I am in a recipe rut. Even though I've got lots of recipes, it's been hard to find something I want to cook lately. I'm either too tired and what I want will just take too much work, or nothing sounds good. So, I'm looking for something super tasty, something different from my usual, and something fairly simple and/or speedy to make. I thought maybe a recipe exchange might work.
I've participated in many things like this before: kitchen towels, cute underwear (new, of course), recipes, etc. And I've tried it in a couple of ways: old fashioned chain mail letters and email. They never worked out for me. I would contribute my portion, but I never once got anything in return. Well, now I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and hope for better results by giving it a shot with my blog.
And, once again, I'll get the ball rolling. I'm going to go with delicious and easy to prepare dishes with some of my favorites from several recipe categories:
Main Dishes
4 Step Chicken
This is very simple, very quick, and it can be changed up in a variety of ways...
Step 1: Cook the chicken. (You can lightly dredge it in flour or bread crumbs if you want a slight crunch, or you can just season it on its own. But either way, you will cook it in a pan with a little bit of vegetable, canola, or olive oil.)
Step 2: Add the aromatics. (Remove the chicken from the pan, so it doesn't over cook. Add things like onions, garlic, herbs, and spices or any combination of them to the pan. Let it cook until tender.)
Step 3: Deglaze the pan. (Use chicken stock, lemon juice, or wine.)
Step 4: Finish the sauce. (Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan to slightly thicken the sauce. It will also add flavor and sheen to the sauce. Put the chicken back into the pan to soak up some of the flavors of the sauce for about 1 minute and then serve.)
Tater Tot Casserole
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 slices American cheese
1 bag frozen tater tots
Season and brown the ground beef (I like to add diced onion to mine). Put into 9x9 or 8x8 square baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Spread enough of the soup (I like to use the cream of mushroom with roasted garlic soup) to cover the top of the beef. Place the cheese slices on top to cover the soup. Use enough tater tots to cover the cheese. Put in the oven for 35-45 minutes (or until cheese is melty and tots are crispy) at 350 degrees.
Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup
2-3 chicken breasts
1 small-medium white or yellow onion
1 can beef broth/stock
1 can chicken broth/stock
1 can tomato soup
1 can rotel
1/2 can water
1/2 can corn
1/2 can black beans (rinsed & drained)
dash Worcestershire sauce
small (3 oz.) cream cheese cut into cubes
Cook chicken, let it rest, and cut into cubes or bite sized strips. Saute onions until soft. Put all cans, Worcestershire sauce and cream cheese into a 4 quart pot. Add chicken and onions. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for 1 hour. Serve with strips of corn tortillas (or crushed tortilla chips), shredded cheese, and/or sour cream.
Desserts
No Bake Oatmeal Cookies
1 stick butter
1/2 c. milk
2 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/4 c. peanut butter
dash vanilla
3 c. quick cooking oats
Melt butter in a 4 quart pot. Add milk, sugar, and cocoa. Stir completely, bring to a rolling boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Add peanut butter. Mix until smooth. Add dash of vanilla extract. Stir completely. Mix oats until combined. Remove from heat and drop by spoonful onto wax paper. Let cool in refrigerator for 15 minutes, until set.
Lemon Cake
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (3 oz.) lemon jello
3/4 c. water
4 eggs
3/4 c. vegetable oil
Mix cake mix and jello together in mixing bowl. Add water, eggs, and oil. Mix well. Pour into 13x9 pan or bundt pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Let cool slightly. If using 13x9 pan, leave cake in pan. If using bundt pan, remove cake from pan and transfer onto a plate or cake stand. While still warm, prick full of holes and spread on glaze.
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. lemon juice (warm the juice and the sugar will dissolve better)
OK people, it's your turn. I'm really hoping this works. I can't wait to try something new, simple, and delicious! :) :) :)
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Ok, I have the perfect thing for you. You may want to pull this post and repost it in a couple days...
ReplyDeleteMy friend The Mrs. is having a recipe blog hop starting the 19th. How this works is you go to her blog and add a link for your recipe on her McLinky when it's up on the 19th. You can put all the recipes as a different link or all together or whatever. But here's what's going to be awesome about it for you...she has over 300 followers. So you can check their recipes and they'll check yours and you may even get followers!
So, check out her post, get your recipe post ready (type them now and save for later) and then link up! If you forget, I'll be recipe hopping too and you can grab her button from my post!
http://tryingourbest.blogspot.com/2010/05/start-flipping-thru-cookbooks.html
Oh and she's hosting a giveaway in conjunction too!
ReplyDeleteOnce, I ground up a bag of stale Cheetos and did a "Shake 'n Bake" with chicken breasts. The outsides were bright orange and crispy. It added a cheese flavor in a very unique way. I highly recommend giving this a try even though my wife thought it was "gross and unhealthy." I'd go so far as to throw caution in the wind and perhaps trying frying this concoction some day.
ReplyDeleteNow some may say, Cheeto Chicken Breasts? Really? Yes. And I'm also proud to say that I sometimes serve it on open-faced biscuits, covered in white gravy, as a breakfast or dinner meal. I'm a tellin' you, a heart attack never tasted so good.
Tracy,
ReplyDeleteTake a roast, add spices of your choice, add two jars spaghetti sauce (I use prego traditional...the bigger jar), a can of beef broth (or boulion if you choose), a small can of mushrooms, and sliced onions if you like and cook it on low in a crock pot and you have an easy way to get a roast with a twist.
Also, see if your mom still has my stromboli recipe. Your dad liked it when they were all back for the trial and it is super easy and versatile.
Carrie S
I do not have Carrie's stromboli recipe, but I remember how good it was. We'll have to have her send it along.
ReplyDeleteI'm still thinking on these. Don't give up on me, yet.
Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu - Coat chicken breasts in Italian Bread Crumbs, cook thru in Olive Oil or Veg. oil. When cooked through, top each breast with a couple slices of Canadian Bacon and some Swiss Cheese. Either put under the broiler to melt cheese or just put the lid over the pan for a minute.
Tracy, one of my new favorites is a crock all day kind! It is pulled pork. I usually use a pork tenderloin (because they are the leanest) but any hunk of pork will do! You put it in the crock pot with enough chicken broth to cover the meat, then add salt and pepper and let it cook all day. I have done mine anywhere from 6-9ish hours. Remove the meat from the crock and shred with 2 forks (this goes really quickly) then add the bbq sauce of your choice and enjoy!
ReplyDeleteAnother yummy one is French Dip Sandwiches. Get some thinly sliced roast beef lunch meat, and a couple of the McCormick AuJus packets. Cook the AuJus according to package directions, when it is done, add the lunch meat for just a minute or two, and dinner is done! Serve on sub-rolls or anykind of bread you like!
I make this one for Heather occasionally:
ReplyDeleteSixty One Paneed Veal Chops with Fettuccine
Ingredients
• 4 double-cut veal loin chops (14 ounces each), butterflied
• Seasoning Mix (Emeril’s Essence)
o 5 tablespoons sweet paprika
o 1/4 cup salt
o 1/4 cup garlic powder
o 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
o 2 tablespoons onion powder
o 2 tablespoons cayenne
o 2 tablespoons dried oregano
o 2 tablespoons dried thyme
(This makes a bunch of seasoning, but you can really use any Cajun style seasoning)
• 2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
• 6 cups salted water
• 1/2 pound fresh fettuccine
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400?F.
†
Wrap each veal chop in plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until very thin, then season with Essence. Put the flour in a large shallow bowl and season with Essence. Put the egg mixture in another large shallow bowl and season with Essence.
†
Dredge the chops in the flour, coating each side evenly, tapping off any excess. Dip in the egg mixture, letting any excess drip off, then dredge again in the flour, tapping off any excess.
†
Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a medium-size sautÈ pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 of the veal chops and fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Season with Essence. Repeat with the remaining oil and chops. Put the cooked chops on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes.
†
Meanwhile, put the heavy cream and garlic in a large sautÈ pan over medium heat and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the cream is bubbly and thick, about 4 minutes.
†
Heat the water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and add the pasta to the reduced cream. Add the cheese and season again with salt and pepper.
†
To serve, remove the pasta from the sautÈ pan with tongs and make several nests with it in the center of a large platter. Place the veal on top of the pasta and sprinkle with cheese.
†
Yield: 4 servings
:
Tracy,
ReplyDeleteHere's one I got off of Foodnetwork.com that I and others really like. It's pretty easy. I've made it many times, so over time I have made adjustments to the recipe. I'll note those at the end.
-- Megan
Lemon-Oregano Chicken with Vegetable Stacks
Ingredients
* 4 (5-ounce) skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 teaspoons crushed dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon salt, optional
* 1 teaspoon white pepper
* 4 small Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
* Vegetable Stacks, recipe follows
Directions
Place the chicken cubes in a shallow dish. Whisk together the lemon juice, wine, olive oil, oregano, salt, if using, and white pepper. Pour over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Spread the potatoes in a shallow roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes. Add the chicken with its marinade. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, stir the potato-chicken mixture, and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before dividing among 4 heated dinner plates. Serve with a Vegetable Stack alongside.
Vegetable Stacks:
* 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal
* 2 small yellow summer squash, trimmed and sliced in thin julienne strips the same length as the snow peas
* 1/2 pound fresh snow peas, trimmed
Place the carrot slices and squash strips in a vegetable steamer over simmering water. Cover and steam for 2 minutes. Add the snow peas to the steamer and continue to steam for another 1 to 2 minutes, until all the vegetables are crisp-tender.
Divide the snow peas among the 4 dinner plates, arranging closely together lengthwise to form a flat base. Arrange the carrot slices on top of the snow peas and top with the strips of squash in the same direction as the snow peas. Serve hot.
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Prep Time:
Ease of preparation: easy
CHANGES:
-- black pepper is just as good as white pepper, it just doesn't look as pretty
-- I added 1 zest of lemon, a few garlic gloves zested, and fresh rosemary to my marinade
-- I found the baking times to be too much for the chicken and it ended up dry. I found that 30 min for the potatoes, add chicken and cook for 15, uncover and cook for 5 worked well-- the chicken and potatoes were cooked through but not dry
-- I eventually moved away from doing the vegetable stacks as described. I added carrots, celery, and green pepper with the potatoes and then chopped scallions with the chicken. This made an even easier dish that is really quite tasty.