Crock Pot Pork Carnitas & Crock Pot Pinto Beans

Just wanted to share this recipe that has delighted my family twice in the last 10 days--  it's easy as pie & I've altered it to be completely done in the crock pot.

Here's the link to the original:
Simple Carnitas Recipe

Here's how I've adjusted it:

CROCK POT CARNITAS
Turn your crock pot on high & put in these ingredients:

• 3-4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 Oranges, peeled & quartered
• 1-2 Onions, peeled & quartered
• 1 whole head garlic, peeled & chopped
• 1/4 cup salt (kosher/sea salt would be better, but table salt works fine for us)
• 2 Tbsp oregano
• 1 Tbsp pepper
• 2 bay leaves

Add hot water until meat is just covered inside crock.  Cook on high for 4 hours, OR cook on high for 1 hour and then reduce to low & cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork; reserve juices in crock pot.  The meat is delightfully tender, so simply use 2 forks to shred the meat.

Use for carnitas tacos/burritos, garnishing with cheese, salsa, beans, lettuce, tomatoes; or use as a tender flavorful meat over mashed potatoes; or for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches.  

CROCK POT PINTO BEANS
A great part of doing it this way is that because you removed the pork from the juices, there is a flavorful broth in which to cook your pinto beans.  You can either start right away, or refrigerate the juice overnight and make it the next day.

• Leftover cooking broth from pork carnitas
• 1 pound pinto beans, with any bad beans sorted/removed

All you have to do is pour your 1 pound of beans into the reserved juices from the carnitas, then set your crock pot to high for 3-4 hours, and cook on low an additional 2 or more; OR you can cook on low for 7-8 hours.  The beans are amazingly flavorful; just be sure to use a slotted spoon to remove the orange quarters and large onion slices before serving the beans.

These could be used for bean & cheese nachos, as a side item for Mexican food, in chili, or whatever else you want to use them for.  They are so very tasty!

Sweet Potato Casserole

(for future reference)

Sweet Potato Casserole3 lg. sweet potatoes
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten

Topping:
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans or oats
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter, melted

Remove skins and ends of potatoes. Chop into appropriate pieces and boil 'til tender. Whip with electric beaters. Add butter and sugar to warm potatoes and continue mixing. Add milk, vanilla, and eggs. Mix well. Put in a buttered casserole dish (about 8 X 12".) Mix topping ingredients and crumble on top of casserole. Bake 25-30 min. at 350 degrees. Serves 8-10.

Chinese Green Beans

This is my FAVORITE way to eat green beans, taught to me by a friend who was born and lived in China until she was about 40 years old.  It is packed with flavor and absolutely delicious.

• Buy fresh green beans from the produce section.  (1 pound will make one serving for a family of four.  2 pounds will give you enough for either a couple families, or to have a bit for leftovers.)
• 1-2 large yellow sweet vidalia onions, sliced.
• garlic (either 2 garlic heads or 2 Tbsp. of garlic), chopped
• Salt & Pepper
• Canola oil

(1) Take your green beans to a cutting board and line them up, 10-20 at a time, with the ends all pushed to the same height, and then cut off the ends.  Flip the beans, line them back up, and cut off the opposite ends as well.  

(2) Take each bean, and slice end to end in long lines (3-4 long, skinny slices to a bean pod).  Place in a separate mixing bowl/plate.

(3) Repeat steps 1 & 2 until you're through the whole bunch.

(4) Pour enough canola oil into the frying pan to cover the bottom of the pan, and heat over high heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

(5) Place the thin onion slices into the oil & cook until softened and they become more caramelized.

(6) Next, pour the green beans over the top of the onions, and carefully stir and fold the green beans until all are moistened with oil.  Then, top with a lid and leave to cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so (replacing the lid each time).   The heat should stay on high heat.   About 10 minutes into cooking, add in garlic and season with salt & pepper, and cook at least 5 minutes longer.  Once the beans are a nice dark green color and softened, and the onions are all browned, remove from heat and serve.

I hope you love these as much as I do!!!   Enjoy.

Spanish Rice

Long-grain rice

Vegetable oil

Tomato paste

water

garlic salt

chicken bouillion cubes

red pepper flakes

In a small omelet-size frying pan (or the bottom of a saucepan), cover the bottom in corn oil. (***If you have extra or want to include it, you can toss in one small chopped onion to the oil at this point.***) Then add in the amount of rice you'd like to use (we generally do 1-2 cups for our family if we're having it as an add-on to our meal). Saute just a minute or two until the rice turns clear and is coated in the oil.

Then, cook rice as you normally would, but to your normal rice & water pot, FOR EACH CUP OF RICE, add in:

• 2 cups water
• 1-2 tsp. tomato sauce
• 1/2-1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 chicken bouillion cube
• red pepper flakes to taste.

Cuban-style Black Beans

This recipe is for a 1 kg bag of black beans. To do a 1-pound bag, you'd need to divide everything in this recipe by half, and then use slightly less than that amount. Sorry I can't be more specific.

Ingredients:

1000 g. bag dried black beans (sort them, and pull out any bad beans or -gasp!- stones)

1-2 garlic heads, crushed

4 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 bay leaf

4 Tbsp. olive oil

2 lg. yellow onions, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 Tbsp. cumin

2 jalepeno peppers, seeded & chopped

4 Tbsp. vinegar (I use lemon vinegar, it's all we have here, and it works fine.)

salt & pepper to taste

STEP ONE:

Presoak the beans. Choose one of the following (don't do both):

• Boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and let stand for 2 hours. (I prefer this method, and think the beans are less smushy this way.)
• Soak beans for 8 hours overnight in fridge.

After soaking beans, drain in strainer & rinse with cool water.

STEP TWO:

Return beans to pot or dutch oven. Then add:

• 8 c. water
• 12+ cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 Tbsp. crushed oregano
• 1 bay leaf

Bring to boil. Simmer 2 hours. Drain & return to pot.

STEP THREE:

In small skillet, heat 4 tsp. olive oil. Add 2 lg onions (chopped) & chopped red bell pepper. Heat until softened. Add 2 Tbsp cumin & 2 seeded & chopped jalepeno peppers. Heat 1 minute more.

STEP FOUR:

Add 4 Tbsp. vinegar & onion mixture to beans. Salt & pepper to taste.

If desired, these beans can then be mixed with 2 cups of rice to make black beans and rice, or added to soups, casseroles, Black Bean & Corn salsa (add in chopped red onions, 1 bag frozen corn, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and 2 chopped tomatoes), or any other Mexican dish you can dream up. We often use them as one of the options for make-your-own burritos with large groups of guests. They're delicious just by themselves too! Enjoy!

Homemade Ranch-- this is so easy!

For years, I've used the Hidden Valley Ranch packets, never knowing I could make my own (better tasting!) ranch from scratch for super easy.

MIX THE FOLLOWING:

• 1 c. mayo
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 14-20 fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp dried dill (fresh is even tastier)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  
• salt & pepper to taste

Refrigerate and eat! YUM!

Dill Potato Salad

Oh yummy. This is my favorite summer dish, thanks to my friend Kelly. YUM, yum, yum!


Dill Potato Salad

• 5 pounds smallish new-potato style potatoes
• 4-8 ounces cream cheese (this is optional, if you don't want it, add a bit more mayo and sour cream to make up for it)
• 3/4 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup of sour cream or plain yogurt
• 5-6 green onions, chopped (both whites & greens chopped finely)
• roughly 1/2 cup of fresh chopped dill (I just chop up one bunch-- but not stems)
• 1/4- 1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley
• Garlic, garlic salt, & salt to taste

1. Get potatoes that have only a very thin edible skin(cause the skin stays on for these). Clean em. Cut them into roughly 1 inch chunks (it can be slightly less or more... this is not an exact science). Cover them with water & boil for 15-20 minutes, until a fork can go through the potato, but NOT until they are fall-apart soft. Then remove from heat, drain in a pasta strainer, and let cool.

2. Return to pot or a large serving bowl. Dump in all other ingredients and stir. Be sure to add enough salt... the taste of this potato salad has to have enough salt to really be appreciated.

OH me oh my, this potato salad is the only kind I've ever liked- and I don't just like it; I love it! Hopefully you will too.

"Embarrassingly Easy Recipes" from some friends...

... feel free to try these. I'm just copying and pasting them here so I can revisit them later. All of the instructions, etc, are my friends' words (not mine). The prompt for all these recipes was someone asking for "embarrassingly easy recipes that get rave reviews", and I just pulled out the ones that sound good for the things that our family likes. Enjoy!

And let me know if you try any of these, how they work for you and your family!


Peanut Butter Cookies ~from Michelle
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Just mix it together and drop by the spoonful on a cookie sheet. I stick them in at 350 for about 14 minutes.


Italian Chicken Bake ~from Nancy
Cut up several medium potatoes into wedges (I use one per person)
Sprinkle with salt & pepper
Slice one onion and layer over potatoes
Slice one green pepper and layer over onions. (I sometimes use one red, one green for color.)
Pour one large can crushed tomatoes over this.
Top with chicken thighs (one per person or more)
Brush olive oil over chicken thighs, salt & pepper skin.
Slice into 1" pieces one pound italian sausage and wedge between chicken.
Bake at 375 until chicken is crispy...about an hour and 10 minutes.

I serve this with bread and salad, and can make it for four or forty!! It's really very flavorful!

Salsa Chicken ~ From Monica
Brown cut up chicken breasts in a little bit of oil in a skillet. Add a LARGE jar (28 oz) of salsa. Simmer for about 10 min. Serve over pasta. YUM!

Pasta with broccoli and chicken ~From Tanya
Bake three chicken breasts with a little garlic salt
Boil 3 cups of rotini
Steam 2 cups of broccoli
Saute a cup of mushrooms in butter.

Cube chicken and toss together with mushroom, broccoli and pasta. Drizzle a little butter on top and season with garlic salt. Quick and very good.


GARLIC CHICKEN- My picky 10 year old's favorite! ~From bearcreek
Need: Whole chicken, cut up. Ovenproof skillet with lid.

Coat w/olive oil.
Salt and pepper.
Brown both sides.
Meanwhile, peel 10 cloves garlic, 10 shallots.
Cut shallots in half.
Get some rosemary, thyme, and maybe some Italian parlsey from garden (or fridge) wash it.

Tuck herbs, shallots, and garlic in and around chicken.
Pour 1/2 cup of olive oil over chicken.
Put in oven at 350 with lid on for 1 and 1/2 hours.
Done. Total time in front of stove: 10 minutes.
So many possibilities to go with this delicious garlic sauce, use your imaginations. Great on bread!!!


Easy Chicken Divan ~From Jennifer
cooked chicken breast
cut up broccoli
1 can Campbell's healthy request Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Campbell's healthy request Cream of Mushroom soup
Parmesan cheese

Layer chicken breast and broccoli in a lightly greased 9x13 pan (chicken then broccoli works best, IMO). Mix the soup and 1/4-1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese and spread over the broccoli. If you like more sauce you can add another can of soup. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top covering the soup pretty well (it makes a pretty golden-brown topping). Bake at 350 for about 1/3-3/4 hour or until it's bubbly. Serve with steamed rice. mmmmm


Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball ~From Julie

In a large mixing bowl, beat 1 pkg. cream cheese (softened), 1/2 C. butter, softened, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla. Gradually add 3/4 C. confectioners sugar and 2 T. brown sugar. Stir in 3/4 C. mini chocolate chips. Cover and chill for 1 hour (or I do it overnight). Shape in ball and you can then roll in 3/4 C. finely chopped pecans. Serve with chocolate or regular graham crackers.


Chicken Without a Name ~From Tonya
I always get compliments on this chicken and it's super easy

Put your chicken pieces on your baking pan or cookie sheet. Top each piece with a spoonful of brown sugar and kind of spread it around with the spoon (make sure you don't stick it back into the brown sugar package!) or your fingers. Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt and pepper. Bake like you normally would chicken pieces and that's it.


Presto Pralines
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine [Note: I usually use all butter, but you do need to use at least 1 stick real butter]
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
12 whole graham crackers [fits perfectly in a 15x10 pan; if your pan is a bit smaller, use what will fit]

Spray jelly roll-type pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with the graham crackers (if they break in half, don't worry -- you may have to break some of them to fit anyway)

In a heavy 2-quart or larger sauce pan, combine butter and brown sugar; cover over low heat, uncovered, until butter is melted. Raise heat to medium and bring mixture to boil. Once it has reached a boil, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to low and cook for 1 more minute more, stirring constantly, until butter and brown sugar are well combined.

Remove from heat, stir in pecans, then spoon mixture over graham crackers. (Don't worry if crackers are not completely covered; the mixture will spread during baking).

Bake uncovered for 8 minutes. While still warm, cut or break them into halves (or smaller). Let cool completely; store in airtight tin. 24+ cookies.

(No doubt about it, this is an artery clogger, but you'll hear moans when people start eating these. And the recipe looks more complicated written down -- it's very easy and fast)


Taco Goulash ~from CrochetMama
Brown 1 lb. lean ground beef with onion (fresh, frozen, or dehydrated - amount is your preference). Then add: 15 oz. can rinsed black beans, 14-1/2 oz can diced tomatoes (with liquid), 1-2 Cups frozen corn, 1/4 Cup (or 1 pkg.) taco seasoning, and 3/4 Cup water. Heat through . . . then serve on chips, salad, tortillas (your choice!) - and top with grated cheddar cheese.


chocolate chip muffins made w/pumpkin: ~from Liesl
1 cake mix, any flavor (chocolate is the BEST; spice is great too)
1 can pumpkin (16oz)
1 cup chocolate chips

mix it all together, and bake at 350* according to which type pan - we have made muffins, a 13x9, and layers too.


Hot Dill Dip ~rodalena
Heat oven to 350.

Take one block of cream cheese and place on 2 triangles of refrigerator cresent rolls. Sprinkle the top of the cream cheese with dill weed. Cover the top of the cream cheese block with 2 more triangles of dough. Pinch the sides and top and bottom together to seal the cream cheese inside the rolls. Spread one egg yolk over the top, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. Serve hot with your favorite crackers or dipping veggies.

Believe me, it won't have time to cool down.


Easy Homemade (thus no additives or preservatives) Chicken Fingers: ~sourceofjoy

Mix: 1 1/4 cup flour, 2 cups corn flake crumbs(they can be bought this way), 2 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. paprika and 3/4 tsp. coarse pepper.

In another bowl mix 2 eggs (beaten), and 1/4 cup buttermilk.

Cut up ~ 3 lb. chicken breasts into strips. Add chicken to egg mixture and stir till moistened. Add chicken to dry mixture, a few at a time, coat and place onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet(this way clean up is a cinch, chicken doesn't stick to parchment paper and cookie sheet doesn't get baked on hard to clean grime on it). Melt some butter and dot over the chicken strips. Bake at 425F for about 12-15 min. Serves ~8.


Cola Roast, from Fix It and Forget It Cookbook...it just doesn't get any better, or easier, than this! ~shared by Rachel

Ingredients: Roast beef (I've used many different ones but my favorites are the sirloin tip roasts.
1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix
1 can Coke (not diet)

Put roast in crock pot. Put soup mix over roast. Pour Coke over all of it. Cook until done! It is SOOOO good, and so tender. I get asked about this every time I serve it to guests.


Baked Creamy Chicken ~From Jill
Put chicken, breasts, cut up pieces or bonelesss in a casserole dish. Top with 2 -3 cans of Golden Mushroom Soup, cover and bake for about an hour till chicken is done. Serve over rice or with mashed potatoes. The gravy is awesome. You may want to add a bit of water if it seems to thick. I usually uncover the last 15 minutes or so.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole ~From Kristy
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 bag nacho cheese Doritos (store brand works, too)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup enchilada sauce
shredded cheese

Mix chicken with crushed chips and add remaining ingredients. Add more broth or enchilada sauce for more moisture. Place into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.


Easy Crockpot Chicken ~From Reese
Place thawed boneless chicken in CP, pour over one can of chicken broth, sprinkle with one envelope dry Italian dressing mix (I use Good Seasons). Cook on low all day (10 hours or so). You can cook some noodles in the broth and it's very tasty.


French Bread recipe if you have a Bosch kitchen machine. ~From Toni
5 cups of flour
1 tbls. Yeast
1 tbls. Olive oil
2 ½ cups of warm water (might need a bit more depending on the humidity in your house)
1 tbls. Salt
Throw it all in the Bosch and mix until the dough cleans the sides. Mix for 2 minutes on low and then put in greased bowl. Let rise for at least 2 hours but all day is great too. Shape into whatever shape loaves you want, cover and let rise until they are the size you want and then bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. I have discovered that if I throw in a few ice cubes in the bottom of the oven when I put the loaves in, it makes the crust even better!
If you want pretty loaves, after you remove the loaves from the oven, brush with a mixture of water and egg white for shiny loaves.


Easy Stuffed Manacotti ~From Bean
1 lb. ground meat
1 onion (fresh or frozen)
1 pkg. manacotti shells
1 lg. jar spaghetti sauce
12 mozzarella cheese sticks (string cheese)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the manacotti shells according to the directions. Brown the ground meat with the onion and drain. Mix in the sauce. Cover the bottom of a 9x12 baker with some of the meat sauce mixture. Stuff each manacotti shell with one cheese stick and arrange them in the pan. Cover with the rest of the meat sauce. Bake at 350 until bubbly and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top ten minutes before done.

This is so yummy and I never, never make lasagna anymore!


Sante Fe Chicken ~From Kathy
Place 4-6 boneless chicken breast in crockpot. cover with 1-2 cans of black beans, some frozen corn and salsa. Cook on low all day or high 4 hours. 30 minutes before serving, shred chicken, it will be tender and shred easily. Then cube 8 oz of cream cheese and put into crock pot. Stir and let cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve over rice or on tortillas.


Dip for Apple Slices ~From HSisfun
8oz cream cheese
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped peanuts

Beat together 1st 3 ingredients & stir in other 2 ingredients. Sit down w/a big bowl of sliced apples and devour only as much as your tummy can manage. :-)


Chicken rice (as my dc call it) ~From Jennie
1 cup whole grain rice
2 cups water
(or if you use more rice, you can do 1 /2 to 3 of water...0
1 Tbsp olive oil or butter
1Tbsp dried Parsley
S/P to taste
1 whole chicken

Put all in a big pot with the chicken on top. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to simmer for an hour. that's it. Add a veggie and it's a meal. The chicken does not brown, but it falls off the bone.


Roasted Garlic ~From Jael
Take a whole, unpeeled head of garlic and slice off the top (the pointy end) to reveal most of the individual cloves. Wrap the head in aluminum foil, leaving the top open and drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the exposed cloves. Close up the foil so that it is well sealed, and roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. (I use the toaster oven when I do just 1 or 2.) You will know when it is done by the smell, and when it is squishy and soft. A sprinkle of salt will enhance the flavor. Just serve this with an excellent french bread, you can squeeze each clove and spread it with a knife. It is easy, delicious, and so good for you!


PASTA W/ LEFTOVERS ~From Meghan

1. Make pasta according to directions, any shape. Mix with 1 small can chopped tomatoes and 1 jar spaghetti sauce. Stir in generous amount of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. My kids love this! Additions: cooked hamburger or chicken or Italian sausage, sauteed veggies (onions, peppers, zucchini are great with this). I think this is what we are having for supper tonight, actually.
2. Another quick pasta dish -- cook chicken breasts in boiling water until just done and tender, remove meat and use chicken broth to cook pasta. Cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces while pasta cooks. Drain pasta, add pasta and chicken back to pot, stir in a can of chopped tomatoes and a jar of spaghetti sauce and if desired, cooked veggies of whatever kind. I call it chicken cacciatore but it's not authentic; still, my family loves this.
3. If you have leftover spaghetti, sauced or plain, make a spaghetti omelet (or you can cook up some just for this). Heat oil or margarine in a large nonstick pan. Saute spaghetti until heated through and add scrambled eggs (I usually do 2 per person, we have a family of five). You can add herbs and spices to this or leave plain. After omelet is dry on bottom, carefully cut into wedges with plastic spatula (so you don't scratch pan) and flip each wedge (this takes practice to get this so it's not totally messy). I usually top with cheese, cover pan with foil, and let melt. Often I will top the whole thing with some jarred spaghetti sauce and then put mozzarella on top and heat on lower heat until melted and bubbly.

EASY FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES ~From Cherie
A Good Roast
1 Can Beef Consomme
1 Can Beef Broth
1 Can French Onion Soup

Put in Crockpot on low and cook for 6-8 hours until roast is good and tender. Remove roast from juices and shred. Place on French bread and use broth as a dipping sauce. YUMMM!!


Beef Tips and Rice ~From Anne
Beef tips (or stew meat or leftover roast is good also)
1 can french onion soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Put all in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.




And that's all, folks. Good list, methinks. :)

Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms

Here are some ideas for lunches:

PB & J sandwiches
Tuna sandwiches
Lunchmeat/cheese sandwiches
Grilled cheeses
~Any and all of these can be served with fruit, pretzels, chips, or yogurt~


Other ideas:

Cheese Quesidillas
Oatmeal w/ cinnamon and sugar swirled in
Homemade breaded chicken strips/nuggets/thighs, warmed up from the freezer
Baked potatoes (w/ cheese, ranch dressing, butter, salt, etc.)
Maple Granola
Fried eggs with french bread (bakeries here are just a quick walk away)
Salad (yes, my kids eat salad- it's seen as big people's food and we do cover it in ranch, so it's coveted.)
Tortillas or bagels with cream cheese
Pasta w/ homemade white sauce
Omelets (egg & cheese with some tomatoes if desired)
Rice w/ warmed up cream of chicken soup (it's delicious, I'm telling you!)
Applesauce
Plain rice (eaten the world over)
Rice with grated cheese on top (don't knock it till you try it)
Carrot slices ~Boiled, with butter and molasses stirred in. yum!
Broccoli florets ~Steamed with garlic
Green beans {Seriously, what's so wrong with serving a whole meal out of vegetables? Try it... after you do this a handful of times, it will be "normal" and they won't know that you're asking them to do something abnormal.}
Pancakes- I use the classic Better Homes & Gardens pancake recipe- easy and quick (and best of all, tasty)!
Dutch Puff
Ikea meatballs with rice or french fries (a good variation is covered in BBQ sauce)


LEFTOVERS (the great secret!)-
~ extra pancakes, lasagne, spaghetti, tacos, egg rolls, whatever from the night before! This is a BIGGIE in our home. It's easy-peasy to make extra of whatever you're making the night before, and then you can just heat it up the next day for lunch~


AND THE EVER-WONDERFUL "FUN LUNCH"
Take all your leftovers, the half-eaten bag of pretzels, the muffins that will go bad in a couple days if no one eats them, whatever fruit is in your fruit basket, etc... and put them on the counter. Give everyone one small portion of everything, make it look pretty, and serve it in a splashy way.
They'll think it's neat, *AND* you get a clean fridge and pantry. NICE!

These are just the ideas that work for our family. Please feel free to share anything that I didn't mention that you like to do for lunches... and I hope this helps!

Meatless Meals: Save Some Serious "Dough"!

This is our biggest "do without"... instead of always including meat in our meals, several times a week now, we eat meatless meals... variations:

* Rice with cream of chicken sauce.
* Pasta with white sauce
* Cheese quesadillas with salsa (or guac)
* egg spaghetti
* Make-our-own cheese pizzas (I often mix ranch into the pizza sauce for a little pizazz!)
* Homemade pancakes and/or waffles with homemade syrup
* Rice w/ leftover chicken teriyaki sauce (sans chicken, since that's usually eaten up in the first meal )
* Cornbread and milk
* Peanut butter/PBJ sandwiches w/ chips of our choice
* Homemade biscuits with jelly or honey
* Buy one really good fresh veggie and eat a ton of that (buttery carrots or garlic-y green beans fried up in a wok)
* Oatmeal or Cream of wheat (made with non-name-brand semolina, rather than buying the expensive box)
* Egg & Cheese breakfast burritos (or egg & cheese biscuits)


All of these meals cost significantly less than a meal with meat, and are still very tasty and filling. I try to rotate in at least 3 of these into our lunch/evening meals on any given week.

(If you have a question about recipes for any of these, lemme know and I'll post it.)

A Few Christmas Recipes

I figured I'd consolidate some of the recipes I'm using this Christmas into one post, so I'd have them for future reference.




FOR CHRISTMAS MORNING:

• CINNAMON ROLLS 101- these seriously sound like they will cause all who consume them to instantly commence with the "Mmmmm"s. I can't wait to try them.
• (And for some other morning, because they look so amazingly delicious: ) Cinnamon Sugar French Breakfast Puffs- Buttery, sugary, cinnamony moist breakfast muffins. They look positively sinful.
  

FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER:
This year, we're going to do a Texas-themed Christmas, seeing as how it's technically our first Christmas outside of America. So, we're doing chicken & cheese enchiladas, classic beef tacos, enough guacamole to feed a small army, some salsa, and I'm going to try to make refried beans from scratch without pinto beans. :) I honestly have no idea if or how that will work. Here are some recipes I'm going to pick from:

• Molly's Refried Beans - These require bacon, which we can't get here. So I might need to get a fatty piece of turkey or something to make them.
• Refried Beans with all the facts- This site gives GREAT information about when and why to make beans from scratch, and her recipe sounds great too.
• Delicious-sounding refried beans- These sound really good, and she gives the step-by-step basic instructions for those of us who get scared about making things like beans from scratch. (Which sounds so silly, because most of the world makes beans from scratch, but we Texans with our delicious canned refried beans are spoiled!) ;)
  

Melanie's Salad

I would like to call this one the Best Salad in the World, cause in my mind, that's what it is, but I feel I must name the salad for the person who introduced it to me.

~ 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, or one squeezed lemon
~ 1 finely chopped avocado
~ 1/2 tsp. celery salt
~ 1/2 tsp. onion salt
~ 3 chopped green onions
~ 1/4 cup vegetable oil
~ 1/4 cup of Romano or Asiago cheese
~ 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
(Or, you can strike the last 2 ingredients and replace with 1/2 cup of Italian Cheese blend)

Mix ingredients. Toss with romaine lettuce right before serving. (I like to garnish this with additional thin avocado slices because I'm an avocado-fanatic!)