Quick and easy

Turkey, Bacon, and Guacamole Wraps

1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and mashed
1 tablespoon taco sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
4 tortillas
8 oz. thinly sliced cooked turkey
8 slices precooked bacon
4 romaine lettuce leaves
1/4 cup drained roasted red bell pepper (from 7-oz. jar), large pieces cut up

In small bowl, mix avocado, taco sauce and garlic salt.  Spread about 1 tablespoon avocado mixture on each tortilla.  Top tortillas with turkey; spread with any remaining avocado mixture.  Top with bacon, lettuce and bell peppers.  Fold in sides of each wrap; roll up.  Cut each in half.  Serve immediately, or wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving or up to 24 hours.  Makes 4 sandwiches.

Ok, I know postings on the blog have been a little sporadic, grad school keeps me a little busy, but this is a quick one that I couldn't pass up.  I used a packet of mild sauce from Taco Bell for the taco sauce, already cooked bacon that you pop in the microwave, spinach instead of lettuce, and I always buy raw tortillas that I fry up myself because they taste way better than any pre-made tortillas.  They are called Tortilla Land if anyone is interested.  These were super easy and they tasted great.  Perfect for a quick week night meal or, if you are like me, any night meal because I don't like waiting more than 10 minutes to eat when hunger strikes.  

Easy but bland

Southwestern Chicken and Corn Dinner


Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour inside a large foil bag (like Reynolds Hot Bags or another brand).  Sprinkle 4 bone-in, skinless chicken breasts and 4 thighs with 2 teaspoons Mexican seasoning blend.  Arrange chicken and 3 ears fresh or frozen corn-on-the-cob (cut into pieces), 1 each medium red and green bell peppers (cut into 1-inch pieces) and 1 medium onion (cut into eighths) in an even layer inside bag.  Sprinkle 2 more teaspoons seasoning blend over vegetables.  Double-fold end of bag and place in 1-inch-deep pan.  Bake 50-55 minutes.  Open away from your face to allow steam to escape.

As the heading of this post suggests, this recipe was super easy (for the most part), but pretty bland.  I cut the recipe in half because it's just me and I don't need that much chicken.  I made my own foil bag because I couldn't find any in the grocery store and when I opened it up after cooking, there was quite a bit of water in the bottom.  This could have contributed to none of the seasoning sticking to vegetables.  I am wondering if I should have cut slits in the bag to let steam out.  Maybe that would have helped.  Here is what my bag looked like.

I used fresh corn on the cob and the only hard part to this recipe was cutting the corn into pieces.  Do you know how hard the middle of the cob is?!?  You practically need a chisel to get it to break.  Or maybe I just need sharper knives.  That was by far the most difficult and longest part of the prep work.  If any knows of an easier way to cut corn on the cob into pieces, please let me know.  As for the Mexican seasoning blend, could not find anything with that name in the grocery store so I bought Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning blend.  Since most of it probably dissolved in the water in the bag, I couldn't really tell you what it tasted like, but it smelled really good.  If anyone has any ideas on how this recipe could be improved, let me know.  It was easy and has potential.  

Linda, this one is for you!

Ravioli with Mushroom Sauce


1 lb. frozen cheese ravioli
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup dry sherry or chicken broth

Cook ravioli according to package directions, adding carrots during last 2 minutes of cooking time.  Meanwhile, in skillet melt better over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and scallions; cook until mushrooms begin to give off some liquid, about 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium.  Stir in flour and pepper; cook, stirring 1 minute.  Stir in broth, milk, and cheese.  Bring to a simmer.  Stir in sherry; cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.  Drain ravioli and carrots.  Gently toss with sauce to coat.

So, I haven't posted in a while.  Life has been little busy, so my apologies.  But I have been getting hassled by quite a few people about not having posted anything and since the latest has come all the way from Lincoln, Nebraska (and I'm on break from school), I decided I better get on it.  So Linda, since you were the last to ask about the blog, this recipe is for you!


If you like mushrooms, pasta, butter, and Parmesan cheese, then you need to make this.  Super easy and super tasty.  I used the chicken broth at the end instead of the sherry and I did not add any carrots because I'm just not a big carrot fan.  I added some extra Parmesan cheese on top at the end (because you can never have too much cheese).  Although I should have taken the picture first before adding the extra cheese so you could see the mushrooms. Oh well, you can make this yourself and see all the mushrooms you want.  Enjoy!

Perfect with a glass of milk

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Chip Cookies


2 1/4 cups Gold Medal All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy.  Add eggs; beat well.  Gradually add flour mixture, beating well.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired.  Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set.  Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.  About 5 dozen cookies.

Who doesn't love homemade cookies right out of the oven?!?  Especially chocolate cookies.  I did not add nuts, because why would I want to ruin a perfectly good chocolate cookie with nuts?  These were super easy cookies to bake and would be great for any chocoholic out there.  There is nothing else left to say besides, pour me a glass of milk!

This isn't Manwich

Super Sloppy Joes


2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 celery ribs with leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1-2/3 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon steak sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
8 to 10 hamburger buns, split

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook beef, onion, celery, and green pepper until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender; drain.  Add the next nine ingredients; mix well.  Simmer, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Spoon 1/2 cup meat mixture onto each bun.  Yield: 8-10 servings.

The shoebox is back at it this week after a brief hiatus.  Sorry for the lack of recipes over the last couple of weeks.  Sometimes life just gets a little too busy.  But I'm back this week with sloppy joes!  Manwich ain't got nothin' on these bad boys.  I halved the recipe because It's just me and I don't need 8 to 10 servings of sloppy joes.  They weren't quite as sloppy as I was anticipating and could use a little more liquid I think, but the flavor was great.  It was an easy recipe to throw together If you're looking for a quick homemade meal.  

It may not be summer, but I'm ready to BBQ

Barbecue Chicken

Cut a 3 1/2 pound chicken in serving pieces, salt and pepper.  Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in skillet.  Brown chicken and place in roasting pan or casserole.  Sauce: combine in bowl 1 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup worcestershire sauce, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1 small white onion finely chopped, 1 clove garlic finely minced, 1/4 cup A-1 sauce.  Blend well and pour over chicken.  Bake in preheated oven, 350 degrees, covered 1 hour.  Uncover and bake 20 minutes longer or until tender.

One word: YUMMY!!  I was a little leery about making homemade BBQ sauce, but I was pleasantly surprised when this dish came out of the oven.  I did not buy a whole chicken however.  I used half a package of chicken breast tenderloins and cut the sauce recipe in half.  This turned out perfectly!  Especially since it's just me.  I had enough for dinner tonight and just enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  I heated up some green beans and some baked beans and had quite a wonderful little dinner.  

When the moon meets your eye like a big pizza pie . . .

Pizza Dough


2/3 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package (1/4 oz.) yeast
1/3 cup oil, preferably olive
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
cornmeal

In large bowl combine water, sugar, and salt.  Sprinkle yeast over mixture.  Let stand until foamy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.  Stir in oil and 1 cup flour until well combined.  Stir in most of remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms.  Dough will be slightly sticky and will pull away from the sides of the bowl.  Oil large, clean bowl.  On lightly floured work surface knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, using remaining flour as needed to prevent sticking.  Place in oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.  Divide dough in half.  When ready to assemble pizzas, oil two 12" round pizza pans or two 15"x10" jellyroll pans.  Sprinkle each pan with cornmeal.  Press half the dough into each pan.

If you've never made any kind of dough from scratch, then you are missing out.  There is something wonderfully therapeutic about kneading your own dough.  Plus it's a great workout for your arms.  This dough was simple to make.  I cut the recipe in half, since it's just me and I don't need two whole pizzas.  I bought pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and pineapple chunks to make pineapple and pepperoni pizza and it was yummy!  Since the recipe didn't tell me how long to bake the pizza or at what temperature I had to google it.  So here it is, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for about 15 minutes.  Slice and enjoy!