Honey Parmesan Pork Roast

This was Fantastic!! Try it right now! 

Last time my sauce got burnt. Next time I'll cook the pork for half and then add the sauce at the end half see if that helps. 

1 (2-3 pound) boneless pork roast
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place roast in slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the cheese, honey, soy sauce, basil, garlic,and oil; pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.
Remove meat to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice roast; serve with gravy (I also made mashed potatoes and the gravy was delicious on them!).

Pineapple Salsa Chicken

If you like fruit salsas you'll love this dinner from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. 

4-6 chicken breasts

1 can black beans, drained rinsed

1 can white beans, drained rinsed

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple

1 cup Salsa

Put all ingredients in your crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Shred chicken. Serve on tortillas with your favorite toppings. Sour cream, cheese, cilantro etc. serves 8

I cut this recipe in half. It still made a lot. I only had an 8 oz can of pineapple chunks. I drained it and threw it in the food processor for a quick buzz to make it crushed. 

Trav loves spicy food so I used half medium and half mild salsa. Turned out the perfect heat and sweet mix. 

I saved the other half cans of beans to make burritos and quesadillas for lunch tomorrow. Yum!! 

Cajun grilled chicken and Pasta

http://www.plainchicken.com/2012/01/grilled-cajun-ranch-chicken-pasta.html?m=1

Wowsa!!! We loved this meal! I made up the Cajun mix that she links to, and left my chick to marinate for several hours.
I halved the recipe and it was plenty for our family.
I didn't have any garlic, so I left it out. I really don't think it needed it. I also added the parm after the sauce had simmered a bit. My one complaint was that the sauce didn't thicken as I wish it had.

Cashew Chicken

I got this recipe from my friend Mel.  After we moved away I really craved her Cashew Chicken.

Cashew Chicken

1- 2 chicken breasts 

1 can chicken broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

1 tablespoon corn starch

¼ cup sugar

Marinate the chicken in all of the above ingredients for a few hours. 

1 cup chopped carrots (approx.) 

1 cup celery

1 package brown gravy mix 

Cashews

Cook carrots and celery in butter. It will take about 10-15 minutes for them to get tender. Stir occasionally. While those are cooking, cut up your chicken breast. SAVE THE MARINADE. Cook chicken until done. Just move the veggies to one side and cook the chicken on the other. Once everything is cooked, pour in your marinade and add the package of brown gravy. Let it all cook and simmer together until the sauce becomes thick. Stir in cashews.  Serve over rice.

Buttermilk Ranch Chicken

2 Cups Buttermilk
 1/4 cup Sour Cream
 1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning, divided
2 TBS Salt
plain Bread Crumbs Chicken

 Place buttermilk, sour cream, 2 TBS ranch seasoning, Salt in a large plastic ziplock. Seal and shake until combined. Add chicken pieces and let marinate. mix bread crumbs and remaining ranch seasoning together. Pull out chicken and shake off buttermilk. Coat in the bread crumbs. Lay out on a large sheet pan covered in foil and sprayed with cooking spray. lightly spray tops of chicken and cook in oven 450 degree and bake 15 min. Reduce heat to 400 and continue cooking until juices run clear or reaches 165.

My Changes: I only did 1 cup buttermilk it's all i had and it was perfect. I didn't reduce any other ingredients. 3 frozen chicken breasts I cut into tenders. faster and easier cooking. My bread crumbs were just a few stale dinner rolls I had left over that I pulsed in the food processor. I mixed in the ranch seasoning and then added 1/4 cup or more of parmesan cheese. That made it EXTRA delicious. Panko bread crumbs would be delicious too. I cooked a pan of my chicken tenders at 450 for 15-25 minutes and they came out perfect and delicious.

Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup

from melskitchencafe.com
*Note: this recipe calls for already cooked chicken. I usually cook the chicken breasts in the crockpot with a little chicken broth the morning I make this soup, but you could also go ahead and cook the chicken in the first step with the onions and other vegetables that cook together.
*Serves 4

2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots (about 2 regular carrots or a handful of baby carrots)
3 cups chicken broth
2-3 potatoes, peeled and finely diced (I like to leave the peels on red potatoes, if using them)
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons flour
1 (8 oz. package) regular or light cream cheese
2-3 (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Saute, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender and the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk the flour and milk together until smooth. Whisk the mixture into the soup, stirring quickly, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken slightly. Stir often to ensure the soup doesn't burn. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave until it is very soft/melty. I usually place the unwrapped cream cheese on a plate and microwave it for one minute at 30% power. I like it really, really soft so it doesn't leave lumps in the soup. Add the cream cheese to the soup in small tablespoon-size pieces. Let the pieces sit in the soup and warm through then whisk or stir the soup until the cream cheese melts and mixes in well. Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Crockpot Creamy Chicken

Recipe from Jamie cooks it up
This list of ingredients is something I thought looked Weird, and never would have thought would be good together. I only tried it because I needed dinner and it was a recipe that I had all the ingredients already. It turned out delicious!


5 FROZEN chicken breasts
1 1/2 C salsa
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 1/2 T taco seasoning
1 T maple syrup
1 t lime juice
1 T butter
1/2 C sour cream


1. Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray and place the chicken breasts inside.
2. In a small mixing bowl stir together all other ingredients but the butter and sour cream.
3. Pour the sauce over the top of the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 7-8 hours.
4. Take the chicken out of the crock and onto a plate. Shred it all up with a fork and throw it back in.
5. Add the little pat of butter and the sour cream, stir it all around until incorporated.

We served ours on tortillas with black beans, rice, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, more lime juice, salsa or tomatoes. Very delicious.

Cheeseburger Roll

If you have a husband like mine-- a meat and potatoes kind of guy--  he may like this.
Its kind of like a meat loaf with a crust.

Fresh from the oven

 Cheeseburger Roll

1 lb ground beef
6 Tb. shortening
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
2 c. flour
3/4 c. milk
2 Tb. chopped onion
1/4 c. ketchup
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef and onion in 3 TB of the shortening.  

Add the ketchup and cheese.  Remove from heat.  Stir until cheese is melted. 

Sift flour with baking powder and salt.  Cut in last 3 Tb. of shortening, add milk.  Knead.  Roll out onto a floured surface into a 1/2 in. thick rectangle.  Top with hamburger mixture. Wrap sides up over hamburger and pinch sides together so its sealed nicely. 

Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 30 mins or until golden brown. 

Serve with country gravy.  

Sliced and topped with the brown gravy we had. 

I made this tonight for Steve.  He doesnt get it often, because I'm not crazy about it.  I didnt have a country gravy packet (I'm lazy that way) so we had brown gravy instead.   I had mine with a big salad.  The best part is that the outside bread is nice and crusty.  Its good with the gravy.

I think this could be good with any ground meat.  Maybe ground turkey?  Steve wanted me to use up some of our ground elk, but I didnt.  I hate the smell of it cooking.   It may be a nice change to your meal.  And its sure to be a man pleaser.  :)

Creamy Ranch Pork Chops

Also from Campbell's Kitchen- Made this for some friends, we all loved it.  We ate it with some ranch mashed potatoes (smashers) and put the gravy over the potatoes.  Not how I originally planned it, but very tasty.

1 tbs vegetable oil
4 boneless pork chops (3/4 in thick)
1 can cream of chickens soup
3/4 cup of milk
1 pkg ranch salad dressing mix

Heat oil in a skillet over medium/high heat. Add the pork and cook until well browned on both sides.
Stir the soup, milk and 1/2 the ranch (1 oz) in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low.  Cover and cook for 10 mins or until pork is cooked through.  Sprinkle with paprika (i didnt).

** I actually took the pork out of the skillet, and put it on a plate covered with foil while I mixed up the gravy.  Then I put the pork back in at the end.  This was simply because I didnt have a big enough skillet at the time.

Inside-Out Pot Pie

I was really craving a pot pie, but didnt want to go to the hassle of the pie crusts.  So I found this on Campbell's Kitchen.

4- chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 (16oz) frozen veggie combo (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
8 hot biscuits

Cook the chicken in a skillet over medium/high heat until well browned.
Stir the soup and veggies in the skillet. Reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for 5 mins or until the chicken is done.  Serve the chicken and sauce over the biscuits.

**This was super tasty and SUPER easy.  I actually used fresh veggies but just steamed them a little first.  I also threw in peas.   You could easily change up the sauce for your tastes.  I added a little milk to make it go farther.  I added extra soup, too, now that I think about it.  Steve and I both liked it.

Queso Soup

2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 can or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 - 4 oz. can diced green chilies
2 tbsp. snipped cilantro
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can of beans (whatever is your favorite)
Mix together in crockpot

Add 3-4 cups chicken broth

Cook on low for 6 hours or high 3-4 hours
Or if you are in a hurry you can cook on the stove and let simmer for a couple hours.

In last 30 minutes add:
6 - 8 oz. velveeta cheese (you can use the cheaper brand)
3/4 cup sour cream

Do not boil after adding sour cream!
Serve with tortilla chips.

Summer Tortellini Salad

I love the sistercafe blog. I try a lot of recipes off of there. This one the most recent. I know it seems kinda random, but it was actually REALLY yummy. We were pleasantly surprised. I know it's more of a summer dish, but with us getting snow this week, we are dreaming of warm weather.

Summer Tortellini Salad

1 pkg. (9 oz.) uncooked refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini (You can also use dry tortellini. Barilla has a yummy four cheese and Costco has really good tortellini as well)
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped (I use the equivalent of baby carrots instead)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley (or 4 tsp. dried parsley if you don't have fresh...fresh is always best of course, but dried works fine too)
1/2 cup home-made or you're very, very favorite ranch dressing (I tend to skimp a bit on this measurement but 1/2 a cup isn't too much, just trying to be healthy:)
Parmesan Cheese - to taste
*Option - I have added left over Rotissere chicken to this and really liked it

Cook tortellini according to package directions, drain and rinse under cold running water. Place tortellini in a large colander and set aside. Meanwhile, slice zucchini. chop carrot(s). Cook the vegetables. Cut tomatoes in half and slice green onions. Snip parsley, if using fresh. Add vegetables to tortellini. Pour salad dressing over salad. Grate parmesan cheese over salad. cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Yield: 6 servings

I think this recipe works great as a main dish, especially if you added chicken, or a side salad.

Crockpot Beef Stew

I love anything easy to make in a crockpot. With the weather still deciding if it wants to be warm here, it was nice to have on one of our rainy days. Here's the yummy easy recipe.


1 can minestrone soup
1 can tomato soup
1 can water
1 - 1 1/2 lb stew meat
3-4 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot. Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours. Salt and pepper to taste.

Black Bean/corn Salad

I get recipes from the Food Network on my homepage, this one I gave a try. It was tasty! I had to tweak it a little, to use what I had on hand. They called it a Salad, but we found it most enjoyable eaten with tortilla chips.

Ingredients

• 2 cans black beans, drained, about 30 ounces
• 1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup diced green onions
• 1/4 cup diced pineapple
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch ground cumin

Refridgerate for one hour before serving.

• I changed it up a little by using Apple Cider Vinegar (what I had).
• I added the juice of the whole lime
• I didnt have a jalapeno, but I think it would be tasty with a little fire.
• I added extra cilantro, because again, i like it.
• I omitted the green onion, and just used a tiny bit of yellow onion instead of the red. (what i had)
• I only used one tomato (steve's not such a fan)
• I only used a little bit of pepper, green and red.
• I used one can of black beans, and one of kidney. This was an accident, i didnt read the label, but it was tasty all the same.

So you can see, you can tweak this to your own liking. :)

Finger Steaks like the Torch Cafe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram 2 tablespoons seasoned salt

3/4 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 1/2 cups flour 4 cups oil for deep frying 3 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 2 1/2x3/4 -inch strips

Directions:

1.	Mix together the milk, thyme, marjoram, salt, seasoned salt, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Stir in the flour gradually until the mixture reaches a thick, batter-like consistency. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
2.	Preheat the oil in a large pot to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3.	Completely coat each piece of beef in the batter and gently place into the hot oil. Lie them into the oil individually to keep them from sticking together. Cook in small batches of 4 to 8 pieces until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Allow the oil to return to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) between batches.

Chicken Divan

This was requested by Laurel - it's a family favorite.

1 large bunch of broccoli - cooked and cut into spears ( I peel the heavy part of the stem)
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken broth
1 8 oz. sour cream
1 or 2 c. grated mozzarella cheese
3 chicken breasts cooked and chunked up

Cook broccoli until tender crisp and set aside.
Make a rue with the butter and flour, add chicken broth and stir over med. heat until thickened.
Stir in sour cream, salt to taste and a dash of pepper.
Place broccoli in bottom of 9 X 13 pan. Pour half of sauce over broc and then place chicken on
top. Mix 3/4 of the cheese into the sauce and pour the rest of the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes.

Easy chili

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion ( I use 1/2 of course)
1 14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes (ground up in processor)
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can chili beans in sauce (or great northern if mild desired)
1 1/2 c. tomato juice or water
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 garlic clove minced
Salt and pepper to taste.

In a large saucepan brown meat, onions and garlic together. Add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and juice.

Season with chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Sticky Chicken (sweet n' sour)

4 boneless chicken breasts sliced into tenders

onion pwd and salt for seasoning

1-2 eggs, beaten

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. cornstarch

2 TB oil

1/4 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt

pinch black pepper

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. white vinegar

4 Tsp. ketchup

1 TB soy sauce

Season chicken with onion pwd and salt. Combine flour and cornstarch in a bowl. Beat Eggs in a separate bowl. First dip chicken in egg and then flour cornstarch mixture. Fry in frying pan with the 2 TB oil until browned. Lay in greased casserole dish. Combine rest of ingredients to make sauce. Pour over the chicken. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour, basting (rotating every so often so the chicken can be fully coated) When done, juices should be thick and bubbly. 

this is from school, it's one of the favorites served over white rice or ham fried rice it's awesome!! 

green chili

i already put this one on myfamily, but it's still one of my favorites (we're having it tonight)

2 lbs pork, diced small (ground pork would work too, and be faster)
garlic salt
1 sm-med onion, diced small
1 26 oz can mild, roasted, peeled green chilis (look for hatch brand, or equilivant)--diced large
1 14.5 oz can diced, chili ready tomatoes (this adds the only heat, so if you really, really don't like heat, use 2-3 fresh, diced tomatoes or skip all together)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
salt/pepper as needed

Brown pork (really brown, not just cooked through) in large pan (i like a wide skillet with a lid, if possible) in a little hot canola oil. use garlic salt to taste. add onion, saute til soft. add chilis with their juice, tomatoes, cumin, & oregano. cover and simmer 1/2--3 hours (long time is good, not necessary).

serve with beans, cheese, fresh tomato, avocado, cilantro, lime juice, corn, tortillas... fried eggs, in a burrito, over a baked potato, with a tostada, as a dip for corn chips, etc...

Salsa CousCous Chicken

3 cups hot cooked couscous or rice (cook as directed on pkg)
1 T olive or vegetable oil
1/4 cup coarsely chopped almonds
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 chicken thighs, skinned
1 cup salsa
1/4 cup water
2 T dried currants (raisins if you are on a budget)
1 T honey
3/4 t cumin
1/2 t cinnamon

Heat oil in large skillet over med-high. Heat until hot. Add almonds. Cook 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove almonds from skillet with slotted spoon. Set aside.
Add garlic to skillet. Cook and stir 30 seconds. Add chicken, cook 4-5 minutes or until browned, turning once.
In medium bowl, combine salsa and all remaining ingredients; mix well. Add to chicken. Mix well, reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 20 minutes or until chicken is fork tender and juices run clear. Stir in almonds. While chicken is cooking, prepare couscous or rice. Serve chicken mixture with couscous. Serves 4.

I got really sick of all my meals either tasting like marinara or mexican. So I tried this one (got if from my mother-in-law). It is delicious, and spices things up for a change. Totally worth the random ingredients you have to buy at the store.