Food for Thought

Ashlie will appreciate this blog. She knows I have an addiction to cook books and new recipes. I get very bored very quickly with the same food week after week. I'm always looking for something new to cook. Ben is very agreeable to this as well. He loves to randomly pick a recipe and we'll give it one shot. If it's a keeper, then I type it up in my recipe book and we have a collection of all our favorites. The other night I decided to plan out the weeks meals and found two new recipes. We love them both and they are SUPER simple so I wanted to share them with you all.

Cheddar Chicken & Rice Skillet

What You Need

1/2 cup KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Dressing

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked

1-1/4 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 green pepper, cut into strips

1-1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup sliced green onions

HEAT dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 2 min.

STIR in rice, broth and peppers. Bring to boil; cover. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender. Let stand covered, 5 min. or until liquid is absorbed.

ADD tomatoes, cheese and onions; stir until blended.

Marvelous Mini Meatloaves

What You Need

Take 1 lb. extra-lean ground beef, 1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix and 1 cup water and mix & match your recipe from these options...

seasoning options	add-in choices	cheese possibilities
1 tsp. Italian seasoning	spaghetti sauce	KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2 tsp. chili powder	TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa	KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves	chopped roasted red peppers	ATHENOS Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder	KRAFT or BULL'S-EYE Original Barbecue Sauce	KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Then follow our 3 simple steps:

HEAT oven to 375°F. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water and seasoning until well blended. Press into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray.

MAKE indentation in center of each with back of spoon; fill evenly with 3/4 cup add-ins.

BAKE 30 min. or until meatloaves are done (160°F). Top with 3/4 cup cheese; bake 5 min. or until melted. Let stand 10 min.

TACO BELL® and HOME ORIGINALS® are trademarks owned and licensed by Taco Bell Corp.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Serving Suggestion

Serve with a hot baked potato and steamed seasonal fresh vegetables.

Make Ahead

Bake meatloaves as directed. Remove from muffin cups; cool completely. Place in single layer on baking sheet; freeze 1 hour. Transfer to airtight container. Store in freezer up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator, then reheat in 375°F-oven 20 min. or until heated through.

Special Extra

For a little kick, add 2 Tbsp. A.1. Original Steak Sauce to meat mixture before pressing into muffin cups as directed.