Pasta salad for a Crowd!

From allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked macaroni( I use the tri color pasta)
8 hard-cooked eggs, grated
1 (6 ounce) can black olives, drained and chopped
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 (10 ounce) jar dill pickle relish, partially drained
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard, or to taste
1/2 cup mayonnaise, or as needed
salt and black pepper to taste
4 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
paprika to taste


DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place macaroni in the pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta, grated eggs, olives, onion, and relish with some of the liquid. Mix in mustard and mayonnaise, increasing the amount of mayonnaise as desired. Season with salt and pepper. Top with sliced eggs, and sprinkle with paprika to serve.

Review: Yummy! Great for summer BBQ's

Homemade Sloppy Joes

from a taste of home
Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 hamburger buns, split
Directions:
In a saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the ketchup, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Serve on buns. Yield: 2 servings.

Review: I doubled the recipe. It was simpe, but next time I think I'll add some onion and garlic.

Chicken Fried Steak and Hashbrown Casserole

Chicken Fried Steak from Allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound (1/2 inch thick) boneless sirloin steak
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
2 teaspoons water
3 tablespoons canola oil
COUNTRY GRAVY:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups 2% milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

DIRECTIONS
Flatten steak to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut into two serving-size pieces.
Place flour and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. In another shallow bowl, beat egg and water. Coat steaks with flour, then dip into egg mixture and coat with crumbs.

In a large skillet, cook steaks in oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness. Remove and keep warm.

For gravy, stir flour into pan drippings until blended, loosening browned bits. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with steaks.

Review: The coating came apart from the steak. I added salt, pepper and garlic salt to the flour mixture. I had to use Bisquick backing mix as flour(this could have made the difference. I also used Italian bread crumbs for added flavor. Overall, it was simple, but not one of my favorites!


Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

2 lbs frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 C margarine or butter, melted
1 can Cream Of Chicken Soup
1/2 C onion, chopped
2 C cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

Combine soup, onion, melted butter, and seasonings, stir well. Stir in cheese and frozen hash browns. Place in 9x13 dish and bake at 350 for thirty minutes, or until bubbly.

Review: In the words of my 2 year old daughter, yummy! This casserole was creamy, cheesy and delicious. I used Ori-Ida O'Brien hash browns which come seasoned and with onions and bell peppers for added flavor. This is a great side dish and it was supper simple!

Hawaiian Baked Chicken

From Taste of Home
Ingredients:
12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
2 cans (8 ounces each) unsweetened crushed pineapple, undrained
1/4 cup sherry or chicken broth
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Directions:
Arrange chicken in a shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the pineapple, sherry or broth, mustard, honey and butter; mix well. Spoon over chicken; sprinkle with paprika.
Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 35-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 180°. Yield: 6 servings.

Review: Simple to but together ok on taste!

Chicken Parmigiana

From a taste of Home
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup egg substitute
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
1 jar (26 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions:
In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt. In another bowl, beat egg substitute. Dip chicken in egg substitute, then roll in crumbs. Place in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 10 minutes. Turn chicken; bake for 10 minutes. Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken; bake for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheeses; bake 10 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear. Yield: 4 servings.
I really liked the flavor of this recipe, but I think next time I will brown the chicken first and then bake it. I like my chicken crispy!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:Left Overs
Tuesday: Chicken Tetrazzini
Wednesday:Chicken Fried Steak
Thursday:White Pizza
Friday:Baked Ziti Casserole
Saturday: Slow Cooker Chicken parmasen
Sunday: Taco soup

Crcok pot Salsa Chicken and Rice

Crcok pot Salsa Chicken and Rice from A Year of Crockpotting


--6-9 chicken thighs, or equivalent body parts
--1 can rinsed black beans
--1 cup chunky salsa
--1 cup frozen white corn

The Directions.

Put your chicken in the crockpot; mine was still frozen. Top with the rinsed black beans, salsa, and corn.

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. Cooking time will vary depending on whether or not your chicken is frozen, and how big the pieces are.

If you decide to use breasts, increase your salsa by 1/2 cup. Breasts are drier than thighs.
I used breasts and my breasts, and they where very juicy. I added chile peppers and mushrooms.The chicken was also very easy to shred. Ate it over rice, and for lunch I am taking tortillas. Yumy! Definetly a keeper!

Tomato Pepper Steak

Tomato Pepper Steak from Allrecipes
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds (1/2 inch thick) beef round steak
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup beef broth
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 medium green peppers, julienned
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
Hot cooked rice


DIRECTIONS
Cut beef into 3-in. x 1/4-in. strips. Heat oil in a large skillet; brown beef over medium-high heat. Add broth, celery, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 55-60 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add tomatoes, peppers and onion; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until vegetables have reached desired tenderness. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; add to pan.( I left out this step, because my mixture was not watery at all) Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Serve over rice.

Review: This was a good way to use some left over carne asada steaks, tasted great over rice!

Garlic Toasted Spaghetti Bruschetta

Garlic Toasted Spaghetti Bruschetta from Picky Palate


Softened butter
French bread or Ciabatta Bread, cut in half lengthwise
Lawry's Garlic Salt with Parsley
l lb of your favorite prepared spaghetti
Shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread butter over cut sides of bread. Sprinkle lightly with garlic salt. Top with prepared spaghetti that's been cut into small pieces with kitchen scissors then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and hot. Let cool for 5 minutes then cut into strips. Serve warm.

Review: I added Parmesan cheese on top instead of mozzarella by mistake, but this still tasted great. This is a great way to dress up a classic meal, top off with a green salad and your done!

Colorful Frittata

Colorful Frittata from Better Homes and Gardens
Ingredients:
1 cup broccoli florets
3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
8 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
Directions:
In a large skillet, saute the broccoli, mushrooms and onions in butter until tender. Add ham; heat through. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
In a bowl, beat the eggs, water, mustard, Italian seasoning and garlic salt until foamy. Stir in the cheese, tomatoes and broccoli mixture.
Pour into a greased shallow 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Bake at 375° for 22-27 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Yield: 6 servings

Review: I left out the broccoli. The rest of the dish tasted great! Overall will be making it again!

Hearty Breakfast skillet

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds potatoes, cubed
1/2 pound sausage
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
season salt and Garlic powder to taste
3 cups shredded American cheese
8 eggs, beaten


DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, 12 to 15 minutes; drain.
Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Cut into small chunks; set aside.
Place potatoes into skillet season to taste , and cook on medium heat until browned. Flip potatoes occasionally to prevent sticking. Stir in green pepper, red pepper, onion, and mushrooms. Cook until vegetables are tender. Stir in cooked bacon, and season to taste Beat eggs pour over the top, covered and cooked on medium-low about 10 minutes until almost firm. Then I topped with sliced tomatoes and grated cheese, and continued to cook, uncovered, until the cheese was melted

Review: This recipe was adapted from one on the allrecipes website. Overall a very good meal, espically for a weekend. It was a little time consuming but worth the effort!

Chicken in a Bag and Garlic Red Potatoes

Garlic Red Potatoes
2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place potatoes in an 8x8 inch baking dish.
In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, salt and lemon juice; pour over potatoes and stir to coat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over potatoes.
Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Review: These came out very well seasoned, the cooking time was adjusted to about an hour. Overall GREAT recipe!


Mcormick Bag and Season Review: If you are looking for a simple weeknight meal with about an hour cook time and 10 min prep time this is the meal for you! Chicken comes out juicy, and tender! This can also be a one bag meal through in some potatoes and other fresh veggies and dinner is done!