Need a fast and elegant dish to entertain with? What about one you could throw in your slow cooker? How about one that could be prepared and thrown in the freezer? How about something that could be made from pantry ingredients? Well, this dish is for you!

When I was growing up my mom used to buy a product called “Chicken Tonight” that had a sauce that you could cook your chicken in to make a fast dinner. My mom served it over rice as a quick weeknight meal and it was always a favorite of mine.

This recipe reminds me a lot of that dish and is as equally easy to prepare. You can throw it in your slow cooker or you can put it in the oven for last minute guests.

I hope you can throw this recipe in your rotation. It has never failed me and everyone I know that has made it, loves the simplicity of this fast and delicious dish.

Chicken Italiano (or Amy’s Copycat Version of “Chicken Tonight”)

4 chicken breasts
2 cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup chopped tomatoes (you can use fresh or a can of diced tomatoes)
1/2 cup Italian Dressing

Slow Cooker Version: Place all ingredients in your slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for six hours. Serve over spaghetti or rice with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. This is delicious with a side of roasted green beans.

Oven Version: Throw frozen chicken breasts in. Pour sauce, tomatoes, & Italian dressing on top. Bake at 375 for 1 hour (or longer if they are large chicken breasts).

Make-Ahead Version: Throw all of the ingredients in a freezer bag and label with cooking directions. To prepare, just thaw and follow one of the versions above.

To see more great recipes, please visit Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam!

Salmon is one of my favorite types of fish and I couldn’t wait to try this recipe out. It mimics the same flavors as the Herb Baked Tilapia, but offers the addition of the lemon seasoning to add a unique twist to one of my family’s favorite meals.

Our whole family really loved this dish and I loved adding a side of the homemade Lemony Rice Pilaf since the fish had the hint of lemon flavoring throughout it.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as our family did!

Baked Salmon

1 lb salmon fillets (I used the frozen fillets from Aldi Supermarket)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Lawry’s Lemon Pepper
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 cup dry breadcrumbs (I used Italian breadcrumbs)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Fillet salmon and place skin side down on a glass baking dish. Spread a generous amount of mayonnaise; cover entire top of fish. Sprinkle liberally with seasoned salt, cheese and dry bread crumbs. Bake about 25 to 30 minutes, uncovered (with the frozen fillet portions, fifteen-twenty minutes should be plenty of time). Place under broiler until top turns brown.

Lemony Rice Pilaf (Courtesy of Recipezaar)

1 teaspoon vegetable oil, preferably canola oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
3 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock makes this vegetarian/vegan)
1 grated lemon, rind of
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
fresh ground pepper

In a heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and cook onion for 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in rice, then stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover; let simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley; taste and add pepper if you wish. Note: This reheats very well so you can make a double batch for another night, if you like!

These wings…oh, these chicken wings. This picture does not do them justice, but maybe if I tell you that I really hate chicken wings and I would eat these any day of the week, it just might convince you to try this recipe.

Since we have been doing the No Spend Challenge, I only had a 1/4 cup of soy sauce left in a bottle and no other bottles in my pantry. I did have a bottle of Teriyaki sauce so I substituted half of the soy sauce with Teriyaki sauce instead and hoped for the best.

My husband looked up at me and said, “Whatever you did, do this every single time.”

So I will and I am blogging it too so I don’t ever forget it.

May I recommend a fun appetizer night with your family? After all, what is better than a ton of fun snacky foods and a good family flick?

Chicken Wings With Honey BBQ Sauce (updated)

3 pounds chicken wings
1 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced (I just used a tablespoon of bottled minced garlic)

Season wings with salt & pepper. Place frozen wings on broiler pan and broil for twelve-fifteen minutes on each side. Transfer wings to the slow cooker. Combine ingredients and pour over wings. Cook on high two hours or low for four hours.

One of my favorite things in the world is a delicious bowl of soup. After my visit to Campbell’s and a recent article that I read in All You Magazine about soup being a great way to consume less calories during your lunch hour, I was inspired to make a big batch of soup for myself. And when I say myself, I mean only me. No one else in my family likes soup so I am able to eat a batch of this for a week or even freeze it to eat over the course of a couple of weeks.

This soup was in my Slow Cooker Menu Planner, but I wanted to make it a little lighter for the lunch hour. By omitting the ground turkey and using small pasta shells and increasing the liquid a bit, I had the perfect balance for a filling soup that wasn’t too heavy plus it is a great way to get in all those yummy veggies.

The soup did seem to absorb a lot of the broth so if it got too thick, I would just add a little beef or chicken broth to thin it out when reheating it.

This is definitely comfort food at it’s best!

Italian Veggie Pasta Soup

3 carrots – chopped very small

4 stalks celery

2 cans diced tomatoes – do not drain (I used the petite diced)

2 cans red kidney beans – drained

4 cans beef broth

1 jar spaghetti sauce

8 ounces noodles – I used the small past shells

2 tablespoons olive oil

Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and saute vegetables for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Sprinkle these liberally with salt and pepper. While these are cooking, in a separate pot boil water and cook pasta shells until they are just cooked (about 5-6 minutes). Drain the pasta water, but do not rinse the pasta. Set aside. Next add diced tomatoes (do not drain), kidney beans, beef broth, and spaghetti sauce to the pot with the vegetables. Allow this to cook for an hour or so, until the veggies are cooked through and the flavors are incorporated. Add the pasta right before serving to the pot. Dish up and serve with a crusty bread for dipping.

Would you like to prepare a dish that is going to totally wow your company? Maybe you are looking for a restaurant-quality dish, but one that can be whipped up on a weeknight? Well, then I have the dish for you!

I have had this recipe in my recipe box for years, but hadn’t tried it yet. I don’t know why I let it gather dust for so long because it was a hit with every single person in our family. It is a great balance of cream and tomato and the sausage adds a great burst of flavor in each bite.

I tried to make it a little more figure friendly by substituting regular sausage with Italian turkey sausage and substituted the heavy whipping cream with half & half. What resulted was a dish that was still rich and elegant, but shaved a little bit of the fat off of the equation.

I hope you can give this recipe a try in your rotation. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Bow Ties With Sausage, Tomato, & Cream

1 (12 ounce) package bow tie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage (removed from the casing)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (can omit/decrease if your family doesn’t like spicy dishes)
1/2 cup diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or half & half to save on calories)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Cook sausage. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, cream, and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir cooked pasta into sauce, and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley.

I have been stepping out of my comfort zone lately with my recipe collection and new recipes for pork chops was another one that I felt like I should tackle, I have my top three ways I like pork chops- my Ranch Pork Chops, the Italian Chops, & then the Slow Cooked Pork Chops. No other recipes seem to do it for me, but I had the ingredients hiding in my pantry to make this dish and thought I would take the plunge.

This has to be the best pork chop I have ever eaten in my life. The combination of cooking the pork chop in the butter with the olive oil helped keep the breading on the pork chop instead of stuck to the pan. The flavorful coating helps to keep the pork chop moist so you don’t have the dried out chops like most recipes usually end up with.

The special ingredient that takes this over the edge though is definitely the lemon zest mixed in with the Parmesan cheese & Italian breadcrumbs. I saved the lemons after zesting them and squeezed the lemons ofter the hot chops when they came out of the oven. Sprinkling it with a little fresh parsley takes this from a boring flavor experience to a very exciting one. Pairing this with my cheesy orzo made for the perfect combination!

I would highly recommend making this dish as soon as you can! No one could stop eating it and the leftovers were leftover barely a night in our house.

Parmesan Sage Pork Chops (Courtesy of Recipezaar)

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (I used the Italian bread crumbs)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
tablespoon dried rubbed sage
1 lemon, rind of, teaspoon grated (save the lemons for squeezing over the hot chops)
2 large eggs, whisked
1/4 cup flour, seasoned with
salt and pepper
4 pork chops, about 1 inch thick (can use bone in or out ones)
1/8-1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh sprinkle of parsley when you are done

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Mix in bowl, bread crumbs, grated parmesan cheese, dried rubbed sage and grated lemon peel. Then, on a plate put flour seasoned with salt and pepper; coat chops with flour. Dip in egg. Then dip in bread crumb mixture. Melt butter and olive oil in a oven-proof skillet. Brown chops until golden. Transfer to oven and bake until meat thermometer says 150 degrees, about 20 minutes.

Cheesy Orzo (Courtesy of Food Network)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1/2 small onion, chopped (I omit this ingredient)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans (14 ounces) chicken or vegetable broth or stock
2 cups orzo pasta (enriched rice may be substituted)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano (I just use Parmesan cheese)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat a 8 inch pot with a tight fitting cover over moderate heat. Add oil, onion and garlic and saute for 2 or 3 minutes. Add broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in orzo and return broth to a boil. Cover pot and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until liquid is absorbed and pasta tender. Remove lid and stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. You favorite fresh herbs may also be stirred into the orzo or rice to strengthen the flavor even more.

This famous recipe wouldn’t be from my Emily, but from another Emily who submitted her recipe to the AllRecipes Dinner Tonight cookbook. I figured if it was created by an Emily, it had to be good!

I really love my recipe for Sloppy Joes, but I am always looking to try new things. I really liked that this recipe used tomato paste instead of ketchup and was intrigued by the ingredient and spice combination.

I gave it some extra time to simmer while the hamburger buns cooled off, and the flavors were absolutely perfect. I loved everything about this recipe and really loved that it was made out of ingredients that were already in the pantry.

Emily’s Famous Sloppy Joes

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped (omitted for our picky eaters)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder (I decreased this to 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon white vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the ground beef for five minutes. Add the onion and red bell pepper; saute for five more minutes or until onion is tender and beef is browned. Drin. Mix in tomato paste and water, stirring until paste is dissolved. Stir in garlic, chili powder, parika, cumin, vinegar, brown sugar, oregano, salt, and pepper. Continue to heat for five to ten minutes or until mixture is thick. Yield: 8 servings.