Menu Planning

One of the blogs that I follow does a weekly menu. They also post recipes and link them to the menu if it is an item that not everyone would know. I really like looking at it to get ideas when I am menu planning. They are not too extreme because these two sisters have families and have to cater to that as well. But they do a good variety and also give suggestions on their sides they put with it. They also have a lot of other fun stuff to look at too! Enjoy :)

sistersstuff.blogspot.com

Easy Chicken Bake

**Courtesy of the cookbook 101 Things To Do With A Slow Cooker by Stephanie Ashcroft. Love this cookbook! I came home at lunch yesterday to put dinner in the crockpot and didn't have what I needed. So I skimmed my cookbook and found this. I had never tried it, but it turned out very yummy and easy.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I did three large)

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of mushroom soup, condensed

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup parsley, fresh copped, optional

Place chicken in greased 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Mix together soup, milk, and seasoning. Pour mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on high heat 4 hours or on low heat 8-10 hours. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Served with chicken flavored rice, peas, and stawberries.

White Chicken Chili

This was sooo yummy and different than your usual chili - we will for sure make this again because it came together so easily!

1 lb chicken breast, cut into ½” cubes
1 med onion, chopped
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 (15 ½ oz) cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 ½ oz) can chicken broth
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 C sour cream
1 C whipping cream

Sauté chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is cooked.
Add beans, chicken broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Serve immediately.

Chicken Ashley

*just named after the giver of the recipe.

pour bottle of BBQ sauce over chicken breasts and cook until done. Then sprinkle bacon and cheese and melt.

Serve with fresh tomatoes and green onions.

*I just use the precooked bacon to keep things simple

Salsa Chicken

put a good amount of salsa over chicken breasts and bake for about 25 min.

When chicken is done put sliced cheese (I like cheddar, but doesn't matter) over and put back to oven until melted. Serve with sour cream.

Easy Chicken Bake!

(photo courtsey of www.culinary.net)

I got this off the Stove Top Stuffing box and it was actually pretty good!

Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. Stove Top Stuffing Mix (Chicken flavor)
- 1-1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
- 1/3 cup Sour Cream
- 1 16 oz. bag of frozen mixed vegetables, thawed & drained.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside. Mix raw chicken, soup, sour cream & vegetables in 13x9 inch baking dish; top with prepared stuffing. I also sprinkled it with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 min or until chicken is cooked through!

Makes 6 servings.

Chicken Pillows

I just served these to the missionaries and they seemed to think they were a big hit, so I thought I would post them on here. Plus, this is super easy, which is what I am always shooting for when it comes to dinner!

Ingredients:
- 4oz. cream cheese
- 1/4 c. butter
- 3/4 c. fresh mushrooms (Can also use the "Green Giant" canned ones, that are sliced)
- 1 1/2 c. boiled chicken
- Parsley
- Dried Bread crumbs
- Pillsbury crescent rolls (8 rolls to a can)

In a medium bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth; add mushrooms, boiled chicken, salt, pepper, and parsley. Put about 3 tablespoons of mixture in the center of crescent roll; form into pillow (or fold over and press all around the sides, so they stick together as best as you can. The mixture usually spills out a little & that's ok.) Sprinkle bread crumbs over the tops of each pillow. Bake at 375 for 12-15 min. Watch them and make sure they don't burn! They should brown nicely. Eat up, buttercup!
(it may not seem like it, but these little guys are pretty filling!)

I have also doubled this recipe, by just using two cans of the Pillsbury rolls without doubling the amount of mixture and had a little left over.

Pan Chicken Parmesan

2, 7oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts 4, .71oz slices of mozzarella cheese 1/2c Prego Traditional Italian Sauce Salt/ Pepper/ Garlic Powder 1Tbs Olive Oil Dried Rosemary Leaves Ground Oregano Dried Basil -Cut chicken breasts in half to create 4 pieces -Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.  -Heat skillet with 1tbs olive oil -Cook chicken till done and transfer to a baking dish. -cover each chicken breast with 1/8c Prego Sauce, 1 slice of cheese and dashes of herbs. -bake in countertop oven, broiler or regular oven till cheese is melted and slightly browned.  Number of Servings: 4

Lemon Chicken Tenders

1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a bowl, stir together paprika, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle seasoning over chicken pieces. Dip pieces in egg, then dredge in bread crumbs. Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer in an aluminum foil-lined 15x10-inch jelly roll pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, turning once.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together sugar, lemon juice, and curry powder, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
Drizzle lemon sauce over chicken, return to oven, and bake 5 minutes more.

Easy Pork Chops

6 pork chops (we just used a package of Stew Pork from IGA)
Seasoning salt
1-2 cans cream of mushroom soup (I only used one)
Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Season the pork and brown on both sides. Remove the chops to a 9x13 pan. Put the soup and wocestershire sauce in the frying pan to heat and absorb flavors of the meat. Pour over the pork chops, cover with foil and bake at 300 for 2-3 hours. (This would work great in a slow cooker as well!) The longer they bake, the more tender they are. Serve over potatoes or rice.

*Both Dustin and I could hardly believe how delicious these were and it made a lot of food! It's almost a crime to have something this easy taste so good. We had them over the Weir's baked potatoes: scrub and poke the taters, coat in olive oil then salt, bake uncovered at 350 for 45-60 min. HEAVENLY!! (Did I get the potatoes right, Sara?)*

Praline Cookies

15 Graham crackers (roughly)
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans
1 tsp vanilla (opt)

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in sauce pan. Add brown sugar and vanilla. Bring to a boil and keep it boiling for 1 minute. Meanwhile, lay out graham crackers in greased 9x13 pan. Pour in pecans while the sauce is still hot. Pour mixture over the crackers. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes then move the cookies to wax paper or a plate.

SO EASY and SO YUMMY!

BBQ Chicken with a Twist

Place thawed chicken pieces in 9x13 pan. In a small bowl, combine:

1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c barbeque sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 env. onion soup mix
1/4 c water

Blend and pour over chicken. Cook at 350 for 45 min. This can be used over pork chops or steak in the same way. It's great over rice or potatoes. If you want more of a twist, just put some slices of raw bacon on top of the chicken before cooking. Yum!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1-2 c. cooked chicken
1 c brown sugar
3-4 Tbsp cornstarch
2 c. water
¼ c vinegar
1 c ketchup
Shake of salt
Shake of soya sauce

Combine the brown sugar and cornstarch together before adding to other wet ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Mixture will thicken. Add desired vegetables (pineapple, green pepper). Add bite-sized, cooked chicken or pork pieces. Serve over rice.

*I usually half this recipe and still have leftovers. This is a fast, easy meal that can be ready in 10-15 minutes. My kind of cooking!*

Oven-Fried Chicken Chimichangas

2/3 C. or more picante sauce
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 1/2 C. chopped cooked chicken
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped
6 flour tortillas
2 T. margarine or butter, melted

Mix picante sauce, cumin, oregano, chicken, cheese, and onions. Place about a 1/2 c. chicken mixture in center of each tortilla. Fold opposite sides over filling. Roll up from bottom and place seam side down on baking sheet. Brush with butter. Bake at 400* for 25 minutes, until golden. Garnish with additional cheese and green onion. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Here in Grenada, I usually toss all the ingredients in the crock pot and let it cook to save on the heat in the house. Then I put in the tortillas and bake.

Black Bean Burritos

Ingredients
2 (10 inch) flour tortillas
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon minced jalapeno peppers
3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Place onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapenos in skillet, cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally.
Pour beans into skillet, cook 3 minutes stirring.
Cut cream cheese into cubes and add to skillet with salt. Cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir cilantro into mixture.
Spoon mixture evenly down center of warmed tortilla and roll tortillas up. Serve immediately.

I know I have shared this recipe with a lot of you, but I thought I would post anyway. It is quick, easy, and delicious. You can put shredded chicken in it as well.

Asparagus Chicken

Sauce

¾ c. water

½ c. soy sauce

¾ c. brown sugar

¼ t. garlic

1/8 t. ginger

1 t. lemon juice

Simmer for 2 min.

Chicken breasts

Asparagus

Swiss cheese

Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish and pour sauce over top and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.Discard juice until you have about 1/8 inch on the bottom and cover with tinfoil. Cook chicken 375 for 15 min till chicken is almost done. In the mean time wash and steam enough asparagus 4 to every breast of chicken you have. Place 4 spears on each breast and lay one slice of swiss cheese on top of each breast of chicken. Return to oven uncovered and cook for 10 more minutes till cheese is melted and chicken juices run clear.

I use canned asparagus in Grenada and it has been fine. Fresh is better, but the canned is a good substitute.

Tin Foil Dinners!

Ok, I lied. That was not my last one for today. These are fun to make anywhere. Not just while you are camping,...you can do them at a bar-b-cue or even in your own oven. You can add or subtract from these things if you don't like them. I am pretty sure these calculations are for one tin foil dinner.

Ingredients:
- Tin foil
- 1 Potatoe (cut up)
- 1/3 lb of hamburger
- 1/2 onion (add however much you would like)
- Mushrooms (sliced)
- Baby carrots
- Salt and Pepper (lots of it)
- Butter cut into little cubes
- Suggestion: After it has cooked, we like to eat it with ketchup.

Get two pieces of tin foil and lay them in a "t" shape. Mix everything together and add it onto the tin foil. Put the butter on last, cut up into little pieces, then wrap the tin foil up. Bake @ 350 for 30-40 min. Enjoy your hearty meal!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

So, I have been a little behind on posting any recipes, so I might play catch up right now. he.

Ingredients:
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 (32 oz) bag of frozen vegetables (but I only use about half of it)
- 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (They have a delicious one at IGA-"Betty Crocker" Pie crust, makes 2 and all you do is add water!)
- Salt
- Suggestion: You might want to try and add a can of "Libby's" sweet cream corn or use as a side.

This is seriously very easy, and so yummy!
Boil or steam chicken until done. Dice up. Mix together undiluted soup, vegetables & diced chicken in a bowl. Make pie crusts. Pour mixture into pie shell, and cover with second crust. Crimp edges, and make slits in the top crust. Bake @ 375 degrees for 40-45 min, or until crust is golden brown.