Greek Pita Tacos

This is an interesting twist on your standard taco with a little bit of Greek thrown in for fun! Opa!

1 pound hamburger

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon each: oregano, dill weed, garlic powder, lemon pepper, ground mustard, salt, black pepper

1 can diced tomatoes

1 small can sliced olives

3 large handfuls of baby spinach

feta cheese

pitas

Brown 1 pound of ground beef in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender.

Add tomatoes and seasonings. Cook until liquid is absorbed. Add olives and spinach. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted.

Serve on pitas with crumbled feta cheese.

my 1/2 teaspoon was dirty and I was too lazy to clean it LOL

 

add spinach 1 handful at a time and cook down

 

I also served ours with sliced cucumbers and hummus on the side

these pitas from Costco are amazing!

No Drain Pasta

I have a feeling we’ll be eating this quite a bit this summer with fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden. And with more homemade sausage… Mmmmm!

It is quick and easy and only dirties up one pot!

This made enough pasta to serve four with breadsticks and salad on the side.

6-7oz angel hair pasta, broken in half (I used whole wheat)

1/2 onion, sliced thinly

3-4 cloves minced garlic

4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 teaspoon Italian spice blend

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

4 diced Roma tomatoes

2 1/2 cups water

2 teaspoons chicken or beef bullion

Your favorite cooked sausage

Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in small stockpot. Saute onion and garlic until tender.

    

Add remaining ingredients. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Stir often and cook until pasta is tender and most of the water is absorbed.

Watch the pasta carefully! I took it off before all the water was gone…

Cook your sausage as desired and then place on top of pasta. As soon as I had it all sliced, I wished I had left it whole and just laid the link on top. :o(

  

 

 

 

 

 

But it still tasted delicious and I doubt anyone but me really cared. :o)

Family Sized Chicken Pot Pie

One little round chicken pot pie from the freezer section is never enough to fill me up, much less one of my guys. One homemade 9” pot pie doesn’t cut it either. So, this time I made one in a 9x13 baking dish and it did the trick!

I got this recipe from a sweet friend, Mary, who makes it all the time for her clan. But she got the recipe from her mom, Carolyn. They were the two who inspired me to get over my fear and make a darn pie crust! Thanks you two!

A batch of my mom’s pie crust (recipe HERE) made enough for the pot pie and a single crust dessert pie, too.

Roll out about 1/2 the dough for the bottom crust and line the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish.

Fill with 6 cups diced cooked chicken, 1/2 bag of thawed frozen peas & carrots, 1 cup of thawed southern style hashbrown potatoes.

Make a gravy.

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup flour

6 cubes or teaspoons of chicken bouillon

4 Tablespoons dried minced onion

salt & pepper, to taste

3 cups water

3 cups milk

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium high heat. Stir in onion and bouillon. Whisk in flour. When it bubbles, quickly whisk in water and milk. Continue to whisk until thick and bubbly.

Pour gravy over filling in crust.

Roll out top crust and place on top of your pie.

Bake at 425 for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

It didn’t turn out very pretty (I”m still new at the pie making thing) but it tasted great! We served it in bowls because it seemed pretty runny but it thickened right up!

Now this is comfort food!

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

This pie combines my favorite dessert (pie) with my hubby’s favorite dessert (chocolate chip cookies). I think if we were ever to get married again we’d have this instead of cake at the wedding… ;o)

First make up a single pie crust. I used my mom’s pie crust recipe. It turns out great every time!

Line 1 9” pie plate with the rolled out crust.

Then make the cookie filling:

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix butter, sugars and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Add dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread into pie crust.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until dark golden brown.

Let cool to room temperature and serve thin slices with a glass of cold milk or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Fresh Fruit Soft Serve

This is a very easy dairy-free, gluten-free and maybe even sugar-free dessert that is so delicious and refreshing on a hot summer day. All you need is a freezer and a blender.

1 small pineapple, chunked and frozen

10 large frozen strawberries

1 large frozen banana

1 cup almond milk (I used vanilla but you can use plain)

Place everything in the blender and blend until smooth and creamy. You may want to start with less than 1 cup of almond milk or you may need to add more if it is too thick. You may also have to give it a stir a couple of times to make sure everything is evenly distributed.

I served ours in the leftover pineapple “bowls” from my canning pineapple a couple of days ago…

I wish I had sprinkled coconut on mine… Oh well, there’s always next time! And I think it would make fabulous popsicles!

Blackberry BBQ Sauce

Behind the fence in the backyard is completely overgrown with blackberries which means a freezer full of blackberry jam every summer! The best way to get rid of the extra is to make Blackberry BBQ Sauce.

1 cup ketchup

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/3 cup blackberry jam

1 teaspoon mustard

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Mix it in a small bowl. Use as you would any other BBQ sauce.

I poured mine over a beef roast in the crock pot and cooked it on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.

Shred the beef and serve on hamburger buns.

Pineapple Salsa Chicken Salad

This is quite possibly the best chicken salad I’ve ever made! I got the recipe for the chicken here at Food.com. Then I served it on a bed of baby spinach topped with my homemade fresh pineapple salsa. It was a huge hit on this warm summer day!

1 Tablespoon flour

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix in a small bowl.

Cut up 4-5 chicken breasts into small pieces, not bite-sized. Rub each piece with the above mixture.

Heat 2-3 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Brown both sides of the chicken. Cover and cook on low heat, turning occasionally until cooked through.

Serve chicken hot on a bed of baby spinach. Top with fresh pineapple salsa. See recipe HERE.