Anniversary Chicken I

Justin said this was one of his favorite meals ever. It makes us miss Hawaii. And I love that I could throw this together with stuff I already have in my kitchen.

Anniversary Chicken I
From Allrecipes.com, introduced to us by Stacy Christian

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 c. teriyaki basting sauce
• 1/2 c. Ranch-style salad dressing
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1.5 oz. bacon bits
• 1 T. chopped fresh parsley, for garnish [yeah right]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4-5 minutes each side, until lightly browned.
Place browned chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce, then spoon on salad dressing. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions and bacon bits.
Bake 25-35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Notes: What is the point of a garnish, really? Didn't have one and it still tasted great. I also didn't have green onions in my kitchen, so I used a little of a white one instead. I just added as much ranch dressing, bacon bits, and cheese that I felt like adding. I probably used too much ranch. We'll be making this again. Yum.

Pork Chops with Orage-Dijon Sauce

Justin really liked this one!

Pork Chops with Orange-Dijon Sauce
From my slow cooker recipe book, page 305

• 6 boneless pork sirloin chops, cut 1 inch thick
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
• 1 c. orange marmalade
• 1/3 c. Dijon-style mustard

Sprinkle both sides of chops lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle chops with thyme. Place chops in a 4 quart slow cooker. In a bowl combine orange marmalade and mustard. Remove 2 T. of the mixture; cover and refrigerate. Combine remaining mixture and 1/4 c. water. Pour over chops.
Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 6-7 hours or on the high-heat setting for 3-3 1/2 hours. Transfer chops to a serving platter; discard cooking liquid. Spread reserved marmalade mixture over chops.

Notes: I made lots of extra marmalade-Dijon mix to set aside and pour over the cooked chops. We like sauce. I cooked it for four hours on high. I served this with curry rice. We'll be making this again.

Tahitian Coconut Bread

Tahitian Coconut Bread
From the Tahitian Village in the PCC

• 2 c. fresh grated coconut
• 4 c. flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 c. water

Combine coconut, sugar, and water. Blend flour and baking powder together. Mix all ingredients to a doughy texture adding a little flour as needed so it is not too sticky. Separate into 5 equal parts and roll into the size of a hot dog bun. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hr. to 1 1/2 hrs.
Makes 5 loaves

Notes: Justin loved this at the PCC, so I made it (after I went to the store and bought baking powder because we haven't had any in our house since we've been married. Sad.). And it is sooooo easy! Woohoo! I actually had to add a bit of water so it would all mix. It has a great, non-american, subtle sweetness and it is not even fattening. I baked it for 1 hr 10 minutes. And I stuck coconut all over the top of them before I wrapped em just for fun.

Post Script -- If you are not planning on eating all five loaves within a few hours of baking them, then cut the recipe in half. I haven't figured out how to make it taste as good the next day.
Post Post Script -- It still tastes okay with jam. It's just super dense.

Steak with Mushrooms

I'm a cookin fool! Woohooooo!

Steak with Mushrooms
From Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes
(I love this book! It's Justin's. There will be many more recipes from this book to come! It has a section for meals with five ingredients or less. Yessssss!)

• 1 lb. boneless beef round steak, cut 1 inch thick
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2 41/2-ounce jars whole mushrooms, drained
• 1 12-ounce jar beef gravy
• 1/4 c. apple juice

Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 4 servings-size pieces. In about a 4-quart slow cooker place onion slices. Arrange mushrooms over onions; add beef. Stir together gravy and apple juice. Pour over beef.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8-10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4-5 hours.

Notes: I doubled the meat, added more juice, cooked on high for 5 hours, and it was yummy. Good for a go-to-church-and-dinner-is-ready-when-you-get-home meal.

Beef Taco Skillet

I finally started cooking again! I got this recipe from enrichment. They gave us several easy recipes you can throw together with what you usually find in food storage (if you have such a thing). I just made this tonight. It was fast and yummy.

Amber's Beef Taco Skillet

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 can (10 3/4oz.) tomato soup
• 1/2 c. salsa
• 1/2 c. water
• 6 flour tortillas (6") cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 c. shredded cheese (I'm always liberal with cheese)
• 1/2 c. sour cream

Cook beef until well browned. Drain (if desired). Stir in soup, salsa, water, sour cream, and tortillas. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Stir. Top with cheese. (I just added cheese to each bowl when I served it.)
Makes 4 servings.

Notes: We decided next time we would add taco seasoning to the meat. I think it would also be yummy to throw some fresh diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce as toppings. We ate it in bowls, but I wonder if it would be good over rice?

Chicken Fajitas

Chicken Fajitas
Chicken Fajitas
From the kitchen of Brooke Hochstein

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 large green pepper, sliced
• 1 can sliced pineapple
• 1 package of fajita seasoning
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 chicken breasts
• tortillas
  

Toppings: Sour cream, grated cheese, guacamole, diced onions, diced tomatoes, salsa

Cook the chicken through on a skillet, add the fajita seasoning according to instructions on the package. Add peppers, onions, and pineapple to skillet. Cook until the veggies are the way you like them. Serve in the tortillas and add whatever toppings float your boat.

We made this when Dean and Natalie came to visit the other day. We have a table top grill, so I just cooked up the chicken and we grilled the veggies and pineapple as we ate.

Pulled BBQ Chicken

Pulled BBQ Chicken
From the kitchen of Brooke Hochstein

• 4 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Bottle BBQ sauce of choice (I used Tony Roma's Carolina Honeys)
• Hamburger Buns

Simple as can be -- throw the frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot and then cover it all over with the BBQ sauce. 4-6 hours later, the chicken falls apart. Slap it on a hamburger bun and you've got your meal. Add more BBQ sauce when the chicken is on the bun, if desired.