A Few Favorite Dinner Recipes

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST FRIED CHICKEN EVER!!!
BJ’s Parmesan Chicken

2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
4 large boneless, skinless breasts
4 eggs, beaten
½ cup all purpose flour
1 cup Japanese breadcrumbs (panko)
1 cup shredded Parmesan
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Lemon Butter Sauce: ¼ cup butter (salted)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
¾ teaspoon granulated sugar
Dash salt
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
Light olive oil for frying
Garnish: 2 Tablespoons shredded parmesan 4 teaspoons minced sundried tomatoes , 4 Tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
1. Make brine for chicken by dissolving salt with chicken broth in a medium bowl. Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound each one to about ½ inch thich with a kitchen mallet. If breasts are large, you can cut them in half. Add flattened chicken to brine. Cover and chill for 3 hours
2. When chicken has marinated, remove the fillets from brine and dab with paper towels to remove excess liquid. Beat eggs in a medium bowl, and pour flour onto a plate. Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper in another medium bowl. To bread the chicken, first coat each fillet with flour, then egg, and then the Parmesan mixture. Let the breaded fillets rest for a bit on a plate in your fridge while preparing the chardonnay butter sauce.
3. Make butter sauce by melting butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add wine and simmer 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice, sugar, and salt, and then add cream. Simmer on low over heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until thicker.
4. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a large sauté pan, and heat over medium/low until hot. You can check the heat of the oil by dropping a bread crumb in to it. If it starts to sizzle, your oil is ready. Sauté each breaded chicken fillet in oil for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until brown . Remove fillets to a paper towel-covered plate until ready to serve. Serve each filet with a couple teaspoons of butter sauce spooned over the top. Pile a tablespoon of parmesan cheese on top of each filet, followed by 1 heaping teaspoon of minced sundried tomatoes, and a tablespoon of basil.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
Linda Chesnik

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
Uncle Ben’s Original Recipe Wild Rice (save the seasoning packet)
1 1/2 cans water (use one of the soup cans)

Mix above ingredients together and place in sprayed 9x13 pan. Top with 6 chicken breasts/several chicken tenderloins and sprinkle with the rice seasoning packet. Bake at 350 degrees for one (1) hour. Serve with steamed veggies.

Chicken Pillows
Kristin Chesnik

1 8oz. cube cream cheese, softened
2 c. cooked, chopped chicken
1/8 t. pepper
¼ c. butter, softened
1 c. butter, melted
2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
Breadcrumbs

Gravy:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 ½ c. milk

Using a hand mixer, beat together softened cream cheese, chicken, ¼ c. softened butter and pepper. Unroll the crescents and drop heaping spoonfuls of mixture onto the
largest sides. Roll each and seal the edges. Dip each pillow in melted butter and roll in breadcrumbs. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degree for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Combine cream of mushroom and milk with a whisk over medium heat until warm and well blended. Serve as a gravy for the pillows.


Green Beans and Bacon

3 lbs. pepper bacon
5 lbs. green beans
salt to taste

Steam green beans while cooking bacon till crisp. Drain fat from bacon and add to steam beans. Salt to taste. Serve with homemade wheat bread and a fruit smoothie for a delicious, easy meal.

Julie’s Corn Chowder
Kristin Chesnik

Delicious topped with bacon pieces, cheese and tomatoes!

2 chicken bullion cubes
1 c. hot water
5 bacon strips (plus additional bacon for topping)
1 c. chopped green pepper
½ c. chopped onion
¼ c. flour
3 c. milk
1 ½ c. fresh/frozen white whole kernel corn
1 can (14 ¾ oz.) cream style corn
1 ½ t. season salt
¼ t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/8 t. dried basil

Dissolve bullion in hot water then set aside. Cook bacon (5 slices first) and remove. Sauté onion and green pepper in bacon drippings until onions are clear. Add flour. Cook and whisk until bubbly (about 1 minute) on medium/high heat. Stir in milk and dissolved bullion. Reduce heat. Simmer and stir until thickened. Add corn and seasonings and cook 10 minutes longer.

Crockpot Turkey Breast
Susan Edington

1 frozen turkey breast (with gravy bag removed and placed in fridge)
½ c. water

Rinse off turkey breast. Place in pot with water. Cook all day on medium/high heat. Make gravy with the drippings.


Shredded Chicken Tacos
Kristin Chesnik
3-4 whole chicken breasts
1 can Herdez salsa casera
1 t. garlic
3 chicken bullion cubes
1 t. black pepper
2 cups water

Cook chicken and all ingredients (except salsa) all day (8 or more hours) in the crockpot. One hour prior to eating, shred meat and add salsa. Serve with warmed tortillas, cheese, sour cream, lettuce/cucumber, and tomatoes.

Easy Stroganoff
Susan Edington

1 ½ lbs. Round steak (thinly sliced into strips)
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 or 2 cans mushroom soup (adjust to quantity needed)
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
½ c. chopped onion
½ c. sour cream (optional)

Cook all together (except sour cream) on low 5-6 hours. Add sour cream 10 minutes before serving on egg noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.

Shredded Beef Tacos
Susan Edington
1 rump roast
1 shredded potato
5 beef bullion cubes
1 finely chopped onion
2 c. water
1 small can Herdez salsa casera

Put onion, roast, water and bullion cubes in crockpot. Cook on medium-low all day. Shred meat one hour before serving, then add shredded potato and Herdez. Turn heat to high. Serve on warmed tortillas with lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream, etc.

Barbequed Shredded Chicken/Pork
Kristin Chesnik

4 or more chicken breast halves (tenderloins work fine also and cook faster)or pork loin
½ favorite bottle barbeque sauce (LOVE Jack Daniel's original)
½ cup water

Place all in crockpot, cooking for 3-4 hours on medium/high heat or on low for 6-8 hours or until meat juices run clear. Shred cooked meat. Serve on sweet Hawaiian rolls (found in deli section) or hard rolls.

Chinese Chicken Salad
Julie Bagley

Ingredients:
Salad Ingredients:
1/2 head iceburg lettuce
1 head romaine lettuce
1 can (12 oz.) cooked white chicken or cooked and chopped chicken
3/4 cup slivered almonds
2 packages uncooked Ramen noodles

Dressing Ingredients:
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Optional Ingredient:
Crunchy Chinese noodles

Wash Romaine lettuce and dry thoroughly. Rip into bite sized pieces. Cut iceburg lettuce into bite sized pieces. Crunch up Ramen noodles into small pieces in their packages. Remove flavor packets and add noodles to lettuce. Add chicken and slivered almonds to salad.

Prepare dressing by adding all the ingredients together and whisking until well blended. Add dressing to salad immediately before serving. This salad is best when eaten immediately.

You can also garnish this salad with crunchy Chinese noodles. YUMMY!

Mom’s Minestrone

2 T. olive oil
2 medium/1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 c. fresh green beans, chopped (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced

4 c. chicken broth
1 big (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 bay leaf
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley

Saute garlic and vegetables in olive oil until everything is tender. Add broth, tomatoes, and dried spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Then add:

1 c. elbow macaroni
1 can white kidney/cannelli beans, rinsed and drained

Simmer until pasta is cooked. Can top with freshly grated parmesan. Good served with toasted parmesan bread.

Onion-Cheese Enchiladas
Kristin Chesnik

12 pkg. flour tortillas (can also use corn if you soften them in hot oil before wrapping)
1 large onion
¼ c. butter
3-4 cups medium cheddar cheese
1 can tomato sauce
1 pkg. enchilada sauce mix
water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare enchilada sauce according to recipe on back of sauce mix, using water and tomato sauce. Allow sauce to set while sautéing onion in butter until onion is very clear and beginning to brown. Roll a heaping tablespoon of onion with approximately ¼ cheese in each tortilla. Place all in 9x13 pan. Top with enchilada sauce, any leftover onions, and any remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until melted through.

Southwestern Chicken
Kristin Chesnik

Description:
Easy, healthy, delicious—what more could you ask? Serve over rice/with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream (optional).

Ingredients:
1-2 cans (15 1/4 oz. each) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup chunky salsa, divided
2-6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves/tenderloins (can be put in frozen)

Directions:
Combine the corn, black beans and 1/2 cup of salsa in a slow cooker. Top with chicken; pour the remaining salsa over chicken. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours or until meat juices run clear.


Other Favorite Meal Ideas:
Chinese Chicken Salad, Bran Muffins
Southwestern Chicken, Brown Rice, Cheese and Sour Cream
Pork Stir Fry, Brown Rice
Raviolis from Sam’s, green veggie
Spaghetti, parmesan bread, salad
Twice Baked Potatoes, Green Beans and Bacon
Egg Rolls and Wantons
Cheeseburgers, Chips, Drinks
Alfredo Chicken, Steamed Broccoli
French Dip Sandwiches, fruit and salad
Shredded Chicken Tacos
Homemade Pizza, Carrots and Celery
Homemade Macaroni and Cheese, Fruit Salad
Chicken Pillows, Beans/Broccoli, Fruit
Chicken Fajitas with Peppers, Fruit, Guacamole and Chips
Chicken and Rice with Wild Rice and Cheese Soup, Steamed veggies
BLTs, Fruit
Fish Sticks, Smoothies, Fries, Carrots and Celery