Tag Archives: Quick & Easy

Aug29

EASY cheesesteaks!!

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RUN, don’t walk, shuffle, crawl, do backflips …you get it — to your local grocer and buy this:

Options are sirloin steak, chicken and supposedly corned beef (haven’t seen that one in Kansas). This is probably the best cheese steak/philly I’ve ever eaten! Follow the instructions on the back – it goes from freezer to hot skillet, and add the seasoning packet while frozen.

Of course, I did my own little “edits” — like another sprinkle of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and a tbsp (splash) of worcestershire.

Veggies: melt a little butter in a separate pan, add sliced green/red peppers, onions, mushrooms. Season with salt/pepper and a little beef consomme (not broth) when things are getting toasty (so they don’t burn).

Toast the hoagies in a little butter, layer with provolone cheese, meat, veggies, more cheese. Back in the toaster oven/air fryer/oven for a few minutes just to melt the cheese. Serve with warm beef consomme for dipping.

BEST MEAL EVER! Will be trying the chicken, but already bought more beef. Thanks for stopping by after a long hiatus!

~Connie Kaye

Jun2

Did someone say QUESO?

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Hopefully you caught my recent post with some amazing recipes from Cinco de Mayo, available here. I accidentally omitted the queso recipe that my good friend Charity is asked to bring to Every. Single. Gathering. Yes, it’s that good!!!!

~Connie Kaye

Charity's Amazing Queso

  • Servings: lots
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained well; 1 lb. sausage, browned and drained well; 1 large jar picante sauce; 2 cans Rotel; 1 block Velveeta; 2 sm. cans refried beans; chopped onion – optional

Directions

Combine ingredients in crockpot and voila, delish!

May13

Mexican food anyone?

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Mexican food anyone?

Taking a quick moment to share some super easy Mexican food faves from my friends….tried and true, and all recommended! Don’t forget to sign up for these delish recipes delivered straight to your inbox. Thanks for stopping by!
~Connie Kaye

Gina's Cilantro Lime Rice

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

Rice:
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. lime zest
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
Chopped onion to taste

Directions

*Combine the rice, chicken broth, salt and ground cumin (and optional onion) in a large saucepan or skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover with lid then reduce heat to medium-low, let simmer 20 minutes.

*Remove from heat, but keep lid on. Let stand with lid on for 10 minutes. Remove lid and add in lime juice, zest, and chopped cilantro. Fluff with a fork and serve warm.


Ingrid's Crockpot Mexican Chicken

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 2 tsp taco seasoning 2 c. chunky red salsa 2-3 oz. cream chees

Optional: fresh or canned chopped jalapenos 1/4 tsp ground cumin 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice 1 tsp. lime zest 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro Chopped onion to taste

Directions

*Combine the rice, chicken broth, salt and ground cumin (and optional onion) in a large saucepan or skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover with lid then reduce heat to medium-low, let simmer 20 minutes.

*Remove from heat, but keep lid on. Let stand with lid on for 10 minutes. Remove lid and add in lime juice, zest, and chopped cilantro. Fluff with a fork and serve warm.


Aug20

Steak tacos….using pita or naan bread

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Steak tacos….using pita or naan bread

Skirt or flat iron steak are cuts that are many times ignored as tough, chewy, etc.  However, if you marinate and slice correctly, they are both delicious!

A friend of mine has told me how great naan bread is, and with a little searching, I found it in the deli section at one of our larger local grocers.   Also, this recipe uses watercress — I have absolutely no clue what this is, so I grabbed some fresh spinach off of the salad bar.

Gotta tell you, we will make these again.  Easy and delish, and I encourage you to try this meal that won’t break your bank!

Enjoy!

~Connie Kaye

Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos

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Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rings
  • 1 onion, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 1 pound skirt steak
  • 4 pocketless pitas or naan bread
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • watercress or fresh spinach

Preheat a grill to medium high. Make the marinade: Whisk the olive oil, garlic, mint (if using), oregano, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the marinade to a small bowl or plastic bag; mix in the yogurt and 2 tablespoons water. Add the bell pepper and onion to the bowl with the remaining marinade and toss; remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add the steak and toss.

Grill the bell pepper, onion and steak, turning once, until lightly charred.  Set steak aside to rest, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grill the pitas or naan until marked, about 1 minute per side.

Slice the steak against the grain. Fill the pitas with the steak, grilled vegetables, tomato and watercress/spinach. Drizzle with the yogurt sauce.

May21

Beer can cauliflower????

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Beer can cauliflower????

Yep folks, that what I said.  Not chicken.  I ran across this recipe and adapted it to fit what I thought we would like.   Gotta be honest though, not really sure on the purpose of the beer can except to keep it elevated off of the grill.  But hey, it looks really redneck and impressive, and you have to drink 1/4 of it prior to mounting the cauliflower, so we’ll call it good.

You will notice I’m not posting a final pic because my cauliflower took a tumble or two off the can and got a little charred – I don’t think I cut the stem end even enough, and didn’t pick the most even one at the store.  But anyway, I can tell you for sure that we’ll do this again.  Delish.  I have tried the mashed potatoes out of cauliflower game, and I am not a fan.  But this is really good, and you can adjust it with the amount of hot sauce that you like.  Also, you would typically put in shaved or minced garlic, but I figured I would try my hand at roasting garlic.  I cut the top off, rolled it around in some olive oil, salt and pepper, put in foil and on the grill it went.  WOW  That will be on garlic bread in the near future!  Anyway, I used the roasted garlic in this dish and it was super.

Quick, super easy and healthy!  Enjoy!

~Connie Kaye

Beer Can Cauliflower

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Ingredients:

Identify beer of choice, open and consume 1/3 of the can (or dump it out).  Preheat grill to medium to medium high.

Trim the base of the cauliflower so it will be flat and sit on top of said beer can, but be careful that all florets are still intact.  Melt butter and add salt, liberally brushing cauliflower.  Place beer can on grill and Mr. Cauliflower on top of it.  Grill for about an hour, checking to make sure that he didn’t hop off of the beer can.   You want it to be tender and golden brown.

Melt additional butter, add hot sauce to taste along with grated garlic.  Brush cauliflower and place back on grill for about 15 minutes.    Remove from grill and brush with additional butter and salt.  Serve with blue cheese for a dip.

Jan16

Chicken, bacon, cheese…….

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oh yeah, and jalapenos, but not hot.  I promise.

chicken bacon

Since we had the day off yesterday,  we did a barbeque run to a new spot, and are recovering from some amazing Kansas City BBQ at Slaps in Kansas City, KS.  I highly recommend this joint to everyone.  RIBS.  The end.  We ended up with an entire meal that we brought home, so order lightly.  Oh yeah, and BRISKET.  The best word to go with BBQ is joint, and this place brings it home.  We will definitely be back.  We shopped and then gambled at Hollywood Casino on the way home, and although we didn’t come out on top, it was fun!

Thought I might brew up something a little lighter for dinner, and made these chicken bacon jalapeno wraps.  We had a wonderful Christmas with friends, family and even more friends from Australia, plus an upcoming Mexico vacay in which we might just possibly overindulge, so the hubs and I have been eating a lot of meat, veggies and fruit.

So, let’s bring on the yard bird.  The husband of the house is not a fan of “yard bird” as he and his friend Charlie call it, but this, is delish.  I remove all of the innards from the jalapeno so it’s not hot, and combine with cheese and bacon, and yummo.  It’s about -10 degrees outside so I didn’t grill, which is the best, and most delicious option, but baking works as well.

Happy New Year everyone, and here’s to a fantastic 2018!!

~Connie Kaye

Chicken Bacon Rollups

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Ingredients:

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
5 jalapeno peppers
20 strips bacon
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup cup grated colby jack or cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
Favorite BBQ sauce

Slice chicken breasts in half width wise (each half makes 1 chicken rollup).  Place between 2 pieces of wax paper and pound to 1/4″ thickness.  Season each with salt & pepper.

Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise and remove seeds, ribs and the end with the stem.

In a small bowl, mix softened cream cheese with your grated colby jack or cheddar cheese.

Fill each jalapeno half with cheese mixture.  Place 1 jalapeno half at the end of each chicken piece, and roll up.  Doesn’t always close the way you think it might – no worries, the bacon brings everything together.  Wrap each piece of chicken with bacon, tucking in the ends of the strips.

Preheat grill and cook over indirect heat for 20-25 minutes, turning every 4-5 minutes.  Baste chicken with BBQ sauce every time you give it a flip.  Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees.  If you don’t have a meat thermometer, buy one.  🙂  Just kidding…you can pierce the chicken with a fork, and if juices run clear, you’re good to go.

Alternate method — if you choose to bake, set oven at 375 and bake uncovered for 30 minutes, basting as above.  You can broil at the end so bacon can crisp completely.

Dec30

Love jalapeno poppers? Try this on for a New Years Eve snack!

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Love jalapeno poppers? Try this on for a New Years Eve snack!

Not sure I’ve ever made anything with wonton wrappers, but my maiden voyage occurred to try these snacks for a recent KC CHIEFS! game.  You’ll find them in the produce section and about a zillion come in the package.  Mix 5 simple ingredients, and ta da!  Delicious! And, you can adjust the heat according to your liking by the amount of jalapenos you include.

Recipe below, and I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year.  Here’s to 2018!

~Connie Kaye

Jalapeno Popper Wonton Cups

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Ingredients:

12 wonton wrappers
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sour cream
12 oz. bacon cooked & crumbled (reserve 2 Tbsp.)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese (reserve 2 Tbsp.)
2-3 jalapeños seeded and chopped (*for a spicier version, do not remove all the seeds)

Set oven to 350 degrees, and spray muffin pan with cooking spray.
Place a wonton wrapper in each muffin cup and bake for 7-8 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and cool slightly.

n a medium-sized bowl, stir together cream cheese, sour cream, bacon, cheddar cheese, and diced jalapeños.  Spoon filling into wonton cups, then sprinkle with reserved bacon and cheese.

Return to oven and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, until wontons are golden brown and cheese is melted.

Nov21

One of the best side dishes ever…..

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One of the best side dishes ever…..

I just recently realized that some of my favorite go-to’s never make an appearance here, so I want to share one of the most requested side dishes from our family and friends.

As I’ve mentioned, my parents were in the restaurant business in Kansas City, and I think they were friends with the then-owners of Stephenson’s Apple Farm.  I believe this recipe for Broccoli Rice Cheese Casserole originated from their Green Rice.  It’s super easy and sooo amazingly delicious.  The recipe below makes a 13 x 9 pan, but I usually cut it in half and that works great in an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan.  In any case, I know you will love it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Connie Kaye

Broccoli Rice Cheese Casserole

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Ingredients:

1 bag chopped broccoli
2 cans cream of celery soup
16 oz. cheese whiz
1 stick margarine or butter
1/4 cup diced onion
1 soup can milk
1.5 cups uncooked rice
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease or spray 13 x 9 pan.  Stir all ingredients together and cook for 45 min to 1 hour.  Note:  about 1/2 way through the cooking time, I give it a stir as everything is starting to melt.

Aug28

Mystery solved….what to do with leftover spaghetti noodles

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Mystery solved….what to do with leftover spaghetti noodles

In a very random conversation last week at work, my friend shared that she had made a frittata with leftover spaghetti (no sauce, mind you).  I replied “I always make too much and throw it out”.  Laura is with us today to share a super easy, economical and delicious  way to use that leftover spaghetti (who doesn’t cook too much)???

STAFF_BirrellL-WEB

Meet Laura

She found that this frittata is a great way to use up left-over spaghetti, and her family of three ate the whole thing and asked for it again the next night.  I plan to try it soon, but I think I’ll have to mix it up with a few different meats cuz I live with Mr. All Meat Pizza – you could use browned sausage, canadian bacon, ham, etc.  If you do try one of these alternatives to the bacon that Laura used, we would love for you to come back and comment below!

Step 1 involves chopping up the cooked spaghetti:

frittata2.jpg

Step 2 – whisk the eggs and milk, and adding the yummy (bacon and cheese) ingredients:

frittata4.jpg

frittata5.jpg

The Final Frittata!

I could most definitely snarf a piece of that right now!  I’m sharing Laura’s recipe below, and hope that you enjoy as I certainly plan to!  Thanks for dropping by to get in on Laura’s quick weeknight meal!

~Connie Kaye

Spaghetti Frittata

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Ingredients:

6 eggs
1 ½ cups cut-up cooked spaghetti
2 slices of chopped cooked bacon
1 cup of shredded cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray a 9 inch round pie plate with non-stick cooking oil.

Whisk the six eggs in a separate bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Laura added a Zesty no-salt substitute to give it a little more flavor without adding additional salt.

Stir in the 2 slices of pre-cooked bacon, ½ cup of shredded cheese and chopped spaghetti. (Laura used the Mexican four cheese blend because that is what she had on hand and wanted to use up.)

Pour the blended items into the pie plate and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of cheese.  Bake for 30 min. or until center is set.

Nov15

Candied Bourbon Pecans

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Candied Bourbon Pecans

My friend Heather recently gave me a Hy-Vee magazine that came to her in the mail (she’s an Aisles Online fan) and it has some cool appetizer recipes that I thought I might try.  The first contestant is these pecans….warning, the hubster decided we should smoke them, so the first round went in the trash.  Turns out you need to cook them a little lower than the oven temperature.  Round 2 also involved the pellet smoker but at a lower temp.  YUMMO!

I think they would be good in the oven as well, and one thing I might try for Round 3 is to toast the pecans in the oven a bit, then add the gooey, bourbony deliciousness. Check out the recipe below – might be great for holiday gifts!

Candied Bourbon Pecans

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Ingredients:

1/2 bourbon
2/3 C dark brown sugar
1/4 C butter
1 tbsp. finely grated ginger
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 1/2 C pecan halves
cinnamon sugar, optional
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or smoker to 225).  In a saucepan, bring bourbon, dark brown sugar, butter, ginger, salt and pepper to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes until thickened.

Stir in pecans.  Pour on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until toasted.  If smoking, placed on foil vegetable-type rack (or we used screen from the hardware store) for about 30-40 minutes.  Toss occasionally.  Cool and toss with cinnamon sugar if desired.