Popcorn Shrimp Tacos

I am always keeping my eyes open for a new idea to add to the lenten recipe file. This one was easy and tasty and took care of our lenten obligation to avoid meat on Friday.  

Here's what you need, but please change it up to match your family's tastes!

Frozen Popcorn Shrimp ( I used SeaPack brand)

Small flour tortillas

Shredded lettuce

Shredded cheddar cheese

Homemade Pico de Gallo, or diced tomatoes

Ranch dressing, or sour cream

Optional

taco sauce or salsa

sour cream

shredded cabbage or creamy cole slaw instead of lettuce 

Warm popcorn shrimp in oven according to package directions.

While shrimp is warming, shred lettuce and cheese and prepare pico de gallo or diced tomatoes. 

Pop the tortillas in the microwave to warm, I usually wrap them in paper towels and warm for 30 seconds, then keep in a tortilla warmer (is that what that dish is called?) until serving.

Once everything is warmed, shredded and diced it's time to assemble! 

I started with the shrimp in the middle of the tortilla and then let everyone build to suit their tastes. Mine ended up being shrimp, lettuce, pico de gallo, Shredded cheddar and ranch. And it was yummy! 

Next time I think I will mix ranch dressing with taco sauce to create a different flavor combo. I have done the same thing for taco salad and really enjoy the combo. 

Tomato Basil Soup

This is one crazy easy, super tasty, awesome fall lunch or light dinner. Make it today!

1 can Tomato soup, I like Campbell's  Healthy Request
3/4 of a soup can of water
1 heaping tablespoon pesto
Parmesan cheese, if desired

In a medium saucepan, empty soup and add water, stir until smooth.

Add Pesto and stir to combine.

Heat according to directions on the soup can.

When serving, sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese, if desired.

This is wonderful served with a grilled cheese sandwich or grilled ham and cheese...YUM!

Pesto Ravioli

 The pesto really takes this dish to the next level!

This recipe was originally for the crock pot, but it was late in the day and I really wanted to try it. I simply cooked it at a lower temperature, and for a longer time, than I do for most casseroles, and it worked great. It's a really easy dish and it looks, smells and tastes wonderful! This will definitely make an appearance during lent.

1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup pesto, I buy mine by the marinara sauce in the grocery store...feel free to use homemade
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 pkg frozen ravioli, 25 oz (your choice of cheese or meat filled)
1 jar or can of marinara sauce, 24 oz (I use Hunt's Traditional in the can)

In a mixing bowl,  add ricotta cheese, pesto and grated Parmesan, stir to mix well.

Start by adding one cup of marinara sauce to the bottom of your 9 X 13 baking dish. Spread it around to cover the bottom.

Add a layer of frozen ravioli over the sauce, side by side.

Top ravioli with a layer of half of the ricotta/pesto/Parmesan mixture.  Spread it over the ravioli the best you can, it doesn't have to be perfect.

Sprinkle a little mozzarella over the top.

Layer it all again, marinara/ravioli/ ricotta mixture/mozzarella.  Use the remaining marinara to dot the top with after the last layer.

Cover with foil to bake. 

I baked mine at 300* for 45-50 minutes. I watched and waited for it to be bubbly all around the edges.

I made only 1/2 of the recipe for Doug and I and it was enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day for the two of us. It warmed up great in the microwave the next day.

If you want to use the crock pot, layer everything just as above and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Adapted from: Real Mom's Kitchen

Greek Tomato and Feta Dip

Whoa baby was this ever good!

I found this recipe on Pinterest and knew I had to try it. It looks so fresh and tasty and I have developed a real obsession affection for Feta cheese. Doug and I were going to have this as an appetizer before a simple pork chop and pasta salad meal. Well here is what happened.....

Yes, it was that good!

Needless to say, we are having pork chops tomorrow! 

Here's what you need to put this deliciousness together...

1/3 (about) cup olive oil

3-4 roma tomatoes, diced

4-5 green onions, sliced thin

4 oz Feta cheese, crumbled

2 teaspoons Greek seasoning ( In the spice section at WalMart, Cavender's brand, yellow/red label)

1 french baguette 

Start by pouring olive oil onto your platter. Let it coat the bottom. you may need a little more or less, you be the judge.

Top oil with tomatoes, green onions, Feta cheese and Greek seasoning.

Using a spoon, gently mix everything together. 

Warm bread, then slice thin.

Spoon dip onto sliced bread and enjoy. 

This was so good guys... I could have eaten it with a spoon and no bread...mmmm! 

It reminded us of bruschetta, which we love. I can't wait to try it in the summer months when the tomatoes are garden fresh! 

For all you family members, you will be seeing this at a family gathering in the future!

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Rotini with Maria Rosa Sauce

Here is a simple pasta dish that we enjoyed on a Friday during Lent. The sauce is easy, not as easy as opening up a jar of marinara, but easy enough and tasty enough to make it worth a little effort. Just give yourself enough time to let the sauce simmer to enhance all the flavors.

Here's what you need to get started:

rotini pasta, however much you need for your family,
or pasta of your choice, I think penne would work great, too
grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling on top

Maria Rosa Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onions
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian, flat leaf parsley
4 cups canned whole plum tomatoes, about one 35 oz. can
(crush the tomatoes using your hands or chop with a knife before adding to the sauce, or puree them in a food processor if you like your sauce less chunky)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter in the olive oil.

Add carrots, celery and onion and garlic and cook until softened about 8-10 minutes.

Stir in the parsley and tomatoes.

Bring the sauce to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until the tomatoes are sweetened and cooked about 45 minutes.

When sauce is close to being done, prepare pasta according to package directions.

Drain pasta and toss with enough of the sauce to thoroughly coat pasta.

Dish up the pasta and top with extra sauce and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

*You could add a pound of ground chuck to the sauce to make a meat sauce for topping pasta. Just add it to the vegetables after they have begun to soften and cook until done, then finish the recipe from that point, adding the tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper.

This was very reminiscent of pasta we would have ordered in Italy. And even though I made it without meat, it was very filling and healthy with all the veggies in it.

We loved it!

Vegetable Lasagne

Doug bought me a new cookbook for Christmas and this weekend we decided to make a dish from it together. Tough choice as to what to make...it's an Italian cookbook and we love almost all Italian dishes.
We chose this lasagne recipe not even realizing it could also be a Lenten recipe. Whoo-Hoo...double duty recipes ROCK!

The real name of this recipe is Green Lasagne. But in our small town, no green lasagne noodles were to be found, so we're going to call it Vegetable Lasagne. Works for me!!

It looks a bit much at first, but really it's easy to put together. We chopped all the veggies earlier in the day and that helped speed things up. You could even make your sauces completely in advance and then you just have to assemble it and pop it in the oven. (If not making in advance, just be sure to give yourself plenty of time, the red sauce needs to simmer for 45 minutes.)

Here's what you need to get this started:

1 recipe Maria Rosa's sauce, recipe follows
12 Lasagne noodles, cooked, cooled and drained on a dish towel (I like to cook extra just in case some stick to the pan, I cooked 15)
1 recipe White sauce, recipe follows
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350*.

2. Ladle 1/2 cup Maria Rosa sauce on the bottom of a buttered 9 X 13 baking dish.

3. Place 3  lasagne noodles side by side over the sauce.

4. Top noodles with one quarter of the remaining Maria Rosa sauce.

5. Top Maria Rosa sauce with one quarter of the White sauce.

6. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese over all.

7. Place 3 more lasagne noodles over Parmesan and  repeat steps 4, 5 and 6.

8. Place 3 more lasange noodles on top and repeat steps 4,5 and 6 again.

9. Place last 3 lasagne noodles on top and repeat steps 4, 5 and 6, using all the remaining sauce for this layer.

10. Bake until bubbly and lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before cutting.


Maria Rosa Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onions
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian, flat leaf parsley
4 cups canned whole plum tomatoes, about one 35 oz. can
(crush the tomatoes using your hands or chop with a knife before adding to the sauce, or puree them in a food processor if you like your sauce less chunky)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add carrots, celery and onion and garlic and cook until softened about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and tomatoes.Bring the sauce to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until the tomatoes are sweetened and cooked about 45 minutes.

*********************************************************************************

White sauce:
6 tablespoons of butter
6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
3 cups skim milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Melt butter in medium size saucepan set over medium-low heat.When butter is foaming, whisk in the flour. Whisk in the milk.Cook, whisking frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes, more or less time as needed.Remove from heat and stir in salt and pepper to taste and nutmeg.


This was a very tasty lasagne. Not a traditional "American" lasagne, and I think that's what I liked about it. You could definitely add some browned sausage or ground chuck to the red sauce and make it more hearty. Without the meat, it's a  great addition to our Lenten recipes, for sure! AND it heats up well the next day for leftovers! Does this make it a triple duty recipe???

According to the cookbook the Maria Rosa sauce is good on any type of long tubular pasta, like penne, ziti or rotini. I'll be trying that in the future!

Stove Top Mac and Cheese

Guess what?!? Caleb is in his first apartment! Yay for him! He is loving it and doing some cooking! I know he refers to the blog for many of our favorite dishes. So some of my posts may be boring for the more experienced cooks, but my purpose has always been to create a place where our boys can see how I make the dishes we have at home. I think these are the kind of recipes that are lost from one generation to the next, simply because they aren't written down.

Like this dish...I assume everyone makes simple mac and cheese like this when the occasion arises, but maybe not. My mom made it like this and this is how I make it for a quick and easy side dish. Jonah will eat a mountain of it and has always has. It's comfort food for him. Sometimes a big bowl is his entire meal. He does like it with ketchup and it used to embarrass his brothers if he ate it like that in public...isn't that what little brothers are for???

Elbow macaroni, 1 1/2 cups or however much you need to serve your crew
Water for boiling macaroni
American cheese slices, sometimes I use Velveeta if I want to change it up. 5-6 slices if I am making enough for 5 servings...you can add more if you love cheese!
Milk, 1/4 cup or so
Butter, a couple tablespoons, more or less depending on your preference
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to a rolling boil.

Add macaroni slowly to boiling water, stir to separate.

Boil as directed on package or until desired done-ness, usually 9-10 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking together or sticking to bottom of pan.

Drain water off of macaroni, return mac to saucepan.

Add milk, butter and cheese to hot macaroni.

Stir to melt and incorporate all ingredients. 

The heat from the hot pasta should melt the butter and the cheese, but if not just place over low heat and keep stirring until all is melted.

Salt and pepper to taste.

You can totally add more of any ingredient to satisfy your family. Maybe you love it with more butter...just add more! I make this in all different serving sizes. Sometimes I make it up for only 1, other times I make enough for all 5 of us . Don't be afraid to change it up, it's one of those recipes that has no rules! And kids love it....much more than the box!

Roasted Veggie Omelette

I am on a roasted veggie "kick"

Here's what you need to make your own:

2 eggs, one whole and one just the white

roasted veggies of your choice, today I used broccoli, peppers, and grape tomatoes

salt and pepper

cheese, I left this out, but it could certainly be added if you like

Start by whisking one whole egg and one egg white.

Pour into a large skillet, I use my electric skillet., and I sprayed the skillet with non-stick spray.   Using a spatula or back of a spoon, spread eggs thin.

Allow eggs to cook till almost set.

Salt and pepper your omelet then add your roasted veggies. 

Fold omelet over from each side to form, well... an omelet.

Allow to cook just a half minute or so more to make sure eggs are fully cooked.

 

Serve it up with a little salsa if you like.Yum-O!

This is a great little lunch during lent. But really you could serve it at any meal. 

Try it, you'll like it!

Angel Hair Pasta with Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic

I am bumping this recipe up for Lent, and it now has pictures...hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Here's who we invited to the party, pasta, olive oil, salt and pepper, broth, parmesan, tomatoes, basil and garlic

1 lb angel hair pasta
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, I really like fresh, 1/2 tablespoon, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
3/4 cup chicken broth, or vegetable broth during Lent
5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Start a large pot of water for your pasta, have everything ready to go, this dish goes together pretty quickly.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet. When hot, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until tomatoes start to break down.

Add hot, drained pasta to skillet and toss well. I have found that I don't need all the cooked pasta. This is a good reason to add it to the skillet instead of pouring the sauce over the top. I usually use about 3/4  of the amount called for.

Add chicken (or vegetable) broth and stir. You can add more broth if you need to without compromising the finished product, just don't go overboard!

Transfer to serving dish and top with Parmesan cheese.

even using 3/4 of the pasta, it makes a lot!

*Great dish to use up abundant summer tomatoes.

**Grill some chicken breasts to go with it for a real treat.

Get the good Parmesan, you won't even miss the meat...

This makes a great Lenten dish. I have read that it is okay to use chicken or beef broth when cooking on meatless Fridays, however, I choose to play it safe and use vegetable broth. I bought vegetable bouillon and it works great! This is also good during the summer when the tomatoes are fresh from the garden, and you grill up some chicken breast outside to serve with it......heavenly! 

Ravioli Casserole

Warning!

For those of you who don't like cheese, this recipe is NOT for you! 

If you do like cheese you've come to the right place....go get your shoes on NOW because as soon as you see this recipe you will want to run to the store to buy some cheese ravioli to eat during the Fridays of Lent...and maybe even a Saturday!

3 simple ingredients!

1 package frozen cheese ravioli

1 can/jar your favorite marinara sauce

8 ounce block mozzarella cheese, shredded

*Parmesan cheese, optional

Cook ravioli according to package directions, drain.

Place ravioli in a 9 X 13 inch casserole dish.

Pour marinara sauce over cooked ravioli.

Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over all.

Bake in a 350* oven for 20 - 30 minutes until hot and bubbly and cheese is all melted. 

*Serve with Parmesan cheese for those real cheese lovers*

"this is a real sacrifice" ---- Caleb as we sit down to dinner!

All you need is some bread and a veggie to have a good filling meal that fits the bill for a meatless Friday during Lent.

 

I started making this a few years ago during Lent and it is always one I know I can make and everyone will like it. As you can see it is super simple, doesn't take many ingredients and comes together pretty quickly.