Tag: weeknight meal

Easy Cheesesteak Egg Rolls with Provolone Cheese Sauce

At the suggestion of one of my InstaFramily sisters I decided to convert my Easy Cheesesteak Sliders into Egg Rolls and I also created a Cheese Sauce to dip the rolls into. This recipe was easy and filling and would be great appetizers or meal with fries added. Let’s get cooking by making our cheese sauce first!

Provolone Cheese Sauce:

Ingredients:

  • Provolone cheese (I used the cheese slices which I chopped up into squares)
  • 1/4 cup of chopped onions and green bell peppers
  • 1 tbsp of minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup half and half or heavy whipping cream
  • 1-2 tbsp of flour
  • 1tbsp of olive oil
  • 1-2 tbsp of butter

Directions:

Add butter and oil to saucepan until melted on medium heat. Add the onions and bell peppers and sauté until softened and add garlic. Sauté for 1-2 additional minutes. Add flour. You may need to add additional butter or oil before add ingredients the flour if your sauce pan is dry. Turn heat down to medium low. Cook flour for 2-3 minutes. You want to make sure you cook out the flour taste. Add half and half or heavy whipping cream slowly while whisking until all is incorporated and a sauce forms. Add cheese and whisk in slowly. It’s done! These cheese sauce is great for dipping the egg rolls in or make cheesesteak nachos!

Cheesesteak eggs rolls:

  • 1 package of Beef Shaved Steak (the one I used was 14 oz and more than enough for 4 people)
  • 1 medium onion sliced
  • 1/2 green bell pepper sliced (feel free to use more if you like)
  • 3 tablespoons of butter (you will use 1 to cook the veggies and the other 2 to melt over your rolls)
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2-3 slices of Provolone cheese sliced into strips
  • 1 cup of Italian style cheese mix
  • To season my meat I used approximately 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of Seasoning salt (Tony’s), onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, & about 1-2 tsp of Steak sauce (use sparingly because it could get salty real quick!)
  • Egg roll wrappers
  • Oil filled pot for deep frying or you can use a deep fryer

Directions:

In a medium sized sauce pan I added the olive oil and tablespoons of butter and let it melt on medium low. I turned it up to medium high and then added the onions and peppers and sautéed them for about 2-3 minutes then I put the heat on low and let them simmer. I turned the pan back up to medium high and added my beef directly to the pan along with my seasonings and steak sauce. After the beef was cooked thru I turned the heat off and let the mixture cool.

I put my pot of oil on medium high to prepare for frying. You can also bake these in the oven or use an air fryer. Once the mixture had cooled some I added about a tablespoon or so of the beef mixture to a egg roll wrapper and topped with a provolone cheese strip and folded according to instructions on back of package. Once grease was hot I added my egg rolls and fried for 1-2 minutes on each side. This step takes no time so do not step away from the kitchen! Once fried a golden brown I drained in a paper towel and added a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese (optional).

These were awesome and we enjoyed eating there them all up! If you try them please tag me on Instagram @severalpeoplesmama

Love Ricki

Spaghetti Mac – Cook with Me

Hi y’all! I am sharing my recipe for Spaghetti Mac which is an easy alternative to plain old spaghetti and something ALL my kids enjoy. This recipe will give you an easy meal that can stretch your budget! I have also included my cook with me video so visit my YouTube channel to see how I made it!

Ingredients:

    1-2 lbs of ground beef or turkey. You do not need a lot of
    meat for this dish so this is a great way to stretch your
    budget!
    1 jar of prepared spaghetti sauce or marinara (use more if that’s your preference)
    ½ cup of onions ( I used frozen)
    Seasonings – Tony’s creole seasoning, garlic and herb or
    Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder and
    ranch dressing mix but you can use whatever you like!
    1 package of elbow macaroni·
    8 ounces of processed cheese product (Velveeta) cut into
    1 inch cubes
    1-2 cups of shredded cheese. I used Colby Jack but
    Mozzarella or any other cheese would be good as well.

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta in a pot of water per directions. I add oil and salt to my pasta so it won’t stick but that is optional. Brown ground meat in a pan with onions. Drain fat and then add seasonings and sauce. Simmer on low. Drain cooked pasta and add to casserole dish or 9×13 pan (spray pan first to prevent sticking). Add half of cubed of cheese and stir throughout the pasta. Add sauce and stir to combine. Add shredded cheese on top and rest of cubed cheese. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes in order for cheese to melt. Once finished baking, let sit for 10-15 minutes so the casserole can set. Serve with a salad or fav green vegetable!

Check out my YouTube video here:

Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana and Homemade Breadsticks

Yesterday I decided to try my hand at making a soup I’ve made a few times before, Zuppa Toscana in the Instant Pot and it turned out delicious and super easy. I am sharing that recipe below as well as homemade breadsticks made by scratch but took no time to whip up with a stand mixer. I would suggest if you can make your breadsticks an hour before you start the soup as they need time for two rises. Let’s cook!!!

Ingredients for Breadsticks:

  • 2 cups of warm water (not hot)
  • 2 tbsp of sugar
  • 1 packet of fast acting yeast (this equals 2 1/4 tsp)
  • 2 tbsp of butter
  • 4-5 cups of flour
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 1/2 stick of butter melted
  • 1 tbsp of minced garlic
  • 1 tsp of garlic salt
  • Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions for Breadsticks:

Add water and sugar to mixing bowl of stand mixer and stir. Add yeast and stir and let stand 5-10 minutes until yeast is foamy. Add butter, salt and 3 cups of flour. Mix with paddle until dough starts forming. Change out for dough hook and then add more flour a cup at a time as needed. You want dough to not be sticky but you don’t want it to be dry. It should not stick to your hands when touching. Take dough and form in the shape of a ball, spray or oil your bowl and then add ball and cover with towel. So my dough rises nicely. I place my bowl on my stove and turn my oven on to 170 degrees and the heat is just enough to help it rise nicely. Once doubled in size punch down with fist. Remove from bowl and shape in a rectangle. With a sharp nice cut into strips vertically. Place strips on well oiled cookie sheet. Turn stove up to 350 degrees and set cookie sheet on stove covered while you make your soup. After a 30 minute rise remove towel and place the breadsticks in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Combine melted butter, minced garlic and garlic salt and pour over breadsticks after they come out of the oven. Top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Ingredients for soup:

  • Ground sausage (I use breakfast sausage)
  • 3 peeled potatoes
  • 1/4 cup of onion
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
  • 4-6 cups of water ( or you can use 3 cups of chicken broth)
  • 1-2 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 1 bag of spinach or you can use the traditional kale
  • Seasonings – I used Italian, ranch, seasoned salt, garlic and onion powder and basil

Directions for soup:

Turn on sauté function on Instant Pot. Add olive oil, onions and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add ground sausage and cook til browned. Once browned you can drain any excess oil. Add water and chicken bouillon cubes or chicken broth if using. Add potatoes and seasonings. Place lid on and set o high pressure for 10 minutes. When finished let natural release for 5 minutes then switch to quick release to release rest of pressure. Add heavy whipping cream and stir. Add spinach and kale and let sit on warm for 5 minutes while spinach wilts. Taste for seasoning and add if necessary. Top with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil if desired. Serve it up with the breadsticks and salad for a complete meal.

The soup can easily be made on the stovetop just let lightly boil on stove for 15 minutes so potatoes can get tender before adding heavy whipping cream and spinach.

I hope you make and enjoy both recipes and as always if you make it tag me on IG @severalpeoplesmama

Love Ricki

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

Listen!!! I was brunchin’ Sunday- Quarantine style! I don’t even like sausage but this casserole was so delicious and sooo filling!!! You could have this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And you can use any combination of veggies as well. Let’s get cooking, shall we?

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of breakfast sausage ( I also added some leftovers Italian sausage I had in my freezer)
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 1 clove of garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup of mushrooms chopped
  • 1 bag of frozen tater tots (no need to thaw)
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 cup of half and half
  • 1/2 bag real bacon bits or cooked bacon (optional)
  • Seasonings of choice – I used onion and garlic powder, seasoned salt, ranch and Italian and roasted garlic seasonings
  • 1-2 cups of shredded cheese of choice

Directions: Spray 9X13 pan with cooking spray and layer the tater tots on the bottom. In a separate pan brown sausage, add onions, garlic, mushrooms. If you have peppers or spinach this would be good to add as well. Drain fat and add meat mixture on top of tater tots. I also added some leftover bacon bits but this is optional. Mix eggs with half and half and seasonings. Pour over tater tots and meat mixture. Let eggs soak into tater tots and meat mixture for at least 30 minutes. Don’t skip this step. You can actually make this the night before and bake in the morning. Top with cheese and back on 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let set for 15 minutes, cut into squares and serve.

I topped mine with salsa. Sour cream and avocados would work as well or plain ole ketchup!

If you try this recipe as always tag me on Instagram @severalpeoplesmama. You can also see how I made this in my highlights.

Also check out my Grocery Store Vlog and Haul in my YouTube channel!!!

Hope you enjoy!

Love Ricki

Broccoli Cheese & Rice Casserole with Chicken

Sorry this recipe is sooo late but it is definitely worth sharing! This is an old school casserole with leftover chicken added in to make it a complete meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 cups of freshly cooked rice (you want it warm to melt the cheese)
  • 1 cup or more if desired chopped and cooked chicken (make sure your chicken is seasoned because we won’t be adding any additional)
  • 1 1/2 cups of cooked or steamed until tender broccoli. Can be frozen or fresh and you can chop or leave whole.
  • 1/2 a block of Processed cheese (Velveeta) chopped into cubes
  • 1 can of each soup – cream of mushroom, cream of chicken and cream of celery (DONT leave out the cream of celery, it doesn’t overpower and it makes the dish!)
  • 1 cup of shredded cheese of choice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all 3 soups in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Combine rice and broccoli and chicken in a separate bowl. Add soup mixture. Add processed cheese and mix well. Spread in a greased casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let casserole sit for 15-20 so it can set. Serve. You have proteins, carbs and veggies already in it so add a bread if desire and dinner is done! This makes great leftovers so make a big batch and eat for lunch as well!

I hope you try this! If so tag me on IG @severalpeoplesmama

Love Ricki