Ranch Parmesan Chicken

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup dry breadcrumbs (I like Panko or crushed croutons)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp. seasoning salt (can skip seasonings or cut back if using homemade seasoned croutons)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup prepared ranch salad dressing
1/4 cup melted butter

Heat oven to 400. In shallow bowl, mix breadcrumbs with parmesan and seasonings. Dip chicken into ranch dressing to coat both sides. Coat in the breadcrumb mixture. Place in a single layer onto a greased baking sheet (or line with silpat or foil). Do not crowd on pan or chicken will be soggy on the bottom. Lightly drizzle the melted butter over each breast. Bake oncovered for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Pretzel Dogs

1 1/2 c. warm water
1 T. sugar
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

Stir together and let stand 5 minutes.

4-5 cups flour
1/4 c. melted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg

Beef hot dogs
butter for brushing on top
coarse salt

Combine and mix with yeast mixture using dough hook. Place dough in greased bowl and let rise for 45 minutes. Punch down dough and roll sections into ropes about 15 inches long. Wrap around hot dogs. Place on baking sheet, brush with butter and top with coarse salt. Bake for about 15 minutes at 425-450. To make extra for freezer, skip the butter and coarse salt and bake. Take out of freezer, brush with butter and top with salt and warm in the oven.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

2 Tbsp. butter
2 lg. potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. flour
1 c. chopped carrots
½ c. water
1 c. chopped celery
2/3 c. milk
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 c. chopped broccoli
4 c. chicken broth
2 heaping cups shredded cheddar

Melt butter in large soup pot. Add onions, carrots and celery; sauté over medium heat till tender. Add garlic, cook additional 1-2 minutes. Add broth and potatoes, bring to a boil and cook till potatoes are tender. Mix the flour with the water then add to soup mixture and simmer till soup is slightly thickened. Add milk and broccoli and cook till broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through. Stir in cheese, allow to melt and serve.

Note from Melissa: I always at least double this recipe and I always add a little extra potatoes and broccoli.

Recipe from Melissa Beckstead.

Indian Fry Bread

3 cups flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups warm water

Combine all ingredients and knead dough. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Divide into desired size pieces and roll flat. Fry in hot oil on both sides.

Top with beans, lettuce, cheese, meat, salsa, etc. For dessert, honey and or/ powdered sugar on top. Yum!

Chicken Enchiladas with green chile sour cream sauce

10 flour tortillas
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 tbsp butter 
3 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4oz) can diced green chiles

garlic powder, pepper, and onion powder, to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan.

2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese.  Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.

3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

4. Stir in sour cream and chiles. Add seasonings to taste. Heat through, but do not bring to boil.

 

5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

Recipe adapted from Jessica Lamont.

Lemon Consomme

4 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breast (cut in strips for faster cook time)
1 can beef consommé
1-2 lemons
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. lemon pepper
butter
egg noodles
parmesan cheese

Mix flour and lemon pepper. Dip chicken in egg. Dip in flour mixture. Dip in egg again, and flour again. Fry in butter until brown. Mix soup with juice of 1-2 lemons. Beat in 1 tablespoon of flour into soup/lemon mixture. Pour mixture into frying pan. Watch and stir until it thickens. Turn down to low-med heat and cook covered until chicken is cooked through. Serve over egg noodles tossed with butter and parmesan.

Recipe from Laura. This was a huge hit with our family.

Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots
3 cups chicken broth
2-3 potatoes, peeled and finely diced
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons flour
1 (8 oz. package) regular or light cream cheese
2-3 (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Saute, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender and the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk the flour and milk together until smooth. Whisk the mixture into the soup, stirring quickly, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken slightly. Stir often to ensure the soup doesn’t burn. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave until soft. Add the cream cheese to the soup in small tablespoon-size pieces. Let the pieces sit in the soup and warm through, then stir the soup until the cream cheese melts and mixes in well. Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Pizza with Lemon, Basil & Avocado

Pillsbury Pizza Crust (or homemade crust)
Pizza Sauce (I like Ragu)
Mozzarella Cheese, grated
Fresh or dried basil
Avocado, sliced
Lemon zest
Roma tomatoes, sliced

Roll out crust and bake according to package instructions for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top with sauce and cheese. Then add sliced tomatoes and sprinkle on lemon zest and basil to taste. Bake according to package instructions until crust is baked and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with sliced avocado.

Great served with a spinach salad!

My friend Laura and I had this kind of pizza at La Grande Orange Pizzeria and I had to try it at home. It was SO good! Perfect for a light summer pizza. We had it with a spinach salad with manchego cheese, shaved apples and pecan vinaigrette dressing.

Garlic Chicken in Lemon Butter Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup seasoned flour (1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper)
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons parsley flakes or 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 eggs
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 stick butter

Place the seasoned flour in a large gallon-size ziploc bag. Set aside. In a shallow pie plate, beat the eggs until mixed and add the Parmesan cheese. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.

Put the four chicken breasts in the bag with the seasoned flour, close the bag, and shake to coat. Take the chicken out of the bag and dip into the egg/Parmesan mixture. Place the chicken in the skillet with the hot oil/butter. Repeat with the other chicken breasts. Let the chicken cook on the first side for 1-2 minutes until a nice, golden crust has formed. Flip the chicken and let it continue to cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side until it is golden brown.

Remove the chicken to a 9X13-inch pan. Set aside while you make the sauce.

In the same skillet that you browned the chicken, melt the remaining stick of butter (7 tablespoons). Add the minced garlic, lemon juice, and parsley. Simmer the sauce for 1-2 minutes, stirring and scraping up any browned bits that were on the bottom of the skillet.

Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken breasts and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over pasta.

Recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Baby Back Ribs

• 4 pounds Pork Ribs
• ¾ cups Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
• 2 cups Sweet Baby Ray BBQ Original Sauce
  

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Mix together the sugar and spices to make the rub. Apply rub to ribs on all sides. Lay ribs on two layers of foil shiny side of the foil facing out and meaty side of the rib face down. Lay two layers of foil on top of ribs and roll and crimp edges tightly, edges facing up to seal them. Place the foil-wrapped ribs on a baking sheet and bake for 2 – 2 1/2 hours or until meat is starting to shrink away from the ends of the bone.

Remove from oven and pull ribs out of the foil packages. Heat broiler. Cut ribs into serving sized portions of 2 or 3 ribs each. Arrange the ribs on a broiler pan, bony side up. Brush on sauce. Broil under broiler for 1 or 2 minutes until sauce is cooked on and bubbly. Turn ribs over, brush on the sauce and broil that side for 1 or 2 minutes until sauce is cooked on and bubbly.

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup onion (or sprinkle onion salt)
1-2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 can kernel corn
1 can tomato sauce
1 pkg. taco seasoning

Brown ground beef with onion. Add rest of ingredients and heat through. Best if it simmers for a little while. Top with grated cheese, corn chips, and sour cream.

Tomato & Avocado Finger Sandwiches

We had a book club luncheon at my house recently, and Shelley made the yummiest sandwiches. My favorite were these...

Sandwich bread
Pesto
Avocado
Tomato
Mayo

Spread pesto on one side of bread, and toast on a griddle (pesto side down) until lightly toasted. Cut off crusts. To make sandwiches, lightly apply mayo to the inside of the bread and add thinly sliced tomatoes and avocado.

I have been craving these ever since!

Barbecue Chicken Chopped Salad

1/2 head romaine lettuce
1/2 head iceburg lettuce
cilantro (to taste)
Fresh basil (2-3 leaves, but I've also made it without and it's good)
1 cup white corn
1 cup black beans
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Tortilla strips
Chopped tomatoes (optional)
Cooked chopped chicken
Sweet & spicy BBQ sauce
Ranch dressing

Prepare the chicken by covering it with BBQ sauce after it is cooked and chopped, and let it chill in the refrigerator. Chop the lettuces into strips and combine with chopped cilantro and basil. Stir in corn, beans, and cheese. Just before serving, stir in about 1 cup of tortilla strips and toss with a small amount of ranch dressing. Top the salad with the BBQ chicken and drizzle the salad with a little extra BBQ sauce.

Spicy Chicken Romano

2 tablespoons butter
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (thinly sliced)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (can also use canned mushrooms)
1/4 cup diced green onions
1/8 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce (I have only found the Classico brand)
1/4 cup grated romano cheese (I use the kind in a small tub, can be mixture of cheeses as well)
1 (12 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
cayenne pepper
bow tie pasta, cooked


In skillet melt butter and saute chicken, mushrooms, green onions, artichoke hearts, and sun dried tomatoes until hot and chicken is cooked through. Add Alfredo sauce and Romano cheese. Simmer. Add cayenne pepper to taste. Serve over bowtie pasta.
You can also stir in the pasta with the sauce and chicken mixture, but I like to serve it over the pasta so each person can take how much of each they like.

Beef Stroganoff

2 pounds round steak, cut in strips
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
4 oz. can mushrooms
1-2 onions, sliced
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. marjoram
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. kitchen bouquet
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup sour cream (optional)

Preheat electric pan to 360 degrees. Coat meat with flour. Brown in butter. Add all other ingredients except sour cream. Cover pan and simmer for 1.5 hours. Add more water if necessary. Just before serving add sour cream and heat through. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Crockpot option: Cook meat in fry pan and combine all ingredients, then transfer to a crock pot and cook on low for 3 or more hours.

Recipe from Grandma Diane.

Sour cream chicken

4-5 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup mayo
2 Tb chopped onion or sprinkled dry onion
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cheese
1 tsp lemon juice
salt & pepper
Serve with rice

Place chicken, cream of chicken soup, onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper in crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hrs or high 3-4 hours (low is always better). During the last hour of cooking time, shred chicken then add mayo, sour cream and cheese. Serve over rice and sprinkle with shredded cheese, salt and pepper.

Salsa Chicken Tacos

Small flour tortillas

1 jar medium salsa

3-4 chicken breasts

desired toppings (shredded lettuce, cheese, sour cream, etc.)

Place breasts in slow cooker and cover with salsa. Cook on low for 6-7 hours, shredding halfway through or toward the end. Fry the tortillas in a little oil until lightly brown and crispy. Then fill with shredded chicken and garnish with desired toppings.

Vegetable Minestrone Soup

3 T. olive oil
1 cup white onion, minced
1/2 cup zuchinni, chopped
1/2 cup frozen italian cut green beans
1/4 cup minced celery (optional)
4 t. minced garlic
4 cups vegetable broth
2 (15 oz.) cans red kidney beans, drained
2 (15 oz.) cans small white beans or great nothern beans, drained
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
1/2 cup carrot, julienned or shredded
2 T. fresh minced parsley
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
3 cups hot water
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup small shell pasta

Heat olive oil over medium heat in large pot. Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zuchinni for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add vegetable broth, drained tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.

Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for another 20 minutes or until desired consistency.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1Tb olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 can diced green chilis
1 lb chicken-cooked and shredded
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (opt.)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can small white beans
1 can chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lime squeezed over soup
salt and pepper to taste


In a large pot, heat oil and sauté onion and chilies. Saute until tender. Add the chicken (*I have been using the frozen chicken tenders from Costco--I just put them on a plate in the microwave frozen at 50 % power for 15 minutes--they are super tender and moist and shred up beautifully!)and spices. Add tomatoes, beans and fresh cilantro. Add the broth.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or longer to bring out flavors. Ladle into bowls & garnish.

Garnish:
10 yellow corn tortillas-sliced and baked*
1 large avocado

*Cut tortillas into thin strips using a pizza cutter. Spray with cooking oil ( like Pam), sprinkle with kosher salt and bake in 350 oven until lightly brown and crisp.

Add garnish of a handful of tortilla strips and avocado chunks.

Recipe from Sisters Cafe.

French Dip Sandwiches

1 pot roast
1/2 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
1/2 onion
mozzarella
1 Au Jus packet
hoagie rolls / french rolls

In crockpot dissolve Au Jus packet in 3 cups of water then add the roast. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. About 1 or 2 hours before it is finished, shred the beef then slide the onions and peppers and add to crockpot. When it is finished, remove meat and veggies with a slotted spoon. Place mozzarella slices on rolls and toast under broiler. Fill the rolls with the meat and veggies, and divide the Au Jus into smaller bowls for dipping.

Recipe from Jamie. This is a very favorite dinner in our house.