Pork Chops and Apples

Very yummy and very easy!

1 medium green apple
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Pork chops

Heat oven to 350. Peel apple and cut into wedges. Place in the casserole dish. Sptinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the apples. Spray skillet with cooking spray and cook pork chops in hot skillet baout 5 minutes, turning once until light brown. Place the porkchops in a single layer on the apple wedges. Cover with lid or foil and bake 45 minutes.

Chunky Drop Cookies

I made these with a friend the other day. I thought they were pretty good. I was intrigued that they had pretzels in them. I didn't add the raisins.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla
2.5 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
2 cups halved pretzel sticks
1 cup coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1 cup raisins

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour and baking powder. Gradually add to creamed mixtrue. Stir in pretzels, peanuts, chocolate chunks, and raisins.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-14 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Yield about 6.5 dozen.

Asian Pasta Salad

Mom gave me this recipe and I made it for book club. It was a big hit!

Cook 16 oz bowtie pasta.

Dressing
1/2 C canola oil
2/3 C teriyaki sauce
1/2 C white wine vinegar
4 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Salad
1/2 bag spinach
1 C craisins
2 cans mandarin oranges (drained)
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch cilantro chopped
1/4 C toasted sesame seeds
1 ...C honey roasted peanuts
2 C cooked chicken (or leave this out for a lighter salad)

Mix dressing and pasta. Chill for at least 4 hours. Add and toss the rest together before serving.Read More48 seconds ago · Comment · Like / Unlike · Report

Cafe Rio Pork

1 pork loin or 4 chicken breasts
2 cans jalapeno El Pato sauce (green can)
1 c brown sugar
a dash of cumin
Sprinkle pepper and garlic salt

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook for 6-8 hours. Shred and serve


Tomatillo Dressing

Mix in blender:

1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1 c mayo (I used fat free)
1 c chopped cilantro
2 crushed garlic cloves
3 tomatillos - peel off paper and chop fine (I only used one-- I think they're kind of spicy)
1/2 c buttermilk

Lime Rice

1 c minute rice
2 c water
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1 lime
1/4 bunch cilantro
1/2 tsp dried onion
1 tsp oil

Combine in a sauce pan and cover with a lid. Simmer until all the liquid is cooked out. Stir occasionally.

Chicken Tetrazzini

1 package (7 ounces) spaghetti, broken into thirds or pasta
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 350
2. Cook spaghetti
3. While spaghetti is cooking, melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantyl until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and whipping cream. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.
4. Drain spaghetti. Stir spaghetti, lemon juice, and mushrooms into sauce.
5. Pour spaghetti mixture into ungreased 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until bubbly in center.

Lighter Chicken Tetrazzini:
Decrease butter to 2 tbsp. and Paremesan cheese to 1/4 cup; substitute fat-free milk for the whipping cream.

I used fresh mushrooms and did the healthier substitutions. I thought it was pretty good. I tried this at a friend's house the regular way. It was really good and she put in shrimp instead of chicken and mushrooms. She also added some nuts to make it crunchy.

Rice Krispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 butter flavor CRISCO Sticks or 1 1/2 cups Butter flavor Crisco all vegetable shortening (I actually use 1 and 1/2 sticks of butter because I don't buy CRISCO)
2 C firmly packed brown sugar2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 C all purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 C Oats(Old Fashioned, uncooked)
2 C crisp rice cereal
1 C shredded coconut ( I don't put it in because I don't have it around maybe it would be good)
1 C chopped walnuts (I don't put in because I never know who is allergic, probably yummy if you like nuts which I do)
2 C (12-ounce Package) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine Butter Flavor CRISCO, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat on medium speed of electric mixer until well blended.Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add gradually to creamed mixture at low speed. Stir in oats, rice cereal, coconut, nuts, and chocolate chips with spoon. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly brown and just set in the center. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet before removing.

Cranberry Apple Harvest Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1 large egg

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

¾ cup coarsely chopped fresh cranberries

¾ cup peeled and chopped apple

½ cup diced Calimyrna figs (or dried figs, or raisins)

6 tbsp. packed brown sugar

6 tbsp. granulated sugar

Directions:Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and giner; whisk together. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add in the milk, egg and melted butter. Stir quickly just to combine. Add the cranberries, apples, figs and both sugars to the bowl. Stir just enough to distribute the fruits and sugars evenly throughout the batter.

Divide the batter evenly between the paper liners. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until browned on the top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad

I would also like to call this "Party in Your Mouth." It is so good. This is like the salad I always got at CPK. It is very easy and can vary depending on what you like. Looks like a lot of ingredients but you don't have to use them all.

Corn
Chicken
BBQ Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's)
Limes
Light Ranch Dressing
Romaine Lettuce
Cilantro
Jicama
Black Beans
Tomato
Cheese
Crushed Tortilla Chips
Avocado
Green Onions

Preparing chicken: Sprinkle pepper on chicken and cook in lightly oiled cooking pan. Cut into 1-inch chunks when cooked through and mix with BBQ sauce.

Squeeze limes and mix the juice with ranch dressing.

Put a little of this on top of a little of that and voila!

Healthy Banana Cookies

Found this recipe online while looking for something else to do with ripe bananas besides bread. This is what I found. From the reviews they are delicious. Mine are about to bake but I wanted to put this on so I don't forget. I'll let you know if it bombs or if it is bomb.

INGREDIENTS
3 ripe bananas
2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup vegetable oil (applesauce)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional:
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Dried Fruit

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in oats, dates, oil, and vanilla. Mix well, and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown.

Mom's Dinner Rolls

2 pkg dry yeast
1-1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2-1/2 Tbsp butter (softened)
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup powdered milk
4 cups bread flour

Bread Machine: Put all ingredients in bread machine on dough cycle. Mix and let rise.

Kitchen Aid: Add yeast to warm water. Add sugar. Stir slightly and let sit a few minutes. Add slightly beaten egg and softened (not hot) butter. With bread hook, mix. Gradually add dry ingredients. When completely mixed, let rise to double.

Divide into two parts. Using flour on pastry sheets, roll each half into circle and cut into 12 triangles. Roll up in crescent shape. Place on parchment paper on pan. Let rise again about 30 minutes (optional). Bake 350 about 20 minutes.

Reception Sugar Cookies (Carolyn Mano/Sue Lyon)

1-1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
5 cups flour

Cream shortening, sugar, eggs, vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Roll 1/4" thick and bake on lightly greased pan (or parchment). Bake 350 for ten minutes.

Frosting:

1/2 cube butter (softened)
1 tsp vanilla (regular for colored frosting; clear vanilla for white frosting)
1 box powdered sugar
Small amount of milk (to make creamy)

Mom's Banana Nut Bread

1/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Blend oil, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Add remaining dry ingredients. Then add

2/3 cup mashed bananas (about 2-3)
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Bake 350 til browned on top and toothpick comes out clean.

Nutella Cupcakes

Use any cake mix to make cupcakes. (I've tried yellow and chocolate and both were delicious.) You can either 1) drop a little scoop of nutella in each before baking or 2) wait until the cupcakes are baked and cut out a little piece and fill in the hole with nutella put the cut out piece back on top. Here is the frosting:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy Nutella
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
toasted hazelnuts for garnish (optional)

Place the confectioners' sugar, Nutella, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.*I doubled the cupcake recipe and that made a perfect number for the amount of frosting. If you want 12 cupcakes, you will have extra icing - I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding another use for it like licking the beaters, dipping crackers, etc.

Italian Supreme Calzones

Ingredients:

½ batch perfect pizza crust

2 links Italian sausage, removed from casings

½ medium yellow onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

4 oz. sliced mushrooms, chopped

Sliced black olives

Red pepper flakes

10 slices pepperoni, chopped

Shredded mozzarella cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tbsp. water for egg wash

Pizza sauce, for serving

Directions: Preheat the oven to 500° F. Place a pizza stone in the oven and let it heat for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, divide pizza dough in half on a lightly floured work surface and roll out into two rounds approximately 7-8 inches in diameter. Transfer to a piece of parchment paper about the size of your pizza stone.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, crumble the sausage and cook until browned. Transfer to a medium bowl. Return the skillet to the heat and add the chopped onion and green pepper. Sauté briefly, about 3 minutes. Mix in the slices mushrooms and sauté a few minutes more. Transfer the veggie mixture to the bowl with the sausage. Toss in sliced black olives and red pepper flakes to taste. Mix in the chopped pepperoni.

Sprinkle one half of each dough round with a small amount of shredded mozzarella, leaving a thin border around the edge. Divide the meat and veggie mixture between the two dough rounds, on top of the mozzarella. Top with more mozzarella cheese, to taste. Fold over the remaining dough on top of the cheese and filling, pinching the free edges of dough together to seal. Brush the tops of the calzones with egg wash, transfer to the heated pizza stone and bake until browned, about 12-15 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Perfect Pizza Crust

Basic Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
½ cup warm water (about 110°)
1 envelope (2 ¼ tsp.) instant yeast
1 ¼ cups water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 ½ tsp. salt
olive oil or non-stick cooking spray for greasing the bowl

Directions:
Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room temperature water and oil and stir to combine.

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed. Slowly add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass forms. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate it.

To bake, place a pizza stone in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 500° for at least 30 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form both pieces of dough into smooth, round balls and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes.

Working with one piece of dough and keeping the other covered, shape the dough and transfer to a pizza peel or round of parchment dusted with semolina or cornmeal. Top as desired. Slide the dough onto the pizza stone. Bake until the crust edges brown and cheese is golden brown in spots, about 8 to 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining ball of dough or freeze for later use.

Roasted Vegetables

I made the best vegetables last night!

Cut up vegetables into 1 inch pieces. I used:

3 large carrots
1 potato
1/2 butternut squash
1 zucchini
Handful Green Beans
1/2 onion

You can use whatever veggies you like/have.

Chop up 2 garlic cloves. Coat with olive oil.. just enough for everything to be covered. Salt and pepper the mixture. Add any other herbs you like.

Either roast in the oven in a casserole dish for 1 hr on 400 degrees, or use the barbeque. If you're going to do that, put the veggies in an aluminum cake pan. Place pan on the grill and barbeque until everything is cooked (about 45 minutes). Stir occasionally.

Spicy Chicken Skillet

What you need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can Mexicorn, undrained
1/2 cup Salsa (I usually eyeball this one and adjust depending on how spicy you want it!)
2 cups hot cooked rice

Mix chili powder and pepper together. Sprinkle over chicken breasts. Cut chicken into cubes. Cook chicken in skillet 8-10 minutes. Stir in beans, corn, and salsa. Heat until boiling. Reduce to simmer. Serve with rice.

Super easy and delicious!!

Mexica Corn Chowder

This is so yummy! Bryce really loves it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts (3-4), cut into bite size pieces

1/2 c. chopped onions

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

3 TBSP butter

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 c. hot water

1/2-1 tsp ground cumin

2 c. half & half (can substitute milk for lighter soup...or do part milk and the part h&h)

2 c. Monterey Jack cheese/ or cheddar

1- 14 oz can cream style corn

1- 4 oz. can diced green chilies (don't drain)

1/4 tsp Tobasco sauce

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 c. cherry tomatoes, cut into slices

DIRECTIONS:

Brown the chicken, butter, garlic, and onion in large pot.

Dissolve bouillon cubes in 1 c. hot water - I made a roux with this and added it because I like it more creamy.

Add water mixture and cumin into pan w/ chicken

Cover and simmer for 5 minutes

Add half&half, cheese, chilies, and corn...Cook on LOW until cheese is meltedStir in cilantro and tomatoes before serving.

Chicken Parmesan

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
7 ounces seasoned bread crumbs
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces pasta sauce
6 slices Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Pour beaten eggs into a shallow dish or bowl. In another shallow dish or bowl, mix together the grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Dip chicken breasts into beaten egg, then into bread crumb mixture to coat.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add coated chicken and saute for about 8 to 10 minutes each side, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Pour tomato sauce into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add chicken, then place a slice of Monterey Jack cheese over each breast, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

(I used cheddar cheese instead of monterey jack. I also just estimate the amount of parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. And I have only done 2 chicken breasts at a time. I serve this over spaghetti noodles and it is delish.)

Coffee Cake

¼ cup margarine
¾ cup sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1½ cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons margarine
½ cup walnuts or pecans, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9" x 9" pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bown, cream margarine and sugar; beat in egg. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in vanilla. Pour blended mixture into prepared pan.

To make topping: In a small bowl, mix together sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or fork. Spoon

half over batter and swirl. Spoon remaining topping over batter and sprinkle with nuts. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.