BLT (or BLTA) Sandwiches

10 strips of Bacon (2 per person)

10 slices of bread per person (2 per person)

1 head of Lettuce (I like Romaine)

2 Tomatoes, sliced

1 Avocado (optional)

Mayo, mustard and anything else you like on your sandwich

My favorite way to cook bacon is to bake it in the oven.  So much easier, turns out perfect and easy to clean up. (from http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/breakfastcookery/ht/bacon.htm)

1-Line a baking sheet with foil. This will make cleanup easier later.

2-Arrange the bacon slices on the foil and place the baking sheet on the center rack of a cold oven. (Try not to stretch the slices out. Just gently drape the bacon across the pan.) Close the oven door. Turn the oven on to 400°F. Walk away.

3- Come back 17 to 20 minutes later. As soon as the bacon is golden brown, but not excessively crisp, it's done. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon slices, and also on how quickly your oven reaches the target temperature.

4- Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to another sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb any excess fat.

Have everyone build their sandwich however they like it.  I serve this with salad.

Beef Stroganoff (in the crock pot)

Ingredients:

1 lb of beef stew meat, cubed, frozen or not (usually package at the store all cut up like this)

1 can of cream of mushroom soup (10.75 oz)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

4 oz. (1/2 a bar) of cream cheese or ½ cup sour cream

Egg noodles, or any kind of pasta noodles or rice

1-Put everything BUT the cream cheese or sour cream  and egg noodles into the Crock Pot.  You do not even have to brown the stew meat!

2-Mix together.  

3-Cook on High for 5 hours or on Low for 8 hours.

4-When you are close to serving dinner, prepare about a half bag of noodles according to the package directions.  Mix in the cream cheese or sour cream about 20 minutes before serving.

5-Top the noodles with the beef stroganoff and enjoy.  We love this with peas or broccoli on the side.

Adapted from: http://www.thefrugalfoodiemama.com/2013/01/slow-cooker-beer-stroganoff.html#.U4ZI9PldUSF

BBQ Chicken and Potatoes

This one is so easy and basic it doesn't really require a recipe but I've been requested to put it on the blog so readers can keep track of the groceries needed for this meal for their monthly meal plan.

5 chicken thighs, boneless skinless (can be frozen or not, can use any chicken)

½ cup Bottled BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray’s)

5 potatoes

1-Wash the potatoes, poke them with a fork and set them on the middle rack in the oven.  Turn the oven to 350 degrees.

2-Place the chicken in a 9x13” pan and pour the BBQ sauce over the top.  Place the pan next to the potatoes in the oven.

3-Bake for 30 minutes if chicken is not frozen and potatoes are smaller, or up to 60 minutes if chicken is frozen and potatoes are larger. (If you’re doing larger potatoes with non frozen chicken you can microwave the potatoes for 3-6 minutes and then put them in the oven to finish baking.)

Sweet and Sour Apricot Chicken-SO easy!

1 cup Apricot or Apricot-Pineapple Jam (Peach works too)

1 cup Catalina Salad Dressing (or Russian or  French)

1 envelope dry onion soup mix (like Lipton)

3-5 lbs chicken (breasts, bone-in/boneless, thighs, tenders etc. frozen or not)

*The amount of chicken you use is very flexible.  If you use less, you’ll just have lots of sauce, and if you use more- you’ll have less sauce to spoon over rice, but there’s plenty to cook that much chicken.

1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

2-Place the chicken in a 9x13”  pan.

3-Put the jam, Catalina dressing, cider vinegar, and  the onion soup packet in a bowl and stir to combine and pour over the chicken.

4-Bake for 45 minutes (if not frozen and 60 minutes if frozen.) Eat over rice.

This is a great, super easy, yummy recipe. I'm working on a "real food"/unprocessed version that I'll be posting on the website soon.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Makes about 2 quarts (about 8 servings)

• 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
• 1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 4 cups chicken broth
• ½ bay leaf
• ½ cup flour
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup butter
• 2 cups half and half, warmed (or skim milk if you’re trying to cut some calories)
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

1.  Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.

2.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

3.  About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper.  Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don’t be afraid to always season to taste at the end).

4.  Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Stove-Top Version

• 3 cups diced tomatoes with juice (you can use canned)
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 Tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 4 Tbsp fresh basil or 1 Tbsp dried
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups half and half, warmed (if you want you can use whole milk, evaporated milk instead…or even skim if you want to skinny it up)
• 1 tsp salt

1.  Heat oil in 4 quart soup pot.  Add celery, onions and carrots.  Saute 5 minutes.  Add basil, oregano, bay leaf, tomatoes, and chicken broth.  Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender (15 minutes).

2.  While soup simmers, prepare a roux.  Melt butter over low heat, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 5-7 minutes.  Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup.  Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth.  Add back into soup pot.

3.  Simmer, stirring constantly, until soup begins to thicken.  Add Parmesan cheese and whisk to blend.  Stir warmed half and half, salt and pepper.  Simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

from http://utah.todaysmama.com/2012/03/20/tomato-basil-parmesan-soup-in-the-slow-cooker-or-on-the-stove-top/

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or other meat cut into strips

2 Tbsp oil

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 sm can green chilies

1 medium onion, sliced

1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced (I use half a green and half a red)

12 flour tortillas

Toppings such as cheese, sour cream, and guacamole - if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.

2. In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt

3. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.

4. Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.

5. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve on tortillas with desired toppings.

(Recipe adapted from Real Mom Kitchen at http://realmomkitchen.com/9318/oven-baked-chicken-fajitas/)

Pork or Beef Soft Tacos

Ingredients

1 (2.5 lb) pork roast (can use beef roast too)

1 3/4 cups beef broth

Juice of 1 lime

1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 Tbsp cumin

1/2 Tbsp onion powder or dried onions

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Place roast in a slow cooker along with beef broth.

2. Squeeze lime juice over roast.

3. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

4. Sprinkle spices over roast.

5. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

6. In the crock pot use two forks or kitchen shears to shred removing any fat.

7. Return meat to crock pot and cook for 30 minutes more.

8. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove beef from slow cooker and serve in your favorite Mexican dish.

Recipe by Real Mom Kitchen at http://realmomkitchen.com/10379/mexican-shredded-beef/

Spaghetti (sauce can be made in the crock pot)

-2 15 oz can diced tomatoes

-1 15oz can of tomato sauce

-1 chopped onion (or 2 T dried onions)

-2 T chopped garlic or (1 T garlic powder)

-1 T Oregano

-1 T honey (or sugar)

-1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey or ground sausage

-salt & pepper to taste

The Directions for crock pot

1-Add the thawed (or frozen) ground beef or turkey to the crock pot. Dump in all the cans of tomatoes, and break the ground meat up with a large spoon. Stir in the spices.

2-Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

3-When done cooking, break up the ground meat a bit more and salt to taste.

4-Serve right away with some prepared pasta, or package for freezing.

Angel Chicken Pasta (crock pot or oven)

-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs (I use frozen) -1/4 cup butter 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad                   dressing mix 1 cup apple juice (water works in a pinch) 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed GOLDEN MUSHROOM soup (not cream of mushroom!) 4 ounces cream cheese 1 pound angel hair pasta or any pasta you like

Crock Pot directions

1-Place the chicken in crock pot.

2-Add butter, Italian salad dressing mix, can of soup, & apple juice (or water) Not the cream cheese yet over the chicken.

3-Cook on low in the crock pot for 4-5 hours.

4- Add the cream cheese and cook it for another 30 minutes to let the cream cheese melt and stir it all together.

4-Eat over cooked angel hair pasta or other noodles or rice.

Oven directions

1-Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2-In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in the package of dressing mix. Blend in apple juice and golden mushroom soup. Mix in cream cheese, and stir until smooth. Heat through, but do not boil.  3-Arrange chicken in a single layer in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour sauce over.

4-Bake for 60 minutes in the preheated oven. 5-Twenty minutes before the chicken is done, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.

Chicken Broccoli Supreme Casserole

Ingredients

1 – lb. fresh broccoli Break in pieces, and steam for 2 minutes.

3 cups cooked chicken  – Break up in small pieces

3 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese divided

2 tubes Ritz Crackers (or 1 cup Panko or bread crumbs)

1/2  stick melted butter

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

SAUCE:

2 cup milk

2 Tbs. butter

¼ cup. cornstarch

2 tsp “Better than Bouillon” chicken bouillon (or any chicken bouillon cube)

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

Instructions

1. In greased 13×9 pan, layer the broccoli and chicken, then set aside.
2. In saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, butter, cornstarch, chicken bouillon and pepper. Stir well, and continue stirring until sauce has thickened.
3. Turn heat down to low, and add 1- ½ cups grated cheddar cheese. Stir until melted.
4. Pour over the chicken and broccoli.
5. Top with 1- ½ cups grated cheddar cheese.
6. Melt the butter, and add the poppy seeds, and stir well.
7. Crush Ritz crackers in large zip-lock bag with a rolling pin. Don’t crush too small. Add crumbs to the melted butter. Sprinkle crumbs over the top of the grated cheese.
8. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until hot & bubbly. We like to eat this over rice.

   

   Ready to put into the oven to bake (I tried shredded cheese on top on one half and not on the other and liked both equally well)

Chicken Parmesan (Crock Pot or Oven)

Ingredients:

4 to 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, frozen or not

2 cups marinara sauce

8 oz mozzarella, shredded

4 oz Parmesan, grated (or powdered in the can)

1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons (optional*)

1-Spray crock pot or 9x13” pan with cooking spray.  

2-Place chicken in the bottom & pour the sauce over the top of it.  

3-If using them, put the croutons over the top & sprinkle with the cheeses.  

4-Crock pot on low 6 to 8 hours or bake, covered with aluminum foil in oven at 350 degrees for about 50 min.  Remove the aluminium foil & bake for 10 more minutes.

I like to serve this with pasta.

*You can also skip the croutons and it's still yummy!

Tuna Noodle Casserole (No Cream of whatever soup!)

Ingredients for homemade cream of chicken soup:

• 2 cup milk
• 2 Tbs. butter
• ¼ cup. cornstarch
• 2 tsp “Better than Bouillon” chicken
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
• 
  

Other Ingredients:

2 cans (5 oz.) tuna

1 cup frozen peas

½ cup milk

4 oz. (about 2- ½ cups) egg noodles (or any kind of pasta you like)

1 can (10.75 oz.) Cream of Mushroom soup

¼ tsp. garlic powder

½ c sour cream

½ c grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. make the cream of chicken soup by combining all 5 ingredients in a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Set the cream of chicken soup aside.
3. Cook noodles according to package instructions, adding peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking; drain in colander.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together soup, milk, sour cream, grated cheese and garlic powder.  Stir in noodles, peas and tuna .
5. Transfer to a 1-½ quart casserole or 9X13 pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes.