Tag: food blogger

#8/52 Homemade Hamburger Helper

Leave a comment

Have you heard of SuperCook? It is a website/app that gives you recipe ideas based on what ingredients you have. It has been a week and a half since I have been to the grocery store and let’s just say the pickings are slim. I headed over to the website and got the idea for a homemade hamburger helper. I then looked at several recipe ideas and decided to try out Natasha’s version from Salt & Lavender. Our family is a fan of lower meat ratios, so I opted for a half lb. of ground beef and added a half cup of chopped red pepper. It turned out delightful! Easy to make and quick to clean up. We paired it with a piece of garlic bread and some sautéed green beans.

INGREDIENTS 

  • 1 pound extra lean ground beef (we did a half lb.)
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 1 red pepper chopped (optional – we did half a red pepper with half lb)
  • 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese
  • Salt & pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Add the beef and onions to a soup pot. Cook over medium-high heat until the beef has browned (about 7-10 minutes), breaking the meat up with your spoon as you go along. If there’s a lot of excess fat, spoon most of it out.
  • Stir in the tomato paste, garlic powder, and chili powder.
  • Add in the beef broth and increase the heat to high. Once it starts boiling, add in the macaroni.
  • Reduce the heat so it’s not furiously boiling (a rapid simmer is good). I ended up cooking mine over medium heat. Let it cook uncovered until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed (about 13-15 minutes). I stir it every couple of minutes.
  • While it’s cooking, grate the cheese (this saves prep time at the start of the recipe).
  • Take the pot off the heat and stir in the cheese. Season with salt & pepper as needed. I let it sit for a couple minutes prior to serving (soaks up the sauce and flavors more), but you can serve it right away.

Also I think I am going to start a “Tomato Paste Recipes” section because every recipe calls for 2 Tbsp and they do not sell it like that….WHY????

#7/52 Tuscan Chicken

Leave a comment

A little late posting this, but I made a damn good Tuscan Chicken last week and I’m excited to share the recipe with you!

I decided to try the Creamy Tuscan Chicken recipe from downshiftology, and was so happy I did.

This recipe was very easy to prep, didn’t make a lot of dishes, and was ready to eat within 30 minutes. The flavors of sun-dried tomatoes are becoming a new favorite for me. I’m not sure why I haven’t cooked with them more to this point. We paired this delicious dish with rice and a vegetable mix of brussel sprouts, mushrooms, and broccoli.

Ingredients
● 4 (6-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
● 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or a mix of individual spices such as oregano, thyme, basil, and rosemary
● 1 teaspoon kosher salt
● ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
● 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
● 4 garlic cloves minced
● ¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion
● ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes thinly sliced
● 2 cups baby spinach
● 1 ½ cups heavy cream
● ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan

Instructions
1. Prep the chicken. Season both sides of each chicken breast in Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
2. Sear the chicken. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and sear for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove the chicken from the pan to a plate and set aside.
3. Cook the onions. In the same skillet, add another tablespoon of oil and the onion. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion has softened.
4. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and saute another minute, until fragrant.
5. Add the spinach, and saute another minute, until just starting to wilt.
Add the heavy cream and parmesan cheese, stir together, and bring to a simmer.
6. Let it simmer. Place the chicken back in the skillet and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

#2 of 52 New recipes in 2023 White Chicken Chili

Leave a comment

This week was packed with snowy mountain adventures that called for dinner to be finished by time we got back home. In steps this White Chicken Chili Recipe from Iowa Girl Eats. It was so easy to put together my 3-year-old did most of it (huge win). We paired it with cornbread muffins, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and fresh cilantro. This will definitely stay in the winter soup rotation at our home!

INGREDIENTS
(Serves 3 to 4)

  • 1lb chicken breasts (~2 large chicken breasts)
  • 15oz can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4oz can chopped green chiles
  • 1 – 2 fresh jalapenos, seeded then minced (use 1 made for a mild chili)
  • 1 shallot or 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • big pinch dried oregano
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • juice of 1/2 small lime
  • 1/4 cup milk, any kind
  • 1 Tablespoon gluten free flour (or AP flour if you don’t need to eat GF)
  • Toppings: green Tabasco sauce, verde sauce, lime wedges, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, sour cream

DIRECTIONS


1. Add first 12 ingredients — chicken breasts through lime juice — into a 6-quart crock pot then stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken shreds easily.
2. Remove chicken then shred and place in the refrigerator. Whisk flour and milk together in a small dish then drizzle into chili and stir to combine. Cover then cook on high for 30 minutes. Stir shredded chicken back into chili then scoop into bowls and serve with toppings.