Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

1 large sweet onion, sliced

1 green pepper, cut in strips

1 T butter

4 French rolls

1 lb rare roast beef slices (ask for this at the deli—whatever is rarest of their roast beef options—we had a London broil last time)

mozzarella or havarti cheese

Cook onions and peppers in butter until golden and tender.  Chop meat.  Split rolls and top with meat, then onion mixture, then cheese.  Place on baking sheet covered with foil, and broil 5 inches from heat for 2-3 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.  Serve hot.

Serve with: chips and fruit.

Chicken Packets with Gravy

Chicken Packets with Gravy

2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 small can mushrooms, drained and chopped
2 green onions, sliced thinly
8 oz Neufchatel cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 tsp pepper
16 crescent rolls (in a can--Pillsbury or the like)
bread crumbs or crushed stuffing
6 Tablespoons melted butter

Gravy
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup milk

Combine first six ingredients.  Unroll crescent rolls.  Stuff each roll with chicken mixture, sealing roll around it.  Roll chicken packet into a ball.  Roll in butter and then in stuffing/breadcrumbs.  Place on cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.  Serve with gravy.

Served with: mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, and green salad.

Chicken Salad Pizza, Fruit with dip

Chicken Salad Pizza
 

1 1/2 recipe multigrain pizza crust

(I double it, and make a small crust for the kids with sauce and cheese. . . .)

3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

2 t olive oil

1/2 c favorite Italian dressing

1/3 c Parmesan/Romano blend cheeses

1 t lemon pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 package (8 oz) reduced fat cream cheese

4 cups thinly sliced romaine

1/2 sweet red pepper, diced

1 green onion, chopped

1-2 mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cucumber, chopped

In a skillet, heat oil; cook chicken (season with salt and lemon pepper.) Chill.

Combine dressing, parmesan/romano, lemon pepper and garlic.

Combine cream cheese with 1/2 of dressing mixture until smooth.

Spread cream cheese mixture on crust. Combine vegetables with remaining dressing. Toss until coated. Place veggies on top of cream cheese. Toss any dressing residue with the chilled chicken. Top pizza with chicken slices. Serve. Yields: 6 servings

Multi-grain Pizza Crust

Combine in bowl:

½ c white flour

½ c wheat flour

¼ c quick oats

½ t sugar

½ t salt

½ T instant yeast

Mix. Add 1/2 c water and 1 T olive oil. Combine thoroughly. Turn onto lightly floured board and knead, adding white flour as needed to form soft dough. Roll out to desired size. Place on baking stone sprinkled with cornmeal. Allow to rise while oven pre-heats to 425. Pierce crust with fork. Bake in 425 oven for 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Note: For regular pizza—double the recipe to make a large pizza. Rise while oven preheats. Do not prick with fork. Cover with desired toppings. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. 

Genene's Fruit Dip

1 jar marshmallow creme

1 8 oz container strawberry cream cheese

1 Tablespoon lemon juice and/or orange juice

Beat together and dip!  Excellent with any fruit, but pineapple is my favorite.

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

Tuscan Garlic Chicken
This is rich and yummy. It's from the Olive Garden website.

4 skinless chicken breasts, pounded or cut to equal thickness throughout
1 1/1 cups flour, plus 1 Tbsp
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning (I didn't have this, so I just used a little rosemary, oregano, basil and thyme. . . probably only half of what was called for)
1 lb fettuccine pasta, cooked
6 Tbsp olive oil
t Tbsp garlic, minced
1 red pepper, julienne cut
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 lb whole baby spinach
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese, plus romano or parmesan to pass at the table
fresh ground black pepper to pass at the table

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning in shallow dish. Dredge chicken in mixture, shaking off excess.

Heat 3 Tbsp oil in large skillet. Cook chicken breasts 2 at a time over medium high heat until golden brown and crisp (2-3 min). Add more oil for each batch as necessary. Place cooked chicken breasts on baking sheet and transfer to preheated oven. Cook for 10-15 minutwes or until internal temperature reaches 165. (My chicken breasts were so thin, I just cooked them all on the skillet and didn't need to cook them in the oven. I used a pancake griddle so I could cook them all at once.)

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in sauce pan. Add garlic and red pepper and cook about a minute. Stir in 1 T flour, chicken broth, spinach and cream and bring to a boil. Sauce is done with spinach becomes wilted. Complete by stirring in parmesan cheese.

Coat cooked, drained pasta with sauce, then top with chicken and remaining sauce. Garnish with extra cheese and fresh ground black pepper.

Served with: garlic bread and a green salad.

Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes

Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes
These are a new favorite.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornmeal (fine or medium grind, depending on how you like your pancake texture)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg (I use extra large)
3 Tbsp melted butter
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, egg, butter and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Very gently whisk together until moistened. Do not over mix.

Heat griddle to 350. Cook on hot griddle in 1/4 cupfuls.

Serve with butter and syrup or jam, fruit, and milk.

Mom likes them with blueberries.

Mediterranean Chicken, Cheddar Biscuit Drops, Fruit Berry Salad

Mediterranean Chicken

I like to sprinkle this with fresh ground black pepper, fresh chopped basil, and fresh grated parmesan. YUM!

Marinade:

1/3 c olive oil

1/4 c lemon juice

1 clove garlic (minced)

1/2 t lemon peel

1/2 t oregano

1 lb chicken

1 lb spaghetti noodles

1/2 c chopped red pepper

1 yellow summer squash, grated on fine holes of box grater (zucchini works too)

1 c sliced olives

½ c chicken broth

2 t cornstarch

1 t salt

Combine marinade ingredients in small saucepan. Cook until just bubbly, then remove and cool. Add chicken and marinate.

Cook 1 lb spaghetti. Meanwhile, blend broth with cornstarch and salt in small bowl and set aside. Brown chicken (cut up) in olive oil. Add pepper, squash and olives. Add broth mixture. Stir until thickened. Toss with hot spaghetti noodles.

Cheddar Biscuit Drops

1 cup self-rising flour (See note)

1/2 c shredded cheese (I used mostly cheddar, some jack)

1/2 c milk

2 T mayonnaise

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper (or grease.) Combine flour and cheese. Stir in milk and mayo until moistened. Drop onto cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until starting to brown around edges.

*For self-rising flour, put 1 1/2 t baking powder and 1/2 t salt in a measuring cup. Add flour to measure 1 cup.

Fruit Berry Salad

Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and bananas combined with a big scoop of Coolwhip. (Vanilla yogurt is nice too, or a combo of the two.)

Served with: Green Salad.

Marinated Chicken, Easy Cheesey Potatoes, Seasoned Broccoli, Fresh Fruit Salad

Marinated Grilled Chicken

This is an easy one: Just thaw your chicken. Then for about 30 minutes (or less. . . I’ve even done it as a quick bath right before putting them on the grill), combine with 1 part soy sauce and two parts Italian Salad Dressing. (I just dump some of each into a Ziploc, put the chicken in, and make sure all get coated.) I love this because although you can marinate longer, the chicken turns out great even if it is just coated in the sauce for a few minutes prior to cooking. That works for me!

Grill over high heat until chicken is cooked thru, but still tender.

Easy Cheesy Potatoes (Make Saturday night for Sunday dinner)

1 bag frozen southern style diced hash-brown potatoes (32 oz)

2 cups shredded Colby, Cheddar, or Jack cheese (I used cheddar and jack)

16 oz sour cream (lite)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/4 c chopped onion (1/2 medium)

1/4 c margarine or butter melted

1 t salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 T fresh chopped parsley

Combine all ingredients except parsley. Place in greased 9x 13 pan. Cover, and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or until bubbly and browned around edges. (I let mine sit at room temperature for about an hour before I baked it.) Sprinkle with parsley.

To make same day: Thaw potatoes on defrost 12-15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Then combine with other ingredients, except parsley. Bake at 350 30-45 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

Seasoned Broccoli

Steam broccoli until crisp-tender. Combine with butter or margarine and sprinkle with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt to taste.

Fresh Fruit Salad

Chop fresh fruits in season (strawberries, kiwi, peach, banana, grapes, any berries) and toss gently with 1 t orange juice concentrate per cup of fruit. (Add black and raspberries after tossing as they will break up with too much tossing.)

We also had rolls. (I was lazy--the Costco ones. :) I had frozen them, and then just heated 10-15 minutes along side the potatoes. Worked great!)

Tortellini with Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce

Tortellini with Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce

1 pkg frozen cheese-filled tortellini

8-10 medium tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped

3 Tablespoons snipped fresh basil leaves

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

3 cups fresh chopped spinach

1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain. Meanwhile combine tomatoes, basil, vinegar,salt and pepper in medium bowl and mix gently.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add pressed garlic and chopped spinach. Stir 1 minute or until garlic is lightly browned. Remove from heat and add to tortellini and tomato mixture. Toss gently. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Serve with french bread and fruit.

Chicken Stroganoff and Fall Fruit Salad

Chicken Stroganoff
serves 6

1/3 lb mushrooms, sliced or chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
3 large chicken breasts, thinly sliced
olive oil
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
cooked rice

Sautee the mushrooms and onions in olive oil. Remove from pan. Add enough olive oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium high heat. Add chicken strips and sautee, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. When chicken is almost done, return mushrooms and onions to pan. Stir together. Add mushroom soup and heat until well combined and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in the sour cream. Serve immediately over rice.

Fall Fruit Salad

1 apple, diced
1 pear, diced
1 6 oz container of vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Combine apple, pear and yogurt. Mix. Sprinkle with craisins. I used Fuji and Bartlett.

Serve with steamed broccoli and fresh bread.

Crock Pot Pork Roast

Crock Pot Pork Roast

4-5 lb pork roast (chuck or shoulder)
1 onion sliced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 cloves of garlic, minced
garlic salt
garlic powder
salt and pepper
For sandwiches: Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce and hamburger buns

Season roast generously with salt and pepper, garlic salt and garlic powder. Place roast in crockpot. Combine soy sauce, chicken broth, and garlic cloves. Pour over roast. Top with onion slices. Cook on low 8 hours. Remove bones, extra fat, and onions if desired. Remove and reserve drippings. Shred pork if using for sandwiches, adding drippings as desired to moisten meat. Or make gravy from drippings.

Served sandwiches with chips, veggie tray or salad, and fruit.
Serve roast with mashed potatoes and gravy from the roast, salad and rolls.

Tuscan Pork over Pasta

Tuscan Pork over Pasta

1 large pork chop (3/4 lb), cut into 1-inch slices
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 thin slices deli ham (or prosciutto)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried sage
2 Tbsp balsalmic vinegar
1/2 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup chopped tomato
4 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. In large skillet over medium-high heat, cook pork in oil until no longer pink. (I cook it on one side in single layer until almost done and browned nicely on one side. . .then flip to finish cooking.) Remove and reserve.

In same skillet, saute ham (prosciutto) in drippings. Add garlic and sage. Stir together. Add vinegar, stirring to loosed browned bits from pan.

Stir in cream. Reduce heat and cook 1-2 minutes or until thickened slightly. Add tomatoes and pork. Heat thru. Serve over angel hair and sprinkle each serving with basil and cheese.

Serve with: French Bread and green salad.

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes and Fried Potatoes

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes

1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons quick oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

In bowl combine the oats, flours, baking soda, salt and sugar. In another small bowl beat the egg, oil and buttermilk. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Makes about 10 medium pancakes.

Pour by 1/3 cup full onto hot griddle.

Apple pancake variation: for apple pancakes, slice and peel a granny smith (my apple peeler-corer-slicer gives whole circle slices about 1/4 inch thick.) Before pouring the pancake batter on the greased griddle, put a slice of apple on the griddle for about a minute (it will be just starting to soften.) Turn the apple slice over, then pour your 1/3 cup batter over the apple. Continue to cook as you would any pancake. Serve with applesauce or cinnamon syrup (see previous post.)

Fried Potatoes

Poke 3-4 medium white or red potatoes several times with a fork. Place on plate and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high 3 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and cool slightly (until you can handle them.) Slice into bite-sized pieces, about 1/4-inch thick. Heat light olive oil (I love Montolivo, Extra Virgin with Light Taste--I get it at Costco) in skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmery. (You need enough oil to cover the bottom of your pan--you can and add more later if needed.) Add potatoes in single layer. Cook a few minutes, and then stir, turning over. Continue to turn and stir occasionally until they get crispy and golden. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with ketchup if desired.

Serve with bacon and/or fried eggs.

Applesauce Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

Applesauce Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 cup milk

1 cup applesauce

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons baking powder

1 tsp salt

Beat eggs until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth. Heat griddle and spray with nonstick cooking spray. For each pancake use about 1/4 cup batter. Cook pancakes until bubbly on top and dry around edges. Turn to cook other sides until golden brown.

Cinnamon Syrup

1 cup sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup evaporated milk

In a saucepan, combine sugar and cinnamon. Pour in corn syrup and water and stir to dissolve. Boil stirring constantly 2-3 minutes. Cool slightly. Stir in evaporated milk and serve. Refrigerate leftovers.

Apple Compote topping

1 Tablespoon butter

3 cups sliced and peeled apples (pink lady, Liberty, Fuji, Jonagold or Applecrisp)

heat nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. coat pan with cooking spray. melt 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Add apples to pan;saute 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in 1/2 the cinnamon syrup into the apples. Use additional syrup on table as needed.

Chicken Salad Croissants and Spinach Salad

I served this for a staff luncheon at the office Jan 2011. 

Chicken Salad Croissants

3 large Chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 can pineapple tidbits, tidbits cut in half
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 green onion, thinly sliced
mayonnaise
Nature's Seasoning salt
Lemon pepper
Lettuce
Six croissants (Costco has great ones)

Combine chicken, pineapple, celery and onion. Add enough mayonnaise to dress it as moistly as you like. Season with seasoning salt and lemon pepper.

Slice croissants and fill with a lettuce leaf and salad.


Spinach Salad

1/2 pound fresh spinach
1 granny smith apple, chopped
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted (toast on cookie sheet at 350 for 10 minutes)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Toss together in a bowl with desired amount of Poppyseed Dressing.

Poppyseed Dressing

6 T sugar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Combine and shake.

Cheese Broccoli Soup and Breadbowls

This soup an easy one and so yummy. I used to make it with frozen broccoli for convenience, but I like the fresh much better. We like it in bread bowls (recipe follows.)

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2 T margarine
3 T flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups milk
1 to 1 1/2 cups grated cheese
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 1/2 cups water
1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces OR about 10 oz frozen broccoli
1 tsp dried onion flakes

In sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Add milk gradually, stirring with a whisk to keep smooth. Cook until thickened, stirring often. Turn off heat. Add cheese and stir until melted. In separate pan, bring water to a boil and dissolve bouillon. Add broccoli and onions. Cook uncovered until broccoli is tender. Do not drain. Stir broccoli and broth into cheese mixture until fully combined. Serve hot. I like my soup thick, so if it isn't thick enough, I just combine a little cornstarch with water and stir it in a little at a time until it is the consistency that I like.


Italian Bread Bowls

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
7 cups bread flour
2 Tbsp instant yeast

Combine water, salt, oil and 3 cups flour in kitchen mixer. Mix. Add 2 more cups flour and the yeast. Mix, adding flour until dough pulls from the sides and the bottom and is not too sticky. Knead in mixer until smooth and elastic, 3-5 minutes.

Cover and rise in warm place until double. Punch down. Form into 8 round loaves. Place on greased cookie sheet. Cover and rise until double.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake about 25 minutes. Cool on wire racks. For bread bowls, cut the top 1/2 inch off and pull out the center. Fill with hot soup and enjoy immediately.

Serve with: Green salad and fruit.

Buttermilk Biscuits and Brown Sugar Bacon

Best Buttermilk Biscuits

2 1/4 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1/2 cup frozen butter
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
additional flour as needed
2 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 450.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Grate butter over mixture on large holes of box grater.
Using your hands, combine thoroughly, tossing flour and butter and rubbing together with your hands.
When combined, add buttermilk and stir until moistened.
Remove dough to floured counter and knead 3 or 4 times, adding additional flour as needed. With floured hands, press dough into 3/4 inch rectangle. Sprinkle additional flour on top of the dough. Fold over onto itself in three layers (fold it like a letter). Repeat this pressing/folding process three times. (This creates layers in your biscuit.) Then press dough into 1/2 inch thickness and cut into biscuit shapes (or nine squares from your rectangle.) Place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake 13-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Brush with melted butter.

Brown Sugar Bacon

Heat oven to 375.

Put some brown sugar in a bag. Add a bit of ground pepper. Place bacon in the bag and coat it with the sugar mixture.

Place bacon on a rack on a foil covered cookie sheet and bake 15-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of your bacon and how you like it cooked--we cooked thick sliced bacon 25 min.)

Served with: Fried eggs, milk, fruit

Cheese-topped Skillet Chicken Breasts with Scalloped Potatoes

Cheese-topped Skillet Chicken Breasts

2 large Costco boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
shredded cheddar cheese

Cut chicken breasts in half to make four thin servings. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on both sides. Stir in lemon juice and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and cook 4-5 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from heat. Sprinkle chicken with cheese. Cover and let stand 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Scalloped Potatoes

1 Tbsp butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme (or 1/2 Tbsp fresh)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 large (Costco sized) russet potatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup cream
1 bay leaf
shredded cheese (cheddar, parmesan)

Heat oven to 425.
Melt butter in large skillet. Sautee onion until soft. Add thyme, garlic, salt and pepper and stir. Add potatoes, broth, cream, and bay leaf. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook about 10 minutes, until potatoes are softened.

Remove bay leaf and pour mixture into greased 7x11 pan. Sprinkle with cheese. Cook in oven until cream bubbles around edges and top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Served with: orange slices, green salad, homemade wheat bread