Potluck Pizza

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Easy Dinner Recipes

Just because it’s too hot to cook doesn’t mean you can’t have pizza—or a very good substitute. This potluck dish will be gone before you know it, especially with kids around. Chill for several hours if you are traveling to a potluck dinner or family reunion.

10 plum tomatoes, chopped
3 green bell peppers, chopped
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package of pepperoni slices (3.25 oz)
1 small can of chopped black olives, drained
1 small can of mushrooms, drained
¼ cup of chopped onion
1/3 cup of tomato juice
¼ cup of red wine vinegar
¼ cup of olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
½ teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 cup of salad croutons, Italian style

In a small bowl, blend the tomato juice, vinegar, oil, basil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, mushrooms, bell pepper, pepperoni, olives, onions and mozzarella. Pour the olive oil dressing over the tomato mixture, cover and refrigerate for several hours. Wait until just before serving to add the croutons to keep them crisp.  Yield: 12 servings

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Potluck Mexican Bean Salad

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Easy Dinner Recipes

Prep time: 15 minutes Yield: 8 servings

When invited to a pot-luck meal, be sure to ask your hostess what type of dish is needed. If the response is “anything”, this recipe travels well and is meant to be served cold so it will do well at room temperature. Its spicy taste will make it a favorite! Don’t forget to label your serving dish, ladles, etc. with your name or some sort of identifying mark.

1 can of black beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of cannellini beans
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
10 ounces of frozen corn
1 red onion
½ cup of red wine vinegar
½ cup of olive oil
2 Tablespoons of lime juice
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
3 Tablespoons of sugar
1 Tablespoon of salt
1 clove of garlic
¼ cup of chopped cilantro
½ Tablespoon of ground cumin
½ Tablespoon of pepper (black or white)
1 teaspoon of hot pepper sauce
½ teaspoon of chili powder

Rinse and drain all 3 cans of beans. Wash and chop the peppers and onion. In a large bowl, combine the drained beans, chopped peppers and onion and stir in the frozen corn. Set aside. In a smaller bowl, blend the oil, vinegar, lime and lemon juice, salt, sugar, garlic, cumin, cilantro and pepper. Add the chili powder and mix. You might want to add the hot pepper sauce a little at a time, tasting as you go. If you know you like it, just add the entire 1 teaspoon and stir to blend. Pour the blended dressing over the vegetables and mix well. Chill completely.

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Beef and Salsa Casserole

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Easy Dinner Recipes

1 pound of ground chuck
1 cup of frozen corn, thawed and drained
2 cups of tortilla chips
2 cups of shredded Monterey Jack cheese
12 ounce jar of chunky Salsa
3/4 cup of mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of chili powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, brown the beef and drain off the fat. Stir in the salsa. Add the mayonnaise and the corn and stir to blend. In a 2 quart casserole dish, make 2 layers of meat, chips and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with chopped tomatoes and shredded lettuce.

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Summer Food Safety Tips

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Easy Dinner Recipes

Like cold and flu season, there seems to be a food-borne illness season – it’s said that food-borne illness is at its peak in the summer months. The warm temperatures of summer are the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive, and the backyard cookout can be another environment that encourages food contamination. Here are some tips on keeping your food safe this summer.

1. Cooking on the grill

More than one case of food poisoning has come from meat that’s undercooked. In fact, some of the more severe illnesses can result from eating partially raw or rare red meat. Since summer is the season for grilling burgers, make sure you cook the burgers absolutely thoroughly, all the way through, with no pink showing.

Many people grill in the summer when they are not used to grilling or cooking at other times, setting the stage for cooking inaccuracies. Be sure there is no red juice from burgers pierced with a fork. Set burgers on a white platter and let them rest for at least 10 minutes before serving – if any reddish juice ends up on the platter during the rest period, put the burgers back on the grill.

2. Washing up

Summer is a time for picnics and cookouts, and many times there is no hand-washing facility available at the cooking site. Bring jugs of water and antibacterial soap to the site so that you have these crucial elements available for food preparation and surface clean-up. Any time you handle raw meat, wash thoroughly before handling other foods, especially foods that won’t be cooked such as vegetables, fruits, or bread. You should also wash hands before handling utensils and cutting surfaces.

3. Coolers

When you transport foods like potato salad or burger meat, they need to be kept cold en route. Pack plenty of ice or frozen “ice” blocks/gel packs along with the food. One good idea is to freeze water in used, plastic water bottles and distribute those around the food in the cooler. On the way, keep the cooler in the car where it’s air conditioned rather than in the trunk.

4. Put food away

At home, it’s easy to forget foods on the counter. In the summer, it’s especially important to put food back into the refrigerator or freezer after using. At cookouts and picnics, have a cooler handy to put leftovers into right away. It’s said that food should not be at room temperature or exposed to warm outdoor weather for more than two hours.

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Quick and Easy Snack Ideas for Kids

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Easy Dinner Recipes

If you have children, you know how much they love to snack. It doesn’t matter if they’ve just finished eating a meal – someone is always looking for something to munch on. The trick to quick and easy snack ideas for kids is to have healthy snacks around which are ready to eat. Below are some snack ideas you may want to keep in your home.

Probably one of the foods children like best – whether for a meal or a snack – is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Unless they’re allergic to peanuts, most children love them. In fact, some children will choose PB&J over almost any other food no matter the time of day or night.

Bagels with cream cheese can be a good snack if you choose the low-fat version of cream cheese. Even using full-fat cream cheese is a better choice than keeping soft drinks and potato chips available for your children to snack on. Make the cream cheese more nutritious by adding fresh or frozen fruit.

Fresh fruits are nearly always a hit with children. Apples, grapes, strawberries, oranges and bananas can be enjoyed without much preparation. You can also cut up watermelon, cantaloupe or honeydew and keep those available in the refrigerator. Quick and easy snacks for kids are ones they can grab and go, so fruit is a great choice.

Cups of yogurt are also common quick and easy snacks for kids. Buy plain or vanilla yogurt and add your own pieces of fruit. Strawberries, blueberries and peaches are good additions. You can also add the fruit, stir it up and then pour the yogurt mixture into popsicle molds for a great frozen treat.

Fruit smoothies are another way to get your children to eat their fruits and vegetables. Put a handful of ice cubes in a blender, various fruits and a little bit of orange juice. Blend it up until smooth. To get added color and nutrients, toss in a handful of raw spinach. The smoothie might look a little odd but your children won’t even taste the spinach.

Cut up carrots and celery and keep them readily available. You may also want to add broccoli (some children call them tiny trees) and cauliflower. Sliced cucumber might also be a good choice. Let them use salad dressing and they may be more willing to down those veggies.

Cheese sticks are pretty handy to have in your refrigerator. Most children love cheese. You can get string cheese, sticks and squares. Let your children build shapes with cheese and pretzels. They’ll have a blast and enjoy their snack when they’re finished building.

The above quick and easy snack ideas for kids are ones most families can try. Of course, you’ll want to consider any food allergies your children might have when choosing a healthy snack for them. You can also look in cookbooks and magazines to find other ideas to let your children test to see how they like them. Here’s to happy snacking!

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Grapefruit and Raspberry Fruit Salad

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Easy Dinner Recipes

1 yellow grapefruit, peeled and sliced into rounds.
About 12 oz raspberries, washed
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup honey
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
Handful of chopped walnuts

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, honey and ginger. Set aside.

Arrange the grapefruit slices on four plates. Top with the raspberries and drizzle with the lemon juice/honey mixture. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and enjoy immediately! Serves 4

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No-Bake Cocoa and Raisin Cookies

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Easy Dinner Recipes

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3 tbsp peanut butter
3 cups quick oats
Handful raisins
Pinch of salt

Place sugar, margarine, milk, cocoa and salt into a large pot and bring to a boil. Stir constantly and keep boiling for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add peanut butter. Combine well. Then add the oats and raisins and stir well.

Make the cookies by dropping tablespoonful of dough onto waxed paper and allow to set. Yields about 24

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Chicken & Broccoli Bake

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Easy Dinner Recipes

2 lb cooked and cubed chicken
1 (10oz) bag frozen broccoli pieces (or fresh)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup fat-reduced sour cream
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp curry powder
Handful of grated cheese of your choice
Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit.

Cook the broccoli until almost tender. Drain and set aside.

In the meantime, combine the mushroom soup and chicken soup with the lemon juice, parsley, curry powder and season well.

Layer the broccoli and chicken in a casserole dish. Top with the soup mixture and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until piping hot.

Serve immediately with a bowl of spaghetti.  Serves between 4 – 6

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Bacon, Egg and Potato Skillet

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Easy Dinner Recipes

½ lb sliced bacon
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ onion, chopped
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and nicely browned. Remove the bacon from the skillet and set aside. Add the potatoes, red bell pepper and onion to the skillet and cook in the bacon fat until the potatoes are soft. This should take about 10 – 15 minutes. Cut the bacon into small pieces and stir into the potato mixture. Add the eggs, cover and cook until the eggs are set. Top with the cheese and serve immediately with fresh tomato slices.  Serves 6 – 8

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Grilled Chicken Kabobs

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Easy Dinner Recipes

One reason that kabobs are so popular is that you can be so creative with them. You can experiment with different ingredients and combinations. They are also popular with kids because they can prepare their own. Here is a recipe for grilled chicken kabobs.

Grilled Chicken Kabobs

2 to 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Cherry tomatoes
Pineapple chunks
Bell peppers
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash the chicken breasts and pat them dry. Chop them into bite size pieces. The bigger the size, the longer they will need to cook, so take this into consideration when chopping. You want them to cook thoroughly without burning the fruit and veggies.

2. Chop the bell peppers into desired sized pieces. Using different colors of peppers will make your kabobs more appealing.

3. Assemble your kabobs. Start with a piece of veggie or fruit to help hold the chicken on the skewer. Then alternate the meat and veggies as you like.

4. After you have assembled the kabobs, add the seasoning. This recipe calls for just salt and pepper, but if you would like to use a marinade, that is fine too.

5. Using a non-stick spray, lightly spray the grill grates to prevent the kabobs from sticking.

6. Warm the grill to a medium-high heat. Place the kabobs on the grill, leaving room between each one so they do not stick to one another.

7. Grill kabobs for three to four minutes per side or until the meat is fully cooked. Cooking time will vary depending on the ingredients you used and the size you chopped them.

The finished product is a sweet and savory delight!

Additional Tips

In this recipe, we used chicken, but you can use any meat. Here are some other interesting combinations you may want to try:

Turkey, zucchini, peppers, onions and mushrooms
Chicken, scallions, pineapple, green peppers, mushrooms and bacon
Shrimp, oranges, red onions and bacon
Steak, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, pineapples and mushrooms
Pork, summer squash, red onions and egg plant
Steak, jalapeno peppers and limes
Lamb, oranges and chili peppers
Leftovers can be used for stir-fry, frittatas or omelets, casseroles and more

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