Pork Chop and Potato Bake

Nate and I both liked this. See my notes below.

10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
24 oz. pkg frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed (I could only find 20 oz. package near the eggs and sour cream at Schnucks)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. pepper
2.8oz. can French fried onions, divided (I think this was in the canned vegetable aisle; i had to ask a worker)
4-6 pork chops, browned (I used boneless)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Combine soup, hasbrowns, milk, sour cream, pepper, half of cheese, and half of french fried onions; spread into a buttered 13X9" baking pan. Arrange pork chops on top; sprinkle with seasoned salt. Cover with aluminum foil; bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Top with cheese and remaining onions; bake, uncovered, 5 additional minutes. Serves 4-6

Other notes: Cook hashbrowns in a skillet (in a little olive oil) before putting in casserole since they take longer to cook than the recipe allows. Also, I browned the pork chops for about 30 seconds on each side before putting them in casserole, but I wonder if this made them a little tough (anyone have more pork chop baking experience than me?) They were still very good, but not tender.
I served with Sister Shubert yeast rolls (in frozen foods near waffles at Schnucks) and apricot jelly.

Penne with Chicken, Spinach, Tomatoes, and Feta

This is really fast, and Susanna (7) actually liked it more than me. Svgs- 4

Preheat to 475 degrees.
24 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes
2 T olive oil
5 cloves garlic (chopped)
3 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cups roasted chicken breastmeat (from a pre-cooked Rotisserie), shredded
8 oz. penne pasta- cooked
6 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup feta cheese

Mix tomatoes, oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper in a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake until tomatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook and drain pasta. Reserve about 1/4 cup pasta cooking water.
Add chicken to last few minutes of cooking tomato mix. Toss pasta, 1/4 cup pasta cooking water, tomatoes, juices, chicken, and spinach. Stir until spinach wilts.
Season with salt and pepper.
Top each serving with feta.

This was a REALLY quick recipe. I got home from the store and I think it was on the table in 30-35 minutes.

Theme Time!

Okay ladies- let's have your favorite crock pot recipe! I just got a crock pot & I've made chili in it, but that's about it. Ideas please!

aldi!

I was a little skeptical about Aldi. But I started shopping there last summer and I love it! And today I found this meal planner tool on their website, and I love it even more. There's a GIANT database of recipes, which you can save to a cookbook (you have to register at the site but I don't think they send you spam) and add to a shopping list automatically. I am way excited.
Pardon me if you know about this already.

Chicken/Broccoli Stir Fry

The meat marinates for an hour or so, so this can't be a totally last minute meal.

1 lb boneless chicken breasts
2 T soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T dry sherry (optional)
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 T peanut oil or vegetable oil
2 stalks broccoli, cut in bite-size pieces
1 C bean sprouts
1 C chicken broth
1 T cornstarch
1/2 C cashews

Cut chicken in strips, marinate in soy sauce, garlic, sherry and ginger. Refrigerate 1 hour. Heat wok or fry pan over high heat; add oil to coat bottom and sides of pan. Stir fry chicken until light brown; add broccoli and continue stir frying until broccoli is crisp/tender. Add bean sprouts. Mix cornstarch with chicken broth; sitr into chicken mixture. When sauce thickens, reduce heat and add cashews. Serve over rice.
Serves 4.

The chicken always turns out tender, and Susanna (7) and Nathan (hubby) like this. The little boys won't eat it, but they won't really eat anything.
Enjoy! :)

taco soup

hey there! first of all, i'm honored to be a part of this blog, since i think the rest of you are moms and i'm not (yet), but i'm open to being ostracized if i suggest any recipes that are simply un-mom like...please tell me! so, i thought i'd start with an oldie, but a goodie. it comes from the college days, but never ceases to hit the spot!

taco soup

1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans or kidney beans
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of rotel (or if you can't find it, use a can of diced tomatoes and dice one jalapeno)
1 package of dry taco seasoning
1 package of dry ranch dressing

put everything in a big soup pot---do not drain! bring to a boil and the simmer (do not cover) for 40 minutes or so. top with sour cream and shredded cheddar and tortilla chips on the side for an added touch! enjoy!

optional: brown 1 lb. ground turkey or a package of smart ground and add to the the soup pot.

Chicken, edamame, & noodle stir-fry

I love this dish. You can substitute sauteed tofu for the chicken & linguine noodles for udon if you want.

-salt & pepper
-8 ounces udon noodles or linguine
-2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into this strips
-1 T cornstarch
-2 T vegetable oil
-1 small red onion, halved & thinly sliced
-2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
-1/2 head cabbage, thinly shredded
-2 cups frozen shelled edamame
-2 T rice vinegar
-2 T soy sauce

1- In pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until al dente. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Drain again & set aside.

2- While pasta is cooking, toss chicken with cornstarch; season with salt & pepper. Heat 1T oil over medium-high. Cook chicken until light brown on the outside & opaque throughout (2-4 minutes). Transfer to a plate.

3-Add remaining T oil to skillet; add onion & garlic. Cook until softened (1-3 minutes). Add cabbage & cook, stirring frequently, until tender (2-4 minutes).

4- Add edamame, vinegar, soy sauce, chicken & noodles; season with salt & pepper. Cook, tossing until noodles & edamame are warmed through (3-5 minutes).

(Bogus) Thai chicken stir-fry

I make this recipe in the winter a lot. It's easy and if you like PB (you can use creamy or crunchy or natural, doesn't matter) you'll love it. Good with rice or noodles.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. water
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 to 4 c. chopped broccoli

In a small bowl, blend peanut butter, water, soy sauce and sugar; set aside. In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add garlic and pepper; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add chicken, stir-fry until firm and white, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli or spinach, stir-fry until bright green, about 3 minutes. Stir in peanut butter mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes. Serves 4 regular people, 2 big people and 1 little person, or 2 Hugginses.

Sound Yummy!

I will look around for some favorite recipes! Can't wait to eat!

Welcome friends!

I'm a dinner challenged girl. I start wondering what's for dinner at about 5:30 when Jack is asking to eat some food. So, this is a recipe exchange blog. Post your favorites here. If people post I might just start topics each week. Let's share some food ideas ladies. Help a girl out.

If you'd like to give someone else permission to post, let me know & I'll add them. Hopefully this will work better than those recipe exchange emails!