Sunday, December 11, 2011

Porcupine Meat Balls

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup uncooked rice (quick cooking)
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
cooked angel hair pasta

Directions

Mix ground beef, onion, salt, pepper, and rice into 1 1/2 x 2-inch balls. Brown in greased skillet until done. Add tomato sauce and ketchup, simmer until done, rolling occasionally. Serve with angel hair pasta.

*This recipe comes from Best of the Best from Tennessee Cookbook.*

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Maple Glazed Green Beans

Ingredients

3 cups cut fresh green beans
1 large onion, chopped
4 bacon strips, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp. bourbon, optional
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions

Place beans in a steamer basket; place in a large saucepan over 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook onion and bacon over medium heat until bacon is crisp; drain. Add the beans, cranberries, syrup, bourbon if desired, salt and pepper; heat through.

*This recipe is from the June/July 2011 edition of Simple & Delicious.*

Monday, July 11, 2011

Simply Seasoned Chicken

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 oz. each)
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. honey
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. butter

Directions

Flatten chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. In a shallow bowl, combine mustard and honey. In another shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs and seasonings. Dip chicken in mustard mixture, then coat with crumb mixture.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in oil and butter for 5-6 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees.

*This recipe comes from the June/July 2011 edition of Simple & Delicious.*

Flavorful Pork Chops

Ingredients

4 bone-in pork loin chops (8 oz. each)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup sliced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

Directions

Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, brown chops in oil. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, saute onion until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the Worcestershire sauce, honey and mustard to the skillet; stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Bring to a boil. Return chops to the pan. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender.

*This recipe comes from the June/July 2011 edition of Simple & Delicious.*

Cinnamon Flapjacks

Ingredients

2 cups complete buttermilk pancake mix
1-1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

syrup:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the pancake mix, water, syrup, butter and cinnamon. Pour batter into a plastic squirt bottle. Squeeze batter into desired letters and shapes onto a greased hot griddle. When underside is browned, turn pancakes and cook until second side is golden brown.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, water and butter. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Serve with flapjacks.

*This recipe comes from the June/July 2011 edition of Simple & Delicious.*

Saucy Peach Balsamic Chicken

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz. each)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup sherry or additional reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup peach preserves
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tsp. minced fresh tarragon
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, brown chicken on both sides in butter. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.

Add broth and sherry to skillet, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Stir in the preserves, garlic and tarragon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar. Return chicken to the skillet; cover and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees.

*This recipe comes from the June/July 2011 edition of Simple & Delicious.*

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

Ingredients~

Crust:


2 2/3 cups coarsely crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted margarine
3 Tbsp. sugar

Second Layer:

1 (8 ounce) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (8ounce) carton Cool Whip
1 cup sugar

Top Layer:

1 large or 2 small packages strawberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
3 pints sweetened frozen strawberries

Directions~

Mix crust ingredients together and spread in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool.

Blend second layer ingredients and spread on cooled pretzel mixture; refrigerate.

Mix Jell-O with boiling water and add strawberries. Wait until mixture is slightly set, 30 to 45 minutes. Pour over cream cheese layer. Chill overnight.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Toffee Bars

Ingredients

35 Saltine crackers, Nabisco Premium
1 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 (6-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup toffee bits, Heath Bits 'O Brickle

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with aluminum foil; spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange crackers in a single layer in prepared pan.

In a small saucepan, place butter and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, and boil for 3 minutes (do not stir). Immediately spread butter mixture over crackers.

Bake for 5 to 7 minutes. Immediately sprinkle chocolate morsels over top; let stand for 2 minutes, or until melted. Spread melted chocolate over tops of crackers. Sprinkle with toffee bits. Let cool completely (about 1 hour). Break into pieces.

Makes 35 bars.

**This recipe comes from the July/August 2010 Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Magazine.**

Chicken Divan

Ingredients

2 (8.8-ounce) pouches ready-to-serve rice pilaf, Uncle Ben's Ready Rice
1 (16-ounce) jar Alfredo sauce, Bertolli
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 (14-ounce) bags frozen baby broccoli florets, thawed and drained, Birds Eye
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Paprika (optional)
Ground black pepper (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to broil. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Heat rice according to package directions for 2 pouches.

In a large skillet, add rice, Alfredo sauce, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, curry powder, broccoli, and chicken. Cook, stirring often, over medium high heat for 10 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Spoon into prepared pan. Top evenly with Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with paprika and pepper, if desired.

Broil, 3 inches from heat, for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, or until lightly browned.

**This recipe comes from the May/June 2010 issue of Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Magazine.**

Guacamole II

Ingredients

2 Avocados
1 Roma tomato. chopped
1 Small Vidalia onion, chopped
Jalapeno, diced
1/2 Lime
salt
Cotija Cheese

Directions

Mash up avocados to your liking. Add the chopped tomato and onion. Add in jalapeno. Squeeze half of lime over, as well as some salt, and then mix it up thoroughly. Top with Cotija Cheese.

Note~I have no longer been able to find Cotija Cheese, so I have been using Queso Fresco. Still quite tasty!