Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:
  ~ 1/2 cup brown sugar
  ~ 1/3 cup water
  ~ 1 tablespoon butter
  ~ 1/4 teaspoon salt
  ~ 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced

Directions:
1.  In a skillet, combine all ingredients except sweet potatoes. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

2.  Add sweet potatoes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, turning frequently, until sweet potatoes are thoroughly cooked.

Source: About.com

Hellmann's Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:
  ~ 2 boneless chicken breasts
  ~ 1/4 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
  ~ 1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  ~ 2 teaspoons Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

Directions:
1.  Pre-heat oven to 425°.

2.  Combine mayonnaise and cheese in a bowl. Arrange chicken on a cookie sheet. Spread the mayonnaise mixture on top. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the mayonnaise.

3.  Bake until chicken is golden, about 20 minutes.

Source: Hellmann's Mayonnaise

Shredded Butternut Saute

Ingredients:
  ~ 1 butternut squash
  ~ 4 tablespoons
  ~ Nutmeg
  ~ Cinnamon
  ~ Salt
  ~ Pepper

Directions:
1.  Peel the squash, cut it in half, and remove the seeds. Grate the squash using a cheese grater. 

2.  In a large skillet, melt butter. Add squash and stir until the squash is soft and tender, but not mushy (about 10 minutes). Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Source: Squash Cookbook

Coconut Rice

Ingredients:
  ~ 1 cup uncooked rice
  ~ 1 1/4 cups water
  ~ 1/2 cup coconut milk
  ~ 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1.  Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

2.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 16 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed

Source: My Recipes.com

Spicy Sweet and Sour Pork

Ingredients:
  ~ 1/4 cup slivered almonds
  ~ 1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 3/4" cubes
  ~ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  ~ 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  ~ 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice
  ~ 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  ~ 1/4 cup sugar
  ~ 2 tablespoons ketchup
  ~ 2 teaspoons Sriracha (I used curry powder)
  ~ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  ~ 1 teaspoon ginger powder
  ~ 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
1.  Pre-heat oven to 400°.

2.  Place almonds on a baking sheet and bake for 4 minutes or so (until toasted).

3.  In a bowl, combine pork, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Drain pineapple, reserving the juice.

4.  In a separate bowl, combine pineapple juice, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, cider vinegar, sugar, ketchup and Sriracha. Whisk.

5.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Once oil is heated, add the pork to pan and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for another minute. Stir in the pineapple, saute for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the vinegar mixture and bring to a boil. Let simmer on medium heat for about 5 minutes.

6.  Serve on top of Coconut Rice. Sprinkle the toasted almonds on top.

Source: My Recipes.com

Chicken Puff Casserole

Ingredients:
  ~ 1/4 cup margarine
  ~ 1/4 cup flour
  ~ 1/2 teaspoon salt
  ~ 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  ~ 1 1/2 cups almond milk
  ~ 1 cup chicken broth
  ~ 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
  ~ 1 cup cooked peas
  ~ 3 egg whites
  ~ 3 egg yolks
  ~ 1/2 cup flour
  ~ 1 teaspoon baking powder
  ~ 1/2 teaspoon salt
  ~ 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  ~ 1/2 cup almond milk
  ~ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:
1.  In a saucepan, melt the margarine. Add 1/4 cup flour, salt and pepper to the pan and combine. Add 1 1/2 cups almond milk and chicken broth and whisk together. Cook until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.

2.  Add chicken and peas to the saucepan and heat thoroughly. Cover and remove from heat.

3.  Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks.

4.  Combine 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and paprika. In a separate bowl, combine the 1/2 cup almond milk and vegetable oil. Stir flour mixture into the egg yolk bowl, alternating with the milk mixture, until everything is well mixed. Fold in the egg whites.

5.  Pour chicken mixture into an un-greased baking pan (I used a Corningware pan). .Cover with the batter from step 4. 

6.  Bake for 20 minutes at 425°.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens All-Time Favorite Casserole Recipes

Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki

Ingredients:
  ~ 2 chicken breasts
  ~ 3/4 cup sugar
  ~ 3/4 cup soy sauce
  ~ 6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  ~ 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  ~ 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  ~ 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  ~ 4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  ~ 4 1/2 teaspoons cold water

Directions:
1.  Place chicken in bottom of crock pot.

2.  In a small bowl, combine the next 6 ingredients, then pour over chicken.

3.  Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

4.  Remove chicken from crock pot.

5.  Remove the liquid from the crock pot, and add it to a sauce pan along with the cornstarch and cold water. Bring to a boil, stirring until thick.

6.  Serve chicken on top of white rice with the sauce on top.

Source: Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

Chicken and Asparagus Skillet

Very healthy!!

Ingredients:
  ~ 1 chicken breast cut into thin slices
  ~ garlic powder
  ~ salt
  ~ pepper
  ~ 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
  ~ 2 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  ~ 1/2 teaspoon corn starch
  ~ 1 bunch asparagus cut into 1.5-2" pieces

Directions:
1.  In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, salt, pepper, olive oil, and corn starch. Marinate the chicken in this for 5-10 minutes.

2.  Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and stir fry the chicken for about 5 minutes. Once the chicken is done, remove it from the pan.

3.  Add the asparagus pieces to the hot pan and stir fry for about 3 minutes, then add the chicken back in the pan and cook for another minute or two.

8.  Serve on top of white rice

Source: Simple Recipes

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Relatively easy to make and absolutely delicious! Makes me want to add lemon juice to all sugar cookies! They were a huge hit at the Halloween party we went to too!!

Ingredients:
  ~ 2 sticks Fleishmann's unsalted margarine, softened
  ~ 1 cup sugar
  ~ 1 egg
  ~ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  ~ 2 teaspoons lemon zest (can be omitted)
  ~ 1/8 teaspoon salt
  ~ 3 cups flour
  ~ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  ~ red food coloring
  ~ yellow food coloring

Directions:
1.  Pre-heat oven to 375°.

2.  In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter at medium speed until creamy. Add egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt, and beat until well mixed. Add flour and baking soda, and beat until well mixed.

3.  Divide the dough into thirds in three separate bowls.

4.  Leave one bowl white, add food coloring to another to make it orange, and add food coloring to the third to make it yellow. Mix well so the color is distributed evenly.

5.  Line a loaf pan with wax/freezer/parchment paper. Press the white dough into the bottom of the loaf pan. Push down until it is completely flat and covers the whole pan evenly. Repeat with the orange and then yellow dough.

6.  Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours or until firm (overnight is best). I put mine in the freezer for about an hour because I was pressed for time.

7.  Once chilled, lift the dough out of the pan and unwrap it from the wax paper. Place it on a cutting board and using a floured knife, cut into 1/4" thick slices. Cut each slice into triangles to form a candy corn shape.

8.  Place 1" apart on a cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes (my oven which usually cooks in less time took the full 10 minutes for these cookies). Let cool on the sheet for about 4 minutes and then transfer to a baking rack.

Source: Kathie Cooks

Pineapple-Cranberry Pork Chops

I came across this recipe while attempting to use up all of the unused food in my kitchen... two of those things being pork chops and a can of cranberry sauce. Super simple prep, and delicious end result.

Ingredients:
  ~ 4 pork chops
  ~ salt
  ~ pepper
  ~ olive oil
  ~ 10 ounces crushed pineapple, canned
  ~ 1 cup whole cranberry sauce, canned

Directions:
1.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium-heat.

2.  Season the pork chops with the salt and pepper, then brown in the skillet. Put the browned pork chops in the bottom of the Crock-Pot.

3.  In a bowl, combine the pineapple and cranberry sauce. Pour over the pork chops.

4.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (5 1/2 hours worked for me) or high for 3 to 4 hours.

Source: Crock-Pot

Cherry Crunch Dessert

I loved the cherry part, but didn't really like the walnuts in the topping. It would have been a lot better without them!

Ingredients:
  ~ 1/2 cup butter
  ~ 1 package yellow cake mix
  ~ 2 cans cherry pie filling
  ~ 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
1.  Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

2.  Cut the butter into the dry cake mix until crumbly.  Put half of this into a separate bowl.

3.  Pat half of the cake mix-butter mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Spread the cherry pie filling over the top.

4.  Squeeze the crumb mixture firmly in your hand, to form pea sized chunks (this didn't work for me, so I just spread it over the top) and sprinkle over the top of the pie filling.

5.  Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm.

Source: Just Get Off Your Butt and Bake

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

These were messy to eat, but soooooo good!

Ingredients:
  ~ 1/4 cup sugar
  ~ 1/2 cup butter
  ~ 1 1/2 cups flour
  ~ 1/4 teaspoon salt
  ~ 1 cup lemon juice
  ~ 2-3 teaspoons lemon zest
  ~ 1/2 cup pureed strawberries
  ~ 1 1/4 cups sugar
  ~ 4 eggs
  ~ 1/4 cup flour
  ~ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  ~ 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1.  Pre-heat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan.

2.  In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until smooth. Gradually beat in flour and salt until crumbly. Pour into pan and press into an even layer. Bake for about 17 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

3.  While the crust is baking, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, strawberry puree, sugar, and eggs in a food processor. Add in flour, baking powder, and salt, then pulse until smooth.

4.  As soon as the crust comes out of the oven, carefully pour the filling on top of it. Return the pan to the oven and barke for approximately 25 minutes, until the filling is set.

5.  Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and let cool completely before slicing.

Source: K and K Test Kitchen

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

One of the most delicious desserts ever! Took awhile to make because I had to make my own condensed milk, but worth it.

Ingredients:
  ~ 1 package yellow cake mix
  ~ 1/2 cup butter, melted
  ~ 1 cup creamy peanut butter

  ~ 2 eggs
  ~ 1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips 
  ~ 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (I used this recipe)

  ~ 2 tablespoons butter
  ~ 2 teaspoons vanilla


  ~ 1 cup coconut (I didn't add this, but I'll definitely give it a shot next time)

Directions:
1.  Pre-heat the oven to 325°.

2.  In a mixer bowl, combine cake mix, melted butter, peanut butter, and eggs. Press into a 9x13 baking pan, reserving 1 1/2 cup of mixture in a separate bowl.

3.  In a saucepan, melt chocolate chips, milk, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and coconut.

4.  Spread chocolate mixture over peanut butter mixture in pan. Crumble the remaining 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter mixture over the top.

5.  Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.


Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

(Garlic) Brown Sugar Chicken

This recipe is really called Easy Garlic Chicken Recipe. But I'm not a huge fan of chunks of garlic in my food, so I made some changes.

Ingredients:
  ~ 2 boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins
  ~ 2 garlic cloves, minced (or a sprinkling of garlic powder, in my case)
  ~ 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  ~ 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil (I added a little more.. it was too dry)

Directions:
1.  Pre-heat the oven to 500°.

2.  In a frying pan, saute garlic with the oil until tender. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. ((I simply mixed the garlic powder, brown sugar, and olive oil together in a bowl).

3.  Place chicken breasts in a lightly greased casserole dish. Rub garlic and brown sugar mixture on all sides of the chicken until it is completely coated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Bake for 15-30 minutes, uncovered. ((Start checking the oven at 15 minutes... because the oven temperature is up so high I had the brown sugar and garlic mixture burning all over the bottom of the pan))

Source: www.food.com

Dairy-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk

A pain to make, but worth it to finally have a somewhat version of condensed milk without any dairy.


Makes about 1 cup (according to the recipe.. mine didn't condense very much and I ended up with about 6 cups!)

Ingredients:
  ~ 3 cups soy or rice milk
  ~ 1/2 cup sugar
  ~ vanilla extract
  ~ salt

Directions:
1.  Add the milk and sugar to a large saucepan.

2.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.

3.  When the volume is reduced to 1 cup (this never happened to me... not sure how long it is suppose to take, but mine overflowed the saucepan so I gave up), add a few drops of vanilla and salt to taste.

4.  Cool before using.




Source: Go Dairy Free

Hawaiian Rice Casserole

This is a perfect dinner for nights when you are very rushed and tired. Prep takes about 30 seconds and you only dirty one pan.

Ingredients:
  ~ 3 ham steaks, sliced into small squares (about 1/2"x1/2")
  ~ 2 cups of uncooked rice, cooked
  ~ 1 can of crushed pineapple
  ~ 1 cup coconut
  ~ frozen broccoli

Directions:
1.  Pre-heat the oven to 375°.

2.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into a large baking pan (I use Corningware).

3.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the top is slightly brown.

Italian Hash Brown Dinner

These potatoes are always on sale at our grocery store. I love to make scrambled eggs with them, but I had some extra left over in the fridge and you need to use them within 3 days. So... this recipe was on the back of the bag.

Ingredients:
  ~ 1/4 lb ground beef
  ~ 1/4 package Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns
  ~ 1/4 cup chopped onion (I omitted)
  ~ 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (I omitted)
  ~ 1 can diced tomatoes (un-drained)
  ~ 1/4 teaspoon salt (I used Sicilian salt)
  ~ Italian-style frozen green beans (my own addition)

Directions:
1.  In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onion. Once cooked, add the potatoes and mushrooms. Stir in, then flatten in an even layer, covering the whole skillet. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until slightly brown on the bottom.

2.  Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon olive oil on top, then flip the potato/beef mixture. Cook for another 6-7 minutes.

3.  Stir in tomatoes, green beans and salt. Cook until the beans are fully cooked. You may also top with 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese.


Source: Simply Potatoes

Strawberry Angel Dessert

Perfect for cookouts! And when you randomly have 4 pounds of strawberries in your refrigerator...

Ingredients:
  ~ 1 angel food cake (about 10 oz) (I only used about half of the cake)
  ~ 1 box strawberry Jello (6 oz)
  ~ 2 cups boiling water
  ~ 1 lb frozen sliced strawberries **
  ~ 1 cup cold water
  ~ Cool Whip (optional)

Directions:
1.  Cut up angel food cake into small pieces. Spread over the bottom of a 13x9 pan.

2.  In a separate bowl, prepare the jello according to the package (mix 2 cups boiling water with jello until dissolved. Then add cold water). Add the strawberries to the bowl and mix well.

3.  Pour the strawberry mixture over the top of the angel food cake. Use a spoon to push down some of the pieces of angel food cake, so that they absorb the jello.

4.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator until the jello sets (I made this in the morning for an evening cookout and left it in there for about 7 or 8 hours).

5.  Cut into squares and serve with whipped cream (or not :)).



Source: monstermama-monstermama.blogspot.com

** I used fresh strawberries, sliced in a bowl with sugar. I lost count how many strawberries I used, but the amount doesn't really matter. Use as many as you'd like!