Corn and Shrimp Chowder

I'm posting this one because I talked about it on Twitter and Facebook and it garnered some interest. We're just about to eat it and it looks fabulous! (Picture above is what it looks like right before it's finished.) UPDATE: It was fabulous -- a big hit with everyone!

Corn and Shrimp Chowder

Makes 6 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 3-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-quart (I doubled the recipe and used my giant Crock-Pot)

Recipe from: Fix-It and Forget-It

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, diced
1 C chopped onions
2 C diced, unpeeled red potatoes
2 10-oz. pkgs. frozen corn
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 6-oz cans shrimp (my store only had 4 oz cans, so I improvised a bit)
2 C water
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
12-oz can evaporated milk
chopped chives, to taste

Directions:
1. Fry bacon in skillet until lightly crisp. Add onions to droppings and saute until transparent. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon and onions to slow cooker.
2. Add remaining ingredients to cooker except milk and chives.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours, adding milk and chives 30 minutes before end of cooking time.
4. Serve with broccoli salad. (I didn't do this, but I did serve it with warmed-up sourdough bread.)

Mini Crescent Dogs

I'm making these tonight. They are super easy and a favorite of my kids. Yeah, yeah -- appetizers for dinner. :)

Mini Crescent Dogs

Mini sausages are all wrapped up in flaky crescents in an all-time favorite appetizer.

Prep Time: 15 Min
Total Time: 30 Min
Makes: 48 snacks

INGREDIENTS:
2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
48 cocktail-sized smoked link sausages or hot dogs (from 16-oz package)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll both cans of the dough; separate into 16 triangles. Cut each triangle lengthwise into 3 narrow triangles.
2. Place sausage on shortest side of each triangle. Roll up each, starting at shortest side of triangle and rolling to opposite point; place point side down on 2 ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown, switching position of cookie sheets halfway through baking. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Cheesy Chicken Parmesan Over Pasta

I made this tonight. It was incredibly easy to make and very tasty. We didn't even have any leftovers!

Cheesy Chicken Parmesan Over Pasta

Breaded chicken breasts topped with savory tomatoes and melted cheese and served over hot pasta

Hands on: 15 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Makes: 4 servings (1 chicken breast and 1 cup pasta each)

Ingredients:
4 frozen Banquet or Tyson breaded chicken breast patties
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) Hunts Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano, drained (I ran out of this so I used regular canned dice tomatoes and spiced them myself)
4 slices (2/3 oz. each) mozzarella cheese
8 ounces dry pasta, uncooked (I used rotini)
shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:
1. Bake chicken in preheated oven according to package directions.
2. Top each breast with 1/3 cup of the tomatoes; cover with 1 cheese slice. Continue baking 20 minutes, or until chicken is heated through and cheese is melted. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large saucepan according to package directions.
3. Drain pasta; return to saucepan. Add the remaining tomatoes; toss to coat. Place on large platter; top with chicken. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Creamy Chicken, Pasta & Mushroom Skillet

I made this last week. It was easy, and a hit with the kids!

Creamy Chicken, Pasta & Mushroom Skillet

Rigatoni pasta and chicken tossed in a tomato and mushroom sauce with peas

Hands on: 20 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Makes: 6 servings (1-1/3 cups each)

Ingredients:

8 ounces dry rigatoni pasta, uncooked
1-1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1 med = 1/2 cup)
1 can (14.5 ounces) Hunt's Petite Diced Tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook chicken and onions in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes, or until chicken pieces are no longer pink in centers.
2. Stir in undrained tomatoes and soup; cook 5 minutes, or until heaated through, stirring occasionally. Add peas; mix well.
3. Drain pasta; place in large serving bowl. Add tomato mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

Arroz con Pollo y Frijoles

This is SUPER delicious, and really easy to make. My kids also loved it -- even my 2 year old and my 10 year old (the one who doesn't like tomatoes!). I was initially intimidated because I had never prepared chicken thighs before, but it was SO easy!

Arroz con Pollo y Frijoles

Hands on: 15 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:
2-1/2 pounds chicken thighs (I could only find 2.36 pounds at the store, but it was perfect)
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
PAM Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1 cup long-grain rice (I only had medium-grain and it worked fine)
2 cans (10 ounces each) Ro*Tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth
1 can (16 ounces) Rosarita No Fat Traditional Refried Beans
1/2 cup shredded Oaxaca, Chihuahua or Mexican blend cheese (1/2 cup = 2 ounces)

Directions:

1. Season chicken with garlic salt and pepper on both sides. Spray large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Place chicken, skin side down, in skillet. Cook 7 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove chicken from skillet.
2. Add rice to skillet. Brown rice in pan drippings over medium heat about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add undrained tomatoes and broth; blend well. Place chicken on top of rice. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm. Drop beans by tablespoons onto rice; sprinkle with cheese. Heat an additional 5 minutes, or until beans are hot and cheese is melted. Serve with chicken.

Recipe from and copyright reserved by: conagrafoods.com

Introduction

Mom & Toddler
Originally uploaded by Beckerbuns

Hi, I'm Rebekah, and I'm a single mom of three kids. After the divorce process started, I realized how poor I was going to be, and that I needed to start cooking at home more and eating on the cheap, I started hunting for recipes on the web that are easy to make, and delicious to eat. I plan on sharing at least one recipe every day that ANYBODY can make. These will mostly be recipes that are nutritious for your family -- but I also promise to throw in some yummy dessert and snack recipes!

I welcome your feedback. Thanks for visiting!