My boy and I used to have pizza and movie nights on my paydays…I generally don’t feel like cooking when I get home from work (I get up at 4:30 am on workdays, after all), and we discovered a place that would bring us delicious pizza AND movies. We’d watch O’s movie while having a pizza picnic in the living room.
Then I started the 21 Day Fix. I figured pizza night could be my cheat day, but after eating well for two weeks, pizza just didn’t make me feel all that great. We haven’t had a pie delivered since, but I didn’t want to give up on our pizza nights. Wanting to make my own, but not really wanting to make the crust from scratch after coming home from work, I started looking for crust options that wouldn’t ruin my hard work…but still tasted good.
I found FlatOuts at the grocery store and decided to give them a shot. Check out the video below to see how it went!
Please excuse my hair and lack of makeup. I did a workout, then spent most of the day trying to declutter. Turns out, we have a TON of stuff to get rid of. I’m also in desperate need of a haircut, but I just haven’t had time.
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Have you tried FlatOuts?
**Disclosure** This is not a sponsored post. I purchased this product with my own money, all opinions are my own.**
I did not have high hopes for this one, guys.
It was one of those days…I knew I needed to go to the store but I had been working on O’s Halloween costume and let it get too late in the day.
I knew I had a pound of ground beef in the freezer…along with a few pieces of cooked bacon. A hunk of Velveeta (yes, Velveeta) was hanging out in my cheese drawer.
I thought about making cheeseburgers, but we had no buns…I noticed that we did have spaghetti and a light bulb went off.
Bacon cheeseburger spaghetti? It sounded like something that could go either way, so I decided to give it a shot.
I’m a risk taker.
Everything came together pretty quickly with this one, and I was surprised at just how good it was. I ate a huge portion, and so did O. The BF was convinced he had Ebola (turns out, just a head cold), but even he ate a pretty big helping.
I suggest you try this soon, especially if you have kids that love cheeseburgers.
Bacon cheeseburger spaghetti
1 pound ground beef
1 green pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Worcestershire sauce (a few shakes)
Salt and pepper
3-6 strips of bacon
1 can tomatoes, drained
About 1/4 of a block of Velveeta, cubed
1-2 tablespoons mustard
1-2 tablespoons ketchup
About 1/4 package dried spaghetti
Start by browning your beef in a skillet with the green pepper, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and worcestershire over medium-high heat. Strain.
Fry the bacon in the same skillet until crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate, then pour off most of the grease.
Pour the ground beef back into the skillet. Add tomatoes, cheese, mustard, and ketchup. Stir to combine, then let cook over medium-low heat until cheese melts and everything combines.
While you’re waiting for the cheese to melt, boil your spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain.
Crumble your cooked bacon and add it to the sauce mixture, stir, and taste. Add more ketchup and mustard if you like.
Serve with salad and garlic bread.
Because I was mostly just throwing stuff together, I didn’t get any good pictures. I did snap a quick pic of the leftovers just before they went into the fridge.
Trust me, it may not look like much, but it was really, really good.
Also!
Please don’t forget about my Breast cancer research fundraiser (and giveaway!). I’m going to keep it going a little longer since there have been some issues with the website.
Plus…If you missed yesterday’s news… I found out when my episode of The Doctors airs! Click the link to get the details.
The best part about this time of year is the abundance of the fresh produce that is just begging me to EAT ALL THE VEGGIES. The BF is always bringing home tomatoes or corn or zucchini from the little roadside stands that pop up everywhere. Our little farmer’s market is full of good things, too. It’s like every day is Christmas!
Last week, The BF brought us some tomatoes that looked perfect for stuffing. I weighed a handful of options before I settled on a tuna salad filling, mostly because I had everything I needed and I didn’t want to go to the store.
These make a great summer dinner because you only have to turn the broiler on for about 5 minutes, so you don’t really have to heat up the kitchen. Serve them with a big green salad and some cottage cheese and you barely have to make an effort at all. I was lucky enough to have leftover cucumbers and onions and roasted eggplant from the night before. Hooray!
Tuna melt stuffed tomatoes
*This recipe makes 2 stuffed tomatoes with some tuna salad leftover*
2 medium tomatoes
2 envelopes tuna packed in water (single serving size)
Mayonnaise (you could use Miracle Whip if you prefer)
Sweet pickle relish
About 1/4 of a smallish onion, diced
2 hard boiled eggs**, roughly chopped
About a teaspoon of celery seed (or a rib of celery chopped)
Salt and pepper
About 3/4 to one cup shredded cheddar cheese
Start by slicing the tops of the tomatoes off. Scoop out the insides (I used an ice cream scoop) so you have a nice, hollow cavity. Set the tomatoes, cut side down, on a paper towel lined plate.
Stir tuna and mayo (start with a little mayo and add until you have the consistency you want). Mix in egg, onion, celery seed (or celery), and add relish and salt and pepper to taste.
Stuff tomatoes with the tuna salad. I like to broil them in a muffin tin because it keeps them from falling over, so place each tomato into a hole in the muffin tin, top with cheese, and broil on low until cheese is brown and bubbly.
If you use cherry tomatoes, these make a nifty little appetizer for a cookout or summer party. Just be careful, because you may find that they disappear rather quickly.
ETA:
When you broil the tomatoes, the filling will NOT be heated through. If you prefer a hot filling (I’m not sure hot tuna salad would be super yummy but whatever floats your boat), you should bake the ‘maters.
** Ok, don’t bother with actually boiling the eggs. Seriously. Just put some cupcake liners in your muffin tin, put the eggs in there, and bake at 325° for 25 minutes. Once they come out of the oven, dunk them in ice water for ten minutes or so, then peel ’em. SO MUCH EASIER.
I used to hate ham. Like, the stuff made me gag if I attempted to eat it. I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t do it.
I remember one specific ham incident from my high school years like it was yesterday…I had spent the night at a friend’s house, and her mom fixed us lunch while we were outside. I was starving, so when I plopped down in front of my plate and saw a ham sandwich I was pretty disappointed. I was also afraid they would think I was rude if I said I hated ham… so I ate that sandwich, swallowing every tiny bite whole. It took me forever, and in my struggle to be polite I probably made myself look like a total weirdo.
Things have changed in the last few years, though. Pregnancy can do weird things to you, and making me actually enjoy ham in certain situations is one of them. I doubt I’ll ever order a ham steak at a restaurant, or get excited over spiral ham at Easter, but when it’s honey ham shaved so thinly it falls apart? Yeah, I’ll take it.
I made a chicken cordon bleu casserole not long ago that was really good (especially when we topped baked potatoes with the leftovers). Since then, I’ve had thoughts of a chicken cordon bleu grilled cheese dancing around in my head. When I saw seamless dough sheets hanging out with the canned biscuits at the store, a light bulb went off. I picked up half a pound each of turkey and ham and headed home to bake up some tasty treats.
Chicken cordon bleu roll ups
1 can seamless dough
Deli chicken or turkey, shaved (I used oven roasted turkey)
Deli honey ham, shaved
Thinly sliced swiss cheese, about 10 slices
Honey dijon mustard
Preheat your oven to 375° and line a baking sheet with parchment. Unroll the dough onto the parchment and top it with turkey and ham, then sliced cheese. Drizzle the honey dijon over the cheese.
Roll it up and slice it into 8 rounds. Place them about an inch to an inch and a half apart on the parchment, then pop it into the oven for 15-20 minutes.
These would be a great alternative to a boring sandwich in your kid’s lunch box, or awesome finger food at a party. We loved them…In fact, I barely managed to save one for O’s lunch today. I had to be sneaky so I hid it in a cream cheese container, because The BF is a late-night snacker.
The best part? It took me 5 minutes to put these together. I served them with cottage cheese and grape tomatoes, and steam in the bag veggies…so not only was dinner an absolute breeze last night, but cleanup was a snap.
Remember that super delicious herb marinated pork loin? Part of what I love about it is that you get lots of leftovers. You could easily freeze some of it, or you can use the meat the next night. I like to use it all up, so Saturday I made some awesome barbecue sliders for a quick and easy dinner.
You can use any rolls or slider buns you like, but I had Hawaiian rolls leftover, so that’s what I used. I highly recommend using them for sandwiches…delish!
Pulled pork barbecue sliders
Hawaiian rolls
Leftover pork loin, pulled
Barbecue sauce
Cheese slices
Onions, pickles, banana peppers, etc…
Start by preheating your oven to 375° and lining a baking dish with foil. Make sure you have enough excess to fold over and seal so things get steamy.
Slice the Hawaiian rolls in half, then arrange the bottoms in the baking dish. Mix pulled pork and barbecue sauce (I used a combo of Sweet Baby Ray’s and Country Bob’s), then spoon the meat onto the rolls halves. Top with sliced cheese and whatever your heart desires (banana peppers FTW), pop the top halves on, and cover. Make sure to crimp the foil to seal it.
Bake until cheese is melty and everything is heated through… About 30 minutes, but possibly longer if you put a ton of meat on them like I did.
I served mine with a quick and easy pasta salad and chips. Because, lazy.
Yum!
Yep. That title is pretty lame.
BUT.
What I’m making for dinner tonight is not! It’s so easy that I feel weird calling it a recipe.
Maybe it’s just an Indiana thing, but I’ve been eating smoked sausage with potatoes and green beans since…Well, probably since I could eat solid food. My mom would make a big pot of it so we even had leftovers. Much like chili, this is even better the next day.
To make this cold weather comfort food, assemble the following:
1 package Smoked sausage
About 1/2 of a medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can of green beans, drained
4 or 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 32 ounce box chicken stock
Salt and pepper
Heat a stock pot on medium. Cut the sausage into bite sized chunks and throw ’em in the pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring occasionally so nothing burns.
Add potatoes and green beans, then pour the chicken stock over everything. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium low and let simmer until potatoes are fork tender.
You could also dump everything into your crockpot and let it cook all day if you like.
I usually serve this with cottage cheese and biscuits. Tonight, I’m making 7-Up biscuits because my friend Carla says they’re the bees knees. I’m excited to try them!
What are you having for dinner?
How about we take a break from the holiday recipes… I need to stop stuffing my face with sweets in the name of R&D. Also, for my next holiday treat I need peanut butter and we’re out. So…there’s that.
Don’t worry, I still have a recipe for you! Just not one that contains roughly a pound of sugar. I made this super easy and quick dish for supper on Saturday and I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out!
Pork cutlet parmesan
Pork cutlets (1 for each person…I used 2)
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
About 1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium green pepper, chopped
A handful of mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 can Italian style tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
Parmesan cheese
Pinch sugar
Basil (about a palm full)
Oregano (same)
Salt and pepper
Shredded mozzarella cheese
About 1/2 package spaghetti
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Mix bread crumbs and cheese in a shallow dish. Press cutlets into crumbs to coat… You could do the flour, eggs, crumbs routine but I didn’t.
Fry cutlets uncovered for about 5 minutes on each side, then remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Wipe the pan out if necessary, then add the veggies and a little salt and pepper. Cook until softened. Stir in tomato paste and canned tomatoes, then add oregano, basil, sugar (if the sauce is bitter… if not, you could omit the sugar), and parmesan. Stir it all together, then place cutlets on top and turn to medium-low heat to simmer while you boil your spaghetti.
When spaghetti has a couple of minutes left, top cutlets with shredded cheese and cover skillet, then let cook until cheese is melted.
Serve each cutlet over spaghetti and sauce with some garlic bread and a salad.
This was actually better than the chicken parmesan I had been craving… And it was so quick and simple that you could easily do it on a weeknight!
Remember yesterday, when I mentioned putting the cucumber salsa on garlic lime chicken? And then I didn’t tell you how to make the chicken?
You probably thought that was a dick move.
Well fear not, dear reader…because now I’m going to tell you how to make some tasty, garlicky, limey, chickeny… um, chicken. I got a little carried away, there.
This is another embarrassingly easy recipe that ends up tasting really good. Make sure you start this a bit early, because you need to let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes. Set the timer for this, because the acid in the lime juice can chemically cook your chicken if it marinates too long. It won’t be delicious.
You need:
Boneless skinless chicken breasts (as many as you want to serve)
Soy sauce (about 3/4 to 1 full cup)
Worcestershire sauce (a few dashes)
Juice of half a lime
3 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped
Put your chicken in a shallow baking dish, then add the above ingredients. Make sure your chicken is covered by the liquid, cover the dish, and let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Plop your grill pan on the ol’ stovetop (or go outside and fire up your grill). Once it’s good and hot, add your chicken. I like to pat the chicken with a paper towel a bit when I take it out of the marinade…It seems like getting extra sauce on the pan just equals a big ol’ burnt mess. Discard the marinade.
(Full disclosure: I did this in a regular pan with a little oil in it and it was fine, but I really think the grill is the best way to do this one.)
Let the chicken cook on each side for about 5 minutes or until the juices are clear.
Serve it with cucumber salsa on top or by itself. Either way, yum!
Willfully Disobedient 