Chili and chips

Ok, so I know there are a thousand ways to make chili.  I like simple when I'm tired and just want something quick.  I like to keep a can of Hormel chili on hand for nights like that (I like the kinds with beans, but you can use whatever you choose).  This time I decided to do a chili cheese dip rather than just chili in a bowl.  What'll you'll need for this:

Can of chili
1 lb. ground beef
Half block of the small Velveeta block
Tortilla chips for dipping

Preparation:

Brown ground beef.  Heat chili according to can directions.  In same pot as chili add the half block of Velveeta, cubed (it melts more easily).  Stir until Velveeta is fully melted.  Add in browned ground beef and stir.  Tada! Chili cheese dip.

I was out of tortilla chips, but had some flour tortillas in the fridge.  So, I made my own chips.  I cut each tortilla into triangles, placed the triangles on a baking sheet, and baked in the oven at around 400 until they started to turn golden brown.  You have to really keep an eye on them, because they will over cook easily.  But when done to a golden brown, they are actually really good!

Enjoy!!

Shrimp Pizza

So easy, and very tasty!  You will need:

1 pre-made pizza crust
Olive oil
Frozen shrimp (I used salad shrimp size)
your favorite seafood seasoning
butter
mozzarella cheese
cocktail sauce

Brush olive oil over pizza crust, including the edge.  Sprinkle your seafood seasoning along the edge of the crust.  Put shrimp in a frying pan with some butter and add seafood seasoning. Heat until shrimp is hot.  Top pizza crust with mozzarella and shrimp.  Bake according to directions on pizza crust.  Once pizza is removed from the over, drizzle cocktail sauce over the top and serve!

Enjoy!

Chicken Veggie Lasagna

I am notorious for taking whatever I have in the kitchen and making a meal from it.  Tonight I put together a chicken veggie lasagna.  This was really easy and can be tailored to whatever you might have on hand.  Here's what I used:

2 large chicken breast
Approx. 2 cups frozen spinach
Half of a large onion - chopped
Half of a green pepper - chopped
Olive Oil
Season All
Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning
Pasta sauce
Kraft Italian seasoning Parmesan
Mozzarella cheese
8 cooked lasagna noodles

Boil water for lasagna noodles.  While water is boiling, put spinach, onion, green pepper and chicken in large pan.  Add olive oil; I probably used about 1/3 cup.  Sprinkle with Season All and generously add Mrs. Dash.  Cook over high heat until veggies soften and chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Once water has boiled, cook lasagna noodles until al dente.  Drain lasagna noodles and set aside.  When the chicken mixture is cooked, stir in 2/3 jar of pasta sauce and approx. 2 tbs. of parmesan.  Remove from heat.  Because I only make mine for 2 people, I use a bread pan to make my lasagna.  If you are cooking for a larger crowd, you will need to increase your ingredients.  Line the bottom of the pan with noodles, add a layer of chicken mixture, add mozzarella cheese on top of mixture, add a layer of noodles - repeat until you reach the top of the pan or until you run out of mix.  I always end with a layer of noodles and then mozzarella on top of them.  Bake in a 450 degree oven until cheese is melty.

Enjoy!

Easy Peasy Chicken Salad

I made this as a single serving, so just adjust to your needs!


You will need:

1 small and 1 medium size chicken breast (I get the frozen bags from Walmart so they vary in size)
Handful of red grapes, halved
1 celery stalk, chopped
Mayo
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil the chicken breast, shredding as it boils*
Put shredded chicken, grapes, and celery in a bowl.  Add enough mayo to coat the mix.   Add salt and pepper to taste!  Use to make a sandwich, eat with crackers, or just have it on it's own!

*To shred, take two forks and use one to hold the chicken and the other to pull the chicken apart.  I shredded it as it was boiling, which helped me to see that the chicken was done.  When it was cooked through, I finished shredding it on a cutting board.

Enjoy!

Spinach Stuffed Chicken

This was going to be baked chicken with spinach on the side at my boyfriend's request.  After thinking about it before I got home from work, I decided I wanted to try something different.  Since he had already taken out chicken thighs to thaw, I had to make that work.  I would have used chicken breasts otherwise.  Here's what I did:

Preheat oven to 475 (I always cook my chicken at high temperatures, I am too impatient to wait an hour for chicken to cook! - Somehow it doesn't dry out luckily).

I used 3 chicken thighs, but you can use as much or little as you like - chicken breasts would also work well
Frozen spinach
Lemon and herb marinade
Mrs. Dash table blend
Ginger (I used the kind in the tube found in the produce section; I'm sure fresh ginger root could be used as well...however, I used this just because it helps with acid reflux.  We couldn't taste it, but it's not a necessary ingredient)
Lemon juice
Parmesan cheese
Parsley (again I added this because it helps with acid reflux; it's not a necessary ingredient)

Thaw about a half cup of spinach - I just ran it under cold water and used a paper towel to dry it some

Mix in about a tablespoon of the lemon herb marinade, a couple drops lemon juice, about a teaspoon and a half of ginger, some chopped fresh parsley, and about 1/8 cup parmesan cheese with the spinach

Make a slit in the chicken, big enough to fill with the spinach blend.  Stuff the mixture in.

Sprinkle some Mrs Dash (or whatever seasoning you prefer) and parmesan over the chicken.

Bake for about 45 minutes.  Serve over brown rice.