Baked Pork Chops

My mom gave me this recipe. It has quickly become a family favorite. Super easy & healthy! Tristan LOVES the pork chops, tonight he almost ate an entire one himself! :)

Ingredients:
*1.5 pounds pork chops (approx. 6-8 thin chops, doesn't have to be exact, just buy one package)
*1 medium white onion, cut into large strips or chunks
*1 green pepper (2 if small), cut into large strips or chunks
*1 can stewed tomatoes, drained

(what it looks like before baking)


Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350-375.
*Season pork chops with garlic powder & onion powder, small amount of salt and pepper if desired.
*Heat small amount of olive oil in skillet on med-high heat. Brown pork chops by cooking 2-3 min on each side. (I do this in 2 batches so I don't have to use a giant skillet)
*Place browned pork chops in bottom of 9x13 glass dish.
*Top with onions, green pepper, and tomatoes.
*Cover with foil & bake for 1 hour.

The finished product. We like to serve with some kind of potatoes. YUMMY!!!

Parmesan Zucchini

This is a Pioneer Woman recipe. It is one of our favorites right now!

* 1 whole Large Zucchini
* 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
* ½ cups (to 3/4 Cup) Breadcrumbs
* ½ cups 4-cheese Italian Blend (or Parmesan Or Romano)
* 2 whole Eggs
* Salt to Taste
* Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
* Olive Oil

Preparation Instructions

Wash and cut the end off of one large zucchini. Shred it using the large holes of a cheese grater. Squeeze the shredded zucchini inside of a clean towel until you’ve removed as much liquid as possible.

Place shredded zucchini into a medium sized bowl. Add minced garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese (shredded), eggs, salt and pepper to taste. Stir with a fork until well mixed.

Heat olive oil (about ¼ inch deep in bottom of skillet) to a medium heat. When the oil is hot enough drop a glob of zucchini batter into the skillet and flatten it a bit. After about two minutes, turn the cakes over ( they should be nice golden-brown) and cook on the other side until done (about 2-3 minutes).

Smoothies

½ banana
½ cup of frozen fruit
2 tablespoons of plain no fat yogurt
a splash of milk
½ scoop(that comes in the slimfast) of vanilla slimfast powder

Our frozen fruits of choice are peaches and pineapples.
This only makes enough for 1 smoothie. So you can double it if needed.

Salsa Soup

Salsa Soup

1 or 2 chicken breast(s)
¼ onion -diced
1 can of chicken stock
1 can of refried beans
1 can of black beans
2 cups salsa
optional:cilantro and lime juice

Brown chicken and onions in bottom of pot, or just buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it. Add chicken stock, refried beans, black beans, 2 cups of salsa, and a squirt of lime juice and a handful of cilantro.
Simmer for about 30 mins. We add sour cream and avocado to top

limeade

we love to make these at home only we don't add the cherry. They are so good and refreshing on a hot day!

Ingredients: Simple syrup: 1 cup of water 1 cup of sugar Juice of fresh limes grenadine/ marshino cherry juice club soda ice Directions: Bring water and sugar to a boil , let cool. Cut limes in half, use 1 lime per beverage, squeeze juice into glass leave lime in glass, put 1/4 cup of simple syrup, 2 tbls grenadine or cherry juice, shake or mix together, add ice and soda. christin

Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing & Salad

1/4 cup mayo
2 T milk
1 tsp poppy seeds
2 T sugar
1 T cider vinegar

Whisk together until smooth and creamy.

*Great on a salad of baby spinach leaves, dried cranberries, dried cherries, sliced strawberries, and spiced pecans. Add grilled and chilled chicken breast to this side dish for a complete meal.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Mix well and pour into ungreased 9x13:
4 eggs well beaten
1 ½ cup sugar
2 cans pumpkin (about 29 oz.)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
12 oz. can evaporated milk

In this order, evenly top pumpkin mixture with:
1 box dry yellow cake mix (I use 1 ½ boxes)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup melted butter

Bake for about 1 hour, until top is lightly browned, in a preheated 350 degree oven.
Serve warm or from the fridge with a scoop of cool whip on top. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Crockpot Ham and Potato Casserole

About 1 lb. leftover ham, or even 6-8 slices of ham lunch meat, diced

5 medium-large potatoes, washed and thinly sliced in rounds

1 large onion, diced

Black pepper to taste

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

Few dashes of paprika

In really large bowl, add everything and mix. Put in crockpot and turn on. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high 4-5 hours, until potatoes are tender. I prefer to stir about half way and before serving. (This is a rough recipe, and I use whatever I have and just fill up the pot.)

Corn Bread 'N Chili Bake

Corn Bread 'N Chili Bake

2 cans (15 ounces each) hot chili beans

1 small onion, chopped

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 package (8.5 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix

Place chili beans in a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Top with onions and cheese. Prepare corn bread mix according to package directions; drop batter by spoonfuls over cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Taco Ring

Taco Ring

2 pkgs crescent rolls

1 lb ground beef

1 pkg taco seasoning

shredded cheddar cheese

shredded lettuce

sour cream

salsa

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.) Brown beef and add in taco seasoning as directed on pkg.

3.) Stir in shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 cup) until melted. Remove from heat.

4.) On cookie sheet or jelly roll sheet, arrange unrolled and separated crescent rolls in a circle, points facing out (like a sun).

5.) Scoop meat mixture onto circle of crescent roll ring. Fold tops of crescent rolls over meat.

6.) Bake in oven according to crescent roll pkg instructions and until top of taco ring is golden brown.

7.) Top with taco toppings as desired (i.e.: lettuce, cheese, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc.).

Cheesy Mexican Chicken

3-4 small boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cheddar cheese soup

1/2 cup Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese

1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix

chipotle powder (if you want)

corn chips

2 cups cooked rice

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Place chicken in 13x9-inch baking dish.

MIX soup, cheese, seasoning mix until well blended; spoon over chicken. Top with chips; cover.

BAKE 30 minutes. Bake, uncovered, an additional 10 minutes. Serve with rice, sour cream, and you know me, avocado! :)

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 pkg crescent rolls

2 pkg cream cheese

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick real butter

1 tbs cinnamon

Heat oven to 365. Unroll 1 pkg crescent rolls to fit bottom of pan (spray first w/ Pam). Stick in oven for about 7-8 mins. Mix cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla, spread over crescent rolls. Unroll 2 pkg of crescent rolls and put on top of cream cheese mixture. Melt butter add cinnamon and 3/4 cup sugar, mix and poor over top. Bake 25-30 min or until crust is golden. Serve warm w/ vanilla ice cream

Honey Ribs

The measurements on this are weird because I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com and used their recipe converter to serve 4 people instead of however many the original recipe called for.

2/3 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth

2 tablespoons and 1/4 teaspoon honey mustard

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons honey

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons honey barbeque sauce (I actually use Jack Daniels brand Hickory Brown Sugar)

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons maple syrup

2 pounds baby back pork ribs

Put in CrockPot for 5 hours on High.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1/4 onion, minced
• 1 stock of celery, minced
• 1 whole carrot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• 32 ounces, chicken stock
• 6 oz can of tomato juice
  
• 1-2 chicken breasts- slightly shredded (I boil the chicken, and only use 1 breast because we don't care for a lot of meat)
  
• 1-2 teaspoons dried basil
  
• 1 frozen bag cheese tortellini
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (I like the can that has basil, garlic and oregano added to it)
  
• about 1 cup frozen spinach
  
• parmesan cheese, grated
• garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper (to your liking)
  

*Saute celery, onion, carrot, garlic in olive oil in bottom of soup pan.

*Pour in about 1/4 cup stock to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add remaining stock, tomato juice, whole can of diced tomatoes, chicken, basil and other spices, and spinach (You might want less spinach). Bring to a boil; reduce to medium-low, add tortellini. Cook for about 10 minutes. I have thought before that I should add cornstarch to thicken it up, but haven't yet.

Serve hot with Parmesan sprinkled on top. Super yummy!

Lauren

Cilantro Lime Chicken Dinner

This is a go-to meal for me; in fact, I made it last night! It seems like a lot but is super easy and really has a lot of fresh ingredients.

2 or 3 chicken breast - sliced (like fajita meat)
Cilantro
Lime Juice
Grape tomatoes
1/4 Yellow (or purple) onion
2 Avocados
Rice (I use 2 cups uncooked rice so there is leftover)
Can of black beans
Shredded Cheese
garlic powder
onion powder
cumin
salt/pepper

*Cook the rice normally
*Put all the cilantro in food processor and chop up. Scoop out about 3-4 tablespoons and reserve, leave the rest in processor. Add onion to the processor and chop up to your preference. I like mine minced to almost liquid. Add a handful of grape tomatoes and barely grid up so they are still chunky. Pour the mixture in a bowl and add 1/4 cup of lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Cut your avocados in chunks and stir together. I usually chill this until the rest of dinner is ready.
*With the reserve cilantro put about 1.5 Tablespoons in a bowl with garlic powder, onion powder and some salt and pepper. Then mix and rub on your chicken. Put about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in pan over High/MedHigh heat. Cook for about 2 mins and then squeeze lime juice all over chicken. Cook for about 9-10 mins (I guess it depends on how thin you cut your chicken) or until it's browned and cooked completely.
*Put the can of black beans in a pan and let simmer on MedHigh heat for about 8-10mins. Add cumin, garlic powder, onion power, and salt (I always use coarse salt) for flavor.
*When rice is finished mix the rest of the cilantro with it and serve in a bowl.
You can either make Qdoba style burritos out of all this if you have tortillas or you can put rice in a bowl and add the avocado salsa, cheese, and chicken on top and beans on the side. Really, it all tastes good mixed together so just do what you like! Jeff eats sour cream on everything Mexican so I usually have that on the table too.

Enjoy!
Lauren

Instant Chip Cookies

Kid-friendly cooking with only 5 ingredients...Makes an endless variety of cookies!

Instant Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cup Bisquick
2 pkgs. instant pudding (any flavor)
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 ounces chips (any flavor)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Dump first two ingredients in large mixing bowl and mix with spoon.
Break eggs into separate bowl and check for shells, and then add them to the mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
Pinch off teaspoon-sized pieces of dough and roll each one into a ball. Space balls evenly on baking sheet. Bake in oven for 9-14 minutes depending on size or until sides are set and tops are cracked.

(My favorite combination is chocolate pudding with chocolate chips but someone else says theirs is butterscotch pudding with butterscotch chips or vanilla pudding with chocolate and caramel chips. This recipe also halves easily if you don't want a bunch of cookies lying around staring at you, but you still want to make something yummy with your kids!)

Enjoy!
Kristi Scott

Purpose of blog

Hello friends! The purpose of this blog is to share some of the easy recipes that we often make for our families. It can be anything you want....main course, dessert, salad, side, etc. Just make sure that you label the post in the bottom right corner so that the posts will be categorized by theme or main ingredient for instance: dessert, main course, mexican, soup, etc.

Christin

Quick BBQ Chicken Fajitas

This is one of Kent's favorite meals.

what you need!

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 each green and red pepper, cut into strips

1 onion, cut into thin wedges

1/2 cup Barbecue Sauce

8 flour tortillas (6 inch), warmed

1 cup Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese

1/2 cup Salsa

1/4 cup Sour Cream

make it!

HEAT grill to medium-high heat.

COMBINE chicken, vegetables and barbecue sauce. Let stand 5 min. Poke holes evenly in bottom of 13x9-inch disposable foil roasting pan with fork or skewer. Place chicken mixture in pan; place pan on grate of grill. Cover grill with lid.

GRILL chicken and vegetables 20 min. or until chicken is done and vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.

SPOON onto tortillas; top with remaining ingredients. Roll up.

Molten Chocolate Cakes

This is my favorite dessert to make. It is so yummy and so much easier than it looks. I use ice cream instead of whip cream because ice cream makes everything better:)

This comes straight from kraftrecipes.com.

what you need!

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

6 Tbsp. flour

1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

make it!

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Butter four 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet.

MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter among prepared custard cups.

BAKE 13 to 14 min. or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 min. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, topped with whipped topping.

Testing, 1, 2

Sorry if this works and there is no recipe - haha! What a dissapointment!! I am just checking to see if I can figure out how to work this contraption. ;) So, what do we do, just post recipes??

Our new recipe blog!

I have been thinking that it would be fun to have a blog where my girlfriends and I can post our favorite recipes. Hopefully this idea will take off and we will actually post to it and use it. I am looking forward to being able to have a quick reference for some of the favorite meals that my friends have made for our flock dinners.

Christin