You’ll need:

1 Apple
1 Mango
2 bananas
Grapes
Yogurt (32 oz container, used roughly half)
Granola

How to:

Simply cut the bananas in thin slices and throw in your bowl. The apples can be cut into slices and then diced. Grapes, wash as many as you like and toss in. Mangoes can also be sliced and then diced, but beware, my pinky can tell you they are not very nice about you cutting them up.

Next, add your yogurt, whatever flavor you want, and mix until evenly coated. Toss in the granola for a crunch and mix it in. Add more yogurt if you need to. Everything should have a nice even coating of yogurt that shouldn’t take away from any of the flavors. Refrigerate until you’re ready to pull it out for a snack or dessert.

This can also be made on a smaller scale. This made more than 4 regular servings. Granola does get mushy after awhile, but you can always throw fresh in or just add it when you’re ready to serve it.

Variations:

Try adding in strawberries and other fruit. Experiment with using a different flavor of yogurt and different types of granola.

You’ll need:

Ham for dicing (I used some turkey ham)
Salami (to shred)
Butter
Tomato sauce (2 cans or 1 can sauce and 1 can paste)
Vegetables (to go in your sauce or use vegetable seasoning)
Shredded cheese (whatever you like, I used 3 cheese with a touch of Philadelphia cream cheese)
Parmesan cheese
Lasagna noodles

How to:

Preheat your oven for 400°F. I used a 13×9 pan and needed 6 lasagna noodles for top and bottom. Obviously you can make as many layers as you like, I just did the one. So boil your noodles and set your bottom layer down.

For the filling, I diced up 2 slices of the turkey ham I had on hand. I took a small sauce pot, threw in some butter to melt, and tossed in my meat. I shredded some sliced salami I had on hand and tossed that in after. Next, I added some vegetable seasoning and a bit more minced onion. You can dice up some onions and peppers to be sauteed in with them, I just didn’t have any. Or you can cheat and throw in a jar of veggie spaghetti sauce. I didn’t have that either. So when you’re pleased with the outcome of meat and possibly veggies, throw in a can of tomato sauce to be mixed in and heated. As I mixed, I added in some more seasoning and some salt and pepper. I had the no salt tomato sauce so salt was definitely needed. I prepared about a half a cup of Parmesan cheese and tossed it in the mix. When you’re satisfied with your filling, take it off the heat and let it thicken a bit.

Now the assembly. With your bottom noodles laid down, spoon your filling on top and spread it around. I sprinkled some more Parmesan cheese on top before laying down my top, or your lining for another layer. If doing more layers, just repeat.

Finally the topping, I didn’t have another can of tomato sauce so I had to improvise with a can of tomato paste. I thinned it out with some water and added my veggie seasoning. Again, you can use a jar of tomato sauce for this. Spoon that on top of the noodles and spread it out. Next is the best part. Sprinkle your shredded cheese all over the top. I threw in some more Parmesan cheese for good measure too.

Now pop that in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400°F to warm it through and melt the cheese. Take it out and enjoy after.

That would be the bottom noodle that slid out from the bottom in the lower left corner.

You’ll need:

1 egg
1 tbs. water
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar (I found it too sweet and went down to a 1/4 tsp. and thought it was perfect)
Oil or non-stick cooking spray

Mix the first four ingredients together. Heat a pan that you have thinly coated the bottom with oil or a non-stick spray. When you can flick some water in the pan and it evaporates on contact, pour the egg mixture in. Stir gently until it’s half set. Fold it in half and neatly tuck in the side. Then fold the top and bottom in. Press down to make sure it’s sealed. Before it can brown too much, remove from the heat. Cut it in half and you should see the nice flaky layers.

Really easy and yummy. They use bonito flakes, something I’ll never have on hand most likely, but I intend to experiment with some other things for flavor adding.

You’ll need:

Pasta of some kind (I used Rotini this time)
Can of diced tomatoes
Ham
Shredded cheese
Italian dressing
Mayo (I used the Olive Oil kind)
Salt (I used Sea Salt)

What to do:

Boil your chosen pasta. You can season it with salt if you choose. While the pasta boils, chop your ham up. You can use actual tomatoes, but if cheap like me, a can also works. So if you bought actual tomatoes, dice those up now.

Once your pasta is done, drain it and throw it in a bowl. Throw the ham in on top and mix well. Next, throw in your tomato, fresh or canned, and mix it well too. If you’d like some shredded cheese in there while the pasta is hot, now is the time to toss it in and mix.

Now for the dressing. If you like the Italian salad dressing as it is, go for it. I wanted it a little more creamy personally. In a small bowl, add in the desired amount of dressing. Now just add small spoonfuls of mayo and mix until there are no clumps left. It all depends on how much you use and how creamy you want it to be. Once you have it mixed to your desired level, start pouring it in and mixing evenly. If you didn’t add salt before, you can sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top to mix in as well.

Once that’s done, enjoy!

You can always add in peppers or pickles, but this is what I happened to have on hand at the time to make a filling meal out of it. Also, I never say how much I use because really, it’s up to you on how you want to make it. If you want a big bowl of pasta, use as much as you need. If you’re making a small individual serving, you know what you need. It’s all about making it how you want it to be for you. I just give you the basic concept of it.

Cheap and easy is the way to go.

You’ll need:
Beef tips (I cheated and used steak ‘ums meat)
Butter
Flour
Water
Guinness (flat preferably, I did it with fresh)
Bread (I used potato bread)

Prepare your beef tips or if you’re a broke college student like me, your steak ‘ums meat. Once it’s done, set it aside and start the gravy.

In a small saucepan, melt your butter, I did a tablespoon for what I had to work with. Once melted, add a tablespoon of flour to start thickening it. I’ve been told to try a 1:1 ratio of water to Guinness because my straight Guinness attempt is pretty strong along with being fresh instead of flat.

Once the gravy is thick enough to your liking, toss the meat in and mix it up. Let it simmer and heat through. Toast your bread of choice and once heated, spoon the meat and gravy combo on top.

Enjoy!

Open Face Beef Tips with Guinness Gravy

You’ll need:

Elbow noodles (or whatever your favorite might be)
Butter
Milk
Cream cheese
American cheese (can be substituted)
Parmesan cheese

Start by boiling your noodles to get them soft.

In a small saucepan, start by melting some butter. I guesstimated all my ingredients for the record so it depends on how much pasta you make and how covered you want it to be. Next, add your cream cheese and milk. You don’t want to add a lot of milk, but enough to make sure your cream cheese gets creamy and smooth. Once it’s all smooth, you can start adding your American cheese slices or Pepperjack, or whatever you choose to use. Break them up into little pieces and melt them in. Once melted in, you can add Parmesan cheese to the mix or wait to sprinkle on after.

Once it thickens a bit and you have your noodles drained, return the noodles to the pot and start adding in your cheese sauce. You can add a bit at a time and mix it to ensure maximum coverage. Once all the noodles have been covered, serve and if you chose to wait on the Parmesan cheese, add it on now and enjoy!

You can also just mix up the cheese sauce and use it on other things if you desire like a cheesy baked potato or broccoli and cheese.

You need:
Sausage links
Maple syrup

How to:
You can cook the sausage links however you like. If you want to fry them, you can use oil or butter depending on what kind you have. You can do them in the oven if that’s what you want. Next, use a pot that they will all fit in and toss them in. I guesstimated the amount of maple syrup, but as I poured, I made sure most of the sausages were coated. Turn the heat up on the pan and start swirling and coating them thoroughly. Once the syrup starts to boil, it starts to really grip and stay on the sausages. Let it boil for a few minutes while continuing to stir and swirl the sausages in it. When you take them out of the pot and plate them, pour the excess bubbly syrup on top for extra glaze.

This is perfect for anytime. I made it for dinner, but you could have it at breakfast, lunch, or even as a snack. You can even expand on this like making pancakes and wrapping up a sausage or two in it depending on the size. You have the idea now, go make it your own thing.

You need:
Can of Manwich Sloppy Joe (whichever one you prefer, I used original)
Bread (french is probably sturdier)
Cheese (whatever you want to use, I prefer shredded mozzarella)
Any extra toppings you want like pepperoni

First you need to warm up the manwich. You can either throw it in a dish in the microwave or put it in a pan on the stove like I did. Once it is warm, spread a good amount on the bread. How much you put on there is up to you. If you like thin sauce, just put enough to cover the bread or if you want a lot, spread it on thick. Next, put any extra toppings you want on it like pepperoni. Once all your toppings are situated, add a nice layer of cheese and toss it in the microwave for about a minute or until the cheese starts to melt.

Sloppy joe sauce gives you a thicker tomato sauce than marinara and also has onions and bell peppers in it for a supreme style bread pizza. Placing extra toppings under the cheese allows the melted cheese to secure them and prevent them from just falling off. Regular bread works well, but it can become soggy after the microwave. As an alternative, you could place it in the oven or toaster oven to crisp up the bread and possibly prevent the sogginess. I have not tried this though.

Sloppy Joe Pizza Bread

You need:
4 hot dogs (at least)
1 can/bottle beer of choice
Casserole dish
Sauerkraut (optional)

I used a bread loaf dish to place the hot dogs in since it would allow the beer to cover them completely. Once your hot dogs are placed, pour in your beer of choice, cover, and microwave for 6-8 minutes.  Once heated thoroughly, place in a bun and top with warmed sauerkraut.

It was by far the juiciest hot dog I’ve ever eaten.

I used:
Hebrew National hot dogs
Sam Adams Noble Pils
Bread loaf dish
Quart sized plastic bag with the zipper cut off and cut down the sides to be used as a cover

This recipe is courtesy of The Beer Lover’s Cookbook. I wish I could say I thought of it first, but alas, I did not.

You’ll need:
4 thawed Chicken Breasts
1 pack of taco seasoning (I used Old El Paso brand)
Cholula Hot Sauce (or your favorite)
Salt
Tortillas
Shredded Cheese
4 slices of Pepper Jack Cheese
1 stick of Butter

Dip:
Ranch
Cholula
Chili Powder

How to:

Start by boiling the chicken in a pot. I filled the pot at least halfway with water and added my taco seasoning pack to it and the chicken. The chicken may take awhile and I didn’t time it. I let it go and pick a thick piece to pull out and cut into the center to make sure there’s no pink to know it’s done.

When the chicken is done, take them from the pot and start slicing into small chunks to be shredded. You can leave it as chunks if you like or a mix. Toss the chicken into a bowl and start adding your hot sauce of choice. I used Cholula as it gives good flavor as well as heat. You’re just looking for a nice coating on the chicken for flavor. Add salt to taste.

Now, get your pan heating up and once it’s hot, take the stick of butter, peel the foil back, and just rub the butter in the pan. *Easy tip for buttering pans instead of taking a piece of butter and moving it all over the pan* Toss your tortilla in and with the slightly still melty stick of butter, rub some onto the tortilla. Start with your shredded cheese and placing it on one half of the tortilla. Layer some chicken on top, with another layer of shredded cheese after, and for an extra kick, break a slice of pepper jack in half and place on top. With a spatula, take the empty half of the quesadilla and fold it on top. Make sure to squish it down and seal it with the melty cheese. After a couple minutes, flip and let it sizzle on the other side to ensure melty cheesy goodness. Once, done, pop on a plate and repeat the process 3 more times as 4 chicken breasts should yield 4 quesadllas.

For your sauce:

Start with a good bit of ranch, I’d say I used about 1/3 cup. Add in some cholula or your favorite hot sauce and stir. Next, add about a half teaspoon of chili powder and mix. After that, add a little more of what you need for your taste.

And that’s all you need for your own homemade Southwestern quesadilla. Enjoy!

Southwest Quesadilla with Southwest Ranch (not pictured)