White Lasagna

This is a great recipe because you prepare it the day before and bake it the next. I often use this when I am taking a meal to someone because they can cook it when it is convenient for them. I used the bone in breasts and cooked them all day in the crockpot then shredded them.

White Lasagna

16 Lasagna Noodles
2 1lb. jars Ragu Alfredo Parmesan Sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
4 cups shredded mozzerella

Cook noodles and drain. Combine sauce, garlic and pepper, stir to mix well. Spread 3/4 cup sauce in dish, arrange 4 noodles over sauce overlapping slightly. Top noodles with 3/4 cup sauce, 1 cup chicken and 1 cup cheese. Repeat 2 times and top with remaining 4 noodles and 1 cup cheese. Spray foil with PAM and cover. Refrigerate overnight. Remove from fridge and let stand 30 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 covered for 30 minutes, uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Way behind!

Things are really CRAZY around here with our extra kids but we are LOVING having them!! Friday I made steaks for Mike, Blake and our exchange students per their request and Emily and I had Chicken and veggie kabobs. Saturday night we went to a cookout/birthday party! Sunday night it was barbeque at the Hoe Down Party!! Monday night we had a quick dinner before heading out to the Astros game....Brown Sugar Chicken in the Crockpot and last night I made Easy Beef Stroganoff over rice and steamed broccoli.

Brown Sugar Chicken

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves
--1 cup brown sugar (it's okay. you can brush your teeth after.)
--1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (stay with me...)
--2/3 cup vinegar (I used white wine, but think regular white would be fine)
--3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
--2 T soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat free are GF)
--1 tsp ground black pepper

The Directions.

Use a 5-6 quart crockpot for this recipe.

Plop the chicken into your crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth.


Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
- 1 to 1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
- 1/2 med. onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 c. sour cream
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix
- 1 can (8 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
- cooked noodles or rice

Directions:
- Cook meat in a large skillet with onion and garlic.
- When meat is done stir in mushroom soup, sour cream, mushrooms and onion soup packet until well mixed.
- Reduce heat and continue stirring until heated through.
- Serve over noodles.

Thanksgiving

Yesterday our exchange students learned about Thanksgiving. On the way home we were talking about their day and they told me they had Pumpkin Pie with lunch and they didn't like it, but they told me they love Pecan Pie. So today I baked them a Pecan Pie. Believe it or not this recipe is sugar free and it is really good. My dad loves pecan pie so I gave this recipe to my mom to try on him and he loved it. It really is as good as the real thing without all the guilt.

Sugar Free Pecan Pie
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup melted margarine
2 eggs
1 (12 oz.) jar Honey Tree sugar-free honey (I can only find it at WalMart)
1 C pecans
Mix and pour into unbaked pie shell.
Bake at 375 for 45 - 55 min.
Here's the crust recipe I use:
Basic Flaky Pie Crust
Ingredients
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening, chilled
• 3 tablespoons ice water
Directions
1. Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium size bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water over flour. Toss mixture with a fork to moisten, adding more water a few drops at a time until the dough comes together.
2. Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
3. Roll out dough, and put in a pie plate. Fill with desired filling and bake.

Being that Mike can't eat nuts and Blake hates nuts I also made a fresh peach pie!!
Peach Pie
Ingredients
• 1 (15 ounce) pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
• 1 egg, beaten
• 5 cups sliced peeled peaches
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Line the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts. Brush with some of the beaten egg to keep the dough from becoming soggy later.
3. Place the sliced peaches in a colander, and sprinkle with lime juice, let drain in sink . In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour over the peaches, and mix gently. Pour into the pie crust, and dot with butter. Cover with the other pie crust, and fold the edges under. Flute the edges to seal or press the edges with the tines of a fork dipped in egg. Brush the remaining egg over the top crust. Cut several slits in the top crust to vent steam.
4. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble through the vents. If the edges brown to fast, cover them with strips of aluminum foil about halfway through baking. Cool before serving. This tastes better warm than hot.

Chicken Enchiladas

This is a really easy recipe, you can cook your chicken in the crockpot and put it together pretty quick. HEB has bone in chicken breasts on sale for $1.00 a pound. I used those and cooked them on low for about 6 hours in the crockpot. I didn't add anything to them just threw them in there. When they are done debone chicken and shred it.

What you need:

2 cans mild enchilade sauce
2 cans green chile enchilada sauce
1 4 oz. can fire roasted diced green chiles
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
15-20 corn tortillas (I usually have enough chicken mixture to make one 9 X 13 pan and one 8 X 8 pan using 20 tortillas.....I freeze the small pan)

On stove, over low heat simmer the 2 cans green chili enchilada sauce, cream cheese cubeb and can green chilis until cheese is melted. While that's simmering add the mild enchilada sauce to the shredded chicken and 1 cup of cheese, mix well. Place mixture in tortillas roll up and place in pan. Pour above sauce over top add remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

We had the cilantro lime rice and beans out of a can with them!

Wednesday

NO COOKING TONIGHT!!! The girls are at church until 8 pm tonight and Mike and I have a leadership meeting at church from 6-7 that we have to be at, so.............the kids and I will have leftovers and Mike will pick up something on his way to the church.

Ravioli Lasagna

So easy and good!!

1 package Frozen Cheese Ravioli
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 jar Ragu
Shredded low fat mozzerella
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Brown meat and drain, add sauce and stir. In 9X13 pan spread about 1 cup sauce add frozen ravioli pour remaining sauce/meat mixture and stir sprinkle with mozzerella cheese. Bake covered at 425 for 30 minutes. Remove cover sprinkle with parmesan and bake 10 more minutes.

I always serve steamed zuchini with this.

CRAZY BUSY!!!

WOW! We have been sooooo busy with the girls here! They are at school during the week from 8:45 until 3:30 but the time is flying by! Anyways they are loving my American cooking!! Agatha told me "We like you cook Mom!!" SO SWEET!!
Monday night we had Spicy Honey Chicken, Hobo Corn on the Cob and Roasted Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes

Spicy Honey Chicken
Recipe by Our Best Bites8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (Yes, Thighs!!)
everyone is always asking me if they can use breasts for this. Sure you can, but I'm tellin'
ya right now it's better with thighs.

2 t vegetable oil

Rub:
2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder
Glaze:
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

I'm gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It's sugar, and it's gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It's totally worth it once you taste this stuff.
If you don't have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze! Remember how I had you reserve that extra couple tablespoons of glaze? Ya, drizzle that on top now. Your taste buds will thank you.


Garlic-Rosemary Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
www.ourbestbites.com
1 1/2 lb. fingerling (or other very small potatoes), washed; try and pick the potatoes that are as bite-sized as possible
2 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 Tbsp. coarse-grain or Dijon mustard
2 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Rosemary (be sure and strip the needles from the stem before chopping them)
About 5 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
Coarsely-ground black pepper
Kosher salt

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, combine olive oil, minced garlic, rosemary, mustard, and some black pepper. Set aside. When the water is boiling, add the potatoes and boil for about 10 minutes or until they are easily pierced with a fork. Drain, return the potatoes to the pan, and then toss with the mustard mixture.

Now...this is where the beauty of this recipe comes in. You can either do all of this ahead of time and then refrigerate the potatoes until you're ready to finish them off or you can do it all at once. Either way, you're not going to spend more than 30 minutes making these beauties and they're so elegant that you could seriously serve them at the fanciest dinner party. So...if you're making these right now, preheat your oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. If you're saving them (for up to 6 hours), line the baking sheet and spread the potatoes out evenly and then cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them until you're ready to bake them.

When you're ready to bake these guys, sprinkle with Kosher salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the skins are browning and sizzling. For fancy presentation, place the roasted potatoes on a platter, scrape those delicious bits off the foil sprinkle them over the potatoes, and then garnish with a few sprigs of rosemary.

Hobo Corn on the Cob

Fresh Corn on the cob
Butter
Salt and Pepper or Season Salt
Heavy Duty Foil
2 ice cubes

Spread butter on corn, sprinkle with seasoning. Place on foil add ice cubes roll up tight. Bake at 450 for 35-40 minutes.

Been Busy!!

We have been a bit busy!!! We are hosting 2 Chinese Exchange Students for 2 1/2 weeks. It has really been fun and we are really enjoying having them!! We picked them up on Friday around 12:30. Staying with the normal we had hamburgers and baked fries for dinner along with cantaloupe and strawberries. One of the girls put strawberries on her burger!! They both ate every bite. On Saturday night we had Chicken Fajitas, spanish rice and refried beans. They LOVED the rice!!

Spanish Rice

2 TBS. oil
1 cup uncooked rice
1 onion, chopped
2 cups water
1 10oz. can rotel
2 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. salt

Heat oil in skillet, saute rice and onion until rice is browned, stir in water, rotel and spices. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Sunday night we had Red Beans & Rice with Sausage and cornbread. This recipe is from a friends blog.....thanks Christa!!!

Easy Red Beans and Rice

1 pkg your favorite sausage, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 - 1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans of red beans
1 Tbs. cornstarch
Cooked rice *if you want a wow flavor, substitute the water for chicken stock (in the box).. MUCH BETTER with this dish
Tony Chacheres, or seasoned salt

Brown the sausage a little bit Add onions and peppers to sausage and saute *hold back garlic until after onions and peppers are cooked down a bit. *I do this b/c the garlic would burn and taste bitter. open the cans of beans, DO NOT DRAIN! Dump it all in juicy syrupy stuff and all. Look in the bottom of the can, you'll see a little bit of bean sediments at the bottom.. fill the can about 1/3 of the way up and add tablespoon of corn starch and dissolve completely *stirring up those little bean bits off the bottom of the can. Add corn starch mixture (rosey cloudy pink color) to skillet and stir it up.
Season with Tony's or whatever seasoned salt you like. (*be careful with seasonings if you have an extra spicy sausage). Stir, cover and bring it up to boil for a minute and lower it to a slight simmer for about 15 minutes.
(The function of the corn starch is to change the liquid from watery to more of a gravy consistency.. if yours is still too watery, add some corn starch to a little water, dissolve it and then add it to your pan. never put dry corn starch into your food - it will make gummy clumps. If you have the opposite problem and it is too thick, add chicken stock or water to thin it out. no problem.)

Grilled Boneless Pork Chops

This is the marinade I use for pork tenderloin and it is so flavorful I thought I would try it on chops. I made packaged cheddar broccoil noodles, black eyed peas and spinach to go with it.

Marinade for Pork Tenderloin

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs olive oil
1 pinch garlic powder

Combine ingredients pour over pork and marinade over night. Grill til done.

Ragu

Wednesday was an easy night! Spaghetti with meat sauce! Until my mom teaches me how to make her amazing sauce and meatballs it will be Ragu around here! Shameful....I know!!!!

Hamburger Steaks

Mike calls this poor mans steak!

I use the 90/10 Sirloin Patties from HEB and 1 sliced onion. Put it in a large pan and cook til juices run clear, drain. Then I take a pkg. of brown gravy mix and combine it with the amount of water called for pour it over bring it to a boil reduce heat and it's done when it thickens. Making Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and:

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

1 1/2 pounds Fresh Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed(If they are big I cut them in half)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2.Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
3.Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Creamy Lemon Chicken

This is another recipe from a friends blog and was a big hit around here. It's quick and easy and really good served with rice. I am also making steamed squash.


Creamy Lemon Chicken over Rice (or Noodles)
Ingredients:
2 c. cooked, diced chicken
1 can cream chicken soup (I always use 98% FF in my recipes and it tastes just as good)
1/4 c. light mayonnaise
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. onion salt
1 t. garlic powder
1/4 c. light sour cream
hot cooked rice, egg noodles, etc.

Directions:
* Cook rice or noodles as directed (we prefer rice).
* Cook remainder of ingredients, EXCEPT sour cream, until just boiling.
* Remove from heat and add sour cream.
* Serve over rice or noodles

Saturday.....no cooking, again!!

Mike and Blake went to Austin today for some father/son time......they are doing a tour of Austin on Segway's then going swimming at Barton Springs, they are then going to have dinner and head home. Can't wait to hear all about it! So me and Emily had a SUPER fun day with Theresa and Virginia Kate......we shopped, had lunch, shopped some more then came to our house for some relaxing pool time, then I took Emily and Virginia Kate to get Chic Fil A for dinner, so once again no cooking!!!! We had a GREAT day though!

Hamburger Night

Every Friday night at the Thomas house it's Hamburger night!!! So exciting, I know!!! I am still learning about how to blog and as soon as I figure out how to post pictures I will be very excited! I am so not computer savy! Have a GREAT weekend!

Pulled Pork

I love this recipe! It's easy and makes alot so we always have leftovers. We usually make sandwiches with it but every now and then I do serve it over rice. We are having coleslaw and baked fries with it.

Pulled Pork

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 onion, sliced in rings
2 cups ketchup (a 24oz bottle seems to be exactly 2 cups. weird.)
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart crockpot. Trim meat, and place into your crockpot. Add sliced onion. Squeeze in 2 cups of ketchup, and then pour 1/2 cup warm water into the ketchup bottle and shake. Pour the ketchup-y water into your crock. Add vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, Tabasco and salt.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork.
Serve over rice, or make sandwiches on rolls or sliced bread.

Memphis-Style Coleslaw
recipe from Ourbestbites.com
1 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Dijon or whole-grain mustard
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 heaping tsp. Kosher salt (or an even 1/2 tsp. of table salt)
1 Tbsp. grated onion
2-2 1/2 tsp. celery seed (absolutely essential for classic coleslaw flavor)
1 16-oz. bag shredded cabbage with carrots (stay away from the very fine shreds because they'll get too soggy)
1/2 minced green bell pepper
1 carrot, peeled and grated

Okay, peeps, this is rocket science. Combine mayo, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, onion, and celery seed. In a large bowl, combine shredded cabbage, carrots, and green pepper.

Toss with dressing and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours and up to about 3 days (or when it's unjustifiably soggy).

Meatloaf

Not too exciting but I made Meatloaf, I use the McCormick meatloaf seasoning packet and follow the instructions, but I use oats instead of bread. For sides I thin sliced potatoes and onions drizzled them with olive oil, sprinkled them with salt and pepper and baked them with the meatloaf. We also had shoepeg corn and a salad.

Yum!!

Really good dinner tonight! Got 2 of the recipes from a friend's blog and the cilantro rice I can't remember where it came from but we love it! Great alternative to spanish rice. I make it when we have mexican food.

Spicy Chipotle Pork Chops
Boneless Pork Chops
4 T olive oil
3T fresh lime juice
1T minced garlic
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chops with seeds and about a teaspoon adobo sauce
pepper to taste
*Pour on meat. Ready to grill after marinated for an hour.

Spicy Side Salad:
1 ear grilled corn
1 can black beans drained
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes drained
1 large diced avocado chopped
green onion
salt and pepper (to taste)
cilantro chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce chopped
2 Tbs. Olive Oil

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate a few hours before serving.

Cilantro Lime Rice
Cook rice as usual.
For each cup of rice:
2/3 cup cilantro, loosely packed
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped scalions
1 jalapeno (or to taste)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp olive oil
Puree the above in a blender, add to the cooked rice, stir well.

Monday

Had a very fun weekend with friends! Didn't cook much, but back at it Monday night.

Ranch Chicken Tenders
Boneless Skinless Tenders
1 cup breadcrumbs (I use Italian but you can use any flavor)
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.Combine bread crumbs, cheese and ranch. Rinse tenders in water shake off excess and dip to coat in mixture place on cookie sheet and spray each tender with cooking spray. Bake 25-30 minutes or until juices run clear. My kids LOVE these!

We had steamed broccoli, alfredo noodles(Lipton) and a salad.

Enjoy!!

Not much cooking this weekend!!

Got to go out to eat and see a movie so I made popcorn chicken and tator tots for the kids! Saturday night I'm going out to dinner with girlfriends to celebrate Tanya's 4oth! We have leftovers from the week or frozen pizza so that will be Saturdays dinner. Sunday we are having a 4th of July Celebration in the cul de sac, I will be making baked beans for that! Here's the recipe taken from a blog I LOVE and get lots of great recipes from! Hope you have a safe and happy 4th!

Not-Too-Sweet Baked Beans
Recipe adapted from The Big Book of Backyard Cooking

1 15 1/2-oz. can Great Northern beans
1 15 1/2-oz. can navy beans
1 15 1/2-oz. can baby butter beans
1 15 1/2-oz. can pinto beans
2 14 1/2-oz. cans stewed tomatoes
1/3 c. molasses
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. Tabasco or other hot sauce
6 oz. bacon (1/2 of an average-sized package), divided
1 medium onion, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350. Reserving two slices of bacon, cook the remaining bacon in a large skillet. While it's cooking, place all beans in a colander and rinse and drain. Transfer to a large baking dish.

Pulse the tomatoes in a blender or food processor about 5-6 times or until they are breaking down but not smooth. Pour over beans. Add molasses, brown sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper.

When the bacon has cooked, remove bacon from the pan and cook the onions in the bacon drippings, stirring frequently. While the onions are cooking, crumble the cooked bacon over the beans. Add onions and combine all the ingredients well. Cut remaining slices of bacon into 1" pieces and place over the beans. Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Allow to stand for 5 minutes and then serve.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

Follow the instructions for cooking in the oven, except place the ingredients in the crock of a slow cooker instead of baking dish. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.

Crock Pot Chops and Gravy

Ingredients:
4 lean pork chops (You can use how many you need for your family)
4 T soy sauce
1/2 C sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp pepper
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 can cream of mushroom soup (I used 98% FF)
1 medium onion, sliced or diced
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp parsley

Directions:
Place pork chops in crock pot. Lay onion slices over pork chops.
Mix the rest of ingredients in a bowl and pour over pork chops.
Cook on low in crock pot for 5-6 hours
Note: After baking I remove the chops and strain the gravy. This way I have a smooth gravy and I reserve the onions (and mushrooms if you use them) for those who like them to put them on their chops.

I am making mashed potatoes and green beans to go with it.