Even Easier Chili Dogs

OK So we don't have chili dogs very often. But some nights I am just too tired to cook after I get off work and on those nights I need something super easy to avoid getting take out. I saw this one pinterest- I know, shocker right? My first thought was, how much easier can it be to make chili dogs? Because if I am making chili dogs, I am not making home made chili for them- I buy some good canned chili. If I am going to the trouble of making home made chili- it isn't going to be for chili dogs. Anyway I read the pin and thought, ya know I feel kinda stupid thinking this, but I think I am going to try this one. So later that week I tried it and wow did it make a difference in how good the chili dogs were! Everyone agreed this is the new way to make chili dogs, and believe it or not, it is even EASIER than it was before! So on those tired end of the week nights when you want something fast and easy (and cheap.. but sorry- not healthy!) then try this one. It may surprise you! :-) 

Even Easier Chili Dogs! 

From: Pinterest! 

Hot dog buns

Hot dogs

Canned chili

Shredded Cheddar

Onion, Diced (if desired) 

Preheat oven to 350. 

Place opened hot dogs buns in the bottom of 9x13 pan. 

Place cold hot dogs in buns. 

Pour canned chili over top

Cover with shredded cheese and diced onion

Cover with foil and place in oven for 45 minutes. 

Serve while hot! 

Breakfast Casserole

Another Pinterest recipe! Gotta love Pinterest! Ha! This was a simple and delicious recipe. I think it would be great for feeding a large group of people breakfast, or for Christmas morning because most of the ingredients could be prepared ahead of time and just thrown together. The original recipe, found at Bubble Crumb called for bacon, but I had sausage already so I used that instead. I also used a few more eggs, onion, and peppers than the original called for. This is a keeper! 

Breakfast Casserole 

From: Bubble Crumb

3/4 bag frozen tator tots
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 package sausage, cooked and crumbled
10 eggs
2 cups milk
3 cups shredded cheddar (or colby jack)

Preheat oven according to directions on tator tots package. Place tator tots in a layer on bottom of 9x13 pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake until tots are golden brown, according to package directions. Remove from oven and set aside. Lower oven temp to 350. 

In a mixing bowl combine eggs, milk, and cheese. Mix well and set aside. 
In a frying pan cook sausage and crumble (or use a broiler pan and bake it along with tots) 
Reserving some bacon grease (about 1 T) and add onions, bell peppers and saute' until soft. 
Layer cooked onions on top of tator tots. 
Then add a layer of sausage or bacon. 
And finally pour the egg and cheese mixture over the top. 
Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. 
Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes. 
Serve while hot. 

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

This is a recipe my brother, Rob, came across years ago. Somehow that recipe that was jotted down on a piece of paper, got stuck in a cookbook and we lost it. BUT the other day I accidentally found it! Yay! So here is the long lost recipe. I have never made this but I plan to next week. My brother did however make it for me years ago and I remember it being delicious! And it is so simple to throw together! Enjoy!! 

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

From: Rob

1 lb ground beef
1 cup diced onion
1 can ranch style black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can black beans- plain
1 can mild rotel
1 pkg taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
shredded cheddar
1 package flour tortillas

Brown ground beef and onions until cooked. Drain and add all other ingredients. In slow cooker- Layer tortilla, then mix, then shredded cheese and repeat until mixture is used up and top with cheese. Cook on high for 1 1/2 hours and serve with sour cream.

Artichoke Spaghetti

I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman website. Finally made it for dinner tonight and it was DELICIOUS- as ALL Pioneer Woman recipes are. All of them. Mine came out a little runny so next time I make it I am thinking I will drain the diced tomatoes. I also think I would like trying it with more cheese and putting it all in the oven for just a minute to let the pasta soak up some more of the sauce before serving it.. Not that it wasn't absolutely delicious the way I made it tonight- but just a few tweeks I might try next time around. If you don't like artichokes- skip this one. It has an amazing yummy artichoke taste to it. 

Artichoke Spaghetti 

By: Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1/2 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 1 can Artichoke Hearts (14.5 Oz. Quartered Or Whole) Drained
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes With Juice (14.5 Oz.)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup Chicken Broth (More As Needed)
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 pound Thin Spaghetti
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Chives (or Other Herbs) Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Cook spaghetti till al dente. Drain and set aside.

Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Stir and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not undersalt!) Cook over low heat until heated through, then turn off heat.

Place drained pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan. Pour sauce over the top. Add chives. Toss lightly to combine and coat; add a tiny bit of reserved pasta water if sauce seems too thick.

My Stew Recipe

Last night I decided stew sounded good. I didn't really have a recipe so I just made it up as I went along. It turned out delicious so I'm going to put it on here, but I may tweak it a little next time. I think I would use more potatoes next time maybe?

My Beef Stew Recipe

By: Me! 

2 cups tomato juice
2 cups water (maybe more?)
stew meat
1 onion
1 bag frozen "vegetables for stew" from frozen section
large carton beef stock
salt 
pepper
spices- what you normally like

First I put the stew meat in the pot alone and let it brown. While it was browning I dumped all kinds of spices in- I used onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, seasoned meat tenderizer, parsley, basil, chopped bay leaves, red pepper flakes, a splash or two of hot sauce, and a few splashes of worchestershire sauce. (I suggest adding whatever spices you usually like to use..) Then I cut up an onion (left it in fairly large pieces) and added it to the meat and let it all cook and brown for just a couple of minutes. Then I added in the tomato juice, and beef stock. Then I added in the frozen veggies and added about 2-3 cups of hot water, until there was enough liquid to cover all the ingredients. Stir it well and bring to a boil. Then turn down to low and let simmer for 4 or 5 hours. 

Yummmmmy it was so good. I think next time I will take the time to chunk up my own vegetables only because the pieces were small and I would have liked more potato, but it was absolutely delicious just as it was. Definitely a great way to make a quick and easy stew! 

Low Calorie Meat Loaf

This is a recipe I found HERE for a lower calorie meatloaf. I was worried about the carrots, but they give a great sweet taste to the meatloaf. I made a few alterations to the original recipe and it turned out SO GOOD. I recommend trying this one FOR SURE! 175 calories a slice! (a good thick slice too!) 

Low Calorie Meatloaf

From: About.com 

• 1 1/2 cups plain breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1 8 ounce pack sliced mushrooms, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/4 pounds 93 percent lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 cup tomato ketchup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Place onion, carrots, garlic, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Add ground turkey, breadcrumbs, milk, egg substitute, worcestershire sauce, and ketchup to vegetables and mix well with hands. Divide into 2 loaves and place into 2 loaf pans. (Or you can form into 2 loaves and place on a baking sheet, but cook for less time) Bake for 1 hour, until internal temperature is 160 degrees. 

Each loaf made 6 slices for me.. the thinner the slices, the fewer the calories... :-) Enjoy! 

Breakfast Burritos

Trying to think of something a little different for dinner? Everyone likes breakfast for dinner once in a while, here is an easy way to have it a little easier! Make breakfast burritos! It's simple. Take your favorite breakfast foods and place them in a warmed tortilla shell, maybe add some shredded cheese, and enjoy! You can make them ahead of time and warm them in the oven, or place ingredients on the table and let everyone make their own. Here is how we make ours!


Scrambled eggs
Shredded Cheddar
Diced Onion
Diced Tomato
Diced Bell Pepper
Sausage patties cut in half
Tortilla shells


To make it even easier, get the pre-diced veggies in your produce section. We actually use a non-spicy pico mix from schnucks that is just delicious! Obviously the list of what you can add is endless. (peppers, fresh vegetables, different cheeses, salsa's, gravy, bacon, sausages...)

Dinner Idea: Nachos!

Everyone loved homemade tacos right? Well why not make homemade nachos? Every time we make homemade tacos my mom ends up crumbling her taco shells onto a plate and making "nachos" instead of a taco. So I decided why not make nachos? It's simple!

Tip: If you want to melt your cheese really well- heat your oven to 350. Take your plate and cover it with a sheet of parchment paper. With scissors cut the paper into a circle to fit your plate. Layer your cheese, meat, beans, and other "hot" toppings. Carefully pull your paper, and nachos, onto a baking sheet. Place in oven for a few minutes, just long enough to melt your cheese. Take out, slide everything back onto you plate, and top with "cold" toppings like tomatoes, onions, sour cream, etc.

Here are some topping ideas:
Ground beef (or Ground Turkey!)
Shredded chicken
Shredded cheeses of your choice
Sliced Black Olives
Sliced Avocado
Diced onion
Diced tomato
Diced bell peppers
Diced peppers of your choice
Black beans
Refried beans
Guacamole
Salsa
Diced green onions
Sour Cream
Green taco sauce

The list goes on... This is another way to let kids have some fun in the kitchen. Let them pick out their favorite toppings and make their own nachos!

Tip: Schnucks has a great Pico De Gallo in their produce department that doesn't have hot peppers in it. It is basically just diced tomato, diced onion, and diced bell pepper in a container. I use this for nachos, tacos, or breakfast burritos. So much easier and it has a great fresh taste to it.

Easy Homemade Pizza!

This isn't so much a recipe as just a good idea for a quick dinner. We love to make homemade pizza. It's super easy and depending on your toppings can be cheaper than ordering take out. We usually start with a pre-made pizza crust that at our local Wal-Mart we find next to the pasta sauce. Almost always 2 crusts in a package, and no need to refrigerate it. Instead of using a jar of pizza sauce we always use a jar of Prego sauce. It is a little thicker and we just like the taste better. I never use a whole jar- on two pizzas I may use almost half the jar. Then of course sprinkle with your favorite cheese, for us it's just plain ole' mozzarella. After that the toppings are endless. My favorite is to boil a chicken breast ahead of time and shred it, add some banana pepper rings, and some kind of vegetable. Can't beat it. Here are some other topping suggestions. Making pizza with the kids would be a fun way to get them involved in the kitchen! Have fun with it!

Artichoke Hearts
Avocado
Black Beans
Broccoli
Cherry Tomatoes
Green Bell Peppers
Olives
Lettuce (taco pizza!)
Mushrooms
Onions
Spinach Leaves
Squash
Zucchini
Basil
Green Onions
Jalapeno Peppers
Rosemary
Basil
Anchovies
Shrimp
Lobster
Oysters
Salmon
Blue Cheese
Feta Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Monterey Jack Cheese
Goat Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Ricota Cheese
Bacon
BBQ Chicken
Shredded Chicken Breast
Ground Beef
Chorizo
Ham
Meatballs
Pepperoni
Proscuitto
Salami
Turkey
Pineapple

...you get the idea. Let the kids pick out their favorite toppings and help make the pizza. They will have a blast!