Poor Newly-weds' Goulash

I absolutely LOVE making this dish for my family. I always know it's good when my husband says "I can't wait to eat this tomorrow!"
I'm about that age when all of my friends are getting married, and there's this fun trend that I've been noticing. Sometimes the bride will request that shower guests bring recipes so she can start off her new marriage with lots of cooking options. I always give out this goulash recipe because it's so dang cheap and easy. Also, it's bound to become a favorite.

Here's what you'll need:
1 lb ground beef
about 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
about 1 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 cups pasta (I use penne because it's cheap)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can condensed tomato soup (the big one, I think a little over 10 oz)
salt
pepper
dried basil

Chop your celery an onion.

While you're doing that, cook the pasta

Awesome. But don't forget about it as you continue with the other steps (because I always never do that).

Toss the ground beef and veggies into a big skillet and get cooking.

Once there isn't any more pink in the beef, drain the excess grease. You will probably be straining the pasta around the same time.

Now it's time to dump everything together. Add the diced tomatoes (undrained), tomato soup, pasta and seasoning.

Let it simmer for about 10 minutes, and then you have delicious goulash! The best part about this recipe is that it makes a TON of food. Leftover goulash never goes bad in my house. It will always get eaten!

Open-faced phillies

This post is about me being a normal person. I screwed these babies up pretty bad, but not bad enough that they were inedible (which I have done often on occasion).
Philly sandwiches are a favorite in my family, and they are pretty easy. Here are the ingredients:
bell peppers (I used half a green and half a red to make more than enough for four sandwiches)
about half a large onion
1 lb ground beef
two french rolls, cut in half
creamy dressing (I used cesar)
sliced provolone cheese

First things first, chop up the veggies.

Then, stick 'em in a big pan with the ground beef for about 5 to 7 minutes until the beef is browned and you're pretty sure it won't poison your family. Drain the excess fat.

While the beef and veggies are cooking on top, slice your bread in half and put some dressing on it. Pop it in the broiler for about 3 minutes. (This is the part that I messed up. I forgot to put the dressing on AND left the bread in for too long!) If you don't know what a broiler is, it's the weird drawer thingy at the bottom of your oven (I found that out all by myself!)

Oh well. Now here's where it gets tasty. Add some dressing to the beef and vegetables when they're done (which should be about the same time the bread comes out). It should be about 1/4 cup.

Then, start piling the goodies onto the bread slices and cover with provolone cheese.

Put them back into the broiler for another 3 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty. Awesome! They are still delicious even when done wrong!

Being the cook that I am not, please let me know if you have any questions, or if I am doing something that might kill my family ;)

Easy Peasy Fajitas

So if you know anything about me at all, you will know that I am not a cook. I enjoy cooking, and usually end up with something delicious, but I'm still in the learn-as-you-go phase. Since this is my first post, I suppose I should say what my goal is: to help out the first-timers/poor newlyweds and share the easiest, cheapest and tastiest recipes I've come across in my measly 3 years as a wife.
The first (and probably easiest) recipe is for fajitas! It really doesn't seem fair to call it a "recipe" when there really isn't much direction to follow, but what else would you call it?

Here's what you'll need:
some bell pepper
some onion
some chicken
some tortillas

Easy right? When I cook for two, I use one chicken breast, half a bell pepper, and however much onion looks good to eat. In the pictures there are tomatoes too, but that's only because an awesome friend gave me some from her garden! I'm usually too poor/cheap to buy them from the store and too busy/lazy to grow them on my own.

Anyway, if you're like me and buy frozen boneless-skinless chicken breast (it's so dang cheap!), start by thawing the chicken. As it thaws, chop up your veggies.

I like to keep them in large chunks for crunch-ability.
Now it's time to get started on the chicken. Cut it into as close to cube shapes as possible (chopping is not my forte).

Close enough. Toss it into a giant oiled pan.

I like to use Pappy's Fajitas Spice to season the chicken. Use a LOT.
After you chicken is almost cooked through, add your veggies.

They make an awesome sizzling sound that makes me feel like I'm really a good cook!
Let it sizzle for a bit until the onion and bell pepper look a little softer, and there you have it! Delicious fajitas!

I served it with some rice that I popped in the rice cooker at the beginning. My cooker keeps burning the rice on the bottom, even if I add extra water. Any suggestions?
Like I said before, I'm not really a cook so if you have any suggestions, or if I'm doing something that might kill me and my family, please let me know!