A Proverbs 31 Kind of Day

I'm being very creative with our  meals these days. That translates to this:  " Wow !  I really need to go to the grocery store!" Honestly, who enjoys that job? Going to the grocery store? I really don't. I've been in this position before; where I really need to go, but it's gotten so bad, and we need so much stuff, that I don't really want to go. So I'm challenging myself:  how creative can I be with what we have! This won! On Sunday, driving home from church, I came up with this lunch special! Because this is based on what you have, or don't have, the amounts and ingredients are only suggestions! Pasta and Spinach Salad 8 oz pasta, cooked grape tomatoes olive oil salt and pepper onions, sliced butter balsamic vinegar sugar grilled chicken Parmesan cheese, fresh grated balsamic vinaigrette dressing Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a small cookie sheet with foil. Toss grape tomatoes with olive oil and ...

I hate it when I have a recipe idea . . . and so do other people! Like the very same recipe I'm thinking of; they've already thought of! You know what that tells me? That tells me I'm pretty smart! If I can think of something that somebody else has already thought of, then my thinking is pretty creative! Don't you agree? Back to my real reason for a recipe! I love BBQ Chicken pizza. My cherubs -- not so much. But that's OK; they don't have to eat every day, do they? The other night, I made BBQ chicken and I withheld some chicken from my family so that I could try to come up with a dish that sounded very tasty to me in my mind: BBQ Chicken Pasta. But when I started thinking, I realized other's had thought too! But I love BBQ Chicken Pizza; so I want to love BBQ Chicken Pasta too! Here's what I created. Kind of! I took what other creative people before me had done and tweaked it a bit to fit my interested and ingredien...

My friend, Kim, is a great cook. Matter of fact, when we have dinner together, my boy cherub wants her to make biscuits. It doesn't matter what we're having, he wants to know if she can do the biscuits. I've tried to make her biscuits -- and honestly, they don't taste the same. But close. But not the same. I keep trying! This pasta dish is one of Kim's "go to" dinners at her house. She has a house of boys and this is a crowd pleaser! What I like about this is it's easy and tasty! Two very important things! It also reheats beautifully! So for lunch the next day, people will be drooling over your impressive left-over dinner.  . . .and you can keep it a secret that it's easy! Kim's Spicy Chicken Pasta Noodles (I prefer linguine because it holds sauce well) chicken (left-over grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, roasted or baked chicken) onions, chopped bell peppers, if you want them, chopped mushrooms, if that ...

Truth:  in the Summer, I'm more of a "cook once, serve twice" kind of girl. My family would say it's more of a "cook once, serve as many times as you can!" Either way, it's too hot to be doing a lot of cooking in the kitchen . .  .and too much baseball to watch! With the southwest corn dip that my mom made for the 4th of July celebration, we had left-overs. Because I don't really like left-overs, left-over, I try to re-invent them. With left-over grilled chicken . . . Left-over southwest corn dip  . . . Left-over grated cheese . .  .  . . . and tortillas, I created this! Warm Grilled Chicken and Corn Salad Wrap Grilled chicken, sliced very thinly against the grain* Southwest Corn Dip Shredded Monterrey Jack cheese Tortillas Butter Preheat skillet to medium heat. Add a smidge of butter; enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Place a tortilla on the counter.  Fill with the corn dip.  Top with the sliced chicken....

By now you're wondering what you're going to do with the left-over ham from Easter. You're tired of looking at it. Truthfully, you're tired of eating it too! Here's a recipe I made last night.  We gave it a thumbs up! Ham, Broccoli, and Rice Casserole 1 can cream of mushroom soup 2 cups chopped ham (cooked) 1/2 onion, chopped 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1 small package frozen broccoli 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 cup sour cream 1 cup cooked rice Cook rice according to directions on package. Steam broccoli, drain and chop. In a large bowl, add soup, sour cream, cheese, pepper, chopped broccoli, chopped ham, and chopped onion.  Stir until well combined. Pour into a greased 2 qt. casserole dish.  Top with a bit more shredded cheddar cheese, if desired (we desired it), and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes* or until heated thoroughly. Serve with a side salad. *I baked our casserole for about 45 minutes and then broiled it for about 3 minute...

We're at that precarious time of the month . . . where I really need to go to the store, but I'm really not wanting to go to the store!  Since I do once a month shopping, I work hard to plan a menu;  incorporating leftovers and large quantity purchasing.  But here we are . . .at the end of the month AND the food!  This is where "instinct" kicks in and we get creative dinners! Not too long ago we grilled lime marinated chicken and served with Spanish rice and black beans.  It was just so yummy!  Remember, when we grill I always cook a bit extra of the meat.  So today we have left over chicken, cut-up fruit, and some tasty white cheese.  I decided that a "chicken and fruit salad" will be dinner.  Chicken and Fruit Salad Left over grilled chicken, chopped Fruit, chopped (I have apples, strawberries, grapes, and mandarin oranges) Walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped (only if you have them) White cheese, cubed (mild in flavor and...