Thursday, August 28, 2025

Sheet Pan Panini


Sheet Pan Panini
Source: Plandy Mandy

Panini:
6 slices Havarti 
6 slices Swiss 
16oz turkey lunch meat *optional 
12oz bacon strips cooked 
6 tbsp chive & onion cream cheese 
12 slices sourdough bread butter lettuce 
2 roma tomatoes, sliced *aioli spread 

Aioli: 3 tbsp dijon mustard 3 tbsp mayo 2 tsp honey 1/2 tsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp salt

 1. Open face 2 sourdough slices 2. on one side spread 1 tbsp cream cheese, 1 slice havarti, & bacon slices. 3.on the other side lay 1 slice swiss & turkey slices 4.bake at 400 for 10 min 5.lose sandwiches, then broil each side for 3 min to create a good crisp 6.add lettuce, tomato, and aioli to inside of sandwiches.

One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

One Pot Spaghetti & Meatballs 
Source: Hollie Evelyn on Instagram

Spaghetti

12 meatballs

2 tins chopped tomatoes

5 tbsp tomato paste

5 garlic cloves, minced
handful of cherry tomatoes
2 onions, finely diced

1 stick celery, finely chopped

1 tbsp red pesto

Handful fresh basil
750ml beef stock or broth (plus extra if needed)
Olive oil
Pinch sugar + salt
How to make it:
1.Heat olive oil in a large pan, add meatballs + brown until golden (not cooked through). You can then sauté the onions, or skip straight to the next step.

2.Push meatballs to the side, add spaghetti + all other ingredients straight into the pan.

3.Cover with a lid and cook on a medium heat, stirring often so pasta doesn’t stick.
👉Keep an eye on liquid and top up with stock/water if needed.

4.Once pasta + meatballs are cooked through, finish with basil and a grating of cheese!
The easiest, sauciest, most flavour-packed pasta you’ll ever make.

Save this one-pan wonder for your next weeknight dinner
👯 Tag someone who’d demolish this whole pan with you

Orange Chicken

Austin loves Orange Chicken and we are going to upgrade from the freezer orange chicken and make ours from scratch!

Orange Chicken
Source: Modern Honey

Ingredients

Chicken:▢4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite-size pieces
▢3 Eggs whisked
▢1/3 cup Cornstarch
▢1/3 cup Flour
▢Salt
▢Oil for frying

Orange Chicken Sauce:▢1 cup Orange Juice
▢1/2 cup Sugar
▢2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar or White Vinegar
▢2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce use tamari for a gluten-free dish
▢1/4 teaspoon Ginger
▢1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder or 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
▢1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
▢Orange Zest from 1 orange
▢1 Tablespoon Cornstarch



Garnish:▢Green Onions
▢Orange Zest

Instructions
To make orange sauce:

In a medium pot, add orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes. Heat for 3 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of water to form a paste. Add to orange sauce and whisk together. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and add orange zest.
To make chicken:
Place flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish or pie plate. Add a generous pinch of salt. Stir.
Whisk eggs in shallow dish.
Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then flour mixture. Place on plate.
Heat 2 -3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Using a thermometer, watch for it to reach 350 degrees.
Working in batches, cook several chicken pieces at a time. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, turning often until golden brown. Place chicken on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat.
Toss chicken with orange sauce. You may reserve some of the sauce to place on rice. Serve it with a sprinkling of green onion and orange zest, if so desired.


Freezing Orange Chicken:

  • Cook your chicken and let cool completely. When cooled place in a gallon sized freezer bag.
  • Place uncooked sauce into labeled gallon sized bag. Remove all the air.
  • Add the sauce bag into the chicken bag to help prevent them from getting separated. Place in your freezer for 3 to 4 months.
Reheating: 
  • Place frozen orange sauce mix into a pot of boiling water. Stir continuously, then reduce heat to low and simmer 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce thickens up.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Place frozen chicken on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes until chicken is fully heated through.
  • Pour sauce over chicken and serve with chopped green onions if using.

Bean and Cheese Enchiladas


Bean and Cheese Enchiladas
Ingredients: 
1 Can Refried Beans, 16 ounces
▢1 teaspoon Cumin
▢1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
▢2/3 Cup Cheddar Cheese
▢6 Flour Tortillas

For the Sauce
▢1 Can Red Enchilada Sauce, 10-16 ounces
▢1/2 teaspoon Cumin
▢1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder
▢1/4 Cup Sour Cream
▢1 ½ Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded


Instructions

For the Bean Mixture

In a medium bowl, combine the beans, seasonings and cheese until smooth.
1 Can Refried Beans,1 teaspoon Cumin,1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder,2/3 Cup Cheddar Cheese
Add a dollop or two to each tortilla and roll closed.
6 Flour Tortillas

For the SauceWhisk together the enchilada sauce, seasonings and sour cream.
1 Can Red Enchilada Sauce,1/4 Cup Sour Cream,1/2 teaspoon Cumin,1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder

For the EnchiladasPreheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spoon 1/3 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of an 9×13 inch baking dish.


Place the enchiladas seam side down and top with the remaining sauce and cheese.
1 ½ Cup Cheddar Cheese
Bake for 30 minutes and enjoy.

OR 
Assemble without baking, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 375°F for about 45 minutes.

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Salsa Verde Enchiladas

These green chicken enchiladas with salsa verde, chicken, sour cream, cheese and cilantro are simple to make. 
*I went to look for this recipe and couldn't find it and almost panicked. How could I not have posted this? I've made it 100 times. Thankfully it was stuck in my drafts from September 5, 2020. Here I am almost 5 years later adding it (by request of Austin) to our meal plan. (Note, Austin actually has requested the taquito version of this where you put the filling in a tortilla and crisp it in the oven. We will have it for dinner and then he will pack it for his coop lunch.)



Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas
Source: Inspired Taste



Ingredients:
1 teaspoon oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups (16 ounces) salsa verde
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped, plus more for serving
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend
8 flour tortillas


Directions: 
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat then cook garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the salsa verde and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from the heat then stir in the sour cream and cilantro. Taste for seasoning, adjusting with salt, pepper or more sour cream if the sauce it too spicy. Set aside about 1 cup of the sauce for assembling the enchiladas.

Stir the shredded chicken and half of the cheese into the sauce that has not been set aside.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish and spread a little reserved sauce on the bottom. Add about 1/3 cup of the chicken filling to the middle of each tortilla and roll into a cylinder. Repeat, lining up tortillas, seam-side down, tightly in the dish. Spread the reserved sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer, until the cheese is melted. Serve with cilantro on top.


Note: I usually double this recipe and either freeze the extra sauce for an easy fast meal or assemble flauta/taquitos and freeze those for an extra freezer meal. 

Mississippi Pot Roast

 Another TikTok inspired meal. This one was sent to me by Melissa. Quote: "I’m eating this on rolls for lunch today and it’s sooooooo good." After a brief conversation: "On Hawaiian rolls is unreal 🤣🤤I never think of pepperoncinis as spicy but they for sure have a kick." I vowed to add it to our families meal rotation. I couldn't copy the exact recipe because I'm too stubborn to sign up for TikTok and I didn't want to handwrite the recipe, but I found a Mississippi Pot Roast recipe that is super similar. 


Mississippi Pot Roast

Source: Lindsey Arnold (yay dancing with the stars) via Melissa Walker Lewis


3–4 lb. beef rump roast (Both rump roast and chuck roast work perfectly. **See Note)
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet aus jus gravy mix
8–10 pepperoncini peppers (with 1/4 cup juice from jar)
1/4 cup butter, cut into 4 or 5 square pats


Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions
Place the roast in your slow cooker.
Sprinkle the ranch dressing mix and aus jus mix over the top of the roast.
Add pepperoncini peppers on top of and around the roast.
Cut the butter into slices and arrange on top of the roast.
Add 1/4 cup pickle juice from pepperoncini jar to the bottom of the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until the roast is fork tender. Internal temperature should be about 160° when you remove it to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. In most slow cookers, my guess is this will be achieved by the 6 hour mark. If you’re cooking rump roast with the intention of slicing it, this may be the time you want to take it out and rest it. If your plan is to break the roast (rump or chuck) into larger chunks and pieces or to shred it, the full 8 hours will be more to your liking.

Serve over Mashed Potatoes, on Rolls, or over Noodles. 




Notes

I find that the cut of roast I choose has more to do with how I plan to use the beef. When I want larger pieces or even slices of roast beef, I prefer a rump roast. This is the one I usually serve over mashed potatoes and my typical go-to.

However, if my plan is to shred the beef, then I choose a chuck roast. It just tends to fall apart on its own in the slow cooker. This lends itself well to French dip sandwiches or even over homemade noodles for a beef and noodles type of dish.

Both roasts work equally well. Both are tender and delicious. And, in our area, they are similarly priced.

Homemade Nacho Soup

 We are on the hunt for the best "homemade Nacho Soup" recipe, because Campbells discontinued the key ingredient to our favorite recipe. Here are our top contenders: 


https://www.thecookierookie.com/mexican-cheesy-chicken-chowder/


https://ohsweetbasil.com/cheesy-southwestern-chicken-tortilla-soup-recipe/


https://www.thereciperebel.com/creamy-nacho-potato-soup/


https://insidebrucrewlife.com/nacho-potato-chowder/


https://southernbite.com/chicken-corn-chowder/