Baby Potato Side Dish

Last night I made pork chops and needed a yummy side dish to add along with it. These potatoes were really good.

Ingredients:
Baby Red Potatoes
Italian Flat Leaf Parsley (finely chopped)
Butter

Directions:
Boil your potatoes until they are tender but still firm.
Pour them into a strainer to get all the water out, and put them back into the hot pan.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter (depending on how many potatoes you make), and a handful of parsley into the pan.
Close the lid and let the butter melt. Once butter is melted stir it all together. At this point you can tell if you want to add more parsley or not.
Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Yummy Salad Dressing

Matt and I always make this dressing everytime we make a salad. It is really good, and easy. (Also, it is zero points on Weight Watchers.)

Ingredients:
Soy Sauce
Rice Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Lemon Pepper

Directions:
Drizzle soy sauce, rice vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil over your salad. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the top and sprinkle lemon pepper. Toss and enjoy!

Chicken Crescent Wreath

A good little spin off something that I have been making for a long time. We like this recipe a lot better and it looks pretty (well it would look prettier if my pan was prettier).

Ingredients:

2 tubes (8oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 cup shredded co-Jack cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup chopped fresh broccoli

1/2 cup chopped sweet red peppers

1 cup cubed cooked chicken

Arrange crescent rolls on a 12 inch pizza pan forming a ring with pointed ends facing the outer edge of the pan and wide ends overlapping. Combine the remaining ingredients; spoon over wide ends of rolls. Fold points over filling and tuck under wide ends (filling will be visible). Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 6-8 serving

My kids loved this and Tyler loved the broccoli and red peppers. I made a hollandaise sauce to go over it since my husband loves sauces, but I ate it without the sauce to save on calories and it is DELICIOUS!!! I also didn't have a round pizza pan so I made it on my jelly roll pan and I had to watch the time. It cooks faster than on a pizza pan.

Taco Soup

This is great on a cold night and it is EASY!!!

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
1 med. onion
1 can kidney beans (undrained)
1 can string beans (undrained)
1 can crushed tomatoes (undrained)
1 can corn (undrained)
1 can tomato sauce
1 pkg taco seasoning (i usually just sprinkle some over the hamburger)

Cook your hamburger with the onion. Pour all other ingredients in a crock pot add hamburger when cook through. Let cook together for a couple hours on low heat.

Serve with Frito's/taco chips, sour cream, and cheese. We also make corn bread to eat with it.

Enjoy!!!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is my kids favorite meal. I make this sauce for chicken as well as meatballs, but you could use it for any sweet and sour dish.

Sauce:
1 1/2 cup Chicken broth
3/4 cup ketchup
3/4 cup white vinegar
2 cups sugar
3 T. soy sauce
3 T corn starch (I don't use all the corn starch if my chicken or meat is breaded. I cut it in half)

I buy breaded chicken from the deli and place in a cooking dish. Pour as much sauce as you like over it and bake on 350 until done (usually 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.) Serve over rice or ham fried rice.

If you don't have breaded chicken, you can bread your own by cutting up your chicken and dipping in egg then flour. Fry in a small amount of oil until golden brown.
Enjoy!!!
Sorry I didn't take a photo last night when we made it. I will add one next time I make it.

Everyday Italian

I was watching Food Network yesterday and saw a recipe that looked yummy and easy, so I tried it. Matt loved it, and it is totally something I would make again.

She called it Fusilli alla Caprese.

Ingredients:
1 pound pasta (I used riccioli, but she used fusilli - any kind will do)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (just coat the bottom of your pan)

2 cloves garlic - minced

3 cups cherry tomatoes - halved

1/2 cup fresh basil - chopped

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed (make sure to buy the soft, fresh mozzarella)

salt and pepper


Directions:
Bring water to a boil for pasta. Cook pasta until slightly tender. It will finish cooking in the tomato mixture.

Heat oil and garlic in large skillet until you can really smell the garlic (don't let it burn). Add tomatoes to oil and garlic mixture. Heat tomatoes on medium low heat until they start to soften. Once soft, smash tomatoes with a fork to create a sauce with the oil and garlic.

Turn to low heat. Add pasta to tomato mixture. Add chopped basil and cubed mozzarella to the mixture as well. Toss around the skillet to mix everything together. Let sit in skillet on low for a few minutes to let the mozzarella melt a bit.

Total cooking time: about 20 minutes.

Serve with french bread. Enjoy!!