Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:
chicken breasts or chicken tenders (I usually get around 1 lb or more)
milk (doesn't need to be much, around a cup or less)
flour (probably between 1-2 cups)
salt and pepper
vegetable oil

Heat some vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. The oil should at least cover the bottom of the skillet, and maybe a bit more. In a small bowl, pour the milk. In another bowl, mix the flour, salt and pepper. Put as much s&p as desired - I usually do overkill because it makes the flavor stronger and the chicken crisper.

When the oil is heated in the skillet, dunk the sliced pieces of chicken in the milk first, and then into the flour mixture. Place them in the skillet. Flip them after a couple of minutes. Keep flipping until they are done all the way through.

Serve and eat! This meal takes a while to make but it's really easy. Cooking the chicken is what takes the longest. And the cooked chicken is easily kept warm in the oven or a toaster oven around 250 degrees.

Verdict: Thumbs up!! We make this recipe quite often, and I have no idea where I got it from, so I'm not sure what all I've changed from the original recipe. Try it with some garlic powder thrown into the mix, or some Italian seasoning. Mix it up a bit!

Pork Chops #2 - Honey Garlic

If your house is anything like my house, you've got people who like certain foods, but prepared different ways. One of those foods in our house is pork chops. I like mine in a honey garlic sauce, and Stephen likes his breaded. That's why you get two recipes in one! It's super easy to do them both at the same time, too. So if you just want to try them both at once, it'll be simple!

Ingredients:
pork chops (we usually use 4 for the two of us)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
2 T soy sauce
1 T dry sherry
2 minced garlic cloves
olive oil

Heat oven to 325. Combine all ingredients except pork chops in a small bowl.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and heat.

Stir pork chops in marinade.

Brown in the skillet for 5 minutes on both sides.

Place in the oven for 25 -30 minutes. I wrap ours in aluminum foil just because it's easy cleanup, but I think it holds the juices better too.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Well, technically you are supposed to marinade them for 4 hours or overnight. I never do it more than 15 minutes or so, and they still have great flavor - but I do keep basting them in the skillet. The real recipe also says to broil the pork chops 4-6 inches from the heat source for 12-15 minutes, turning once during cooking. I have actually never tried this way because I'm always cooking another type of pork chop at the same time. They do great in the oven - I've never had them become tough at all. Also, I don't ever have dry sherry on hand (go figure!) but the recipe says you can substitute white wine or water. I don't substitute anything and I can't tell the difference.

What I'll do differently next time:
Well, since I kind of changed the real recipe to fit how I like to prepare it - nothing!

Verdict: Thumbs up!!

Pork Chops #1 - Breaded

If your house is anything like my house, you've got people who like certain foods, but prepared different ways. One of those foods in our house is pork chops. I like mine in a honey garlic sauce, and Stephen likes his breaded. That's why you get two recipes in one! It's super easy to do them both at the same time, too. So if you just want to try them both at once, it'll be simple!

Ingredients:
pork chops (we usually use 4 for the two of us)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 T milk
1 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan
2 T parsley
2 T olive oil
minced garlic

Heat oven to 325. In one bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.

In the other bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and parsley.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in as much minced garlic as you like (or none). Cook for two minutes and remove garlic.

Dip the pork chops in egg mixture, then crumb mixture.

Brown in the skillet for 5 minutes on each side.

Place in the oven for 25 -30 minutes. I wrap ours in aluminum foil just because it's easy cleanup, but I think it holds the juices better too.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used to remove the garlic after cooking it because the recipe said to. But we love garlic, so for years now I've left it in to cook onto the pork chops. I can't really tell a difference either way except that it's a lot of work to scoop out all that garlic!


What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing at all.


Verdict: Thumbs up! This is a quick, easy, go-to recipe at our house!

Budget Pot Roast

Ingredients:
1 2 1/2 to 3-lb boneless beef chuck pot roast
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 large onions, cut into 3/4-inch slices
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1 lb potatoes, sliced
1 lb carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 cup all purpose flour
salt and pepper

Trim fat from meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven over medium heat brown roast on all sides in hot oil. Remove meat.

In same pan, cook onions until browned. Remove onions. Wipe excess oil from pan.

Return meat and onions to pan. Combine the 3/4 cup water, the vinegar, thyme, and salt. Pour over roast and onions. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour.

Add potatoes, carrots, and celery to meat. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 45-55 minutes more or until meat and vegetable are tender.

Transfer meat and vegetables to a serving platter, reserving juices in Dutch oven. Keep warm.

For gravy, measure juices; skim off fat. If necessary add enough water to juices to equal 1 1/2 cups. Return to Dutch oven.

In a small bowl whisk together the 1/2 cup cold water and flour until smooth. Stir into juices in pan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 more minute.

What I did differently from the recipe:

First of all, I used white wine vinegar because it's what I had in the pantry. I doubt it made a big difference. During all the time that this was simmering, I continued adding water. The recipe never stated to do that but otherwise I figured it would burn. I didn't use celery and I didn't make the gravy, so I can't vouch for that. I also threw in one beef bouillon cube at the very end just to give a little more flavor.

What I'll do differently next time:

Probably next time I'll add something like a "cream of" soup. Everything had great flavor except the potatoes, which for some reason were bland. So I'd like to have something a little more flavorful. Otherwise this was REALLY easy to make and very good!

Verdict: Thumbs up!

Ingredients:
1 box Devils Food Cake Mix
1/3 stick all-vegetable shortening sticks or 1/3 cup all-vegetable shortening
1/3 cup cold water
1 large egg
1 container chocolate fudge frosting

Heat oven to 375. Combine cake mix and shortening in medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until a coarse meal forms.

Add water and egg, mixing on low, until a smooth dough forms.

Shape dough into balls. Place on a cookie sheet. Flatten balls of dough with spatula or cup.

Bake 5-7 minutes or until center is firm. Cool and them remove to a cooling rack. Spread frosting over cookies. Use sprinkles, if you like!

What I did differently from the recipe:

I know I used more shortening than it called for. Not much, but just enough to make the consistency that I thought was right. I also didn't flatten the first batch of cookies, and I don't recommend that. Flattening them definitely made them cook faster and more thoroughly. I left some cookies plain, some have chocolate frosting, some have frosting and sprinkles, and some have chocolate chips in them. Play with them as desired!

What I'll do differently next time: Nothing at all.

Verdict: Thumbs up!! This recipe took less than 15 minutes to make, and was so easy. They are also great for a snack when one is up nursing every few hours...

Beef Noodle Bowl

Ingredients:
8 oz linguine
3 cups broccoli florets
3 carrots
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tsp ground ginger

Cook pasta according to package.

While pasta cooks, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add meat; cook until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally.

Add broccoli and carrots to the pasta for just the last couple of minutes of cooking time. Drain.

Stir dressing, teriyaki sauce and ginger into beef; cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.

Mix pasta and beef mixture in a large serving bowl.

What I did differently from the recipe:

I doubt I used 8 oz of linguine, although I didn't measure, and it was still probably just a tad too much. I added more carrots because we really love veggies. I only used an 1/8 cup teriyaki sauce because Stephen doesn't like the taste and I know it can be an overwhelming flavor. He still thought it was a strong taste, even though I added a couple of extra squirts of Italian at the end of cooking just to finish it off.

What I'll do differently next time:

I'd use less pasta and more vegetables and beef. I'd also probably use even less teriyaki sauce if I made this again.

Verdict: Neutral. It was okay, but I have much better stir-fry recipes that I make that we both prefer. I won't be making this one again, but it was good for a one-time attempt. The Italian dressing definitely added a little zest that I liked, but the recipe overall just didn't impress us.

Fried Squash

This is a "mom" recipe, which means all ingredients portions are estimates. But it's really hard to screw this one up! So simple, and can be used for squash, zucchini, okra... probably several other veggies. Hey, you can't go wrong with frying.

Ingredients:
squash
vegetable oil
cornmeal
salt
pepper

Wash and cut up squash. Cover the bottom of a skillet with oil. In a small bowl, mix cornmeal, salt and pepper. Dip pieces of squash in the cornmeal mixture and place in the skillet.

Cook a couple of minutes on each side or until brown and tender.

Easy peasy! And delicious!

Verdict: Thumbs up!