Spicy Sausage Pasta

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage
1.5 cups diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz penne pasta
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

1. Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted, spotty brown, and bubbly.

Makes 4 servings (I made 1 1/2 the recipe for the exchange)

Alfredo Chicken Pizza

3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste
1 jar of alfredo sauce
2 c spinach
1 c grape tomatoes; chopped or diced
1 c grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375.  Marinate chicken with with half of minced garlic, salt and pepper and leave for 15 mins. After that heat grill pan with 2-3 tbsp of oil and grill chicken over the grill pan until become completely done, it would take 8-10 min over medium-low heat. Then cut the grilled chicken into small chunks. Dust your pizza pan with flour to roll out the pizza dough. Pour the alfredo sauce over the dough, place the baby spinach, grape tomatoes, grilled chicken and mozzarella cheese. In the end brush the edges of the crust with olive oil and season with salt and pepper (if desired). Place the pan in preheated oven about 25 mins. until crisp and golden brown.

PoppySeed Chicken

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle of poppyseed dressing
1 pkg Lipton dry onion soup mix

Place chicken breast in a 9x13 pan. Poor the bottle of poppyseed dressing over the chicken. Sprinkle the onion soup mix around. Bakke at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with mashed potatoes.
* the gravy from the chicken is heavenly with the potatoes

Corn Chowder

2 lbs. potatoes, cubed (can use frozen bag)
1 onion, chopped
1 can corn
1 pint heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste
Bacon
Chives

Saute the onions in butter in a sauce pan until they start to brown. Put the potatoes into a large pot. Open the can of corn. Pour just the juice over the potatoes. Then add the sauteed onion, salt, pepper, and more water to the potatoes until they are almost covered with water. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Then add the corn and cream. Warm for another 5 minutes.Season with salt and pepper to taste, add chives and bacon if desired.

Chicken Tostada Upside Down Bake

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
4 small or 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, shredded and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
1 can diced tomatoes, fire roasted is great with this recipe
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
2 sm cans sliced olives
1 packet ranch dressing seasoning packet (optional, but really tasty)
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cumin
Pinch of kosher salt and pepper
1/2 Cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, in the sheet form if possible
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt with Parsley
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat oil in dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat.  Saute onions for 5 minutes then add in garlic; cook for an additional 1 minute.  Add chicken, tomatoes, corn, black beans, olives, ranch seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper.  Stir and cook for 5 minutes, until heated through, then stir in cilantro.  Pour into a 9×13 inch baking dish that’s been sprayed with non stick cooking spray.  Place Crescent Roll sheet over top of chicken mixture, brush lightly with olive oil and season with garlic salt.  (If you are using the regular crescent rolls, unroll then and press perforations together with fingers then place over chicken).  Bake for 20 minutes, until just starting to brown.  Top with cheese and bake for an additional 15-18 minutes or until cheese is melted and crescent dough is cooked through.  Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
2.  Serve with shredded lettuce and sour cream if desired (not pictured, but really good!)
8 servings

Skillet Baked Ziti

1 Tbs olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Salt
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 c water
3 ¾ c ziti pasta
½ cup heavy cream
½ grated parmesan cheese
¼ c minced fresh basil
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 475

Combine oil, garlic, red pepper and ½ tsp salt in 12” oven safe nonstick skillet and sauté over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, water, ziti and ½ tsp salt. Cover and cook stirring often and adjust heat as needed to maintain vigorous simmer, until ziti is almost tender: about 15-18 minutes

Stir in cream, parmesan and basil. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over ziti. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until cheese has melted and browned, about 10 minutes. Serve

SW Cobb Wraps/Salad

Dressing

¼ c mlik
1/3 c mayo
1/3 c sour cream
1 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs SW seasoning

Wrap/Salad

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 hard boiled eggs, slice
1 avocado, peeled and cubed (optional)
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
Romaine lettuce
¼ small red onion (optional)
6 slices bacon, cooked and cut up
tortialls

Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl until well blended. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.

Arrange wrap/salad ingredients as desired. Drizzle with dressing.

Peanut Butter Bars

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c peanut butter
1/3 c shortening (butter flavored)
2 eggs; beaten
1/4 c water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c quick oats

Frosting
2 1/4 c powdered sugar
2 Tbs shortening
3 Tbs peanut butter
3 - 3 1/2 Tbs milk

Combine flour, sugar, soda and salt. Cut in peanut butter and shortening to coarse crumbs. Mix in eggs, water, vanilla, and oats. Spread in a greased 15x10x1 baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Mix all frosting ingredients, then spread evenly on cooled peanut butter bars.

Harmon's Chicken

Chicken Breasts
Harmon's All-Purpose Seasoning
Harmon's Sweet Apricot Teriyaki Glaze
Rice

Sprinkle seasoning on chicken breasts. Cook or grill chicken. Dip chicken bites in glaze or pour over chicken. Serve with rice.

*Also good when you poor the glaze over the rice

Lime and Coconut Chicken

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tbsp oil
zest of 1 lime
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup coconut milk
pinch cayenne
1 small fresh hot chili, such as Thai or Serrano, minced (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro - optional
Fresh limes, cut into wedges - optional

Mix all remaining ingredients except chicken, fresh cilantro and limes.
Place chicken in a large bowl or ziploc bag. Cover with marinade - setting some aside for later.
Chill in the refrigerator for up to two hours.
Once you are ready to cook the chicken, remove each breast from the marinade.
Pace chicken breasts on BBQ grill. Cook chicken till no longer pink
Sprinkle with fresh lime juice and cilantro. Serve with sauce on the side.

*we liked pouring some of the sauce over our rice as well

Whole Wheat Waffles

1 c. flour
1 c. whole-wheat flour
4 tsp. baking powder
4 tsp. sugar
½ tsp salt
2 eggs; separated
2 c milk
6 T oil

Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Mix egg yolks, milk and vegetable oil together. Add to dry ingredients and mix together thoroughly. Gently fold egg white into batter.

Taco Chicken Bowls

1.5 lb chicken breast
16 oz salsa
15 oz can blakc beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn
1 Tbs chili powder
1/2 Tbs cumin
1/2 Tbs minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
cracked pepper to taste (optional)
2 cup dried rice
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
cilantro (optional)

STEP 1: Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker along with 1/4 cup of water (for good measure). Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture.

STEP 2: Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.

STEP 3: Near the end of the cooking time, cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions (Bring the rice and 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a lid in place, as soon as it reaches a boil, reduced the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving).

STEP 4: After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily). Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS:
4-5 medium russet baking potatoes
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
6 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup finely diced green onions
1/3 cup light sour cream

Toppings:
Sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped green onions
Cooked, diced bacon pieces

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pierce the potatoes all over with the tines of a fork. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake for about an hour, until tender and baked through. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them sit for about 20 minutes, until they are cool enough to handle (or use an oven mitt if you don’t want to wait for them to cool slightly). Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the insides of the potatoes. Place the potato chunks in a medium bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher until the potatoes are broken into smaller chunks.

In a large 4-quart pot, melt the butter over medium heat. When melted, add 1/4 cup of the flour and whisk to combine. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes until lightly browned. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and remaining 1/4 cup flour. Gradually whisk the mixture into the pot, and cook until thick and bubbling, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the potato chunks and salt and pepper. Whisk in the cheddar cheese until it is completely melted. Stir in the green onions and sour cream. Serve immediately with desired toppings.

Spicy Pork Roast with Rosemary Potatoes

For the pork:

1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbs red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs salt
1 (3-pound) pork roast, cut into 4 stekas, 2-in thick

For the potatoes:

3 russet potatoes, cut into 1" pieces
2 sprigs rosemary, stripped
2 Tbs vegetable oil
Salt

For the Sweet and Sour Sauce

3/4 c sugar
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1 c orange juice
1 Tbs butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

To prepare the pork: Mix spices together in a small bowl. Rub mixture over pork. Let set at room temperature, 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss potatoes with rosemary, oil and salt. In a smal saucepan, bring sugar, vinegar and orange juice to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking sweet and sour sacue until it reduces by half, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, swirl in butter and keep warm before using.

In a 13" cast iron skillet (I've always just used my regular 12" oven safe skillet), heat 2 Tbs vegetable oil. When pan is smoking hot, add pork, and sear on both sides. Add potatoes and place in the oven until pork is cooked through and potatoes are tender, about 40 minutes.

Serve pork chops with rosemary potatoes and drizzled with the sweet and sour sauce.

Sunday Chicken Dinner

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope chicken gravy mix
Dash pepper
1 10-oz pkg frozen peas
3 10.75 cans cream of chicken soup
1 small onion, chopped
2 c. potatoes, cut up
1 c carrots, sliced

Place chicken breasts in a single layer in a large baking dish. In a separate bowl, mix all remaining ingredients, and pour mixture over the chicken breasts. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 90 minutes.
*the original recipe says 325 for 3-4 but it was way over cooked in my opinion. This time and temp works for me. However, just one time my carrots and potatoes were still a little crunchy, so you could take out the chicken and continue cooking for a little bit longer.

Upside Down Pizza

1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
16 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 c grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 (8 oz) can refrigerated crescent rolls

Preheat over to 350. Brown beef, onion and garlic in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Once browned, drain fat and stir in spaghetti sauce. In a 9x13 baking dish, spread a layer of sauce. Top with 1/2 of the mozzarella & parmesan cheeses, another layer of sauce and the rest of the cheese. Top with crescent rolls, pinching seams together. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until rolls are golden brown.

Golden Sweet Cornbread

1 c flour
1 c yellow cornmeal
2/3 c sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 c milk
1/2 c vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400. Spray or lightly grease a 9" round pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well comined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Black Eyed Peas

1 lb pkg dried black eyed peas
4 c water
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lrg onion
2 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
2 ham hocks

Soak beans in water over night. Drain and place in crock-pot. Add water and remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on HIGH 1-2 hours then LOW for 8-9 hours. Serve over hot rice & a side of cornbread. Growing up my family also liked to mix ketchup in it (but not me). **My crock-pot is different where I usually cook this on HIGH for 1 hour and then LOW for about 6 hours.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

1 ½ lbs pork or chicken, cooked & shredded
1/3 c honey
¼ c lime juice
1 Tbs. chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Flour tortillas

Mix together honey, lime juice, chili powder, & garlic powder in a medium bowl. Add shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes. Lightly spray 9x13 with non-stick baking spray (depending on how thick you stuff your enchiladas you can also do 2 9x13s or one 9x13 and one 9x9). Pour green enchilada sauce into pan(s) to coat the entire bottom, about ½ of one can. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired about of cheese. Roll and place in dish. Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top – don’t be stingy! (I use 1 ½ cans – you can freeze left over enchilada sauce in a baggy). Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.

Optional – Turn on broiler after baking and place enchiladas near the top of the oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy.

Citrus and Soy-Marinated Grilled Pork Tenderloin

2-3 pounds pork tenderloin
3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)

Combine all the ingredients except the pork and mix well. Pour the marinade into a ziploc bag or baking dish and add the pork tenderloin, making sure the marinade completely covers the pork. Marinade for 8-10 hours.

Preheat an outdoor grill (charcoal or gas). Grill the pork tenderloin about 3-4 minutes on each of its four sides (the exact time will depend on the temperature of your grill) or the internal temperature is about 150 to 155 degrees. Remove from the grill, tent with foil, and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.