Yummy!

Simply Delicious Sunday is hosted by Tamy at 3 Sides of Crazy.

Chicken Enchiladas

This is a recipe that even people who don't like Mexican food will like!

4 skinless chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

4 c. Montery Jack cheese

10 8 inch flour tortillas

2 c. chicken broth

1/2 onion, chopped

4 T. margarine

1/4 c. flour

1 c. sour cream

1 small can jalepenos or diced green chilis (depending on how hot you prefer)

Melt margarine & stir in flour, cook for 1 minute. Whisk in broth & cook until thick.

Add sour cream & peppers.

Saute onions & mix with chicken and 2 cups cheese. Divide into 10 tortillas. Roll & place in greased 13 x 9 pan.

Cover with sauce & remaining cheese.

Bake 20 minutes @ 425.

Really, really yummy!

Hamburg Gravy

This is an old fashioned recipe that my dad grew up with & so did I. I recently re-discovered it & love it just as much today.

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup flour

salt & pepper to taste

4-5 cups of milk or water (water was used during the depression)

Cook beef with chopped onions & drain. Rinse with hot water to remove all grease.

Stir in flour, salt & pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Gradually add in milk or water; bring to a boil.

Cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

Cordon Bleu Appetizers

This appetizer is really tasty and a little different.

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese

3/4 cup diced cooked ham

1/2 cup minced chives - divided

18 slices French bread (1/2 in. thick)

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and mustard until smooth. Stir in the Swiss cheese, ham & 1/4 cup chives. Spread 1 Tbsp. mixture over each slice of bread; place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining chives.

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

1 pkg instant oatmeal ( I like plain or apple cinnamon)

1 t margarine*

3 packages of Splenda*

1/8 t baking soda

cinnamon to taste

raisins or dates

1/2 t vanilla

drops of skim milk

Preheat oven to 350. Cream margarine & splenda together.(*I used ICBINB spray & 1 t splenda. I just added it to everything else, no creaming together & they turned out fine) Add baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla & oatmeal. Add drops of milk until cookie dough consistency. (*Be careful w/ milk I added too much) Stir in raisins or dates. Put on cookie sheet sprayed with Pam. Bake 12-15 min. Cool 5 min. on cookie sheet.

Makes 3-4 cookies, which is one serving.

These are great to make & take with you & they're perfect with a cold glass of milk!

*This is a Nutrisystem compliant recipe. I make it with NS oatmeal & it counts as your breakfast entree & your breakfast fruit.

Macaroni & Cheese

6-8 oz. of uncooked pasta. I like seashells or bowties.

1/4 c. margarine or butter

1/4 c. chopped onion

dash salt & pepper

1/4 c. flour

1 3/4 c. milk

12 oz. cheeses. Mix them up for different flavors. I like a combo of sharp cheddar & swiss.

Cook pasts as directed; drain. Cook & stir margarine, onion, salt & pepper over medium heat until onion is tender. Stir in flour to make a roux. Cook roux for about 2 minutes & then whisk in milk. Heat to boiling. Boil & stir 1-2 minutes until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat & stir in cheese until melted.

Mix with pasta & pour into a greased casserole dish. Top with Italian bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes at 375.

Sooo much better than the box with the flourescent orange powder.

Mimi's Hot Bandanas

Filling:1 (7 ounce) jar Kalamata Olives, drained and sliced

1 1/2 cups diced, peeled white onion

1 lb ripe beefsteak tomatoes, chopped (I have used good quality canned that I drain)

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, diced

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 cloves pressed garlic

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tsp dried basil

1/4 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

Buns:10 hard Kaiser rolls

3 Tbs soft butter

3 fresh basil leaves

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Mix the next 6 ingredients in a small jar and shake to mix. Mix dressing and tomato mixture. Hollow out Kaiser rolls and put mixture in them. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve in cloth bandanas if desired.

These are vegetarian & you can customize the ingredients your own way, and since there's no mayo or meat, their not very likely to go bad for a picnic or a hike.

We always pack these when we hit the road to go camping. I wrap them in foil & then if they aren't all eaten on the way, we put the extra over the fire & the cheese melts & the rolls get toasty.

Pasta Carbonara

1/4 lb. bacon

1 stick butter

1 c. milk

2 Tb. wine vinegar

1 lb. pasta (fettuccine or linguine), try fresh if you can

2 eggs, whipped

1/2 c. fresh grated parmesan

Cut the bacon into little pieces and cook in butter until clear. Heat milk in a small saucepan (do not boil), and add to bacon & butter. Add the vinegar; this will turn the milk to cheese. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the sauce cooks smooth.

Boil the pasta al dente. Drain & return to pan. Immediately throw in eggs, the bacon sauce & cheese. Salt & pepper to taste.

Mimi's Tummy Filler Soup

This is more of a method than a recipe, but I get asked for this a lot. I have been on & off of the Nutrisystem diet plan for a year or so now. (Lately I've been very off plan!)

This soup is based on the principle that many veggies are considered "free foods". The base is also very diet friendly.

Veggies I always use to make “Tummy Filler” soup are celery, cabbage, zucchini, yellow squash & mushrooms. I make these the basis of the soup because they have very few calories. Greens like spinach, kale & watercress would be perfect in the soup, also. I usually also add diced onion, broccoli, cauliflower & green beans. I avoid things like peas, potatoes & corn based on their amounts of sugar.

I chop all the veggies & sauté them in a couple of sprays of olive oil flavored Pam until they start to soften. Then add low-sodium, low-fat beef stock to cover. Most of these stocks are 25 calories or less, for one cup. I also throw in some low-sodium V-8 Juice for some additional flavor and some salt-free Mrs. Dash. (For 6-8 cups of soup, I usually add about 8 oz. of V-8.)

One full cup of this soup is usually only 25-35 calories depending on what veggies you use. I make big batches & freeze them. I use this in place of salads a lot in the winter & since I’m not using any salad dressing I think it’s actually better diet wise.

As you can see it’s not really a recipe so much as the way I throw things together, but it's healthy, hot, filling & diet friendly!

Italian Cupboard Soup

This soup seems so simple, but the flavors are SOO good. I often use leftover pork roast.

2-3 lg. pork chops – cut-up

1/2 of a med. onion - diced

1 stalk diced celery

1 t. minced garlic

3 chopped mushrooms

1 14 ½ oz. can of chopped tomatoes

15 oz. great northern beans – rinsed

27 oz. chicken stock

Brown pork in olive oil. Saute with onion, celery & garlic. After a few minutes add chopped mushrooms. Add tomatoes, beans & chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Quick Thousand Island Dressing

This is really yummy. More like McD's special sauce & less like thick, gloopy bottled thousand island. I also like it because there's not high fructose corn syrup or any other crap.

*Bonus~each tablespoon is only 12 calories & I usually have most of these things on hand.

1/3 cup low-fat mayonaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I used the kind in the bottle & it was fine)
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper (tip, I chop & freeze these to use in recipes when I need them)
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves (I did not have these, my dressing way yummy without them)
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
a pinch of cayenne (or drop of Tabasco)
1/4 cup water.

Blend all ingredients until somewhat smooth in a blender or food processor, I used my Magic Bullet & it rocked.

Add up to 2 tablespoons of additional water if needed to thin dressing to desired consistency.

Keeps in the fridge about 10 days.

**While you're here please stop by my Devotional Daze blog to enter my Inspiration Giveaway.


Peach Pancake Napoleon

1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
1 tablespoon skim milk
1 tablespoon sugar or splenda
1/2 cup of canned peaches
3/4 cup of Heart Healthy Bisquick
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
whipped cream if desired

Mix cottage cheese, skim milk & Splenda or sugar. I used my Magic Bullet Chop 1/2 of the serving of peaches & stir them into the cheese mixure.

Mix Bisquick with water to make it pancake consistency (I'm sorry I didn't measure the water). Stir in vanilla.

I sprayed my small pan with Pam & put in 1/2 of the pancake mix.

While that is cooking, microwave the cheese & peach mixture for a little bit to just warm it.

Take out the first pancake, top it with the cheese & peach mixture & make the second pancake.

Put the second pancake on top, then top with the remaining chopped peaches & a dollop of Cool Whip Free.

*This is a recipe for one serving, but you can see it would be easy to multiply.

My husband was jealous & my son accused me of cheating on my diet.

If you are on the Nutrisystem plan this counts a complete breakfast, fruit & dairy + 1 free food (Cool Whip)

*this would work really well with some ff ricotta & a little Splenda instead of the cottage cheese, but I didn't have any ricotta

Super Easy Crock Pot Pot Roast

This is easy, inexpensive if the beef is on sale & feeds lots!

1 3 to 4 lb. beef roast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can french onion soup or 1 envelope onion soup mix mixed with 1 cup water
splash of worcestershire sauce
1/2 an onion - rough chopped
4 or 5 whole potatoes
2 cups of button mushrooms

Drop beef into crock pot (it can even be frozen)

Top with soups, worcestershire & onion.

Cook on high heat for 2 hours, then switch to low for 3 or more hours.

About 2 hours before roast is done served lay potatoes on top of beef to cook. I leave them whole & in their jackets.

Half an hour before roast is done add chopped mushrooms.

Remove all solids from sauce & skim off any grease before serving.