Sour Cream Potato Casserole

7 medium potatoes
28 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 stick of margarine
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/4 c. chopped onions OR
1 Tbsp. instant minced onions
1 pt. sour cream
2 c. corn flakes, crushed

Cook potatoes. Cool thoroughly. Peel and grate. Combine soup, margarine and cheese in a saucepan and heat until butter melts. Add onions and sour cream. Pour over potatoes, mix lightly with a fork. Bake in a 13x9-inch pan. Sprinkle with corn flakes. Cover with foil. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Serves 12


- I did half the recipe since it's just the two of us. I was in a hurry so I used 1/2-3/4 bag of frozen hashbrowns, thawed, in an 8x8-inch pan. I melted the soup, margarine and cheese in the microwave. I didn't have corn flakes, so I topped with cheese.

- Served as a side dish with the recipe above.

Cordon Bleu Pork Chops

4 bone-in pork loin chops
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. white vinegar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. dried minced onions
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground mustard
4 thin slices fully cooked ham
4 thin slices part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cut a pocket in each chop. Combine the next 10 ingredients. Reserve 1/2 cup for basting and refrigerate. Pour remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag or shallow glass container. Add pork and turn to coat. Seal bag or cover container; refrigerate overnight, turning meat occasionally.

Place a cheese slice on each slice of ham; roll up jelly-roll style. Drain pork and discard marinade. Insert a ham/cheese roll in each pocket; secure with soaked toothpicks. Grill, covered, over medium heat, turning and basting occasionally with reserved marinade, for 25-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160°. Remove toothpicks. 4 servings.

- I used swiss cheese instead of mozzarella. Marinated for 6 or 7 hours. And Lucas wasn't home to grill, so I cooked them in the oven. Cooked on 350 degrees, covered for 15 minutes and uncovered for 30. Served with sweet and sour baked beans (recipe posted below), corn, and cornbread.


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Sweet and Sour Baked Beans

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1/2 lb. bacon, cut into pieces
3 onions, sliced into rings OR
2 Tbsp. instant minced onions
2 cloves garlic, OR
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
15 oz. can kidney beans, drained
15 oz. can lima beans (OR butter beans), drained
30 oz. can pork and beans with sauce
1 tsp. dry mustard Or
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1/2 c. vinegar
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. ketchup OR tomato sauce
1/4 c. molasses
1 c. crushed pineapple

In a large frying pan, brown ground beef and saute bacon, onion and garlic. Drain well. Add beans. Mix mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, tomato sauce, molasses and add. Pour into a baking dish. Bake covered, 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serves 24.

- This time I didn't have 3 onions, so I used one onion and one Tbsp. instant minced onions. I followed all the steps, then put it in my crock pot and cooked on low for 3-4 hours. It only takes about 2 hours to heat it through though.

-Served as a side dish with the recipe above.

Teriyaki Chicken or Pork Chops

Teriyaki Glaze Shake 'N Bake
2 1/2 lb. bone-in chicken pieces (6 to 8 pieces), OR
2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 breasts), OR
6 to 8 (1/2-inch-thick) bone-in or boneless pork chops.

Moisten chicken or pork with water. Shake 1 or 2 pieces at a time, with 1 pkt. coating mix in shaker bag. Discard bag and any coating mix. Bake in ungreased or foil-lined 15x10x1-inch pan until done. Bone-in: 45 min. Boneless: 20 min. Do not cover or turn chicken or pork while baking.

- We used drumsticks this time. Served with macaroni & cheese, and green beans seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.













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Pizza

- Pizza Dough -

1 1/8 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. instant nonfat dry milk powder
2 Tbsp. oil (Mix one in dough and one on pan)
3 c. all-purpose flour

Mix yeast in warm water and set aside. Mix sugar, salt, milk, and oil. Mix in 1 c. of the flour, add the yeast mixture. Add remaining 2 c. flour, mix. Add more flour if needed while mixing and kneading dough, dough should be a little sticky and not too dry. Use this dough for 2 pizzas. Roll thin----roll edges. Can roll edges over cheese sticks. Serves 16.

- Toppings -

15 oz. can pizza sauce
2 oz. pepperoni slices
2 pkg. deli thin ham
8 oz. container mushrooms, sliced
12 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
12 oz. cheddar cheese, grated

Divide the above toppings between the 2 pizzas. Bake in preheated 4oo degree oven for 17 minutes.

- For the pizza dough, I use 1 Tbsp. milk instead of the powdered milk. I didn't have mozzarella cheese this time so I used a cheddar/monterey jack blend, still tasted just as good. We like lots of cheese, so I put a lot on before the other toppings and a little on after. We have a large and small pizza pan, instead of making 2 pizzas I make one large pizza and use the rest of the dough for breadsticks. I put butter and garlic bread seasoning on the breadsticks and pizza crust.

French Dip Sandwiches

Sliced roast beef
1 pkg. Au Jus Gravy Mix
3 cups cold water
French rolls or bread, buttered and toasted

Layer sliced roast beef on buttered and toasted French rolls or bread. Serve each sandwich with Au Jus Gravy for dipping.

- We used leftovers from the Crock Pot Roast below. The rib eye roast turned out to be very tender and perfect for this. Served with the leftover vegetables and gravy cooked with the Crock Pot Roast. This recipe was just the right amount for the two of us, so if you are serving more than 3 people I would double the Au Jus.

- "Eating French Dip makes me feel ravenous." Lucas's words while eating this last night. Obviously a favorite for him.


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Crumb Topped Banana Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted

- Topping -

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, to taste
1 tablespoon cold butter
1/4 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir into dry mixture just until moistened. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon topping ingredients. Cut in cold butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes, until muffins test done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Serves 12.

- I added about 1/2 cup of nuts into the batter along with the 1/4 cup mixed into the topping. I also used a muffin pan instead of a cupcake pan. It made 6 muffins instead of 12, and took 25 minutes instead of 20.



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Crock Pot Roast

- Original Recipe -

3 - 3 1/2 Pound Pot Roast
4 Carrots, Sliced
1 Onion, Sliced
4 Medium Potatoes, Cut in 1 inch pieces
1/2 Cup Water
1 Envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix
Salt & Pepper To Taste

In slow cooker, arrange carrots and onions; pour water in. Salt and pepper roast; place on top of carrots and onions. Arrange potatoes around roast. Sprinkle Onion Soup Mix over roast and veggies. Cook covered on LOW 8 to 10 hours or HIGH 4 to 6 hours. Remove roast and vegetables. 8 servings.


- Gravy -

2 Brown Gravy Mix
2 Mushroom Gravy Mix

When roast is done, take liquids from slow cooker and add water to make 4 cups of water. Add gravy mix. Cook in sauce pan until thick.


- Tonight's Roast -

3 Pound Rib Eye Roast
16 oz. Bag Baby Carrots
1 Onion, Sliced
3 Medium Potatoes, Cut in 1 inch pieces
1 Package Fresh Mushrooms
1/2 Cup Water
1 Envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix
1 Envelope Italian Dressing Mix
Salt & Pepper To Taste

In slow cooker, arrange carrots and onions; pour water in. Sprinkle 1/2 of the Onion Soup envelope and 1/2 of the Italian Dressing envelope over carrots and onions. Salt and pepper roast; place on top of carrots and onions. Arrange potatoes and mushrooms around roast. Sprinkle remaining Onion Soup Mix and Italian Dressing Mix over roast and veggies. Cook covered on LOW 8 to 10 hours or HIGH 4 to 6 hours. Remove roast and vegetables. Served with green salad and biscuits.













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