Category: PROTEINS

Creamy Pepper Jack Chicken Bake

Creamy Pepper Jack Chicken Bake

Ingredients

4-6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
6-8 Slices Pepper Jack Cheese (Provolone works too)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (divided)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Cooked Rice to serve over (optional)

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Pat chicken dry and place in a greased 9×13 baking dish.
  • Add sliced cheese on top of chicken breasts.
  • In a bowl mix mayonnaise, sour cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spread this over chicken and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
  • Bake for 1 hour. 
  • Serve over rice if desired or serve alone.

CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN with PEPPERED GRAVY, Family Favorite Mashed Potatoes and Sugared Carrots

CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN
2 large boneless chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2-4 tablespoons butter (enough to keep chicken from burning~add as necessary)

  • Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts.
  • In a shallow glass pan, pour buttermilk over chicken 1-2 hours prior to cooking.
  • Make sure to coat chicken well and turn at least once during soaking.
  • Drain, but do NOT rinse the buttermilk off.
  • In a medium sized fry pan melt the butter over medium heat. As butter melts and begins to very slightly sizzle, prepare breasts.
  • In a small ziploc bag mix together the flour, salt and pepper.
  • One at a time, put each chicken breast in bag and coat well with flour mix and then into sizzling butter.
  • Cook on one side until edges begin to bleed and then turn.
  • About 6 minutes each side depending on plumpness.
  • Keep chicken warm.

PEPPERED GRAVY
3 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons Wondra flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper + (to taste)

  • Melt butter into bottom of pan you just cooked the chicken in.
  • Scrape up any of the chicken pieces and mix into new butter.
  • Add flour slowly, stirring until absorbed by butter and golden brown.
  • Slowly add first the milk and then the cream.
  • Stir constantly until thickens.
  • If necessary sprinkle in more Wondra until desired thickness is reached.
  • Serve over chicken and mashed potatoes.

FAMILY FAVORITE MASHED POTATOES
4 large Yukon potatoes, peeled & quartered
4 ounces Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 small bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/4 + buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter
salt & pepper to taste

  • Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender.
  • Drain.
  • Mash all together salt and peppering to taste.

SUGARED CARROTS
1 small bag baby carrots, washed
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons PURE maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Blanche carrots in sugared water until just tender.
  • Drain.
  • Blend together brown sugar, maple syrup and butter.
  • Toss with carrots.
  • Bake 20 minutes.

GOURMET SLIDERS w/ TARRAGON CREAM SAUCE & BROWN BUTTER BEANS

GOURMET SLIDERS  w/ TARRAGON CREAM SAUCE & BROWN BUTTER BEANS
SLIDERS
3 pounds ground beef
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 small garlic cloves, minced
6 ounces Havarti, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

  • Gently combine meat, eggs, cheese, parsley, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper with your hands. (Do not over mix).
  • Form scant 1/4 cupfuls of meat mixture into about 30 meatballs. Push a cheese cube into center of each ball and encase meat around cheese, then slightly flatten each ball to a 2-inch diameter.
  • Grill on each side to desired temperature.

SAUCE
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
3 green onions, minced

  • Melt butter until sizzling.
  • Add onions and tarragon sauteing until onions are opaque.
  • Add wine and vinegar, bring to a slow boil.
  • Reduce heat, add heavy cream and cook until sauce thickens.

BROWN BUTTER BEANS
4 cups trimmed green beans
2 green onions, minced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup grape tomatoes halved
salt and pepper to taste

  • Blanch beans for 3-5 minutes in a pan of boiling water.
  • Drain and set aside.
  • Melt butter in sauce pan until sizzling.
  • Add onions and garlic and stir until fragrant.
  • Add lemon juice to deglaze pan.
  • Add beans and tomatoes, toss to coat.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

CAST IRON CHICKEN

I menu plan.  I cut coupons.  I read sale ads.  Being a Virgo I tend to be controlling too, but the best thing you can do for yourself, your family and your budget is to stay a bit flexible too. When I run across a fantastic sale, I adjust, adjust and adjust to accommodate it into my menu planning.

Do you like those rotisserie chickens from the market?  I do, but on average they are only 2-3 pounds and cost anywhere from $5-$8 or even more.  My local grocer ran a unadvertised special the other day and I got this 5.86 pound beauty for 97 cents a pound.

Now an almost 6 pound chicken will get us a minimum of 4 meals!  So this one even with the additional items of butter, preserves and syrup will cost us around 75 cents per person maybe less if we get more than 4 meals.

I love my cast iron skillet too!  There is nothing better for even cooking heat!  I like to roast my chicken in it so the sides are always radiating an even heat to the whole chicken.

CAST IRON SKILLET ROAST CHICKEN

5-6 pound roasting chicken
3-4 tablespoons butter, softened
salt & pepper
1/2 onion, wedged small
1 cup apricot pineapple preserves 
1/4 cup PURE maple syrup
  • Wash chicken and dry.
  • Spread butter along the inside of the cast iron pan and all over the chicken.
  • Generously salt and pepper the chicken.
  • Place onions along side the chicken.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the preserves and syrup.  Set aside and allow to come to room temperature.
  • Roast at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.
  • With a pastry brush spread preserve mixture all over the chicken every 10-15 minutes until skin is crisp and chicken is cooked through. This should be from 30-45 minutes based on the actual weight of your chicken.

HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES


These are always a crowd pleaser.

HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES
1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
1 1/2 pound beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic, jar
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon beef base

  • Heat olive oil and add ground beef.
  • Generously salt and pepper.
  • Brown beef, onion and garlic. Drain.
  • Add brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, steak seasoning and beef base. Cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add tomato paste and tomato sauce.
  • Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
  • Serve on fresh baked buns.

BEEF BARLEY PASTA SOUP

3 tablespoons butter
1 pound stew meat, in 1/2 inch pieces
flour
1 large carrot, diced
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 teaspoons minced garlic
½ teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup barley
1 cup pasta
1 cup White Grenache Wine
1-28 ounce cans Contadina crushed tomatoes
4-14 ounce cans beef broth*
salt and pepper to taste

  • Over low heat melt the butter.
  • Stir in carrots and saute until soft. 
  • Add onions and garlic sauteing until fragrant.
  • Dredge beef pieces in flour.
  • Add beef to pan and saute’ until beef pieces are browned.
  • Add the wine and simmer 10-15 minutes. 
  • Add the tomatoes and broth. Stir well and simmer 1 hour or more.
  • Add the barley  during the last hour and simmer slow.
  • Add the pasta during the last 15 minutes. 
  • Enjoy with some fresh baked crusty bread.

*or make your own with 4 1/2 cups hot water and 3 teaspoons vegetable or beef bouillon.

BUFFALO CHICKEN & LOADED BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

So hubs found this recipe on Facebook of all places and decided we should try it.  We weren’t disappointed!  I did halve the recipe though and it will still feed us 3 times so doubled like the original recipe would be great for a crowd or potluck dinner!

I always make a recipe EXACTLY the way it reads the first time, but next time I will cut the pepper down A LOT!

CASSEROLE
1 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cubed (1″)
4-5 medium potatoes, cut in 1/2″ cubes
3 tablespoons cup Avocado oil
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (I used smokey vs. sweet)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons Frank’s hot sauce
1/2 cup chopped red onion

  • Preheat oven to 500 degrees. 
  • Spray a 9X9 baking dish with cooking spray. 
  • In a large bowl mix together the avocado oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot sauce. 
  • Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat. 
  • Carefully scoop the potatoes into the prepared baking dish, leaving behind as much of the oil/hot sauce mixture as possible. 
  • Bake the potatoes for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy and browned on the outside. 
  • While the potatoes are cooking, add chopped onions and cubed chicken to the bowl with the left over avocado oil/hot sauce mixture and stir to coat. 
  • Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven. 
  • Lower the oven temperature to 400°.

TOPPING
2 cups fiesta blend cheese
1 cup crumbled bacon
1 cup diced green onion

  • Top the cooked potatoes with the marinated chicken. 
  • In a bowl mix together the cheese, bacon and green onion and top the chicken with the cheese mixture. 
  • Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the topping is melted and bubbly delicious.
  • Serve with extra hot sauce, sour cream and/or ranch dressing.

ALL DAY MEATBALLS

On the weekends when we are going to be home all day, I LOVE the smell of something scrumptious cooking and this recipe is one of my favorites. The great thing about this recipe though is that it’s great for working moms during the week too.

ALL DAY MEATBALLS
1 1/2 pounds ground beef*
4 slices stale sourdough bread made into crumbs
1 JUMBO egg, beaten
1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 can cream of golden mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and herbs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon basil

  • With your hands mix together the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, onion and half the seasonings.
  • Spray the bottom of the slow cooker lightly with PURE.
  • Gently lay the meatballs in the bottom of the slow cooker.
  • Mix together the soup, broth and tomatoes.
  • Pour over meatballs.
  • Cover and cook 7-9 hours on low.

*I like to make my own when brisket is on sale. It makes for a richer tasting beef flavor!

CRY BABY BURGERS

CRY BABY BURGERS
1 pound ground chuck
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 small can jalapenos, drained and chopped (save a small amount for the mayo)
1 small can green chiles, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 slices pepper jack cheese
jalapeno mayo (small amount of minced jalapenos whisked into mayo)
caramelized onions – 1 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

  • Combine ground chuck, jalapenos, green chiles, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce until well blended.
  • Form into 3 patties. Refrigerate for several hours.
  • Whisk together mayonnaise and minced jalapenos.  Refrigerate until chilled.
  • Sear and brown patties, turning frequently until cooked through.
  • While cooking the patties, melt a small amount of butter in another pan and caramelize onions to desired doneness.
  • When burgers are done, top with cheese, mayonnaise and caramelized onions.
  • Enjoy!

ROASTED PAPRIKA POTATOES
2 pounds baby red potatoes
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Hungarian paprika
1/4 cup melted butter

  • Scrub potatoes.
  • Boil for 10-15 minutes.
  • Drain the potatoes until cool enough to handle.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Spray a 9×9 shallow baking dish with PURE.
  • Place potatoes on bottom in an even layer.
  • Smash each potato slightly.
  • Evenly sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika.
  • Pour melted butter evenly over top.
  • Bake 30 minutes until crunchy and bubbling.

ORTEGA CHILE BAKE

This recipe ran over at OUR KrAzY kitchen for a meme with a family favorite which is also super simple time saver recipe, inexpensive, great ‘user upper’ of great food AND it was sooooooooooooo tasty I thought hubby was going to lick his plate. He settled for seconds though.

This recipe originally ran at 3 sides of Crazy 12-14-08. It was cold and snowy here that day. A day that just cried for a really hot lunch! So I took to the freezer and refrigerator to see what there was (we hadn’t planned on being here so nothing had been planned) and I found some leftover BBQ beef (which I drained of all sauce), 1/2 a package of shredded cheddar cheese, a can of cream of celery soup, some pasta shells and a can of diced green chiles. This is also the most perfect recipe for leftover Pot Roast or roast beef. We had 6 servings for $4.29 or $0.72 cents per serving.

ORTEGA CHILE BAKE
Left over shredded beef
1 can cream of celery soup
3 cups AL DENTE pasta noodles
1 can diced green chiles, drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

  • Drain chiles.
  • Stir soup and chiles together.
  • Stir in beef until well blended.
  • Add pasta and mix well.
  • Pour into a greased 9×9 baking dish and top with cheese.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

BOHEMIAN PORK CHOPS aka PORK CHOPS IN BEERY GRAVY

This was from another scrap of recipe I found in gram’s things.  I don’t know if she ever made it, but pork chops and beer in the same sentence got hubby’s interest and so we had some fun experimenting with this recipe.
BOHEMIAN PORK CHOPS aka PORK CHOPS IN BEER GRAVY
4-6 thick boneless pork chops
1 small onion, cut into thin rings
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup water
1 beer ~ your favorite flavor
  • In a large skillet, melt butter.
  • Brown pork chops, generously salting and peppering.
  • Remove pork chops, keep warm.
  • Saute’ onion and celery until soft and translucent.
  • Add flour, stirring until golden.
  • Add water, stirring until well blended.
  • Add beer and simmer until begins to thicken.
  • Add pork chops back in and heat through.

ENCHILADAS RANCHERAS LASAGNA

So do you know what the first step is in making Enchiladas Rancheras is?  To make a pot roast one day and pork carnitas the next of course.  I’ve made these enchiladas for years but always find the best flavor comes from using leftover pot roast & leftover pork carnitas in tandem along with fresh made tortillas and tomato sauce.  I’d like to say I made these tortillas, but I ran out of time with company coming and purchased  them from a local market who makes them fresh in the store.  I just love watching those girls work!
ENCHILADAS RANCHERAS LASAGNA
Shredded beef
4 large tomatoes,sliced
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 large can can chopped green chiles
2 cups shredded cheese (I like a combo of jalapeno cheddar and Monterey jack)
tortillas
PURE
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Spray baking dish with PURE.
  • Roast tomatoes until crushable.
  • Add green chiles and garlic until well blended.
  • Stir in salt and pepper.
  • Puree’.
  • Split sauce in half.
  • Soak shredded meat for at least an hour in the sauce (though I prefer over night).
  • Spread your tortilla lightly with some of the tomato sauce.  
  • Fill with meat and sprinkle with cheese.
  • Roll up and place in baking dish.
  • When full, pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas.**
  • Top with remaining cheese.
  • Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Serve with GARDEN TOMATO SALSA and Fresh Guacamole.
**This time I was trying to feed a full house and was running out of refrigerator space so I tried something new and made 2 layers in the same pan and made a casserole out of it – worked like a dream.  We just called it Lasagna cut it into squares and everyone was happy.