Lunch today - Easy quick and yummy Beef and Rice Skillet!

Made this for lunch yesterday - so easy, especially since I already had leftover cooked ground beef.

I made almost exactly as called for in Lynn's recipe. I only added 1/2 lb. of meat - 1 whole pound is just too much meaty goodness for me, and I also added a small can of diced green chiles.

S loved this and so did I.  Hubsters liked it with cheese on top. It's surprisingly tasty for such a simple recipe.  I think this will go into regular rotation.

Easy Beef and Rice (From Lynn's Kitchen Adventures)

• 1 pound lean ground beef (again, I used 1/2 lb.)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can (14 ounces)diced tomatoes with liquid
• 2 cups beef broth ( I make mine by using water and beef bouillon or base)
• 1 cup rice
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

In a large skillet, cook ground beef with onion until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is tender.

This post is linked to Made By You Mondays!

My first frittata!

This Christmas, Santa (aka my hubby) brought me a fantastic new pan.  It's an omelette pan, but I have been using it for everything.  One thing I had been dying to use it for was a frittata - because it is ovenproof, as it has a metal handle.  Anyway, the great thing, I learned, about a frittata is that you can throw pretty much anything into it!  I started with a recipe from foodnetwork.com and then modified it a bit to fit my and my hubby's taste.  (For him, namely, that translates into adding BACON.)  Anyway, here is my version.  Hopefully a pic will follow soon!  The leftovers of this were great for breakfast, too.

Veggie Frittata (modified from the Food Network)

Ingredients

• 8 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 small red onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
• 2 cups chopped cooked broccoli ( I used frozen but fresh would be nice)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (definitely optional if you are using bacon!)
  
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar
• 4-5 strips bacon, crumbled
  

Directions

Separate 4 of the eggs, putting the whites into a medium sized bowl and discarding the yolks. Add the 4 whole eggs and 2 tablespoons of water to the whites and whisk well.

In a medium ovenproof nonstick skillet heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook for another 2 minutes. Season with salt (if using) and a few turns of pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables in the skillet covering them evenly. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook until the egg mixture has set around the edges but is somewhat liquid in the middle, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheese.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Place the skillet under the broiler about 2 inches from the heat until the surface is set and golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook or the egg mixture will become tough.

Cut the frittata into 8 wedges and serve. (helpful hint - use a pizza cutter, it works great)

To see other great recipes, check out URS at Life as Mom!

Getting Started

I have always had mixed feelings about blogs.   I have a love-hate relationship with them.  Anyway, after reading so many great ones lately - see blogroll on right - I have decided to take the plunge.  If nothing else I will use this as a diary of sorts, as well as a recipe and project keeper.  Sometimes I wish I had taken a picture of that great cake I made or that yummy casserole.  And sometimes I just want to show off my adorable kiddo.  So here goes' nothin' - I'm checking this off my to do list - first blog post is DONE! :)