Pork Chops, Mushroom Gravy, & Rice

Pork Chops, Mushroom Gravy, and Rice

Pork Chops
Mushrooms
Onions, sliced into rings
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Butter
Rice

Arrange skillet with pork chops around the sides. Melt butter in the middle and add onions. Brown pork chops then flip over. Add mushrooms and soup. Cover and check meat periodiocally to see when done. Cook rice separately. Serve pork chops and sauce over rice!

I like this recipe because: It is SO SO easy and it has minimal ingredients!

My least favorite thing: I don't always have pork chops around. Chicken would be good too!

Chicken & Mushroom Casserole

Chicken and Mushroom Casserole
Layer in a 9x13 casserole dish:

Raw chicken (I cubed mine)
Layer of cheese (I used colby jack)
Layer of fresh mushrooms
1 can cream of chickens soup
1 pkg Stove Top Dressing (dry)
1/2 cube butter melted and drizzled over stuffing

Cover with tin foil and bake 350 for 45 minutes.

I like this recipe because: I can thorw it in the pan and let it cook. AND it tasted REALLY good!!

Least favorite thing: I don't always have fresh mushrooms available but canned would be ok too.

Meatballs (for Subs)

Meatball Subs
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp italian seasoning or dried oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 C. onion, chopped
2 lbs ground beef
1/2 C. bread crumbs
1/4 C. parmesan cheese
1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
2 TBL red cooking wine (optional)
Rolls

In bowl, beat egg with all herbs and spices. Add onion, ground beef, bread crumbs, and parmesan cheese. Shape into 1 inch balls. Brown in a large skillet. Drain grease and add tomato sauce and red wine. Cover and cook until done. If you would like your sauce to thicken, remove meatballs and reduce sauce.

I like this recipe because: I always have these ingredients around the house! Super fast and a great way to get rid of extra rolls. Could also be used for spaghetti.

 My least favorite thing: Touching raw meat!

Baked Italian Sausage Pasta

Baked Italian Sausage Rotini
1 TBL olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 pkg ground italian sausage
1 pkg curly, bowtie, or wagonwheel noodles - cooked
1 bottle 4 cheese spaghetti sauce
2 TBL red pepper flakes
2 cups mozzarella cheese (divided)

In a large fry pan, brown the garlic in olive oil. Then add the sausage and cook until browned. Drain any oil that is excess. In a large bowl, mix the sausage with the other ingredients, reserving 1 cup of cheese. Pour pasta mixture into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 375 for 25 min. Top with remaining cheese and bake 5 more minutes.

I like this recipe because: I have all of these ingredients laying around. If I'm missing the italian sausage, I can use regular spiced with more red pepper flakes or ground beef. Easy!

My least favorite thing: Nothing! It's a perfect recipe for my family!

Zupa Toscana Soup

I got this recipe here.

Zupa Toscana Soup
3 cans Chicken Broth
2 cups whipping cream
red pepper flakes (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)
1-2 cups chopped kale
3 to 4 potatoes scrubbed and cut into thin slices (skins left on)
1 lb Johnsonville mild italian sausage

Cook the sausage in a pan until done. Drain grease. Put everything together in a pot and simmer until potatoes are cooked.

I like this recipe because: It is like Olive Garden quality! My kids loved the little bit of KICK the red pepper flakes and italian sausage added.

My least favorite thing: I don't know what to do with the rest of the kale!

Tortellini Tomato Soup

I got this recipe here.

Tortellini Tomato Soup
1 pkg. (9oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cans (10oz) Campbell's tomato soup
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. milk
2 c. half-and-half
1/2 c. chopped oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
shredded mozzarella or Parmesan cheese (for topping)
In a large soup pot combine soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Add tortellini to soup. Cook on low until tortellini is thawed. Add cheese right before serving.

*I didn't have half and half, so I mixed milk and cream.

I like this recipe because: It SO easy to make. No chopping involved, you throw everything in the pot!

My least favorite thing: A preplanner. I don't ever have frozen tortellini or sun dried tomatoes sitting around.

Chicken Marsala & Herbed Rice

I got this here . (Wonderful recipe blog managed by my cousins!!) I tried it and LOVE it!! It's restaraunt quality!!

Chicken Marsala

4 chicken breast boneless skinnless
1 large egg lightly beated
flour
2 TBL butter
2 C. fresh portabella mushrooms sliced
2 C. Marsala cooking wine
2 C. heavy cream
Italian cheese blend
1 TBL fresh parsley (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1. Dip chicken in egg, and dredge in flour. Brown chicken in butter in a large skillet over med-high heat. It won’t be cooked in the middle, just browned on the outside. Remove chicken and set aside.

2. Reserve drippings in skillet and add more butter if needed and mushrooms. Splash a little bit of wine in pan so the mushrooms absord the flavor. Cook over med-high heat, stirring constantly until tender.

3. Use a slotted spoon and remove the mushrooms from the pan, leaving the juices. Add cream, Marsala cooking wine, parsley, and salt and pepper. Stir and then add the chicken pieces. Cover and simmer on med-low until chicken is cooked in the middle. Add mushrooms back to pan and sprinkle everything with cheese. Serve with rice.

Herb Rice Pilaf
1/2 cube butter
1 1/2 C. uncooked rice
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 - 1 tsp dried thyme
1/8 – 1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 TBL minced onion
3 1/4 C. Chicken Broth
Melt butter in a skillet and brown the rice and onion, stirring until golden brown. Pour into a 2 qt. casserole dish. Add the broth and remaining ingrediants. Mix well. Cover and bake in a 400 degree oven for 30min. Stir well and then bake for 15min longer.

I like this recipe because: It tastes SO GOOD! I've never used cooking wine before but the flavor is SO different and good! I also love mushrooms. This is one of those recipes you make for company!

My least favorite thing: I never have portabella mushrooms on hand. This is a pre-planner!

Melting Butter

So one day, I pushed the defrost button on my microwave, and noticed instead of saying POWER10 it said POWER3! I use this button now when I am melting butter. It doesn't pop everywhere because of the lower power setting on defrost. I don't even have to cover it! Cool trick!

Carmel Brownies

1 14oz pkg carmels (50 carmels)

1/3 C. evaporated milk

1 pkg German Chocolate Cake Mix

3/4 C. margarine, soft

1 C. chopped nuts

1 C. chocolate chips

another 1/3 C. evaporated milk

Melt carmels and 1/3 C. evaporated milk. Set aside. Combine dry cake mix with butter and the rest of the milk. Stir by hand. Press 1/2 of the dough into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Take out of the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips, nuts, and carmel. Put the rest of the batter on top. Bake 350 for 18-20 minutes.

I like this recipe because: It is SO good and chocolatey!

My least favorite thing: It's SUPER rich and I married into a family of sugar wussies who don't like these and I can't eat the whole pan by myself.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup by Grandma Baldwin

1 whole chicken (or a couple of chicken breasts)

1 medium onion, diced

3 TBL chicken bouillon
Water to cover
Salt & Pepper

Boil the above until tender. If you have time, let it sit in the crockpot until the chicken is cooked, then strip it from the bones.

Noodles:
3 large eggs
3 TBL water
1 tsp salt

Use enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead and let it rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into fourths and roll out onto floured surface. Make sure you roll it VERY thin. Cut dough with a pizza cutter VERY thin or they will be doughy in your soup. Add noodles to boiling chicken broth and cook 12 minutes. If your chicken is in a crock pot, you'll need to move it to the stove so you can get it boiling before you add the noodles.

Serve over mashed potatoes or as soup!

I love this recipe because: The noodles are SO much better when they're homemade!

My least favorite thing: Not a meal I can make in 30 minutes.

Perfect Pie Crust

I don't make pies much, but my dad does. He's tried every crust recipe in the book and swears this one is the best!!

3 C. flour

1 1/4 C. shortening

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

1 TBL vinegar

8 TBL water

Mix flour, shortening, and salt with hands until crumbly. Combine beaten egg, vinegar, and water in a cup. Add water mixture a little bit at a time until dough stops sticking to your fingers. (I always end up using the whole thing.) Roll out into 2 sheets and wala! Pie crust.

I like this recipe because: It's super flaky and pretty easy.

My least favorite thing: Rolling out the dough. I tried the 'between 2 pieces of wax paper' trick which did NOT work.

Key West Chicken

3 TBL soy sauce

1 TBL honey

1 TBL olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp lime juice

Marinate chicken 1 hour or overnight. You can reduce the sauce over heat and use it as garnish.

I like this recipe because: Not too many ingredients! I hardly ever marinate it and it still tastes good!

My least favorite thing: Nothing!

Honey Mustard Chicken

4 chicken breasts

1/3 C. butter, melted

1/3 C. honey

1/3 C. mustard

Mix everything together and pour in a baking dish (or you can cook it on the stove.) Bake 350 for 1 hour.

I like this recipe because: It's better than plain chicken and the fam loves it!

My least favorite thing: Nothing really. It's too easy not to like!

Sticky Chicken

Chicken cut into chunks

1 C. apricot jam or cranberry sauce

1 C. BBQ sauce

1 envelop dry onion soup

Brown chicken in pan. Combine everything else and add to chicken. Boil on low 15 minutes. Serve over rice.

I like this recipe because: It requires minimal ingredients and is YUM! My kids also hate apricot jam, so it gives me an excuse to use it all up.

My least favorite thing: I never have onion soup lying around.

Microwave Meat Loaf by My Dad

1 1/2 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)

2 C. soft bread crumbs

1/2 C. chopped celery

1/2 C. onion, chopped

1/4 C. green peppers, chopped

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 C. ketchup

Mix with your hands and put in a glass loaf pan. Brush meatloaf with mixture of:

1/2 C. ketchup

1/2 C. salsa

2 TBL brown sugar

1 TBL lemon juice

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp worchestershire sauce

Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 25-35 minutes.

I like this recipe because: You can really throw in whatever you want!! My dad used to put in cheerios, Ruffles, a spoonful of raspberry jam, mushrooms, etc! Secret meatloaf is what it should be called because you don't want to know what's in it haha!

My least favorite thing: Getting all greasy mixing it by hand. Meatloaf is not my favorite food but my fam loves it! (Especially Spencer. He eats a bottle of ketchup a week!)

Key Lime Pie by Beth Brown

2 (8inch) graham cracker pie crusts

16 oz cool whip

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 C. fresh squeezed lime juice (4 limes)

Mix cool whip, milk, and lime juice. Put into crusts and freeze for 4 hours. Remove right before serving.

I like this recipe because: It is SO refreshing and simple and great for summer because it's frozen! Also minimal ingredients and effort required!

My least favorite thing: It's pretty sweet!

Cream Puffs

1 C. water

1 cube butter

1 C. flour

4 eggs

Heat oven to 400. Heat water and butter to a boil. Stir in flour on low heat until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat until mixture is smooth. Drop by 1/4 C. dollops onto an ungreased baking sheet 1 inch apart. Bake 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool away from a draft. Cut off the tops with a sharp knife (I use the electric knife) and scoop out eggy middle. Discard middle. Fill with vanilla, chocolate, lemon, banana, or coconut pudding and a little bit of whip cream. Put top back on and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Makes 12 puffs!

I like this recipe because: There are SO few ingredients and it is so easy!

My least favorite thing: Scooping out the eggy middle can be tricky and I always poke a hole in the puff.

Trifle (an English dessert)

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, soft

1 C. powdered sugar

8 oz sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

8 oz cool whip

1 angel food cake

4 C. berries (you choose! Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or all mixed!)

3/4 C. sugar

1/2 C. orange juice

1 (3oz) pkg instant vanilla pudding

2 C. milk

Cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add sour cream, vanilla, and cool whip. mix pudding as directed and add to cheese mixture. In separate bowls, add sugar to fruit. (I like to leave the fruit how it is without added sugar.) Add OJ if fruit is dry. (I buy the frozen fruit mixture and use a tiny bit of OJ to thaw it out. Don't add too much or it will make your cake soggy.) Cut angel food cake into 1 inch squares.

Layer cake, then 2 C. berries, then pudding, then cake, then pudding, then remaining berries.

I like this recipe because: It is such an awesome summer dessert! We had it probably 5 times this summer because it was so good! It also LOOKS pretty and is great for 4th of July parties because it's red, white, and blue.

My least favorite thing: a lot of ingredients make it not a cheap dessert!

Candy Bar Cake

1 chocolate cake
1 container cool whip
1 can sweet condensed milk
1 jar/bottle carmel topping
4 heath candy bars

Cook cake according to directions. When it comes out of the oven, poke holes in it with the back of a wooden spoon. Pour sweet milk and carmel into holes while the cake is still hot. Cool and top with cool whip, then crushed heath bars.

I like this recipe because: The milk/carmel mixture makes the inside of the cake really cold!!

My least favorite thing: If you don't eat the cake in a few days, it can become soggy.

Better Than 'You Know What' Dessert

Crust:

1 C. flour
1/2 C. butter, soft

3/4 C. walnuts

Mix all and press into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake 350 for 15 minutes. I spray/butter the pan before I press the stuff in, otherwise it will stick.

Filling:
1 (8oz) cream cheese, soft

1 C. powdered sugar

1 C. cool whip

Top:
2 (3oz) pkgs instant chocolate pudding. (make as directed on box.)

Spread cream cheese mixtutre over cooked crust. Then spread chocolate pudding. Top with remainder of cool whip and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

I like this recipe because: My mom's made it since I was a kid!!

My least favorite thing: Taking the time to layer everything.