Merry Middles

MERRY  MIDDLES                    

½ cup butter                                           2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter flavored shortening        ½ tsp baking powder
1 egg                                                      ½ tsp salt
2 egg yolks                                            2 ½ cups flour
1 cup sugar

Beat butter and 1/4 cup shortening with a mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Add the egg, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, baking powder and salt.  Beat till combined.  Beat in flour.

For the middles

Transfer 3/4 cup dough to a small mixing bowl.  Add the flowing and beat well:

3/4 cup of yellow dough                      2 tsp almond extract
1/3 cup sifted powder sugar                1 Tbl melted butter
2 Tbl unsweetened cocoa powder                   

Roll the chocolate dough into 1 inch balls.  For each cookie, mold about 1 Tbl. of the yellow dough around each cocoa ball.  Roll gently to make a smooth round balls.  Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Cover and chill 1 hour.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or till bottoms are lightly browned.  Cool for 1 minute; transfer to racks. Cool.

Chocolate drizzle

½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips        2 tsp butter flavored shortening

In a heavy saucepan, combine chocolate pieces and shortening.  Heat and stir over low heat till chocolate begins to melt.  Remove from heat; stir till smooth.  Drizzle chocolate icing over cookies.  Makes 30 cookies.

For Freezer instructions: let thaw out on a cookie sheet for 15 to 20 minutes. Cook until the bottoms are lightly browned for 8 to 10 minutes in a 375 degree oven (the cookies will be very light in color). When cooled Drizzle with Chocolate drizzle.

Pasta Fagioli Soup

1+ lb. ground beef and sausage
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
1 large carrot, sliced (1 cup)
3 stalks celery, sliced (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 15 oz. can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 12 oz. can V-8 juice
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt   (I tend to over salt, so I left the salt out, since it was in the sausage.  Add salt to taste.)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 pound ditali pasta

Brown the sausage/ground beef. Drain off most of the fat.  Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients, except pasta and simmer for 1 hour.  Cook the pasta in a separate pan of boiling water for 10 minutes.  Drain and add to the soup.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes more.  Serve with bread sticks and salad.  Serves 8+

Freezer Meal Directions:  Thaw soup. Warm in a large pot.  Add the V-8 can and any additional water, salt, or chicken broth to taste.  Boil the ditali pasta in a separate pot or add to the soup plus some additional water for the last 10 minutes  Simmer until warm and flavors are mixed.

Hot Ham Hoagies

2-3 lbs thinly sliced ham
2 cups apple juice
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
2 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. paprika

Separate ham slices and place in crock pot.  In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and pour over ham.  Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until ham is heated through.  Place 2-3 slices of ham on toasted rolls or hoagie buns.  Serve with additional relish and swiss cheese if desired.

Freezer Instruction:
Thaw and dump in crock pot. Cook on low 4-5 hours or until heated through.
Place 2-3 slices of ham on toasted rolls or hoagie buns.  Serve with additional relish and swiss cheese if desired.

Sorry I didn't supply the rolls!!!  I didn't want them to be old by the time Monday rolled around!

CAESAR CHICKEN

2 lbs. Chicken
 1 C favorite Caesar Dressing

Defrost chicken - place in crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Shred and serve on rolls as sliders topped with shredded Parmesan and lettuce.

Johnny Carino's Festival Bowtie Pasta

2 oz. melted butter

2 tsp. minced fresh garlic

1/4 c. diced red onion

1/4 c. diced cooked bacon

1/2 c. diced Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 lb. sliced, cooked chicken

2 oz. heavy whipping cream

6 oz. Alfredo sauce (recipe follows)

1/4 c. Asiago cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 lb. bowtie pasta, cooked

In a heated saucepan, combine butter, garlic, onions, bacon, tomatoes, chicken, and spices.

When onions begin to turn translucent, and heavy cream and Asiago.

Once cheese and cream have reduced by half, add alfredo sauce and bowtie pasta. Toss until well-combined and remove from heat. Allow to cool for a few minutes so the cheese and sauce can thicken.

Alfredo Sauce

2 c. Heavy whipping cream

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

1/2 Tbsp. black pepper

1/8 c. whole milk

Bring heavy cream, milk, and black pepper to a consistent boil. Remove cream mixture from heat and fold in parmesan cheese. Store completed sauce in fridge until use.

If you have extra alfredo sauce (which you should) you may want to serve it as a dipping sauce for some french bread or breadsticks. (You could also half the recipe for the alfredo sauce.)

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Crispy Cheddar Chicken (August)

Chicken:

4 large chicken breasts

2 sleeves Ritz crackers

1/4 t salt

1/8 t pepper

1/2 C milk

3 C cheddar cheese, grated

1 t dried parsley

Sauce:

1   10 ounce can cream of chicken soup

2 T sour cream

2 T butter

1. Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks. 

2. In a small food processor grind up the ritz crackers. 

3. Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine.

4. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk…then the cheese. Press the cheese into the chicken with your fingers. Some of it will fall off when you add it to the cracker crumbs, don’t worry about it.  Press the cheesy chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in. By the time you are coating the last piece of chicken, the dish you are using for the crumbs will be full of cheese. Don’t let it get you down. Once the cheese melts in the oven it will adhere nicely to the crumbs and the crackers.

5. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan. 

6. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken. 

7. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy. 

8. Into a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken. 

Enjoy!

Boneless Country Style BBQ Ribs

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs. boneless pork country-style ribs
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
salt and pepper

Directions:

Lightly salt and pepper your boneless pork ribs on both sides.  All all ingredients to your slow cooker.  Gently mix it all up.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Remove meat from slow cooker.  Option:  Can top with 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce once removed.  Serve.

We like to serve it with potatoes, green beans and salad.

From Freezer instructions:

To cook thaw then add to slow cooker as directed above.

Moist Garlic Chicken

Moist Garlic Chicken

¼ cup butter, melted

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. salt

Dash pepper

½ cup seasoned bread crumbs

¼ cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

2 TBL grated Parmesan Cheese

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut in 1 inch strips

In shallow bowl, combine butter, minced garlic, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In another bowl combine bread crumbs and cheeses. Dip chicken in butter mixture then into bread crumbs. Place in greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Cover. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until juices run clear.  

Side dishes:

Rice

Potatoes (My kids love when I make homemade french fries with this because they think they are getting chicken nuggets and french fries)

Green Salad

Veges

Side dish recipe:

Mediterranean Roasted Potatoes

3 lbs of small red or white-skinned potatoes (or mixture)

¼ cup of good olive oil

1 ½ tsp. of salt

1 tsp. of freshly ground pepper

2 TBL of minced garlic (5-6 cloves)

4 TBL of fresh rosemary leaves (I just use dried rosemary and it works fine)

Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Dump the potatoes on a baking sheet and spread out in 1 layer; roast in the oven for at least 1 hour, or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking to prevent burning.

Almond Parmesan Chicken

2/3 cup Italian bread crumbs
2/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1 T. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 cup butter, melted
5-6 chicken breasts (I like to cut them into smaller pieces; they cook faster and have more yummy coating on them!)

Combine the crumbs, cheese, almonds, parsley and thyme. Mix well and pour into a shallow dish.  Melt butter and place in a separate shallow dish. Dip chicken breasts in butter, then roll in the crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken in a baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 min. If desired, serve with sauce.

Freezer Meal Instructions: Thaw chicken. Melt butter and dip chicken pieces in butter, then in bread crumb mixture. Bake at 400 for 30-45 min. If desired top with one of the sauce options below (or one of your own!)
Sauce for chicken:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
Mix soup, sour cream and broth in small saucepan.  Heat over medium heat and pour over chicken to serve if desired.
Source: Judy Anderson from "Let's Call June" cookbook

Another yummy sauce option:

Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

While the chicken bakes, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, whisking constantly, while cooking the flour/butter mixture for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules and salt. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes. Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking.
Source: Melskitchencafe.com

Pioneer Chili

Freezer Meal Directions:  Thaw and put in crockpot for 1 hr.

Caesar Chicken Sandwiches

Paremsan Crusted Pork Chops

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops   Angela Rydalch

6 to 8 pork chops

1 cup parmesan cheese

2 cups Italian Flavored Bread Crumbs

Combine parmesan cheese and bread crumbs in a Ziploc bag.

Dip pork chops in water then coat with parmesan cheese and bread crumb mixture. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes or until done.