This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ScrubCloth #CollectiveBias
My hubby has one favorite meal that he loves to make and that’s Baked Ziti. So when I asked him if he would show me how so that I could make it for him for Father’s Day, he reluctantly kindly agreed. However, I must admit that his version turned out to be much better than mine and it definitely was a lot less messy!
After work I stopped at Walmart to pick up the following ingredients but had to make a second trip because I had forgotten the shredded cheese. This should have been the first indication that I wasn’t ready to take over his recipe.
Ingredients:
1 Box Penne Pasta or Ziti Noodles – cooked according to package directions
2 Jars of Marinara Sauce
3 lbs Ground Turkey (chicken or beef) – browned
Shredded Cheese (3 cheese mixture)
However, while there I also picked up a 2-pack of Scotch-Brite® Scrubbing Dish Cloths which definitely came in handy as you can see why!
These Scotch-Brite Scrubbing Dish Cloths are textured fiber dish cloths featuring two sides with scrubbing dots on one side so you don’t need to use a scrub brush.
Once home, I tried to keep hubby out of the kitchen while I prepared the Ziti but he couldn’t help from popping in and out checking to ensure that I was following his directions.
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Boil water and cook pasta according to box directions, drain but do not rinse noodles
Brown ground turkey in skillet with a little olive oil for approximately 25 minutes
Drain Ground Turkey then put a layer of noodles at the bottom of the pan, top with Marinara Sauce, ground turkey and cheese, stir to mix all ingredients. Repeat with a second layer and top with a more cheese.
Hubby said it’s the cheese that makes the Ziti thick and tasty but there is no need to measure it, just add what you want!
The pasta and ground turkey was already cooked so I put the pan in the pre-heated oven just long enough to warm and melt the cheese which was about 30 minutes.
Obviously, if using a glass pan you should coat with cooking spray otherwise, you will have a baked on mess which is exactly what I had.
I poured 1/2 cup of pure baking soda into the pan and then added 1/2 cup of white vinegar. The foaming action began to dissolve some of the baked on mess and the scrubbing cloth took care of the rest.
I let the pan soak with the baking soda and vinegar so by the time I had finished eating simply using the non-scratch side of the scrubbing dish cloth had this pan sparkling again.
I was ecstatic because the last thing I wanted to do was spend the next hour scrubbing the pan while hubby sat on the sofa watching the game!
Needless to say, I will leave the Baked Ziti recipe to hubby so the next time he will have the pleasure of using a Scotch-Brite® Scrubbing Dish Cloth to clean up the baked on mess.
These new Scotch-Brite dish cloths are available at Walmart in 2 packs in tan, coral, and navy for $4.98 and there is a $1 off instant redeemable coupon available on the product.
The Scotch-Brite® Scrubbing Dish Cloth combines the best of a high quality dish cloth with the power of Scotch-Brite® scrubbing dots so it definitely made for a quicker and easier clean so I was able to join hubby on the sofa before the game ended!
Nest weekend I will try another recipe and if you too are looking to try something new, check out these great recipes and cleaning tutorials here .
If you are anything like me you bought a few bags of Tortilla Chips and a jar of Salsa to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but also like me you didn’t use the entire jar of salsa. So there it sits in the refrigerator until the next time you want to dip in a tortilla chip … which is no time soon.
I kept pushing that jar of salsa from one side of a shelf in the refrigerator to the other until I realized that I could probably use it to make a meatloaf or even turkey burgers instead of throwing it away.
Using the following ingredients I decided to make enough meatloaf to last two days because I had a meeting the next day after work and wouldn’t get home until late.
Ingredients
3 pound package of Jennie-O Ground Turkey
1 – 1/2 cups salsa
1 – 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 – 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Package of Taco Seasoning
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey, salsa, bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, and seasoning package. Transfer to a 5×9 inch loaf pan.
Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or to a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees F (72 degrees C).
I also made a pot of Kale which is one of my favorite veggies to serve with any meal. To the boiling water I added one bunch of kale, Apple Cider Vinegar, chopped onions and a few sprinkles of white sugar.
Every time I make meatloaf, I think about Ralphie, the kid from “A Christmas Story” remember when he complains about this all too often served meal – meatloaf meatloaf beetloaf!
What is your favorite way to cook meatloaf?
Disclosure: I am a member of the Jennie-O Switch Circle and have received products to facilitate my reviews. All opinions are 100% my own.
The temps are still kind of cool here in Delaware but at least the sun is out longer making you want to linger outdoors longer. So in keeping with the theme of spending less time in the kitchen this Spring, I made another quick chick, easy breezy, in-and- out of the kitchen in a jiffy recipe using only 3 ingredients!
Ingredients:
2 – Chicken Breasts flattened with a mallet
1 – 16 oz package of frozen spinach
1 – cup shredded Parmesan and Romano Cheese
Seasoning of choice – I used Sylvia’s Secret Seasoning
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking dish with Parchment paper or coat with a Cooking Spray.
Tear off two pieces of wax paper and place them onto a cutting board then put one of the chicken breasts on top. Cover with 2 more pieces of wax paper and use the flat end of a mallet to beat the chicken breast until flatten but not too thin – this is good for relieving some stress as well!
Be careful to ensure the chicken is always covered with the wax paper, reposition it when it starts to tear.
Allow the spinach to thaw before mixing it with the Parmesan and Romano cheese. After you have flattened the second breast, add a few spoonful’s of the spinach and cheese mixture, fold the breasts in half, sprinkle with seasoning and secure with toothpicks.
Place the chicken breasts in the preheated oven for approximately 35 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and has an internal temp of 165.
I put the remaining spinach and cheese mixture in a sauce pan and added a few teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil and minced garlic and cooked on low for 10 minutes.
Remove chicken breasts from the oven, allow them to sit for 5 minutes then serve with rice or couscous and enjoy!
See wasn’t that a quick chick, easy breezy, in-and- out of the kitchen in a jiffy recipe?
If you don’t know me by now, you will never never know how much I love my Crock Pot! Just a little play on words from the famous song by the classic group, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. It was another crispy Autumn weekend and my Crock Pot was filled with the ingredients for a delicious 3 Bean Chicken Chili.
Most grocery stores are running specials on their beans so it’s a perfect time to stock up which is exactly what I did with these Bush’s Beans on sale at Food Lion last week.
Ingredients:
1 lb of Ground Chicken
Can of Black Beans
Can of White Kidney (Cannellini) Beans
Can of Red Kidney Beans
Can of Diced Tomatoes
Package Frozen Pepper-Stir Fry Veggies
Package Chili Seasoning
Shredded Mexican Cheese
Optional Ingredients:
1 Cup Instant Rice
Sour Cream
Hot Sauce or Cayenne Pepper
Cilantro Instructions:
Cook Ground Chicken in a skillet with a little oil, cook until no longer pink
Spoon the fully cooked Ground Chicken into Crock Pot.
Pour in the 3 cans of beans, undrained
Top with tomatoes, undrained
Add Chili seasoning pack then stir to mix all ingredients
Top with frozen veggies
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours
After Chili has cooked, you can pour in a cup of Instant Rice directly into the Crock Pot allowing it to absorb the liquid and thicken, approximately 10 minutes. Top the Chili with a dollop of Sour Cream and garnish with Cilantro and serve with hot corn bread or muffins. Of course hot sauce or cayenne pepper is your option because it is definitely one of mine.
What is your favorite Chili recipe?
Disclosure: Affiliate links are contained in this post, however, it will not add any additional cost to your purchase price.
It might, however, help me buy a second cup of coffee!
Do you remember when eating alone in a restaurant was looked upon as being an awkward situation? Did you ever walk into a restaurant and feel sorry for the person who sat alone with only a book for companionship or perhaps looking straight down into their plate to avoid eye contact with others?
Well those days are long gone, now most people want to dine alone as a matter of fact, they eat heads down and not in prayer, it’s because nine times out of ten most are looking down communicating with their iPhone or Android, even if seated with others. It always cracks me up when I see a young couple out on a date and both of them are heads down texting or reading from their individual Smartphones.
I often wonder, how will they get to know each other – will they be using words in the future or will they digress back to being hunched over grunting a few words or symbols – lol
If I were a college student today, my major would definitely be in medicine specializing in chiropractic services!
Dining alone which once was viewed as an embarrassment is no longer taboo even at home as there are several reports that have shown that nearly half of all meals and snacks are eaten in solitude.
Marketers have taken note as well, which is why I love the commercials for Dixie “bemorehere” campaign. It places emphasis on family meal time being with friends and families, fully engaged in conversations, love and laughter and no technology!
Breakfast is the number one meal which is usually eaten alone, whether it’s at home, in the car or at one’s desk. I am guilty of this one especially during the work week. I do however, enjoy having coffee with hubby on the weekends. Family breakfast time or lack thereof, has really hurt demand for items such as orange juice, milk and eggs with more demand for microwavable and fast food meals.
Lunch is number two when it comes to eating solo. Lunch, when eaten at work is usually at one’s desk in a cubicle or office with little to no interaction with peers. Again, I am guilty of this, but I have made it a habit to have lunch with a fellow co-worker at least once per month, otherwise, we are both “brown bagging” it everyday.
Dinner, my all time favorite meal of the day is one that I do enjoy preparing and eating with the family. We may be guilty of watching television while doing so, but we are together watching the same show, eating where each can be seen and for me, this is the best part of the day.
For the past several weeks, Route 495 in Wilmington has been shutdown and this has added an additional 30 minutes to my daily commute. Now that I am getting home later, I’m trying to come up with fast and easy dinner recipes.
I found one online for a Chicken Tamale Skillet Pie, but changed it up a bit to use what I already had in the kitchen.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a cast-iron skillet brown the ground turkey on medium high heat for 10 minutes or until brown. Add a can of Cream Style Corn, a can of Ro*Tel tomatoes and ground cumin.
Cook for 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, remove from heat, add a few sweet peppers then top with cheese.
Cover with crescent rolls and put into oven to bake for approximately 20 minutes or until dough is golden brown.
Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
This was a great meal and my men loved it, the next time I am going to use shredded chicken.
Do you have any quick and easy dinner recipes that you can share?
