Yummy Eats

I always have leftover mashed potatoes, so I wanted to try something different like this potato pancake instead of just reheating them. Nice and crispy on the outside and gooey and warm on the inside. These nailed it head on and now I will always make extra mashed potatoes - just so I can have some of these.  I love potatoes and I am always looking for different ways to cook them up. That is what makes potatoes so great - their versatility. Ingredients:  3 cups chilled leftover mashed potatoes 2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used Monterrey jack, really any cheese will do) 1 eggs 2 Tbs green onions Vegetable oil for frying Flour for coating and thickening 1) In a large bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, cheese, green onion, egg until combined. If the mixture is too runny, add flour. I added about 3-4 Tbs . (It all depends how much butter and milk were in your original potatoes. You can always add an extra egg if it is too dry. ) 2) Form into patties i

Wes loves spinach so we always have it at the house. I am not one who likes salads, but every now and again he will ask me to whip one up so I made this one last night and it was delicious! He usually eats it plain with french dressing so I feel inclined to fancy it up every now and again. Ingredients: 2 big handfuls of spinach 2 mini sweet peppers ( I used yellow) 1/4 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese 1-2 green onions Black pepper Italian dressing Directions: 1) Chop up the sweet pepper and green onion. Put the spinach in a bowl and add the dressing, Stir. 2) Add the cheese and and black pepper and stir again. 2) Add the sweet pepper and green onion  Serve and Enjoy! &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp

Wes and I love to eat a huge breakfast on the weekend so when lunch rolls around we aren't very hungry. These smoothies are just perfect to get us through to dinner. We buy all our berries and acai berry juice from Costco. They sell them for a good price and in large amounts - perfect for smoothies. We use frozen strawberries because we do not use ice so this provides a nice temperature to the smoothie. This is the juice we use: They have it at most grocery stores, costco is just the cheapest and sells bigger containers. Ingredients: 1 banana 1 cup blueberries 1 cup blackberries 1 cup raspberries 5 frozen strawberries 16 oz Acai berry juice A dash of milk (optional) Directions: 1) Put all the fruit into the blender. Fill the fruit up until the juice is just below it. Usually takes about 16 oz. Add a couple dashes of milk if you wish. I think it makes it a little better, but it is still great without it.  Enjoy! &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&

I love crab cakes and fish cakes, but usually they are so rich and decadent from the seafood I can only eat 1 before I am overwhelmed with the taste. These cakes are perfect and cut some of that out so you can eat more than 1! These are a perfect mixture of rice and fish and the panko on the outside provides a nice crisp on the outside. If you prefer more fish taste then you can always add more fish and less rice. We got this fish fresh from Wes's Dad who went fishing up near Canada and was nice enough to save us some! Living in Colorado, we don't see too much fresh fish at the store so eating this was different than what I am used to. I could taste the freshness in each bite! Makes me want to take a vacation to the coast.... Or a warm island somewhere tropical.... Here's how they are made: Ingredients: 2 cups cooked rice 1 1/2 cups leftover fish 1/2 cup bread crumbs  1/2 cup diced green onions 3 Tbs fresh cilantro, minced 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 egg

If you have never tried these Campbells sauces - you are missing out! I received one of these Campbell packets free so I tried it and I was blown away by how good they are.  These are great when I am in a hurry because all you need is the meat. If I have the time I'll chop up some veggies and add them in too. All of the other sauces work great with veggie additions too.  You got to try these! I mean come on - we can't be 100% homemade all the time :)   Here is what they look like: And I usually find them in the box dinner section of the store Ingredients: 1 packet of Campbell's Thai Green Curry sauce 1 lb chicken, diced 1 can bamboo shoots 1 bell pepper (I had a bunch of mini peppers so I used those) 1/2 onion 8oz mushrooms Olive oil  Salt Rice Directions: 1) Saute your onions and bell peppers for 5 minutes, add in the mushrooms until the veggies are cook. About 3-5 additional minutes.  2) Dice your chicken to bite size pieces.  3) Wh

I had some Santiago's green chili I needed to use up, so what better to make then some burritos? I was actually in the mood for enchiladas and burritos so I kinda combined the two. It was muy bueno! Ingredients: Cilantro-Lime rice: 2 cups cooked rice 1/4 c cilantro 1/2 lime (about 2 tsp lime juice) Salt, to taste Meat mixture: 1 lb ground beef 1 can enchilada sauce 1 can refried beans Other: 1 Avocado 1-2 C green chili lettuce sour cream Flour tortillas Directions: 1) Brown the ground beef, the drain. Add in the refried beans and enchilada sauce cook for another 2-3 minutes until well combined. 2) Combine the cooked rice, cilantro, salt, and lime juice and stir.   3) Layer the toppings as you wish. I did: rice, meat mixture, sour cream, sliced avocado 4) Roll up and top with green chili.  Printable Recipe &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp

oh boy this bread is ah-maz-ing - so moist and sweet and yummy. I had a bunch of browning bananas and made this and I am so glad I did. I kept the original recipe and used mini loaves because I never have luck with big loaves (and it makes so much). It helped keep them very moist and also perfect on the outside.  I ended up giving one away, freezing one, and eating two.  Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1/4 cup buttermilk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 ripe bananas, mashed 1 cup blueberries Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat four 5 3/4-inch mini loaf pans with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. 

An easy lunch idea - sloppy joes. I saw Ree Drummond make this on the food network and it looked so good. Everything she makes always looks delicious. She used 2 lbs of ground beef but I tweaked the recipe to make it with 1.25 lb. because that's what I had Ingredients: 1.25 lb ground beef 1/2 small onion 1/2 bell pepper  4 gloves of garlic 1 cup ketchup 1/2 cup water 2 Tbs brown sugar 2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp ground mustard 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 5 dashes Worcestershire  3-5 dashes hot sauce salt and pepper Directions: 1) Brown the ground beef, meanwhile chop up the garlic, bell pepper and onion. 2) Once the meat is almost done cooking, drain the fat and add in the onions/peppers/garlic. Let those cook until the meat is done. 2-4 minutes. 3)  Add ketchup, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, dry mustard, and water. Also add  Worcestershire and hot sauce if desired.  Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste - if need