Saucy Pork Chops

This pork chop recipe is from my dazzling Lizzy, of course.

5-6 pork chops

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped celery

1 c. water

1 TB vinegar

1 c. ketchup

2 TB worcestershire sauce

2 TB brown sugar

1 tsp. prepared mustard

salt

Lightly brown chops, drain fat. Remove chops from pan. In same pan add onions and celery. Brown in butter until tender. Add water, vinegar, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, sugar and mustard. Salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Pour mix over pork chops in 13x9 casserole. Bake at 375* for 30 minutes covered; 30 minutes uncovered. Serve with rice. 

Chili Mac

Chili Mac

1 lb penne pasta
Salt
2 TB olive oil
1 1/2 lbs ground sirloin
2 TB chili powder
Black Pepper
12 onion chopped
3-4 cloves garlic
1 cup beef stock
1 can chopped tomatoes
1/4 c. chopped basil
1/2 c. smoked cheddar
1/2 c. cheddar

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet over medium high heat with olive oil. Crumble beef and brown. 5-6 minutes. Season meat with chili powder, salt and pepper. When meat has browned add onions, peppers and garlic. Cook vegetables until soft. Add stock and scrape up pan drippings. Stir in tomatoes, simmer sauce 10 minutes and fold in basil. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Toss to combine and transfer to 13x9 casserole. Top with cheese and bake at 350 until cheese is melted.

(adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe)

Chili

Delicious Chili

2 lbs ground beef
1 large chopped onion
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup celery
1/4 cup green pepper
1 can (46 oz) tomato juice
1 can (29 oz) tomato sauce
1/3 cup chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 TB chopped fresh oregano 
    or 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper 
2 cans chili beans, rinsed well

Place ground beef, onion, garlic, celery, and green pepper in a large, deep skillet. Crumble and brown beef and cook until vegetables are soft. Drain excess fat.

Add remaining ingredients to a large pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

My kids love to eat this with cooked seashell noodles or macaroni.  Okay, so do I. 

Bourbon Chicken

My sister-in-law Sarah is an amazing cook!  She makes healthy eating truly enjoyable.  While Sarah has figured out an even healthier version of this recipe, the one below is the one I've tried, and I absolutely loved it!!!  All three of my kids like it too, and that is a rarity!  Yay for good food!

Orange Chicken

I was in the mood for some chinese food, but I just couldn't place my craving... so I looked online until I found a picture of something that made my mouth water.  Then I modified the recipe to fit my taste and my pantry.  I consider it a notable success.  Yummy yummy yummy! 

Chicken Pot Pie

Lizzy R, (one of my favorite people EVER) brought me this Chicken Pot Pie once.  Now I'll admit, I graciously (and thankfully) took it, but I am not usually a fan of chicken pot pie.  At least I wasn't before I had this.  This is a very comforting recipe filled with vegetables and chicken.  Yummy!  This recipe makes two pies, one for now, one for the freezer for later.  Perfect!

Cranberry Turkey Burgers

I love these light turkey burgers.  They taste so refreshing, and almost like a bit of Thanksgiving on a bun.  I found this recipe in Taste of Home's Quick Cooking magazine, but I have made a few alterations.  Be careful when you grill them... they have been known to fall apart if you try to turn them too many times.

Spinach-filled Meat Loaf

My brother-in-law Dennis made this one year, and I loved it!  I asked him for the recipe later, and this is what he gave me.  This one is really good, but he had magic fingers when he made his, because his was amazing!

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

My husband created this recipe years ago.  We like the creaminess of the chicken mixture and the saltiness of the stuffing on top.

Beef Stroganoff

The Red and White Better Homes and Gardens cook book has some great recipes, and this is one of them.  It is a favorite with almost all of my kids (my youngest can't eat it with ketchup, so in her mind it is inedible.  Crazy kid!)  We had this for dinner again tonight, and if I had been thinking, I would have snapped some pictures of it. 

Beef Enchiladas

I'm listing this here because my husband and kids love this dish... BUT it is NOT authentic at all.  This is my mother-in-law's recipe for enchiladas.  I kind of think of it as more of a ground beef throw-it-together casserole. 

Pizza Dough

This is the only pizza dough recipe I use now.  It is so delicious and chewy.  You can make it thin or thick crusted, it always tastes great!  I have to thank my sister Erin for this recipe! I usually triple the recipe for my family.  The dough freezes great!  I just put the individual portions in individual freezer baggies, then pull it out and let it defrost and raise before I roll it out and cook. 

Italian Pasta

This is an all-in-one skillet dish.  The Italian flavors blend so well together.  I came up with this recipe nearly ten years ago. I used what I had available.  Needless to say, it has changed a bit over the years, and mostly to accommodate what I had on hand.  I love dishes that work like that.  Have fun with it, and make it your own.  

 

Kielbasa and Cabbage

I found this recipe on All Recipes (allrecipes.com: kielbasa and cabbage) and I modified it to fit my needs.  Let me just say, this is comfort food heaven! Every time I make this dish, I think "It can't really be that simple. Am I forgetting something?" But it has turned out every single time. I have made it with chopped potatoes (slightly "baked" first in the microwave) and shredded carrots, and it's always delicious! My favorite is definitely served on top of hot buttered egg noodles. Pictures to come.

Mom's Black Beans and Rice

Oh!  How I love this meal!  It's one of my favorites.  My mom used to make it when I was little.  The Molho is essential for the overall experience.  My mom's method is more or less dump and taste.  While this recipe is amazing as it is, feel free to add the flavors you love.  

Spicy Barley Lentil Soup

Have you ever heard of a meal exchange?  Several years ago a few of my best mom-friends swapped meals three times a week.  One day a week I cooked dinner for the three other families and my own (thankfully we all had small families at the time.  They would do the same.  I had three amazing dinners a week that I didn't have to cook!  AND I got the recipes for my collection.  I'll admit, not all the dinners were that great (mostly mine).  We all tried new recipes and had lots of fun testing it out on each other.  A few times, I ruined dinner for all of us and everyone got pizza instead!  The experience was so awesome though, and I loved every minute of it.  This is one of the recipes from that meal exchange.  (Liz D. always had great ones)

 PS:  It tastes WAY better than it sounds!

Fry Bread

My mom is a bread-making genius!  I am not...at all.  Seriously.  Once I made rolls, and my husband said, "Your mom makes the best rolls."  He wasn't being mean, (he's just not that type) but there was nothing nice to say about my rolls.  This recipe, however, I can do.  I have used it to make Navajo tacos, impromptu pizzas, my own hot pocket versions of any filling, or even just as a nice yummy scone.  We all love it.

(For my family, I double the recipe)