Green Salad Ideas

I never plan my salads ahead of time. I just always have spinach or romaine lettuce handy, I open my cupboards and start throwing stuff in. I don't usually eat dressing on my salad, so I make sure there is enough flavor for me. I throw in something juicy/chewy, something crunchy, and something colorful. A combination of these usually ends up in the bowl.

Juicy:

• tomatoes
• mandarin oranges
• raisins
• craisins
• apple chunks
• grapes
• pineapple chunks
  

Crunchy:

• chow mien noodles
• almonds
• sunflower seeds
• carrots
• celery

Colorful

• cheese
• bacon bits

Apple Cinnamon Glazed Chicken

I wanted something, light, fruity, and easy. This hit the spot! Justin liked it too!

Apple Cinnamon Glazed Chicken
by Linda Larsen, About.com

• 2 T applesauce
• 1/3 c. apple jelly
• 1 T honey
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t salt
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Prepare and preheat grill. In small bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken breasts and stir to combine. When ready to cook, oil grill rack. Brush apple mixture on chicken and place on grill 4-6" from medium coals. Cook 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally and brushing frequently with jelly mixture.

Notes: I made a lot more of the sauce and served this over rice. I also baked an apple with butter and cinnamon and sugar to serve on top of the chicken and rice.

German Pancake

I wanted Justin to get in touch with his heritage. I have to add a picture because I don't want to forget my shock at the way this thing looked when it came out of the oven. I opened the oven and the fire alarm went off simultaneously, so it added to the effect. We liked it! I think I would only have it for breakfast, not dinner. It didn't fill Justin up too much.

German Pancake
from Jonesboro Ward Relief Society, Margie Mayfield

• 6 eggs
• 1 c. flour
• 1 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 T. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 6 T. butter

Melt 6 Tblspoons butter in a 9x13 pan. Heat in the oven while mixing batter. Mix other ingredients and pour in the pan. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes (I did for 12 minutes and it was fine. I might look for a different opinion next time of time and temp.). Serve with syrup or fresh peaches or strawberries. (We used vanilla yogurt and peaches, and liked it.)

Bacon Cheesburger Hotdish

This is definitely a man dish. Justin loved it.

Bacon Cheeseburger Hotdish
From the Blessings cookbook, p. 158

• 1 pkg. penne pasta
• 2 lb. ground beef
• 2 tsp. bacon bits (I use real bacon)
• 1 (10 oz.) can tomato soup
• 1 c. Cheese, shredded (I'm liberal)

In pan, cook pasta as directed on package, drain. In skillet brown hamburger, drain. Add bacon bits, pasta, and soup. Heat thoroughly. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover and cook until cheese is melted. Serve.

Meat Loaf

My first meatloaf! This is a combination recipe from Liptons Onion Soup Mix box, Great American Recipes Cottage Meat Loaf, my mother (Carol R. Cheesman), and my neighbor.

Meatloaf
compiled by Brooke Hochstein

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 c. ketchup
• 1/4 tsp salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. stovetop (dry and crushed)
• 1 tsp. prepared mustard
• 1/2 package onion soup mix

topping:

• 1/4 c. ketchup
• 1/4 tsp. prepared mustard
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Mix all ingredients but the ground beef. Add the beef and massage the ingredients thoroughly into the meat. Add the meat to a 9x5 pan. Use foil to line if necessary. Combine topping ingredients in separate bowl and spread over the top of the meat loaf. Bake at 350 for about one hour.

Turkey-Swiss-Guac Burgers

Justin liked these so much we've had them twice in two weeks. You're supposed to eat this instead of the Ruby Tuesday Avocado Turkey Burger.

Turkey-Swiss-Guac Burgers
From Eat this Not That by David Zinczenko, p.293

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 4 slices Swiss cheese (I used pepperjack-yum)
• 4 Hamburger buns
• 4 T. Wholly Guacamole
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 4 T. Ortega chopped green chiles (pepperjack took care of this)
• 2 Tomatoes, sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced

Mix the turkey, salt, and pepper and shape into 4 patties. Preheat grill, grill pan, or cast-iron skillet. Cook the patties over medium-high heat until lightly charred on the outside, about 4 minutes, then flip. Place a tablespoon of the chiles on top of each patty, then cover with a slice of cheese. Cook until the patty is firm, about 8-10 minutes total. Dress buns with tomato and onion slices, top with the burgers, and slather with the guacamole.

Notes: I added bacon. It was really yummy, who's counting calories? I served these with sweet potatoe fries.

Crepes

In the Netherlands, we called these pannekoeken. I love them.

Pannekoeken
by Brooke

• 6 eggs
• 2 c. milk
• 1 t. salt
• 1 c. flour
• butter for frying
• toppings of choice: Nutella, bananas, shredded apples, yogurt, powdered sugar, butter, syrup, strawberries, peanut butter, nuts. . . it's hard to go wrong with this.

Beat eggs until frothy; add milk and salt. Slowly stir mixture into the flour. Melt butter in a frying pan. Hold pan while pouring batter and rotate to make a thin coat of batter over the bottom of the pan. Add fruit or nuts to batter if desired to have it cooked in. Cook until the top turns glossy. Flip and cook other side. Spread on toppings, if desired. Roll up, fold up, cut up, whatever your style is. Best to serve hot.

Poppy Seed Chicken

My first casserole.

Poppy Seed Chicken
inspired from the Blessings cookbook, p 203

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 oz. sour cream
• 1/2 c. cream of chicken soup
• "a little chicken broth" that is not helpful. 1/4 c.?
• 1/2 stick Ritz crackers (or any other crackers. . . we used olive & rosemary Triscuts)
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 tsp. poppyseed

Brown chicken. Place browned chicken on bottom of a medium dish. Cover with soup, sour cream, and broth. Top with crushed crackers, sprinkle poppyseed over top. Pour melted butter over crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve with wild rice or mashed potatoes.

Notes: This is actually half of the original recipe, but we are only two people. I put in more than "a little chicken broth" because it was a bit soupy. The triscut crackers tasted awesome. Justin liked this one a lot.

Chicken Spaghetti

I make chicken a lot. Justin loved this one. It's very filling. Not very healthy.

Chicken Spaghetti
inspired from a recipe in the Bountiful Blessings Cookbook, but changed by me

• 1 lb. chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 box spaghetti
• 6-8 oz. pepper jack cheese, cubed
• 8 oz. shredded cheese of choice
  
• 1 can mild rotel tomatoes, drained (diced canned tomatoes with green chilies)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
  
• Salt and Pepper

Boil water with chicken, broth, and onion for 5-10 minutes. Add spaghetti noodles. When noodles are done, drain. Pour into a baking dish. Add pepper jack cheese, tomatoes, soup, salt, and pepper. Cover with shredded cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Honeyed Chicken Bake

Honeyed Chicken Bake
from the Bountiful Blessings Cookbook, p. 201

• 6-8 chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 c. honey
• 1 c. ketchup
• 1 large lemon, sliced
• 1 can peach halves
  

Arrange chicken breasts in a shallow baking pan and season with salt and pepper. Combine ketchup and honey; pour over chicken, turning to coat well. Place lemon slices over the chicken [SEE NOTES!]. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake chicken uncovered for 1 hour, or until tender. Turn chicken pieces halfway through baking. During the last 15 minutes of baking, increase oven temperature to 350 and arrange drained peach halves around chicken. Baste.

Notes: The lemons will take over the whole meal! Go easy on the lemons! I cooked them with the rinds for the whole time. Right after it was done cooking it tasted fine, but we couldn't even eat the leftovers because of the lemon domination. So maybe only use half a lemon and cook only half the time next time. Maybe even just squirt the lemons on it after it's done baking and not bake them at all.