A food post

I thoroughly enjoyed the second trimester of pregnancy as far as my high energy level. I took full advantage of it since I know it won't last forever. Since I'm home now during the day I've been trying to find things to keep me busy. One thing I have been doing is cooking more. I really enjoy cooking (but not baking) and so we bought a new cookbook for me to use to try some new things out. I was getting really bored with our menu lately.

I love cooking and I love to try new things but I always get frustrated when I see this long list of ingredients and half of them I don't have and would only use when I made that meal. I don't want to pay for that especially if we may end up not liking the meal. Then we went to Barnes and Noble to look around and found this: Taste of Home: 5-Ingredient Cookbook

I love this book so far! My favorite part is that I have and use just about everything a recipe calls for in my apartment. Everything we've tried has been a winner so far. So I thought I would share a couple of our favorites:

1. Garlic potatoes and ham (This is so good!)

8 small red potatoes, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 package (16oz) frozen broccoli cuts, partially thawed (we used green beans...delicious)
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
1 envelope herb with garlic soup mix (we used half the package for the 2 of us and it was perfect)

In a large skillet, cook potatoes in oil over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in broccoli, ham and soup mix. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender. (4 servings)

2. Noodle and rice pilaf

*We usually have this with chicken and corn on the cob

1/4c butter
1 cup long grain rice (uncooked)
1/2 cup uncooked fine egg noodles
2-3/4 cups chicken broth
Minced parsley

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add the rice and noodles; cook and stir until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until broth is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in parsley. (4 servings)

3. Ham and rice bake

1 can (10-3/4oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 package frozen vegetables, thawed (we don't mix the veggies in with the bake-we just have them on the side so I don't know how that would turn out)
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham

In a large saucepan, combine the soup and a 1/2 cup cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Stir in vegetables, rice and ham.
Transfer to a greased 1-1/2 qt. baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy :)

4. Seafood stuffing

1 package instant chicken flavored stuffing mix
1 cup imitation crabmeat
1 cup small frozen cooked shrimp
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Cook the stuffing according to package directions. Mix with seafood and sprinkle with lemon juice. This is so tasty, easy and filling. 

5. Graham Cracker Brownies (I made these for a bake sale at Sherman and they were gone in the first hour. Several people came back and bought a second or third)

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 30 squares of crushed graham cracker)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Spread into greased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Let cool and then enjoy :)

I had such a hard time just choosing 5 to share but these are some of the easiest and most cooked in our home. They are so good and so easy to manipulate according to the size of your family. 

*All recipes above came from the Taste of Home: 5-Ingredient Cookbook