Swiss-Bacon BBQ Chicken

It's been a long time since any of us "cooks" have posted, so I thought I'd start us back up with an easy fall crock pot recipe.  We tried this one just a few days ago, and everyone ate it.  You have to like BBQ sauce, however.

Ingredients:
4-6 chicken breasts
1 (28 oz) bottle of your fave BBQ sauce
6 slices of swiss cheese
6 crispy cooked strips of bacon

What to do:
Put chicken in crock pot and cover with BBQ sauce.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Top each chicken breast with a strip (or two) of bacon.  I broke each piece in half and placed them side-by-side on top.  Then top with a slice of swiss cheese.  Cook on high for 15-30 minutes until cheese is melted.  Serve with a side dish of rice or pasta and enjoy.

Hubby's addition: He would prefer more bacon and swiss.  I would have to agree on the bacon part, but of course, I could eat bacon for every meal...

Flank Steak Sammies

Oh so easy, Oh so good!

Take one flank steak and marinate it in teriyaki for 2-8 hours.  Grill (or broil) about 5 min on each side.  Remove from grill and let set while you take hot dog buns, butter them and season with garlic powder and grill until toasted.  Cut steak THIN against the grain and serve on bun as sammie.  No need for anything else on the sandwich, I swear...plenty of flavor and juices!  YUM. I tend to serve this with hashbrown casserole. 

*Makes great leftovers too!

Mandy's Creamy Chicken Tacos/Mexican Chicken Chili

I figured since this meal could be eaten as tacos with tortillas or in a bowl as chili, I'd name it both.  I got this recipe from my friend Mandy Boker (yes, I know she's married now, but all my sorority sisters will forever go by their maiden names in my head).  Anyway, she gave me this UBER easy and tres tasty crockpot meal and it was good!  Hubby loved it.  Beware--it makes a lot.

What you need:
4 chicken breasts
1 full can of salsa (I used almost 2)
1 can  corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 brick cream cheese

What you do:
Dump everything into the crockpot EXCEPT the cream cheese.  Cook on low for 8 hours, shredded chicken after about 6 or 7 hours.  After 8 hours, stir in cream cheese until melted.

Put desired amount into corn or flour tortillas, or place in a bowl and happily eat with a spoon.  Top with cilantro, tomato, and sour cream (or other desired toppings) and enjoy. 

Peachy Pork Chops

6 boneless pork chops, browned

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 can (8oz) tomato sauce

1/4 cup syrup from drained peaches

1/4 cup vinegar

1 can (29 oz) peaches

Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, tomato sauce, peach syrup and vinegar. Salt and pepper pork chops to taste.

Brown pork chops on each side before adding to crock pot.

Place peaches on top of pork chops, then pour mixture over. Cover, cook on low 4-6 hours.

***I used lite canned peaches***

recipe from cdkitchen website

Garlic and Chicken

What you need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 garlic bulb; cloves separated and peeled
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup caesar dressing
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

What to do:
Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat.  Make sure skillet is hot before adding the chicken and garlic.  Cook for 2 minutes and flip chicken, cook an additional 2 minutes.  Stir in broth and dressing.  Cover and cook for 8 more minutes, flipping chicken half way through.  Turn off heat and top with cheese.  Let stand for a minute or two before serving.

While the garlic might seem like it would be overwhelming due to how much you use, believe me...it's subtle and tasty.  I served this with onion roasted potatoes and ranch-slaw.  Pretty good (will upload a pic of our meal tomorrow).

French Onion Pork Skillet

We had this meal on Friday and thought it was pretty good, however, both Hubby and I agreed that the stuffing over-powered the pork and onion.  Not sure how to fix that, so if you have any suggestions, we'll take 'em!  And, it didn't really taste "French Onion"-like to me, but I may be wrong...

Food you need:
6 boneless pork chops
2 onions, thinly sliced

3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 pkg.  (6 oz. ) Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1-1/2 cups hot water

1 cup  Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

What to do:

Heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add chops and onions; cook 10 min. or until chops are done, turning chops and stirring onions after 5 min. Remove chops from skillet. Cook and stir onions 5 min. or until golden brown. Stir in Worcestershire sauce. Return chops to skillet; top with onion mixture. Mix stuffing mix and water; spoon around edge of skillet. Top with cheese; cover. Cook 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

**This is a recipe from Kraft Foods, with slight alterations**

Artichoke Chicken

1 10-13 oz can of artichokes

1 C Parm Cheese

3/4 C Mayo (not Miracle Whip)

Garlic Chopped (to taste)

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts

bread crumbs

Drain and chop the artichokes. Combine with cheese, mayo, and garlic. Spread on top of chicken breasts. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Cook in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes (I used large chicken breasts so it took longer....I tested with a thermometer and it took about 40-45 minutes). The last few minutes you can put in broiler to crisp bread crumbs.

I served with a vegetable and rice pilaf. Enjoy!

Creamy Pasta with Chicken, Bacon, and Tomato

We just had this tonight and it was mmm, mmm, good!

3 cups (uncooked) bowtie pasta
3 chicken breasts, cubed
6 strips of bacon (cooked and crumbled)
1 can (14 oz) Italian diced tomato (undrained)
6 oz cream cheese (brick)
1/2 cup water
pepper (to taste)
grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook bowtie pasta according to package.

Cook chicken over medium-high heat until cooked through. Add next five ingredients and mix together until melted and cooked well. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Top with Parm cheese and ENJOY!

I think I'd like to use more bacon, honestly.

**This is a little different version from a kraftfoods.com recipe**

Creamy Chicken Bacon with Penne Pasta

I made this last night, and it was pretty good.

3 chicken breasts
3 pieces of bacon (I used 6--as I love bacon)
2 cups (uncooked) penne pasta
1/2 cup chive onion cream cheese spread
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup cherry tomato, halved
2 green onion, diced

Wrap chicken in bacon, and cook on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, boil water and cook pasta according to directions. Remove chicken from skillet, set aside, and keep warm. Add chicken broth and cream cheese in skillet (wipe out chicken/bacon juices) and wisk until mixed and heated evenly. Add onion and tomato and cook additional two minutes. Drain pasta and add cream cheese sauce. Serve on a plate and top with chicken. Enjoy.

**This recipe is from kraftfoods.com**

Cilantro-Peanut Chicken and Rice

Pete made this dish a couple nights ago, and we really liked it. It's definitely different, but had a good flavor, and a bit of a kick (so don't make it if you don't like spicy).

Ingredients:
1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 C Italian dressing
1/2 C chopped (fresh) cilantro
1/2 C peanuts
1 serrano pepper (remove stem)
1 onion (chopped)
4 chicken breasts
2 C cooked white rice
Sour Cream

In blender combine chicken broth, 1/4 Cup Italian dressing, cilantro, peanuts, and serrano. Blend well.

In skillet, heat over medium-high heat. Add remainder of dressing (1/4 Cup) and heat. Then add onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook 5-7 minutes on each side. Add in blender mix, cover, and continue to cook for additional 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Serve over white rice and with sour cream. Enjoy.

**This recipe was found at kraftfoods.com**

Cream Chicken and Noodles in the CP

I made this meal today and I liked it. So did Rowena. Delaney and Kate didn't go for it much, and PJ wasn't around for dinner. It's very simple and ends up being like a cream of chicken-noodle soup. It makes a LOT so, if I were to make it again, I will cut it in half. Here is the full recipe.

2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 chicken breasts
40 oz chicken broth
1/2 cup butter (sliced)
24 oz. frozen egg noodles.

Place first four ingredients in the Crock Pot and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Remove chicken and shred, then place back in CP. Add in noodles and cook for another hour. ENJOY!

Lemon Chicken

Flour

Black Pepper

Paprika

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Chicken Broth

1 Tbs lemon juice

On a place add paprika and pepper to flour and mix evenly. Coat chicken in the flour mixture and shake off excess. Add chicken to hot oil in pan. Cook about 3 minutes on each side. Don't overcook. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add chicken broth (1-2 cups depending on amount of chicken and lemon juice (to taste) to pan and heat ( to thicken add cornstarch -mix cornstarch with water to make a paste and add to broth and lemon juice). Pour over chicken. Serve over rice or noodles.

Roasted Chicken Tenders w/ Peppers and Onions

3 Tbs lemon juice

2 Tbs chopped garlic

2 Tbs chopped fresh oregano (1tsp if dried)

2 Tbs chopped pickled jalapeno peppers

1 Yellow, red, and orange bell peppers sliced thin

1/2 medium onion sliced thin

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 lb boneless skinless chicken cut into tenders

Preheat oven to 425. Whisk lemon juice, garlic, oregano, oil, and salt in a 9 x13 glass/ceramic baking dish. Add chicken, bell peppers, and onion; toss to coat. Spread mixture evenly; cover w/foil. Bake until chicken is cooked through. (25-30 minutes)

Chicken Tortellini

4 boneless chicken breasts (marinate in Italian dressing)

Italian salad dressing

1 tsp olive oil

1 package fresh tortellini (any flavor) I use the tricolor, just to add some color to the meal.

1 red and yellow bell pepper

minced garlic

Italian seasonings

shredded parmesan cheese

Thinly slice bell peppers length-wise while the olive oil is heating in frying pan. Cut chicken into bite size chunks and brown in olive oil. Remove chicken from pan and boil water for tortellini. Toss bell peppers, garlic, Italian seasonings, and 1/3 cup of Italian dressing in frying pan- add chicken to heat through. Drain tortellini and add to chicken. Top with parmesan cheese and serve.

Vodka Marinara

Not very healthy, but soooo delicious!

7 Tbs butter

3/4 c vodka (Polish or Russian)

3/4 c heavy cream

4 oz grated parmesan cheese

3/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 large can pureed Italian tomatoes

1 tsp season salt

fresh basil leaves

1 lb of pasta (rigatoni or rigatoni hold the sauce the best)

Melt butter, stir in red pepper, and vodka (simmer 2 min). Stir in tomatoes, cream, and season salt (simmer 5 min). Lower heat and add cheese and basil leaves. Simmer a few more minutes to make sure cheese melts and is evenly mixed. Pour over cooked pasta and serve immediately.

**I store the left over sauce seperate from the noodles. I also reheat the sauce seperately from the pasta as well**

Pepper Steak

1 1/2 lbs sirloin steak cut in chunks/strips

1/2 tsp salt

1 onion chopped

1 cup beef broth

3 Tbs soy sauce

1 green pepper

minced garlic

2 Tbs cornstarch

1/2 c cold water

Salt meat and brown slightly. Push meat to one side and add onion - cook until onion is tender. Stir in broth, soy sauce, and garlic. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add green pepper (can also add tomatoes and/or broccoli) cover and simmer 5 minutes. Blend cornstarch and water until it makes a paste and stir gradually into the meat mixture. Cook until boiling to desired thickness and serve over rice.

Beef Stew

1 1/2 lbs stew meat

2 beef bullion cubes

1 tsp salt

3 Tbs Heinz 57 sauce

2 onions

2 potatoes

baby carrots

Season meat with salt and pepper. In a stockpot brown meat in a little oil. Dissolve bullion cubes in 2 cups of hot water and add to meat. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Cut vegetables to desired size and add to meat. Stir in Heinz 57, cover, and simmer an additional hour or until vegetables are very tender. Thicken with a small amount of cornstarch and water mixture.

**cornstarch mixture: mix cornstarch and water until it is paste like. Pour it into stew and stir. Continue to add this mixture until it is to your desired thickness**

We like to serve it on top of a slice of buttered bread.

Sloppy Joes

This is a homemade sloppy joe recipe from when I was little. My husband grew up on Manwich and prefers this much better. Just as easy as the canned version! The brand of Ketchup is the key ingredient. Can be tricky to found, but I find it at Walts.

1 lb of ground beef ( I substitute all gr. beef for gr. turkey)

1/2 bottle of Brooks Thick and Tangy Ketchup

2 Tbs mustard

2 Tbs sugar

2 1/2 Tbs white vinegar

minced onion, salt, and pepper to taste

Brown and drain meat. Add all ingredients and simmer 10 minutes.

Italian Beef in a Bucket

3 1/2 - 4 lb Beef Roast, sirloin tip, or rump

1 (12-16 oz ) jar of Italian giardinera, mild or hot

1 (12-16 oz ) jar pepperoncini

1 envelope, Good Seasons zesty Italian salad dressing mix

1 (10 3/4 oz) beef broth

Place the roast in a 3 1/2 quart crock pot and mix all other ingredients together, draining oil from giardinera. (When adding giardinera and pepporcini, use half of each jar for a mild version, or all for the spicy one.) Add all ingredients to the crock pot. Cover and cook on low setting for 18 hours.

To serve, take two forks and shred the roast (after 18 hrs the meat will shred very easy) and put on Italian bread.

** I have found that using a lot of pepporcini's makes it salty, so I use just a 1/4 of the jar.**

baked garlic chicken

This is a huge favorite of mine but is messy and a little time consuming.

Marinate chicken breasts over night in:
sour cream (recipe calls for 8oz but I use 16)
1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tablespoons of paprika
fresh garlic cloves...or 1-2 tablespoons of chopped garlic from the jar
1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice


crush ritz crackers and roll chicken in them. Melt butter (1 stick)and drizzle over the top. You can use 4-8 chicken breasts.

Bake 1 hour on 350 (or until juices run clear)