Asian Orange Chicken

Thanks to the baby on the way, I had the craving for Orange Chicken from a chinese restaurant. Unfortunately, we have been eating out too much so I had to go and find a way to make it. Well I found it on allrecipes.com and it actually tasted like the orange chicken you get from Fortune Chinese (a cheap chinese restaurant a few blocks away) so I was in heaven. The only difference I made was in the vinegar...I didn't have rice vinegar so I used apple cider vinegar instead...tasted just fine to me. Even Aiden ate it, it was gone quicker than I could put it on his tray! I give this recipe a 5!

INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Pour into saucepan 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce; and set over medium-high heat. Stir in orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and chopped onion. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and let cool 10 to 15 minutes.

Place chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve remaining sauce. Seal bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and peppers.
Add marinated chicken pieces, and shake to coat.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken in skillet, and brown on both sides. Remove to paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.

Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water, and stir into sauce. Reduce heat to medium low; stir in chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Grands! Barbecups

Last night I made this recipe from the Pillsbury website. It turned out great and was pretty easy to make. Then while Tim was eating, he told me at least 4 times how much he liked it and ended up having 3 cups! Even Aiden ate some of it. I give this recipe a 4.5!

1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Flaky Layers refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (3 oz)

1 . BROWN beef and onion; drain. Stir in barbecue sauce and brown sugar; cook 1 minute.

2 . PRESS or roll each biscuit to 5 1/2-inch round. Place 1 biscuit in each of 8 greased regular-size muffin cups (for 12-cup muffin pan, use 8 outside cups for best baking results). Firmly press in bottom and up sides, forming a 1/4-inch rim. Fill with beef mixture; sprinkle with cheese.

3 . BAKE at 350°F 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute, remove from pan.

Prep-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Last night I made a regular home cooked meal complete with meat, mashed potatoes and vegetables and plenty of A1 sauce! The recipe I used for the mashed potatoes was amazing. I did all but the mushroom part...I'm sure that part is good but I just wanted mashed potatoes and I happened to have 5 perfectly good red potatoes sitting on the counter and I didn't want them to go to waste. So when I saw this recipe in the Kraft Food and Family, Holiday 2006 issue, I had to try it. I love mashed potatoes of all kinds and this one added sour cream and cream cheese to it, how could that be bad? And I got to use my potato masher for the first time! I was so excited! I just bought that masher a month ago (that's right I went through 2 1/2 years of marriage without a potato masher) because Tim decided it was one of those "kitchen gadgets" we didn't really need when we first got married. Needless to say we had some interesting times between now and then trying to mash up potatoes...forks just don't cut it. Anyway, my potato masher worked wonders...who knew mashing potatoes could be that easy? Well I did acutally...but was never able to have that "luxury" until now. Oh and Tim liked the potatoes, he actually was starving while I made dinner and since the potatoes were done first he decided to have a few scoops ahead of time. Then after dinner a couples hours later he decided to eat some more potatoes because he was still hungry! I definitely give this recipe (without the mushrooms) a 5! You'll have to try the mushroom part and tell me if it's good.

Ingredients(if you're just making the potatoes you need all but the last 3 ingredients)

3 lb. red potatoes (about 10 medium), cut into chunks
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1 pkg. (8 oz.) fresh
mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

(and do all but the last 2 steps if just making the potatoes)

PLACE potatoes in large saucepan. Add enough water to completely cover potatoes. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 15 min. or until potatoes are tender.

DRAIN potatoes; return to saucepan. Add sour cream, cream cheese and milk. Mash with potato masher to desired consistency. Spoon into microwaveable serving bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use.

MEANWHILE, melt butter in large skillet on medium-high heat; add mushrooms. Cook 5 min. or until mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently. Spoon into small bowl; cover. Refrigerate until ready to use.

VENT plastic wrap covering potatoes. Microwave on HIGH 6 to 8 min. or until heated through; stir. Top with mushrooms. Microwave, uncovered, an additional 2 to 3 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with thyme.

Perfect Apple Pie with No Fail Pie Crust

Tonight I'm giving you 2 recipes in one....this is my mother-in-laws recipe. We had her apple pie last night and I knew I had to have the recipe, it was delicious! I'm not very good at making pie crust though so when she told me that this recipe was really "no fail" I had to try it to believe it. She was right, this was the easiest pie crust recipe I've ever made. And my apartment smells like apple pie....mmmmmmmm! I give these recipes both a 5!

No Fail Pie Crust

Sift together:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp salt

Blend in well 1 cup shortening.
Beat together and add the following to the flour mixture.

1 egg
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1/4 cup water

It makes 2 one crust pies or 1 two crust pie.

Perfect Apple Pie

6 or 7 tart apples
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of salt
Pastry for 2 crust (9 inch) pie
2 Tbsp. butter

Pare apples and slice thin. Combine sugar, flour, spices and salt; mix with apples.

Line 9 inch pie plate with pastry. Fill with apple mixture. Dot with butter. Adjust top crust. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 400 for 50 minutes or until done. You can use 2 (number 2) cans of sliced pie apples instead of fresh apples.

Cacciatore-Style Chicken Bake

Tonight's meal again came from the Fall issue 2006 of the Kraft Food and Family magazine. It turned out great and I thought that maybe next time I make it I'll make pasta to put it on. I love the recipes that are done all in one pan. It didn't take long to make either. The only difference I made was that I added cheese before putting the stuffing on top. I give this recipe a 5!

1-2/3 cups hot water
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small each: red and green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 jar (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Add hot water to stuffing mix; stir just until moistened. Set aside.

PLACE chicken, peppers and onions in 13x9-inch baking dish; mix lightly. Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken mixture; top with prepared stuffing.

BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

Ham and Cheese Stuff' n Puff

Well despite the dumb name that tonight's dish has, it was actually pretty good. It of course comes from the Fall 2006 issue of the Kraft Food and Family magazine (I haven't used all the recipes yet!) and this one was no different than the last....fabulous! It was also easier to make too. The only thing I changed was the ham...I don't buy boiled ham...lunch meat is just about the same and I do buy that so that's what I used chicken breast lunch meat. It was just fine. Just realize it takes an hour to bake so save enough time for it. I give this recipe a 5!

5 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
9 oz. (1-1/2 [6-oz.] pkg.) OSCAR MAYER Smoked Ham, chopped
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Beat eggs, milk and sour cream in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Add broccoli, dry stuffing mix, ham and 1/2 cup of the cheese; mix lightly.

POUR mixture into 2-qt. baking dish or 9-inch pie plate; cover loosely with foil.

BAKE 1 hour. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 5 min. or until cheese is melted and mixture is cooked through.

Farmhouse Chicken Dinner

Ever since I got the new Kraft Food and Family magazine, Fall 2006 issue, I have been using it nonstop (that was 2 days ago). Tonight's meal was fabulous. It was so good that I was glad I made the full 4 servings so that there were left overs. I mean, so good that when I was close to finishing my serving, I was wishing that I wasn't so full so I could eat more. I didn't though...that would have been piggish (is that a word?). As for the chicken itself, I hardly ever buy meat with the bone still in so I just used boneless chicken breasts and I didn't have brown rice so white rice works just as well. Anyway, you have to try this recipe and tell me if you thought it was as good as I did. I definitely give this recipe a 5!

1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 small bone-in chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.), skin removed
1/4 cup KRAFT LIGHT DONE RIGHT! Zesty Italian Reduced Fat Dressing
2 cups baby carrots
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 cups MINUTE Brown Rice, uncooked
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA
Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, cubed
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

MIX flour and pepper in shallow dish. Add chicken; turn to evenly coat both sides with flour mixture. Shake off excess flour mixture. Heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken, meat-side down; cook 5 to 6 min. or until golden brown. Turn chicken over; add carrots, onions and 1 cup of the broth. Cover. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 20 min. or until carrots are tender and chicken is cooked through (180°F).

MEANWHILE, cook rice as directed on package. Spoon onto serving platter. Use slotted spoon to remove chicken and vegetables from skillet; place over rice. Cover to keep warm.

ADD Neufchatel cheese and remaining broth to skillet; increase heat to high. Cook until cheese is melted and sauce is well blended, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 3 to 5 min. or until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Spoon over chicken and vegetables; sprinkle with parsley.

Blushing Apples

Now here's an interesting recipe I found in the Kraft Food and Family magazine, the new fall issue 2006. I sounded interesting and looked good so I made it. It only has 5 ingredients and basically tastes like apple pie without the crust. It turned out pretty good. I didn't have Granny Smith, McIntosh or Golden Delicious apples so I just used the Red Delicious ones I had in the fridge. They were a little bigger than a "medium apple" so they needed to simmer a little longer than called for. I also served it with French Vanilla flavored Cool Whip, it added a nice touch. I give this recipe a 4.

2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Brand Cranberry Flavor Gelatin
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 qt. (4 cups) water
4 medium apples, such as Granny Smith, McIntosh or Golden Delicious
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

COMBINE dry gelatin mix and cinnamon in 3- to 4-qt. saucepan. Add water. Bring to boil on medium-high heat, stirring frequently until gelatin is completely dissolved.

PEEL and core apples. Add to gelatin mixture in saucepan; partially cover saucepan with lid. Return to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 to 15 min. or just until apples are tender, gently turning apples every 5 min. Remove apples from liquid; reserve liquid for another use (see Tip below) or discard.

SERVE apples warm. Or, cool and store in tightly covered container in refrigerator at least 1 hour or overnight. Serve each apple topped with 2 Tbsp. of the whipped topping. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired.

TIP: After draining the cooked apples, pour the cooking liquid evenly into eight dessert dishes. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until set for a refreshing JELL-O snack!

Carmelized Garlic Chicken

This recipe comes from the Pillsbury website. This was one of the easiest recipes to make and it turned out great. It only uses 4 ingredients and tasted great! Too bad I didn't make a ton for Tim to have seconds...he ate the rest of the side dishes instead. This makes 4 servings but I only made it for 2 so you can scale it anyway you want. I give this recipe a 5!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons brown sugar
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Directions

1 . Heat oven to 500°F. Line shallow roasting pan with foil; spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2 . Heat oil in small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until hot. Add garlic; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until garlic begins to soften, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in brown sugar until well mixed.

3 . Place chicken breast halves in sprayed foil-lined pan. Spread garlic mixture evenly over chicken.

4 . Bake at 500°F. for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear.

Cheesy Green Chile Twists

I've been on vacation and therefore haven't been cooking and tonight I didn't make dinner either. I thought I was going to be making dinner but Tim's brother stopped by with his family and they wanted to go out to eat (I'm not complaining) but I had already started part of the dinner so I had to make it anyway....and here it is. It comes from the Rhodes Rolls recipes that I get in my email from time to time. They turned out really well even though we only "tasted" them since we were going out to eat....I guess we'll eat them tomorrow. The only problem I had was rolling them out in the 18X12 rectangles they wanted...who knows what size the rectangles I rolled out were so I didn't end up making 12 twists but more like 8 and then I cut them in half because they were so big after they baked. But really...they tasted really good. Any recipe that has green chiles is "usually" good. I give this recipe a 4.5

Ingredients

24 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed and risen
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cans diced green chilies, drained
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Combine 12 rolls together and roll into an 18x12-inch rectangle. Repeat with remaining 12 rolls. Brush both dough rectangles with butter. Combine cheese and green chilies and sprinkle over one dough rectangle. Top with remaining dough rectangle, butter side down. Cut into twelve 1 1/2-inch strips. Twist each strip several times. Place at least one inch apart on large sprayed baking sheets. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 350°F 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Salsa Chicken Fiesta

Tonight's recipe came from the Betty Crocker website. This recipe is for 2 servings so I doubled it and put it in a 9x9 square baking dish instead of a bread pan. It wasn't half bad considering it only has chicken, salsa, cheese and a bisquick mixture in it. It was really easy to make and only bakes for 20 minutes. Which was good since I didn't figure out what to make for dinner until last minute. So I give this recipe a 3.5

Ingredients

1/3 cup Bisquick Heart Smart™ mix
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons fat-free egg product or 1 egg white
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (1 1/2 oz)
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup Old El
Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa

1 . Heat oven to 400ºF. Spray 8x4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In small
bowl, stir together Bisquick® mix, water and egg product; spread in pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cheese.
2 . In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until outsides turn white; drain. Stir in salsa; heat until hot. Spoon over batter in pan to within 1/2 inch of edges.
3 . Bake about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cheese. Bake about 2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted; loosen from sides of pan.

Made over Chicken Tetrazzini

I made this one a couple days ago and the leftovers are already gone so it was pretty good. It comes from the Kraft Food and Family magazine, Spring 2006 issue. It wasn't too difficult to make either which I love. It called for red peppers but I was fresh out so I used green....I'm not sure what the difference is other than the color. To me, this dish tasted like tuna noodle casserole but it was chicken. Go figure. If you end up making this one, comment on what you thought about the taste. I give this recipe a 4.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. (8 oz.) spaghetti, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium red pepper, chopped
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, cubed
1/4 cup flour
1 can (14 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp. KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken, peppers and mushrooms; cook and stir 5 min. or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; set aside.

PLACE Neufchatel cheese, flour and broth in skillet. Cook and stir with wire whisk until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min., stirring frequently.

DRAIN pasta; return to saucepan. Add Neufchatel cheese mixture, chicken mixture and 2 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese; mix well. Spoon into 2-qt. round casserole dish; cover with foil. Bake 25 min. Top with mozzarella and remaining 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese; continue baking, uncovered, 2 min. or until mozzarella cheese is melted.

Layered Fiesta Casserole

This recipe has been one of the better ones I've found in the Kraft Food and Family magazines. This one happened to be in the Fall 2005 issue. It's also a good source of vitamin C and calcium and low calorie all in one dish. You can't beat that. Tim of course is chowing down on his second helping as I type this so that's always a good sign. I of course give this recipe a 5!

Ingredients

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 jar (16 oz.) TACO BELL HOME ORIGINALS Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn, thawed
12 corn tortillas (6 inch) (I used the 10 inch and used flour and only used 8 tortillas)
1-1/2 cups KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Brown meat with peppers in large skillet, stirring frequently; drain. Stir in salsa, tomatoes and corn; bring to boil.

SPOON 1 cup meat mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with 6 tortillas, overlapping as necessary. Spoon half of the remaining meat mixture over tortillas; top with 3/4 cup of the cheese. Top with remaining 6 tortillas and meat mixture. Cover with foil.

BAKE 25 to 30 min. or until heated through. Remove from oven; uncover. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

(I also added low fat sour cream on top! YUM!)

Chicken Enchiladas

Tonight I'm giving out the best recipe in the world for chicken enchiladas. This recipe actually comes from the kitchen of my mother so no links to this one. I'm sure her mother used it as well so it's been going through the generations. Now I'm not being biased because it's my mom's recipe. These actually are the best chicken enchiladas you'll ever have! So of course I give this recipe a 5!

Ingredients

2 cans of cream of chicken soup
2 cups of diced chicken or turkey
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup diced green chiles (4oz can) not drained
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups grated cheese
1/2 cup chopped onions
tortillas (about 10 if you squeeze them in)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine soup, chicken, sour cream, chiles, and salt. (my variation: leave the chicken separate)

2. Combine cheese and onion.

3. Use a 9x13 baking dish to put enchiladas in. Put cheese mixture in the center of tortillas and roll them up. (my variation: also add chicken to center of tortillas). Line up the tortillas in the dish this is where, if you squeeze them in, you can fit 10 in the dish.

4. Pour soup mixture over the top of the rolled up tortillas. (my variation: if there is any chicken left over I then add it to the soup mixture)

(my variation: top with shredded cheese)

5. Cover dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

I got this recipe when I printed out a coupon for Tyson chicken strips. I never actually bought the Tyson chicken because it wasn't sold where I grocery shop. But of course this recipe calls for the pre-seasoned steak strips so it wasn't as easy as the recipe says it was. The only difference, I had to cook and season the steak myself and cut it into pieces. Not too hard. It actually turned out to be pretty good. I give this recipe a 4.

Ingredients

1 package (6 oz) Tyson Seasoned Steak Strips
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 oz. cream cheese
2 cups cooked egg noodles

1. Combine steak strips, soup, water and Worcestershire in skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir about 10 minutes or until bubbly. Reduce heat to medium low.

2. Stir in cream cheese until melted.

3. Serve over hot noodles. Refrigerate leftovers.

Now the funny thing about this recipe is that it says it serves 2. So why would you need to refrigerate leftovers? Well I made it and I had leftovers so does it really serve 2 or 3?

Easy Lasagna

Tonight's recipe came from the kitchen of Lucinda Hopkins. She gave a little class about "Budget meals made fun and simple" and this was one of the recipes from the class. I have to say it was pretty easy to make, you didn't even have to cook the noodles first. The directions were a little sketchy so I improvised and it turned out pretty great. I give this recipe a 4.5

Ingredients


1 pkg. lasagna noodles
spaghetti sauce (here's part of the sketchyness...how much? maybe a cup or two)
cottage cheese (again I guessed it was about a 16 oz package of it)
shredded cheese (however much you want to use)
1 lb. hamburger
onion (I cut up almost a whole medium sized onion for this)
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
2 eggs


Directions


Brown hamburger with onion. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix cottage cheese with 2 eggs and parsley. In 9X13 pan, put a little spaghetti sauce in the bottom, then 1 layer of noddles (uncooked), then the cottage cheese mixture, then hamburger, spaghetti sauce again and cheese. Repeat. Put 1/4 cup of water in the pan--cook covered for 1 1/2 hours. (now here she didn't say what temperature so I just guessed at 350F and I only cooked it for 1 hour 15 minutes and it turned out just fine).

Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard

I know it's been a while since I've posted a recipe...that's either because I barely cooked during the week or what I made wasn't good enough to be posted....or it was a repeat. But tonight I made a recipe from the Easy Everyday Cooking recipe cards. Apparently this is an appetizer but I made it as a dinner with salads and fruit. It turned out great and we had no left overs! I give this recipe a 5!

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used 2)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper (I used Mrs. Dash's Southwest Chipotle seasoning)
3/4 cup milk
1 cup vegetable oil for frying ( I used enova oil)

HONEY MUSTARD
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup dijon mustard

1. Cut chicken into 1/2 X 2 inch strips. For honey mustard sauce, blend honey and mustard in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Mix flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken in milk. Roll in flour mixture to coat well. Place chicken on waxed paper (I just put them directly into the pan of oil)

3. Pour 1/4 inch of oil into a large heavy skillet. Heat over medium-high heat to 350F or until a cube of white bread dropped in oil browns evenly in 1 minute.

4. Divide chicken into batches. Place chicken in an even layer in hot oil. Fry, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce.

Southwestern Chicken with Black Beans and Rice

Tonight I wanted something with a zing to clear out my stuffed nose. I found a recipe that would do just that from the Kraft Food and Family magazine, fall 2005 edition. This little beauty combines my favorites, chicken, black beans and gives it a kick with some hot sauce. I chose tabasco sauce and even though it said to add just 1/2 tsp. I added about a full tsp. to make it even hotter. I also used white rice instead of brown...only because I didn't have brown. I used turkey breast lunch meat instead of ham as well. I'll have to say the recipe wasn't half bad and did have that extra kick I was looking for. The other good thing is that it was a recipe made for 2 people. I give this recipe a 4.

1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz. each)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 can (14 oz.) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 cup rinsed and drained canned black beans
3 slices OSCAR MAYER Thin Sliced Honey Ham, chopped
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1 cup MINUTE Brown Rice, cooked

HEAT dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and onions; cook 4 min., turning chicken over after 2 min.

ADD tomatoes, beans, ham and pepper sauce. Reduce heat to low. Simmer 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through, turning chicken over after 5 min.

SERVE over hot cooked rice.

Tuna and Green Chile Melt

Tonight's meal came from the Pillsbury Bake off. This recipe was the $10,000 3-a day dairy award winner. I'm always a little wary when a recipe calls for tuna but this one turned out great! There was hardly even a tuna taste! I didn't use the low fat mayo and I skipped the egg yolk sesame seed step since I didn't have sesame seeds. I also didn't have cajun seasoning so I used Essence of Emeril which I figured would give the same POW effect! Definitely one I'll make again. I give this recipe a 5!

Ingredients:
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated reduced-fat buttermilk biscuits
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon sesame seed
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles
2 cans (6 oz each) albacore tuna in water, drained
2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
Chopped tomato, if desired
Shredded lettuce, if desired

Preparation Directions:
1 . Heat oven to 350°F. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Separate dough into 8 biscuits; place 2 1/2 inches apart on cookie sheet. With bottom of flat 2-inchdiameter glass or with fingers, press biscuits into 3 1/2-inch rounds with 1/4-inch rim around outer edge.
2 . In small bowl, beat egg yolk and water with fork until well blended. Brush over tops and sides of biscuits. Sprinkle each with sesame seed. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.
3 . Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix mayonnaise, cilantro, salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and green chiles. Stir in tuna; set aside.
4 . Set oven control to broil. Spoon about 1/4 cup tuna mixture into indentation in each biscuit; sprinkle each with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Carefully remove biscuits from cookie sheet. Garnish with tomato and lettuce.

Cream Cheese Squares

I made dessert again tonight.....I just love dessert. The recipe comes from the Kraft Food and Family magazine, summer 2006 issue. Very yummy and very easy to make! I only had one can of crescent rolls so I just made half the recipe in a 9x9 square pan. I give this recipe a 5!

2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls, divided
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Unroll 1 of the cans of crescent dough. Press onto bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking pan to form crust, firmly pressing seams together to seal.

BEAT cream cheese, vanilla, egg and 1/2 cup of the sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Spread onto crust.

UNROLL remaining can of crescent dough onto large sheet of wax paper. Pat out dough to form 13x9-inch rectangle, pressing seams together to seal. Invert over cream cheese mixture to form top crust; discard wax paper.

BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until golden brown. Combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle over squares before cutting.

Beef Enchiladas

Tonight's meal came from the 10th Edition Betty Crocker cookbook. Great enchiladas! Probably not so great for you but you can take shortcuts to cut out the fat. I give this recipe a 5!

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light sour cream)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I used dry)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
2/3 cup water
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 can (4.5oz) chopped green chiles, drained
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
8 corn tortillas (I used flour)
Shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped onions, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350 F

2. In a 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8-10 min., stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Stir in onion, sour crea, 1 cup cheese, the parsley and pepper. Cover and remove from heat.

3. In 2-qt saucepan, heat bell pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, chiles, garlic and tomato sauce to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 5 min. Pour into ungreased 9 in. pie plate.

4. Dip eat tortilla into sauce in pie plate to coat both sides. Spoon about 1/4 cup beef mixture onto each tortilla; roll tortilla around filling. Place seam side down in ungreased 11x7 inch glass baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas.

5. Bake uncovered about 20 min. or until bubbly. Garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped onions.

Rosemary Pork Roast

Today's recipe came from Allrecipes.com. I was looking through our junk mail fliers and actually looked at the grocery ads. I saw that Smith's has pork loin on sale for 1.69/lb. Which is pretty good since the other ad was for Albertson's and their pork loin was on sale for 2.99/lb. I have never made pork loin before so I thought this would be a good time to try it. So I ran to Smith's bought their smallest pork loin which was 8 lbs and came home and cut it into 4 pieces to freeze, because come on there's only me and Tim and there's no way we're eating 8lbs of pork loin in one sitting. This recipe came out great! The pork was really tender. I baked it on a broiler pan and didn't have to touch it while it cooked. I give this recipe a 5! PS. on Allrecipes.com you can change the amount of servings you want to make and it will calculate the recipe out for you. Very handy. This recipe is for 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons dried rosemary

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Rub the roast OR tenderloin liberally with olive oil, then spread the garlic over it. Place it in a 10x15 inch roasting pan and sprinkle with the rosemary. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Quick Fettuccine Cacciatore

This recipe brought me back to the reason I love to cook.....because the food is so good! It came from the Spring 2006 Kraft Food and Family magazine. It looks like the Food Family magazine is sending out it's Summer 2006 issue! I'm pumped for some new recipes! I used regular spaghetti and Basil seasoning instead of the fettuccine and fresh chopped basil. Tim had seconds on this dinner so you know it's good. I definitely give this recipe a 5!

8 oz. fettuccine, uncooked
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
1 cup each: sliced green peppers and sliced mushrooms
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Italian Mozzarella/Parmesan Cheese Blend
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

COOK pasta as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir until no longer pink. Add peppers and mushrooms; cook 3 min., stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes with their liquid and the dressing. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

TOSS pasta with the chicken mixture; sprinkle with cheese and basil.

Parmesan-crusted Chicken

Well from last weeks near disaster seafood lasagna of which 1/3 still remains in our fridge....and will eventually just make its way to the trash.....here's a better recipe! It comes from the Everyday Food magazine (one of Martha Stewart's spin off magazines). I got it for free in the mail and didn't subscribe for it so don't hate me for using it! It turned out pretty good. The picture I have is not the one used in the magazine.....they don't have the recipe on their website anymore...dumb....oh well. So it will look different than this picture but it gives you an idea. Also when it calls for fresh lemon juice make sure you use a real lemon and squeeze out the juice. If you don't have one then the little lemon bottles work but use less than what it calls for because that stuff is strong! Anyway I give this recipe a 4 ENJOY!

4 slices firm white sandwich bread, torn into large pieces
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh parsley
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten (poor egg)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (I used chicken breasts so it takes more time to cook them)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces

1. In a food processor, pulse bread, parmesan cheese, parsley, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper until fine crumbs form. Transfer mixture to one shallow bowl; place egg in another bowl.

2. One at a time, dip each chicken cutlet into egg, let excess drip off, then dip into breadcrumb mixture. Press on crumbs firmly.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook cutlets, two at a time, adding remaining Tbsp oil for second batch, until cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side.

4. Wipe skillet clean. Add lemon juice and 1/4 cup water, cook over low until steaming. 1 minute. Add mustard. Remove pan from heat and stir in butter until combined. Serve cutlets with sauce.

No-Fail Baked Seafood Lasagna

This recipe comes from the Spring 2006 issue of the Kraft Food and Family magazine. It's funny that this recipe says it's a "no-fail" recipe because this happened to be one of those recipes that Tim said "wasn't bad, but wasn't his favorite". I thought for sure it would be a hit because it had shrimp in it, which is Tim's favorite thing to eat. I thought it was pretty good but it was a little too sweet. The recipe calls for just a little bit of nutmeg and I used imitation crab meat instead of canned crabmeat which already has a slight sweet taste to it. So instead of nutmeg I think I would just add salt. We'll be adding salt to the leftovers. I give this recipe a 3.

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Cottage Cheese
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
9 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained
1/2 lb. fresh or thawed frozen cleaned medium shrimp (31 to 35 count), cooked
2 cans (6 oz. each) crabmeat, drained, flaked

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Melt butter in large saucepan on medium heat. Add flour; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Gradually add milk, mixing well after each addition. Bring to boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 to 5 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese; set aside. Combine spinach, cottage cheese, 2/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the nutmeg.

SPREAD 1/4 of the Parmesan cheese sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan. Cover with 3 of the lasagna noodles and layers of 1/2 each of the shrimp, crabmeat and spinach mixture; top with 1/4 of the Parmesan cheese sauce. Repeat layers, starting with the noodles. Top with remaining 3 lasagna noodles, remaining Parmesan cheese sauce and the remaining 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil.

BAKE 25 min. Uncover; bake an additional 20 min. or until lasagna is heated through and top is lightly browned. Let stand 10 min. before cutting into 12 pieces to serve.

Pineapple-Black Bean Enchiladas

Last night I made a dish from a recipe I got on the Pillsbury website. It won the prize for the America's Favorite Recipe at the Pillsbury Bake off so I thought I'd try it out. It was awesome! You hardly even noticed that it was a vegetarian dish. It called for red enchilada sauce so I went to the All Recipes website for a recipe on that since that was the one ingredient I didn't have. So I made my first vegetarian dish and my first try at enchilada sauce. I'll post both recipes here. I think it turned out great! We had some people over for dinner that night and when I told them it didn't have any meat in it, they were like "are you serious?". It was pretty funny. Anyway I give both of these recipes a 5!

Pineapple-Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits in juice, drained, 1/3 cup juice reserved
1 can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (12 oz)
1 can (10 oz) Old El Paso® mild enchilada sauce
8 whole wheat flour tortillas (8 or 9 inch)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
8 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook 4 to 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in pineapple, beans, green chiles and salt. Cook and stir until thoroughly heated. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup cilantro and 2 cups of the cheese.
2. Spoon and spread 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce onto each tortilla. Spoon about 3/4 cup vegetable mixture over sauce on each. Roll up tortillas; place seam side down in baking dish.
3. In small bowl, mix reserved 1/3 cup pineapple juice and remaining enchilada sauce; pour over entire surface of enchiladas in dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Spray sheet of foil large enough to cover baking dish with cooking spray; place sprayed side down over baking dish and seal tightly.
4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, removing foil during last 5 to 10 minutes of baking, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Top each baked enchilada with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 teaspoon cilantro.

Ten Minute Enchilada Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons self-rising flour
1/4 cup New Mexico or California chili powder
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour.

Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion salt into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

Philadelphia Cherry Danish Dessert

Coming to you live from the Kraft Food and Family Magazine, holiday 2005 issue...are you catching the trend? I love this magazine! And did I mention it's free! I love that part too. So yesterday I decided to make a dessert....now can that really help my waistline? I think not but did it taste good? You better believe it! I mean who doesn't love dessert and you all know how much I LOVE cherry pie filling! I give this recipe a 5!

2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls, divided
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1 egg white
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can (20 oz.) cherry pie filling
3 Tbsp. milk

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Unroll 1 of the cans of crescent dough into 2 long rectangles. Place in greased 13x9-inch baking pan; press onto bottom of pan to form crust, firmly pressing seams together to seal.

BEAT cream cheese, 3/4 cup of the sugar, the egg white and vanilla with electric
mixer on medium speed until well blended. Spread onto crust; cover with pie filling. Unroll remaining can of crescent dough; separate into 2 long rectangles. Pat out to form 13x9-inch rectangle, pressing seams together to seal. Place over pie filling to form top crust.

BAKE 25 to 30 min. or until golden brown; cool slightly. Gradually add milk to remaining 3/4 cup sugar, beating with wire whisk until well blended. Drizzle over warm dessert. Cut into 24 rectangles to serve. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.

Bruschetta 'n Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Tonight's meal again taken from the Kraft Food and Family Magazine, spring 2006 issue. It turned out great! I thought it was going to be hard to make but it was quick and easy and I even made Tim pound the chicken flat....how nice was he to offer help :)

The recipe calls for 8 pieces of chicken but I only used 4 because let's face it, we don't need to eat 8 pieces of chicken and I don't need 6 pieces left over to eat the rest of the week. It worked out fine with four, I just poured the rest of the mixture on top of it when I baked it. I give this recipe a 5!

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

1-1/4 cups KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

8 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2 lb.)

1/3 cup KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Combine tomatoes with their liquid, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the basil and dry stuffing mix; stir just until moistened.

PLACE 2 chicken breast halves in large freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Pound chicken with side of heavy can, rolling pin or meat mallet until chicken is 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with remaining chicken breast halves, adding 2 at a time to bag. Place chicken, top-sides down, on large cutting board; spread evenly with stuffing mixture. Starting at one of the narrow ends, tightly roll up chicken. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Drizzle evenly with dressing.

BAKE 40 min. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake an additional 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through (170°F) and cheese is melted.

Marvelous Mini Meatloaves

Another great recipe from the Kraft Food and Family Magazine, Fall 2005 issue. This recipe was great and easy to make. It was also the first recipe I've made in my new oven! I used the BBQ version of the recipe but you can make 4 different kinds of meatloaves depending on the seasoning, add-in choices and cheese you use. The link shows you the different variations. I give this recipe a 4

1lb ground beef
1 pkg(6 oz.) stuffing mix
1 cup water
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375. Mix meat, stuffing mix, 1 cup water and garlic powder until well blended. Press into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Make an indentation in the center of each with spoon.
2. Spoon BBQ sauce into center of each meatloaf.
3. Bake 30 min. or until meatloaves are cooked through. Top with cheese; continue baking 5 min. or until cheese is melted.
Makes 6 servings.

Catalina Chicken

Tonight's meal again comes from the Food and Family Magazine, holiday 2005 issue. It turned out great. The only alteration I made was on the sauce. I didn't want to have to use just 1/2 a packet of dry onion soup mix and I really didn't think that was enough sauce for 6 pieces of chicken so I used the whole packet and a full cup of the catalina dressing and apricot jam. Here's the recipe:

2 tsp. vegetable oil
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 lb.)
1/2 cup KRAFT CATALINA Dressing
1/2 cup apricot jam
1/2 pkg. dry onion soup mix (about 3 Tbsp.)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 min. on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from skillet; place in 3-qt. baking dish.

MIX dressing, jam and soup mix in small bowl. Pour over chicken.

BAKE 45 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

Key Lime Margarita Pie

Tonight's meal was ordinary...just some shrimp, noodles and vegetables. But tonight I made a dessert! That's right. It is Tim's last day of classes for the semester so I thought this would be nice. It was awesome! This recipe was again from the Kraft Food and Family magazine summer 2005 issue. It has such an awesome lime flavor to it. The kool-aid really gives it a kick. I give this recipe a 5!

1-1/4 cups crushed pretzels
1/4 cup sugar
6 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice
1 env. KOOL-AID Lemon Lime Unsweetened Soft Drink Mix
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

MIX crushed pretzels, sugar and butter. Press firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate.
Refrigerate until ready to fill.
COMBINE condensed milk, lime juice and drink mix in large bowl until well blended. Remove 1/2 cup whipped topping; set aside. Gently stir in remaining 2-1/2 cups whipped topping. Pour into crust.
FREEZE 6 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature 15 min. or until
pie can be cut easily. Garnish with reserved whipped topping before serving.
Store leftover pie in freezer.

We'll see if it makes it in the freezer for 6 hours. All I did was taste the mixture of the ingredients and I almost ate the whole thing right then.

Easy Feta Chicken Bake

Tonight's menu again came from the Kraft Food and Family magazine Winter 2006 issue. This recipe was basically part of an ad for Athenos Feta cheese so I'm not sure if it will be on the Kraft website or not. It was amazing! So much flavor on chicken! I definitely give this recipe a 5!

Prep: 10 min Total: 50 min.

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I just used 4 chicken breasts)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup (4 oz) Crumbled Feta cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (I just used dried)

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Arrange chicken in a 13x9-inch baking dish (I used 9x9 dish since I only used 4 pieces of chicken).

Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Top with feta cheese; drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. lemon juice.

Bake 35-40 min. or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with red pepper and parsley.

Makes 6 servings.

I actually didn't read the last part of the directions closely so I actually cooked the chicken with the red pepper and parsley already on it and it turned out great!

Mini Ham and Cheese Calzones

Tonights dinner was once again taken from the Kraft Food and Family magazine, the winter 2006 issue. They were completely easy to make and turned out great! You can basically put whatever you want in them (I'm not a fan of ham). I give this recipe a 3.

Prep: 15 min. Total: 30 min.

1 can (11 oz.) refrigerated soft breadstick dough
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
12 slices Honey Ham cut in half
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400F. Unroll dough; separate into 12 breadsticks. Cut each breadstick crosswise in half; flatten dough to 2-inch width.

Spoon 1 tsp. cheese onto center of a ham piece. Fold ham piece over cheese to create a tight roll. Place ham roll near the end of a piece of breadstick dough, leaving a border. Fold dough over ham, pinching edges to seal. Repeat process for all ham pieces. Place calzones on baking sheet.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake 12-15 min. or until golden brown. Makes 24 servings.

This recipe is for use in making party food but I used it as a dinner with adjustments. Instead of breadstick dough, I bought the french bread refridgerated dough and cut it in half to make 2 sandwiches. I then unfolded the dough and rolled the meat and cheese into it (I used chicken breast). You could also put in some vegetables. We used different mustards to dip the sandwiches in but you could use different things like ranch dressing or Dijon Mustard.

Chops-on-Top Pork & Stuffing Supper

Tonight's dinner was from the Food and Family magazine, the holiday 2005 issue. It turned out great! What's not to love? You get every food group (except dairy) all in one pan! Easy clean up too.
I give this recipe a 4

Prep time: 15 min. Total time: 35
min.

6 boneless center-cut pork chops. ( I used 4 and it worked just as well)
2 Tbsp. Honey Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp. margarine (this is only to coat the pan while you cook the chops so I just used cooking
spray)
1/4 cup Catalina dressing
3 large carrots, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 large red apples, unpeeled, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
1 pkg (6 oz.) Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1. Coat chops with mustard. Melt margarine in large deep nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chops; cook 6 min. on each side or until browned and juices run clear. Remove from skillet; set
aside.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups water, dressing and carrots to skillet. Cook 6-8 min. or until carrots are tender. Stir in apples and stuffing mix.
3. Return chops to skillet; cover. Turn off heat. Let stand 5 min.

Makes 6
(or 4) servings.

Beef Rice Skillet

Last night I made a recipe out of the Kraft Food and Family magazine. Check out the link to sign up for this free magazine. There are tons of recipes and they're all easy! The best part is the magazine is FREE and it's not just a one issue type FREE. Anyway there's my plug for Food and Family. So this meal was really easy to make and I didn't have to cook anything ahead of time. I just put it all into the skillet and cooked it together. Here's the recipe:

1lb. beef steak, cut into strips
1 1/2 cups minute rice
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) beef broth
1/4 cup water
1 can (7oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1. Spray large skillet with cooking spray. Add meat; cover. Cook on medium-high heat for 10 min. or until cooked through, turning meat over after 5 min.

2. Add liquids and rice; mix well. Bring to boil.

3. Stir in mushrooms, carrots and seasonings; cover. Bring to boil once more then turn off and let stand for 5 min.

Makes 4 servings.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Last night I made a recipe from the Everyday Food magazine I got in the mail. It turned out pretty good and was a good change from lugging out the big crockpot. Tim liked it...he had seconds, you know it's good when your husband has seconds of what you make. The recipe was in the March 2006 issue of the magazine. It's a spin off of the Martha Stewart magazine empire. It's actually a really good magazine, I got this one for free to see what it was like. I give this recipe a 3.

Here's the recipe:

Serves 4
Prep time: 30 min.
Total Time: 30 min.

1 lb spaghetti
8 oz bacon (8 slices). cut 1 in. thick crosswise ( I used turkey bacon)coarse salt and ground pepper (I just used regular salt and pepper)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup half and half

1. Set a large pot of water to boil (for pasta). In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occansionally, until crisp, 8-12 min.; tranfer to a paper towel lined plate.

2. Salt boiling water generously; add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. (I'm guessing al dente means done).

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Parmesan, and half and half. Set aside.

4. Drain pasta, leaving some water clinging to it. Working quickly, add hot pasta to egg mixture. Add bacon; season with salt and pepper, and toss all to combine (heat from pasta will cook eggs).
Serve immediately, sprinkled with additional Parmesan cheese.

Chicken and Vegetable Chowder

This recipe comes from the Famous Brand Name recipe website and it turned out great! I figured I'd get one last hot winter meal in before it really gets warm outside....it went great with the bread bowls I made before. I give this recipe . For anyone who doesn't want to go through the link above, here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of potato soup
1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup whole kernel corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/3 cup half-and-half

Slow Cooker Directions
1. Combine chicken, broth, soup, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, onion, corn, garlic and thyme in slow cooker; mix well.
2. Cover; cook on LOW 5 to 6 hours.
3. Stir in half-and-half. Cover; cook on HIGH 15 minutes or until heated through.

Variation Add 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Swiss or Cheddar cheese just before serving, stirring over LOW heat until melted.

Chicken Enchiladas

Tonight was Chicken Enchiladas on pg 93*. This was an interesting recipe....it was more like enchilada lasagna than regular enchiladas. It was just layers of the ingredients. She only calls for 2 layers but I made 4 since I have a 5qt crock pot. It turned out awesome! I only cooked it on high for like an hour and a half.....basically you're just heating it up since you have to cook the chicken ahead of time. It was still awesome! You know those left overs will be gone quick! I give this recipe a 5 that's right 5 stars!

Ingredients

2 dozen corn tortillas
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 bottles (10 oz) green taco sauce
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup, condensed
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies, with liquid
2 cups grated cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a greased slow cooker, layer half of each ingredient in the order listed above. Repeat with second layer. cover and cook on high heat 30 minutes and then on low heat
an additional 3 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

*see first post for referred cook book.

Savory Chicken Crescent Squares

Tonight I made another meal out of the "Favorite Recipes from Quilters" cook book. Savory Chicken Crescent Squares. These actually turned out pretty good. One word of caution....don't get the crescent rolls out of the fridge until you're ready to put them together. The dough gets too soft and it hard to make it stay together. Despite that, it was a great meal! I give this recipe . Recipe follows:

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. margarine, softened
2 cups diced, cooked chicken
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp. minced onion
8 oz. pkg crescent rolls
1 tbsp margarine, melted
3/4 cup seasoned croutons, crushed

1. Cream together cream cheese and 3 Tbsp. margarine. Add chicken, salt, pepper, milk and onion and mix well.
2. Separate crescent rolls into 4 rectangles. Press performations firmly to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup meat mixture into center of each rectangle. Pull corners of dough to top and twist slightly. Seal edges
3. Arrange in small rectangular baking dish (I used a baking sheet). Brush tops with 1 Tbsp. margarine. Sprinkle with croutons.
4. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Chicken Fajitas

Tonight....Chicken Fajitas on pg 90*. This was a really quick and easy recipe. It was awesome, I didn't even have to thaw the chicken! It turned out great. I only used 4 chicken breasts and we still had a ton of leftovers! I give this recipe a 4
*see first post for cook book name

Ingredients

4-6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 1/2 cups salsa
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 large onion, thinly sliced
soft flour tortillas

Directions

Place all ingredients except tortillas in a greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat 5-6 hours or on low heat 10-12 hours. Just before serving, remove fajita mixture with a spoon and shred chicken using 2 forks.

Place about 2 rounded tablespoons of chicken mixture in each flour tortilla and top with desired condiments. Fold and roll, Makes 8-10 servings.
Condiments for fajitas can include guacamole, sour cream, grated lettuce, grated cheese, and fresh salsa

Family Favorite Brisket

Last night I made brisket for the first time. The recipe is found on page 61*. This was also the first time I did a rub into meat of any kind. Let me tell you cutting off all that fat and then rubbing spices into meat isn't my favorite past time but, man it really did taste good. My sister even liked it and ate 3 pieces when she doesn't really eat a ton of meat. So I give this recipe a 5!

Ingredients

4 lbs fresh beef brisket
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp paprika
1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder
pepper to taste

Directions

Trim all excess fat from meat. Combine seasonings until well blended;
rub into brisket. Place meat in greased slow cooker, with the side that
had more fat on top, cutting to fit if necessary. Cover and cook on low
heat for 10-12 hours. Remove meat from liquid and cut across grain into
thin slices. Makes 4-6 servings.

*see first post for recipe citation information.

Relief Society food

Last night I didn't have to cook because it was Enrichment night! Don't you just love going to Enrichment and being fed....in more ways than one! We had a soup and salad buffet style dinner and it was great! What did my husband get? "Quality Time" with our son and reheated left overs!

Pork Chops and Mushrooms

The ides of March...

We don't really eat much pork in this family but I bought some to try out these recipes. Tonight's meal was Pork Chops and Mushrooms on pg 103*. This recipe actually turned out great! The only thing I changed was the amount of time I cooked it. It called for 6-8 hours on low and I cooked it for 3 hours on low. The pork chops came out great! I give this recipe a 4

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
2 medium onions, sliced
1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup water
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup, condensed

Directions

Place meat in greased slow cooker. Top with onions and mushrooms. In a separate bowl, combine soup mix, water, and soup. Pour over mushrooms and pork chops. cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Makes 4 servings.

*see first post for cook book name

Scalloped Chicken

Tonight was Scalloped Chicken on pg 70*. This was one of the easiest recipes. Just a box of scalloped potatoes (I used augratin potatoes), a can of white meat chicken and some water. And it tasted great! I'm sure you could use any box of potato type stuff with it. You didn't even have to prepare the potatoes ahead of time. Very easy! Mine came out kind of watery so I just added some potato flakes to thicken it up and it was great! I give this recipe a 4

Ingredients

1 box (5 oz) scalloped potatoes, including seasoning packet
1 can (8 oz or larger) white meat chicken
3 3/4 cups water

Directions

Put potatoes in greased slow cooker first, followed by seasoning packet and
chicken. Pour water over all. Cover and cook on high heat 1 1/2 - 2
hours or on low heat 4-5 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

*see first post for cookbook

Crab Corn Bisque

Well since I'm nearing the end of the recipes in the crock pot cook book....well more boring of them really, I thought I'd give you the recipes that I find in other places that I make and like. Tonight was Crab Corn Bisque and it's found in the "Favorite Recipes from Quilters" cookbook on pg 55. I found quite a few recipes I've liked in this book so maybe you will too. I was a little skeptical of this recipe since you make it entirely in the microwave but it turned out pretty good. I give this recipe a 3

Makes 6 servings

2 Tbsp. margarine
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 tsp. thyme
10 3/4 oz. can cream of potato soup
1 1/2 cups milk
17 oz. can creamed corn
12 oz. imitation crab meat

1. Melt margarine in a 3-quart casserole dish in microwave on high.
2. Add chopped vegetables and thyme and cover with plastic wrap which has several slits in top. Cook in microwave on high for 5 minutes, stirring one time.
3. Stir in all remaining ingredients, cover with vented plastic wrap and microwave on high for 7 minutes or until boiling hot. Serve.

I cooked up some crescent rolls to go with it!

Easy Flank Steak

Well tonight we had Flank Steak on pg 58*. It actually turned out really good! You could probably use this same recipe with chicken too. I just used a regular round cut steak (even though she call for flank steak). I don't really even know what that is. The other thing is I shortened the time for cooking. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs of the steak and I think mine was only 1lb. But the recipe called for cooking it on low for 8-10 hours.....so I put it on low and at 2 1/2 hours it was basically done so I put it on warm for another 30 minutes and then we ate it..... It was completely done and very tender! I give this recipe a 4!

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs flank steak, cut to fit in
slow cooker
1/3 cup water
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles, with liquid
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

Place meat in greased slow cooker. Combine other
ingredients and sprinkle over the top of meat. Cover and cook on low heat
8-10 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

*see first post for cookbook name

Cheesy Chicken Noodles

Tonight....Cheesy chicken noodles. On pg 74. * It turned out pretty good. The recipe called for 6 chicken breasts but I thought, hey that's a lot of chicken to make for 2 people so I only used 4. The sauce turned out a little runny though so if you're going to use less chicken then next time I would use less milk in the recipe than what it calls for to thicken up the sauce. Still a great meal. I give the recipe a 3. I'll make this one again.

Ingredients

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) broccoli cheese soup, condensed
2 cups milk
1/2 cup dried minced onion
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
egg noodles, already cooked

Directions

Place chicken in greased slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients
except noodles and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high heat 1 hour
and then reduce to low heat and cook 5-6 hours. Serve over hot cooked
noodles. Makes 6 servings.

*See first post for cookbook title.

Sweet and sour beef

Tonight's meal was Sweet and Sour Beef. Let's just say I won't be making this recipe again. It's just beef, carrots and sweet and sour sauce. Not much to it. And to quote Tim "It's not disgusting or anything but it's not my favorite" now there's a first from his mouth. I have to admit it wasn't my favorite meal either.....I give this recipe 1/2 a star.

Ingredients

2lbs stew meat, cubed
1 bottle (10 oz) sweet and sour sauce
1 cup shredded carrots
4-6 cups hot cooked rice

Directions

Combine all ingredients except rice in greased slow cooker. Cover and
cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Ladle over hot cooked rice. Makes 4-6
servings.

Sunday Chicken

Tonight's meal was Sunday Chicken on pg 78*. Which is fitting because it is Sunday. This was a great recipe, it's really simple too. Just watch it if you end up cooking it on high heat...it doesn't really need the full 4 hours. It can be served over rice or noodles too. It makes a lot of sauce if you only make 4 pieces of chicken in it. But you do have the option to make 6 pieces instead. I give this recipe a 4!

Ingredients

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) cream of chicken soup, condensed
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup sour cream or 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

Directions

Place chicken in greased slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients
except sour cream and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high heat 4
hours or on low heat 6-8 hours. One hour before serving stir in sour
cream. Makes 4-6 servings.

*Refer to first post for the name of the cookbook.

Burton's Minestrone

Tonight's recipe was Burton's Minestrone on pg 31. This food didn't burn which was nice.....and Tim really liked it. I however thought it could have been better and I will make the following adjustments to it when I make it again....It calls for 2 cans of pork and beans.....well you can taste it pretty well I thought and that's not what Minestrone soup is supposed to taste like so instead I would add 4 cans of Minestrone soup instead of 2 and the pork and beans. The other adjustment I would make is the Worcestershire sauce....you could taste that pretty strong too. If you like the stuff then leave the amount the way it is...if not, I would use less of it say maybe just a tablespoon of it. Otherwise the soup was really good and I'm sure it'll be even better when I make it again. I give this recipe 3 1/2 with the possibilities of it being better next time.

Ingredients

1/2 to 1lb ground beef, browned and drained
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) minestrone soup, condensed
2 cups water
2 cans (15 oz each) pork and beans
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup dried minced onion or 1 large fresh onion chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp oregano

Directions

Combine all ingredients in greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on low
heat 3-5 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

Simple Beef Stroganoff

So last night was Beef Stroganoff on pg 54. It turned out pretty good. I did have to watch it closely so it didn't burn. The recipe says cook on low for 6-10 hours, so I figured 4 hours on high was just as good. Well at 2 hours on high I had to turn it to low and after another hour and after adding the sour cream it only cooked for another 30 minutes. There isn't much liquid in this one, so watch this one carefully. I give this recipe a 3 1/2 it was good but it wasn't my favorite thing from this book. I will make it again though.

Ingredients

1lb stew meat, cubed
1/2 cup dried minced onion
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup, condensed
1 can (4 oz) mushrooms, drained
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 cup sour cream or 1 package (8oz) cream cheese

Directions

Combine all ingredients except for sour cream in greased slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Add sour cream the last hour of
cooking. Makes 4-6 servings.

Spoon over hot noodles.