Fall Favorites!

Is there anything as good as fall food? Chili, apple pie, pumpkin-everything... It's my favorite time of the year!
Here are some dinner ideas if you're in a slump (as much as I love fall, I have to admit I don't enjoy cooking every day!):

• Skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, roasted rosemary potatoes, roasted lemon and parmesan asparagus, and baked zucchini fries.
• Sausage with peppers and onions, rice and green beans
• Spaghetti squash with ground turkey and sauce
• Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans.
• Pioneer Woman's chicken tortilla soup
• Chicken cordon bleu casserole 
• Garlic shrimp salad with veggies, eggs, garbanzos, and homemade sweet potato fries
• Chicken pot pie
• Lasagna roll ups made with turkey and a spinach cream sauce on top
• Chicken with quinoa and a big pan of roasted veggies
• Baked Orange Chicken and Rice 
• Quinoa and Spinach patties
• Sweet & Spicy Citrus Tilapia
• Tacos! Mix it up with turkey, fish, or chicken.
• Homemade pizza

FALL SOUPS! 

• Chicken and wild rice soup
• Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup  
• Creamy broccoli and cheese
• Corn and red pepper chowder
• Chicken n dumplings
• Butternut Stew with Pork and Spinach
  Crock Pot Sweet Potato & Bean Chili
• Potato Soup
• Pasta e fagoli

Coconut & Chicken Curry Soup

Chicken Soup with Lentils and Barley

Brad made this from a recipe in Better Homes and Gardens. And it was wonderful!

1 cup onions
1/2 c chopped red or green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T butter
2 14 oz cans of chicken broth
1.5 c water
1/2 c lentils rinsed and drained
1/2 t basil
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t rosemary
1.5 c cooked chicken (or turkey after Thanksgiving)
1.5 c carrots (3 medium)
1/2 c quick cooking barley
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

Feeling poor?

Yesterday I was browning some meat for Hamburger Helper. I decided to brown the whole 2.5 pounds at once to cut down on cooking time. So, today, I had 1.5 pounds of cooked hamburger and no clue what to do with it. Shockingly, the family loved it so much, seconds and in some cases thirds were had by all. It's quick, it's easy, it's cheap. YAY! I made a ton, and Brad will be taking it lunch for a couple of days. :o) Feel free to half it.

I cooked 3 cups of rice. While it was cooking I put the browned hamburger into a sauce pan with 2 cans of cream of mushroom, 1 cup of milk, and 1.5 cups of frozen corn. Once the rice is done and the sauce is hot, just put it on top of the rice. Salt and pepper to taste. It was actually quite yummy.

Curried lentil soup

I got this from my sweet sister-in-law, Brooke. She gave it to us in a beautiful decorative jar with some other Christmas treats. This could be made ahead and kept around until you are ready for it. And it doesn't take up freezer space. And did I mention it is delicious?!

I'm trying to figure out a way to make individual serving sizes. LOL! Wish me luck!

curried lentil soup
16 oz lentils
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbs dried onion (i didn't have any and used about 1 Tbs onion powder)
1 Tbs curry powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup dried apple pieces, cut into pieces
1 Tbs parsley

combine in sauce pan with 7 cups H2O. boil on high. cover and simmer on low 20-30 min.

Crockpot Split Pea Soup

Easy and cheap... this made a lot for us so I froze half of it for later. :)

2 16 oz bags of dried split peas
1 pkg of kielbasa sausage, diced (I usually buy the turkey stuff - cheap and healthy)
1 lg yellow onion, diced
2 cups of carrots, diced (I shredded in the mini-processor instead)
3 cloves of garlic, minced (also used the mini-processor here. Love that thing!)
Salt, pepper, and chicken bouillon to taste
8-9 cups of water

Wash peas in hot water and add all ingredients to the crockpot. The original recipe I splurged on called for 1 bag of peas and 6 cups of water, but 8-9 cups is all my big crockpot would hold - I ended up with a thick soup, which is how I like it anyway. You could always halve the recipe and use less water.

Cook on high for about 4 hours (I started stirring it after 3 hours to help peas mush up) until peas are mushy. Serve with cornbread. Some people like to drizzle olive oil on top... :)

I think I spent around $5...

Wheat Dinner Roll Dough for Bread Machine

Ingredients: (9 rolls)

Water 80 deg f   3/4 c

oil  1 tbsp

brown sugar 2 tbsp

Salt  1/2  tsp

dry milk 1 tbsp.

Bread Flour    1  1/4 c

whole wheat flour 1 c

Active dry yeast (1 1/2 tbsp) or Bread Machine yeast (1 tsp)

 

Program: Dough

Method:

1) Place on lightly floured surface.  Divide into pieces and shape.

2) Place in a greased baking pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until double in size.

3) Bake at 350 deg F for 25-30 min or until done.

 

I’ve made this one and frozen the rolls after baking.  Works great!!

Darn Good Green Beans

I’ve been doing these A LA Ozuna style the last couple of times I have made them.  My in-laws make their beans similarly to these.  I have stumbled onto their secret.

Ingredients:

Fresh green beans (however many your family eats…I usually do a couple handfuls for me and my husband.  The boys eat carrots)

1/4 c.  Onion (a couple thinly sliced rings chopped up)

2 Tbsp.  Bacon Grease (you could cook some bacon or just use the grease that you have saved from cooking bacon, either way it’s yummy)

1 Tomato diced

mushrooms (1/2 basket chopped)

salt

pepper

Directions:

Heat pan to medium high.  Add bacon grease, onion, and chopped green beans.  Salt to taste.  Cover.  Let cook for a bit, stirring occasionally.  After green beans and onion have cooked down a little (become a little soft), add mushrooms and tomato.  Salt again.  Pepper. Cover.  When beans are cooked but still have a bite to them, and when tomato has cooked down, they are done.

Check the seasoning…add more salt/pepper if needed.

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

You guys can thank me later. This is SOOOOO good. And super fast and super easy. Here is the link:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/parmesan-crusted-pork-chops-recipe/index.html
Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Prep Time:
15 min
Cook Time:
12 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
4 servings
Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions
Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve with lemon wedges.
Copyright 2009 Television Food Network G.P., All Rights Reserved

Salsa Recipe

What you need:

couple tbsp olive oil

1-28 oz can of Diced Tomatoes

1-28 oz can of Rotel tomatoes with chiles

1 onion chopped

4-5 cloves of garlic minced

4 jalapenos with seeds minced

fresh cilantro (handful chopped)

blender

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in stock pot.  Add onion, garlic, jalapeno, and tomatoes.  Cook down for about 5-8 minutes.  Add cilantro.  Put into blender and blend down until it is the consistency you want.  This allowed me to freeze about 5 containers of salsa. 

Caution: This is spicy!!

Pan Fried Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy and Oven Potatoes

I made this the other night and scored an 8 out of 10 from the husband.  This score is almost unheard of sense it seems only Emeril himself could get a 10.  (yeah, I have never seen a 9 either)  I think this is a testament to his pickiness, but I am sure you will hear more of that as I post more recipes.  ;)

You will need:

For the Pork Chops

2 Pork Chops (prefer bone-in)

a couple tablespoons olive oil

McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning

Salt

Pepper

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp butter (I used reduced calorie sticks)

1 cup beef broth (you could use chicken or pork)

fresh mushrooms sliced

For the Potatoes

3 Potatoes

1/4 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix

A couple tablespoons of olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Cooking instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a square casserole dish with foil (for easy cleanup).  Peel and chop potatoes into bite size pieces.  Put into dish.  Add a couple tbsp. olive oil, salt, pepper, and 1/4 package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix.  Mix to coat.  Bake until potatoes are fork tender.  (you could leave the skin on too)

Heat a skillet to Med-High and add a couple tablespoons olive oil.  Season pork chops with McCormick seasoning, salt and pepper.  Put seasoned side down in hot oil.  Season other side of pork chops.  Cook till browned and turn.  Cook for another couple minutes until pink is gone and second side is browned.  Take pork chops out of skillet and let them rest on a plate.  Turn heat down to Medium.  Add butter and flour.  Mix to make a thick paste.  Wisk in broth until the flour/butter mixture is completely blended and lump-free.  Really scrape the bottom of the pan and get all the bits and pieces from cooking the pork chops—it adds lots of flavor.  Add chopped mushrooms.  Turn down gravy to Low heat and let simmer with a lid on it.  After about 10 minutes, return the pork chops and let them simmer for another 5 minutes before serving. (warning: my cooking times are an estimate—use your judgment)

I served my Pork Chops and Potatoes with Salad.  You can get more creative.  This took me about 30 minutes start to finish.  It is important to start the potatoes first because they will cook longer.  Also keep in mind that you can decrease their cooking time by chopping them into smaller pieces.

Beer Bread

Ingredients
3 cups self-rising flour
¾ cup sugar
12 ounce can beer, not cold

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350*

Mix together all ingredients and pour into buttered loaf pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Check halfway through to see if you need to cover with foil if browning too quickly.

Cut a slit down the middle before the bread hardens and pour melted butter all over top.

Corn Casserole

This is a yummy side to serve with mexican food!

Ingredients
½ cup margarine, melted
15 ounce can whole kernal corn, drained
14.75 ounce can creamed corn
8.5 ounce package dry cornbread mix


Instructions
Preheat oven to 350*

In large bowl, combine melted margarine, corn, creamed corn & cornbread mix.

Transfer to 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until center is set and top is light golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I got this from Reader's Digest. I am telling you ladies, I am totally in love with it. But my kids didn't like it at all. I went a little crazy with the lime juice though. :o) It really is yummy.

You Will Need

3 corn tortillas (6 inches each), cut into 1/4-inch strips

4 tsp. olive oil, divided

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 large onion, chopped

5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 lb. red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup frozen corn

1 can (4 1/2 oz.) chopped green chilies

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1/4 tsp. pepper

3 tbs. lime juice


What to Do

1. In large resealable plastic bag, combine tortilla strips, 1 tsp. oil, and salt. Seal bag and shake to coat. Arrange tortilla strips on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp, turning once. Remove to paper towels to cool.

2. In large saucepan, sauté chicken in remaining oil until lightly browned. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add corn, chilies, cilantro, and pepper, and heat through. Stir in lime juice. Top each serving with tortilla strips.

Yield: 6 servings ($1.62 per serving)


-- M. M., Traverse City, Michigan

Nutrition Facts: One serving (1 1/2 cups) equals 221 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 33 mg cholesterol, 757 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 19 g protein.

Lemon chicken with veggies

This is an easy, go-to, Thursday night meal at our house.  I've modified it from the book "mom-a-licious" by Domenica Catelli (a pretty good one).  You don't have to add an additional side dish. It's a one dish meal.  Enjoy!

1 pound chicken tenders (or boneless, skinless breast cut into 1 inch strips)

2-3 Tbsp minced garlic

2-3 cups vegetables of you choice, cut into small bite sized pieces (sweet potatoes, celery, carrots, broccoli, etc. - we usually use sweet potato and broccoli)

2 Tbsp EVOO

1 lemon, juiced

2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

pinch salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place chicken, garlic and veggies in a 9X13 baking dish.  (I like to steam the veggies for a few minutes in the microwave before I add them to the dish.)

Drizzle with lemon juice and EVOO.  Mix in the salt and pepper.

Top with the Parmesan cheese and bake 20-25 minutes.

Serve and Enjoy! 

Crepes

2 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups milk
1 cup flour
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp sugar

Combine eggs, milk, flour, oil, and sugar; beat until mixed well. Heat a lightly greased 6 in skillet. Spoon in 2 tbsp of the batter; lift and tilt skillet to spread batter. Return to heat until lightly brown. Some people only cook one side. I like both done. It is up to you!

Makes 18 crepes

NOTES: This is a really versatile recipe that we just love. Whenever we went to people’s houses for dinner in France, this was frequently the dessert. It is great with ice cream, puddings, fruits, peanut butter, or fudge. BON APPETIT!