Ole! Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at home!

Let’s face it: Cinco de Mayo falls on a weeknight, some of us work, and sitters will be hard to come by. Celebrate with your family at home! We’ve got a yummy, super easy Cinco de Mayo recipe that is sure to please the whole family! Don’t forget to pick up a pinata and some sombreros at the party store for some extra family fun.

Burrito Supreme-o

What I Need:

-1/2 lb. ground beef

-1 15 oz can spicy chili beans, undrained

-1 tsp ground cumin

-4 10 in. flour tortillas

-2 1/2 cups shredded Mexican chees blend

-1 cup mild taco sauce

-3/4 cup sour cream

-shredded lettuce if desired

Fix it Fast:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 15×10x1-inch pan with cooking spray.

2. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat until well browned. Drain. Add chili beans and cumin; mix well.

3. Place tortillas, overlapping, down one side of pan. Spoon beef mixture down center of tortillas; sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.

4. Roll tortillas over sausage mixture to create 1 large burrito, seam side down. Spoon taco sauce over burrito; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

5. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until hot. To serve, cut burrito into slices. Serve with sour cream.

Super Simple Rotisserie Chicken Recipe

A simple supper recipe for busy Moms. It’s sure to be a hit with the whole family!

Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad

What you need:

One Rotisserie Chicken from your local grocery store

One box of Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad Pasta Salad mix

Grape tomatoes

Fix it fast:

Cook Suddenly Salad according to package.

Add shredded rotisserie chicken and tomatoes to salad.

Mix well and serve.

Ham and Bean Bake

Put your holiday left overs to good use with this delicious ham and bean recipe.

What you need:

2 cups diced cooked ham

1 cup barbeque sauce

1 meduim onion, chopped

1 can, 15 oz, great northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 can, 15 oz, dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can, 15 oz, black beans, drained and rinsed

2 pouches (6.5 oz each) cornbread/muffin mix

2/3 cup milk

1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted

2 eggs

Fix it fast:

1. Heat over to 400 and spray a 13×9 glass cooking dish.

2. In a sauce pan heat ham, barbeque sauce, onion and beans, stirring occassionaly until fully heated. Pour into baking dish.

Serves abvout 8, Prep time: 15 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes

Cowboy Stew

Pony up and try this super easy beef stew supper that is sure to warm up your family and fill their tummies!

What you need:

1-1.5 lbs. beef stew meat

4-8 potatos, peeled and cubed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 28 oz. can of homestyle baked beans

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fix it Fast:

In a large crock pot mix potatos, onion, and beef. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Evenly top mixture with baked beans (do not drain beans). Cook on low for 8-10 hours and enjoy!

5 dollar dinners

With the economy the way it is going, and has been, many folks are looking for cheaper dinner alternatives, especially if you have a lot of mouths to feed! SharpMoms has a few $5 dinners that you and your family will be sure to love. Try them out and let us know what you think!

Do you have a $5 dinner or your own? Leave a comment and share it with the SharpMoms community!

Mexican Rice Casserole

What you need:

1. 1 package ground beef (1-2 lbs.)
2. 1 package taco seasoning
3. 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
4. 2 cups rice
5. 1 bar cheese, shredded- blocked cheese tends to be cheaper than pre-shredded or pre-cubed!
6. 6 ears corn

Make it fast:

1. Cook 2 cups rice according to package.
2. Brown ground beef. Drain. Return to skillet, add 3/4 cup water, taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Stir thoroughly.
3. Add ground beef to rice. Put into 9×13 baking dish. Top with shredded cheese.
4. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until cheese melts.
5. Boil or grill ears of corn and serve on the side.

Pizza Wraps

What you need:

1. 6 Tortillas
2. 1/2 jar pizza sauce
3. Pepperoni
4. 1/2 Green Pepper, thinly sliced
5. 2 cups shredded mozerella cheese

Make it fast:

1. Preheat oven 350. Lay tortillas flat. Spread on pizza sauce. Layer 1-2 rows of pepperoni and sliced green peppers. Sprinkle with cheese, leaving room to roll.
2. Roll up tortillas and place snugly into 8×8 dish. Cook about 10 minutes so cheese melts.

Southwestern Mac N Cheese

What you need:

1. 8oz. package of elbow maccaroni
2. 1 cup salsa
3. 1 1/2 cups milk
4. 1 15 0z can cream-style corn
5. one can mexi-kernal corn with red and green peppers (Green Giant makes a corn variety similar to this)
6. 8 oz cheddar cheese, cubed

Make it fast:

1. Mix all ingredients except cheese in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat.
2. Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until macaroni is tender.
3. Stir in cheese until melted.

Simple Summer Salad

SharpMoms loves this recipe for a quick and easy summer salad. Why? Well, it is only 5 ingredients and can be whipped up to accompany your grilled filet, barbequed chicken or even a pasta dish.

What you need:

1. 2 medium cucumbers
2. 2-3 medium tomatos or one pack of grape tomatos
3. 1 small onion (optional)
4. 1 of each-red, yellow and green pepper
5. Zesty Italian Dressing

Make it fast:

1. Peel and slice cucumbers
2. Dice remaining ingredients
3. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and add dressing to taste. Chill and Serve.

* For an added twist add a few green olives or diced pickles.

Easy and Appealing Appetizers

Throwing a football pregame party? Having a movie night with friends in the comfort of your theater room? Enjoying a birthday celebration? These appetizers will be a big hit no matter the occassion, and, the best part, they are SharpMoms simply delicious picks!

Asparagus Wraps

If you like the classic pigs in a blanket, you’ll be a fan of these scrumptious wraps!

What you need:

1/2 pound uncooked, chilled pizza dough or Pillsbury cresent rolls dough 
8 to12 asparagus stalks, trimmed and cooked*
1 small tomato, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 ounces cheddar or mozzarella cheese, sliced

Make it fast:

1.  Heat oven to 375.
2. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces.
3. On a lightly floured surface with lightly floured hands, flatten the 4 pieces of dough to about 1/4 inch thick, approximately 2 by 5 inches.
4. Bundle 3-4 sticks of asparagus. Then cut in half lengthwise.
5. Lay each asparagus bundle along one side of a piece of dough.
6. Cover asparagus with a tomato slice, then layer cheese over it.
7. Roll dough, starting with side closest to fillings, to form the blanket, ending seam side down.
8. Line a baking sheet with foil lightly coated with olive oil or cooking spray.
9. Let blankets sit on baking sheet about 15 minutes, or until they’re room temperature.
10. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
11. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Outstanding Onion Dip

What you need: 

2 cups sweet onion, peeled and chopped
2 cups mayonnaise
2 cups Parmesan cheese

Make it fast:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. .
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, onions and cheese.
3. Pour the mixture into a 2 quart, sprayed, baking dish and bake for approximately 45 minutes, until the top is slightly brown.
4. Serve hot with buttery, round crackers or pita chips. SharpMoms likes Spicy French Rounds available at most fine markets.

Ravioli Dippers

We know ravioli is usually a dinner entree, but why not mix it up a little with this fun appetizer. SharpMoms things it’s great for kids too!

What you need:

1 pound frozen cheese ravioli, thawed
cooking oil
salt (to taste)
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

Make it fast:

1. Pat dry thawed ravioli with a paper towel.
2. Heat oil on medium heat in a large, heavy skillet to a depth of one inch.
3. Fry in batches until golden brown, with a fry-time of about 5 minutes per batch.
4. Drain well on paper toweling, salt as desired, and serve with warm marinara sauce.

You can also choose raviolis with different filling and mix up the sauces. SharpMoms likes butter garlic sauce, alfredo sauce, or spicy ranch.

Sensational Summer Recipes

Summertime seems to bring out the cook in all of us. Crisp air, sunshine, and good meals can all make summertime a little more enjoyable. Here are a few SharpMoms recipes we think your family will love.

Easy Pea-sy Pea Salad

Perfect side salad to with your grilled steaks. Makes 6 servings.

What you need:

• 1 (17 ounce) can English peas
• 2 tablespoons chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
• 1 teaspoon pimento, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
• 2 tablespoons sharp cheddar cheese, diced
• 1 egg, hard boiled and chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoon mayonnaise

Make it fast:

1. Drain peas.
2. Then, combine the next 6 ingredients on the list and mix well.
3. Add peas, eggs, and mayo and mix gently.
4. Chill throughly.

Super Simple Snack Quesadilla

This is a summertime snack that will have your kids begging “more please!” (and Moms will love it too).

What you need:

• 1 flour tortilla
• 1 cup sliced apple
• 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Fix it fast:

1. Place a layer of apple slices on tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese. Fold in half.
2. Microwave 15-20 seconds, or until cheese melts.

Grilled Talapia with Tomatos

You’ll love this recipe for talapia that you can grill, or bake in the oven.

What you need:

•  4 (6 oz. size) tilapia, whitefish or halibut fillets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large chopped seeded tomato
• 1/3 cup sliced pimento-stuffed olives
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon drained capers

Make it fast:

1. Prepare grill or heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Tear 4 large sheets of aluminum foil.
3. Put each fillet on one half of each sheet.
4. Brush 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the lemon juice evenly over fillets; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold half the foil over each fish fillet to make rectangular packets. Fold the remaining 3 edges over several times to seal.
5. For relish, mix together the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, tomatoes, olives, basil and capers; set aside. Place packets on grill over medium hot coals or on a baking sheet in the oven. Grill, covered, or bake 6 to 10 minutes, or until fish is opaque in center. Carefully open packets; transfer to plates and top with relish.

Kid Friendly Crock Pot Pizza Casserole

What you need:

• 1 med. green pepper
• 3 15 oz jars of pizza sauce
• 1 box rontini pasta
• 1 med. onion
• 1 pack pepperoni
• 1 pack of sliced mushrooms
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 lb. ground beef

Make it fast:

1. Chop onion and green pepper. Place in crock pot.
2. Add mushrooms and pepperoni to crock pot.
3. Brown meat and drain. Add to crock pot.
4. Cook pasta according to package; drain; add to crock pot.
5. Add pizza sauce to crock pot. Add cheese (according to taste). Mix vegetables, sauce, and meat well.
6. Cook on high 2 hours.

Saturday Night Simple Stir Fry

What you need:

• 1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into thin slices
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup Asian Sesame Dressing
• 1/3 cup Barbecue Sauce
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Make it fast:

1. Heat a large nonstick pan with cooking spray on medium heat. Add pork and carrots; cook approx. 5 min.; stir occasionally.
2. Stir in dressing and barbecue sauce. Stir fry 5 min. on medium heat or until carrots are crisp.
3. Add snow peas; cook 2 min.
4. Top with peanuts.

Ham and Cheddar Cheese Macaroni

What you need:

• 1 pkg. (7-1/4 oz.) Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
• 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen peas
• 12 slices Fresh Shaved Honey Ham, chopped
• 1/2 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Make it fast:

1. Prepare the macaroni dinner according to the package and add peas to the boiling water for the last two min. Then drain.
2. Stir in the ham and 1/4 cup cheddar cheese. Cook on medium heat 1-2 min. or until heated through. Be sure to stir occasionally.
3. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese.