Chicken Mushroom Quesadillas

This is light dinner fare that is quick and easy!

1 T. oil
1 large onion, chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked diced chicken
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1 t. oregano
2 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper
4 10" tortillas
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Cook mushrooms and onions in oil, about 5 min. Add garlic, cook and stir about 1 min. Add the chicken and seasonings, until all is well mixed in. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 min.

Lay out the tortillas. Spread half of each tortilla with about 2 T. of cheddar cheese. Spoon 1/4 of chicken mixture on top, then cover with 2 more tablespoons of cheese. Fold over tortillas.

Place in nonstick pan sprayed with cooking spray, and cook for about 3 min. on each side, until browned and cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream.

Adapted from So Easy by Ellie Krieger
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Stuffing

This is an old fashioned traditional stuffing recipe that has been handed down through generations.



1/2 c. margarine

1 1/2 c. chopped onions

1 1/2 c. chopped celery

10 cups homestyle bread, toasted and cubed

salt and pepper

1 t. poultry seasoning

1/2 t. sage

1/2-3/4 c. chicken broth

2 eggs, well beaten





Saute onion and celery in margarine until tender. Add mixture to bread cubes. Combine seasoning and eggs and beat. Pour broth and egg mixture over stuffing. Toss to mix.



Will stuff a 12 - 14 lb. turkey



This can also be made in a crockpot. Place mixture in crockpot, set on high for 45 minutes, then on low for 3 to 4 hours.


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Beans and Pasta

My kids loved this! It was delish and made great leftovers.













Ingredients

1 package medium shell pasta
1 can cannelloni beans, drained
2 cups red, green, yellow peppers, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling
Pepperoncini’s chopped *optional*

Technique

Boil pasta according to package directions. In the mean time sauté the peppers and onions in some olive oil until they’re soft. Pour beans into a large bowl, add the pepper and onion mix and add 1/2 – 3/4 cups of the pasta water, and then the pasta. Stir with some salt and pepper, spoon into bowls. Sprinkle cheese on top, for more adventure add chopped pepperoncinis!








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Easiest Salmon Ever!

This is the easiest salmon I've ever made. Brendan and I are both big fans and with the Omega 3's, it's good for the baby, too!

Ingredients:

6 oz. salmon fillets, one for each person you're serving

garlic salt

white cooking wine

store bought (or homemade if you're up to it) pesto

How:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place fillets on it. Sprinkle each fillet with a little garlic salt and then pour a tiny amount of white wine over each. Next, spread a thin layer of the pesto over each fillet. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes and is done.

I like to turn the broiler on for the last two minutes to really get the pesto to crust up.
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Anna's Meatloaf

One of my moms' classics! I served it with mashed potatoes.




Ingredients

1 package of mixed ground beef, veal, pork
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon Worchester sauce
2 cloves garlic finely chopped

Topping:
3 tablespoons BBQ sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Technique

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. PAM a loaf pan and put the meat mixture inside. Mix the ketchup, BBQ sauce and brown sugar together and spoon over meatloaf. Bake at 350* for 1.15 hours.



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Brendan's Mom's Oh Henry Bars

A long time favorite of Brendan, I received a request to make this for his "birthday week"

Ingredients:

2/3 c. Crisco, melted

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. corn syrup

3t. vanilla

4 c. oats

1 c. chocolate chips, melted

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

How:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 13x9 glass baking pan. Mix the first five ingredients and press into the baking pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, combine melted chocolate chips with peanut butter and stir until smooth. You may need to heat the peanut butter to assist in the mixing. Spread over the top of the oat mixture after it comes out of the oven. Let cool.

Enjoy!

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Whole Foods's Orange and Fennel Salad

While searching for higher fiber foods I stumbled across this gem. So yummy and it tastes like "restaurant food", or so says my husband. Follow the link for the ingredients and instructions.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=692

What I changed:

I used very little red onion, no almonds, and baby lettuces instead of arugula. I portioned it so that it made three servings instead of four. I made the same amount of dressing as the recipe called for and divided it up between the three.

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Ravioli Dinner Salad

This is delicious, quick and extremely simple to make

2 cups chopped plum tomatoes
12 oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained, rinsed, and chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 t. red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 lb. frozen cheese ravioli
5 c. arugula leaves, coarsely chopped, (5 ounces)


Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit while you cook the ravioli. Cook ravioli according to package instructions. Drain and add to bowl along with the arugula. Toss and serve.

adapted from So Easy by Ellie Krieger

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Mary's Italian Lasagna

This recipe makes two full lasagnas, you can freeze one or give it to a friend! I like to jazz mine up with a little more spice.











Ingredients

1lb Italian sausage
1 package Barilla no-bake lasagna noodles
1 white onion chopped
4-6 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 bunch parsley finely chopped
2 eggs
1 (32 oz) container ricotta cheese
8 cups shredded mozzarella
2 spaghetti sauce


Technique

>Preheat oven to 375*

Prepping the ingredients: Cook the sausage until no pink remains, cut into bite size chunks, or I like to put it in the food processor! Set it aside. In the same pan you cooked the sausage in sauté onions and garlic, until soft, add to meat and set aside. In a separate bowl whisk eggs, add parsley and ricotta and mix well.

Building the Lasagna: PAM the whole pan if you’d like to keep your sanity. On the bottom of the pan spoon out enough sauce to cover the entire bottom.
Layer 1: Sauce, Noodles, Ricotta Mixture, Cheese, Meat Mixture
Layer2: Sauce, Noodles, Ricotta Mixture, Cheese, Meat Mixture
Layer3: Noodles, Sauce, ALL the rest of the cheese.

Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for 30 min or until bubbly around the edges. Remove the cover and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is starting to brown. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

*If you’re giving your second lasagna to a friend I would recommend not cooking it, let them bake it up, this increases the yummy factor! :)

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Veggie Stuffed Hummus Pitas

This was a huge hit with my kids, so easy, yummy, and healthy.
Would make a nice appetizer too!

Ingredients
1 package of small pitas
1 container of hummus, any flavor
1 package cherry tomatoes sliced
2 carrots, sliced in thin sticks
1 cucumber sliced in thin sticks
1 avocado seeded, and sliced
4-5 green onions sliced thin
1 bag baby spinach

Technique
Cut the pitas in half, so that you form a pocket. Scoop in 1 tablespoon hummus and spread across entire pocket, add desired veggies. Enjoy!

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Jack-o-Lantern English Muffin Pizzas

My husband’s childhood favorite, I jazzed it up for Halloween.












Ingredients
1 (6 count) package Thomas’ English Muffins
1 (15oz) can pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package pepperoni
Other veggies if you like!

Technique
Split English muffins and lay on cookie sheet. Spread about one tablespoon of pizza sauce on each muffin half. Sprinkle cheese on top of sauce. Cut pepperoni into triangle shapes and arrange to look like a jack-o-lantern. Low-broil on the top rack until cheese is melted, about 3 min.

**Mom likes to make hers without pizza sauce subbing olive oil and some Italian spices.

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Sesame Noodles

My kids loved this easy veggie meal and it only took about 20 minutes start to finish!












Ingredients
1 (8oz) package whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons smooth almond butter or peanut butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more to taste
1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil or olive oil
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds


Technique
Cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta thoroughly.

In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, almond butter, vinegar, lemon juice, and oil. Add pasta, cabbage, carrots and green onions. Toss to coat noodles thoroughly with sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

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