Category Archives: So easy even Julie can do it!

Lasagna Roll-ups

Posted in Food and Drink, Freezer Meals, Main Dishes, Pasta, So easy even Julie can do it! by

I kept seeing this dish on Pinterest and was dying to try it, but I convinced myself it looked too complicated and time-consuming.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  I honestly think in some ways it’s easier than the regular lasagna casserole.

The main benefit of this recipe is that you can freeze the leftovers, or you can freeze the rolls before putting them into the oven.  Either way, they turn out great and you get the coveted two meals out of one cooking session.

The other benefit may be just me being picky, but when I’ve made lasagna in the past, the edges get so crispy that they’re hard to chew.  That might be a personal problem with my cooking method, but with these I did not have that issue.

The main thing to pay attention to is letting the noodles dry after boiling.  This takes a little patience, but luckily I had the time to spare this past weekend!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 box of lasagna noodles, boiled
  • 15 oz. ricotta cheese
  • 1 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed
  • 1 jar spaghetti sauce
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Boil noodles according to package directions.  Allow noodles to dry completely by spreading them out on cookie sheets or wax paper.

Meanwhile, mix ricotta cheese and thawed spinach.

Pour one cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish.  Reserve the rest for topping.

Once noodles have dried, spread ricotta/spinach mixture across.  Roll up like a fruit roll-up!  Place in bottom of casserole dish, making sure the noodle rolls aren’t touching.  Top with remaining tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 covered with foil for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts.

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Creamed Corn Casserole

Posted in Food and Drink, Side Dishes, So easy even Julie can do it!, Vegetables by

This past weekend was really fun because I had a friend visiting from my hometown!  We decided to stay in and cook both nights to save money, so I got to learn a new recipe from her: Creamed Corn Casserole.

This dish is southern cooking at its best!  I honestly thought it was a Paula Dean recipe, but she said that it originally came from her mother-in-law.  To go along with it, we made pea casserole (similar to green bean casserole) and grilled brats and hamburgers on the grill. The corn complimented it perfectly!

Usually when we grill out, I’ll throw some corn on the with cilantro paste as a side dish as I talked about here, but this was a good alternative.  I think it was probably my favorite thing from the whole cook-out itself!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans creamed corn
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 2 Tbs. flour, leveled
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • crushed Ritz crackers for topping (I was out of these, so I substituted bread crumbs.)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except crackers.  Top with crackers.  Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, until no longer soupy.

Ramekin Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Posted in Desserts, Food and Drink, So easy even Julie can do it! by

Have you ever tasted a Warm Delight?  They’re these delicious microwavable brownies that Betty Crocker makes, and I’ve been obsessed with them for years. The downside is that they cost $2.50 per serving!  I’m always looking for alternatives that make food more affordable, and this works perfectly!

I stumbled upon the original recipe on Pinterest, and decided to try it almost immediately.  No need for an extra trip to the store because you probably have all the ingredients on hand!

It takes about five minutes to make at most.  All you have to do is mix the ingredients together.  I didn’t have a mixing bowl on hand, so I did it in a big cup and poured it right into the ramekins.

I served it with a scoop of ice cream, but whipping cream would be good too!  Such a perfect combination after a long work/school day!

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbs. brown sugar
  • 1 Tbs. flour
  • 1 Tbs. cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbs. peanut butter
  • 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  • handful of chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine all ingredients.  Pour into a ramekin.  Stir in the chocolate chips last.  Microwave at 30 second intervals until done.  It took me one minute.  This will make a dessert for one, so double the ingredients if you want to make two!

This dish can be served in a ramekin or on its own.  It flips out of the ramekin into a perfect circle!  Top with whipped cream or ice cream for that finishing touch (not pictured.)  They would also be good with a little vanilla frosting if you have some extra and have time to blend it with cocoa powder!

Tres Leches Cake

Posted in Desserts, Food and Drink, So easy even Julie can do it! by

This recipe comes courtesy of one of my boyfriend’s clients, Tere Baker.  He’s a personal trainer, and about a year ago she invited us over for an authentic Cuban dinner.  It was phenomenal!  What I remember the most is this dessert that I loved so much I asked for the recipe.

I served the cake with  Chicken Valdostana (which is basically sauteed chicken with prosciutto and provolone on top.)  I’d put the recipe for that up here, but what really made it was the sauce I got as a gift from my new boss at Gregory Paul’s.  There is no way I could recreate that deliciousness, so unfortunately I can’t share it.  If you wanted to make the chicken, I’d recommend adding gravy to it to get a similar effect.  It went perfectly with a good salad.

The cake itself is spongy and moist.  It was fun to make too.  When pouring the milk mixture in I couldn’t believe how it absorbed.  I will definitely be making this again.

Ingredients:

  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp. real vanilla
  • 1 can evaporated milk
  • 1 can condensed milk
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup white sugar

Directions:

Make yellow cake according to package directions in a 13X9 pan.

Cool for half and hour or more then poke holes with a bamboo skewer or something like that.

Mix half and half, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk.  Pour the mixture over the cake until it won’t absorb anymore.  Do it ladle by ladle.  You may have a little leftover.  That’s ok.  Use the leftovers to pour over the cake once it’s plated.

Combine two cups heavy whipping cream and sugar.  Spread over soaked cake.  Refrigerate at least 3-4 hours, or overnight.

This picture is not the best… I should have taken it when i was first serving the cake! It was much prettier before I cut it into pieces…

Pot Roast

Posted in Crock Pot Meals, Food and Drink, Main Dishes, So easy even Julie can do it! by

Coming home from work and having the house smell like pot roast is one of my favorite smells.  It reminds me of when I was little and my mom would make it.  I’ve made it a couple of times before, and I can remember feeling so accomplished after making it for the first time.  It’s so easy, but I always felt like I would mess it up somehow.  I guess I was daunted by such a large cut of meat.

Tonight I impulsively added the wine because I opened it last week and only drank one glass… I felt bad for wasting it so I’ve been looking for other ways to use it.  It actually worked here, and I probably could have added more, but you can definitely make this recipe without it.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients:

  • 3-5 lbs. pot roast
  • 1 bag carrots
  • 1 onion, chopped into slices
  • red potatoes
  • 1 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1 bag onion soup mix

Directions:

Place carrots, onions and potatoes in crock pot.  Place pot roast on top.  Add water, wine and top with onion soup mix.  Cook on low 6-10 hours.

Bacon and Egg Cups with Hashbrowns

Posted in Breakfast, Food and Drink, So easy even Julie can do it! by

Recently, one of my friends started selling Arbonne products and asked me to host a party for people to try out the products.  I said yes because those incorporate two things I love- skincare products and the opportunity to make a delicious brunch!  My budget is tight, so I wanted something that would taste good, be filling, and not break the bank.  This utilized all those things and made everything super cute and bite-sized!

You’ll need two cupcake pans in order to make this.  It made everything easy to eat while we tried all the different skincare products she had.  I added fresh-squeezed orange juice and coffee to make it complete.  Both of these dishes are easy; I was able to whip it up right before they arrived, and put the finishing touches without missing any of the free samples!

The Bacon and Egg Cups were inspired by How To: Simply’s blog.  The Hashbrown Rounds were derrived from The Yummy Life.  The hashbrowns were very crunchy, so if you like your hashbrowns soft, lower the length of time you bake them for.  When you’re done you’ll have a cute, delicious brunch!

Bacon and Egg Cup Ingredients:

  • 6 slices buttered bread
  • 6 slices bacon, cooked halfway in the skillet
  • 6 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter bread and cut into circles the size of a cupcake holder.  Place in bottom of a cupcake pan and toast at 350 for 5 minutes.  While bread is toasting, cook bacon halfway in the skillet.  After toasting bread, wrap bacon around the edge of the cupcake holder.  The bacon will finish baking in the oven.  Repeat for each holder and crack one egg inside the bacon wrap.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Hashbrown Rounds Ingredients:

  • 20 oz. hashbrowns
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix ingredients together.  Place in cupcake holders and bake 55-60 minutes.

Individual Baked Gnocchi

Posted in Food and Drink, Main Dishes, Pasta, So easy even Julie can do it! by

A few years ago, my sister went to study abroad in Italy.  When she came back, all she could talk about was how great the wine was, and gnocchi.  I decided to try it and was blown away by how delicious the potato pasta bites were.  They were everything I’ve ever looked for in a pasta dish.  Something about the softness of the dough is what gets me.  I know that buying the packaged kind isn’t nearly as good as making it myself, or better yet, visiting Italy, but it is still amazing.

I originally found this recipe at the authentic Italian website, Manu’s Menu, and made a couple of changes.  To save time, I did not make my own pasta sauce, but the website does give you instructions for that.  This takes about seven minutes to put together, so it is the perfect weeknight meal!

Ingredients:

  • 1 package gnocchi
  • 1/2 jar tomato sauce (any kind you like!)
  • a few slices fresh mozzarella
  • 4 Tbs. Parmesan, divided

Directions:

Boil gnocchi according to package directions.  Drain.  Stir in tomato sauce.  Stir in 2 Tbs. Parmesan.  Pour into individual ramekins (or into a small baking dish.)  Top with sliced mozzarella.  Top with 1 Tbs. Parmesan per ramekin.

Broil in oven 10 minutes, until bubbly and golden on top.  Enjoy!

Serving size: 2 people

Before going into the oven!

Finished product

Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole

Posted in Food and Drink, Main Dishes, Pasta, So easy even Julie can do it! by

Best easy casserole ever!  I’ve probably made it 50 times.  So creamy, and preparation takes about 10 minutes, max.  It speaks for itself.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. spaghetti, cooked al dente
  • 2-3 cups cooked chicken
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 small can mushroom stems and pieces
  • 1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together except cheese in a casserole dish.  Top casserole with cheese.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Garlic Rosemary Pork Loin

Posted in Food and Drink, Healthy Choices, Main Dishes, So easy even Julie can do it! by

I’m not going to lie, the past week has been pretty stressful.  Today was the last day of school for me, so I’ve been cleaning out my classroom and getting those last minute grades in.  I’ve got some big decisions to make in the near future, so I want dinner decisions and preparation to be easy as possible!  This is one of those meals that seems like it takes time, and honestly scared me a lot when I started cooking, but is actually quite simple.

I love playing around with the different ways to create pork loin.  This is the version I’ve found to be easiest when I just need to throw a few ingredients together.  Hope it works for you too!

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 2 Tbs. fresh rosemary (1/2 Tbs. dried)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • dash of salt and pepper
  • 1 Tbs. dried mustard
  • 2 lb. pork loin

Directions:

Combine first five ingredients.  Rub on top of pork loin.  Roast at 400 for 20-30 minutes per pound until done.  So easy!

Modified Quiche Lorraine

Posted in Breakfast, Main Dishes, So easy even Julie can do it! by

This is one of the first recipes I ever learned how to make!  It’s straightforward and easy!  Over the years, I’ve played with the ingredients and experimented with the optional ingredients, and really it seems like you can do no wrong with this recipe!  The first time I remember having it was at my 9th birthday where I had all my friends over for a formal luncheon.  I’m not even kidding.  It was my favorite birthday ever because I’d always wanted to have one.  My mom made it, and I can still remember how fancy it felt.  Little did I know how affordable and easy it is!

Not only is it easy and affordable, but you can have it for breakfast, brunch or dinner!  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 2 Tbs. plain flour
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 9-inch deep pie shell
  • 4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Optional Ingredients:

  • 1 6 3/4 oz. can boned chicken in broth
  • 1/2 cup onions
  • 4 strips bacon, crumbled (or ham pieces)
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • chopped tomatoes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine first four ingredients and blend with a mixer.  Add cheese and any of the optional ingredients that you like!  Pour into a deep-dish pie shell.  Bake 40-45 minutes!

Today’s filling: spinach, black olives, onions!