The easiest chicken & dumplings EVER!

So the weather cooled off this week and by that I mean got below 100 degrees!! I took advantage and made some chicken & dumplings. I don't believe I've ever made them before but I had an idea how to cook them.

The deeper I got into cooking them, the easier they were!! Rotisserie chickens were on sale at Walmart for $2.49 each so I grabbed 2. I used both of them but it was A LOT of chicken. Here's what I did...

• 2 Rotisserie chickens (or you could boil a whole chicken or use chicken breasts but this is supposed to be EASY so...)
• 24 oz. pack of MARY B'S DUMPLINGS (I only used about half but next time I'll use more.)
• 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
• 32 oz box of chicken broth (or use the broth off of what you have after boiling -- if you boil your chicken!)
• small onion
• handful of frozen mushrooms
• real bacon pieces (or 4-5 strips of bacon - crumbled)

Now you can do this the easy way like I did or you can do it the not as easy way. You can cook your own chicken. You can roll out your own dumplings, make your own soups & broth and fry your bacon. But who has time for that??

• Dice a small onion (or buy the frozen, diced ones), chop frozen or fresh mushrooms and saute them together until they are soft. Add a handful of the bacon pieces or the crumbled bacon you cooked!
• In a large pot, pour in chicken broth and all 4 cans of cream of mushroom/chicken soups and the onion/mushroom/bacon mix. Add a cup of water too. You may need to add more water bc you want it to be a thin liquid. The dumplings are gonna soak up a lot of the water. Let it come to a low boil.
• The dumplings come in long, thin strips & need to stay frozen until you get ready to drop them in the pot. Cut each strip into 4 dumplings & drop them in the mixture one at a time. This is a little time consuming but you need to be quick bc they begin to thaw pretty fast!
• Let the dumplings boil on low/medium for about 30 minutes or so and then add the chicken. Let it cook another 20 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked. They're thin and don't puff up like my mama's HOMEMADE dumplings. ;)

And that's it, friends!! This was so easy!! It takes an hour or so to cook but you're not doing much work in that hour. Make sure to stir occassionaly and add water as needed. Let me know what you think!! It made enough for 6-7 people to eat. Feel free to share. Everyone needs this recipe!!

Be blessed. Stay dry. And pray for South Louisiana. 

Crockpot Chicken

If you know me, then you know I'm late for everything. Posting blogs on time is no exception. Here's the recipe for tonight's crock pot chicken. I found it on Pinterest! Y'all this is so yummy. I do not like "chicken on a bone" but this is by far one of my favorite meals. Saying it's simple is a definite understatement. Here's what you do:

- First, combine spices in a bowl for the rub.

• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

- Clean your chicken & remove giblets and neck. Rub spice mixture all over the chicken. You could stop here, put it in a ziplock bag and let it marinate over night. But if you don't have time, then you can totally skip this step. I never marinate it!!

- Slice a large onion & spread it across the bottom of the crockpot. Put the chicken on top of the onions.

- Cook on low for 8 hours. It will literally fall off the bone!

And that's it my friends. That. Is. It. As the chicken slow cooks it makes enough juice for the chicken & for a yummy gravy (super thin) over your rice or potatoes!

Now for your side dishes. I take the veggies (they're on your shopping list), slice them, lay them flat and S&P them. I put them on skewers but you can just pile them in a baking dish if that's easier. Trust me, it's easier!! Bake on 350 for about 20 minutes. You can also sprinkle some fresh grated parmesan cheese on them. Super yum!

- instant rice or potatoes -- just follow the directions on the package. :)
- corn on the cobb -- just boil it in seasoned water (creole seasoning, salt & pepper) as the package directs
- cornbread -- same thing. Make it like the package says!

Such a good dinner. So good. So easy. And super cheap to make!

Be sure to save your leftover chicken for tomorrow's dinner. Go ahead and debone the leftovers and refrigerate them.

Peace out, my friends!

Not so breakfast casserole!!

So, this was a new dish for me; my own version of "Hash brown Casserole". I would definitely NOT call this a breakfast dish and I am truly sorry for that. But on the plus side... it was delicious!! Irelyn didn't like it but I didn't expect her to. James for sure loved it and I liked it too! We will definitely have this again! So here's the scoop :)

- brown the sausage (I did this first thing this morning and stuck it in the fridge.)
- while the sausage is cooking, cook hash brown as directed; S&P to taste and 1T garlic/herb seasoning (I used "Simply Potatoes" w/diced onions already in the bag. These are in the egg/milk section of Walmart.)
- add mushrooms (I also found a really good frozen brand of mushrooms. Check your freezer section for so many options if you're like me and let fresh veggies go bad.)
- add sausage, cream of mushroom soup, rotel and beans; mix well. (I used chili beans and it was so good with them!!)
- spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray & pour in your meat/potato mixture.
- cover with cheese...I mean go cheese crazy on it!
- bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

- while that's cooking, fry up some eggs (1 per person at least). *Optional: you could also scramble your eggs and add them to the meat/potato mixture before baking it.
- when the dish is done baking, lay the eggs on top of the casserole and dig in!!
- you can also dice up some red onion, tomatoes, jalopenos, bell peppers or any other topping you'd like! We used sour cream too!

PS. Sorry there are no pictures or videos. I'm a slacker today. Let me know what your family thinks of this dish!!

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Sesame Stir Fry

So I'm having trouble with the video for tonight's recipe!! Hopefully I can get it together and upload it tomorrow. Don't forget, this will be your dinner tomorrow night! Here's the recipe for Sesame Stir Fry!!

1.5 to 2 pounds of pork (stew meat), chicken breast or beef

1 pack of McCormick's Sesame Stir Fry (feel free to use 2 of these if you want extra sauce)

1 bag of oriental/Asian vegetables

2 cups of instant rice

2 T Oil

- Marinate your (thawed) meat. Whatever meat you use, be sure it's in approximately 1-1 1/2" chunks. I season my meat with a 10 minute teriyaki marinade (1/3 cup), salt & pepper (to taste), creole seasoning (1-2 teaspoons - depending on how spicy you want it, you could also leave this out completely!) and garlic & herb seasoning (1-2 tablespoons). You can season your meat with just salt & pepper though. You know your family's seasoning preferences so season accordingly!

 

- Heat your oil over medium heat. When it's hot, add your meat. Cook your meat for 10-15 minutes or until the meat is cooked thoroughly.

- Add the McCormick Sesame Stir Fry sauce and stir it well. Then stir in the frozen veggies!! Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir 1-2 times.

 

- While that is cooking, make your instant rice. If you prefer to use "real" rice, then start your rice before the meat!!

Servings: 5-6

Cook time: 20 minutes

That's it, guys! This is my go to meal when I need something quick & easy. And it's so good. My family LOVES it! Let me know what your family thinks about it. And if you have any questions, let me know and I'll do my best to give you an answer!! 

 

Shopping List

I've been waiting for today all week! I did all of my shopping yesterday so I could get everything ready for you guys today:) First of all, if you're local or have a Super 1 Foods nearby, they're having a killer sale on ground beef. It's not the best lean/fat ratio but it's perfect for tacos, spaghetti and casseroles! And you get 5 pounds for less than $9!! What what??

Anyway...

I'll share the grocery list for each recipe and you can decide if it's something you want to try or not!

This week we have "Asian Monday" as I like to call it!! It's the most simple meal I've ever cooked. And it's really inexpensive too! I call it SESAME STIR-FRY. There are only 4 -- you heard me -- 4 ingredients!! You can choose between chicken or pork. I use pork because I usually get pork stew meat on sale for less than $3 and it's perfect for this dish. But chicken would be delicious too! So you need:

- 2-3 boneless chicken breasts OR one pack of pork stew meat
- McCormick Skillet sauce "Sesame Stir-fry". This is less than $2 so if you want extra sauce grab another one!
- Asian/oriental mix of frozen veggies
- instant rice
- frozen egg rolls (if you'd like)

Tuesday's meal is what I like to call "Soul Food Tuesday"! This is one of my favorite nights because I love fried, soul food. This week we're cooking BEEF TIPS & GRAVY. Yum!! Again, I got my beef tips on sale at a (semi) local grocery store for around $2 a pack! Feel free to substitute the beef tips for a bag of frozen beef meatballs or use some of that on sale hamburger meat I talked about earlier if the the beef tips are out of your price range!

- 2 pounds of beef tips (this will feed 5-6 people so use your judgement on how much you need for your family!)
- brown gravy mix (I am not ashamed!!)
- cream of mushroom soup
- instant mashed potatoes (I'll share my favorite below!)
- can of whole kernel corn
- frozen sweet cream corn
- frozen breaded okra (YUM!!)
- crescent rolls

Wednesday is going to be awesome! Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?? We sure do. We'll be cooking a yummy HASHBROWN CASSEROLE for dinner Wednesday. And good news for you! You could actually throw this together the night before and just pop it in the oven Wednesday! Sweet, right??

- frozen hash browns or diced potatoes (They're side by side in the store.)
- 1 pound of ground pork sausage
- 4 eggs
- lots of shredded cheese (cheddar, pepperjack, colby, whatever you like)
- can of Rotel
- cream of mushroom soup
- can of kidney beans (optional)
- veggies of your choice (mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, jalapenos)

Thursday is Crockpot Thursday. It doesn't get much more simple than dumping everything in a pot and not worrying about it for 8 hours right?? We'll be cooking CROCKPOT CHICKEN and boy is it worth the effort you put in to it! You'll need...

- whole chicken
- onion
- fresh, summer veggies (squash, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes)
- instant rice or instant potatoes (whatever your family likes best)
- corn on the cob
- a cheap bag of cornbread (Jiffy if you'd like)

And finally, Casserole Friday!! If you have leftover chicken from last night, feel free to debone it and use it in this dish! If not, you'll need...

- chicken of your choice (Super 1 has thighs on sale for super cheap so I'm using these but feel free to use 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
- instant rice (AGAIN!! It's cheap and we love rice!!)
- cream of chicken
- chicken broth (save it from the chicken you boil!!)
-  shredded cheese (cheddar)
- French onion dip (by the sour cream...took me forever to find!)
- French fried onions
- salad of your choice; ingredients for my favorite salad are bag of spinach, shredded cheese, pecans, pepper & garlic fried onions, bacon pieces (NOT BITS) and strawberry vinaigrette dressing.

And that my friends is your meal planning and grocery list for next week. I am going to assume you could probably put any of those meals in a crockpot and cook it on low for 8 hours but I haven't tried so that's up to you!

Do a quick food inventory of your cabinets and fridge BEFORE you go to the store and shop. You might have some of these ingredients!! If you have ANY questions about this list, please let me know!! I'm so excited to cook with you! Also these are the seasonings I use; salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ground Thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper (or crushed red pepper), Zatarain's Garlic and Herb seasoning, Zatarain's creole seasoning, Zatarain's dehydrated bellpeppers and onions. If you don't have each of these, don't feel you need to go spend all your cash on the Zatarain's products. Just the basics will do :)

Samiches!!!

I love a good, ole sandwich! We had "big boy" sandwiches for lunch today and my husband says, "Did you already take a picture of this for your blog?". Haha. He said it was definitely blog worthy. And I have to agree with him.

Sometimes I get so caught up in cooking a huge meal that I forget the easy, peasy meals! It's so simple, I almost feel silly sharing it with you!

Here's a tip. I always, always, always buy my meat on sale. I hardly ever buy meat that's regular price. I go to Walmart, Brookshires, Super 1 and any other store running sales once a week, usually on Thursdays. I can honestly say I luck out almost every week on finding meat on sale. It's normally pork and chicken but I buy it up anyway. (Having a deep freezer helps a lot here. You can find a small one on sale for less than $150 quite often.) Anyway, last week I found loaves of French bread on sale for 50 cents!! I bought 2 loaves and put them in my freezer for a rainy day. I also bought a pound of Great Value ham and froze it too! I'm learning to freeze things until I need them or else they ruin.

Getting to the point -- today I pulled out the lunch meat & French bread and made some crazy, awesome poboys! I fried up a few pieces of bacon, sliced a tomato and red onion, toasted em in the oven and it was on!! Hubby was happy & full and I didn't do a whole lot of work to fix his lunch.

So just remember this -- don't kill yourself cooking and don't NOT cook because it's time consuming or too much trouble. There are simple solutions. Follow my blog and I'll help you out the best I can!

And don't forget -- THIS THURSDAY -- I'll be posting your shopping list for next weeks dinners! #mealplanningmakesmehappy #asianMonday #soulfoodTuesday #breakfastfordinnerWednesday #crockpotThursday #casseroleFriday

*Walmart is where I get most of my on sale meats. I only go to the other places if they run an ad for something I want. I know you were thinking I'm crazy getting y'all running around town to all the stores! I don't do that & I sure don't expect you too! Just check your local sale papers for the best prices!

Meal Planning 👊🏻

I know how busy moms and dads are these days!! When supper time rolls around, the last thing you want to do is think about cooking.

• What's in the freezer?

• What do I have?

• Did I even go to the grocery store this week?

• Crap, I didn't thaw out the hamburger meat.

• I need new meal ideas.

• What's something quick?

I could go on & on bc these are thoughts of mine almost every day! I've had several people show interest in meal planning but never give it a shot. I don't know why bc it's great! I try to meal plan Monday through Friday. 

I screw it up a lot. Sometimes I just don't feel like cooking. And we grab take out. Sometimes I forget to thaw something out and my fam is too hungry to wait. And we grab take out. Sometimes I didn't realize I was out of everything. And we grab take out.

Take out is taking over our funds (and my thighs and bottom side)!! And I know I would much rather have a home cooked meal over Johnny's Pizza any day. (No offense, Johnny's!! I do love me some pizza!!)

So after (very little) thought and consideration, I've decided to meal plan and prepare recipes for YOU!! We'll try it out for a few weeks and if you love it, I'll keep it up. If you're not in to it, then I'll go back to my day job. #momlife

I'll send out a grocery list on Thursday and you'll have the whole weekend to shop. Sunday evening, I'll post the recipe for Monday's dinner. Monday, I'll post for Tuesday's dinner and so forth and so on.

I'll start with my family's favorites! For the most part, they'll be quick(ish) meals but we do like good, ole home cooking that may take some time. I'll even prepare crock pot lists and recipes for you.

So, get ready for some yummy food and hopefully some extra time and happy mouths!