Lazy Pepper Steak

 

When I was growing up, my mom would make what she called “pepper steak”. Instead of using sliced beef, she used ground beef. (I may have the original recipe on here.) I made it the same way for years, but now with some health issues it’s hard for me to stand so this is a super easy recipe that the family still loves!

Lazy Pepper Steak

Ingredients:

1# cooked ground beef

2 bags frozen 3 pepper and onions

4 brown gravy packets 

Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper

Prepared white rice (about 6 cups or so)

Directions:

1. Add your hamburger to the crockpot.

2. Add both bags of veggies to the crock pot.

3. In a 4 cup measuring cup, add 3 cups of water and the 4 packets of gravy. Mix well.

4. Pour the gravy mixture over the veggies in the crockpot. Sprinkle the top with a good amount of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

5. Cook on low for 1.5-2 hours. Stir the mixture and taste if it needs more seasoning.

6. Serve over the steamed white rice. Enjoy!

Notes: 

*I cook 5# of hamburger in the crockpot and then put in quart sized zip baggies equaling about 1 pound each and save them in the freezer and pull one out as I need it. So for this recipe I put the frozen hamburger in the crockpot frozen.

*You could also use ground chicken or turkey as well.

*If the meat mixture is too thick, add some water to thin it out or you could use two more gravy packets to make it more gravy-ish. 

*You can also serve over brown rice or any other rice you prefer.

Lazy Hotdog Casserole

 

Last time we saw our friends, Gary and Georgia, Georgia told me about this delicious casserole she made. She said she basically put mashed potatoes in the bottom of the casserole dish, added chopped up hotdogs to the top and then added cheese to the top of that and put it in the oven until it’s hot. So here’s Georgia’s casserole that I made tonight! Everyone loved it! I named it “lazy“ because I used frozen premade mashed potatoes, but you could always use homemade ones. Let me know what you think!

Lazy Hotdog Casserole 

Ingredients:

2 packs of hotdogs

1 Family Size Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes

2+ cups shredded cheese

Roasted garlic and herb dry seasoning

Avocado oil (or any cooking oil you have)

1 frozen steamable bag of peas (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Slice hotdogs into small round bites. Add into frying pan with some Avocado oil. Sprinkle generously with roasted garlic and herb seasoning. Stir occasionally on medium low to high heat until hotdogs are browned.

3. While hotdogs are cooking, add mashed potatoes to the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Spread the potatoes evenly on the bottom of the dish. You do not need to preheat the potatoes! They don’t even have to be thawed all the way, just enough to be able to cover the bottom.

4. Once the hotdogs are brown, spread them evenly on top of the mashed potatoes. 

5. Cover the top of the hotdogs with the cheese. Measure the cheese amount with your heart!

6. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese is melted and it’s hot in the middle.

Notes: For this recipe, you can either use homemade mashed potatoes or premade from the store. You can also use any kind of hotdog or sausage flavor as well as any cheese flavors. I believe I used Colby Jack or Mexican blend. You could also experiment with the different seasonings. My adult kids don’t like peas, but if your family does, I think you could add the peas between the mashed potatoes and hotdogs and it would be delicious! I just served the peas on the side with butter and the same roasted garlic and herb seasoning I used on the hotdogs.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

These popped up in my Facebook memories from 7 years ago when I was actually cooking real food. LOL My post said I added a can of black beans and everyone liked them! 

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

4 oz cream cheese softened

1 Tbsp water

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 1/2 c diced cooked chicken

10 flour tortillas 6 inches, room temperature

1 can cream of chicken soup 10 3/4 oz 

1 c. sour cream

1 can chopped green chilies 4 oz (optional)

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, water, onion powder, cumin, salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in chicken.

Place 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 13 in x 9 in baking dish.

In a bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, and chilies, pour over enchiladas.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Nutrition

Serving: 2g | Calories: 636kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 1022mg | Potassium: 578mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1265IU | Vitamin C: 27.2mg | Calcium: 486mg | Iron: 3.2mg

 

Crockpot Zuppa Toscana

This came up in my Facebook memories from five years ago. Just recently, somebody said they were gonna make Zuppa Toscana and I told her I had a really good recipe, but when I went to look for it, I couldn’t find it. So here it is! Enjoy!

Crockpot Zuppa Toscana

Prep 20 minutes

Cook 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb ground hot or mild Italian sausage

1 tbsp garlic minced

1 yellow onion chopped

4 russet potato diced

1 pinch salt to taste

1 pinch black pepper to taste

4 cup chicken broth (32 oz)

water see recipe instructions

1 bunch kale stems removed and torn into bite-sized pieces

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (for topping)

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown and crumble hot Italian sausage, about 5-8 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until some of the onion begins to turn translucent (no need to cook onion completely at this point). Drain grease from skillet.

In a 6 quart crock pot (or bigger), add cooked sausage & veggies plus the diced potato. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour chicken broth on top. There should be enough broth to cover the tops of the potatoes; if there isn't, add up to 2 cups water so potatoes are covered.

Gently stir ingredients, cover crock pot, and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

Remove lid from crock pot and add kale and heavy whipping cream, then stir to combine.

Cover crock pot and cook on HIGH for another 30 minutes.

Serve zuppa toscana immediately with shredded parmesan cheese as garnish.

NOTE: I don’t really measure potatoes, kale or broth exactly and it still tastes great.  

Lazy Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

 

Growing up in the 70’s, my first CPP was the frozen tv dinner one from Swanson. It was good except for the gross diced dehydrated chicken. I never had it after that until my late 40’s when my friend had me over for lunch and served the one from the Pioneer Woman. It.was.amazing. Again, I didn’t have it until now because I’ve been craving it. I’m having some health issues so I need VERY easy prep recipes so I made this up. It’s delish!!!! 

Lazy Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Ingredients:

16 oz (1pound) precooked shredded chicken from the deli (or shred yourself, about 3 cups)

2 cans Cream of chicken soup

1 (12 oz) bag frozen peas and carrots

1 can jumbo biscuits

1 cup milk

Thyme

All purpose grilling seasoning (yellow color-see notes)

Dried chives (optional)

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Pour cans of soup, milk, thyme, all purpose seasoning, salt and pepper into a 9x13 baking dish and mix well.

3. Add chicken and bag of peas and carrots, mix well.

4. Cut biscuits into 4’s and add on top of the chicken mixture. Then sprinkle with dried chives (optional).

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes (watch to make sure biscuits don’t burn). Remove from oven, cover with foil and bake another 10 if it looks like the middle isn’t creamy.

6. Serves 4-6.

NOTES: I don’t measure my seasonings. If you don’t have the all purpose seasoning you can use turmeric along with the thyme and salt and pepper. You could also add in a can of drained and rinsed diced potatoes.

Lazy Chicken Enchiladas made in a bag

 Lazy Chicken Enchiladas made in a bag

This is so quick and easy to make! Just throw it all in a zip bag, mix, pour in a dish and bake in the oven!

Ingredients

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast

12 corn tortillas, torn or ripped into bite-sized pieces

1 large (28oz) can of green chili enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

Dried chives (optional)

1 large (gallon-sized) Ziploc bag.

(See note for additional add in ideas)

Instructions

1. LAYER the shredded chicken, torn tortillas, and enchilada sauce inside the gallon-sized Ziploc bag.
2. Seal the bag and shake or massage it until all tortilla pieces and chicken are thoroughly coated in the sauce. (it mixes easier if you layer in step #1).
3. Pour a layer of the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13 casserole dish.
4. Sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese over the chicken mixture. Repeat the layering process 1-2 more times until you’ve used all the chicken mixture. Sprinkle dried cloves on top if using.
5. Place in a preheated oven at 400° for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.
6. Serves 4-5. 

NOTE: You can add in things like green chilis, jalapeno, black olives, onions, beans, salsa, etc. Also put some sour cream, diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce on top. So many options!

Oven Baked Chili Cheese Hotdogs

 

This is a one pan easy dish! If you’re making hotdogs for several people then try this method! No need to precook the chili or hot dogs, put them in cold! Let me know what you think!

Oven Baked Chili Cheese Hotdogs 

Ingredients:

1 pack of 8 hot dogs

1 pack of 8 hot dog buns

1 can of chili (or homemade)

1-2 cups shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Add buns to 9x 13 pan.

3. Sprinkle some cheese in the bottom of each bun then add a hot dog to each one.

4. Spoon the chili on top of each hotdog then add cheese to the top of each one.

5. Spray one side of some tinfoil with noon-stick spray and cover the pan with the foil.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until everything is hot and melted. 

Add your favor toppings such as diced onions, tomatoes or jalapeños.

Makes 8 chili cheese hot dogs.