I don’t know about you, but more and more I seem to gravitate to one-pot; one-pan or one-skillet suppers. Oh sure, you could argue that one-pot suppers equate to less cleanup. That would be a strong argument – except I’m not the one assigned to KP duty. If I don’t need to be the one to clean up the mess, why should I care?
Continue reading “Italian Chicken Sausage and Potato Skillet Supper”
Invite a man to a tea party and watch him run to the nearest exit. I know, I’ve tried. Tea Parties are for girls. Finger sandwiches, little cakes and all that tea – really? Suggest a tea party for a football game and you will get shot down before the first slice of bread can be trimmed of its crust. Disguise a “tea party” as a sporting event with little bite size sandwiches, some brownies and cupcakes and watch the food just disappear! Stop and think about it for a minute – what is a slider but a bite-size dressed down tea sandwich? Toss out the flowers and fancy china cups. Decorate the table with team colors instead. Before they know what hit them, the men in your life are attending a tea party.
Continue reading “First and Goal – A Manly Game Day “Tea Party””We have reached the salad course. While most Americans today serve a salad at the beginning of the meal or along side an Entrée; the European style of dining (particularly French and Italian) places the salad at the end of the meal; before the dessert or cheese courses. There are a lot of theories out there as to why this is done. The bottom line is that a salad at the end of the meal serves two purposes – it refreshes the palate; a break between the savory flavors of the Entrée and the sweetness of the dessert and it aids in the digestive system. Personally, I feel “special” when having a salad at the end of the meal, knowing that the sweets are soon to follow. Hubby has his own theory – a chilled salad will hold in the refrigerator, and he’d rather enjoy his hot food while it is piping hot.
Continue reading “Traveling Dinner Party – Part 8 – The Salad”
Maybe I should stop writing in the morning, when I’m craving something for breakfast – eggs seems to be the theme around the kitchen these days. My favorite meal of the day is breakfast (even for dinner) and it seems that another recipe for eggs is just lurking around the next corner.
If someone had told me that my 504th posting would have been how to make a Hamburger Helper Style meal without a box, I would have laughed. No way – I would have something sensational, something so awe-inspiring, it will knock your socks off. Yet, here it is. I will admit, I stressed about reaching over 500 posting – and then I realized it is just a number. The point of my little blog isn’t about numbers, it’s about enjoying my life, my family, and puttering about in my cozy kitchen. Simple pleasures and the sound of my guys laughing together – that’s what matters.
This is now my eighth “installment” of Hamburger Helper meals without using an actual box of “Hamburger Helper”. Yep, the easy, busy mom’s best friend, only without all the stuff no one wants to eat in the first place. Have you ever read a box of Hamburger Helper ingredients? Half of the ingredients are words I cannot even begin to pronounce – but have no fear – all those yellow and red dyes and words that seem to be a bunch of letters strung together have all been deemed safe for human consumption by the FDA – so no worries. Right? What’s that – you aren’t impressed? Neither am I. Especially when you consider how absolutely easy it is to skip the box and still have all the convenience of a quick, easy weeknight meal. Add a fresh salad, some warm bread and tall glasses of ice-cold milk – what more do you need? Oh, and just like the boxed variety – one pan will do the trick. Unlike the box variety – this dish has chunks of tomatoes you can actually see.
I adore suppers that only need a tossed salad and warm bread for the finishing touches – especially the bread part. Bread has to be my greatest weakness. I could easily sit down with a loaf of fresh-baked bread and sweet butter and call it a day. Happy, content. Okay, maybe a glass or two of a full-bodied red wine to go with the bread. Yeah, bread and wine – reminds me of a prior life – before Hubby. Sitting ’round a campfire on a beach in San Francisco, dining on warm, fresh-baked San Francisco Sourdough slathered in butter and drinking cheap wine from a Bota bag. And cheese. Yeah, bread, wine and cheese . . . oh, but I digress. We’re here to talk about Hamburger Helper-Style suppers.
Hamburger Helper Style Cheesy Italian Shells
Italian Shells:
1 lb Lean Ground Beef (Ground Turkey is fine, too)
1-2 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 ¼ Cups HOT water
½ Cup Milk
1 Can (14 oz) Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic
2 Cups Medium Shell Pasta
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese
Seasoning Package:
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasonings
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and garlic together. Drain well.
Add water, milk, tomatoes and pasta. Bring to a boil. Stir in seasoning package (everything else but the cheese). Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 12-15 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and noodles are tender.
Stir in the Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheeses, cover and simmer a few minutes more to allow cheese to melt.
Remove from heat, uncover, and allow to sit for 5 minutes for sauce to thicken.
That’s it – dinner is served.
What’s that? You missed the other seven posting? No need to worry – All delicious, all one-skillet, all family friendly.
Hamburger Helper Style Chili-Cheese Macaroni
Hamburger Helper Style Skillet Lasagna
Hamburg Helper Style Cheesy Jambalaya
Hamburger Helper Style Stroganoff
I remember as a school girl taking a field trip to a fish hatchery along the American River. The experience stuck in my mind. I remember running along the banks of the river with my classmates, laughing and having a great time.
In case you haven’t noticed by now, I love Italian foods. We aren’t talking just spaghetti, although I make a mean pot of sassy spaghetti. I love it all – from the Antipasto dishes such as Bruschetta, Crostini or a Antipasto Platter, to all the meats and pasta dishes, the flavorful sides and best of all desserts such as Fresh Fruit with Whipped Cream Zabaglione. All food is good in moderation.
We’ve been eating a lot of pork lately. I’m not sure if it’s a phase or simply because pork is yummy. I had planned to test a new pork recipe for tonight – Pork Medallions in a Marsala Wine reduction sauce. However; the universe had other plans. When shopping for the pork filet, the meat case was empty – not a tenderloin to be had – unless I went with one of the Hormel “flavored” pork loins. There were three to choose from – Mesquite; Teriyaki or Lemon-Garlic. Hum, none of those would do – not in a Marsala Wine reduction sauce. Time to punt – with a few changes (change the wine; skip the dredging in flour step; add a little butter to the sauce) I adapted the Marsala recipe to create Lemon-Garlic Pork Medallions in a White Wine-Butter Sauce. The result was a hit with the family. Best of all; these flavorful medallions cooked up in no time at all, making this an easy week night meal.
Lemon-Garlic Pork Medallions in White Wine-Butter Sauce
1 lb Hormel Lemon-Garlic Pork Tenderloin
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup White wine
1/4 Cup Red Onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon Butter
Slice pork filet into 1/2-inch thick medallions. Set aside until ready to cook.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add Pork Medallions and cook until nicely browned; about 3 minutes per side.
Remove pork from skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Press garlic into the now empty skillet, sauté about 30 seconds or just until fragrant.
Add wine and onions to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Return pork to pan, cover and cook about 5 minutes. Turn pork, add butter, cover and continue to cook about 5 minutes longer or until no longer pink.
Transfer Medallions to plates, spoon sauce over pork and serve.
Please be kind, let me know if you “like” what you see – and your feedback is always welcome.
Happy cooking everyone!
Here we go again – my 7th installment of Hamburger Helper Style one-skillet dinners. There isn’t a whole lot more to say about Hamburger Helper. I am surprised, considering when Hamburger Helper first hit the market place, that it wasn’t marketed with a subtitle of “Mother’s Little Helper”. Then again, the Rolling Stones were singing about “Mother’s Little Helper” in reference to Valium – so maybe they wanted to avoid any confusion between the two. Just kidding – a little.
Continue reading “Hamburger Helper Style Cheeseburger Macaroni”
If your house is like mine, there are all sorts of favorite cuisines gracing your dinner table. Hubby loves his Mexican Food, I’m a big fan of all things Italian and Kiddo – he likes just about everything from simple to gourmet. One thing we all agree on is Asian. Yum!
Continue reading “A Delightfully Lazy Dish – Slow Cooker Beef And Broccoli”
To begin with I need to make a confession to everyone. In my spare time I write. I write a lot. Then I set everything up to post automatically at a later date. When I first retired, I went a little nuts. I didn’t know what to do with myself, so I wrote hundreds of future posts. I had been photographing my recipes for nearly four years, attaching photos to recipe cards. There was a wealth of recipes to pick from. One thing about writing so far in advance was that I had time. Tons of time for reads and rewrites and fact checking and research. By nature, I am a perfectionist. It is what drives me. It is also what makes those around me drive me crazy.
Have you seen all these one-pot pasta dishes floating around the internet? Don’t you just love the idea of everything cooking up in one pot? The particular recipe I chose to inspire me came from The Slow Roasted Italian. It was simply too pretty to pass up. And I was a bit curious, too. Uncooked pasta in the same pot as all the other ingredients, to be cooked together – how does that work?
While I might not serve this “Lasagna” on Christmas Day, the garnish of green onions and chopped tomatoes do bring in that holiday colors. This recipe could easily be doubled for large gatherings, perfect for pot-luck parties.
Today I thought I’d share a wonderful cheater’s way to a great supper. While this particular meal takes a bit longer to cook than I’d like for a weekday supper, it is so easy that it makes the wait worthwhile. Besides, that down time gives you a little more time to unwind from the day and enjoy the rest of the evening with your family.
Continue reading “Mesquite Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Potatoes”
I’ve always been a rice eater. With a Filipino Mom, we often had rice as a side when others had mashed potatoes. Roast beef and rice with gravy wasn’t uncommon. My dear brother loved Rice for breakfast, covered in chocolate. I liked rice with milk, butter and sugar for a hot “cereal” in the mornings. Rice was a staple in our house.
Welcome to Rosemarie's Kitchen 