Yard Salad

This recipe came from a friend. It looks delicious. I am going to try it with grilled chicken. It looks like a great summer treat!

Yard Salad from Netta Schultheis

1/2 English cucumber
1 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes
1 red or yellow bell pepper (I actually used 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow for more COLOR!)
1/2 red onion, peeled
6 ribs of celery (especially the leafy tops)
1 1/2 cups frozen white corn kernels, defrosted and drained
1 1/2 cups black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1 small lemon, juiced
1 tsp. Hot Sauce (I used Tapatio) If you want more spice, you can always add it to your dressing after you taste it.
1/2 cup V-8 juice
1 sprinkle garlic salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 avocado sliced

1. Cut the cucumber, tomatoes, pepper, red onion and celery into bite sized chunks and toss into a big mixing bowl. Add your drained corn and black beans to the bowl.
2. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, hot sauce, V-8, garlic salt and paprika. Whisk around and slowly add the olive oil.
3. Pour the dressing over your salad and toss.
4. Serve with a few slices of avocado on top (You don’t want to toss your avo with the salad b/c then it will get all mooshy and you know how I feel about mooshy!)

Turkey Noodle Casserole

1 pkg broad egg noodles
1 lb ground turkey
1 14-oz can corn
1 can cream of mushroom condensed soup

Cook egg noodles according to instructions, drain. Meanwhile, brown turkey in a skillet until brown and fully cooked. Drain any grease. In a bowl, combine all ingredients, then turn into a freezer container. Freeze (may want to allow it to come down to room temperature before placing in freezer.

On cooking day, thaw completely in fridge (take it out the night before or morning of). In a preheated 350F oven, cook for 30-45 minutes, or until bubbly and completely hot throughout. Serve!

*add a chicken stock if dry when reheating

LO MEIN NOODLES

1/2 lb. flat noodles
2 tbsp. butter
1 c. scallion, chopped
1 tbsp. oil (sesame preferred)
Soy sauce
Pepper
Garlic powder
Cook and drain noodles. Saute scallion for a few minutes. Add noodles and seasonings to skillet. Toss. Add soy sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.


Add vegetables: carrots, cabbage, water chestnuts, bean sprouts or a can of Asian vegetables from the store in a pinch

Add tofu, chicken, pork, or beef

Easy Frittata

I have had some eggs in the fridge for a while. We haven't been using them for breakfast, so I wanted to have a breakfast for dinner meal. I found this recipe on http://www.kraft.com/. It isn't a site I use often, but this one is a basic recipe with tons of taste. Clay and the girls really liked it, too. Clay told me he likes it better than quiche, and he likes quiche. I went to the grocery store today and forgot to buy the bacon. Luckily, I had some smoked turkey sausage in the fridge so I added that as an option for cooking. It gave it a great taste, but the biggest taste factor was the basil. It added great smell and taste!

Ingredients
5 whole Eggs
4 Egg whites
2 Tbsp. Water
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/2 cup chopped seeded tomatoes
4 slices cooked, crumbled bacon or smoked turkey sausage
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions
HEAT oven to 350°F.

Beat whole eggs, egg whites and water with whisk in medium bowl until blended.

STIR in 1/2 cup cheese, tomatoes, bacon and basil. Pour into greased 9-inch pie plate.

BAKE 25 min. or until puffed and golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 5 min. or until melted. (Took longer than the 30 minutes)


Kraft Kitchens Tips
How to Make Mini-Frittatas
Prepare egg mixture as directed; pour into 12 (2-1/2-inch) muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 20 min.; sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 3 to 5 min. or until melted. Makes 6 servings, 2 frittatas each.

Meal Planning Week of July 24- July 30

I hope everyone has had a great couple of weeks. We spent last week on vacation. We had a great time on what I am calling our "Gulf Tour 2010." I will write about that later this week. The one sad note for when we returned however, was we lost everything in our deep freeze this week. Sometime during the week the electricity went off, and for some reason the freezer outlet did not reset. BOOOOOO! It was the one thing I didn't ask our house sitter to check- I will from now on! I will be emptying it out tomorrow- right before the garbage truck comes. I refroze everything, because I didn't want to deal with the mess. I will throw it out frozen. Back to meal planning. However, I actually enjoyed my meal planning this week. It was nice to have had a break. I went to the store shopped and shopped for week. I came home and cooked a couple of the meals, and put one in the freezer. So, time to start again.

Saturday Night Rotisserie Chicken with rice, sauteed green beans, and salad.

Nice comforting meal to come home to. The chicken was already cooked, everything else was on hand. Took a few minutes to prepare.

Sunday Night Breakfast for Dinner Frittata with biscuits, and fruit cocktail
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/07/easy-frittata.html


Monday Night Meatless Monday Vegetable Lo Mein and Egg Rolls
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/04/baked-egg-rolls.html
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/07/lo-mein-noodles.html


Tuesday Night Meatloaf with mac and cheese and fresh steamed broccoli
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/01/easy-meat-loaf.html


Wednesday Night Turkey Noodle Casserole* with sauteed onion, squash and zucchini
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/07/turkey-noodle-casserole.html



Thursday Night Apricot Chicken* on rice with green beans
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2008/12/jason-pineapple-chicken.html


Friday Night Grilled Chicken with Yard Salad
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/07/yard-salad.html

*put one in the freezer

Farmer's Casserole

This is a great breakfast casserole that will feed six. It is also a recipe to increase by a dollop to feed more. This recipe needs to be chilled overnight, or for several hours before serving. It can also be frozen.


3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes (24 oz. bag)
1 1/2 cups of cheese (cheddar or Monterey jack or combination)
1 cup of diced meat (Canadian bacon or sausage)
1/4 cup green onions
4 beaten eggs (1 cup frozen egg product)
1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk
1/4 t pepper
1.8 t of salt

Grease a 2 quart square baking dish. Arrange potatoes evening in bottom of dish. Sprinkle with cheeses, ham or sausage, or green onions. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, pepper, and salt. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture in dish. Cover and chill, or freeze.

Thaw completely. Bake uncovered in a 350-degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until center appears set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Cheese can be sprinkled on top during the last 15 minutes of baking.

Crispy Baked Fish

Ingredients
4 fish planks (usually Tilapia or Orange Roughy)
1/2 Cup Milk
2 TBS Parmesan Cheese
4 TBS Bread Crumbs
1/4 tsp Paprika



Directions
Preheat Oven 450 degrees

On plate mix cheese, breadcrumbs and paprika.
Dip fish in milk, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
Arrange fish on baking sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with Pam.

Bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees

Meal Planning July 11-15

Well, our trip to Houston is over. I don't know about you, but after a vacation it is almost comforting to me to get back into the normal routine of things. That being said, as of this morning there was no milk, or meat, or much of anything in the house. So, after a bit of meal planning the girls and I headed off to Kroger. That in itself is stressful. There is only so many times I can handle saying. . . "No, we are not getting that." But, it is done now, and I can sit down to look at the week of meals.

Sunday Night Pasta and Red Sauce
We got into Fort Smith about 7:30 from Houston, and mom pulled out a box of pasta and sauce. It was a great way end to the day. She used the new line from Giada that you can find at Target. It was really tasty.

Monday Night Pizza- cheese and hamburger
I would call it comfort food after a long trip. :)

Tuesday Night Pork Tenderloin, fresh green beans, sauteed okra and tomatoes, rice, and bread (frozen bread dough from Kroger)
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/04/pork-tenderloin-marinade.html

http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/03/sauted-okra-and-tomatoes.html


Wednesday Night Enchilada Casserole (straight from the freezer) with refried beans and corn on the cob
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/06/ground-beef-enchilada-casserole.html


Thrusday Night Grown-ups Out (both girls are going to a sleepover- Bless you, Tricia)

Friday Night Panko Breaded Tilapia, squash, and Couscous
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/07/ingredients-4-fish-planks-usually.html


Saturday Night Crockpot Chicken with carrots and onions - Left overs: chicken salad
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/12/crockpot-chicken-1000-meal.html

Vacation Meals by Tracie

We went to Houston this last weekend to visit my sister Tracie. There is nothing better, to me, than to be on vacation and still get home cooked meals. That is exactly what Tracie provided. Tracie, however, did not like the pressure of my post from last week, when I said I would post meals this week. :) So here is a rundown of what we had while in Houston. If you end up entertaining for a long weekend, this would be a perfect menu.

Thursday Night- sandwiches on the road

Friday Night Grilled Chicken, Fresh Bread, Grilled Corn on the Cob, and Fresh Green beans. (Great, huh?)
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/05/joes-grilled-corn-on-cob.html

Saturday Night Chicken and Beef Enchiladas
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/01/beef-enchiladas.html

Stromboli

Stromboli is basically a pizza pocket. This easy recipe can serve 4 to 6. It can also be modified very easily. You can do cheese only, or add vegetables, or sausage, or pepperoni. The possibilities are endless. Next time I am going to try and use bread dough instead of pizza crust. I let you know how it goes.


Ingredients
1 can prepared pizza crust
1/3 cup pizza sauce
1/2 lb thinly sliced cooked ham
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano

Directions
1Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2Unroll the dough and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3Press with your fingertips into a 12x8-inch rectangle.
4Spread the sauce on the dough, leaving a 2-inch margin lengthwise, and a 1/2-inch margin on the sides.
5Place toppings in center third, fold sides over to meet in the middle and pinch to form a seal.
6Bake in the preheated 400F oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
7Slice and serve with a side of warmed marinara.

Meal Planning for July 4-8

Well, I am behind again. :) I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend of the 4th with their families. I know we did, and we ate too much too! So, this week we are a looking at the basics of cooking. Healthy, without a lot of extra. I ordered from the Conway Locally Grown this week. I have new potatoes, squash, cucumbers, banana peppers, corn, cheese, and eggs. I want to use the ingredients in the meals this week to get the most out of the order. Enjoy a great week!


Sunday Night
Hamburgers, Baked Beans and Potato Salad (with the in-laws)

Monday Night
Veggie and Cheese Stromboli with sauteed vegetables and blueberry cobbler
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/07/stromboli.html


Tuesday Night
Grilled Chicken with Couscous and Sauteed Vegetables (left overs from Sunday night)

Wednesday Night
Curry Chicken with New Potatoes and Boiled Egg (left over chicken from Tuesday)
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/04/daag-curry-base.html

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday My parents, girls, and I are headed to Houston to visit Tracie and Joe. Cooking will fall to the other sister. Ha ha ha. But really, I will add what we cook down there later. We will have mom and daughters together to cook for a non-holiday. It should be fun!