New blogs to check out

Just wanted to draw your attention to the new blogs I linked on the right. I found them on Brittney Longs blog (she has a huge list if you want to look at more!). I created my whole menu for the next two weeks off of these two blogs because there were so many recipes I wanted to try. Check them out and let me know what you think.

Cheesy Chicken and Salsa Skillet

Yet another fast and simple one dish meal from Kraft. I like using different kinds of pasta each time I make it just to mix it up.

Cheesy Chicken and Salsa Skillet

2 cups multi grain penne pasta, uncooked 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces 1-1/4 cups TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa 1 cup frozen corn, thawed 1 large green pepper, cut into short thin strips 1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style 2% Milk Finely Shredded Four Cheese

COOK pasta as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 2 min. Stir in salsa, corn and peppers. Bring to boil. Simmer on medium-low heat 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.

DRAIN pasta. Add to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 1 min. or until cheese is melted.

I use red, orange and yellow pepper too just because that's whats been on sale lately. If peppers are pricey where you are you can get a frozen pepper mix for about a dollar that would work just as well and it would cut out the chopping step. For the salsa I use the wal-mart generic brand. The medium chunky style is the best for those who don't like spicy food. If you like it spicier try the hot chunky style has a real kick. I also use black beans in place of chicken if I'm in a time crunch.

Mexican Meatloaf

I'm not a huge fan of meatloaf, but this one sounded kinda good so I thought I'd try it. I told Jared it was converging our heritages into one meal, the spicy salsa and the traditional meatloaf . He didn't laugh, but then he usually doesn't laugh at my jokes! :0)

Fiesta Meatloaf

2 lb. lean ground beef 1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken 1 cup water 2 eggs, beaten 2 tsp. chili powder 1/2 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa, divided 3/4 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese

HEAT oven to 375°F. Mix all ingredients except 1/4 cup salsa and cheese.

SHAPE into oval loaf in 13x9-inch baking dish; top with remaining salsa.

BAKE 1 hour or until done (160ºF). Top with cheese; bake 5 min. or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

Kraft Kitchen Tips

Serving Suggestion Serve this comfort food with mashed potatoes and a hot steamed vegetable, such as broccoli.

Fiesta Meatballs Mix together meat mixture as directed; shape into 48 meatballs. Cook, in batches, in large skillet on medium heat 12 min. or until evenly browned and done (160°F), turning frequently. Spoon onto serving platter or into large bowl; top with additional 1 cup salsa. Sprinkle with cheese. Makes 8 servings, 6 meatballs each.

Fiesta Burgers Mix meat mixture as directed; shape into 8 patties. Grill, broil or pan fry until done (160°F), topping with the remaining salsa and cheese for the last 2 min. Makes 8 servings.

Sweet-N-Sour Meatballs

Yum! This one is very easy and I just love it! I use the walmart brand frozen stir-fry veggies and if I have some fresh ones on hand I'll add those too. Usually I add extra snap peas also because Melody and Katelynn really like them. I buy the frozen prepared meatballs because it costs about the same as making my own and the frozen ones taste better! I usually just throw in four meatballs per person eating. I also double the sauce and let it reduce while cooking the meatballs so it's a little thicker. Then after the meatballs are cooked through, I add all of the veggies. If using fresh veggies I steam these separate and add at the end. If you add them all together they'll end up mushy or not all the way cooked depending on the vegetable. I've always served this over brown rice, but I think I may try noodles next time. Enjoy!

Sweet-N-Sour Meatballs

Prep Time:5 min Total Time:25 min Makes:4 servings

3/4 lb. (3/4 of 16-oz. pkg.) frozen prepared meatballs 1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables

1/4 cup apricot jam 1/4 cup KRAFT CATALINA Dressing 2 Tbsp. soy sauce

COMBINE all ingredients in large skillet; cover. COOK on medium-high heat 10 min. or until meatballs and vegetables are heated through, stirring occasionally. SERVE over hot cooked rice or pasta, if desired.

Pizza Loaf

This one is great because you could make it every day of the week and it would be different every time. I've made it about 5 different ways and Jared raves about each one. I use the Pillsbury pizza crust instead of bread dough. It's kind of thin and you have to be careful rolling it up, but the flaky texture is SO good.

Ham & Cheddar in a Loaf

Prep Time:15 min Total Time:1 hr 5 min Makes:6 servings

1 lb. frozen bread dough, thawed 1 pkg. (9 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Deli Fresh Shaved Smoked Ham 1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese 1 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

HEAT oven to 350°F. Flatten dough on lightly floured surface with hands. Roll into 12x8-inch rectangle with rolling pin. (If dough is difficult to roll, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 min. before rolling out.) Top with ham to within 1/2 inch of edges. Spread cheddar cheese over ham.

MOISTEN edges of dough with water. Starting at one of the long sides, fold one-third of dough over filling; repeat with other long side. Pinch seams together to seal. Place, seam-side down, on lightly greased baking sheet. Cut three diagonal slits in top of dough with kitchen shears. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until golden brown. Cool 10 min. before slicing. (I only bake it for 30-35 minutes)

My Combinations

• pepperoni, tomato sauce, cheese, mushrooms
• shredded chicken, green chillies, cream of mushroom, cheese
• turkey, cheese, salsa
• hamburger, tomato sauce, mushrooms, cheese
• ham, cheese, mushrooms, spinach
• shredded chicken, bell pepper mix, barbecue sauce

You can use your own cheese combinations for each recipe, I usually use mozzarella, cheddar, or colby jack. Let your imagination run wild with this one and see what come out.

Fiesta Salad

So tonight I made my most favorite meal in the whole wide world! It's called fiesta salad and I actually got the recipe off Kraft, but I've tweaked it so much it really doesn't seem like the original any more. This is a great recipe if you are running behind or if you just don't want to cook.

Fiesta Salad

1 can black beans rinsed

1 can corn

torn lettuce (I use a combo of red leaf, green leaf and spinach)

chopped carrots (I use matchstick)

shredded cheese

salsa

mayo or miracle whip (optional)

I serve everything buffet style so every one can get what they want and however much they want. I mix the salsa and miracle whip together, like a 4:1 ratio, and used it like a salad dressing. Walmart has an amazing store brand salsa that my Grandpa Carter turned me on to. I use the mild black bean and corn and just a little of the hot because Jared likes the kick! You can serve this over chips or in home made tortilla bowls (recipe follows)

Tortilla Bowls

Tortillas

foil

cookie sheet

chili powder

Gently crumple to foil until it forms medium sized balls. I microwave the tortillas for about 30 seconds just so they're more pliable. Drape them over the foil balls and sprinkle with chili powder. Bake at 425 for 6-8 minutes. Jared and Melody gobble these up!

And here we begin!

I have been wondering how to start this blog and what recipe I should use. Tonight I had a victory and thought it would be good to start with one of those since they are so few and far between! Let me start by saying that most of the recipes I'll be posting on here will come from the Kraft website because their recipes are supper easy and supper fast! Both necessary for my life. I told Jared that the longer the recipe takes to make the more time it gives me to screw it up, so for now we're going to stick to the simple ones! Tonight I made Barbecue Beef Filled Biscuits and I think the thing I liked best about it is that Melody was able to help make it. I'm always looking for recipes that will allow her to help because she LOVES to cook. How yummy do these look! (by the way this is the pic from the website, not the ones I made!!)

Barbecue Beef Filled Biscuits

Prep Time:10 min Total Time:24 min Makes:4 servings, 2 each

1/2 lb. extra-lean ground beef 1 medium green pepper, finely chopped 1 medium carrot, shredded 1/3 cup BULL'S-EYE Original Barbecue Sauce 1 can (7.5 oz.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits 1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese

BROWN meat in medium skillet; drain. Add green pepper; cook and stir 5 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender. Remove from heat. Add carrots and barbecue sauce (I cooked my carrots for a minute); mix well. SEPARATE biscuits. Press 1 biscuit onto bottom and up side of each of 8 medium muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. (I used jumbo biscuits so they only came with eight, but if you use regular biscuits there is enough filling for al 10. I had to over stuff mine.)

SPOON meat-vegetable mixture evenly into biscuit cups, pressing filling into cups with back of spoon. (Filling will be mounded.) BAKE at 375°F for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Continue baking 3 to 4 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and cheese is melted.

I used red pepper because I didn't have a green one handy and I also added corn because I had some hanging around in my fridge that needed to be used! :op Also instead of shredded carrots I used the matchstick ones. I was going to serve this with a side salad and a fruit salad for dessert, but we were in a time crunch.

I made a double batch and froze what we didn't use for a quick meal later. I just heat them up in the oven at 375° for 3-5 minutes, but let them thaw most of the way first. I try to do this with the meals I know will freeze well, so on those nights that cooking is just not going to happen my family doesn't have to starve! :op

Please let me know how this turns out for you and if you have any of your own tips or tricks to add.