Black Bean & Zucchini Quesadillas

It’s no secret that kids love quesadillas. They are a small, bite-sized, and a fun little shape. They are also fun to make if you want to get their help in the kitchen! This recipe is perfect for a hot summer night when you’re tired of meat-filled meals and need something a little lighter on the menu.

Black Bean & Zucchini Quesadillas

What You Need:

2 pounds zucchini, grated
30 oz canned black beans, drained
12 oz Monterey Jack, grated
2 green onions, chopped
1 jalapeño, minced (optional)
8 eight-inch flour tortillas
olive oil

Fix It Fast:

1. Combine zucchini, beans, green onions, and jalapenos in a bowl. Toss well and set aside.

2. Brush one side of each tortilla with oil. Place four tortillas oil side down and spread each with one fourth of the zucchini-bean mixture. Top each one with an oil-side-up tortilla.

3. Place one quesadilla in a frying pan and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side, until golden.

(you can also add other veggies like corn or tomatoes to the quesadillas if you choose!)

Serve with chips and salsa, corn, spanish rice, and cornbread muffins.

Creating a Marvelous Memorial Day Menu

1. In ungreased 3-quart microwavable bowl, mix frozen potatoes and water; spread evenly in bowl. Cover tightly with microwavable plastic wrap. Microwave on High 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are hot and tender, stirring once halfway through cooking.
2. Add vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper to hot potatoes; mix well. Spread evenly in bowl. Cover, refrigerate at least 5 hours or until completely cold.
3. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, place eggs in single layer. Add enough water to cover eggs by 1 inch. Heat to boiling. Immediately remove from heat; cover and let stand 15 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water. Place eggs in bowl of ice water; let stand 10 minutes. Drain. Peel eggs. Reserve 1 egg for garnish; chop remaining 4 eggs.
4. Stir mayonnaise into cold potato mixture. Add celery, onion and chopped eggs; toss gently to mix. Spoon mixture into large serving bowl. Slice reserved hard-cooked egg; arrange on top of salad. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Serves 16

Raspberry Sweet Tea

For your nonalcoholic drinkers this is a yummy, refreshing tea to serve up with your Memorial Day menu.

What You’ll Need:

4 quarts water

Sugar substitute equivalent to 1 cup sugar

10 individual tea bags

1 package (12 ounces) frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed and undrained

3 tablespoons lime juice

Fix it Fast:

1.In a large saucepan, bring 2 qts. of water to a boil. Stir in sugar substitute until dissolved. Remove from the heat.

2. Add tea bags; steep for 5-8 minutes. Discard tea bags.

3. In another saucepan, bring raspberries and remaining water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Strain and discard pulp. Add raspberry juice and lime juice to the tea.

4. Transfer tea to pitcher and refrigerate until chilled. Serves 15

Super Duper Strawberry Shortcake

Top off your meal with this delicious shortcake!

What You’ll Need:

1 quart fresh strawberries (or more if you like)
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping
1 (14 ounce) angel food cake, cut into cubes (make it easy and buy the cake already made!)

Fix it Fast:

1. Wash, stem, and cut strawberries in half.
2. Add sugar; toss and mix well.
3. Chill.
4. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar well.
5. Fold in whipped topping and cake cubes.
6. Spread cake into an ungreased 13×9 dish.
7. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
8. Cut cake into squares and top with strawberries (add blueberries and whip cream too!).

Serves 12

Do you have a great recipe you’re cooking up for the long weekend? We’d love to hear about it. Leave us a comment!

What We Love Right Now March 2, 2011: St. Patrick’s Day Simple

Keep it Irish easy this St. Patrick’s Day with these simple green crafting and cooking ideas.

Super Simple Shepards Pie

Prep Time: 10 min

Ready in: 30 min.

What you need:
1 lb. ground beef
8 med. green onions (about 1 cup)
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 can mexi-corn mix, drained
1 can (4 oz.) green chillies, undrained
1 package of instant mashed potatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup corn chips

Fix it fast:
1. Cook ground beef and onions in a 10 in. skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until beef is brown. Drain well.
2. Stir in barbeque sauce, 3/4 cup of corn and chilies. Heat to a boil, then reduce heat to stay warm.
3. Cook potatoes according to package (you’ll need milk, butter, and water) and stir in remaining onion and corn. Let stand at least 5 min.
4. Spoon potatoes onto center of beef mixture, leaving 2 1/2- to 3-inch rim around edge of skillet; sprinkle cheese over potatoes and beef mixture. Cover and let stand about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle corn chips around edge of skillet.

Easy No Bake Cookies

Get your kids in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit with these super fast no-bake treats. Just pick up a package of soft-baked sugar cookies and press out shamrocks with a  cookie cutter. Add a bit of color by pressing green sprinkles onto the cookies, and you’re done! Or grab some premade sugar cookie mix, roll out the dough, bake and ice together!

Cereal Rainbow

For this super easy craft all you need is a box of Fruit Loops, glue and construction. Then, let your child get to work on the colors of the rainbow by making a rainbow with the colored loops!

Throw a Party

Feelin’ lucky? Then throw a super fun party for this holiday. For decorations make some four leaf clovers. All you need a green construction paper, glue, and glitter (or another add ons you’d like). Cut the construction paper into into four small hearts and a stem and arrange into a clover. Then add on your in, glitter, etc.

For decor use different shades of green balloons and maybe some gold or yellow too. Hang some rainbow streamer and use fun green or gold paper products to serve up your treats. As a party craft for the kids, make rainbow mobiles. All you’ll need are wire hangers, multi-colored construction paper, markers or crayons, glue and yarn. Make the rainbow as your “anchor” then hang different charms from your rainbow with the yarn (think Lucky Charms marshmellow shapes).

Serve up the greens: For food think greens and yellows-celery, cucumbers, and green pepper served with dip. For a sweet treat whip up some cupcakes (according to package) and just add a few drops of green food coloring for a fun baked treat. Add green food coloring to white icing to top the cupcakes or use white icing with green or rainbow sprinkles.

What We Love Right Now January 5, 2011: Scrumpcious and Simple $5 Dinners

Just this morning on The Today Show there was a segment on not getting enough product for your buck these days. Many brands have downsized the amount of product you purchase without reducing the price of the product. A few ladies were interviewed, some Moms, who said their dollar just wasn’t going as far anymore. With our economy still in recession mode, many families are looking for ways to make their groceries for the week last and feed their growing families for less. What we love this week are these yummy $5 dinners.  Why? They are delicious and go well with salad, rolls, rice, and other easy sides so you don’t have to stress on busy school nights or when you’re stuck in traffic and get home later than expected from work. If you have hungry mouths to feed, you’ll love these meals. AND, if you use coupons and hit the store sales some of these dinners will be super inexpensive.  Try them out and let us know what you think!

Do you have a $5 dinner of your own? Leave a comment and share it with other SharpMoms!

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 mozzarella 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.

Creamy Chicken Casserole

What you need:

1. 1 pk boneless skinless chicken breasts
2. 1 can cream of chicken
3. 1 small container of sour cream
4. sliced mushrooms (optional)
5. small onion, chopped (optional)
6. salt and pepper
7. bread crumbs or about 30 crushed ritz crackers (or store brand crackers)

Make it fast:

1. In a large pot boil chicken breasts until no longer pink in center.
2. In a mixing bowl combine cream of chicken, onion, mushrooms, and sour cream. Mix well.
3. Chop chicken into bit size pieces and place evenly in greased a 2 qt. baking dish.
4. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
5. Spread soup mixture on top of chicken.
6. Cover with crushed crackers or bread crumbs. (Drizzle melted butter on top, optional)
7. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and set.

Super Simple Spaghetti Bake

What you need:

1. 1 large box of spaghetti noodles
2. 1 large jar of spaghetti sauce
3. 1 lb. ground beef
4. 1 small onion
5. Mozzarella and/or Parmesan Cheese

Make it fast:

1. Boil noodles until tender.
2. In a separate pot, fry onion. Once tender add sauce and simmer on low.
3. Brown ground beef and drain. Add to sauce mixture.
4. In a large bowl combine spaghetti and sauce. Mix well.
5. Place spaghetti mix in a greased 9 x 13 dish.
6. Sprinkle with Mozzarella and/or Parmesan Cheese.
7. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated and cheese is bubbly.

Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe is very, very, very simple. Great for a busy weeknight meal or a fall-comfort-food dinner on the weekend. Prep time is about 5 minutes with a cook time of 10 minutes, serves 8.

Butternut Squash Soup

What You Need:

• 2 boxes of butternut squash soup, about 18 oz each (we suggest using something simple like the Campbell’s boxed soup version)
• 1 cup cinnamon applesauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Make it Fast:

1. In a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat, combine soup, apple sauce, ketchup, curry powder and pumpkin pie spice. Bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, if desired.