Main Dishes

Chicken Cordon Bleu – Super Easy

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We love the flavor of Chicken Cordon Bleu, however, it can be time consuming. This recipe combines the yummy flavors of the dish. Omits the gravy making it less work and calories!

Ingredients:
12 boneless skinless chicken tenders
Lemon Pepper
Dried chopped onions
12 slices of deli style ham – I use honey ham
6 slices Swiss Cheese
1 1/2 cups Corn Flake Crumbs (crushed Corn Flakes)

1. Spray a 13 x 9 inch pan with non-stick spray
2. Arrange chicken pieces in pan and sprinkle lightly with Lemon Pepper and Dried Onions
3. Place ham slices on top of each other and cut in half – place two half pieces on each chicken tender
4. Cut cheese slices in half to make 12 pieces – place one piece on each chicken tender
5. Sprinkle corn flake crumbs on top. Cover with aluminum foil
6. Bake in 400 degree oven for 30 min. Removing foil the last 10 minutes.

This can be frozen for up to 2 months. Freeze before baking.


Source: A Jennie Original

Sausage and Rice Skillet

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Inspired by one of my mother-in-law’s recipes with Sausage and Minnesota grown wild rice…I came up with this little ditty that took me a total of 30 minutes to put together.  We like these throw-it-all-in-the-skillet deals.  Makes clean-up a cinch!  

Ingredients:
1 lb regular ground sausage (I used Jimmy Dean…it is the best)
1/4 c chopped onion or 1T dried onion (I’m a HUGE fan of dried onion)
1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 package of Birds Eye Steamfresh Brown and Wild rice with Broccoli and Carrots, prepared
8oz can of water chestnuts, drained and chopped (added for a little optional crunch)
1/2 c beef broth
pepper to taste

  1. Brown the sausage with onion, add soup, steamed rice and water chestnuts.  
  2. Add beef broth a little at a time for a creamier consistency.  
  3. Add pepper to taste
  4. Heat through and serve!  

Pasta Pomodoro

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This makes a lot, so if you want to make less than 8 servings, I suggest halving the ingredient amounts. The original recipe doesn’t include a meat but you can add one; I added Italian turkey sausage so I’ve included it here.

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz.) packages angel hair pasta
Italian turkey sausage, to taste (I used 1 package which is 5 links but won’t use as much next time)
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (I used 4 t bottled minced garlic)
2 C diced Roma tomatoes (I used 2 cans of Italian-style diced tomatoes)
2 T balsamic vinegar (I thought I had this and didn’t so I substituted balsamic vinaigrette dressing–it worked!)
1 (10.75 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
crushed red pepper to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 T chopped fresh basil
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente (about 8 minutes); drain.
2. Cook Italian turkey sausage. I did mine in the skillet. I had never worked with Italian turkey sausage until then and found it kind of hard to work with b/c the casing starts to peel–I removed the casing once the sausage was cooked and before cutting it up. It was tasty, though!
3. Pour olive oil in a large, deep skillet over high heat. Saute onions and garlic until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, vinegar, chicken broth, and sausage; simmer about 8 minutes.
4. Stir in red pepper, black pepper, basil, and cooked pasta, tossing thoroughly with sauce. Simmer for about 5 more minutes and serve topped with grated cheese. (I prefer mine without cheese.)
I included this in freezer friendly because I assume the sauce freezes well.
Source: Slightly adapted from recipe submitted to Allrecipes.com by DEBNJAMES

Chicken Vegetable Casserole

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Tonight for supper I decided to try a meal from food storage.  I get automatic shipments of foods from THRIVE.  I really want to make this work for our family. I have the THRIVE cookbook so that I can use and rotate the foods in normal use.  This recipe is from that cookbook.  
 
 
 
 
Sprinkle a little dill weed on it for color and flavor!
 
 
Ingredients:
I cup THRIVE Chopped Chicken (freeze dried)
4 cups THRIVE Egg Noodle Pasta
1/2 cup THRIVE Sweet Corn (freeze dried–I don’t have this yet so I used canned corn on hand)
1/2 cup THRIVE Celery (freeze dried)
1/2 cup THRIVE Carrot Dices (I used dehydrated carrot dices canned previously)
1 tablespoon THRIVE Chopped Onions (freeze dried–I used dehydrated minced onions canned previously) 
1 teaspoon THRIVE Iodized Salt (I used salt on hand)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups THRIVE Classic Gravy (see recipe below)
1/4 cup THRIVE Powdered Milk, rehydrated (3/4 tablespoon powder + 1/4 cup water–I used previously canned non-fat dehydrated powdered milk)
1 cup Parmesan, shredded
 
 
1.  In a small bowl, cover chicken dices with warm water.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until softened and rehydrated.  Drain.
 
2.  Preheat oven to 350 F.
 
3.  In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook egg noodle pasta according to directions on can.  Drain noodles, then toss with gravy and milk in a large bowl with the vegetables and onion until completely coated.  Add salt, garlic powder, and thyme.
 
4.  Toss mixture with chicken and stir to combine.  Pour into casserole dish (I used a 9 x 13) and top with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
 
5.  Cover casserole with foil and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes, or until bubbly.  Take off foil and top with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  Bake an additional 15 minutes.
 
 
THRIVE Classic Gravy
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter (I used 5 tablespoons from two partial sticks so that I could use them up)
1 cup THRIVE Powdered Milk,dry (I used non-fat powdered milk on hand)
1/4 cup THRIVE White Flour (I used all-purpose flour on hand)
3 cups water 
3 teaspoons THRIVE Chicken Bouillon
3/4 teaspoon THRIVE Iodized Salt (I used salt on hand)
3/4 teaspoon pepper
 
Th
1.  In a medium saucepan, melt butter.  Whisk in powdered milk and flour.  
 
2.  Gradually add the water to the powdered milk mixture and whisk in the chicken bouillon.
 
3.  Add salt and pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until gravy is thickened and smooth.  Remove from heat.
 
 

Source:  Shelf Reliance THRIVE Cookbook

Sunday Pot Roast With or Without Gravy

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They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Time constraints also bring about “invention”. The browning of the meat step was omitted by accident while trying to get young ones dressed and out the door a number of years ago. The end result… the meat was more tender than when browned. I love it when an oops works out to your advantage.

This is our favorite Pot Roast and works well with beef or Pork.

To my friends who have asked for a good pot roast recipe. This one is for you.

Ingredients:
3# Sirloin Tip Roast or 3# of meat of your choice
Canadian Steak Seasoning
1 1/2# mini carrots – rinsed
5 medium red potatoes scrubbed and cut into 6Th’s – I use Red Skin Golden Potatoes
Garlic Powder
1 medium onion chopped or equivalent in dried onions
1 1/2 cups water

1. Spray roasting pan with non-stick spray
2. Place roast in pan and sprinkle lightly with Canadian Steak Seasoning
3. Place carrots around roast in pan and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder and half of the chopped onions.
4. Place potatoes around roast in pan and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder and rest of onions
5. Add water
6. Cover and bake at 350 for 4-5 hours.

Crock pot directions:
1. Do the same as above through number 5
2. Cook on high for 7 hours or on low for 9-10 hours

Beef Gravy:
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp Beef Soup Base
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Place all ingredients in small sauce pan and turn heat to med high
2. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth while liquid is heating up.
3. Whisk as needed until liquid becomes thick and bubbly.

The gravy can be used two ways. Either add it to the pot roast and it will cook in the gravy – this works best in the crock pot and gravy will be a thinner sauce or use as traditional gravy.

This freezes well after it is cooked. Just place all ingredients together in a zippy bag or freezer safe container. Store for 6 weeks.

Source: A Jennie Original

BBQ Meatballs

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I’m a sucker for appetizers and party food, but when it comes to meatballs, I’m a snob (in addition to buttercream). These are the real deal. My mom has been making them for years and acquired the recipe from a lady that attended church with my grandmother. I’m giving a shout-out to the meatball lady from West Virginia! As you will see from the ingredients, this sauce is sweet.

Ingredients:
Meatballs
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 T worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Sauce
1 T chopped onion
1 T butter
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T mustard

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients for meatballs in a large bowl. Mix together with hands.
3. Shape into meatballs. I roll mine to about the size of 2 tablespoons.
4. Place metballs in a 9×13 inch baking pan and bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes.
5. Drain grease from pan and set meatballs aside.
6. To make the sauce, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan and sautee 1 tablespoon of chopped onion for 3 minutes.
7. Add ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Pour sauce over meatballs. Cover pan with foil and bak an additional 30 minutes at 375.

* These are very sweet and are best served over rice.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

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This is soo scrumptious! And it’s really good with some crusty french bread.

cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
1 (16 oz) package broccoli florets
2 -1/2 cups 2% reduced -fat milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 oz. light processed cheese, cubed (such as velveeta light)

Heat a large nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add broth and broccoli. Bring broccoli mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium; cook 10 minutes.
Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broccoli mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Stir in pepper. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.
Place one-third of the soup in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Return pureed soup mixture to pan.

Pizza Stromboli

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This is a really versatile recipe (see notes below).  It makes a great lunch and is super easy to make.

Ingredients:
1 package Pillsbury French Loaf (or store brand if you are lucky enough to have it)
1 package pepperoni slices
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Open up the dough package.  Find the seam and unroll the dough carefully onto a greased cookie sheet.
2.  Cover the dough with pepperoni slices to within 1/2″ of edges (use as much as you like).  Sprinkle with cheese.
3.  Roll dough back up and center the loaf on the cookie sheet, seam side down.  Pinch ends and tuck under slightly to seal ends.  Make a few shallow cuts along the top with a serrated knife.
4.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Let rest 10 minutes and slice.  Serve with marinara, pizza, or spaghetti sauce.

Notes:

  • I like to use the extra large pepperoni slices for this.  Makes it easier to roll up the dough because those slices are usually thinner.
  • Variations with other deli meats:  roast beef with cheddar, turkey with provolone, ham with swiss.
  • Serve the deli versions with mustard, dressing, or other condiments for dipping.
Source:  Quick Cooking magazine

Broccoli Soup with Homemade Croutons

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Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped (I used a handful of large baby carrots)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons AP flour
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup cream

1.  Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add broccoli, onion, carrot, salt, and pepper and saute until onion is translucent.

2.  Add flour, cook for a few minutes or until flour has changed to a light brown.  Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.

3.  Simmer uncovered until broccoli and veggies are tender (about 15 minutes).  Add cream.  Use an immersion or countertop blender to puree soup.  If using a countertop blender you’ll have to puree soup in small batches. 

4.  Return soup to pot and add additional salt and pepper (if needed).  Serve hot with homemade croutons.

Croutons:
day old french bread (I used ciabatta)
olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.  Cut bread into cubes and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3.  Spread seasoned cubes onto a jelly roll pan and bake for about 15 minutes, turning once.

*This soup makes only 3-4 servings.  I would double or triple the recipe for a family.
*If you don’t have french bread you can use any bread you have on hand for the croutons.  I’ve used regular white, wheat, and multi-grain sandwhich bread as well as french and ciabatta.  ALL of them taste good!  
Source:  FoodNetwork.com

Honey Chicken

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This is one of my kids’ favorites! It can also be done in a little over an hour and has only 5 ingredients. WHO CAN BEAT THAT?! Don’t let the curry fool you. This recipe has a sweet, savory flavor that is fabulous on the tongue.
 
We serve this over rice with a little of the juice drizzled on top.
 
Ingredients:
1/4 C (1/2 stick) Butter, melted
1/2 C Honey
1/4 C Mustard (your favorite. We use regular ol’ French’s)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Curry
3 – 5 Large Chicken Breasts
 
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix first five ingredients.
3. Lay the Chicken in the bottom of a shallow baking dish.
4. Poor honey mixture over and bake, covered, for 1 hour.
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES:  I have used thawed or frozen chicken with little difference. You may have to adjust cooking time, but it really turns out the same. This is also GREAT in the crockpot!! 3-4 hours on Medium heat should do it.
 
Source: My Grandma