Pinto Beans....Poor Man's Dinner

This came from Emily's blog, it's Mandy's recipe and I've had it for almost 2 years now. It is finally making it on my food blog because I served it for dinner last night, and for the first time......the kids ate it. I probably doubled the garlic, pepper and tomatoes.

Pinto Beans (poor mans dinner)

1 (1 lb.)bag of dried pinto beans
1 large can of diced tomatoes
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp garlic minced
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf

1) rinse beans and pick out foreign material. Place in crock pot and add remaining ingredients.

2) cover with water plus 2 inches above beans.

3) Cook on low all day (8-9 hours) adding more water when necessary..

Fiesta Chicken Burritos

Fiesta Chicken Burritos

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans (I cook a batch of these up these from scratch and keep them in the fridge to use through the week)
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies
3 T ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper flakes
1 pkg. (8 0z) cream cheese
8 flour tortillas

Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients except cheese and tortillas and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 4-5 hours (better use high if your chicken was frozen). Remove the chicken and shred, then return to slow cooker adding the cream cheese. Cook for about 15 minutes more or until everything is warmed through.

We ate this on four tortillas the first night, over mashed potatoes a few nights later and then I cooked up the leftovers last night with corn tortillas in casserole of sorts.

Tex-Mex BBQ

Tex-Mex BBQ

3 1/2 lbs beef roast
1 jar (18 0z) hickory smoke-flavored BBQ sauce (or make your own)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 envelope chili seasoning
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. lemon juice
14 hamburger buns (make your own....YUM!)

Cut the roast in half and place in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over beef. Cook on high for 5-6 hours. Remove beef and shred then return to slow cooker. Serve on the buns.

This made enough for dinner one night and Sunday lunch. I'm sure it would go farther if you actually feel well enough to serve it with a side dish or some vegetables.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

This is my sil's recipe....a fact which convinced my oldest that using all whole wheat flour could still be yummy.

1 Cup whole wheat flour
1 Cup milk
*mix together til there are no lumps, then add:
2 eggs
2 T sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup oil
Mix well and cook in frying pan over medium heat.

Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F . In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. (At this point make sure you put the baking soda back in the cupboard so your two year old doesn't grab it when you're not looking and pour it all over your living room)

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto cookie sheets.


Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until the edges start thinking about turning golden. Let cool a few minutes on the sheet then remove to wire rack.

Oh So Simple Tomato Sauce

I love this sauce. I have used it to add zing to canned spaghetti sauce, as a starter for pizza sauce (add some oregano and onion), and as a topping for chicken Parmesan (I'll post that another time). Last fall I canned a few pints using tomatoes and basil from my garden and it has been so handy and delicious, that I'll be doing a LOT more this year, and hoping to use my own garlic also.

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 cloves minced garlic
1 T tomato paste
1 tsp olive oil
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1T minced fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper

For a smoother sauce use a blender to chop tomatoes until mostly smooth, set aside. Cook garlic, tomato paste, oil and pepper flakes in a saucepan over medium heat until the tomato paste begins to brown, just a few minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes (or chunky if you like) and cook until the sauce is thickened and measures about 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat and add basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cloves on Loaves

This is a simple, but stinky, life saver. This week I started to feel the flu coming on, but I was determined to not let it get me, so I turned to my dad's tried and true method. He has always told me to load up on garlic when I feel the aches and pains coming on, and I do.....I use the sweet little garlic pills, no after taste and no stink....and I still get sick.

This time I was feeling bold so I mashed 5 cloves of garlic on to 2 pieces of toast with butter and chomped them down, and went to bed.

It worked. The next morning I was a little aromatic, but I felt so good; like miracle good. I think the trick is to eat it as soon as you feel yourself getting sick and lay it on! Too much garlic can lead to an upset stomach, so take it a few cloves at a time, and I think a little bread and milk help soothe as it goes down.

As an added bonus, I haven't had any trouble with vampires this week either....