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Tempt My Tummy Tuesday Weeknight Lasagna Toss

This weeks' Tempt My Tummy Tuesday features the Weeknight Lasagna Toss from Kraftfoods.com.

What You Need!
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 green peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1-2/3 cups water
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, broken into quarters
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese

Make It!

BROWN meat in large saucepan; drain.

ADD peppers, garlic, spaghetti sauce, water and dressing; bring to boil. Stir in noodles; cover.

COOK on medium-low heat 10 to 15 min. or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

I thought that this was pretty good. I served it with a salad. It also made enough for leftovers for me to eat for lunch at work. Another great recipe from Kraftfoods.com!

For more Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, head on over to Blessed with Grace.

It’s not Delivery, It’s Homemade

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How many times have we opted for fast food for lunch or dinner instead of cooking? There’s no telling how much money we’ve spent on that one meal that easily becomes a few (or more) meals a week. Instead of picking up that telephone and calling for delivery pizza, get the family together and make one at home.

Making homemade pizza can become a great new family tradition. Choose a day of the week when everyone can get together and enjoy the experience. You can even pretend that you are in a real Italian eatery and go all out by decorating the dining room table to resemble a pizzeria.

The best thing about homemade pizza is picking the toppings. Since it is your personal pizza, you can have as many different toppings as your heart desires. It’s a chance to raid the cabinets and the fridge to find good stuff to top your creation.

How will you prepare the crust? Now, this step can be easy or an adventure. If you wimp out and go easy, you can use an already prepared crust from the store like Pillsbury pizza crust in the pop open can or a Boboli pizza crust.

It you want to treat the family to a high time of flour and dough, choose to make your own crusts. With your own, the size of the pizza can be customized for each person in the family. Making your own dough crusts will also make use of those handy pantry staples. You can find a classic pizza dough recipe on the Internet and in just about any cookbook, so find one that you like and go to it.

When the dough is ready, shape it into a circle of appropriate size. Create a rim on the dough so that the sauce won’t bubble over onto the oven rack. Now comes the fun part. The dough is ready to be dressed to the hilt.

For the sauce, we’ll let you slide and use the store bought kind if you wish. Spread the sauce over the dough and be sure to cover it to the rim. Next, top the pizza sauce with your favorite cheeses. It’s more economical to purchase a block of cheese and use a grater to slice it for pizza toppings. Those already shredded bags have only two or three cups in each which is not going to go the distance for an entire family. Besides, fresh cheese melts better.

Want to have even more fun with your family pizza creations? See who can make the wackiest pizza. Throw a little leftover chicken or hamburger on top. How about jalapenos? They are good for those who like it hot. Don’t forget the spices. It wouldn’t be a pizza without oregano, basil, and some thyme.

If you have at least two baking stones or pizza trays, you can make more than one at a time. Everyone can help to clean up while you wait for dinner to be ready. When the timer goes off, Bon ApetÍt!

If there are leftovers of your pizza, enjoy them tomorrow morning for breakfast!

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Hickory Smoked Double Grilled Cheese

What You Need:

Image by Jason Permenter via Flickr

2 t butter
2 pieces of Texas toast
1 slice of Cheddar cheese
3 slices hickory smoked bacon, cooked crisp
2 slices of sweet red bell pepper
1 slice of Swiss cheese


How to Make It:

Spread the butter on one side of each piece of Texas toast.
Place one slice of toast in a small skillet over medium heat.
Add the slice of Cheddar cheese.
Place the bacon on top of the Cheddar cheese.
Lay the bell pepper slices over the bacon.
Add the slice of Swiss cheese over the pepper slices.
Place the second piece of Texas toast, butter side up on the top.
Grill for 3 minutes, turn and continue grilling an additional 3 minutes or until browned and the cheese has begun to melt.

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Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Bake

Another broccoli dish...Hmmmm...I am sensing a theme here....

What you need:
1pkg (6oz) stuffing mix for chicken
1-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1pkg (16oz) frozen broccoli florets, thawed, drained
1 can (10-3/4 oz) reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 lb (8 oz) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2" cubes


Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package and set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients; spoon into a 13 X 9" baking dish. Top with the stuffing. Bake for 40 minutes or until the chicken is done.


This was very yummy and easy. My whole family gobbled it up and we have enough that it will feed us again this week.

For more Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, head on over to Blessed With Grace.

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5 Kitchen Staples to Help Save Money

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Ever wonder how our ancestors always seemed to have food on the table even in lean times? When we are visiting the grocery store every week to the tune of hundreds of dollars, we long to know their secret. In fact it isn’t a secret at all. It is actually good planning and preparation on their part. Once we realize this and begin doing as they did, we too will see our dollar stretch further.

The items that we have on hand are what determine how far our food will go. Filling your cabinets or pantry with a few useful staples can be the difference between a trip to the grocery store each and every week versus once or twice a month. Stocking just a few choice items is all you need to create wonderful meals.

Flour. Flour is a starter item for many recipes. You can add it to some water and make gravy in the pan for many meat dishes. Flour is used to make bread (biscuits, rolls, loaves) and to coat chicken. It can also be used to coat a round or square cake pan to prevent the cake from sticking. Of course, one of the favorite uses for flour is in cookie recipes that make scrumptious desserts.

Rice. My husband loves rice so much that we once bought a fifty pound bag from a grocery store in his hometown. Fifty pounds! Rice is a side dish, but it doesn’t have to be plain. It can be jazzed up with veggies to accompany dinner. My mother uses leftover rice for a dessert called sweet rice. Just add evaporated milk and some sugar to a bowl of rice and warm it in the microwave. It is a tasty treat for after dinner. Another popular dessert is rice pudding. Rice can also be mixed with leftover meat and a cream soup to form a casserole. Rice has many uses and your sure to find a few that your family will love.

Pasta. There are many different pasta choices and all have great uses. Manicotti can be stuffed with tomato sauce and cheeses. Macaroni can be used to make a creamy salad and also is great combined with cheese or spaghetti sauce. Spiral pasta is used in many different pasta salads. Spaghetti can be used in a casserole topped with cheese or in the traditional way with tomato sauce and meat.

Spices. There are other ways to season food besides salt and pepper. In fact, many spices taste better than salt. Even diehard salt-a-holics won’t miss the salt in foods if other seasonings are used. Cayenne pepper, chili powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, oregano, and garlic powder are all useful tools in your flavor arsenal to give foods a fresh new taste.

Beans. There go those beans again. Beans can top your salad (edamame), make an awesome dip (black beans), and go well with grilled foods (baked beans). They provide a good source of protein with very little fat. Beans are good in soups, stews, and over rice for a simple yet filling meal.

Do you have these staples in your kitchen? You can probably think of several more that will enhance your pantry and save money. Start with these and grow your own list of basic kitchen staples that are versatile and economical.