Biscuit Pizzas

I was surprised how yummy these are. Biscuits can be bought for like 3 for $1, sometimes even .25 so this is great without spending too much money when you do not feel like making dough and doing the whole sha-bang.

can of biscuits

spaghetti sauce

cheese

add any toppings you like

Spread the biscuits to thin circles, top with sauce and cheese and bake for 10 minutes. That's it!

September Dinners

1- tostadas

2- biscuit pizzas

3- Albertsons pizza

4- shake and bake chicken and potatoes

5- hamburgers

6- toquerville.chicken alfedo

7- pancakes, bacon and eggs

8- tortellini caesar salad

9- birthday date - under $5 eating out

10- taco salad

11- pork chops

12- leftovers

13-mexican rice and bean quesadillas

14-frozen chicken pot pies

15-black bean salad

16-mexican rice and bean casserole

17- cheddar broccoli soup

I fell off the bandwagon and forgot to keep up with what we were eating... Somewhere in there we fed sister missionaries so I made the tortellini caesar salad again, sloppy joes one night, sesame noodles another, pastrami sandwiches... Then I was out of town the last week of September, so just check back for October's menu :)

Ribs

I really love these ribs. The spicy dry rub makes these amazing... I think anyways. :)

Ribs
2 lbs ribs
barbeque sauce

Dry Rub-
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne red pepper

Mix together the dry rub and coat ribs in mixture. Wrap each individual rib tightly in tin tin foil coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate (longer the better). Before cooking, open tin foil and coat the ribs with barbeque sauce, wrap back up and place on cooking sheet. Bake at 300 for 2 1/4 hours. Unwrap ribs, add more barbeque sauce if desired and broil for a few minutes so sauce gets nice and sticky.

Oriental Chicken Salad

Found recipe here - http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/Applebees-Oriental-Chicken-Salad-Recipe.html

I've used this recipe before, and the corn flake covered chicken is really delicious! But to cut back on time, I just used store-bought chicken strips, placed on a bed of lettuce and topped with the yummy dressing, green onions and almonds. It made this amazing salad, amazingly simple.

DRESSING

3 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (3 parts white vinegar 1 part water)

1/4 cup mayo

1 tsp dijon mustard

1/8 tsp sesame oil

Blend and refrigerate.

Salad
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half
2-4 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup red cabbage
1 cup Napa cabbage
1/2 carrot, julienned or shredded
1 green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
1/3 cup chow mein noodles

1. Preheat oil in deep fryer or deep pan over medium heat.
You want the temperature of the oil to be around 350 degrees.
2. Blend together all ingredients for dressing in a small
bowl with an electric mixer. Put dressing in refrigerator
to chill while you prepare the salad.
3. In a small, shallow bowl beat egg, add milk, and mix well.
4. In another bowl, combine flour with corn flake crumbs, salt
and pepper.
5. Cut chicken breast into 4 or 5 long strips. Dip each strip
of chicken first into egg mixture then into the flour mixture,
coating each piece completely.
6. Fry each chicken finger for 5 minutes or until coating has
darkened to brown.
7. Prepare salad by tossing the chopped romaine with the chopped
red cabbage, Napa cabbage, and carrots.
8. Sprinkle sliced green onion on top of the lettuce.
9. Sprinkle almonds over the salad, then the chow mein noodles.
10. Cut the chicken into small bite-size chunks. Place the
chicken onto the salad forming a pile in the middle. Serve
with salad dressing on the side.

Meatloaf

I'd like to branch out and try some new meatloaf recipes, but I like this one and it is so easy that I always go to it when meatloaf is on the menu-

1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp mustard
2 lbs ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 egg beaten
1 tsp beef boullion granules

Mix together ketcup, brown sugar, mustard, and 1 Tbsp of lemon juice. Set aside. Mix beef, bread, onion, egg, boullion, remaining lemon juice and 1/3 of the ketchup mixture. Press to bottom of loaf pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Drain excess fat, coat with remaining ketchup mixture and bake an additional 10 minutes. Yum!

Taco Stuffed Shells

Found recipe here - http://www.food.com/recipe/taco-stuffed-pasta-shells-43574

This recipe first caught my eye because of my weakness for tacos and I thought definitely worth a try! We've had it a few times since. :)

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese
• 12 large pasta shells
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup taco sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. 1
   COOK BEEF.
2. 2
   ADD TACO SEASONING AND PREPARE ACCORDING TO PKG DIRECTIONS.
3. 3
   ADD CREAM CHEESE.
4. 4
   COVER AND SIMMER UNTIL CREAM CHEESE IS MELTED.
5. 5
   YOU CAN CHILL THE MEAT SO YOU CAN STUFF THE SHELLS EASIER.
6. 6
   POUR SALSA IN THE BOTTOM OF A GREASED 9 X 13 IN PAN.
7. 7
   WHILE THE HAMBURGER IS COOKING, COOK THE PASTA, DRAIN, TOSS WITH BUTTER.
8. 8
   FILL EACH SHELL.
9. 9
   PLACE IN BOTTOM OF PAN AND TOP WITH TACO SAUCE.
10. 10
    COVER AND BAKE AT 350 FOR 30 MINUTES.
11. 11
    UNCOVER,SPRINKLE WITH CHEESES AND CHIPS.
12. 12
    BAKE 15 MINUTES LONGER OR UNTIL HEATED THROUGH.
13. 13
    SERVE WITH SOUR CREAM, MORE SALSA, OR WHATEVER ELSE YOU THINK GOES GOOD WITH TACOS.
    
    
    I halved this recipe and still filled 8 shells. It was a light dinner, but if you want to save on money, make fewer shells and serve with spanish rice or something a little heavier.
    
    
    

Minestrone Soup

I know it's summer, but soups are always so easy and it's a cheap, meatless meal. I made some home baked bread to go along with it.

I used the recipe found here - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/kens-minestrone-soup/detail.aspx

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 (29 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
• (I took a can of my garlic and onion diced tomatoes and pureed them in the blender since Jack doesn't like tomato chunks)
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can green beans, drained
• tiny shell pasta
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 pinch dried basil
• 1 pinch dried oregano
• 1 pinch Italian seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons vegetarian chicken flavor seasoning
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Directions

1. In a large 4 to 5 quart saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Mix in garlic, onion and carrots. Saute the vegetables until just tender; approximately 5 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes with juice, cannellini beans, and kidney beans to the saucepan. Fill each can with water, and add the water to the saucepan. Mix in green beans and pasta. Sprinkle parsley, basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, chicken-style seasoning, and cayenne pepper into the soup; stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover, and let simmer 30 minutes.

I go heavy on the seasonings (much more than a pinch) and add tiny shell pasta. I'm not sure how much (maybe 1/3 bag), but be aware it does expand quite a bit when it cooks. Also top with parmesan cheese-it makes this. This made A LOT, but it was good.