Asian Orange Chicken

An authentic orange chicken recipe - and it freezes, too!

INGREDIENTS:
Sauce:
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

3. In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.

5. Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce.

*** To freezer, stop here. Cool sauce and chicken and freeze in separate ziplock bags. Then thaw and follow remaining step:

6. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over white rice.

Serves: 4

Burgandy Beef Tips

Another Homemade Gourmet recipe, substituting dry onion soup mix for the seasoning mix.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons Homemade Gourmet® Grandmothers Sunday Roast Seasoning Mix or dry onion soup mix
2 pounds stew meat, cubed
1 10.75-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 4-ounce can of sliced mushrooms, undrained
1/2 cup red cooking wine or water
1 12-ounce package egg noodles

Directions:
1. In slow cooker, combine all ingredients except for egg noodles and cook on low for 8 hours.

2. Prepare egg noodles according to package directions.

3. Serve beef tips over hot noodles.

For a Freezer recipe, combine everything except egg noodles in gallon sized freezer bag and SMOOSH all ingredients until blended. Label Burgundy Beef Tips and freeze until needed.

Servings: 6

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

I have seen a lot of websites where folks use Homemade Gourmet mixes to make freezer meals (especially the 4 Meals in 4 Minutes recipes). They sound delicious, but I can't bring myself to pay the gourmet price for the mixes. So I've found some substitutes for the mixes and have been experimenting with them. This recipe was a hit. Especially on a cold winter's night.

Ingredients
1 10.75-ounce can cream of chicken soup
2 soup cans of water
3 tablespoons Homemade Gourmet Grandmother's Sunday Roast Seasoning
OR 1 packet of dry onion soup mix OR 3 tablespoons of homemade dry onion soup mix
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips (may also use chicken tenderloins)
1-1/2 cups biscuit mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup milk

Directions
1. In a slow cooker, combine soup, water and seasoning. Stir and then add chicken. Cook on low for 4 hours.

2. To make the dumplings, combine biscuit mix, cheese and milk. You can make this at the time you use them or you can make them right after filling the slow cooker. Then put the dough into the fridge so they are ready to spoon into the slow cooker when the time comes.
To 'form' the dumplings, scoop out 1/2 teaspoon portions directly into the slow cooker during the last 1/2 hour of cooking time.

3. Cook for 30 minutes without stirring. Serve immediately.

FREEZER DIRECTIONS:
Place soup, water, seasoning and chicken into a gallon freezer bag. Smoosh to combine, label with name, date and cooking instructions and freeze flat in your freezer. To add the dumplings to your frozen kit, drop your 1/2 teaspoon portions onto a baking sheet. Cover and freeze for about 3 hours. Remove the frozen dumplings from the baking sheet and put them into a small freezer bag. Attach this bag to the outside of the bag with the chicken and add the instruction to put these frozen dumplings directly on top of the chicken during the last hour of cooking time. (Notice...last hour instead of last 1/2 hour since they are frozen and need more time to cook.)

Serves: 6

Taco Skillet

Serving Size : 12
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 lb ground beef
3 medium onion, chopped
3 can (16 ounces) refried beans
3 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies (optional)
3/4 tsp garlic powder
2 1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 Tbs ground cumin
1/2 Tbs chili powder
3 small green pepper, chopped (optional)
3 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
3 bag tortilla chips
3 jar salsa

This is one of Chaz's new favorites (probably b/c we eat it with tortilla chips). We make the meat mixture ahead of time and freeze (we didn't include green pepper or chilies). To eat we heat up the meat mixture , put on top of chips with cheese. Then add some sour cream and salsa on the side. We use fat free refried beans, sour cream, etc so it isn't as fattening as it sounds. Great meal for watching football!

1. * In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is
no longer pink; drain. Stir in the beans, chilies and garlic powder; cook
until heated through.

2. * In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, cumin and chili powder; spread
over beef mixture. Sprinkle with
cheese. Serve with tortilla chips or taco shells, lettuce and salsa

Amazing Pot Roast

Serving Size : 6

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 lb Roast (I usually get what is on sale)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1/2 can water

For OAMC (I freeze roast until ready to use and then thaw, plop into slow cooker)
1. Place roast in slower cooker. Combine soup, soup mix and ½ can water.
Pour over roast. Lift roast to get some underneath. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.
Remove roast, slice it up. We make mashed potatoes to go with the leftover gravy.

Danish Pastry Apple Bars II

This is a double pastry apple pie type of recipe that I found on AllRecipes.com. The almond flavor of the glaze is wonderful with the apples and the cornflakes turned into a kind of chewy sweet goo. The recipe says it serves 36, but I think that's a bit much. Just however many you usually feed with a 9x13 pan dessert.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 egg yolk
2/3 cup cold water
1 cup cornflakes cereal
10 apples - peeled, cored and sliced
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a cup, beat egg yolk, stir the cold water into the yolk. Gradually stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until dough can be packed into a ball. On a clean dry surface, roll out 1/2 of the dough large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch pan. Lay the dough in the pan.
3. Place the cornflakes over the dough in the pan. Arrange apple slices over the top of the corn flake layer. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the apples. Roll out the second half of the dough to cover the entire pan. Lay over the filling and pinch the edges of the two crusts together. Beat the egg white until foamy, and brush onto the top crust.
4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Drizzle with glaze while still warm.
5. To make the glaze: In a small bowl, beat the confectioners' sugar with the milk and almond extract until smooth.

Tangy Carrot Coins

Another good ole Taste of Home side dish. Very easy and tastes like candy!

Ingredients:
1 pound carrots, sliced
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (we omit this)
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Place carrots in a large saucepan. Add 1 in. of water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 7-9 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain. Add remaining ingredients; cook and stir over medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until sauce is thickened and carrots are coated.

Yield: 4 servings.

Hurry-Up Ham N Noodles

This is a 2000 Taste of Home recipe that I've slightly modified. It is inexpensive and tasty!

Ingredients:
5 to 6 cups uncooked wide egg noodles
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 cup Half and Half
1-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Gradually whisk in cream. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir for 2 minutes longer or until thickened.

Add the ham, cheese, onions, salt and pepper; cook, uncovered, until heated through. Drain noodles; add to ham mixture. Toss to coat; heat through.

For OAMC: Cook sauce only and freeze in a ziplock freezer bag. When ready to eat, thaw, heat on stove top while cooking noodles. Drain noodles; add to ham mixture. Toss to coat; heat through.

SERVINGS: 4

Meatball Subs

I made these meatballs for our small group, so I multiplied the recipe by 6! We froze a lot of the extras. These were surprisingly good! I found one recipe made about 15 meatballs. We used hoagie buns and put 3-4 balls per sandwich. I also cut the amount of green pepper in half, as they were getting a little "chunky". Also, we only used about 1/4 the amount of sauce.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers
1 egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chopped garlic 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (26.5 ounce) can spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 dinner rolls, split

Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine ground beef, onion, green pepper, crackers, and egg in a large bowl. Season with Worcestershire sauce, garlic, seasoned salt, and pepper; mix well. Form mixture into 8 meatballs. Place meatballs in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake meatballs in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Pour the spaghetti sauce into a large saucepan; bring to a simmer over low heat. Stir baked meatballs into the simmering sauce. Do not turn oven off. Simmer sauce until meatballs are fully cooked, about 20 minutes.
4. Place one meatball, a sprinkle of mozzarella, a sprinkle of Parmesan, and a bit of sauce between each roll. Place sandwiches in hot oven; bake until cheeses melt, about 7 minutes.

Servings: 6-8

Recipes from Aunt Karen

Below are a few tasty recipes courtesy of our Aunt Karen: a super aunt, stellar cook, and also a "Nye" Sista. I'm definitely making the Zucchini Cobbler to see if I can trick Greg into eating more zucchini.

BAKED CAULIFLOWER

1 med onion minced

1 garlic clove minced

4 TBSP butter, divided

2 TBSP olive oil

1 pkg (16 oz) frozen cauliflower, thawed

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

¼ C dry bread crumbs

¼ C shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet sauté onion and garlic in 2 tbsp butter and olive oil until onion is tender. Add the cauliflower, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, sauté 2 minutes. Transfer to a greased 1 qt baking dish . Melt remaining 2 tbsp butter and toss with bread crumbs. Sprinkle over cauliflower mixture. Cover and bake 350° for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 3-5 minutes longer until cheese is melted.

*We love this recipe. I just made it the other night using a mixed bag of frozen broccoli/cauliflower. This version was also good. I love the nutmeg on it; in fact I increase it to ¼ tsp.

MACARONI COLESLAW

1 pkg (7 oz) macaroni

1 pkg (16 oz) coleslaw mix

2 med onions finely chopped

2 celery ribs finely chopped

1 med cucumber finely chopped

1 med green pepper finely chopped

1 can (8 oz) whole water chestnuts, drained and chopped.

Dressing: 1 ½ C reduced fat salad dressing (or regular if you wish)

1/3 C sugar

¼ C cider vinegar

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Cook macaroni according to pkg directions, drain and rinse in cold water. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the coleslaw, onions, celery, cucumber, green pepper and water chestnuts. In a small bowl whisk the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad, toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least one hour.

*I used a red pepper as I like their taste better and low fat mayo. It was good.

PARMESAN CORNFLAKE CHICKEN

½ c crushed cornflakes

1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

¼ c seasoned bread crumbs

1 ½ tsp dried parsley flakes

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

6 tbsp melted butter

1 cut up chicken (2-3 #), skin removed.

In a shallow bowl combine the first 6 ingredients. In another shallow bowl put the melted butter. Dip chicken in butter, and then roll in cornflake mixture. Place in a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

ZUCCHINI COBBLER

8 C chopped, seeded, peeled zucchini (about 3#)

2/3 C lemon juice

1 C sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

Crust: 4 C all purpose flour

2 C sugar

1 ½ C cold butter, cubed

1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a large saucepan over med-low heat, cook and stir zucchini and lemon juice for 15-20 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Add the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, simmer 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat, set aside. For crust, combine the flour and sugar in a bowl, cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir ½ cup of dry mixture into zucchini mixture. Press half of the remaining crust mixture into a greased 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan. Spread zucchini over top, crumble remaining crust mixture over zucchini. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

*This is a fooler and a great way to use those large zucchini. I did not take time to pick out seeds. I just peeled and chopped. We never noticed the seeds when we ate it. It makes a lot, so it was fun to cut it all up and Dan took some to work and made every one try to guess what the middle was. Everyone guessed apple.

Fall Comfort Muffins

I've had this recipe from The Finer Things in Life for a while and finally decided to make it. It was a hit! The pumpkin flavor is barely there, but I like that it adds some nutrition.

Ingredients:
1 c. melted butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. honey
4 eggs
1/3 c. water
1 c. mashed banana
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus (I used a CopyCat recipe) or pumpkin pie spice
2 c. white flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. chocolate chips (or a few more)

Directions:
Blend sugar and butter. Add honey, eggs, and water. Mix well. Add banana and pumpkin. Mix well. Stir dry ingredients together, add to wet batter just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Makes 3 dozen muffins exactly (using my Pampered Chef large scoop).

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

Found this in the Kraft Family Food magazine - also online here.

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 pkg. frozen vegetable blend (16 oz.)
1/2 lb. VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product (8 oz.) cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 can reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup (10-3/4 oz.)
1 can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (8 oz.)

Directions:
1. HEAT oven to 375ºF.

2. COMBINE first 4 ingredients in 13x9-inch baking dish.

* If freezing, wrap with alum foil and freeze. Thaw before proceding with recipe.

3. UNROLL dough; place over chicken mixture.

4. BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until crust is golden brown.

Servings: 8

Aug/Sept OAMC Plan

I scored a great deal on chicken breasts - $0.97/lb! The catch is that they were skin-on, bone-in breasts. We bought 26 lbs and Doug (bless his heart) spent over an hour skinning and removing the meat for me.

I also got some ground chuck on sale this week, hence the chicken/beef only plan:

* 1 Southwestern Chicken Lasagna (Doug did NOT like this, but I really did!)
* 1 Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie
* 1 Chicken Enchilada Casserole
* 1 Chicken Lo Mein
* 2 Honey Lime Chicken
* 2 Dad's Chicken Parmesan
* 6 Homemade Meatballs
* 2 Lil Cheddar Meatloaves
* 1 All Purpose Taco Blend
* 2 Burrito Pie

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

• These are super good!
• 
  
• Ingredients
• 
  
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Unsalted butter
• 2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
• Pure maple syrup

Directions

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

Pita Bread

Last September I started baking our own sandwich bread. I kinda set a goal for myself to bake all our own bread and also try making pita pockets, English Muffins and tortillas. You saw the tortilla post, so here's my pita bread. It didn't really "puff" into pockets, but was thick enough to cut a serviceable slit in most of them. They tasted great! I will definitely try this again.

Pita Bread

3 c unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 c water
2 tbsp vegetable oil

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Knead the dough with dough hook for 5 minutes until it's smooth. Place dough in greased bowl and let rest for 1 hour.

Turn dough out onto oiled work surface and divide into eight pieces. Roll 2-4 of the pieces into 6 inch circles and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Let rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place baking sheet on lowest rack and bake for 5 minutes. Then place on middle rack and back additional 2 minutes, or until brown.

Remove pitas from oven and wrap in clean towel to keep them soft. Repeat with remaining dough. Store pitas in airtight plastic bag.

My Whole Wheat Bread

Here is the recipe for the bread that I make for our family. I crank out about two loaves a week, on average. Much cheaper, healthier and yummier than you buy from a store!

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp oil (I use vegetable oil)
1/4 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
2 cups white flour (unbleached)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dry active yeast

Directions:
* Measure all ingredients into bread machine and set on Dough cycle. Wait 1:20 until finished (or whatever your machine does).

* With lightly greased hands, gently shape dough and place into greased bread pan (I love my Pampered Chef stone one) and cover with clean towel.

* Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled - approx. 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 in the meantime.

* Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

* Let rest in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Quick Chicken Curry

I went to look for this recipe on our blog and was shocked to find it had not yet been posted! It is one of my all time favorite OAMC meals. I am a big fan of texture in my food, and this one really hits the spot.

Ingredients:
1 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup cream of coconut or coconut milk
2 tablespoons curry powder
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cooked chicken, shredded (1 rotisserie chicken = 3 cups)

Accoutrements:
White Rice (I prefer Jasmine rice)
Toasted coconut
Cashews
Raisins

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, cook onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Add coconut, curry and bouillon. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Add lemon juice. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add chicken and cook 10 more minutes.

2. Serve over rice with condiments (toasted flake coconut, cashews, raisins).

Fast & Healthy Chicken Recipes

Tropical Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

• SALSA:
• 1/2 cup pineapple tidbits
• 1 medium kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• CHICKEN:
• 3 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon grated lime peel
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 1 cup uncooked couscous

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the salsa ingredients; cover and refrigerate until serving.
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the lime juice, oil, lime peel, salt and pepper; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
Drain and discard marinade. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 3 in. from the heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, cook couscous according to package directions. Serve with chicken and salsa. Yield: 4 servings (1 cup salsa)

Baked Mushroom Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions

Directions:

Flatten each chicken breast half to 1/4-in. thickness. Place flour in a resealable plastic bag; add chicken, a few pieces at a time. Seal and shake to coat.
In a large skillet, brown chicken in 2 tablespoons butter on both sides. Transfer to a greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms in the remaining butter until tender. Add the broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook for 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Spoon over chicken.
Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheeses and green onions. Bake 5 minutes longer or until the chicken juices run clear. Yield: 4 servings.

Garlic Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemaryor .4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 pounds)
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  
• 20 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
  
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
  
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  
• 1/4 cup white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth
  
• 1-1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

• DIRECTIONS

  In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 2 tablespoons flour, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper; add chicken. Seal bag and shake to coat. In a large nonstick skillet, brown chicken in 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat for 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 15 minutes.
  Meanwhile, in the same skillet, saute the garlic, onion and red pepper flakes in remaining oil until onion is tender and garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in wine or broth; bring to a boil. Boil until wine is reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes.
  Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Boil until broth is reduced by half, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  Combine butter and remaining flour; whisk into skillet. Return to heat. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until sauce thickens. Serve warm over chicken breasts. Sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

  
  

  
  

Slower Cooker Beefy French Onion Soup

Chaz really liked this one- might be too hot/hearty for summer though

Serving Size : 8

7 small onions, cut in half and thinly sliced (7 cups)
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs butter or margarine, melted
2 dried bay leaves
1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat
1 cup apple juice
3 cans (10 1/2 ounces each) condensed beef consommé
1/4 cup dry sherry
8 slices (1/2 inch thick) French bread, toasted
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (8 ounces)

Prep Day: Chop onions, place in freezer bag. Keep separate from meat.
Prepare dry ingredients. Freeze meat and onions.

Serving Day: Thaw onions and meat. Toss onions, butter and sugar in 5- to
6-quart slow cooker. Top with bay leaves and beef. Cover and cook on Low heat setting
9 to 10 hours or until onions are deep brown. Stir in beef consommé, sherry, apple
juice and thyme. Increase heat setting to High. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until hot.
Remove bay leaves.

To Serve, spoon into ovenproof soup bowls and top each serving with slice
of toast and cheese. If desired, broil with tops 6 inches from heat 3 to 5
minutes or until cheese is bubbly and begins to brown.

Amazing Pork Tenderloin

This was a new one we tried last month- very good and couldn't be easier!

Serving Size : 6

1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine
3 Tbs minced garlic
3 Tbs soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Cooking Day: Mix all wet and dry marinade ingriedents, exept for pork.
Pour into a storage container. Package pork to be frozen. Then freeze pork &
marinade.

3. Serving Day: Thaw pork & marniade. Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker
and pour the contents of the marinade bag over the top. Cook on low setting for 4
hours. Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.

Handmade Tortillas

So I finally tried my hand at tortilla making. It was actually rather fun! They turned out well, much to my surprise. The recipe is easy, but it was a little messy and time-consuming to roll out each one and cook them up. I used a LOT of flour to keep them from sticking, and found the trick was to keep them very thin.

INGREDIENTS:
* 2 cups flour
* 1 tsp. salt
* 1/2 stick butter, softened
* 3/4 cups water

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients. Form into golf ball size balls. Roll out flat into a circle. Cook on each side in a dry non-stick pan until starting to brown.

I think this made about 13 tortillas?