A Few Meal Ideas

Recipes Ideas

CHICKEN IDEAS

CHICKEN SALAD:

2 cups cubed chicken or turkey (broasted chicken is great)

1 cup celery, chopped finely
1/2 c. chopped pecans
Mix together and add mayo, salt and pepper
Serve on bread, croissants or crackers.
(Optional: if you need to stretch it, you can add a few boiled eggs 
that are chopped fine.)

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI:

Drain chicken. Add spaghetti sauce and chicken to pot and add seasonings 
according to your taste, like Tony’s, basil, Italian seasoning, garlic & onion 

powder, etc. Boil pasta according to package. Serve meat sauce over noodles. 

Add a side of veggies.

CHICKEN TETRAZZINI:

Chicken Tetrazzini

8T. Margarine
8T. Flour
2 c. Chicken broth (you can use bouillon cubes or broth)
1 c. Milk 
8 oz. Monterey jack jalapeño cheese, Mozzarella or Swiss cheese.
2-3 boneless chicken breast, cut in bite size pieces-season with Tony’s, 
salt, pepper, & Parmesan cheese.
16 oz. angel hair pasta or whatever you like (cook according to directions)
Melt margarine, add flour and stir a few minutes. Add chicken broth, milk and cheese 
(cut in small pieces so it will melt faster). Let cheese melt then 
add chicken and seasoning, let cook about 10-15 min. 
Put pasta in greased baking pan. 
Pour sauce over pasta and spread to cover all noodles.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake @ 375 for about 30 min.

You can also serve it like an Alfredo sauce. Keep the noodles and sauce separate and 

let folks take pasta and put sauce on top as they are serving.

TUNA:

TUNA SALAD:

Mix tuna with boiled eggs, mayo and whatever you like. Some options 

are sweet pickled relish, red onions, celery, etc. 

Serve as sandwiches or with crackers.

Tuna & White Bean Salad:

https://www.budgetbytes.com/tuna-white-bean-salad/

FRIED RICE:

https://www.budgetbytes.com/vegetable-not-fried-rice/#wprm-recipe-container-33695

For this not fried rice recipe, use what you have. It’s best with day old rice.

If you want to add meat, go for it. If you have can peas instead of frozen then use that.

Enjoy being creative with your meals!

BEANS:

RED BEANS; WHITE BEANS- Follow recipe on package and smoked sausage 

if you have it. Serve over rice or eat like a soup.

Cheesy Corn Grits, BBQ Pork Ribs & String Beans

Polenta Corn Grits -1 cup

1 can of whole Corn, drained

1 T. Better then a Bouillion chicken Base

Handful of grated cheddar cheese

Bring  3 cups of water and 1 T. Better than Bouillion base and salt to a boil.

Add 1 cup of grits. Cook on simmer for about 5 minutes.

While the grits are cooking, drain Corn and put in pot or skillet and heat on low 

til dry.

When grits are done add the Corn and a handful of grated chees and salt to taste. 

You can covergrits and let sit a few minutes if grits aren't completely done. 

If grits are too dry just add a little water and stir.

Pork Loin Ribs

I usually serve this with pork loin ribs that I put in slow cooker all day with seasoning and 

barbecue sauce.

Frozen Green Beans

I also cook frozen cut green bean in a skillet with a some oil and minced garlic and Tony's.

It cooks for an hour or so til they turn brown.

Probably none of this is healthy by the time you are finished but it is good and if the ribs are cooking 

4-6 hours in slow cooker, the grits cook up pretty quick.

Fresh Sausage with green onions and gravy

Sausage
1 onion
1 bell pepper
Garlic
2 T Louisiana Crawfish-Man's seasoned gravy mix

Brown sausage.
Add chopped onion, bell pepper and garlic.
Add 2 heaping T. Gravy mix, 1/4-1/2 cup. Flour and about 1 cup of water.  If too thick, add water til you get consistency you like.
Cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
Gravy mix is seasoned so taste before you add extra.
Serve over rice.
Delicious!

Bread Pudding with Meringue and Sauce

Bread Pudding
8-10 hamburger buns left out to dry and torn into pieces, put in 9 x 12 ish pan
Mix in bowl:
7 egg yolks (put the egg whites in non plastic bowl for meringue)
4 cups milk
1/2 cup of half and half
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, melted (leave a little to put on top)
Pour over bread. With a fork, push bread into milk mixture. Dab butter on top.
Bake @ 325 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Meringue
Let 7 egg whites sit out in metal or glass bowl for about 30 min.
Beat until stiff  peaks when lifting mixer beaters.
Add as you continue to mix:
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Slowly add 14 tablespoons of sugar (2 Tablespoons for each egg)
Beat until stiff.
Spoon meringue around perimeter, sealing edges. Fill in center with spoonfuls of meringue.
(High peaks of meringue will burn)
Bake @ 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Watch closely for it to brown some.

Sauce

Melt:
1 stick of unsalted butter and remove from heat for at least 10 minutes
Mix well:
1 egg
1/3 cup half and half, overflowing
Pour into butter
Add to mixture:
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to boil.
Remove from heat. Serve warm next to bread pudding.

Spinach and Shrimp Lasagna

1/2-1c. Olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
8-12 cloves or Tablespoons garlic, minced
Tony's salt, red pepper flakes
1/2 c. Flour
3 c. Half & Half
1/2 -1 pound shrimp (I cut large shrimp in half) or you can use cubed chicken
Mozzarella or Italian six cheeses, grated
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
4 oz. Monterrey jack cheese
Water as needed is sauce is too thick
6-8 zucchini, grate off peeling then slice lengthwise or you can boil lasagna noodles
2 frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out

Sauté veges and red pepper flakes in oil until onions are clear about 45 min.  Mix in flour and mix well. Add half & half, Monterey Jack cheese and the rest of seasonings.  Add shrimp and let cook on soft boil for about 10 mins.
Layer.:
 Little sauce, zucchini or lasagna noodles, sauce, spinach, Italian or mozzarella cheese,
  Zucchini or noodles, sauce, spinach, Italian or mozerrella cheese,
  Zucchini or noodles, spinach, sauce.
Cover with foil and cook for 45 mins. on 350. Remove foil and add Italian or mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese on top.  Bake for 10-15 mins. until slightly brown.

You can also use this sauce over any noodles.

College Days - part 2

2 lbs ground meat
Onion or onion powder
Tonys, salt
Chili powder
Chili seasoning
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 - 15 oz or 2 small cans tomato sauce
1 can creamed style red beans
Roasted chicken
Salad
Bake or sweet potato
Broccoli
Stew meat
Vegetables for soup ( frozen and fresh)

1) Chili - brown ground meat with Tonys and onion powder or chopped onion, salt. Add following to a slow cooker: browned ground meat, 1 T. Chili powder, 1 pack chili seasoning, 1 can stewed tomatoes, 1 15oz. Can tomato sauce (or 2 small cans), 1 can creamed kidney beans, water to get consistency you want. Cook for 1-4 hours. Serve with cheese, Fritos, crackers, cornbread, etc.
The next day you can have hot dogs with chili on bun or french bread bun or chili Frito. You can half the recipe or freeze some for a later date.
2) Roasted chicken- you can eat chicken and salad for one day then make chicken salad with the left over chicken.  Chop chicken in bite size pieces, add celery and pecans or add boiled eggs and pickle relish if you like that. Really you can add whatever you like then add salt, pepper and mayo and mix well.
3) Baked potatoes or sweet potato and broccoli with or without cheese. You can bake potato in oven for 1-2 hrs. On 450 or you can microwave it. Sweet potato is much better in oven. Cook broccoli. I put a little oil in a skillet and cook broccoli with garlic and salt. I just watch stir til done ( when a fork can stab it pretty easy).
4) Vegetable Beef Soup- stew meat, cut in bite size pieces, tomato or spaghetti sauce, any veges you like ( I buy frozen and fresh) and seasonings. Throw it all in slow cooker and cook all day. If you have beef bouillion, add that also.

Crawfish Étouffée

1 1/2 stick margarine
3 onions, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 T. minced garlic
1-2 T. Roux, optional
1/2 c. Flour
1/2 can rotel, puréed, optional
2 lbs. crawfish
2-3 c. Water
Tony's, salt, onion & garlic powder, Tabasco, & paparika
1 pack green onions, chopped
1 heaping T. Cornstarch in a little water to thicken, optional

Melt margarine and sauté vegetables for about an hour.  Add  flour, seasoning and mix well. Roux and ratel is optional, if you want to add it now is the time.  Add water as needed to have a good consistency, but be careful because the crawfish will water it down also.  Cook about 15 mins. stirring as needed. Add crawfish and let simmer on a soft boil for about 10 min. uncovered. Add green onions and it's done!  (If étouffée is too runny, mix 1 T. Cornstarch in a little water. Add to gravy and stir well. It should thicken it.)  Serve over rice with French bread, of course! This serves about 8.