We recently discovered two new recipes that we’re going to add to our family recipe box. Both are fairly easy with only six ingredients!

First: Monterrey Chicken Quesadillas from Kate at Cooking During Stolen Moments. This recipe was perfect one evening last week, because we had a cooked chicken breast in the refrigerator, an already-opened package of bacon, a bag of onions (which has gone largely ignored while I’ve been on bedrest), a package of burrito-size tortillas, a bottle of barbecue sauce in the basement  (which I found on sale a couple months back), and we always have a variety of shredded cheese on hand. So all the ingredients were right there, waiting to be combined. When I stumbled across this recipe, my mouth began watering just reading about it!

But the quesadillas were delectable! So good, in fact, that I completely forgot the ranch dressing (for dipping) and we didn’t even notice! I thought it was more of an appetizer item, but they are very filling. We are definitely adding them to our menu! Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures. But if you want to see Kate’s picture of the quesadillas (and the entire recipe), just click on the link above.

Second: Easy Chicken Enchiladas from my favorite recipe website allrecipes.com. Another simple, simple recipe with just six ingredients–all things I had on hand. Like other reviewers, I reduced the cream cheese by 1/2 and they were still incredibly delicious! I loved the 2 cups of cheese. Sometimes I end up adding more cheese than the recipe calls for, but this was perfect.

Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

If you like Taste of Home (like I do), you’ll be excited about their Free Online Meal Planning Recipe Guide.

All you have to do is buy any 2 Ziploc Brand products and enter the UPC codes at:

tasteofhome.com/ziplocfallideas

And, if you’re like me (and you found Ziploc bags in bulk on clearance at Target this summer), you may already have two Ziploc products in your drawer or pantry! I just pulled out my Ziploc sandwich bags and snack bags and entered the UPC codes at this link, receiving instant access to the recipes.

I haven’t tried the recipes yet, but what I like about this recipe book is this: They give you three recipes for each main course. So for example, you cook all the chicken (or ground beef or whatever) the first day and then you make meals with that chicken (or ground beef or whatever) for the next three days. The meals are different enough that it wouldn’t seem like the “same” meal.

Kinda makes me feel like I’m one of those incredible moms that cooks all her meals for the month in one day. . . Only I’m just cooking, well, for three meals in one day. . . But at least it’s a start!

This offer expires 1/31/10, but seriously why would you wait? You’ll want to try out these recipes right away! . . . At least . . . I do!

I would love to hear comments if anyone tries it. . . which are the best recipes??

Daniel worked till 8 tonight, and after putting the kids to bed, I remembered that I had forgotten to eat dinner.

I was starving.

Inspired by pictures of home-grown tomatoes on Suzanne’s blog, a menu for a local pizza/sandwich place which was stuck in our front door, and my general food craving, I made myself a BLT.

Few sandwiches have made me happier than this sandwich did last night:

Was it the . . .

• 12-grain whole wheat bread lightly toasted . . .
• Leafy green lettuce . . .
• Crispy strips of bacon . . .
• A touch of mayo . . .
• Lush ripe red tomatoes (not home-grown, but almost could have passed for home-grown)

Maybe it was just the after-kids-bedtime peace and quiet, eating a delicious sandwich at my own pace for the first time in a lonnnng time!

And, if you’re thinking, ‘Who takes a picture of a sandwich?!’

Well . . .

. . . it was THAT good!

Seriously, what’s with all the posts about recipes and food?!?! It must be because I’m pregnant . . .

After a couple Olive Garden recipes, I needed something really simple. . .

I found the 5-Minute Southwest Layered Salad on Kraft’s website! The recipe below is copied from their site, so you don’t even have to click on the link.

Super simple. Reasonably healthy. No cooking involved (which is huge this week when it’s going to be in the 90’s every day!) And it’s actually a meatless dinner that my husband said he would enjoy having again! (I’m bookmarkin’ this one!)

5-Minute Southwest Layered Salad

I stumbled across the Olive Garden website and found that they have a bunch of their recipes posted!

I am not a huge Olive Garden fan–I mean, I probably could be, since Italian food is my top favorite–if it weren’t for Macaroni Grill! But since Olive Garden’s prices are really not much cheaper than Macaroni Grill (and since the entire Macaroni Grill experience is far superior), I just don’t go to Olive Garden very often.

But if you’re talking about my home-made Italian food vs. Olive Garden’s? I’ll go with Olive Garden! I’m trying to cook economically, and we’re trying not to eat out. But I want to try once a week to make something a little tastier, a little fancier–even a little more expensive!

Last night we tried the Penne Romana recipe. (I used Olive Garden’s picture here, because I didn’t think of taking one until there were just leftovers. We were too hungry and too excited about eating it to think about taking pictures.)

It was fabulous!

The sauce tasted every bit as good as an Olive Garden experience–and definitely better than any Italian dish I’ve made at home previously!

This would be great paired with some Italian Bread and a Caesar salad–although we enjoyed it immensely as a one-dish meal.

I should mention that the prep time of 15 minutes must assume that you already have 4 cups of pasta prepared, 2 cups of beans blanched and your onions already pre-chopped. Or maybe they just didn’t factor in caring for two toddlers while you’re cooking, because I was in–and out of–the kitchen over an hour before it was ready.

It is a meatless recipe, and my husband really really prefers meat in his meals, so I added 1-1/2 lbs of chicken cut in 1-1/2 inch pieces (dredged in 3/4 cu. flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, and sauted in 3 tbsp olive oil seven minutes). It would have been great with or without the chicken.

Adding the chicken really increased the quantity as well. The recipes says it is four servings, but we will probably get 2-3 more meals out of this, and we were stuffed after we ate!

We loved it! We’ll make it again!

In fact, if you come over, it just might be one of the meals we serve company!

I will be trying more Olive Garden recipes in the next few weeks, and I’ll let you know how they turn out!