Tuna Macaroni Salad

The warm days of summer are coming to an end but we are still going to have lots of warm weather days before crisp fall air arrives. 

I haven't made tuna salad all summer so today I combined some water packed tuna and made this macaroni salad. 

Hubby and I have what we consider a light lunch most days.  We either have some leftovers or I make something light to eat. We both don't care for sandwiches much but we do like pasta so add some healthy organic tuna to this medley of yum and it's lunch today for us.  Serve over some fresh greens to complete this yummy meal.

I'm going to boil a few eggs too to add some protein along with the tuna.  Enjoy!

From my kitchen to yours,

Mix all ingredients below in a large bowl. Add macaroni and tuna. Chill several hours or overnight.

• 3 cups cooked small macaroni rinsed and drained well
• 1 T. White wine vinegar
• 1 T. Olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 small onion, chopped

• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  
  


• 1 (5 ounce) can tuna, drained

Ricotta spinach roll-ups

Summer cook outs are fun but some days oven easy meals work too!  This particular dish you can easily put together the night before you are going to bake it.  All it takes is planning ahead and buying the ingredients which are:

1 lb. low skim or whole Ricotta 

1-cup 5 cheese blend shredded cheese or shredded mozzarella

1 egg yolk

Pinch salt and pepper

1/2 cup chopped spinach cooked

1 box lasagna noodles (cooked according to directions)
2 quarts pasta sauce

I follow the instructions on the box for the lasagna noodles and when they are cooked I drain and rinse them in cold water, pat them slightly to absorb some moisture and spread the filling on each strip and roll and place onto casserole that you have already added some sauce to. Use Marinara sauce if you prefer meatless meal.

Top with remaining sauce and cheese and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes covered.  Remove cover and if necessary bake another 5 minutes.

This is an easy all in one meal that you can serve your family or take along to a party. They will definitely be a HIT!

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ENJOY!

From my kitchen to yours,

7/30/16

5/15/22

Sloppy Joe Muffins

Easy to make Sloppy Joe Muffins

When I make Sloppy Joe's or as we in our NEPA area call them Wimpies they are always welcomed.  It's a recipe you can use for parties, lunches, easy dinners too.  Great for any celebration or everyday delicious meal.
You can use Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce in a pinch.

The easy Manwich recipe is listed below.  I used my own wimpie 
sauce but if your day is busy use the below for a shortcut.  Enjoy!

1 pound ground chuck beef (80% lean)

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1 can (15 oz each) Manwich® Original Sloppy Joe Sauce

1 pkg (12 oz each) refrigerated Texas-style buttermilk biscuits

2/3 cup shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend

** I used Kraft sharp cheddar cheese to top my muffins and homemade Sloppy Joe's.

- Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat; cook beef and onion 7 minutes or until beef is crumbled and no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Drain. Add Sloppy Joe sauce; cook 1 minute more or until hot.Meanwhile, press 1 biscuit into bottom and up sides of each medium muffin cup, being careful not to tear dough. Place 1/4 cup meat mixture in each cup. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Remove from oven and

***Top with shredded cheese and bake a minute or two until cheese is melted.

2/7/17

Back to school Easy Meals

Calling all busy moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas ! Here are some easy meals for you and your family. 

Taste tested from my kitchen to yours.

I know it's difficult to plan meals so I'd  like to help take some stress out of "what to make for dinner" with some suggestions. 

Check the label section of the blog for the recipes.  

Orange Chicken
Wimpies
Missouri
Crockpot Pork in honey garlic sauce
Crockpot Pork BBQ
Crockpot Turkey Meatballs
Chicken Corden Blue Bake
Chicken Pot Pie Muffins
Crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken

From my kitchen to yours,

8/13/16
8/17/16
10/4/16

Baby Back Shortribs, Crockpot go!

Fall will be here in no time and as usual we are looking for something to satisfy our family at dinnertime that takes little effort and of course we want tasty and hopefully delicious too. This is where a crockpot comes in handy.

I really love my crockpot and I use it a lot.  I like tenderness of my meat and quite honestly the convenience. Whether it's beef, pork, chicken or turkey there always seems to be a recipe that you can usually adapt and make in the crockpot.  Most times I opt for chicken but when the occasion arrives and a craving for beef tempts your taste buds well most times I would use my oven friendly cast iron pot but on those days I don't want to watch a pot well here's where my gadget of choice. 

I really love beef ribs (when we are out to dinner a lot of times it's bbq ribs I order)so I am always looking for an easy recipe for them so as I can make. 

When I saw this recipe for crockpot beef ribs I was cranked up and ready to go. This was the first time I prepared beef ribs so I was excited but skeptical. I did not want to be disappointed!

 I was at the butcher the other day and beef ribs caught my eye.  We don't go to the butcher too often because I like convenience so we shop nearby.  This butcher is a bit of a drive.  It's worth the trip but I must think ahead of what I want to buy before I go so I make a list.

When we go to this particular butcher I stock up!  I buy lots of fresh sausage, ground beef, bacon, ham.  While we were waiting to be waited on I just so happened to see a whole rib of beef. I asked if I could have half and he said accommodated me. I guess you just have to ask!

 I have never made beef ribs so I didn't want to make too much since I would be the only person eating them....

If you like crockpot cooking and feel like some beef ribs this might just be a recipe you can use. It looks simple enough.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. baby beef back ribs

1 cup water
1 cup ketchup
1-6 oz. can tomato paste
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
2 T mustard
1 T salt

1. Mix water, ketchup, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, and salt in a medium size bowl.  Making sure to stir well to dissolve brown sugar and salt. I actually made my mixture the night before and covered it so I was sure all sugar was dissolved.

1. 
   

1. 
   
2. 
   Place 1/2 of sauce to the  crockpot.
   
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4. Add short ribs into the sauce, top with remaining sauce. Set crockpot on low, cover, and cook for 8 hours. Enjoy!

A very easy recipe and delicious too.
From my kitchen to yours,