tomatoes; bring to boil. Stir in 1/4 cup of cream cheese spread until melted.
4. Drain pasta, spinach, and broccoli. Add chicken, broccoli, and spinach to the sauce mixture; mix lightly. Stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Spoon into 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
4.  Cover with foil and bake in oven on 375 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and add other 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese. Put back in the oven for 3 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.
 Enjoy!

 

Okra with rice

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Tonight for dinner I made an Egyptian meal, it’s another recipe that I got from Grandma while I was visiting Dallas. Its delicious and fairly easy to make! We also make this same dish with chopped spinach, green beans, or green peas.

 

Ingredients:

  • I lb beef stew cubes
  • 1 tbsp margarine
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 15 ounce can tomato sauce
  • Water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp of lemon juice
  • 1 package of cut okra (from the frozen vegetables section)
  • 1 cup cooked rice
Instructions:
  1. Place 1 tablepsoon margarine in medium-sized pan.  Add onions and cook until a golden yellow color.

  2. Add beef cubes.  Once beef is browned, add 1 can of tomato sauce.  Now fill up empty tomato sauce can with water and add to beef and tomato sauce mixture.
  3. Bring to boil and allow meat to fully cook.  (About 15 minutes, for smaller pieces of beef).
  4. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, and orka.  Bring to boil.  Allow to boil for 10 minutes.  Then lower heat, cover, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

  5. Serve over rice.  Enjoy!!

Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

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Tonight’s dinner was delicious and so easy! I will definitely be making this many more times 🙂 The whole meal was full of spice and flavor!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I got this recipe idea from a super cute blog that I recently discovered, Peanut Butter Fingers.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb chicken breast
  • Salt, pepper, ground red pepper
  • Your favorite kind of buffalo sauce, I used Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce (it”s not super spicy)
  • 1 tablespoon shredded parmasean cheese
  • Ranch dressing
  • Burger buns:
Instructions
1. Sprinkle chicken breast with salt, pepper, and ground red pepper.
2. Boil pot of water and poach chicken until fully cooked.  (About 15 minutes)
3.  Shred cooked chicken and place in saucepan.
4. Add 1/3 cup of buffalo sauce and 1 tablespoon of shredded parmesan cheese.  Heat all together on medium heat.
5.  Serve on bun of your choice, along with any another toppings you typically like on your buffalo chicken sandwich.  We are a big fan of ranch dressing and I recently discovered  a spicy ranch dressing…YUM!!
On the side I made some sweet potato fires and fresh veggies.  These spicy sweet fries, were awesome! I actually didn’t taste any spice, but they were still great. This was my first time trying this brand and I am a huge fan.  🙂 

Lazy Lasagna

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This is the second night in a row that I made a lasagna-like dish.  I think I’m needing the comfort food to help me forget about the fact that classes start again in less than week…

This recipe is so quick and easy. Rather than making a layered lasagna, this is all put together in a saucepan on the stove and it doesn’t take much time to make at all.

Ingredients:

  • 1lb lean ground beef
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup of sliced mushroom
  • 1 green pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp italian seasoning
  • 1 3/4 cups water
  • 12 oven-ready no bake lasagna noodles, cut in to quarters
  • 1 cup of shredded cheese
Instructions:
1. Heat teaspoon olive olive oil. Add onion and garlic, until bright yellow colored.  Then add ground beef and cook until browned. Add green peppers, mushrooms, and black olives.
2. Next add pasta sauce, water, salt, pepper, and italian seasoning.  Bring to boil.
3. Cut lasagna noodles in to quarters and bring to boil.
4. Cover and cook on medium-low heat 10 – 15 minutes or until noodles are tender.  Remove from heat, sprinkle with cheese, cover and let stand for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Moussaka – aka “Eggplant Lasagna”

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I spent most of my childhood in Dallas and it’s a place that i’ve called home for so many years now. So, since I had some time off school, I decided to go visit family that I have in Dallas.  While I was there I spent some serious quality time with my Teta (Grandma, in arabic).  I took full advantage of this time and was able to get some awesome recipes from her! 🙂

My goofy little cousins!

Tonight I made moussaka for dinner and it turned out delicious.  If you don’t know what moussaka is, the best way to describe it is as an eggplant lasagna. This is one of my hubby’s favorite meals so I was pretty nervous about making it.  I know I don’t quite have the skill level of my grandma or even his mom, so expectations were high! Nonetheless, it turned out yummy!!

Just as a heads up, this took me about 40 minutes to get everything together and in the oven. If you’re making this recipe for 2 people, cut all ingredients and cooking time in half!

Ingredients:

  • 2 Eggplants
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 cup rice
  • 1 small chopped onion
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground red pepper (optional, added for spice)
  • 2 cans tomato sauce
  • 1 can diced tomato
  • Shredded mozzerlla cheese
Instructions:
  1. Make 1 cup of rice.  Allow to cook while you prepare the rest of the meal.
  2. Prepare 2 eggplants: cut off ends of eggplant, peel eggplant using vegetable peeler.  Cut lengthwise in to 1/2 inch thickness.
  3. Take each slice of eggplant and brush olive oil on both sides.  Then sprinkle both sides lightly with salt and pepper.  Place on baking sheet.
  4. Set oven to broil.  Place baking sheet in oven for 5 minutes.  Then remove from oven and flip slices of eggplant over.  Put back in oven for 5 more minutes. Then set aside.  (This is an alternative to the traditional way of making moussaka, which is deep frying the sliced eggplant.)
  5. Heat 1 tsp olive oil, brown 1/2 cup of chopped onion. Then add ground beef and brown.  Drain any excess fat.  Season ground beef with salt and pepper.  (I used approximately 1/2 tsp of each).  Set aside.
  6. In small pot heat 1 tsp of olive oil.  Brown 1/4 cup of chopped onion.  Add 1 can of tomato sauce, 1 can of diced tomatoes.  Bring to boil.  Season with 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper, and 1/4 tsp of ground red pepper.  Set this sauce aside.
  7. In a separate bowl, add 1 can of tomato sauce with 1 cup of water.  You also want to season this watered down tomato sauce with salt, pepper, and ground red pepper.
  8. Now we are ready to assemble the lasagna!  Use a 13×9 baking dish.  Brush baking dish with olive oil.  Line bottom of pan with a small amount of the watered down tomato sauce.
  9. Line baking dish with sliced eggplant.  Add ground beef on top of the first layer of eggplant.   Then add layer of tomato sauce with diced tomatoes.  Sprinkle a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese.
  10. Place a second layer of eggplant.   Spread remaining watered down tomato sauce on top layer of eggplant.  Sprinkle top of “lasagna” with shredded mozzarella cheese.
  11. Cover baking dish with foil.  Bake in oven on 400 degrees for 35 minutes. You should see some of the tomato sauce bubbling on the very bottom of the baking dish.  Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes.
  12. Remove from oven.  Serve over rice and enjoy.