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Welcome friends! This blog is a way to share all of the sweet
loves or "olives" in my life. Being a creative soul, I thrive on
learning new things and simply creating. This is my outlet for
sharing those things that make me happy such as recipes,
entertaining ideas, kiddo fun and much, much more. My hope
is that this blog provides you with a little happiness too. Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Easy Way Out

There are two words that I can't get enough of....cheap and easy! We aren't talking character traits here people, we are talking recipes.  I am always trying to come up with meals that taste like you have spent all day in the kitchen, but take less than 30 minutes to prepare. That's right...30 minutes or less! My son naps for only 30 minutes at a time, so I have to be creative when it comes to dinner. I believe that dinner shouldn't be difficult and we deserve an easy way out every once in a while. Enjoy!

Beef and Blue Pizza
Image Detail
1 prepared Boboli pizza crust
1/2 package of thin sliced roast beef lunch meat
1/4 C diced red onion
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs minced roasted garlic
1/4 C blue cheese crumbles
1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 C sliced mushrooms (canned or fresh)
1/4 C chopped red bell pepper (if desired)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush prepared pizza crust with 1 Tbs of olive oil and then spread the 1Tbs minced roasted garlic on crust. Dice your red onion and shred roast beef with your hands. Heat the remaining of the olive oil in a pan on medium heat and add your red onion. Cook the red onion until tender and then add on top of pizza. Add shredded mozzarella on top of pizza. Return pan to stove and add your shredded roast beef. Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes to heat thoroughly. Add roast beef on top of pizza. Then top with blue cheese crumbles and mushrooms. Bake directly on oven rack for 8-10 minutes. Makes 8 slices.

This is a great dinner recipe, but can also be a great appetizer for a party when cut into bite-size pieces.

Salsa Chicken
Salsa Chicken Burrito Filling Recipe

1 large jar of salsa (the cheap stuff works well)
3-4 boneless skinless frozen chicken breasts

In your handy dandy crock pot place frozen chicken breast and top with the entire jar of salsa. Cook on low-medium heat for 6-8 hours. Once you notice chicken is cooked thoroughly, shred chicken with a fork and cook on low another 30 minutes.

This chicken dish is flavorful, juicy and low-fat. Serve it on tortillas, salads and sandwiches. The leftover chicken can be used in many ways too. It's the dish that keeps on giving

French Dip Sandwiches
French Dip Sandwiches Recipe

1 beef rump roast/pot roast
1 package of french onion dip seasoning
1 C water
sliced swiss or provolone cheese (if desired)


Brown your roast in a pan on medium heat and then place in your crock pot. Sprinkle the french onion seasoning over the roast. Add 1 cup of water. Cook on low-medium heat for 6-8 hours. Place meat on a toasted french bread hoagie and top with cheese if you wish. If there is not enough au jus in the crock pot, add some beef broth and stir. Use the au jus for dipping and enjoy!

Easy Chicken n' Dumplings
Quick Chicken and Dumplings

2 C chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken condensed soup
1 can cream of celery condensed soup
2 C shredded chicken or 2 large cans of canned chicken
1 can sliced carrots (drained)
1 can southern style biscuits
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
parsley (optional)

In a saucepan, combine chicken broth, cream of chicken and cream of celery. Whisk together.  Add chicken ( I prefer shredded chicken to the canned chicken), carrots, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Cook on medium heat and stir occasionally until bubbly. Turn down to a simmer. Take biscuits and tear or cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Drop raw biscuits into the mixture and continue to simmer for 8-10 minutes. Cover and continue to simmer for another 8-10 minutes. Watch for the dumplings to rise to the top. Sprinkle parsley on top, if desired. Makes 4 servings.










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