IN THE KITCHEN â—½ TIPS
You need easy…this month. You need tasty…this month. You are at the end of summer and no time or effort is what you need. These snacks/meals are it. Enjoy.
​
Frito Pie Revisited – I love Frito pie, but I mostly love it at home…not at ballgame concession stands or at food trucks. I like making it at home to ensure crispy chips, the toppings I want, and the cheese I like.
​
-
Small Fritos
-
Ground meat
-
Black Beans
-
Grated cheese
-
Taco seasoning
-
Cucumbers
-
Tomatoes
-
Avocadoes
-
Pickled japalenos
Cook your ground meat, with Mexican seasonings, until browned, and then drain. Stir in a can of black beans and heat til warmed on low.
Meanwhile, slice cucumbers and chop tomatoes and avocadoes.
Using a shallow bowl or boat, fill with Fritos. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the meat mix on top. Top with cheese, and then the rest of the toppings. This is really good!
Easy Appetizer – I actually saw this idea on Instagram and then tried it. We loved it, it was easy, and a great snack to add to a simple meal for late summer.
​
-
Ritz Crackers
-
Havarti Cheese
-
Pickle Slices (patted dry)
-
Everything but the bagel seasoning
Place crackers on a baking sheet. Top with a pickle slice, and a square of Havarti cheese. Sprinkle with seasoning. Bake until the cheese melts at 350. Enjoy
Potato Salad – Jazzed Up – I don’t like to peel potatoes and that chore alone often keeps me from making potato salad. So…I visited Trader Joe’s, bought their potato salad and jazzed it up with three ingredients:
​
-
Red onion
-
Fresh dill
-
Bacon
Cook the bacon, remove to paper towels to drain. Chop the red onion and the fresh dill. Scoop the store bought potato salad into a large bowl so that you can then mix in the three ingredients. Make it look pretty by then sprinkling on top a bit of smoked paprika if you have it.
Salad To Go – Dollar Tree has a plastic hardware box that’s awesome for salad to go ingredients. And a store bought salad mix is the perfect base. It’s pretty, and tasty, and great to transport.
​
-
Bag of Asian Salad mix (in produce section)
Toppings:
-
Apples
-
Cucumbers
-
Avocado
-
Chickpeas (drained and rinsed – and baked for crunch if you like!)
-
Seeds – sunflower, pepita
-
Carrots
-
The packet of toppings from the mix bag
Place the salad mix in a bowl. Chop and fit all the toppings in the sections of your box, including the dressings. Pack it to go, for that outdoor concert, a picnic, or just sitting in the car under a shade tree looking at nature…
Easy Hoppin’ John – If you haven’t had this fun classic dish, you’re missing out! It’s so easy and so yummy. You’ll want to make it often.
​
-
1 can of black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
-
Rice (I use white instant rice for this)
-
Green onions – chopped
-
Bacon, cooked, drained and broken up
Prepare the rice, season it and add some butter for flavor. This is the base of your bowls. Top with the peas, bacon and scallions. That’s it. You can always add a dollop of salsa if you wish!
WHICH ONE WILL YOU TRY? COMMENT BELOW! CHECK OUT OUR OTHER STORIES ON THE TIPS PAGE.
Fried Cabbage – I love The Stay at Home Chef, and she has a miracle story! Her recipes are always spot on, and this one is a fave because it’s easy AND delicious.
​
-
6 thick cut bacon slices diced
-
1/3 c diced yellow onion
-
½ head green cabbage shredded (I bought this premade)
-
1 T brown sugar
-
¼ t salt
-
¼ t black pepper
-
¼ t smoked paprika
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the diced bacon until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon and place it on a paper towel-lined plate. Do not discard the bacon grease.
​
In the same skillet, add 1/3 cup diced yellow onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
​
Roughly chop or shred 1/2 head green cabbage and add it to the skillet with the onion. Stir in 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, about 7 to 10 minutes.
​
Return the cooked bacon to the skillet, stirring to combine with the cabbage mixture. Serve hot.
​
(We had this with corn on the cob and rosemary sourdough – so good).
