Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Garlic Parmesan Orzo

This is a recipe I found on allrecipes.com. The origional recipe was just the pasta and the sauce but I added a bunch of veggies to make it stretch a bit!

1c uncooked orzo
1 1/2t minced garlic
1/4c butter
1/4c grated parmesan cheese
2T milk
1T minced fresh parsley
1/2t salt
1/8t pepper
sliced mushrooms
chopped onions
red, yellow, and orange bell pepper chopped
grape tomatoes
1/4c grated ramano cheese
Cook orzo according to package directions; drain. In a large skillet, saute garlic and veggies in butter until tender. Add the orzo, cheeses, milk, parsy, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through.

Marinated Baked Pork Chops

There's a first for everything and this was my very first experience cooking pork chops. I was quite nervous because my mom was never good at cooking pork so I felt really inexperienced. These actually turned out fantastic! They were sooo juicy and tender and full of flavor! Definitely on the "make again" list!
1 1/2t soy sauce
1T vegetable oil
1 1/2t worcestershire sauce
1/2t lemon juice
1Tbrown sugar
1T ketchup
3 pork Chops
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, throughly blend above ingredients.
3. Place pork chops in a medium baking dish, and spread with 1/2 the sauce.
4. Bake pork chops 30 minutes. Turn and spread with remaining suace. Continue baking 30 minutes or until temp is 160 degrees internally.
I actually marinated these all day in the full sauce recipe. Then made the sauce recipe again and spread over chops 1/2 way through cooking.

Honey Curried Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

This recipe is also from allrecipes.com. Not one of our favorites though, and I'm not sure if we'll even make it again. It was spicy and moist but just not a flavor we enjoyed.

INGREDIENTS
1 (3 pound) whole chicken
4 medium red potatoes, peeled and quartered
6 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
12 whole fresh mushrooms
2 apples, cored and quartered (optional)

DIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).Place the chicken breast side down on a rack in a roasting pan, and roast 1 hour in the preheated oven.Place the potatoes and carrots in a pot with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook 20 minutes, or until tender.In a saucepan, mix the honey, mustard, butter, onion, curry powder, salt, cayenne pepper, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and set aside.Drain the drippings from the roasting pan. Arrange the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and apples around the chicken. Drizzle the chicken and vegetables with the honey mixture. Continue roasting 20 minutes, or until the glaze has browned. The chicken meat should reach an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C).

Buffalo Chicken Fingers

This is another favorite from allrecipes.com. We were looking for something quick and easy one night for dinner and this is what we stumbled upon! They were sooo good! Even at 3am as a snack while working :-)
INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into finger-sized pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 egg whites, beaten
1 tablespoon water
melted butter

DIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Coat a baking sheet with a nonstick spray.In a bag, mix together flour, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. On a plate, mix the bread crumbs with the rest of the garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt.Shake the chicken pieces with the seasoned flour. Beat egg whites with 1 tablespoon water, and place egg mixture in a shallow dish or bowl. Dip seasoned chicken in egg mixture, then roll in the seasoned bread crumb mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet.Bake for about 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Use tongs to turn pieces over. Pour melted butter over chicken fingers and continue baking. Bake 8 minutes longer, or until chicken juices run clear.

Monte Cristo Casserole

This is a recipe I found online while looking for a recipe for Bennigan's Monte Cristo Sandwhich. That is my all-time favorite sandwhich, but I never go to Bennigan's because the service stinks and you're there for HOURS waiting around. We weren't particularly fond of this recipe. It was good but not as crispy and crunchy as I would have liked it to be.

Monte Cristo Casserole Submitted by RINI

Recipe:1 cup fat-free (skim) milk
6 eggs
2 packages (12.5 ounces each) frozen French toast slices, thawed
8 ounces deli baked ham, diced
8 ounces deli roast turkey, diced
4 ounces Swiss cheese, grated (1 cup)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, snipped
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup strawberry ice cream toppingI didn't use strawberry or strawberry topping--I bought a small jar of raspberry preserves and heated them on the stove.

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Heat milk in small microwave-cooker on HIGH 3 minutes or until hot. Whisk eggs in a bowl; add hot milk to eggs, whisking until blended. Cut French toast into 3/4-inch cubes; place in large colander bowl. Pour egg mixture over French toast cubes; toss gently; set aside.
2. Dice ham and turkey. Grate cheese. Snip parsley. Combine ham, turkey, cheese and parsley in a bowl; mix. Layer half of the French toast cubes in bottom of a rectangular baker. Top with half of the meat and cheese mixture. Repeat.
3. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and set in center. Remove to cooling rack; cool 10 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
4. Slice strawberries. Combine strawberries with strawberry topping in small colander bowl. Cut casserole into squares; serve. Top each serving with strawberry mixture.

Easy Creamy Baked Asperagus

Kraft Food and Family is my FAVORITE magazine ever! All of their recipes are easy on your wallet, and BIG on flavor, and they also don't take a lot of time!

1 lb. fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
1/4 cup KRAFT Peppercorn Ranch Dressing
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup coarsely crushed RITZ Cheese Crackers (about 12 crackers)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cook asparagus in simmering water in large skillet 2 to 3 min. or until bright green, but still crisp; drain.TOSS asparagus with dressing in 1-1/2- to 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and cracker crumbs.BAKE 10 to 15 min. or cheese is lightly browned and mixture is heated through

Potato Smashers!

Another great easy and quick recipe from Kraft Food and Family! I made these as a side one night and my husband at 6 of them!!! I made a few without bacon for myself and changed up the cheese a little--some with Monterey Jack, some with American...They were all really yummy!


8 small new potatoes (3/4 lb.), about 1-1/2 inches in diameter
1/2 cup water
4 slices OSCAR MAYER Center Cut Bacon
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

PLACE potatoes and water in 2-qt. microwaveable dish. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 10 min. or until potatoes are tender. Let stand 5 min. Meanwhile, cook bacon in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 8 to 10 min. or until crisp, turning frequently. Drain on paper towels.
DRAIN potatoes; place on work surface. Press each potato with bottom of small bowl or saucer to flatten to 1/2-inch thickness.
HEAT dressing in skillet on medium heat. Add potatoes; cook 4 min. or until bottoms are golden brown. Meanwhile, crumble bacon. Turn potatoes over; sprinkle evenly with cheese and bacon. Cover skillet with lid. Cook an additional 2 min. or until cheese is melted.

Creamy Spinach Ravioli

I think this is the first Kraft Food recipe I didn't care for. The flavor was good (hubby loved it) but I couldn't handle the texture of it. I'm weird with things like that :-)

2 pkg. (9 oz. each) refrigerated cheese ravioli
1/2 cup (1/2 of 8-oz. tub) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
1 cup milk
1/4 cup plus
2 Tbsp. KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
Grated peel from 1 lemon
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

COOK pasta as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, place cream cheese spread in large skillet. Add milk; cook on medium heat 1 to 2 min. or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the spinach, dill and lemon peel; mix well.

DRAIN pasta. Add to cream cheese sauce; toss to coat. Serve topped with tomatoes and remaining 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese.

Honey Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

Another pork hit for me and another amazing recipe from Kraft Food and Family! I let this piece of pork sit all day in the fridge with the spice rub on it. It was very juicy and tender once cooked! Definitely put this one in the "make again" pile!

1 pork tenderloin (1 lb.)
1/4 cup KRAFT CATALINA Dressing, divided
1 tsp. chili powder1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 Tbsp. honey

PREHEAT oven to 425ºF. Brush meat with 2 Tbsp. of the dressing. Mix dry ingredients; rub onto meat. Place in baking pan. Mix remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing and honey; set aside.BAKE 15 min.; brush with dressing mixture. Bake an additional 10 min. or until cooked through (160ºF).REMOVE meat from oven; cover with foil. Let stand 5 min. before slicing.

Tomato and Spinach Pasta Toss

I have made this recipe twice since the Spring Kraft Foods magazine came out! I love it! The flavor is amazing and it's so quick and easy! Working night shift with a husband that works day shift is really difficult, and some nights we only have a short period of time to get dinner cooked so we can eat. This one definitely makes the dinner dash less of a challenge!

2 cups rotini or penne pasta, uncooked
1/2 lb. hot or mild Italian sausage, casing removed
1 pkg. (6 oz.) baby spinach leaves (7 cups)
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
2 Tbsp. KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese

COOK pasta as directed on package.MEANWHILE, crumble meat into large deep skillet. Cook on medium-high heat 10 to 12 min. or until cooked through, stirring occasionally; drain. Add spinach and tomatoes; cook 2 min. or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.DRAIN pasta. Add to skillet along with the cheeses; toss lightly.

Pork Ribs with Smoky BBQ Sauce

This is a Betty Crocker Recipe that I found one afternoon while sitting outside enjoying the sunshine looking through my cookbooks! I have never made ribs before and thought I'd give them a try. They were actually quite amazing. I've never been a big ribs eater so I was quite pleased with their flavor and moistness.

4lb Pork Loin back ribs (not cut inot serving pieces)
1T veggie oil
4t thyme
1/2c ketchup
1/4c water
3T brown sugar
2T white vinegar1t celery seed
1/4t liquid smoke
1/4t red pepper sauce

Brush meaty side of pork with oil and spinkle with thyme.Place pork, meaty side up, over drip pan or over uneated side of gas grill. Cover and grill over medium heat 1 hour turning occasionally or until tender.While pork is grilling, in 1 at sauce pan, heat all sauce ingredients to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Brush sauce over pork 2-3 times during last 15 minutes of grilling. Heat any remaining sauce to boil. Serve with sauce to dip.

Southwest Fettuccine Bowl

This is another Betty Crocker Recipe I recently tried. Hubby loved it, I however was not a fan. I'm not a huge fan of blackbeans so I'm sure that's what my issue was. I will definitely make it again for him though!!

8oz fettuccine uncooked
Olive oil flavored cooking spray
1 cup chunky salsa
1/3c frozen whole kernel corn
1/4 cup water
2T chili sauce
1/2t ground cumin
15oz black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4c chopped fresh cilantro

Cook pasta and drain. Place in medium boil and spray with cooking spray, cover and keep warm.In same sauce pan used for pasta, mix remaining ingredients except cilantro. Cook over medium heat 4-6 minutes, stirring occassionally, until corn is tender.Divide fettucine among 4 individual bowls. Top each with 3/4c of sauce mixture and sprinkle with cilantro

Hash Brown Potato and Egg Bake

I made this last week for hubby to take to work for breakfast. There are 5 people in his branch and this entire pan was GONE in less than 2 hours! I guess it was good--I wouldn't know though--I didn't have any! :-)

1/2lb bacon chopped
1 medium onion chopped
30oz bag frozen hashbrown potatoes thawed and drained
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4c grated parmesan cheese
9 eggs1 1/4c milk8oz sour cream
1t salt
1/4t pepper
1t ground mustard
1/2-1c corn flakes
2Tbutter melted

Heat oven to 350. Spray 13x9" glass baking dish with cooking spray.In 10" skillet, cook bacon and onion over medium-high ehat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crisp and onion is tender; drain on paper towels.In large bowl, toss bacon mixture, potatoes, and cheeses. Spoon into baking dish. In same bowl, beat eggs, milk , sour cream, salt, and pepper and mustard with whisk until well mixed. Pour egg mixture over potatoe mixture.Bake uncovered 35 minutes.Meanwhile, in a small bowl, toss cornflake crumbs and butter, sprinkle cornflake mixture over partially baked casserole. Bake uncovered 10-15 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean!

Ultimate High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I am so proud of these cookies! I have NEVER and I mean NEVER made cookies before that have come out as amazing as these! Usually they are misshapen, unedible, and just weird...these are perfect! Thanks allrecipes.com!

INGREDIENTS1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used 3/4 cup chocolate chips, 1/2cup toffee bits)

DIRECTIONSPreheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).In a large bowl, stir together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until blended, then mix in the chocolate chips so they are evenly distributed. Drop cookies by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets spacing 2 inches apart.Bake in the preheated oven until the edges begin to turn golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.