Friday's Quickie... Spaghetti-O's and Hamburger

When I was little my dad would sometimes have to prepare dinner for my brother and me. He could only feed us so many bowls of cereal, cold hot dogs and whip cream (not at the same time). He needed some variety. One night he got out a skillet. I didn’t know if I should be scared or excited. Next he took out hamburger and Spaghetti-O’s. Hmm... okay dad, this might work. 

Spaghetti-O’s with hamburger has since been a comfort food. I don’t make it often, but when I do the kids go wild. It’s so simple... I’m almost embarrassed to share it with you. The memory behind it is so good though. 

Here we go!

What you need:

•  1lbs ground beef or turkey
• 2 large cans of Spaghetti-o’s
• Seasoning salt/pepper

Step 1. Brown beef/turkey, dash with seasoning salt/pepper, drain.

Step 2. Add in Spaghetti-o’s.

Step 3. Cook over medium-to-low heat until desired temperature is reached, stirring occasionally.

That’s it! 

*FWIW: Dad's cooking skills have since improved

Friday's Quickie: Creamy Cheesy Chicken Wrap

I pinned this recipe quite a while ago, but like a lot of things I pin I forgot about them. I go in spurts of “gotta pin everything” and don’t back for quite some time to look for fun, new ideas. While scrolling through, I found the following wrap. It’s got cheese, chicken, sour cream and cilantro… what’s not to love right? 

I started out following the recipe closely. It didn’t take long before I went off course and started dashing this and that into the mixture. The original recipe doesn’t call for even one spice (it does call for hot sauce though). To me, it screamed "spice me up"!

This wrap is creamy, cheesy, very filling and simply delicious! It’s also easy and quick to make.

Here we go!

What you need:

1/3 cup mayonnaise, light or regular
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions, sliced very thin
1/3 cup chopped mushrooms
2 tablespoons sour cream, light or regular
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1.5lbs chicken breast
2 cups shredded cheddar or fiesta blend cheese
4 large flour tortillas
 

Boil chicken until fully cooked. Pull chicken from heat and shred. In a mixing bowl, add chicken, mayo and sour cream. Chop up cilantro, scallions and mushrooms. Add it to mayo mixture. Add spices and stir together. 

Place one large tortilla on a plate. Sprinkle cheese down the center, avoid getting too close to the edges. Spread chicken mixture down the center over cheese. Fold top and bottom of tortilla up and in toward mixture. 

Fold sides up and over the mixture and the already folded sections (think… burrito).

Hold the folded wrap in your hand and spray both sides with cooking spray. 

Put the skillet over a medium heat, waiting 30 seconds to 1 minute and place the SEAM SIDE DOWN into the skillet (a very important tip… possible big mess if you do it the opposite way). Cook for 3ish minutes and flip. Cook for another 3ish minutes. 

When both sides have reached a golden brown, it’s time to serve. It’s creamy enough you shouldn’t need a dollop of sour cream but a side of shredded lettuce and pico de gallo would be a nice addition.

Enjoy!

Slow-cooked Pulled Pork

Today’s “Friday Quickie” is pulled pork (beef, chicken). Pulled meat… fast you ask? Yes, it’s true, kind of. There's a minor catch. The meat must be slow-cooked. While it does take all day to cook, it's fast and easy to prepare once it's done.

Here we go!

Prepare 3 lbs of boneless country style pork or beef ribs or chicken breast (pork is cheapest) in a crockpot. You can use a rub on the meat if you prefer, I choose not to. Add water to the crockpot, enough to almost or completely cover the meat, turn to low heat. We eat dinner between 6:00pm and 7:00pm. I start cooking the meat by 10:00am at the latest. 

Cook……cook……cook….cook…..cook…..cook…………………………………………………

Fast forward to 6:00pm(ish). Remove meat from crockpot. Don’t pour the water/juices from the crockpot quite yet. The meat is so awesomely tender it basically falls apart. I use 2 forks, 1 to hold the meat and the other to shred the meat. It pretty much shreds effortlessly. If your side dishes have not been prepared yet, put the meat back into the crockpot. Let it soak up more yummy moistness. Strain the meat a bit before putting it on the plate.

When we have this meal, my husband usually makes jo-jo potatoes. Those are timely, but oh so good with pulled pork. You could also have a bean salad, coleslaw or french fries/tator tots. 

Our area has an amazing mom and pop style bar-b-q restaurant. Lucky for us, they sell their signature sauce in takeout jars. KC Masterpiece or Jack Daniels sauce does not compare... not even close. My suggestion is to find a local bar-b-q diner with an amazing sauce and purchase a jar of it. It really does make a difference. 

Although this meal takes all day to cook, the serving part is actually fast and easy. This meal feeds our family of six (p.s. it's a total winner with the kids!) and we generally have leftovers. It’s delish reheated too!

Add this to your meal plan today!

Other options for the pulled meat:

Nachos with all the fixings
Soft shell tacos with all the fixings
Pulled meat sandwich
Spinach salad with veggies and meat (use bar-b-q sauce)

Friday's Quickie

I'm adding something new to our blog. I'm calling it "Friday's Quickie". My goal is to post a quick and easy meal every Friday. Here goes!

Today's quickie is a maid rite/loose meat sandwich.

It’s quick. 

It’s easy. 

It’s cheap.

It’s good.

What you need:

1 lbs ground turkey (or beef)

1 can of Campbell’s Chicken Gumbo

Mustard

Salt and Pepper

Preparations:

Brown turkey or beef, dash with salt and pepper, drain grease, if necessary.

Stir in gumbo soup.

Add mustard. I usually do about 1 ½ -2 tbsp. Add as much or as little as you like.

Simmer the mixture for 10-15 minutes. Stir a few times. 

That’s it. It’s ready to serve on bakery buns with chips, beans and side of fruit.