Super Easy Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:
your favourite Chicken Fingers (I like M&M meatshop chicken fingers)
1 slice of mozzarella or provolone cheese for each chicken finger
your favourite pasta sauce, enough to cover
grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

*Bake chicken fingers until cooked through on a baking sheet.

*Transfer baked chicken to another baking dish (trust me, don't pour cold sauce on top of a hot baking pan...not that I have any experience with what happens if you do!)

*Top each chicken finger with a slice of cheese and pour sauce on top.

*Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese and bake until sauce bubbles.

*Serve with your favourite pasta. 

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza Pie

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 cups warm water
• 3 tsp. yeast
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 cup golden crisco
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 - 4 1/2 cups flour

Toppings

• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups pizza sauce
• 300 grams thinly sliced pepperoni
• 4 cups grated mozzarella cheese or more if you like it cheesy
• your favourite additional toppings (mushrooms, peppers, sausage, etc.)

In a kitchen aid mixer, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar and let sit until frothy. Add in butter, butter flavoured Crisco and salt and mix until combined. Add in flour, a small amount at a time, and mix with a dough hook until dough is well mixed. Let rise slightly and mix again. Roll out dough into one large pan or two 9X12 greased baking pans. Let rise again slightly and then roll out thin and stretch to create an edge up the side of the pan. Bake until crust begins to brown.

Add salt and pepper to ricotta and then add eggs. Mix to combine. Spread mixture out onto browned crust. Top with pizza sauce. Add pepperoni and other toppings. Top with cheese. 

Bake until done. Let sit 10-15 minutes before serving. 

Blueberry Glazed Pork Medallions

Ingredients

• 2 pound pork tenderloin
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder

Sauce:

• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• ½ cup water
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 cup blueberries

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine Italian seasoning, pepper, and garlic. Rub over tenderloin.
2. Pan fry in a large frying pan until outside is browned.
3. Slice pork loin into medallions and cook until barely pink.
4. Serve with blueberry glaze sauce.

Sauce:

 1. In a small pan whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, balsamic vinegar, water and soy sauce. Heat over medium and stir until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Add blueberries and simmer until warm, about 2 minutes.

Can also be made in a crockpot:

1. After seasoning, pork loin, pour ½ cup of water in the slow cooker and add the tenderloin. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
2. When tenderloin is done, remove from slow cooker and let rest 5 minutes. Drizzle glaze over tenderloin.
3. Slice and serve.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole (with canned soup)

1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tbsp flour
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
or creamy poblano & queso soup (bought in the US)
4 oz can green chilies (optional)
6-8 flour tortillas
1 1/2 cup grated cheese, Monterey Jack or Cheddar

Saute onion in butter. Mix in flour. Add next 4 ingredients. Stir until it boils. Add chicken and mix.

Tear 2-3 tortillas into pieces. Place in the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Spoon 1/2 chicken mixture on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese.
Tear 2-3 tortillas into pieces and place on top of chicken mixture. Add remaining amount of chicken mixture and top with 1/4 cup cheese. Top with remaining torn tortillas and top with 1 cup of cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through and cheese bubbles.

Perogy Rollups (Using Leftover Potatoes)

Ingredients:

1 onion

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp butter

8ish cups mashed potatoes (leftovers are perfect!)

8 strips of bacon, cut into small pieces

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

10-12 lasagna noodles (cooked)

grated cheddar cheese

sour cream and more bacon, for garnish

Directions:

Sliced onion into very thin small pieces. In a frying pan, cook in brown sugar and butter until onions caramelize. Add in potatoes and heat through. Add bacon and cheese and heat until cheese begins to melt. 

Lay cooked noodle out on a flat surface and place slightly less than 1 cup of filling. Roll up and tuck end under. Continue with remaining noodles and filling. 

At this point, you can bake these topped with some additional cheddar cheese and then top with sour cream and bacon and serve. 

Or...you can freeze after rolling up on a tray and then transfer to a air tight container or ziploc bag. To cook after freezing, place frozen rolls in a baking dish and top with a small amount of white gravy (1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp flour cooked in a sauce pan and then add about 1 1/2 cups milk. Season with salt and pepper as desired). Bake covered until rolls are cooked through and then top with cheese and uncover until cheese is melted. Serve garnished with sour cream and bacon. 

Baked Freezer Meatballs

3 lbs ground beef

1 small onion chopped finely

3/4 cup bread crumbs, blended oatmeal, or cracker crumbs

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tbsp worchestershire sauce

3 tsp French onion soup mix (epicure selections)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and combine well. Roll into equal sized balls of your choice and place on 2-3 large cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees until fully cooked through. Let cool completely and then freeze in a labeled ziploc bag. Using these meatballs gets supper on the table in no time because the meatballs have already been fully cooked and so they just need to be heated through. Makes enough for 3-4 meals for my family with leftovers for lunch.

Serving ideas:

Spaghetti and meatballs

Sweet and Sour meatballs over rice

Brown mushroom gravy with meatballs over mashed potatoes

Meatball subs

Meatball soup

or with any of these sauces

Sundried Tomato and Basil Naan Bread Pizza with Balsamic Drizzle

Ingredients:

2 pieces Naan Bread
1/2 cup of your favourite tomato sauce
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (the ones I used came in a jar packed in olive oil), cut into small pieces
1 pkg fresh mozzarella pearls (I bought this kind in the States)
5-6 fresh basil leaves, snipped into small slivers
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Top each naan bread with a thin layer of sauce. Sprinkle on sundried tomato pieces. Place mozzarella pearls evenly on top. Add fresh basil. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust starts to brown slightly. While the pizza is baking, heat vinegar over high heat stirring constantly until boiling. Keep stirring until vinegar starts to thicken. Drizzle on warm pizza when it comes out of the oven. Serve immediately.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken and Pineapple Kabobs

1 pkg bacon (not thick-sliced)

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 fresh pineapple, cut into chunks

1 recipe Teriyaki Sauce

Teriyaki Sauce:

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/8 c. rice vinegar

1 tsp garlic

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp cold water

To make the Teriyaki Sauce: Combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper in a small saucepan.  Bring to a  boil over medium-high heat.  While the soy sauce mixture is heating, whisk together cornstarch and cold water.  When the soy sauce mixture comes to a full boil, whisk in cornstarch mixture and stir sauce until thickened and clear.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

For the kabobs:

• *Note* If you're using wooden skewers, soak them in water for a little while prior to preparing the kabobs. This will prevent extra charring of the sticks when grilling. 
• Cut the bacon into thirds. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces; you'll want roughly as many pieces of chicken as you have of bacon.
• Set up a workstation with kabob skewers, chicken, bacon, and pineapple, plus a shallow dish, cookie sheet, or heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag for marinating the skewers.
• Wrap a piece of bacon around a piece of chicken and poke the skewer through it.  Push the meat all the way to the bottom.  Top with a pineapple chunk.  Repeat the process so there are three pieces of bacon-wrapped chicken on the skewer and two pineapple chunks.  Do the same for your remaining skewers.  
• Place the skewers on a cookie sheet lined with foil.
• Reserve 1/2 cup of Teriyaki Sauce and pour the remaining sauce over the chicken.  Marinate for 4-8  hours (I let it sit overnight).
• If you choose to cook these on a grill, preheat the grill to medium-high heat (about 400 degrees F).  Place skewers on grill and baste with reserved Teriyaki Sauce.  Cook for 7 minutes, turn, baste, and cook for another 7 minutes, approximately.
• To cook these in the oven, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Cook for 20 minutes, turning and basting once.

Greek Style Burgers

• 1lb ground Chicken 
• Chopped Garlic – 3 cloves
• 1/4 cup Finely chopped Red Onion
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp Red Chilli 
• 1 tsp Cumin 
• 1 tsp Kafta spice (equal amounts of cumin, coriander, and cinnamon)
• Salt to taste
• pita bread, to serve

Tzatziki-style sauce

• 4 tbsp cucumber with skin on, chopped
• 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
• 1 tsp dried Mint
• 1 tsp epicure lemon dilly dip mix
• 1 tsp garlic powder

toppings

• Few leaves of fresh crunchy lettuce
• red onion, sliced thinly
• feta cheese, crumbled or with herbs in brine

For making the Chicken burger, bring together in a mixing bowl, the chicken, spices, and onion. Mix it well with your hand and form flat patties and fry them in a few drops of olive oil on a non stick pan or bake them in the oven until browned. 

For the sauce,  together the cucumber, Greek yogurt, mint and spices. Warm the pita bread slightly and then spread sauce on entire surface. Place the cooked patty on the sauce and then top with lettuce, onion, and feta cheese.

Crockpot Pulled Pork for Tacos

Ingredients:

1-2 cups of your favourite salsa - blended if you want to remove chunks

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon brown sugar, if desired

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1-2 lb pork tenderloin

1 package soft tortilla shells

taco toppings:  grated cheese, peppers, onions, corn, salsa, sour cream

Instructions:

Place salsa and spices into crockpot and stir well. Place pork loin on top and scoop some of the sauce on top. Cook on low for 8 hours. When done, shred the pork using two forks. Serve in warmed tortillas with desired toppings.

BBQ Spare Ribs

I don't have a lot of experience with doing ribs, but I needed to find something different to make.  I was in a rut of making the same thing over and over again.  

This is a recipe from my Mom-in-law and it was super easy and very tasty.

I cut the pork ribs (2- 2 1/2 lbs) into sections and baked them on a foil lined pan for an hour at 350.

Then I mixed up this sauce:

1 tbsp celery seed
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 - 10oz tin tomato soup

I transferred the ribs to a roaster, dumped the sauce on top and baked it for an hour at 350, uncovered.

There were no left overs.  The sauce is great over rice.

Chicken Penne Casserole

It's not very often I try a new recipe and it turns out well enough that I would consider making it again. Thankfully, today that was not the case.  This was delicious and pretty simple to put together.

- 1 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped red and green pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 15oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups shredded mozza cheese*

Cook pasta.  Meanwhile, in a large pan saute chicken, peppers, garlic and seasonings in oil until chicken is no longer pink.  In food processor puree tomatoes until no big chunks remain.  Add to chicken mixture.  Stir in broth.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Drain pasta.  Toss with chicken mixture.  Spoon half the mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Sprinkle with half mozzarella cheese.  Repeat layers.    Cover and bake at 350  for 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through.

Serves four adults.

* I used marble cheese as that's what I had on hand.

Chili

Chili is chili right?  That's what I thought until I tried this recipe.  Sooooo good!!  Still basic ingredients but this combination is a tasty one.

- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 chopped onion
- Green pepper (or any other color)
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup bbq sauce
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 2 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp mustard
- 2 cans pork and beans
- 1 can kidney beans
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- 1 can tomato soup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar

Brown first 3 ingredients.  Add remaining ingredients.  Simmer for about an hour and a half.
* I left out the kidney beans this time around, but I love them, so will add them in next time.
**We enjoyed this with multi-grain chips from Costco.  :)

Little Cheddar Meatloaves

Thanks again to my friend Claudette for a tasty little recipe!  I'll admit, meatloaf isn't all that glamorous or exciting.  But this recipe takes it up a couple of notches and is oh so tasty. 

- 1 egg

- 3/4 cup milk

- 1 cup grated cheese

- 1/2 cup oats

- 1/2 cup chopped onions

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 lb ground beef

Sauce:

- 2/3 cup ketchup

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1 tsp mustard

Beat egg and milk.  Stir in cheese, oats, onion and salt.  Add beef and mix well.  Shape into 8 loaves and place in 9x13 inch baking pan.  Combine sauce ingredients and spoon over loaves.  Bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour.  Yum!!

Creamy Chicken

A very simple but yet delicious way to do chicken and pasta.

Creamy Chicken

- 3/4 to 1 cup chopped onions
- 1/4 cup margarine
- 3 to 4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
- 1 can mushroom soup
- 1/8 tsp celery salt (or chopped celery)*
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 tsp (approx) chicken oxo
- 1 1/2 - 2 tsp parsley flakes
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen peas**
- 1/2 to 1 cup sour cream

Fry onions in margarine till soft.  Add chicken and fry till chicken is cooked through.  Then add next 6 ingredients.  Simmer for a few minutes.  Just before serving, add sour cream. Serve over any kind of pasta.

* I prefer to use chopped celery
** I don't have a lot of pea lovers in my household so I use mushrooms instead.  Fresh is best but canned works too.

Japanese Chicken

I think all my favorite recipes come from friends!  This one is from my friend Colleen - a high school buddy, a room mate when we both "left home" and my maid of honor at my wedding.  This recipe has somewhat of a chinese take out flavor to it.  Delicious!

- Chicken (breasts or pieces)

- 1 egg

- flour

- oil

- 1 cup sugar

- 1/2 cup vinegar

- 3 tbsp soya sauce

- 3 tbsp water

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

Dip chicken (I like to cut up my chicken breasts into smaller pieces, but you can leave them whole as well) into beaten egg, then flour.  Fry in small amount of oil until golden brown and transfer to casserole dish.  Mix sugar, vinegar, soya sauce and water and pour over chicken.  Bake at 350 for an hour (less if you're using chicken breasts).  Right before serving, stir baking soda into the sauce and stir it around.

*I tried this recipe with half the amount of sugar and while it was ok, it wasn't as tasty as the full sugar version.  Surprise, surprise.  ;)

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

A few years ago we were invited out for lunch after church and were served these meatballs. A little different from the norm, but oh so yummy. Quite a bit of sugar in the sauce, but tasty none the less.
Meatballs:

- 1 1/4 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup water or milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves of garlic

Mix beef, crumbs, water, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Makes approximately 24 meatballs. Brown in frying pan or hot oven. Transfer to casserole.

Sauce:

- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp ketchup

Combine brown sugar and flour in saucepan. Blend thoroughly. Add vinegar, water, soy sauce and ketchup. Stir over medium-high heat until boiling. Pour over meatballs. Cover and heat in 350 oven for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serves 4.

Cheddar BBQ Chicken Breasts

The thing I like about this recipe is that it pairs up everyday ingredients to make something really delicious. It's easy too!

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 8 cooked bacon strips
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 1 cup bbq sauce

Cover chicken breasts with bbq sauce and bake until done (about 30 minutes at 350). When chicken is done, pour on more sauce. Add bacon strips to cover chicken and cover with shredded cheese. Return to oven until cheese melts. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

Tropical Chicken Pizza

A recipe from my friend Heather. This pizza is a little different than the norm, but oh so tasty.

• Your favorite pizza crust (to fit a cookie sheet)
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup Kraft mandarin orange with sesame dressing
• 1 jar classico alfredo sauce
• 200 g finely chopped ham
• 1 can pineapple tidbits, drained
• 1 to 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (I used marble this time around as it's what I had on hand)

Fry chicken breasts in salad dressing until fully cooked. Sliced into small pieces. Spread pizza crust with 1/2 to 3/4 jar of alfredo sauce. Top with sliced chicken, ham, pineapple and grated cheese. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

Quick Szechwan Sauce

Trying to make a conscious decision to eat better, I made a stir fry, but wanted a sauce to add some flavor. And I was really happy with this one. Sweet and spicy. Two of my favorite things. Can be used a meat marinade or cooking sauce.
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 red chile peppers, seeded and chopped fine*
- 2 tsps fresh chopped ginger**
- 2 tsps minced garlic
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 5 tbsp vinegar
- 5 tbsp ketchup

Stir together olive oil, chile peppers, ginger and garlic. Mix in sugar, vinegar and ketchup.

* I used red pepper flakes as I didn't have the chile peppers on hand. Adjust amount to your tastes
** Again I used the ginger powder as I didn't have fresh ginger on hand

Makes 6 servings

Calories: 124
Fat: 6.8g
Cholesterol: 0