Barbecue Beef and Potato Turnovers

I LOVE any recipe that can be made in about 5 minutes.  Especially when it involves a Pillsbury product!  These little guys have been a staple at our house for years.  Now that we are growing, I double the recipe so that we can eat it for at least two nights.  Kids will love these too.  Recipe from Pillsbury.

Ingredients (I usually double but this is for one batch – makes about 4 pockets):

-1/2 pound ground beef

-1/3 cup barbecue sauce

-1/2 cup frozen hash brown potatoes (the cubed ones, not the shredded – can use the O’Brien ones too)

-1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

-1 can Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  In medium skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked.  Drain.  Stir in barbecue sauce, potatoes and cheese.

2.  Separate dough into 4 rectangles on ungreased large cookie sheet.  Press perforations to seal.  Spoon 1/4 of beef mixture onto 1 side of each rectangle.  Fold dough over filling; press edges to seal.

Here’s a quick picture of what this will look like before folding over and pressing edges:

3.  Bake 13 to 19 minutes or until turnovers are golden brown.

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Ambrosia Fruit Salad

We do a lot of fruit salads in our house.  I think they go great with those “one pot” meals that have meat and veggies all in one – just a quick side dish that compliments nicely.  This is a quick one that is super tasty.  Make sure you put the cinnamon on before serving – really makes this dish!  Recipe from the “All Recipes” cookbook.

Ingredients:

-1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

-2 1/2 cups shredded coconut

-1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

-1 (8 oz) can fruit cocktail, drained

-1 (8 oz) can pineapple chunks, drained

-1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained

-3 cups miniature marshmallows

-1 (10 oz) jar maraschino cherries, drained (optional)

-1 tsp ground nutmeg

-1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  You can leave some of the juice from the cherries if you wish – gives the salad a nice pink color.  Mix together well and refrigerate 30 to 45 minutes.

2.  Sprinkle with cinnamon on top of each individual serving.

Meal Planning Monday

Whew!  I barely made it, but Meal Planning Monday is actually being posted on a MONDAY!  Who woulda thunk it?  I’ve been trying a lot of new recipes lately but have been slacking on posting them.  I typed a bunch up the other day so those will be posted this week and next.  Lots more new ones to try this week!  A new section at the bottom of my list is “Freezer Meals.”  These are meals I’m making now and freezing for when the baby comes.  Just 7 weeks left so it’s time to get in gear!  This week I’ll be freezing soups; next time it’ll be casseroles.

Meals for February 21 – March 6

Monday/Tuesday – Shepherd’s Pie, Green Salad, Muffins

Wednesday – Dining out for the 8th Anniversary of our first “date”/6th Anniversary of our proposal!

Thursday/Friday/Saturday – BLT Chicken Soup (new), Lemon Bread

Monday/Tuesday – Cheesy Biscuit Lasagna (new), Shoe Peg Casserole

Wednesday/Thursday – Easy Chicken and Dumplings (new), Peas or Green Beans

Friday, Saturday – Cherry Tomato and Prosciutto Focaccia (new), Creamy Dilled Potato Salad (new)

Freezer Meals – Cheesy Potato and Corn Chowder, Mom’s Beef and Vegetable Soup

Mac and Cheese with Ham and Broccoli

I enjoy a good Mac and Cheese recipe.  But I just can’t justify it as the “main dish” for dinner without some substance to it.  Enter this yummy recipe that has endless variations.  This made a huge pan and lasted us 2 or 3 days.  I couldn’t find the smoked Gouda cheese so I used all cheddar.  Recipe from Southern Living Magazine.

Ingredients:

-1 pound uncooked corkscrew pasta (I used rotini)

-2 Tbsp butter

-1/4 cup all purpose flour

-3 cups fat-free milk

-1 (12 oz) can fat-free evaporated milk

-1 cup shredded smoked Gouda Cheese

-1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

-3 oz fat-free cream cheese, softened

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp ground red pepper, divided (I used black pepper)

-1 (8 oz) package chopped smoked ham (couldn’t find the little squares so I got shredded lunch meat ham and it worked really well)

-1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed and coarsely chopped

-1 1/4 cups cornflakes cereal, crushed (I used Rice Krispies because we had it on hand)

-1 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare pasta according to package directions.

2.  Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp butter in a Dutch oven (or large stockpot) over medium heat.  Gradually whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in milk and evaporated milk until smooth; cook, whisking constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Whisk in Gouda cheese, next 3 ingredients, and 1/8 tsp ground pepper until smooth.  Remove from heat, and stir in ham, pasta, and broccoli.

3.  Pour pasta mixture into a 9x13 baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Stir together crushed cereal, 1 Tbsp melted butter, and remaining 1/8 tsp ground pepper; sprinkle over pasta mixture.

4.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.  Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

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Meal Planning Monday?

Or Tuesday.  Whatever.  The Super Bowl was in Dallas last week plus all the ice so our meals stretched out a little further than we thought.  We are in recovery mode from a rough week and feeling a little lazy.  Anyway, here are the meals for the next couple weeks!

Meals for February 9 to February 20:

Wednesday/Thursday – Chicken Pot Pie, Ambrosia Fruit Salad

Friday – Dinner out with the family

Saturday/Monday – Barbeque Beef and Potato Turnovers , Acorn Squash

Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday – Harvest Chicken and Potatoes (new), green salad/pasta salad

Friday – The missionary we support from Africa will be in town so it’s out to eat!

Saturday (meal for 5 people) – Shepherd’s Pie, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad, Lemon Bread

I’ve tried a lot of new recipes in the last few weeks and I’m hoping to get them posted here soon.  Busy trying to get things ready for the baby – hard to believe that she’ll be here 2 months from this week!

Pasta Fagioli

So, if you haven’t seen the news all week, you may not know that we have been living in an Ice World here in Dallas.  We got 4” of sleet/snow on Tuesday morning, another 3” of snow on top of that last night and it won’t go away until maybe tomorrow or Sunday.  Yippee!  We’re getting some MAJOR cabin fever, but at least we have some warm things to eat.  Found this recipe in Family Circle Magazine and knew I had to try it.  If you are afraid to branch out with the white beans and kale, don’t be – they don’t have a ton of flavor in this so it’s a good way to try something new.  It calls for 2 cans of beans but I’m only using 1 next time so there is more broth.

Ingredients:

-2 Tbsp olive oil

-1 onion, diced

-3 cloves garlic, chopped

-1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano

-2 cans (14.5oz each) chicken broth

-8 oz (2 cups) small pasta shells

-1 tsp Italian seasoning

-1 bunch fresh kale, tough stems discarded, cut into 1” pieces and washed

-2 cans (or just 1) small white beans, drained and rinsed

-1 Tbsp tomato paste

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp pepper

-Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Directions:

1.  Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and cook 5 minutes.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute.

2.  Stir in tomatoes, broth and 3 cups water.  Bring to a simmer over high heat.  Add pasta and Italian seasoning.  Cook, stirring, 5 minutes.

3.  Stir in kale; cook 5 minutes more.  Reduce heat to medium and stir in beans, tomato paste, salt and pepper.  Heat through.

4.  Ladle into bowls; garnish with Parmesan.

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