Showing posts with label easy dinner ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label easy dinner ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label easy dinner ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label easy dinner ideas. Show all posts

Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese Recipe


Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese Recipe


What can you do to dress up your mac and cheese? Gourmet mac is all the rage. If you've got seafood lovers, this shrimp macaroni and cheese recipe is an easy weeknight dinner that will please even the most hard to please palates. 

This post contains affiliate links. 
If you click and make a purchase, we get a small commission.


Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese Recipe.

How to Make Shrimp Mac and Cheese Recipe



Ingredients
1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs (See note)
1/4 cup grated 
Parmesan
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tbsp olive oil, divided  
8 oz elbow macaroni 
1 lb peeled raw shrimp
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1.5 cups cheese (cheddar, Cojack, or your favorite), freshly grated if possible (see tips below.)
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, freshly grated if possible.


How to Make Shrimp Mac and Cheese Recipe


How to Make Recipe
Preheat broiler on high.
Mix together bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, and 1 tbsp olive oil.  Set topping aside.
Cook macaroni to al dente according to package directions.  
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium skillet over high heat.
Add shrimp, sprinkle with salt and pepper.   Cook for 1 minute. Add garlic and cook for another minute until the shrimp has changed color but not fully cooked.
Transfer to bowl. Turn heat down to medium.
Melt butter. Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
Pour milk in slowly, while stirring. Once the mixture is smooth, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and mustard.  Continue to stir until thickened.
Add cheeses and stir until melted.  Then add shrimp. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Transfer to an oven safe casserole dish.
Sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture, then place under the broiler until the top is golden. 


Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese Recipe


Tips:  I never have Panko bread crumbs, but I have found a nice alternative. I save the heels from my loaves of bread in the freezer.  When I need bread crumbs, I thaw a couple of them in the microwave for a few seconds, break them into smaller pieces, and pulse them in the blender until I get the desired consistency.

Packaged shredded cheese is coated to keep the cheese from sticking together.  Your cheese sauce will be smoother if you're able to grate the cheese yourself.  However, the packed shredded cheese will work.  I have made it both ways and have had no complaints!


Recommended:



Forget it, just buy mac and cheese on Amazon!




How to Make Steak and Potatoes in Skillet

Easy Steak and Potatoes de Provence Recipe


Love some steak and potatoes? Generally, we enjoy our steak and potatoes cooked by a chef in a restaurant or over a grill in the summertime, but here's how to make steak and potatoes in a skillet on your stovetop. This earthy meal of steak and potatoes in a skillet is a perfect accompaniment to a roaring fire on a cold winter evening. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links. When you click and make a purchase, I get a tiny commission.


How to Make Steak and Potatoes in Skillet



How to Make Steak and Potatoes in Skillet Recipe


Steak
4 steaks, 1/2 lb. each
1 T olive oil
2 T butter

Spice Blend 
1/2 T cardamom
1/2 T rosemary
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/8 t ginger
1/8 t allspice
1/8 t nutmeg
1/4 t garlic powder

1/2 c red wine

Instructions:
1.  Prepare spice blend in a small bowl and set aside. 
2.  Rub steaks liberally with spice blend on both sides. Allow meat to sit for 10 minutes.
3.  Melt olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
4.  Sear steaks in oil for 1-2 minutes. Turn over the meat and sear 1-2 minutes more.
5.  Add red wine. Reduce heat and cover the skillet. Cook the meat until desired doneness.
6.  Remove steaks and cover with foil. Continue to heat skillet contents until the sauce has thickened to desired consistency.

Potatoes
1 1/2 lb petite medley potatoes
2 T olive oil
1 T Herbs de Provence 
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
2.  Add oil and potatoes to a baking dish. Cover with Herbs de Provence, salt, and pepper.
3.  Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until tender.
4.  Adjust seasoning to taste.


Pin it!





Do you have a favorite way on how to prepare steak and potatoes? Please share your recipes in the comments! We're always looking for delicious new recipes for easy weeknight dinners!


Recommended:

Buy Steaks on Amazon

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Shredded Chicken Recipes: Easy Chicken Lasagna

Shredded Chicken Lasagna Recipe


Tired of hamburger casseroles? Are you craving Italian- try this easy shredded chicken lasagna recipe. It contains spinach and extra creaminess from an unexpected ingredient...spinach dip! Do you always have dip left over like we do? Tip: Instead of throwing you leftover dip away, add it to a casserole recipe in place of sour cream or ricotta cheese. Enjoy!


Share this image to Pinterest.

Shredded Chicken Recipes: Easy Chicken Lasagna



This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.

Easy Salmon Recipes: Baked Mediterranean Salmon

Mediterranean Dish: Easy Baked Salmon

If you are on a mission to eat healthier in the new year or to add more fish to your diet, these easy salmon recipes fit the bill. To start off, our baked Mediterranean Salmon is marinated in an oil and balsamic herb vinaigrette. Kalamata olives, artichokes, tomatoes, and feta cheese top off this Mediterranean-inspired dish. For more easy salmon recipes, scroll down the page. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.


Easy Salmon Recipes: Baked Mediterranean Salmon


Chicken Avocado Recipe

Avocado Chicken Recipe

Looking for lighter, healthier options for summer? Our easy Chicken Avocado Recipe is perfect. You cook it in a skillet! This recipe is modified from an Avocado Chicken Recipe we found on CookingClassy.com. It looked so good, we had to try it. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.*

Easy Chicken Avocado Recipe Avacado
Easy Chicken Avocado Recipe.

Ingredients:

1 lb. skinless and boneless chicken* breasts
salt and pepper
1 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. garlic powder
2 T. olive oil
2 avocado, peeled and sliced
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
3 mozzarella cheese balls, sliced
*3 T. balsamic glaze


Skillet Avocado Chicken.

Directions:
1.  Place the chicken breasts between layers of plastic wrap.  Pound them to a consistent thickness with the side of a meat tenderizer.
2.  Season each side the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste.
3.  Mix the Italian seasoning, basil and garlic powder in a small bowl.
4.  Coat each side of the chicken with the combined spices.
5.  Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts. Cook until the chicken is browned, approx. 5 minutes. Turn over chicken and continue cooking until the inside temperature reaches 160 degrees F, approx. 5 minutes.
6.  Top the chicken with slices of mozzarella cheese, tomato, and avocado. Cover the skillet.  Continue cooking until the cheese melts and chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
7.  Remove the chicken from the skillet and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Tip:
*  I did not have balsamic glaze. It is fairly easy to make. Add approx. 1/2 c. balsamic vinegar to a small pot. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until the vinegar reduces to desired consistency.

















ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)


What is Yummly?

Wondering How to use Yummly?


Yum. Yummy. Yummly. What the heck? Have you heard of Yummly but have no idea what it means? What is Yummly? If you are wondering how to use Yummly, we've got answers. Enjoy!

What is Yummly? Get Recipes
What is Yummly? Get Recipes!

Yummly is a social media platform for sharing recipes. We'd seen it floating around the internet. We even had quite a few nice referrals from Yummly. But, time. Oh time. There just weren't enough hours in the day for Yummly. Until one day...

One of our friends in the real world, who doesn't do a lot with social media, mentioned that she would rather use Yummly than Pinterest to find recipes. Huh. That's weird... What is Yummly?

She started writing recipe posts for us, and we started Yummly-ing them. Well, will you look at that! Yummly is giving us some nice referrals. More referrals than some of the major search engines. And, since Pinterest referrals are down- what happened Pinterest?We decided to try our hands at Yummly!

How do you use Yummly?
How do you use Yummly? This is our recipe box.

Like everything, there is a learning curve. Somehow on our recipe box, we have posts that aren't recipes. So, by the time you've read this, we'll have cleaned those out of there (hopefully).

So, what is Yummly?

Yummly is your recipe box, the one you have on the kitchen counter, but now you can have it on your kitchen counter or in your tablet or phone and save counter space! 

Here's what Yummly has to say:                                                      How does Yummly work?
Yummly puts every recipe in the world in your pocket. The most powerful recipe search, the recipe sites you love, your digital recipe box, recipe recommendations just for you, and a smart shopping list - all with you wherever you go. Yummly has the #1 iPhone, iPad and Android apps in addition to millions of website visitors. As recipes get more Yums, they get exposed more often throughout all of our platforms and features.

How to use Yummly

To use Yummly, go here and sign up: Yummly Sign Up.

Great, but now your recipe box is empty. How do you get recipes on Yummly? How do you get them into your recipe box?

Here's what Yummly has to say:
How do I get my recipes on Yummly?
The best way to get your recipes on Yummly is to add the Yum button to your blog or website. Once the Yum button us up, make sure you or your readers Yum your recipes so we can make sure to get them all on Yummly.

How do I Become a Yummly Publisher?

This seems like a good question. Why do you want to become a Yummly Publisher? More Traffic. More Notoriety. More Yum!

Here's what Yummly has to say:                                                      How do I get featured on Yummly?
Follow the steps above (add the Yum button, announce to your readers, and then fill out this form). Once you have taken all of the steps, you will be eligible for inclusion in various features on our website, apps, social channels, and email.
What are some best practices to increase the exposure of my recipes?
More Yums on your recipes equals more traffic. Bloggers who educate their readers, encourage use of Yummly, and promote their Yummly publisher page see more Yums and more traffic. Volume of recipes is also a factor. More recipes on Yummly will lead to more referral traffic from us.
How do I manage my publisher page on Yummly?
Currently, there is not an option for you to access and change your publisher page, but we plan to add this feature very soon. In the meantime, we will update your page for you if you fill out this form.
How do I find my blog's publisher page?
If you've added the Yum button and started yumming your recipes, a publisher page will be automatically created for your blog on Yummly. To find this, you can go to your personal user profile on Yummly and check to see if the recipe you Yummed has processed yet. Once it has processed, it will show a link on the recipe card to your publisher page. If you need help finding this page, email publishers@yummly.com.
Have a question that isn't already answered on our help desk? Email publishers@yummly.com

Important Note:
We read how to add the code for Blogger on another blog. It was missing a few steps. So, our code didn't work. Carefully, follow the instructions here and be sure to look for two instances of 'post-header'. We found 3, but only the two with this text matter:
'post-header-line-1' .


That's it, your own your way to Yummly recipes!




ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)


Cranberry Pomegranate Recipe for Chicken

Make Cranberry Pomegranate Chicken 

This Cranberry Pomegranate Chicken Recipe will fulfill your craving for holiday flavors without all of the work. The Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce is easy to make, and rosemary is the perfect companion spice. Enjoy!

Cranberry Pomegranate Recipe for Chicken
Give your Chicken a HOLIDAY makeover:
Make this Cranberry Pomegranate Recipe for Chicken.

How to Make Cranberry Pomegranate Chicken

6 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2T butter or oil
1 c. cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 c. pomegranate arils (opt.)
1 c. cranberry pomegranate juice, no sugar added
1/2 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 t. dried rosemary

Directions:

1.  In a shallow bowl*, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Coat the chicken with flour mixture.

2.  In a large skillet*, cook the chicken in butter or oil until browned on both sides. Remove chicken and set aside.

3.  In the same skillet, combine the cranberries, pomegranate arils (opt.), juice, vinegar and rosemary. Cover, and simmer for 5 min.

4.  Place chicken on top of the cranberry mixture. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

5.  To serve, spoon cranberry mixture over the top of the chicken.

-LISA


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ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)


Earth Day: Friendly Spinach Stuffed Manicotti Recipe to Cook with Kids

Celebrate Earth Day with green friendly recipes, like this Spinach Stuffed Manicotti.

Happy Earth Day! This is so good, your kids will enjoy it. Yummy frozen spinach manicotti. Enjoy!

Spinach Stuffed Manicotti for Earth Day.

Earth Day: Friendly Spinach Stuffed Manicotti Recipe to Cook with Kids
Kid's love mixing the ingredients.


Make an organic salad with kids.
Pair it with an organic salad.


Organic Recipes for Earth Day to make with kids


Recommended Reading:


I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle (Little Green Books)*

What does GMO mean?

Fair Trade Lesson Plans



Family style BLT Mac and Cheese Recipe

Easy Weeknight Dinner: BLT Mac and Cheese

Who wouldn't enjoy this grownup version of Mac and Cheese Recipe? Our BLT Mac and Cheese Recipe makes enough to serve the whole family, and it is easy to make dinner on a weeknight. Enjoy!


BLT Mac and Cheese Recipe
BLT Mac and Cheese Recipe make an easy weeknight dinner.

We loved this Family Style BLT Mac and Cheese Recipe* including the kids, who normally don't like any mac and cheese unless it comes out of a box. Want to make this a well rounded dinner? Add some cooked chicken to it!

How to Make BLT Mac and Cheese


(There isn't any "L", but you could serve it on a bed of lettuce.)

5 C. of Water
10 slices of Turkey Bacon
4 oz. White Sharp Cheddar Cheese 
1 oz, Parmesan Cheese
4 oz. of Cream Cheese
1 lb.  Rotini Pasta
1 tsp. of Salt
1/2 tsp. of Pepper
5 Green Onions
3 lg. Roma Tomatoes 

Bring water to a boil in a 8 Qt. stockpot.

Meanwhile, slice bacon crosswise into thin strips; place in skillet and cook til crisp. Remove bacon and drain on a paper towel.

As the bacon cooks add Rotini Pasta, cream cheese, and other cheeses to pot of boiling water. Cover and simmer vigorously for 5 min. stirring occasionally. 

Cook's Tip: When you add the cheeses at the same time, they get stuck to the bottom of the pot, you have to constantly stir. Maybe wait until pasta is nearly done to add the cheese.

As pasta mixture cooks, dice green onions, and then stir into pasta mixture.  

Cook uncovered 5-7 minutes or until pasta is cooked to desired tenderness and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cut tomatoes in half lengthwise remove cores. Dice tomatoes; reserve 1/4 C. for garnish. 

Remove stockpot from heat; stir in remaining tomatoes and half of the bacon. Spoon pasta mixture into a serving bowl and garnish with reserved tomatoes and bacon. 

Eat, the best mac and cheese ever!


Best Mac and Chees Recipe for a Group
Best mac and cheese ever recipe!

Recommended:

Easy Mac and Cheese Cooker*

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ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Easy Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe with Basil and Squash

Try this Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe with Basil and Zucchini


Angie's at it again with this Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe with Basil, Zucchini, and Winter Squash. This is a great way to use up that leftover summer zucchini or make a dish with the flavors of Fall. Enjoy!


Easy Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe with Basil and Squash
              Easy Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe with Basil and Squash.

Vegetarian Squash Lasagna with Fresh Basil

9 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 C of fontina cheese (or any cheese of your choice)
1/4 C of parmesan cheese
2 medium zucchini
2 C. loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 whole nutmeg grated (or 1tsp of ground nutmeg)
3 T of olive oil
1/2 C of all purpose flour
3 C of milk divided
1 1/4 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
2 pkgs of frozen cooked winter squash, thawed (or 4 C fresh butternut squash cooked and then mashed)
freshly diced tomatoes are optional

Preheat oven to 400.  Cook noodles to package directions, omitting the salt and oil.  Drain and set aside.  Meanwhile combine cheeses and set aside. Slice zucchini on #3 setting using the simple slicer and set aside.  Chop basil and grate nutmeg to equal 1/2t or use 1tsp of ground nutmeg.


Sauce:  Heat oil in 4qt casserole over medium heat 1 minute.  Add flour: whisk until completely incorporated. Gradually add 1 cup of milk, whisking constantly until smooth.  Add remaining milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper, whisking constantly.  Bring mixture to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 3-4 minutes or until thickened, whisking frequently.  Add squash and basil; bring to a simmer. Remove casserole from heat.


Assembly:  Spread 1 cup of sauce over bottom of Rectangle Baking Pan. Top with 3 noodles.  Spread 1 1/4 C of sauce over noodles; top with half of the zucchini and about a 1/4 C of cheese mixture.  Repeat layers one time, starting with noodles.  Top with remaining noodles, sauce and cheese mixture.  Cover pan with foil; bake 25 minutes; carefully remove foil and continue baking uncovered, 15-17 minutes or until cheese begins to brown and center is hot. Remove pan from oven  and let stand uncovered for 20 min. Top with tomatoes, if desired.


Try to make Tofu Parmigiana with Fire Roasted Tomatoes.


Recommended Reading:


Fresh and Fast Vegetarian: Recipes That Make a Meal*

Easy Tofu Parmigiana













ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)