Crispy Parmesan Chicken Tenders

1 large egg
3 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
30 round buttery crackers, crushed (1 cup)
1/4 Tsp each: paprika, pepper and salt
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb chicken tenders

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup); coat foil with nonstick spray. Put egg in shallow bowl; beat lightly with a fork. Put melted butter in another shallow bowl. Mix crushed crackers, paprika, pepper, and salt on a sheet of wax paper; spread Parmesan cheese on another sheet. Dip tenders in egg, then cracker mixture to coat; then dip 1 side in melted butter, then Parmesan cheese. Place tenders cheese side up on lined pan. Bake 12-15 minutes or until tenders are golden and cooked through.

Serve with honey for dipping, macaroni, & baby carrots.

Yummy Chicken Tacos

1# chicken breast (or 1# boneless top sirloin)
1 T. vegetable oil
2 cups water
1 cup mild salsa
1 package taco seasonings
2 cups minute rice (uncooked)
8-12 tortilla shells
Heat oil in a skillet. Add chicken; cook until lightly brown. Stir in water, salsa, and seasoning mix. Heat to a boil and stir in rice; cover. Remove from heat and let stand five minutes. Spoon into tortillas and top with shredded cheese.

Serve with a side of tortilla chips & salsa.

People who hate pork chops, adore this recipe! These taste more like chicken than pork and it is easy as 1-2-3!

Slow Cooked Pork Chops

4 pork chops (I use a package of center-cut chops)
1 package onion soup mix
1 cup chicken broth

Place pork chops in the slow cooker. In a separate bowl, combine soup mix & chicken broth, stir. Pour over chops. Cook on low heat for six to eight hours.

Serve with chicken flavored rice & a roll of tube biscuits.

Sour Cream Pork Chops

6 pork chops
½ tsp garlic powder
½ cup flour
1 can chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Season pork chops with garlic powder and then dredge in ½ cup of flour. In a skillet over medium heat, lightly brown chops in a small amount of oil. Place chops in slow cooker and pour chicken stock over the chops. Cover and cook on low for seven to eight hours. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. After the chops have cooked, transfer the chops to the oven to keep warm. In a small bowl, blend 2 tablespoons flour with the sour cream; mix into meat juices. Turn slow cooker to high for fifteen to thirty minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve sauce over pork chops.

Serve over egg noodles.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

1 pound spaghetti
1 jar prepared spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste (minus 2 tablespoons for the meatballs)
½ cup beef broth
1 pound ground turkey
¼ cup breadcrumbs (directions for preparation to follow)
2 tablespoons paste
1 egg
3 tablespoons of beef broth
Handful of parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the spaghetti and cook as directed or until al dente. The spaghetti will continue to cook in sauce, later. To a large skillet add prepared spaghetti sauce, tomato paste (minus 2 tablespoons), and diced tomatoes, and allow to cook together. Add beef broth and allow the sauce to simmer while you make the meatballs. In a large bowl mix together turkey, bread crumbs, tomato paste, egg, beef broth, handful of cheese, and salt and pepper. Shape into meatballs (any size, just make sure they are all the same size for even cooking) and bake the meatballs for fifteen to twenty minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Carefully remove meatballs from the baking sheet and add them to the sauce. Drain and add cooked pasta to the pan and mix together with the red sauce.

Serve meal with a tossed garden salad.

Breadcrumbs Recipe

Making your own breadcrumbs can be easy and inexpensive. The flavor of fresh breadcrumbs versus the store bought variety is not even comparable. Store your breadcrumbs in your freezer and you will always have fresh breadcrumbs on hand. I keep mine in a freezer-safe container and when I get low, I simply make another batch. Breadcrumbs can be made out of loaf ends, stale bread, hot dog rolls, & hamburger buns- whatever you have on hand! Keep a bread bag with all of your bread in it and store it in the freezer. Once the bag is filled, it is time to make some breadcrumbs!

Set your oven to broil and then lay all of the bread out on cookie sheets. You only need to broil the bread a couple of minutes (keep one eye on it because it can burn quickly). This helps just to dry the bread out and make it easier to handle. Once the bread is toasted, put this bread into my food processor. You can just have only the bread in there, or if you like the Italian seasonings type of breadcrumbs add your own seasonings (I add garlic salt, and an Italian seasonings dry blend of herbs to mine for that variety). Run the food processor until the bread crumbs are of a fine consistency. Then put these crumbs into a freezer-safe container.

Taco Soup

1 pound ground turkey
1 can chili beans, with liquid
1 can kidney beans, with liquid
1 can whole kernel corn, with liquid
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 package of taco seasoning mix

In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef until browned over medium heat. Drain & set aside. Place the ground beef, chili beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, & taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend and cook on Low setting for eight hours.

Serve alone or can be topped with shredded cheese & sour cream.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Stop buying those precooked chickens at the store and enjoy this chicken right at home!

Sticky Chicken

1 tbsp salt
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1 – 3 or 4 lb roasting chicken
1 cup chopped onion (I omit this)

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken and onion. Rub herb mixture inside and outside of chicken. Place in food storage bag; seal bag. Refrigerate overnight. Remove chicken from bag; stuff with onion. Place in crockpot on low 6-8 hours; high 2-4 hours. Chicken juices should run clear and chicken reaches 180*. Let stand 15 minutes before carving.

Serve with mashed potatoes and corn.

Enjoy some outdoor grilling!

Chicken Oregano

6-8 bone-in chicken portions (whatever is cheapest & sounds best)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 T dried oregano, rubbed
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Arrange chicken portions in a large, shallow dish. In a small bowl, combine the oil, wine, oregano, salt and pepper, and the garlic. Mix well. Spread the marinade over the chicken portions, cover, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, turning and rearranging occasionally. Place chicken portions on an oiled broiler rack and cook under a preheated broiler for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is crisp and golden on the outside and cooked through, turning and rearranging several times during cooking. Serve warm or cold.

Rice & Noodle Pilaf

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 onion chopped (I omit because I don’t like onions)
1 cup of egg noodles
1 cup of rice
1/2 cup dry wine
2 cups chicken broth (use the Fit & Active brand to cut down on sodium)

Heat oil and add butter. Once the butter is melted, sauté onion and garlic on high. Add noodles and rice and toss until toasted. Reduce heat to low and add wine and chicken broth. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is done and liquid absorbed.

Note: In my slow cooker, I put this on before we leave for church and can come home and have dinner ready when we get back. If you have a newer slow cooker, you can aim for two or three hours tops! Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Ravioli

1 (25 ounce) bag beef or cheese ravioli
1 (26 ounce) jar pasta sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Pour about half of the pasta sauce in the bottom of slow cooker. Add frozen ravioli. Pour additional pasta sauce, tomato sauce, and water over ravioli. Sprinkle cheese on top. Turn slow cooker on low and cook for four to five hours (until ravioli are tender).

One-Pot Pasta with Italian Chicken

1# boneless, skinless chicken
2 tsp olive oil
8 oz fresh button mushrooms
1 tsp bottled minced garlic
1 tsp dried Italian seasonings
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
8 oz pasta- egg noodles, macaroni, or orzo

Heat oil. Slice mushrooms and add to the skillet. Add garlic. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and add to the skillet. Add seasoning. Cook for three minutes. Add wine and cook stirring constantly for one minute. Add tomatoes with their juice, broth, 1/2 cup water and pasta. Bring to a boil and press pasta down into the liquid. Cover and cook at moderate boil for seven to nine minutes, stirring once.