Smothered Pork Chops

I didn't really follow a recipe so I'm just going to give y'all the "highlights" :)

I used my usual spices, garlic/onion powder, lemon pepper, and Tony's. Sprinkle that on each pork chop then dust the pork chop in flour on both sides. Using a LARGE skillet on medium heat, fry the porch chops until golden brown then transfer them to a 13x9 baking pan. I used Yukon Gold potatoes. Slice about 4-5 medium size potatoes and put them on the bottom of the pan with the pork chops on top. Then with the leftover oil I make a roux. Once the roux is a nice "peanut butter" color I add 1 cup of beef stock and 2 cups of water with 2 packets of McCormick brown gravy mix. Salt & Pepper. Cook until thick and pour over the pork chops. Cover in foil and bake about 30 minutes. Yummo!

Gooey Peanut Bars

• 1 package/roll of peanut butter cookie dough
• 2 cups of "goobers"
• 1 cup of mini marshmallows
• 1/4 cup of butterscotch ice cream topping

Press the cookie dough in the bottom of a 13 x 9 and bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes. Take it out of the oven and sprinkle the goobers, marshmallows, and drizzle the topping. Put it back in the oven for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and serve.

  

Szechuan Mandarin Orange Shrimp

• 1-2 lbs of raw shrimp (medium), peeled, deveined
• 1/2 cup of "House of Tsang Stir Fry Sauce" Regular or Szechaun Style (I used 1/2 cup of regular and 1/4 cup of spicy)
• 1 package of frozen stir fry vegetables, thawed
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 2 stalks of celery, oblique cut (at an angle)
• 2 tbsp of canola oil
• 8 oz of cooked thin spaghetti
• 1 small can of drained mandarin oranges
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 tbsp of Paul Prudomme Seafood Magic

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the celery and onion in the 2 tbsp of oil until almost tender, add your thawed stir fry veggies, add the seafood magic, add the salt and pepper to taste. Cook until vegetables are semi-tender, add your stir fry sauce and shrimp, cook for about 2-3 minutes until shrimp is pink, add your spaghetti and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. At this point you can add more stir fry sauce. I did :) Once you like the flavor and consistency, add your mandarin oranges, mix and serve. Enjoy!
This has been one of my favorites so far!!! Delish!!!

Since "The boys" do not like spicy and Jacob would not even "touch" the shrimp...they had pizza :( I totally stole a slice :)

Babysitter's Chicken Casserole

• 1-8 oz pkg of uncooked macaroni
• 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 cup of chopped onion
• 2 cups of cooked diced chicken
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 lb of diced Velveeta
• Spices: salt, pepper, Tony's
• chopped green onion (optional topping)

Combine all ingredients in a Pyrex dish, covered, and refrigerate overnight. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 1 hour. Stir and bake an additional 15 minutes until brown and bubbly. Let stand for 20 minutes before serving. This will help "thicken" the sauce.

I liked the fact that you could make this totally low fat by using reduced fat Velveeta and reduced fat cream of mushroom, etc. I did not have enough chicken broth so I used 1 cup of beef broth and 1 cup of the chicken broth. I might try using less broth and maybe adding about 1/2 cup more of noodles. Everybody liked it so I will make it again. It was a very inexpensive meal. I also think I might like to make a cracker topping next time. Enjoy!

As the name implies, babysitters love this casserole because all they have to do is put it in the oven!

Chicken Tetrazzini

• 3-4 boneless chicken breast
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 small jar of chopped pimiento
• 3/4 lb of Velveeta cheese, diced
• 8 oz package of thin spaghetti
• salt & pepper to taste
• 6-8 cups of water

In a large dutch oven, boil your chicken, onion, and celery. Add the salt and pepper. Remove chicken when no longer pink. In the same broth, add your spaghetti and cook per the instructions. Once the spaghetti is done, add the cheese, cream of mushroom soup, and pimiento. Turn the heat off and stir until the cheese is melted. I usually let it sit in the pot for about 5 minutes, then stir.

Also, for leftovers, I usually add about 1/4 cup of milk to the Tupperware bowl and sprinkle about 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top to reheat the next day in the microwave. The longer it sets, the noodles will keep absorbing the liquid. It will dry out.

Turnips Greens with cornbread

I must tell you that this recipe is NOT exact...

• 2 bunches of turnip greens, cleaned
• 6 medium turnips, peeled and diced
• 10 cups of water
• 2 lbs of smoked ham hocks, diced
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 pinch of baking soda
• 2 tbsp of sugar
• 3 peppers from the pepper sauce jar (the one with the little peppers floating in vinegar)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 tbsp of bacon grease
• Tony's, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder

Saute your onion and celery in the bacon grease until tender. Add the ham and turnips. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add your spices, then add half your greens. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add your liquids and the rest of the greens. Bring to a boil and cook for about 45 minutes on a rolling boil with the lid off your pot. About 30 minutes into cooking, add your sugar and baking soda. The greens will be done WAY before the turnips. About 10 minutes prior to the turnips being done, drop your peppers in from the pepper sauce jar. The greens are ALWAYS better the next night. Serve with cornbread. I could not resist a bowl tonight :) Make sure you serve it in a "chipped" bowl..just makes it taste better :)

Breakfast Pizza

• 1 lb of pork sausage
• 2- 8oz pkg of crescent rolls (you will have some left)
• 1 cup of loose-pack shredded hash browns, thawed
• 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 5 eggs, beaten WELL
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1/2 tsp of salt & pepper

Cook the sausage in a medium skillet until brown; drain and set aside. Separate crescent roll dough. Place with elongated points toward the center of the greased 12 inch pizza pan. I had about 5 left over which I just filled with left over sausage and cheese :). Press bottom and sides to form a crust. Seal perforations. Spoon sausage over dough. Sprinkle with hash browns and cheese. Combine the eggs, milk, salt and pepper; pour over sausage mixture. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes then broil for about 3-5 minutes for a brown and crispy top. The only thing I would change is maybe adding some Tony's to the egg mixture. It was just "missing" something. Enjoy!

It went really well with some buttery grits!