Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Greek Chicken & Rice Skillet

1/3 cup Greek Vinaigrette Dressing
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
4 cups cut-up fresh vegetables (such as broccoli, carrots, and green pepper) about 1 lb
1 can (14 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth
2 cups Minute brown rice, uncooked
1 lemon

HEAT dressing in a large deep nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; sprinkle with oregano. Cook 5 min., stirring once. ADD vegetables and broth; simmer 5 min. stir in rice; simmer 5 min. turn off heat. Let stand, covered 5 min. or until liquid id absorbed. GRATE 1 tsp. lemon peel; sprinkle over chicken. Cut lemon into 4 wedges; serve with chicken and rice mixture.

This has a very clean taste!! I loved it. I used white rice because that is what I already had..

Monday, December 8, 2008

Topsy Turvy Taco Corn Bake

I saw this on Good Things Utah and tried it, it's pretty good even if it looks really weird!

1½ lbs ground beef
1 egg
1 TBL instant onion
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 pkg. (1.25 oz) taco seasoning
1 pkg. (8.5 oz) cornmeal muffin mix (plus ingredients on box)
Dressing:
Chopped tomatoes, avocado, green onions, cheese, black olives and sour cream

Combine beef, egg, onion, tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Spread in an even layer in the bottom of a 10 inch baking dish. Bake at 350E for 20 minutes. Prepare cornmeal muffin mix according to package direction. Spread over top of beef. Continue baking at 400E for 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let sit on counter for 10 minutes. Turn upside down on serving plate and top with dressing.

Honey mustard Sauce

1 cup mayo
1 cup Dijon mustard
¼ to ½ cup honey
cayenne pepper to taste
3 TBL lime juice
½ tsp ginger powder
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together until smooth; add more lime juice to desired consistency and honey for sweetness.

Smothered Chicken

This tastes like it is from a restaurant, my whole family loves it!!

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 TBL vegetable oil
1 small carton button mushrooms, quartered
½ - 1 lb real bacon, cut into pieces
4 plus slices of Colby jack cheese
½ cup chopped green onions
1½ cups diced tomatoes
4 TBL barbeque sauce

Pound chicken to ¼ inch thick, sprinkle with seasoning. In skillet brown chicken in oil for 4 minutes. Sauté cut up mushrooms and bacon until bacon is crispy. Drain any excess grease. Put 1 TBL BBQ sauce on top of each chicken breast and pile mushroom & bacon mixture evenly on each chicken. Top each smothered chicken with one slice of cheese. Place lid on skillet and cook until chicken juices run clear and cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes. top with diced tomatoes and chopped onions. Serve with honey mustard sauce and cheesy mashed potatoes.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

3 cups corn flakes
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. garlic powder
pinch of pepper
1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breast
¼ cup flour
2 large eggs, beaten


Cut the chicken breast into nugget sized pieces, set aside. Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly oil or coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place the corn flakes in a resealable plastic bag and crush to a fine texture using a rolling pin or the bottom of a small saucepan. Poor unto a medium sized bowl. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper to the crushed corn flakes. Place the eggs in a separate small bowl. Place the flour in a separate small bowl. To bread the chicken, coat in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in the egg, then coat well in the corn flake mixture. Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet and cook until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes.


Harmons sells chicken already pre-cut chicken, I hate touching raw chicken so I usually get those.
Also this is yummy with honey mustard (recipe to come)

Top Roman Stir Fry

1 cup each – chopped broccoli, snow peas & red peppers
½ cup each – sliced carrots & onions
Or
1 pkg. (16 oz) San Francisco style frozen veggies
3 TBL olive oil
1 2/3 cup water
2 pkgs. Top Roman Soup noodles (crushed)
Chicken or beef strips

Heat oil, add meat, and stir-fry 3-5 minutes. Add veggies and cook 1 minute. Stir in crushed noodles, season packets, and water. Cover and steam 3-5 minutes. (Can marinate beef/chicken in soy sauce and seasoned rice vinegar or teriyaki sauce and add marinade to sauce)

Oreos

Cookies:
1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
2/3 cup Crisco

Mix cake mix, eggs and Crisco together until well blended. Roll into small equal sized balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes. Put frosting between two cookies.

Frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar (may need more)
½ cup shortening
5 TBL milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together, adding more milk or powdered sugar until it's the desired spreading consistancy


If you don't want to make homemade frosting I like to use either vanilla or cream cheese and the whipped kind works best!

Chicken Enchiladas

Combine the following together:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 green onions chopped
4 oz can diced green chilies
1 cup sour cream
½ tsp. cumin
3-4 chicken breasts (halves) cooked & chopped

Spread just enough of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan to cover it. Add the chicken to about 1 cup of the sauce. Put chicken mixture in the center of each flour tortilla. Fold in 1/3’s and place flaps on the bottom of pan. Spread remaining sauce over the tortillas to completely cover. Top with grated cheese. Cook uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes.

Chicken Roll-Ups

Combine together:
3 oz cream cheese with chives
3 oz regular cream cheese
¼ cup melted butter
2 cups chopped chicken
1 cup chopped celery

2 pkgs crescent rolls
2 cups crushed seasoned bread crumbs
¼ cup melted butter

Separate crescent rolls. Add chicken mixture to center of each roll. Roll up and seal edges, dip each roll in melted butter, then roll in bread crumbs. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes. Top with chicken gravy and/or cranberry sauce.

Chicken Gravy
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ cup sour cream
1 TBL lemon juice
Mix and heat

Southwest Pasta

4 oz rotini, cooked and drained
1¾ cups chunky salsa
1 tsp. olive oil
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
2 TBL grated parmesan
1 TBL lime juice
¼ cup sour cream

Place cooked pasta in serving bowl; add salsa and toss gently; cover to keep warm. Coat a medium skillet with cooking spray; add oil. Bring to medium heat; add cumin and garlic. Sauté 30 seconds. Stir in corn and beans. Cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly heated. Add corn mixture, cilantro, cheese and lime juice to pasta. Toss and serve immediately; garnish with sour cream.

Parmesan Pasta

1 lb pasta of choice, cooked and drained
½ cup butter
1½ cups fresh grated parmesan cheese
2-3 TBL of cream

After cooking pasta according to package directions and drained, return to pan. Keep heat on medium-low and add butter, stir until butter has melted. Add cream a tablespoon at a time to help distribute cheese evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Great with garlic cheese bread!

Glazed Baby Carrots

I got this from the ranch packets, it's easy and very good

¼ cup butter
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 pkg. (16 oz.) ready to eat peeled baby carrots, cooked
1 pkg. (1 oz.) ranch salad dressing & seasoning mix

Melt butter and sugar in a large skillet. Add carrots and salad dressing mix; stir well. Cook over medium heat until hot and glazed, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Cranberry Pear Salad

A perfect salad to take to all those holiday parties...

Dressing:

½ cup sugar
2 tsp. chopped onion
½ tsp. salt
1 TBL. Poppy seed
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 TBL. Dijon Mustard
2/3 cup olive oil

Blend and chill

Salad:
1 large head romaine lettuce
½ cup craisins
1 pear, cubed
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup cashews
1 apple, cubed

Mix the salad together and pour needed amount of dressing over the top.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Turkey Picadillo Tacos

The combination of ingredients sound weird, but they are so yummy!

1 TBL vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1½ lbs. ground turkey
½ tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (11 oz.) mexicorn, drained
18 hard taco shells
Shredded lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese

Heat oven to 400°. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and crumble in the ground turkey; cook, stirring occasionally for 7-8 min or until onion is tender and turkey is no longer pink. Stir in garlic salt, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, pepper and tomato sauce. Simmer, covered for 5 minutes. Meanwhile; heat taco shells in oven for 5 min (watch carefully) add corn to turkey mixture and heat through, about 2 min. to serve spoon about 1/3 cup of filling into each taco shell. Garnish with lettuce, sour cream and cheese if desired.

Chicken & Broccoli Bake

This is one of my stable recipes! It's easy and very yummy over rice!

2 – 8 oz. pkgs. Cream cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 cup parmesan cheese (divided)
1 whole chicken, cooked & cubed
2 cups milk
½ tsp. garlic salt
2 – 10 oz. pkgs. Chopped, cooked broccoli (warmed)

Layer broccoli, then chicken in the bottom of a 9x13. Mix cream cheese, salt, milk, ½ of the parmesan and garlic salt. Heat until warmed through and mix together. Pour sauce over chicken. Top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes.

I usually half this recipe and it is a good size for Eric and I, I use 2 pieces of chicken (or one from costco) and put it in a 9x9 pan!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Cheesy Manicotti

1 pkg. (8 oz) sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 egg whites
1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 container (15 oz ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese divided
1 pkg. (8 oz) manicotti shells (14 shells) cooked, drained
2 cups spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook 5 min. on medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Beat egg whites lightly in medium bowl. Add mushrooms mixture, spinach, ricotta cheese and half of each of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese; mix well. Spoon evenly into manicotti shells. Place in 9x13-inch baking dish, sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with spaghetti sauce. Bake 40 min. or until heated through. Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese; continue baking 5 min. or until mozzarella is melted.

Down-Home Macaroni & Cheese

¼ cup butter or margarine, divided
¼ cup flour
1 cup milk
8 oz Velveeta Cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked, drained
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 RITZ crackers, crushed

Heat oven to 350°. Melt 3 TBSP. butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook 2 min., stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk; cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Add Velveeta; cook 3 min. or until melted, stirring frequently. Stir in macaroni. Spoon into 2qt casserole dish – sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with shredded cheese. Melt remaining butter toss with cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

YUM!