I I love kitties. All kitties. Old kitties, baby kitties, cranky kitties, standoffish kitties, cuddlesome kitties, hissing kitties, smacking kitties, fighting kitties, biting kitties, I love them all. I wish I lived in Maine. I wish I could convince my husband that you get used to the cold. Then I remember that when I was in Maine earlier this month and the temperature was a relatively balmy 75 degrees, I was FREEZING. I haven’t been sleeping well lately, tossing and turning and sweating so I kick off the covers, then a stumpy little bastard tromps across my legs with his freezing-cold toes and wakes me up, and I realize I’m freezing and pull the covers over me, only to wake a while later to find that I’m hot again. I feel like we end up making the same 6 recipes for dinner over and over again. I think you should leave me a link to a recipe, or the recipe itself, in my comments. I don’t like any kind of peppers, ground turkey, or big chunks of tomatoes – you might want to keep that in mind. The easier, the better. I prefer not to spend much more than half an hour fixing dinner. I wish I was a clean freak, but sadly I am not. The dust has to be an inch thick before I’m sufficiently horrified enough to dust. I hate dusting. I vacuum regularly, and I clean the bathroom (at least the master bathroom) somewhat regularly, but I loathe dusting. I know that’s idiotic, because it takes like five minutes with a rag and furniture polish to dust the entire upstairs; less time than that if I choose to use a Swiffer Duster. I am amazed at how quickly cobwebs develop in the corners of rooms in this house. I’ve never seen anything like it before; I suspect it has something to do with the large amount of traffic that drives by every day down the road behind our back yard. I worry about the fact that I enjoy not working. I always thought that some day I’d want to go back to work, if even part-time, but it’s been four years and I’m still pretty happy staying home. I do get bored sometimes, though. I spend way too much time on my ass in front of the computer. I have Miz Poo draped over my arm at this very moment. She’s keeping me warm, but she’s a wee bit ticked that my arms are moving while I type, and she keeps reaching her paw out to touch my hand as if to say “Okay, goddamnit, knock it the hell off, will you?” I know I tell too many cat stories in my journal, but I can’t seem to help myself. I am a worrywart. If I know you, I worry about you. I worry the most about Fred and the spud. If I could lock them in a room to keep them safe from harm… well, I probably wouldn’t do it, because what kind of life would THAT be? But I’m be sorely tempted. I lie awake at night and worry sometimes, but I’m trying to stop from doing that, because what the hell is the point of frittering away your life worrying about things that will probably never happen? I talk to myself all the time. Especially in the car. Yesterday I had a five-minute discussion with myself about the correct way to pronounce Iam’s (the lady on the radio pronounced it I’ms, and I thought it was pronounced more like I-ams, so I had to pronounce it out loud several times and then launch a discussion on the likelihood of the woman on the radio – doing an advertisement for Iam’s – mispronouncing it when she was surely paid to know how it’s pronounced). I also inform the other drivers on the road that they’re a great big pain in my ass. “You are SUCH a pain in the ass,” I muttered at the guy trying to turn left in front of me, and blocking me so that I couldn’t turn left onto the road he was on. “God. What a pain in the ass,” I said to the guy going 30 down a road with a 55 MPH speed limit. “Does your mother know what a great big pain in the ass you are?” I asked the guy in front of me who sat at the green light for a good long time before realizing it was green. I always say this stuff in a conversational tone, to myself. I’m a freak. I love and adore Stephen King, but I suspect he might be just the tiniest bit crazy. I also love and adore Tabitha King, and I wish she’d publish another book. I think The Dark Tower ended the only way it could. I still have a wee crush on Roland. I’m reading a chick lit book to kind of lighten things up before I start another serious book. I’m hungry. I think I’m going to have oatmeal for breakfast. I think this entry is done.

I don’t think you tell too many cat stories.
This recipe is a fav among my friends and family
CATALINA CHICKEN
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp black pepper
Rub over chicken breast
Combine following and bruc=sh over chicken:
1/4 cup catalina dressing
1 tb dijon mustard
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
Bake uncovered in shallow baking dish at 350 f for 20-25 minutes. Boil remaining catalina sauce and serve with cooked chicken.
Can be served with rice or noodles
and whatever vegetable you like.
I make extra sauce to serve over rice or macaroni.
LEMON CHICKEN WITH THYME
3 tbs flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 lb total)
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion
1 tbs margarine
1 c chicken broth
3 tbs lemon juice
½ tsp thyme
lemon wedges (optional)
2 tbs chopped parsley (optional)
In a plastic or paper bag, combine the flour, salt and pepper and shake to mix. Add the chicken and shake to coat lightly. Remove the chicken and reserve the excess seasoned flour.
In a large skillet, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown on one side, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, turn the chicken and brown well on the second side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Coarsely chop the onion. Add the margarine to the skillet. When the margarine melts, add the onion and any remaining flour mixture. Cook, stirring, until the flour is completely incorporated, about 1 minute.
Add the broth, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and the thyme and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
Return the chicken to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet. Cook until the chicken is tender and opaque throughout, about 5 minutes.
Divide the chicken among 4 plates. Stir the remaining tablespoon lemon juice into the sauce in the skillet and pour over the chicken. Serve the chicken with lemon wedges and a sprinkling of parsley, if desired.
Books I use to cook. You will see I like to make them easy and quick =) Plenty of recipes so you will never be bored again.
Six Ingredients Or Less Cooking Light And Healthy
Carlean Johnson CJ Books ISBN 0942878035
100 Best 4 Ingredient Recipes
Publications International, Inc.
ISBN 0785380515
1001 4 Ingredient Recipes
Gregg R. Gillespie Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers ISBN 1579122078
American Chop Suey or Goulash
1.5 pounds of lean hamburger
1 pound box elbow macaroni cooked
1 small onion diced fine ( can be omitted )
1 small greem pepper ( can be omitted )
2 large jars Prego sauce with mushrooms or your favorite sauce.
Warm sauce in large pan. Saute onion & pepper in fry pan. Add hamburger and cook until done, drain excess juices/fat. In large pot combine meat, macaroni and sauce. Serve with salad and bread if desired.
Forgot to add you can use salt and pepper to the American Chop Suey to taste
Do you guys have one of those countertop rotissierie things? I love that for quickie meals, at least for the meat part. Last night I slapped some lamb chops in there and did up some rice and veggies. Good and quick, and endless variations.
This is the last recipe I tried that’s a keeper, (as far as I’m concerned):
soup.allrecipes.com/az/QickndsyChicknNdlSp.asp
Do you guys have one of those countertop rotissierie things? I love that for quickie meals, at least for the meat part. Last night I slapped some lamb chops in there and did up some rice and veggies. Good and quick, and endless variations.
There is a show on The Food Network called 30 Minute Meals that you may wanna watch…she has some good ideas.
And I agree with Margaret, you don’t tell too many cat stories.
Black Bean Soup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
2 cans (15 ounces) BUSH’s BEST Black Beans, undrained
1 can (16 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup salsa
1 tablespoon chili powder
Shredded cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Chopped onion (optional)
Cilantro (optional)
Mash one can of beans with potato masher or food processor. Pour both cans of beans into medium saucepan. Add chicken broth, salsa, and chili powder. Bring to a boil. If desired top with shredded cheese, sour cream, onion, and cilantro.
Recipe Courtesy White Lily Foods
chicken and stuffing
Make 1 box of stove top stuffing, form 4 mounds of stuffing in a baking pan. place 1 slice of swiss cheese over the stuffing. Place 1 boneless skinless breast of chicken over that. Take one can of cream of chicken soup and mix with a little milk to make it liquid. Pour over the top. cook at 350 for I think 45 min – 1 hour. Serve with mashed potatos. Quick, easy and delicious!
It’s I’ms not I’ams. Sorry. I don’t think you have too many cat stories. They are too funny to be too many.
Sorry no recipe – I don’t like to cook since it’s for one. The cats only nibble so they don’t count.
Robyn,
I have no recipes for you.
But I had to tell you that your entry today was amazing! You described me to a tee. Likes, dislikes, attitudes and the ability to carry on great conversations when no one is around. I showed my hubby the entry and he wondered if perhaps you had been hanging around Connecticut playing peeping tom.
I just enjoyed being able to say “See,I’m not that strange”
Thank you thank you thank you!!!
I totally talk to myself ALL the TIME! When I’m in the bathroom, at the grocery store, in the car. I am good company!
Easiest crockpot vegetable soup in the world!
1 can whole kernal corn, not drained
1 can sliced carrots, not drained
1 can sliced potatoes, not drained
1 can peas, not drained
1 can green beans, not drained
1 can meat broth
1 packet of onion soup mix
(I add a little already cooked barley. If you do this, add 1 can of water.)
You can add the meat of your choice, cut into bite sized pieces. If you add chicken, add chicken broth. If you add beef, add beef broth.
Cook and enjoy!
My easiest and favourite quick dinner – we have it at least once every 2 or 3 weeks
one large covered pot with steamer – fill pot to just above steamer and get boiling.
(for 2 or 3 people – adjust each item as wanted)
STEAMED NEW ENGLAND SUPPER:
Ingredients:
2 peeled large potatoes (or 1 for each person)
2 peeled onions (if desired – or 1 for each person)
Red (or green) cabbage, 1/4th per person, but in half then in quarters.
8 carrots peeled (whole or cut up – about 4 per person)
Kielbasa (I like the beef Kielbasa the best) about a 5-6 inch piece per person)
Put all veggies except the Kielbasa into the steamer over the boiling water. Cover. Turn down to medium simmer for about 20-25 mins, til cabbage is fork-tender.
Add whole Kielbasa pieces and cover and steam som more – about 5 to 10 mins only)
Serve with butter, mustard of your choice, and/or wine vinegar over everything.
Easy-Peasy! It’s so good on a cool day, too!
I love Spanky!!!
30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray on food network. I love that show and every meal takes 30 minutes. Here’s her recent recipe page: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_tm
Hope that helps!
The easiest peanut butter cookies EVER:
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 sugar
1 egg
Mix. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. Cool and eat.
They’re soo tastey, I had them for supper once. I’m so ashamed. Heh.
Is that Spanky laying in the sun? I swear that cat looks JUST like the cat Butthead (the EX) has and that I fell in love with when he was in the house I shared with Butthead. His name is Charmin and yes…because he is brown and white; my brother-in-law (who we got him from)named him Charmin. I miss him.
Warning! Easy recipe ahead!
Oven Chicken and Rice
6 chicken breasts
1 can mushroom soup
1 pkg (dry) Lipton Onion Soup Mix
3/4 cup white OR brown rice
Milk
Mix together the soup and 3/4 cup milk. Reserve 1/2 cup. Add the rice and 1/2 of the dry onion soup mix. Pour rice mixture into sprayed 9 x 13 pan. Arrange the chicken breasts over the rice and pour the reserved soup mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle the other 1/2 of the onion soup mix over the chicken.
Bake at 350 degrees, covered for 1 hour. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes.
I have a question for you. I have been reading your journal for years, and everytime you link to something I want to ask, but forget. Last night I stayed awake thinking that I had to ask you this question…
Why, when you link to other things in your journal, ie. the car your sister bought, do you not put a taget_blank in your html? I always click the link, and then read or see whatever it is, then I close the window, forgetting that I just had to click the back button to get back to you. Every time…
Anyways, I was just wondering…
This recipe does have some bell pepper in it, but even though the ingredients sound kinda weird, trust me it’s delicious! And very easy — takes about 20 minutes or less depending on how fast of a chopper you are. It freezes well too, so you can make the whole 11-serving batch and then freeze half.
African Chicken-Peanut Soup
(From Cooking Light)
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups cubed peeled sweet potato
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 8 ounces)
1 cup bottled salsa
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 (15-ounce) cans Healthy Choice Chicken With Rice Soup or any less-sodium chicken-and-rice soup, undiluted
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
Place a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add sweet potato, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeño; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in chicken and next 5 ingredients (chicken through beans); bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Add peanut butter, stirring with a whisk; cook 2 minutes.
Yield: 11 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 188 (28% from fat); FAT 5.9g (sat 1.3g, mono 2.4g, poly 1.6g); PROTEIN 15.2g; CARB 19.3g; FIBER 3.4g; CHOL 21mg; IRON 1.4mg; SODIUM 556mg; CALC 35mg;
Taco salad
get some ground beef, about a pound, some of that package taco mix, make according to package directions. Let meat cool
In a large bowl JUST before serving:
Meat
1/2 head of iceburg lettuce, chopped
1 small bottle catalina (california) dressing
1 package nacho/tortilla chips (whatever you like) crunched up
grated cheese (I buy the mexican bagged kind)
Mix everything together and serve. I put salsa and sour cream on the side.
I’m sure I’ve forgotten something.
Hey guys, thanks for the recipes! They look great – I’m going to print them out and then present them to His Majesty to see what he might be interested in. 🙂
Jules – We used to have a countertop rotisserie (just set it and forget it!) thing, but it took up a lot of space (which is at a premium around here) and we rarely used it, so we gave it away. It did make some mighty fine roasted chicken, that’s for sure!
Diane – I’m glad to know I’m not the only weirdo out there! 🙂
Vanessa – I used to put target=”_blank” in each and every link, but it got to be a pain in the ass and I figured if people wanted to read the link in another window, they could right-click and choose “open in another window/ tab”. 🙂
Pork tenderloin is a nice change from chicken and is really easy. Leftovers make good sandwiches.
Unseasoned pork tenderloin (however much you need to feed your family)
olive oil
fresh herbs of your choice–I like rosemary and garlic, thyme would also be good (you can use dried if you prefer, but then use less)–you can leave these out if you prefer
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375ish, maybe 400. Lighly oil a baking pan. Chop up herbs and garlic finely, if using. brush meat with olive oil and rub/sprinkle herbs onto meat. If you want to get fancy, you can cut slits in the meat and push some of the herbs inside. Place meat on pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place pan in oven.
Cook until meat thermometer reads about 155 degrees at center of thickest portion of meat (time will depend on size of meat but about 20-30 minutes, usually). It should be faintly pink inside.
Good with applesauce, and whatever side dishes you like–we often do potatoes and sauteed spinach. there are lots of variations on this recipe; you can marinate the meat beforehand, use a spice rub instead of the herbs, etc etc.
Yum.
I made these fish tacos by Bobby Flay from the Food TV website and they were a big hit at my house. I cheated though, and didn’t make my own salsa. I also used a different fish than snapper. I can’t remember what it was. I would just ask the fish guy (or gal) what fish is most like snapper.
2 tablespoons achiote paste
4 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
3 (8-ounce) snapper fillets
8 (6-ounce) flour tortillas, warmed
Garnishes:
Shredded lettuce
Avocado slices
Habanero salsa, recipe follows
Combine the achiote, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin and salt. Rub the mixture on both sides of the fish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat grill, brush the fish with olive oil and grill for 4 minutes on each side for mediumwell
HABANERO SALSA:
4 small redripe tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped habanero pepper
Salt
Mix all ingredients together. Serve at room temperature.
Told ya! For the taco salad, also add one can of corn (drained but not cooked).
King Ranch Chicken
1.5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes (not chunky, promise)
1 can red beans (optional)
1 pkg (10 or so) corn tortillas
1 pkg shredded cheese
Pre-heat oven to 400 F
Cook the chicken (I like to do a boil method in a pan on the stove) then take 2 forks and shred it. In a separate pan combine the soups and the Rotel and beans. In a 11×9 pan layer corn tortillas, some chicken, the soupy mixture and some cheese. Repeat the layers (usually 3) like a lasagna and bake until bubbly (usually 15-20 min). It’s super yummy…
chicken and noodles:
1 can cream of chicken soup
milk
chicken
noodles (you could probably use rice instead, but i don’t eat rice)
cook chicken however you want, but don’t season.
cook noodles (we use the big flat egg noodles that are kinda twisty, but not too twisty.)
mix milk and cream of chicken soup in pot and heat over stove. should be of a sauce consistency, but can be thinner or thicker if you like.
add chicken and noodles to sauce. salt and pepper to taste.
I, too, loved this entry. I wouldn’t make yourself be concerned over the fact that you aren’t eager to go back to work. I used to think that I’d be bored staying at home, but now that I’m away from home 11-12 hrs a day working, there’s nothing I’d like more. There are so many projects, so many books, so many thoughts to think. We’ve been raised to think that the point of life is to work, make money, etc. But really, the point of life is to LIVE, and a “job” has nothing to do with it.
we don’t cook much, but this is a favorite of ours – feeds the husband and I for a week:
in a big pot put:
chunk of beef roast (rump roast, etc.)
3-4 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup (more or less soup depending on how much gravy you want – and if you have a mushroom-phobe in the house, you can use cream of celery instead)
~1/2 soup can water
sprinkle 2 packets dry onion soup mix over the beef.
cover, simmer.
after ~1 hour, turn over beef, sprinkle 1-2 additional packets soup mix on beef.
continue to simmer covered for 2-3 hours, depending on the toughness of the beef (and how tender you want it).
when the beef is almost tender enough for you, add chopped potatoes and veggies (we do carrots and celery). continue to simmer until veggies are cooked to your liking.
serve with your choice of noodle/rice.
the basic simple pot roast, but using plenty of soup mix and simmering until the beef is REALLY tender is key to making it super tasty.
Thank you, Robin, for being so real! I love to read your journal.
Email me if you want a recipe for peanut butter stew. It’s spicy, delicious and doesn’t taste like peanut butter. It’s made with a slow cooking beef like those chunks you use to make beef stew. I’m too lazy to post it here. You might not even like it!
Well I think that you might be my long lost twin or something (don’t freak out I am not crazy–although that might make you think that I am because most crazy people don’t think that they are really crazy–ok, maybe I am a tiny bit crazy..) But I stumbled upon your journal and we like all the same things, read all the same books, talk in the car to ourselves…kinda odd. Everything that you have said has come out of my own mouth, although you seem to have a much more comedic perpective. Great job! Glad to know that there are others like me… 🙂
I am a Stephen King fan myself, though I am often chastized for it. Okay, here’s my recipe. You need a casserole dish (a smaller one), a medium mixing bowl, a pot, a box of your favorite shape of noodles, a can of cream of asparagus (or cream of broccoli if you can’t find the former), a stick of butter, a roll of Ritz crackers, half a cup of milk, a large can of tuna, and salt and pepper and that kind of crap. First, open the tuna and drain the juice into a bowl and feed to kitties, because you know they will beat the crap out of you if you don’t. Now you can boil a pot of water and throw in the noodles. Back to the tuna; scrape it into the mixing bowl, along with the cream soup and milk. Mix it up until it looks like cat barf, or a little thinner. Add salt and pepper and that kind of crap. Now that the noodles are cooked (maybe just a tiny bit too firm), drain them out and mix the cat barf into the noodles. Use the butter stick to grease the edges of the casserole dish, then pour the mixture into the dish. Cut up the rest of the butter stick into pads and lay it across the top of the mixture. Open the Ritz crackers roll and crunch up the crackers all across the top of the casserole dish. Once it’s covered, you’ll have to wash all that cracker crap off your hands and take off your rings to clean because it’ll all be caked in there. Once that’s done, cover your casserole with tin foil and pop it in the over at 375 for 30 minutes. Serve it piping hot. Rock on. Now I’m hungry.
Hey Sly (P.S) that stew sounds awesome could you email ME the recipe??
Susan that was so funny I spit up my dinner.
Yummy Chicken Fingers and Easy Parmesan Pasta: serve with a caesar salad and you’re done!
Marinate chicken tenders in olive oil and lots of crushed garlic. Mix together Panko, Parmesan and salt/pepper. Roll tenders in panko mixture, bake at 400 for about 20 minutes til crispy. Meanwhile, bring two quarts of water to the boil, add 1 tsp salt and pour in 1 1/3 cups orzo. Stir, cover and stir occasionally until almost all the water is absorbed (about 9 minutes). The remaining starchy water forms the base for your sauce. Add some parmesan (or any good melty cheese) and maybe a little milk to make a nice saucy side dish. Voila!
I think I wuv you!
Beans and Rice (Rajma Biryani )
1 cup of basmati rice, rinsed
1 (15 ounce or so) can of petite diced tomatoes
1 can of pinto or kidney beans (also 15 ounces or so), rinsed
3 Tablespoons of plain yogurt (can be low fat, no fat or full fat)
2 cups of water
Tandoori seasoning from Penzey’s ( http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyscurrytand.html) you have sweet potato crack we have this.
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dump everything into a large pan. Heat on high until boiling. Cover and lower the heat to a simmer for 17-20 minutes or until you get those little someone-poked-my-rice-with-pencils holes throughout. Fluff with fork.
Peppered Pork Chops:
4 boneless pork loin chops, 3/4-inch thick
2 teaspoons ground black papper
1/2 teaspoon thyme, crushed
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Coat chops with pepper and thyme. Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add chops, cook to brown one side (2-3 minutes); turn to brown other side. Remove chops from pan, keep warm. Deglaze skillet with Worcestershire sauce: add sauce to hot pan, stir constantly to remove any pan juices cooked to bottom of skillet. Pour accumulated juices over chops and serve immediately.
This is wonderful with green beans and Sweet Potato Crack. I didn’t bother to deglaze– I’m too impatient, so I dumped the Worchestershire sauce on the chops before they were quite done.
Well Robyn, I am an Aussie and I have a feeling that even though Americans and Australians speak English, the terminology we use can vary widly. So bearing that in mind I offer the following easy recipe for you and hope that you understand the names of the ingredients!
Easy Home Made Pizza
Take a small pita bread (pocket bread)slather it with tomato paste or your favourite thick tomato sauce. Top with any toppings you want (ie ham, tomato, chicken, olives, salami,vegetables). Finish off with a low fat grated cheese and whack it in a moderate oven for around 10-15 minutes. A really delicious meal that is easy to personalise for each member of the family.
This is the first comment I’ve ever left. But – I read you every day and have read your journal for at least a year now. You rock. I talk to my husband about you and regularly ask him to come over to my monitor to gaze at your lovely kitties. Please, tell MORE cat stories. We love all of them.
Anyway- the reason I’m writing: Here’s a recipe I made up one day a couple of years ago. Everyone who eats it loves it:
Polenta with Black Bean Stew
1 tube of polenta (from the rice aisle at the grocery)
can of tomatoes (choose the chunk size you dig the most)
can of black beans
fresh garlic
fresh onion (doesn’t matter what kind, yellow, green, white, whatever)
cumin
chili powder
whatever other spices sound good
fresh limes (the fresh is a must. this won’t work with canned or bottled juice)
avocados
In a saucepan, dump the beans and tomatoes together and get them warming up. Chop up the onion and throw it in. Smash a garlic clove and add that. Add chili powder, cumin, pepper, etc to taste. Salt to taste. Let it bubble on the stove while you make the polenta.
Open the tube of polenta and slice it into discs, about 1/2 inch thickness. In a skillet, fry the discs over high heat until both sides are crispy. I’ve never gotten the polenta to brown, but if you can, great. I’ve also considered grilling it….anyway, fry up the polenta discs.
Slice the avocado. On a plate, arrange a few polenta discs, and spoon some of the black bean stew on top. Top with avocado slices and squeeze fresh lime wedges (or halves!) over the whole plate. Enjoy.
🙂
I use the chips on the side.
Easy Taco Casserole
Serves 6
1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups lowfat cheddar cheese — shredded
2 cups baked tortilla chips — crumbled
1 1 1/4-ounce package taco seasoning
1 medium onion — chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 can black beans — rinsed and drained
TOPPINGS
lowfat sour cream
shredded lettuce
sliced tomatoes
chopped cilantro
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, brown beef and
onions; drain fat and blot grease with some paper towels.
Nutrition info will not reflect this decrease in fat grams, but
it is definitely much less than what it says. Add taco
seasoning, chili powder, cumin, tomato sauce, and water. Simmer
for 10 minutes. Gently fold in corn chips and most of cheese.
Put into casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with toppings, as desired.
Thanks y’all for the groovy recipes! I had to cut and paste this entire comments page to save them till I cull out the ones I want!
Robyn, I, too, have had the “Iams” debate out loud with myself. Not in the car though, but just about every time a commercial comes on the tube for it. I have heard it pronounced both ways, too. I ALWAYS talk to myself, in fact when caught doing it while at work the other nurses kind of look at me like I am ready for the booby hatch.
dilemmanated… A word I can’t get out of my head.
That is until today when it slipped out. 😉
Thanks for a lot of giggles!!
hey, look!!
http://store.yahoo.com/opg/happyface.html