Ground Beef - Tagine Style!

My hubby LOVES ground beef so I'm always looking for new ways to cook with it. I found a recipe for Beef Tagine and couldn't wait to try it! I mean, right when I saw the words cinnamon, apricots and raisins, I was sold! We also really love couscous so this was a no-brainer. The verdict? INCREDIBLE! I left out the chickpeas because we're just not a fan but everything else was just perfect!

Not So Original Ranch Beef and Noodles Skillet

I came across this Ranch Beef and Noodles Skillet from Hidden Ranch and couldn't wait to try it. I mean, ground beef and Ranch Dressing? How can that NOT be good? Well, mine wasn't made with the Original Hidden Ranch (hence the Not So Original title) because I used the generic Safeway brand. (Hey, I'm cheap!) It turned out amazing! Creamy and flavorful and of course, I had to add a bit of a spicy kick with some Crushed Red Chili Flakes!

More Easy Dinners!

Here are 2 more very easy meals for our weeknight dinners. First up is Chicken Pasta-Roni with grilled chicken and mushrooms. Next is Mac and Cheese with Imitation Crab (our fav!). Dinner in less than 20 minutes. Can't beat that!

On A Ranch Kick Lately!

Raise your hand if you like Ranch Dressing. No keep it up if you like easy meals. Still there? Well, then let me introduce you to THE EASIEST and THE MOST AMAZING Pasta Sauce recipe in the world! Take a packet of Ranch Dressing Mix and add half a cup of milk and half a cup of sour cream. Stir and you're done. Really, it's that simple and it is the PERFECT sauce for pasta and whatever else you choose to put in. These 2 meals featured sausage in 1 and ham in the other and of course, mushrooms because we LOVE mushrooms!

Pasta-Roni to the Rescue!

Growing up, we never had Pasta-Roni (or Rice-a-Roni) at our house since my mom only cooked Asian food. I mean, we had American goodies like pizza and fried chicken, but none cooked at home. Actually, I think the only time I had pasta was when I ate frozen meals for lunch during summer breaks. (Hello, Stouffers!) Anyway, I was recently turned onto Pasta-Roni thanks to a huge sale at the grocery store and my new crazy work schedule. They're not as quick as frozen meals but definitely tastier! I also like how easy the pasta was to customized. Below are a few of the meals I've recently made.

Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Chicken

Macaroni and Cheese with Spicy Sausage

Cheesy Shells with Roasted Chicken

Quick and Easy Pad Thai at Home

We used to order Pad Thai all the time from our local Thai places but nowadays it's so easy to make my own and it's much faster than takeout too! (Plus, who know if those "No MSG" claims are real or not!) Anyway, here are 2 Pad Thai meals that I've made recently, 1 featuring ground beef and another with chicken. I like to add chopped veggies like bell peppers and mushrooms if I have them but the dish is yummy just with the meat and rice noodles. We like either chopped eggs mixed in or a fried egg on top. The sauce is essentially the same, a combo of fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and of course, Sriracha!

Easiest Dinner from the Fridge!

Some nights I just don't have the time or energy to deal with recipes so I turn to my fridge for ideas. Tonight was one of those nights. I opened my fridge and some spicy sausage stared back at me along with my usual onions and mushrooms. My house is never without canned tomatoes and dried pasta so a very quick and easy dinner was born. Gotta love a stocked kitchen!