Easy, Peasy Recipes -- Cooking

A couple of years ago, I caught an Emeril Lagasse episode -- I think it was "Time for Turkey" -- where he said that turkey was for more than just Thanksgiving. He went on to talk about all the benefits and why it is healthier than beef. I can't remember what all the reasons were, but bottom line turkey is healthier. Apparently I was convinced because I started buying ground turkey instead of beef and I have been doing it ever since. Everything from meatloaf to Hamburger Helper to goulash, I started using turkey and nobody even noticed the difference.

My meatloaf recipe has evolved quite a bit over the last couple of years and I think I have pretty much perfected it at this point. The recipe I tweaked originally came from the back of a cracker box, Kroger Wheat Saltines to be exact. That is a good recipe, but one day I didn't have any crackers to crunch up into the mix, so I used some Kroger Chicken Stuffing mix instead. Oh man, good thing I didn't have any crackers because that stuffing mix sealed the deal. Now I buy stuffing mix just for meatloaf. Sometimes I cook in a loaf pan, but recently I have been cooking it in muffin pans. This makes a perfect serving size for the kids and it cooks faster for those nights I am starting late.

Keri's Meatloaf
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup barbeque sauce
several dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of stuffing mix
1 egg
salt and pepper

Mix it all together. Spoon into muffin pan -- one pound of meat makes six muffins, double the recipe for more. These cook at 350 for about 20 minutes. Awesome!!
My family loves this recipe and with some good mashed potatoes and a can of green beans -- this is a great filling meal.

No, I am not talking about the spiky creature you see here. Porcupines are something I remember from my distant childhood. My mom used to make these quite a bit, probably when I was in elementary school. There was a huge lapse of time (15 years) and I said to her, "Mom, what about those porcupines you used to make." She dug out the recipe and we remembered why we like them.

Porcupines
2 lb meat
onion powder
2 eggs
worcestershire sauce
cup or so of cooked white or brown rice
salt and pepper
tomato soup

Mix everything but the tomato soup together and make meatballs, fairly large ones, about the size of the palm of your hand. Cook them on the stove in a stew pot in the tomato soup mixed with worcestershire sauce. I have also cooked these in the crockpot over night or through the day. Very yummy!

Another recipe my husband especially likes is ghoulash. But the ghoulash I make today is not his mother's recipe. I will give you both recipes here. There is not a good reason that this has changed the way it has -- it just has.

Sandy's (my mother-in-law) ghoulash
1 large can Ranch style beans
1 can Spanish rice
1 lb ground turkey

Brown turkey. Add beans and rice.

Keri's ghoulash
1 lb ground turkey
1 large can Ranch style beans
1 pkg taco seasoning
2 cups cooked white or brown rice

Brown turkey, then add seasoning per directions. Add beans and rice.

Hers, as you can see, is one step easier, but I never buy Spanish rice, so this works great for us. I like to serve it with lots of cheese and tortilla chips. Shelby adds hot sauce (salsa) and lots of times he eats it in a tortilla.

You cannot go wrong with these recipes.

I must give credit for this one to the same friend who provided the corn casserole recipe (you know who you are). I am actually looking forward to making this again soon as the cool fall weather is upon us. This is a wonderful creamy mixture of all the good veggies and, of course, lots of garlic. Slightly labor intensive, what with all the chopping, but totally worth it.

Garlic Soup
2 medium onions, chopped
16 cloves of garlic, chopped (I used the already chopped stuff because I am a wuss.)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
4 T. of butter
1 1/2 quarts of chicken stock
2-3 medium potatoes, chopped
several sprigs of fresh tyme, tied together (I used the ground stuff as I never have fresh)
1 tsp pepper
3-4 yellow crookneck squash
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions, garlic and celery gently in butter until soft. Add chicken stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil and skim. Add thyme and pepper. Simmer, covered until potatoes are tender. Add squash and simmer about 10 more minutes, until squash is tender. Puree soup with a handheld blender or regular blender. If soup is too thick, thin with a little water -- I actually like mine to be a little thick. Season to taste. Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese.

What else is there to say -- you have to try this!

I don't know where this recipe came from but I think my grandmother started making this way back in the day and it has actually evolved quite a bit since then. My mom and I make it now every other time we get together (usually once a year). It is total and complete comfort food.

1 1/2 bags Fritos
2 or 3 small cans of boned chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 jar queso (Tostito's brand is what we use or plain Cheese Whiz if you don't like it too spicy)
1 small can chopped green chilies
1/2 can of water
shredded cheese (we use Mexican blend, of course)

Heat soups, chilies, chicken, and queso in a sauce pan, stirring to mix. Add water if the mixture is too thick. We use the biggest casserole dish I have -- a 13 x 9. Put a layer of Fritos, then a layer of sauce, then a layer of shredded cheese. Repeat at least once, then cover the whole thing with more shredded cheese. Heat in the oven at 350 until the cheese melts, about 20-30 minutes. Heavenly, cheesy, spicy goodness. Total and complete comfort food.

I made this recipe several times for girlfriends after they had babies. I got this recipe from a co-worker at the time and it is super easy and delicious. This can also easily be halfed for smaller portions.

Chicken Pot Pie
2 cans mixed vegetables
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of potato soup
2 cans cooked chicken or you can cook and dice as much chicken as you like
pie crust, ready made

Empty all the cans into a large casserole dish, stir. Cover with pie crust, a large casserole dish will take two crusts. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes, until crust is brown and insides are bubbling. Serve it up.

I would always use a foil pan to cook this up in when giving it to a friend so they didn't have to worry about returning dishes. Like I said, it would be easy to half this and bake it in an 8x8 inch baking dish or make it bigger if you like. This is great for those cold winter days.

Now, I am originally from Texas, so the only real and true barbeque is brisket smoked for hours in my Pappaw's homemade smoker. This isn't his recipe but my other granddad's recipe, my dad's dad. My dad came to visit us a couple of years ago and he made this for us as a treat; I made it recently when we had family to visit and it was heavenly.

First you have to buy a brisket and on the Western Slope of Colorado that is no small thing. I can usually find one at the supermarket at any given time, if that, so if I want one, I better pay for it and run.

This is an easy, peasy recipe because most of your time is spent planning, marinating and cooking. Actual work time is small compared to the amount of enjoyment you will have while eating.

Trim the fat off of the meat.
Rub it down with the following ingredients:
1 tsp garlic salt and onion salt
1 1/2 tsp celery salt
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
Then let it sit for several hours, overnight if possible, or through the day if you are going to cook through the night.
Cover with foil. Cook at 275 for 7-8 hours or 1 1/2 hours per pound of meat.

Oh, yeah -- we started picking at the meat as soon as it came out of the oven. It was just falling apart yummy. (Save one cup of the broth off the brisket for the sauce.)

When I made it last, we made it one day, picked at it until the next day and then I reheated it with the following sauce.

1/2 cup sugar or less (to taste)
1 cup barbeque sauce
1 cup broth off of the brisket or beef broth
1 cup Russian dressing
Mix together, pour over meat and reheat.

Absolutely heavenly.

This recipe evolved from a recipe I found in a Cooking Light magazine a couple of years ago. I was looking for Tex-mex recipes since we couldn't find any good restaurants where we were living at the time in Virginia. The Mexican food there is just not the same as what you find in Texas, obviously. The "Mexicans" in Virginia are from a different part of Latin America than the ones in Texas. I loved this recipe as it appeared in the magazine but I had to adjust it to suit my family. I will give you both recipes here so you can decide what fits your family better.

Keri's Black Beans and Chicken Enchiladas
3-4 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
2 cans black beans
1 tsp Creole seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
8-10 large flour tortillas
shredded Mexican blend cheese

Enchilada sauce (I got this recipe from cooksrecipes.com)
2 T. canola oil
2 T. flour
2 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 can tomato sauce (I have been known to use spaghetti sauce as it is often the only tomato based product in my house, this adds a slightly different flavor each time I make this depending on the sauce I have)
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

I usually mix the sauce before I start the enchiladas.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan; stir in the flour and chili powder, cook for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. I use what I need then freeze the rest for next time.

For the enchiladas:
Mix the cooked chicken, black beans and all of the spices together in a bowl. Put a big spoonful of chicken mixture, a big spoonful of enchilada sauce and some shredded cheese in a tortilla and wrap. Place in a large casserole dish. Repeat until dish is full. Spoon several spoonfuls of sauce over the enchiladas, not soaking them -- I just use enough to coat the enchiladas, enough to make sure they do not dry out in the oven, then cover them with shredded cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or so, until the cheese is melted. This is perfect for my family. I put sour cream on mine when I serve them, my husband usually adds hot sauce (salsa).

Cooking Light's Black Bean - Chicken - Spinach Enchiladas
1 cup chopped, cooked chicken
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 tsp Creole seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 recipe Spinach Madeleine (2 cups)
1 (8 oz) container of sour cream
8 (8 inch) tortillas
1 (12 oz) block Monterey Jack cheese, shredded and divided

Combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside. Stir together Spinach Madeleine (see below for recipe) and sour cream until well blended.
Spoon about 1/2 cup black bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top each with 1/3 cup Spinach Madeleine mixture and sprinkle with 3 T. cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a lightly greased 11 x 7 baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over top.
Bake, covered, at 350 for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 more minutes until cheese is melted.

Both of these recipes are great and adaptable. Use different beans, beef instead of chicken, whatever you want to do to make it your own. That is what cooking is about.

Thank you to the comment below for reminding me that this recipe has a can of Ro-tel in it. I completely forgot.

I am not sure when my mom started making this recipe. I seem to think it was not long after I got married. This is a super easy crockpot recipe -- you can cook it all day or all night. It makes the house smell scrumptious. Great for these cold CO winters.

Taco Soup
1 lb ground meat (once again, I use turkey)
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can Ranch style beans
1 can hominy, white or yellow
I can Ro-tel tomatoes
1 pkg taco seasoning (the original recipe also calls for a pkg of Ranch dressing mix as well, but I have taken to leaving this out due to cost and it doesn't make a wit of difference.)
1 can of water

Brown the meat. Put everything into the crockpot and stir. Cook on low for as long as you need to. I usually do all day. You can add as much or as little water as you like. I like mine to be pretty thick, so I don't add very much. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and salsa. Keeps your bones warm in the winter.

KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer, Empire Red

OvenStuff Non-Stick Six Piece Covered with Handles Bakeware Set
White

Pyrex Smart Essentials 8-Piece Mixing Bowl Set

Progressive International 19-Piece Measuring Set

Pyrex Prepware 2-Cup Measuring Cup, Clear with Red Measurements

Farberware Soft Touch 9-by-5-Inch Loaf Pan