Snow Day

The Varner clan enjoyed a rare Louisiana snow day yesterday. 

Snow ice cream

What's for Dinner

Monday- Pizza Soup with Homemade Bread sticks
Tuesday- Chicken Express
Wednesday - Lasagna
Thursday- Taco Soup
Friday- Pizza
Saturday- Bacon Cheeseburger Quesadillas

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chopped/shredded chicken

2 cups corn kernels

10 ounce can Old El Paso Mild enchilada sauce

10 ounce can Diced tomatoes with peppers, mild

4.5 ounce can Old El Paso chopped green chiles

24 ounce can Old El Paso Mild Green Enchilada Sauce

1 tablespoon ground cumin

Instructions:

Place chicken, corn, enchilada sauce, green chiles and cumin into a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Serve hot with fresh cilantro leaves and tortilla chips if desired.

Buffalo Chicken Noodle Casserole

Buffalo Chicken Noodle Casserole

serves 8-10

Ingredients: 

4 cups cooked chopped chicken

1 (3oz) package precooked bacon pieces

2 cans cream of chicken soup

16 oz sour cream

1/2-2/3 cup buffalo wing sauce

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

12 oz egg noodles

1 cup crushed Fritos

Instructions: 

Cook egg noodles according to package directions, drain.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.

Combine chicken, bacon, soup, sour cream, wing sauce, and cheese. Stir in cooked egg noodles.

Pour mixture into prepared pan. Top with crushed Fritos.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until heated through.

**I halved the recipe and we still had enough leftover for lunch the next day. 

Green Bean "Fries" with Paprika and Parmesan

Green Bean "Fries" with Paprika and Parmesan

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh green beans, washed and trimmed

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, toss the green beans with the olive oil. Add the Parmesan, salt, pepper and paprika and toss well to coat.

Pour the green beans onto the baking sheet and bake until crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Pan-Seared Trout with Garlic and Basil

Pan-Seared Trout with Garlic and Basil

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

4 steelhead trout, arctic char, or salmon fillets (or steaks)

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, sliced thinly

12 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

2/3 cup dry white wine

1/2 lemon, cut into wedges

3 ounces fresh spinach leaves

1/4 pound snow peas

Instructions:

Rinse the fillets and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper, then heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Sear the fillets for a minute on each side.

Scatter the garlic and basil leaves around the fish, turn the heat to low, cover, and continue cooking about five minutes or until the fish is close to cooked through. Turn the fillets midway through cooking.

Remove the fish and keep warm. Add the wine to the skillet, turn the heat to high, and scrape up any brown bits. Reduce until beginning to get syrupy. Add the spinach and snow peas and toss with the sauce, until the spinach is well-wilted.

Serve the fish on the bed of spinach topped with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

What's For Dinner

Monday- Steel Head Trout with Green Bean Fries
Tuesday- Buffalo Chicken Noodle Casserole
Wednesday- Chicken Enchilada Soup
Thursday- Healthy Chicken Enchiladas
Friday- Pizza
Saturday- Burritos
Sunday- 

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

For the filling:

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

2 tbsp. sugar

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

For the toast:

4 thick slices bread, such as challah or soft Italian bread

1 large egg

¾ cup milk

2 tbsp. melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

Unsalted butter

Maple syrup, powdered sugar and additional fresh strawberries for serving

Instructions:

 To make the filling, combine the sliced strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl.  Mix well and set aside to macerate for about 15 minutes.  Stir in the cream cheese until well blended.

To prepare the toast, carefully slice a pocket into the center of each slice of bread, taking care not to cut all the way through to the other side.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  In a shallow baking dish or pie plate, whisk together the egg and milk.  Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla.  Stir in the flour, cinnamon and salt and whisk until smooth.  Fill the pocket of each slice of bread with some of the filling mixture.  One or two at a time, place the filled slices of bread in the egg mixture, soaking about 30-40 seconds per side.  Remove the bread and allow the excess batter to drip off.  Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining bread slices.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the heated skillet and swirl to coat.  Add the filled slices of toast to the skillet in a single layer.  Cook until light golden brown and crisp, about 1-2 minutes per side.  Repeat with the remaining slices of bread, adding more butter to the skillet as needed.  Serve immediately with maple syrup, powdered sugar and fresh strawberries as desired.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Ingredients:

1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)

1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)

1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)

wax paper

Instructions:

Bake cake according to box instructions.

After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.

Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)

Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)

Chill for 30 minutes to an hour.

Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.

Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

I also only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.

Crock Pot Stuffed Bell Peppers

Delicious bell peppers that are stuffed and cooked in your slow cooker!

Crock Pot Stuffed Bell Peppers

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

6 Large Bell Peppers

1 pound lean ground beef

½ cup onion, chopped

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes (I used rotel)

1 cup wild rice, cooked (any kind of rice will work)

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1¼ cup shredded cheese, divided

¼ cup water

Instructions:

Cut off each top of the peppers and scrape out the seeds and membranes. Set aside.

Combine ground beef, onion, diced tomatoes, rice, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of cheese. Stuff each bell pepper with mixture.

Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours until peppers are tender and ground beef is cooked throughout.

About 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle remaining cheese and let it melt.

Pizza Pasta Bake

Pizza Pasta Bake

adapted from Julie's Eats and Treats

serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 lb Italian sausage or hamburger

8oz medium egg noodles (about 4 cups)

1 can cheddar cheese soup

2 cups pizza sauce

8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped pepperoni or mini pepperoni

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook egg noodles according to package direction. Drain and set aside.

Cook sausage or hamburger in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain fat.

In a large bowl, combine cooked sausage, soup, pizza sauce and cooked noodles. Stir until combined.

Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 9x13-inch pan. Top with mozzarella cheese,  grated parmesan and chopped pepperoni.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted.

What's for Dinner

Monday- Supper Club
Tuesday- Taco Pockets
Wednesday- Pizza Pasta Bake
Thursday- Crock Pot Stuffed Bell Peppers
Friday- Out
Saturday- Leftovers
Sunday- French Dip Sandwiches

Bacon Cheeseburger Quesadillas

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp chili powder

6 tortillas

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

6 slices bacon

Tomatoes

Onion

Pickles

Ketchup

Mustard

Instructions:

In a large skillet, sprinkle ground beef with onion powder, garlic powder, pepper and chili powder.  Brown the meat and drain fat.  Set aside.

Assemble the quesadilla.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray pan with cooking spray.

Lay tortilla on a flat surface. Cover the tortilla with an even layer of cheese. Top one half of tortilla with hamburger meat, bacon, tomatoes, onion and pickles. Drizzle ketchup and mustard over meat. Place tortilla in skillet. Cook for 1 minute, until cheese starts to melt. Fold in half - cheese side of tortilla over on meat. Cook for 2 minutes more, flipping until each side is golden and crisp. Remove, cut into 3 pieces.

What's for Dinner

Monday- Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Tuesday- Bacon Cheeseburger Quesadillas

Wednesday- Buffalo Chicken Pillows

Thursday- Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Friday- Homemade Pizza

Saturday- Leftovers

Sunday- Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwiches