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Easy Crescent Taco Bake

4 Feb

 

I had ZERO motivation for dinner tonight.  I had fully intended to make Cabbage Rolls today, but after prepping all of my Bountiful Baskets veggies, I was worn out.  So, I had crescent rolls that needed to be used and thought some kind of taco pie sounded good.  I found this on the Pillsbury website, and it was quick and easy to make for dinner, plus tasted good.

 

Easy Crescent Taco Bake
Based on recipe here

What you need:

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
1 lb lean ground beef
2 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
Other toppings, if desired, such as shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Grease a 9″ deep dish pie plate.  Separate crescent roll dough into the 8 triangles.  Press into the pie dish, covering bottom and sides.

In a medium-sized skillet, brown ground beef.  Drain any excess grease.  Stir in the taco seasoning and the salsa.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Pour into the pie dish.  Cover top with the shredded cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

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Bountiful Baskets – 2/4/2012

4 Feb

Man, I got a workout volunteering today!  I was helping out with the extras at sign out, and with 25 lb bags of carrots, 35+lb boxes of apples, 12 lb buckets of honey, and gallons of olive oil, it was a lot of lifting.  Now, I’m exhausted, but still trying to get everything prepped and put away.  The veggie baskets were packed this week, a little light on fruit, but I’m ok with that.  I love the veggies and can come up with a lot more to cook with veggies anyway.

This week, I got the conventional basket for $15, the guacamole veggie pack for $8.50, and the tortilla chip pack for $4.50, so after the $1.50 handling fee, I paid $29.50 for this week.  Here is what I got:

Russet potatoes, radishes, tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, red bell peppers, asparagus, celery, broccoli, pineapple, yellow onions, apples, Asian pears, and strawberries.  In the front, right, is a plantain and vanilla beans.  These were in the Tropical Pack that was available as an extra that a friend of mine got, but she didn’t think she’d use, so she passed them on to me.  She also gave me her radish bunch, which will get eaten fast in this house!

In the upper left is the Tortilla Chip pack, they are very pretty!  These I will bake in the oven.  The rest is the Guacamole Veggie Pack, tons of cilantro, green onions, limes, lemons, jalapenos, yellow onions, garlic, and of course, avocados!  So excited to make Guacamole!

 

Note: The type and amount of food may vary from another basket because of geographic location and because of variances in how the ends of produce cases are distributed after everything has been distributed evenly.  I also volunteered this week and got 1 extra item for volunteering.

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Crash Hot Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus

3 Feb

 

This dinner was definitely not in the Weekly Meal Plan, but it certainly came together perfectly to use some of the potatoes and asparagus I had gotten from Bountiful Baskets this week.  I had seen these potatoes on Pinterest a while back, but apparently hadn’t pinned it, so I had to search again and luckily found it.  I luckily had fresh rosemary from the Italian veggie themed pack still to use for the potatoes.  I then decided I should make either steak or chicken on the grill since I am trying to get good use out of my new grill.  I decided it would be a good idea to grill the asparagus too, just to avoid another dirty pan and again, utilize the grill.  It all turned out delicious and got rave reviews from the whole family.

 

Crash Hot Potatoes
Based on recipes here and here

What you need:

12 small potatoes, mine were red
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Malt vinegar

How to make it:

Wash potatoes thoroughly.  Add to a large pot and add enough water to just cover potatoes.  Bring water to a boil and cook potatoes until just tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain.

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Grease a baking sheet thoroughly with oil.  Lay out the 12 potatoes.  Slightly mash each potato with a potato masher, turn potato masher 90 degrees and slightly mash each potato again.  Brush each potato with olive oil, then sprinkle on salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and splash each potato with malt vinegar.

 

Grilled Asparagus
Based on recipe here

What you need:

1 lb asparagus, trimmed
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Balsamic vinegar

How to make it:

Place asparagus on skewers.  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Grill on high heat for a few minutes, or until desired tenderness.

Remove from grill and splash with balsamic vinegar.

 

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Lemon Chicken and Vegetables over Rice

1 Feb

Looks a lot like the Orange Chicken from last week doesn’t it?  That’s because that sauce is the same, except for the Orange Chicken uses a can of frozen orange juice concentrate and this Lemon Chicken uses a can of frozen lemonade concentrate.   I did not use the slow cooker to cook the chicken this time, I just cooked it on the stove top in my wok.  This was fantastic, I think I might prefer it a little more than the Orange Chicken, but both are very good.  Tonight, the stir fry veggies were carrots, bok choy, green onion, asparagus, water chestnuts and snow peas, all from Bountiful Baskets from this past weekend.  And I really meant to add in some grated ginger, but I forgot, so maybe next time!

 

Lemon Chicken and Vegetables over Rice
Based on recipes here

What you need:

Lemon Sauce: (I made this twice, once for the chicken, once for the vegetables)
– 3/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed (this is 1/2 can)
– 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
– 1 Tbsp soy sauce
– 1 Tbsp ketchup
– 2 Tbsp brown sugar (use 3 Tbsp sugar if you want it to be sweeter)
– 1/2 tsp sesame oil

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/4 cup flour
Vegetable oil
Vegetables to stir fry (I used carrots, water chestnuts, green onion, bok choy stems and leaves, snow peas, and asparagus)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Cooked rice

How to make it:

Dredge chicken in flour.  Heat some vegetable oil in a wok, and cook chicken until no longer pink.

Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the lemon sauce in a bowl.  Pour over chicken in the wok and stir.  Cook on medium heat for 15 – 20 minutes to allow sauce to thicken and chicken to absorb the sauce.

Once sauce has thickened, add veggies that take longer to cook (in my case, the carrots, asparagus, water chestnuts, and bok choy stems), let them cook for a few minutes, then add the veggies that take shorter to cook (in my case, green onions, snow peas and bok choy leaves).

Meanwhile, again, combine all ingredients for the lemon sauce and the 1 Tbsp cornstarch in a bowl.  Once veggies are all tender, pour in the second batch of lemon sauce and stir to coat evenly.  Cook for a few more minutes to allow sauce to thicken.  Serve over the cooked rice.

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Baked Ratatouille

31 Jan

 

My oldest daughter thought it was so cool to make Ratatouille like in the Disney movie, Ratatouille.  I used the eggplant from the Asian themed veggie pack I got this week, a zucchini I had left in my fridge, rosemary, oregano, and parsley from the Italian themed veggie pack a few weeks pack, and tomato and onion from this week’s basket.  It tasted really good, but my presentation needs some work.  I had wanted to use a round casserole dish, but it wasn’t fitting right, so I put it in a 13 x 9 pan instead.  But, then it was all spread out too much, but it still cooked fine.  Also, most recipes also call for peppers, which I have, but just didn’t add in since my husband doesn’t really like cooked peppers.

 

Baked Ratatouille
Based on recipes here and here

What you need:

1 large onion, cut into rings
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2″ slices
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2″ slices
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
3 tomatoes, sliced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh chopped parsley
2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
2 tsp fresh chopped oregano
Olive oil

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl, mix together Parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley, rosemary, and oregano.

Grease a medium-sized casserole dish with olive oil.  Make a layer with the onions.  Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and spice mixture.  Repeat this process for the remaining vegetables.

Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 45 – 60 minutes.

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Slow Cooker Chicken and Noodles

29 Jan

This is something I haven’t made in quite a while.  Since I got celery and carrots this week with Bountiful Baskets, I decided to make it.  I made it a little differently than I have in the past, and I was very pleased with the results.  I made it with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you could also use 2 pounds of chicken breasts with bones or 2 pounds of thigh and drumstick pieces with bones.  You just need to make sure that you get all the bones out since the chicken will be very tender after cooking in the slow cooker.   Also, I made this with egg noodles, but you could use homemade noodles, or some other kind of pasta, or even rice.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Noodles
Serves 6

What you need:

2 cups sliced carrots
1 1/2 cups diced onions
1 cup celery
1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 2 lbs chicken with bones, skins removed
1 tsp poultry seasoning
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
2 cups cooked egg noodles, pasta, or rice

How to make it:

Place carrots, onions, and celery in the slow cooker.  Place chicken on top of vegetables, sprinkle with poultry seasoning.  Pour in chicken broth and water.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours.

After finished cooking, remove chicken.  If using boneless chicken, cut or shred chicken into bite size pieces.  If using chicken with bones, remove chicken from bones and cut or shred into bite size pieces.  Discard bones.  Return chicken pieces to slow cooker.  Stir in cooked noodles, pasta, or rice.  Serve.

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Weekly Meal Plan: 1/29/2012 – 2/4/2012

29 Jan

I got lots of yummy things this week in Bountiful Baskets, now to use them all!  Here is what I have planned to far:

 

Slow Cooker Chicken & Noodles, using carrots, onion, and celery (in the slow cooker right now, smells so good!)

Lemon Chicken and Vegetables over rice.  Vegetables will include bok choy, carrots, green onion, water chestnuts, asparagus

Buffalo Chicken Pizza & Sandwiches

Ground Beef & Cabbage Stew, using cabbage, onions, carrots, and potatoes

Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls, using cabbage and onions

Some kind of dish with eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes, possibly with pasta

 

I will also be making a Chinese Napa Cabbage Salad to go with our lunches, possibly some Egg Rolls, depending on how many veggies I have left.

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts

28 Jan

 

I had almost forgotten about these Brussels sprouts from last week, but they still looked great from being in my vegetable crisper all week.  Instead of shredding them, I wanted to try them roasted.  I’ve roasted many veggies this way, all delicious, and the Brussels sprouts were delicious too!  These pretty much melted in my mouth and didn’t taste as bitter as Brussels sprouts sometimes can be.

 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

What you need:

1 pound Brussels sprouts
Olive oil (about 3 Tbsp)
Salt
Pepper
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 450 F.  Line a baking sheet with foil.

Remove the outer layer of leaves from each Brussels sprout.  Cut each in half.  Put in a zipper bag with the olive oil, and the salt and pepper to your taste.  Place Brussels sprouts in a single layer on baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts just start to blacken on the outer layer.

If desired, drizzle balsamic vinegar over roasted Brussels sprouts.

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Club Melt on Sourdough

28 Jan

I know I have talked a lot about the bread available through Bountiful Baskets, but I just can’t say enough good things about it!  I have had this in my freezer for a few months, and while it probably wouldn’t have tasted great alone, it was perfect buttered and toasted to make club melts for lunch today.  Roast beef and turkey, with swiss cheese, pickles, and lettuce, tomato, and onion from Bountiful Baskets this week.

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Bountiful Baskets – 1/28/2012

28 Jan

I got a lot this week!  I got the conventional basket for $15, the Asian themed veggie pack for $8.50, the case of Pink Lady apples for $22.50, and the 25 lb bag of carrots for $8.50, making my total $56.  I did split the apples and carrots with a friend, who is sharing her honey with me in return (12 lb bucket was $37.50).

Conventional basket had minneolas, yellow onion, apples, blueberries, green peppers, red peppers, tomatoes, green beans, asparagus, cabbage, lettuce, and baby red potatoes.  Not shown is 3 grapefruits, which I gave to a friend because she gave me her cabbage and some peppers.

Asian themed veggie pack had celery, basil, yellow onion, garlic, water chestnuts, green onion, Napa cabbage, eggplant, and snow peas.  Not shown is bok choy, which I gave to my friend for her mom’s pack, since hers was small and not looking real good and I have plenty left from last week’s inherited Asian veggie pack.

One layer of Pink Lady apples.  There is another full layer underneath this, plus another 5 apples.  There are usually 100 apples in the boxes of apples available.  I have half, my friend has the other half.

About half the 25 lb bag of carrots.  These are huge!  My friend has the rest.

 

I don’t have a picture of the honey yet.  It came in a bucket, so my friend is going to get it split into other containers.  Can’t wait!

I am working making room for all this in my fridge and decide what to make with all of it.  Hopefully, later today or tomorrow, I will have my meal plan for the week with this week’s basket.

 

Note: The type and amount of food may vary from another basket because of geographic location and because of variances in how the ends of produce cases are distributed after everything has been distributed evenly.

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