Burritos

Super Easy Burritos
(I made this for 2 adults and a toddler, it probably serves 3-4 adults, double it for more servings) Note: I freeze leftover rice, that is what I used in this recipe. It always comes in handy. I always make extra rice so that I can keep some in my freezer. :)

Ingredients:
-8 ounces (1/2 pound) Lean ground beef, turkey or chicken
-1 cup brown (or white) rice, cooked
-1/2 of 15 ounce can of pinto beans, rinsed well
-10 ounce can of enchilada sauce
-dash of salt and pepper if desired
-8 ounces Shredded cheddar cheese (I used about half of a package total)
-5 or more tortillas

1. Brown ground beef in large skillet over medium heat. Drain fat, if any.
2. Add rice, beans and half of the enchilada sauce. Stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired. Stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat.
3. Soften tortillas according to package directions, or use a tortilla warmer if you have one.  (Something like this.)
4. Add a small amount of cheese to the tortilla, followed by the filling. See picture below. The orange rectangle is where I put the cheese and filling. Then I folded the ends in, and rolled the tortilla away from me. 

5. Place the rolled tortillas in a casserole dish. I recommend greasing it beforehand, I didn't and had to scrape to get them out. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce and a sprinkling of cheese if desired. Cover pan with foil. 
6. Store in fridge until ready to bake. Keep foil on pan (make sure the cheese isn't touching the foil!) and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes to crisp up the burritos. 

Serve with sour cream and salsa. Diced avocado is a plus! :)

Carrot Cake {Cupcakes}

Carrot Cake {Cupcakes}

Ingredients:

- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions: 

1. Sift together dry ingredients and then mix in oil, eggs and carrots. Stir in nuts if desired. 

2. Fill cupcake papers (or greased muffin tins) to about 2/3 full. 

3. Bake for 12-15 minutes (or until set in the middle) in a 350 degree oven. 

4. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting. (see recipe below)

Cream Cheese {Frosting} (Courtesy of Martha Stewart Original recipe is here)
Ingredients:

- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)

- 1 stick butter, cut into pieces (softened)

- 1 cup powdered sugar

- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl of a standing mixer. Beat until creamy. 

2. Gradually add butter and continue beating until smooth and well blended.

3. Sift in powdered sugar, and continue beating until smooth

4. Add vanilla and stir to combine.

Decorate cupcakes with a sprinkling of cinnamon and candy carrots, peas, and radishes. To make carrots, slightly soften some Starburst candies, and roll them into desired shapes. Top with some sort of green candy (Jess used jelly beans, but green twizzlers would work too.) For in depth instructions on making carrots, go here. Go here for more inspiration. 

Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup
adapted slightly from here


Ingredients:
-1/2 lbs. Bacon, chopped
-1 medium yellow onion, minced
-2 celery stalks, minced
-2 carrots, shredded
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-4 large russet potatoes (3 lbs 5 oz in my batch)
-32 oz. Fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
-1/4 c. Butter
-1/4 c. Flour
-2 1/2 c. Milk (1% is what I used)
-3/4 tsp. Salt
-Ground black pepper, to taste
-1/8-1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
-1/2 c. Sour cream (I used light)


Toppings: (not included in PointsPlus values)
-Extra bacon, if desired
-Extra sour cream, if desired
-shredded cheddar cheese, if desired
-chopped green onions, if desired


1. Begin by preparing your vegetables: I chopped my potatoes in large chunks, about 1 inch cubed (though they varied in size greatly.) I wanted to have a chunky potato soup, so I left them in large chunks. I left the skins on, but you don't have to. Mince the onion as fine as you are able without driving yourself crazy. To mince the celery, start by cutting the stalks down into smaller pieces, then split the pieces length wise and mince. At this point I was tired of mincing, so I got out my grater to shred the carrot instead of mince it. It was much faster. Rinse your cutting board, and cut your bacon into small pieces.


2. In a large stock pot, cook the bacon pieces over medium heat until cooked through and crispy (but not too crispy). Set aside bacon on paper towels to drain off fat. Put a couple paper towels in the stock pot to soak up the bacon grease. (Then put them in your yard waste or compost bin!) :)


3. In the same stock pot, put a small amount of the chicken broth. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Cook until tender. (About 5 minutes)


4. Add the remaining broth and potatoes. (The potatoes weren't fully covered by the broth, don't worry if this is the case for you as well, they will cook down!) Cover and simmer over medium heat for 25-35 minutes, until potatoes are nearly soft when poked with a fork. Reduce heat to low. Cover.


5. In medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Once melted add flour, whisking constantly. Whisk for about a minute. Mixture should be bubbling and thick. Slowly, about a couple tablespoons at a time, add milk. Whisking constantly. Once all of milk is incorporated, add salt, pepper and optional nutmeg. Stir. Continue to stir for a minute or two for the mixture to thicken. Add thickened milk to potato soup base.


6. Continue to cook soup covered, over low heat for an additional 15-20 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Once potatoes have begun to break down, and thicken soup, add sour cream. Stir well, cook for a minute or two longer and serve. Top with toppings as desired.


Yields 16 cups
Serves 8 generously (2 cup servings)
=9 PointsPlus
(or Serves 10 (1 1/2 cup servings) for 7 PointsPlus per serving)


Enjoy! :)

Thick cut potatoes (I cubed them further, of course.)

Shredded carrot, minced celery, and mince onion on the bottom. I used a napkin to separate them from the potatoes. 

Yum! It looks like there is cheese in this, but there isn't. That is simply some of the carrot shining through. It kind of tricked me into thinking there was some cheese in mine though. :)

Taco Soup

A week or two ago I was looking for a recipe for taco soup. A friend had made some a few months ago and it was so delicious I wanted to try myself. I could have asked her for the recipe, but it was the night I wanted to make it, so I decided to just google it. I have tweaked a recipes.com recipe... enjoy!

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 onion, chopped (I never add the onion)

1 (1 ounce) package of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (I was so surprised at this one, but it makes the soup)

1 package taco seasoning mix (1 ounce)

1 can of pinto beans

1 can kidney or chili beans

1 can corn (or frozen corn)

1- 2 cans diced tomatoes ( can use Mexican-style or regular)

1 can tomato sauce

1 can diced green chiles

Directions:

1. Cook ground beef and onions until browned. Then drain.

2. Add ranch dressing and taco seasoning to the beef.

3. Transfer to a large pot and then add all other ingredients. Add a small amount of water to stretch the soup.

4. Simmer for one hour.

It is a pretty simple recipe. You can add or substitute ingredients as desired. A must is to have sour cream and grated cheese (and/or olives) to put on when serving it. Tortilla chips or fritos can also be added. It makes about 8-10 adult servings. Freeze half and then you've got a meal to pull out later. Tonight I have taken out our leftovers to enjoy!

Pictures to come later.

Ham and Spinach Frittata

Ham and Spinach Frittata

6 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup spinach - chopped
1/3 cup ham
1/2 cup onion
1 tsp pepper
pinch of salt (the ham

Heat oven to 375

Sautee onion with butter in pan. Wisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper together. Add Spinach, Ham, and cooked onion.

Pour into greased glass pie plate. Cook for about 20 minutes. (Check to see if egg is runny in the middle)

Serve with sour cream or toast.

Easy Peasy,
Enjoy!

Turkey Chili

Hey Gang! So two things I wanted to share. One, three weeks ago I signed up for a meal-planning tool called Emeals. So far, it's been pretty good. I like that it challenges me to try new things, but without having to come up with all the ideas and the shopping lists! Downside: we don't 'love' ALL the meals. Some are just so-so. Let me know if you have more questions about it. For me, it's always been a HUGE challenge planning our meals, so this was a good bet. Already I have tried a few new dishes and they are ones I would make again, even for company! (Or sick people. The old-fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup was a hit with us)

My second thing is actually to share a recipe that I made separate from Emeals. I actually got the idea from All Recipe. I am going to just copy and paste the main recipe, but then I will tell you how I altered it because I did and it turned out really good. So good, in fact, that I actually got 3rd place in our Chili Cook-Off at church! Not bad, considering it was THE FIRST time I've every made chili! Ha; go figure.

Anyway, the turkey meat was a big hit, but also using the taco seasoning. If you like taco seasoning, it's perfect, if you don't want that overwhelming taste I would recommend using about half the package instead of all of it.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 (7 ounce) can salsa
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or coarsely chopped tomatoes packed in puree
• 1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble turkey into the pot, stirring with a wooden spoon to break apart as much as possible. Season with taco seasoning mix, coriander, oregano, chili flakes, and tomato paste, and mix until meat is evenly coated with seasonings. Continue cooking, reducing heat if necessary, until turkey is well browned.
2. Pour in beef broth, and simmer to reduce liquid slightly, about 5 minutes. Add salsa, tomatoes, and green chilies, and continue cooking at a moderate simmer for ten minutes. Adjust the thickness at any time you feel necessary by adding water.
3. While chili is still cooking, heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion and green bell pepper, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent and bell pepper is lightly browned. Add onion and bell pepper to the chili, and continue cooking at a very low simmer.
4. In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, and cook stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the zucchini to the chili, reduce heat, and continue cooking 15 minutes more. Again, adjust the consistency with water as needed.
5. Ladle chili into serving bowls. Top with sour cream, green onion, and cheddar cheese, and serve.

Ok, so here are my modifications:

-since I am not a huge cooked tomato fan (well, I like them, just not a ton of it) I only used half the can of crushed tomatoes. 

-I left out the tomato paste entirely (even though it's only a little bit) I did not want my chili to be dominated by tomato taste. 

-added a bigger more salsa, and I always use the refrigerated salsa in a tub from the store. It's much fresher and better. (I know I just said I didn't like too much tomato - but something about the flavor of the salsa was different and yummier than just straight tomatoes)

-Don't skimp on the toppings: sour cream, green onions, and cheddar cheese really make it great!

Well, don't be mad, but I am going to have to break my own rule and not post a picture of my meal. In my defense, I made this two Sunday's ago and didn't think to post it on here until now! :) You still love me, right??

Espresso Brownies

Springer's Espresso Brownies
(A recipe given to me by a social worker I work with)
Ingredients:
-4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (I only had semisweet, and went with that.)
-2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
-3-4 tablespoons Medaglia d'Oro ground espresso
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-4 large eggs
-2 cups granulated sugar
-1 cup unbleached flour, stirred with a whisk before measuring
-chopped walnuts (optional) (if you add these they will alter the points values as I did not use them)

1. Melt chocolate with butter very gently. Once melted add espresso and vanilla. Let cool to lukewarm.
2. In medium sized bowl, beat eggs with sugar. Once chocolate has cooled, add it to the sugar mixture.
3. Gently fold in flour, just until absorbed. (Don't beat once flour has been added). Fold in nuts if using.
4. Scrape batter into buttered and floured pan (8x8 or 9x12)
5. Bake at 325 if pan is glass, or 350 if using a metal pan.
6. Bake about 25 minutes but start testing early. When toothpick inserted in center comes out with damp crumbs (but not liquid) remove to rack to cool. Cool for 30 minutes or more before cutting. 

They have a  mocha flavor that I like a lot. But I would not say that these are the world's best brownies either. That being said, I would definitely make them again. And I would probably still use the semisweet chocolate. I don't feel like the brownies were overpoweringly sweet. But when I measured out the sugar, I did go just under 2 cups. They come out fudgey and chewy, just how a brownie should be. (In my opinion!)


I used a 9x13 glass pan, and cut 54 brownies out (6 rows by 9 columns). Enjoy! 1 square = 2 points; 2 squares =5 points; 3 squares =7 points. (if you make them as I did, and cut them as small as I did as well. :) )