Delicious and Easy Taco Spaghetti

Taco Spaghetti

½ lbs. ground beef

1/2 (1.25-ounce) pαckαge tαco seasoning

1/2 (10-ounce cαn) Ro*Tel® Mild Diced Tomαtoes & GreenChilies

3 tsp tablespoon tomato paste

4 ounces spaghetti

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Roma tomato, diced optional

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

1 1/2 cups water

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook until beef has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks. Drain excess fat.

Stir in Ro*Tel®, tomato paste, spaghetti, and 1 1/2 cups water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil and add spagetti; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through about 13-16 minutes.

Remove from heat and top with cheeses. Cover until melted, about 2 minutes.

Serve immediately, garnished with tomato and cilantro, if desired.

Top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream (optional)

Chicken Salad Recipe

Sam’s Chicken Salad Recipe 

This makes wonderful sandwiches but can also be served on a bed of lettuce as a stand alone meal.

1 12.5 oz. can high quality chicken breast meat

1/2 an onion preferably red for color

 Condiments

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp Mayonnaise (I like mine creamy)

1 tbsp Sweet pickle cubes

½ tsp celery seed or ¼ cup finely chopped celery (more to taste)

1 tsp Lemon juice

1 tsp Honey Dijon dressing 

¼ Cup Grapes optional

Bread

 Honey wheat bread or other sandwich bread of your choice including croissants.

20 Minute Honey Garlic Shrimp

20 Minute Honey Garlic Shrimp 

★★★★★5 from 6 reviews

⦁ Prep Time: 15 minutes
⦁ Cook Time: 5 minutes
⦁ Total Time: 20 minutes 
⦁ Yield: serves 2

I love this dish because it is really quick and easy and also delicious.

Ingredients

⦁ 6 tablespoons honey
⦁ 4 tablespoons soy sauce (reduced sodium optional)
⦁ 2 teaspoons minced garlic
⦁ optional: 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
⦁ 1/2 lb. medium uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined
⦁ 1 teaspoons olive oil
⦁ optional: chopped green onion for garnish

Instructions

1. Whisk the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger (if using) together in a medium bowl.

2. Place shrimp in a large zipped-top bag or Tupperware. Pour 1/2 of the marinade mixture on top, give it all a shake or stir, then allow shrimp to marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or for up to 8-12 hours. Cover and refrigerate the rest of the marinade for step 3. (Time-saving tip: while the shrimp is marinating, I steamed broccoli and microwaved some quick brown rice.)

3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place shrimp in the skillet. (Discard used marinade.) Cook shrimp on one side until pink– about 45 seconds– then flip shrimp over. Pour in remaining marinade and cook it all until shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more.

4. Serve shrimp with cooked marinade sauce and a garnish of green onion. The sauce is excellent on brown rice and steamed veggies on the side.

Cheesy Beef Fajitas

Cheesy beef fajitas are a perfect blend of seasoned ground beef, melted spicy cheese and pico de gallo, yum!  The best part is all the cheese! These are super cheesy, full of melted, gooey cheese with a bit of spice, but just a little bit of spice, these are not too spicy at all. 


I love creating these at home because they are so easy to make, everyone loves them and they are a really quick meal.

Cheesy Beef Fajitas

Ingredients

6 oz. ground beef

1/2 envelope fajita seasoning or taco seasoning 

4 oz pepperjack shredded

4 oz cheddar or colby shredded

4-5 tortillas

Pico de gallo -store bought or homemade

Instructions

Brown and drain the ground beef.

Season with taco seasoning.

Place some cheddar cheese on each tortilla (these are supposed to be extra cheesy)

Spoon on some of the beef filling.

Top with shredded pepperjack.

Spoon on a little pico de gallo.

Roll each tortilla up and wrap in a slightly damp paper towel.

Microwave 2 at a time for 1 minute.

Serve and enjoy!

Cajun Shrimp and Pasta

Cajun Shrimp

Serves one but easy to double.

INGREDIENTS

1 Teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces penne pasta
1/2-pound raw shrimp deveined, cleaned, tails removed
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
2 Teaspoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Add salt to pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook pasta to al dente doneness, approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Before draining, scoop out at least 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain pasta and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, cook the shrimp and sauce. Combine shrimp with Cajun seasoning and olive oil in bowl. Toss to combine.

Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and melt. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook until golden brown on each side, turning only once.  Once done cooking, transfer cooked shrimp to a clean plate and reduce heat to medium low.

Add heavy cream to pan and scrape bottoms to release any food that is stuck to the bottom. Allow cream to bubble. Reduce heat to low and stir in Parmesan cheese to melt. Add cooked pasta and shrimp and stir to coat.

Creamy Garlic Chicken

Creamy Garlic Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 1 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cups sliced small mushrooms (I prefer baby portobello)
• 1/2 small onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1 ½ teaspoons bottled minced)
• 1 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream, half and half or whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (1/4 teaspoon dried)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat a large skillet over medium heat then add in the olive oil. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste and add to heated skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Remove from the skillet and set aside loosely covered with foil to keep warm.

To the same skillet add the tablespoon of butter along with the mushrooms and onions. Cook and stir occasionally for about 5-7 minutes or until browned to your liking. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant 1-2 minutes.

Stir in the flour and then the broth, cream and rosemary. Stir well to combine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Return the chicken to the pan and gently simmer for 2-3 minutes just to reheat.