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.

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.

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.

SHREDDED SWEET PORK FOR CAFÉ RIO SALADS
1 3-4 lb pork roast       
1 can coke
3 cups salsa (I like La Victoria)
1 cup brown sugar

Place roast in a crock pot with the coke and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours. Drain off coke and shred meat. Combine salsa and brown sugar and toss with pork. Let simmer in crock pot for another hour on low.

CAFÉ RIO RANCH

1 1/3 cup sour cream            4 Tbl salsa verde
3/4 cup mayonnaise              2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 bunch cilantro                 1/8 tsp Tabasco
1 pkg Ranch dressing            juice of one lime

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Store in fridge. It taste better if you make it the day before and let the flavors blend.

SALSA

4 Roma tomatoes Chopped into small pieces
½ of a White Onion Chopped fine
1/3 bunch Cilantro leaves, chopped
½ of a lime squeezed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Seasoned Pepper Blend

Mix all ingredients together and let set a little while before you eat


CAFÉ RIO RICE

3 cups water                             1 can green chilies
4 tsp chicken bouillon              3/4 tsp salt
4 tsp garlic minced                   1 Tbl butter
1/3 bunch cilantro                    ½ onion, diced
1 1/2 cup rice

Blend cilantro, green chilies, and onion in blender. Bring water to boil. Add all ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes. (I just put everything in my rice cooker, I do not blend the cilantro, green chillies, and onions).       

To make your Cafe Rio Salad, fry the tortilla until lightly golden brown. Thaw and reheat the shredded Pork (you can do this in a crock pot, or on your stove top), place warmed pork on top of tortilla, then add black beans (I do one can of black beans and one can of water and heat on stove top use a slotted spoon to dish out beans), rice, cut up romaine lettuce, and top with dressing. (I usually buy one head of cilantro and divide into three parts, using some for salsa, some for the rice and the rest for the dressing).

Cashew Chicken

I just did Cashew Chicken again.  It is already posted, but this time it is already cooked so all you need to do is warm, add nuts and serve over rice.  Enjoy!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

• 16 Boston Bib or green leaf, or butter lettuce leaves
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger  
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

Directions

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, sesame oil, and cooked beef; continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!

Smothered Pork Chops

*Serves 8

INGREDIENTS:
8-9 slices bacon, chopped
8 bone-in pork loin chops, about 3/4-inch thick
Salt and Pepper
1 large onion, sliced
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped; or 1 tsp. dried

DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet over medium heat, fry bacon until lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving the drippings in the pan. If you have more than 2 tablespoons drippings, drain the excess. If you don’t have quite that much, supplement with canola oil. When the bacon is cool, transfer to a small bag or tupperware and refrigerate until later.

Heat the skillet with the drippings over medium or medium-high heat until rippling and hot. Meanwhile, pat pork chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook pork chops until they are golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side, cooking them in batches in the skillet if your skillet isn’t big enough to hold all six at a time in a single layer. When golden on each side, transfer the chops to the slow cooker and repeat with remaining pork.
Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of fat from the skillet; add onions, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water to empty skillet. Using a wooden spoon, scrape browned bits from bottom of the pan and cook over medium-high heat until onions are soft, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour onion mixture over chops in the slow cooker. Add broth, soy sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar to skillet, bring to a boil and add bay leaves. Pour mixture over onions in slow cooker.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low until pork is tender, about 8 hours (or cook on high for 4 hours).

When ready to serve, carefully transfer chops to serving platter with a large spoon and tent with foil. Discard bay leaves and pour liquid into a small saucepan. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl and stir into sauce. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 T. cider vinegar, season with salt and pepper, pour over chops and sprinkle with reserved bacon and parsley. Serve.

Freezer Instructions:

Put bacon in fridge. Thaw meat and dump entire bag into crock pot.  Add 2 bay leaves. Cook cook on low until pork is tender, about 8 hours (or cook on high for 4 hours).  

When ready to serve, carefully transfer chops to serving platter with a large spoon and tent with foil. Discard bay leaves and pour liquid into a small saucepan. In a small bowl, mix 2 T. cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl and stir into sauce. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 T. cider vinegar, season with salt and pepper, pour over chops and sprinkle with reserved bacon and parsley.  Serve.

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.

November Plan for Kellie

Chicken Rolls are the plan for November.  I will double check the recipe and make sure that it is correct.  See you Monday!

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU                                Darla McCoy

Skin and bone six large chicken breasts.  Pound them until they're thin.  Lay 1-2 slices Swiss cheese over each breast.  Next lay 1-2 thin slices of ham over the cheese.  Roll up each piece of chicken.  Hook together with a toothpick.  Dip in milk, roll in flour, dip in buttermilk, and then roll in dried bread crumbs.  Brown in butter.  Bake at 350̊ for 30-45 minutes.  Serve with Rich Cheese Sauce, and Oven Baked Rice.

RICH CHEESE SAUCE
1  cup medium white sauce (2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 cup milk)
                                               
Add to the white sauce, and stir until cheese is melted:
1  cup grated nippy cheddar cheese
1  teaspoon dry mustard
½  teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

OVEN BAKED RICE - Cook uncovered with the chicken:
1  cup rice                          ½  diced onion
1  can beef consume          ½  cube butter
1  can water

Ham and Cheese Quiche

Ham and Cheese Quiche

(Jen Kempton)

2-9” pastry shells, cooked 10 minutes

2 c. chopped ham

2 c. cheddar cheese

2 tsp. dry, minced onion

4 eggs

2 c. milk

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

Divide ham, cheese and onion between shells.  Wisk remaining ingredients and pour over.  Bake at 400° for 35-40 minutes.  Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.  Yield 8-10 servings.

Be sure this is completely thawed before you try to bake it or it will take a very long time to cook and your crust will burn.