Easy Crock-Pot Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 6-8 thinly sliced pork chops (you can usually buy them already cut thin)
• 1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing powder
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup 

Instructions

• Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
• Add pork chops.
• Sprinkle ranch dressing powder evenly over the pork.
• Add soups and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours (or high heat for about 3-4 hours).
• Serve with mashed potatoes or rice. 

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 4 chicken breasts cut into halves (8 pieces)
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Optional: I like to pound and flatten the chicken out a little so it cooks evenly throughout.
• Place milk and bread crumbs in seperate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in milk, then coat with crumbs. In a skillet over medium heat cook chicken in butter until browned on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet and keep in a 9x13 pan in the oven on warm.
• Add chicken broth to skillet and stir to loosen up browned bits from pan. Stir in cream, basil, and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and whisk in parmesan cheese. Pour sauce over the chicken and serve.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Winger's Sticky Fingers

Ingredients

• For the sauce:
• 1/3 c. Franks Hot Sauce (It has to be Franks Hot Sauce... no other sauce will taste as good)
• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. water
• For the Sticky Fingers:
• 1 c. oil
• 1 pkg. frozen breaded chicken tenders (We like to use the Tyson brand)

Instructions

• Heat up hot sauce, brown sugar and water in a saucepot until all the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp before adding to wings OR prepare ahead of time and refrigerate. The wings turn out best if you don't pour warm sauce over them. You want it nice and thick.
• That's IT for the sauce! Isn't that easy?? We like to dip popcorn in it :) Mix it with a little bit of ranch to make their creamy amazing dressing.The possibilities are ENDLESS with this sauce!
• In a frying pan, heat oil and cook chicken tenders until crispy and warm. Dip each piece of chicken in the sauce so it is completely covered and move to serving plate, pour any remaining sauce over the chicken.
• Serve with ranch (we like to make the Hidden Valley Packet Ranch prepared with buttermilk instead of milk) or blue cheese dressing.
• *If you want to go a little lighter you can also bake the chicken tenders instead of frying, they still taste really good.

Recipes from Favorite Family Recipes.

Saucy BBQ Hot Dogs

 

Ingredients

• 8 beef hot dogs (we like Nathan's or Hebrew National)
• 8 hot dog buns
• your favorite hot dog toppings

For the sauce:
• 3/4 c. ketchup
• 1/2 c. BBQ sauce (we used Bull's Eye original)
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder

Instructions

• Combine sauce ingredients in a medium-sized sauce pot. When sauce is combined and sugar is dissolved (don't quite bring to a boil) remove from heat and set aside.
• Add hot dogs to slow cooker and pour sauce over. Stir to evenly distribute the sauce. Cook on high heat for about 2 hours (don't discard the sauce-- you may want to pour extra over your hot dogs before eating).
• Remove hot dogs from slow cooker and grill on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes or so on each side or until desired doneness (I like mine just to have light grill marks).
• Add hot dogs to hot dog buns and top with desired toppings and extra sauce.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Homemade Salsa

6-8 garden tomatoes, peeled and diced (or 3 cans diced tomatoes)
1 can diced jalapenos (use more or less depending on how spicy you like it. This amount makes it pretty spicy… I wouldn’t use less than 1/2 can though. You definitely want the flavor it adds!)
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 large white onion, very finely diced

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT for the onion & jalapeno in a food processor. Pulse the food processor a few times until ALMOST pureed, don’t over-do it. You still want it to be a tiny chunky. Pour salsa into a medium-sized bowl and stir in the onion & jalapenos. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Beef Stroganoff

1 ½ lb. round steak
1/3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 onion sliced
½ lb. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken)
1 c. milk (or 1 can beef broth)
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce

Pound meat to tenderize, then cut into VERY thin strips. Place flour and salt in plastic baggie. Add meat and shake to coat. Melt butter in large skillet or frying pan. Add onion and mushrooms and sauté until onions are transparent. Add meat and all of the flour that is left in the bag.
Cook meat until brown. Add the soup and milk, stir and cover. Simmer and stir occasionally, for about 2 hours or until meat is tender. If you don’t want to watch it that close you could put in a crock pot for 2 or 3 hours to simmer and tenderize. (This is a tougher cut of meat and takes a long time to tenderize.) It will thicken, but if it becomes too thick you can add more milk or beef broth. Add sour cream and Worcestershire sauce just before serving. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Balsamic Asparagus Chicken

4 chicken breasts

Marinade:
3/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
2 tsp. brown sugar
pepper (to taste)

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 c. balsamic vinegar
1 can (about 2 c.) beef broth
1 Tbsp. butter
pepper (to taste)

Topping:
12 asparagus spears
4 slices provolone cheese
4 slices mozzarella cheese (go to the deli section, they will give you 4 slices of each cheese. It's less expensive this way)

Place chicken between 2 pieces of Saran Wrap and pound until it is about 1/4" thick. Place chicken in a ziploc bag, place bag in a bowl big enough to hold the chicken. Combine marinade ingredients and pour in the bag. Squeeze all the air out of the bag and refrigerate for about 2 hours. About 20 minutes before chicken is done marinating, heat oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and saute for a couple minutes. Add remaining sauce ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 30 minutes or until sauce thickens and reduces to about 1/4 of it's original volume (when it is done, the sauce should be dark brown in color).

While the sauce is simmering, place chicken in a lightly greased glass dish and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through). While chicken is baking (you kinda need to know how to multi-task with this recipe.. haha) prepare the asparagus. Bring a saucepan, filled about half-way with salted water, to a boil. Toss in the asparagus and boil for about 4 minutes. Quickly remove the asparagus and drop in an ice-water bath. Remove chicken from the oven (when it's finished) and layer on one slice of provolone cheese, a few asparagus spears, then one slice mozzarella cheese on each piece of chicken. Set the oven to broil and broil for about 3 minutes or until cheese is melted and starts to brown a little. Right before serving, spoon some of the sauce over each piece of chicken.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Fried Rice

2 c. uncooked long-grain white rice
4 c. water
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (If you REALLY like sesame oil, use 3 Tbsp. and no vegetable oil)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1-2 c. cubed ham (you can also use shrimp, chicken, or a combination of all 3)
Diced veggies or peas (optional)
3 eggs, beaten
soy sauce

Cook rice according to package directions (with long-grain white rice it is usually 2 c. rice to 4 c. water.. but if for some reason your package directions are different, cook it accordingly). We actually prefer using a rice cooker, it always turns out perfectly. Heat sesame oil and vegetable oil in a LARGE skillet over medium-high heat and stir in onion. When onions become clear and light brown, add garlic. When garlic is lightly browned, add ham and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until ham is nice and hot. Add veggies (optional) and cook until veggies are tender. Stir in beaten egg and cook until egg is scrambled and firm. When rice is done, add to skillet and mix in thoroughly. Stir in soy sauce (we use just enough to get it LIGHT brown, you don't want to add to much... remember, you can always add more later when it's on your plate, but you can't take it away if you use too much!) Serve immediately.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

General Tso's Chicken

1 Lb. chicken breasts (cut into 1" pieces)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. "lite" soy sauce
1/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 c. white distilled vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with 3 Tbsp. water
4 green onions, sliced

Dredge chicken in flour and fry in oil over medium heat (in a wok or a skillet) until golden brown and crispy. Drain excess oil. Sprinkle cayenne over the chicken and keep warm on low heat. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine sauce ingredients (sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, and ginger) and heat gently. When sauce is smooth and sugar has dissolved, SLOWLY add cornstarch mixture and stir constantly until sauce has thickened to desired thickness. Pour sauce in the wok and stir to coat chicken. Stir in green onion and hot red pepper flakes (optional). Remove from heat and serve with rice.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Balsamic Chicken with Feta

4 chicken breasts
balsamic vinaigrette
Italian seasoning (or basil and oregano)
2 tomatoes, sliced
salt and pepper
feta cheese

Marinate the chicken in some of the balsamic vinaigrette for about 2-3 hours. Remove chicken from marinade (discard excess marinade). Place chicken in a glass baking dish and add a little more balsamic vinaigrette over the top. Sprinkle generously with italian seasoning. Bake in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes (or until cooked through). Remove from oven, top with tomatoes (salt and pepper the tomatoes) and feta, then broil for about 5 minutes or until the feta is lightly browned.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Mongolian Beef

This tastes JUST like P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef! You can serve it how P.F. Changs does (by draining the excess sauce and serving it semi-dry) OR you can keep the excess sauce and spoon it over rice (which is what we like to do because the sauce is SO good).

4 tsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 c. soy sauce
1 c. water
1 c. brown sugar (packed)
1 c. vegetable oil
2 Lb. flank steaks
½ c. cornstarch
3 large green onions

Make the sauce by heating 4 tsp. vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Don’t get the oil too hot. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens a little bit. Remove sauce from heat.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a 45 degree angle to the top of the steak so you get wider cuts. Dip the steak pieces into cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit about 10 min. so the cornstarch sticks. As the beef sits, heat up 1 c. oil in a wok (or skillet). Heat the oil over medium heat until its hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and saute for just 2 minutes, or until beef just begins to darken on the edges. Stir the meat around a little bit so that it cooks evenly.

After a few minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour most of the oil out of the skillet. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce, cook for 1 minute while stirring and add green onions. Cook for 1 more minute. Now at this point you can either remove the beef with a slotted spoon or tongs and discard the sauce (this is what P.F. Chang's does) OR thicken the sauce with a cornstarch-water mixture to desired thickness and serve it over rice with the beef.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Kung Pao Chicken

This Kung Pao chicken is so good! Feel free so add shredded carrot, celery, baby corn, or even zucchini for a little extra flavor. YUM!

1 lb. chicken, cut into chunks
1/4 c. chicken broth
6 Tbsp. soy sauce
6 Tbsp. sesame oil, divided
4 Tbsp. cornstarch, dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
3 heaping Tbsp. hot chile paste
3 tsp. distilled white vinegar
6 tsp brown sugar
5 green onions, chopped
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 can water chestnuts
1-2 handfuls peanuts
water

In a medium-sized bowl, combine 1 Tbsp. chicken broth, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Add chicken pieces to mixture. Toss to coat. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine remaining broth, soy sauce, oil and cornstarch/water mixture. Add chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a large skillet, heat sauce slowly.

Remove chicken from marinade and saute in a medium skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. Add sauteed chicken to sauce and let simmer together until sauce thickens. If the sauce is too thick, add a little bit of water at a time until sauce reaches desired thickness.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Chicken Lime Tacos

1 1/2 Lbs. chicken, cubed
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
4-5 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp fresh cilantro (or to taste)
Flour tortillas

Sauté chicken in a medium skillet in a little oil for a few minutes until chicken becomes white all around. Combine vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and cilantro and add to chicken. Simmer for an extra 10-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add chicken to tortillas and top with lettuce, tomato, cheese, avocado, cilantro, salsa, sour cream, or any other taco topping you like!

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Low Fat Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups shredded chicken
1 can Old El Paso green enchilada sauce
1 can 98% (or 99%) fat-free cream of chicken (I hate this stuff too, but it tastes good in this!)
1 c. low-fat cottage cheese (just trust me-- you won't even know it's there)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
red pepper flakes to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. cheddar cheese (If you can find the 2% cheese use that)
10 "light" tortilla shells

Mix together all of the ingredients (except the tortilla shells) in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Put a little of the mix in each tortilla shell, roll up, and place in a 9x13 baking dish. Spread any leftover mixture over the top and sprinkle on a LITTLE bit of cheese. Bake at 350-degrees for 20-25 minutes. Serve with olives, tomatoes, salsa, avocado, lettuce.. or anything else you like on your enchiladas!

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Sweet & Spicy Noodles with Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts cut into chunks and cooked (I like to cook it with some peanut sauce tossed in to give the chicken some added flavor)

1 lb noodles, fully cooked and drained (any kind you prefer)

In a small sauce pan brown 4 tsp minced garlic in some olive oil then add:

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. white vinegar

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. sesame seeds

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
2 c. steamed broccoli (optional)

Toss the chicken, noodles, and sauce together in a large fry pan or wok on medium heat. Let it all simmer together for about five minutes so the noodles absorb some of the sauce. Toss in steamed broccoli (optional). Serve hot.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Stuffed Pesto Chicken

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c feta cheese
1/4 c paprika (this is NOT a typo, yes 1/4 CUP)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 c pesto
1-2 cloves garlic
2 1/2 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With sharp knife cut a slit into chicken breasts not cutting all the way through, just creating a "pocket". Stuff with feta cheese and put into 9x13 baking dish. In small bowl combine: paprika, cumin, oregano, thyme and salt. Spread evenly over chicken. Spoon pesto over chicken. Sprinkle with garlic. Drizzle oil over the top and cover with aluminum foil (shiny side down). Put in oven for 35-45 minutes (chicken breast thickness vary greatly) until no longer pink inside. Serve with rice or potatoes.

NOTE: Now if you don't care how it looks you can skip the stuffing the feta in the middle and just sprinkle it on top. Also this is great layered in a slow cooker and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Again, not as pretty, but tastes just the same.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Big Kahuna Chicken Teriyaki Sandwiches

4 chicken breasts
1 bottle Teriyaki sauce (we used Lawry's brand)
3/4 c. brown sugar
4 slices deli ham
1 can sliced pineapple (or you can use fresh which would be even better)
4 slices Pepper Jack cheese
4 large hamburger buns

Pound chicken breasts until they are about 1/4" thick all around. Place in a large Ziploc bag. Combine Teriyaki sauce and brown sugar until sugar dissolves. Add 1/2 of the mixture to the bag with the chicken and seal tightly. Place bag in refrigerator for at least 4-5 hours. Separate remaining Teriyaki mixture into 2 separate bowls (to prevent cross contamination use 2 separate brushes too)-- one for the pineapple, one for the chicken. Open pineapple can and save a little of the juice in a bowl. Place chicken and pineapple on the grill (medium heat).

Brush with Teriyaki sauce every few minutes until chicken and pineapple are done-- try to only flip the chicken and pineapple once. Either on the grill or in a frying pan, cook ham with a little of the pineapple juice until it becomes nice and hot. Slice open hamburger buns and place a piece of cooked chicken on each bottom bun. Top with cheese, ham, grilled pineapple, and bun top. Serve immediately with remaining grilled pineapple.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Veggie Quesadilla

These quesadillas are FULL of flavor and quite healthy (under 400 calories per serving)! You can serve them with sour cream or salsa, but they are great all by themselves!

1 c. frozen corn
1 c. grated zucchini (juices squeezed out)
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp. diced jalapeno (or more if you like it hot)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1-2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
flour tortillas (if you want to be really healthy, use whole-wheat tortillas)

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the cheese (and tortillas of course). Place mixture in a large skillet and fry until hot. In the meantime, heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan. On half of the tortilla add a few large scoops of the corn/bean mixture and a little cheese. Fold tortilla over, then flip sides. When cheese is melted, cut in half and serve!

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 cup uncooked chicken (cut into small pieces)

1 can chicken broth

1 lb. broccoli

2 potatoes peeled and cubed

Cheese Mix:

1 cube butter
1 tsp. chicken bullion

1 cup milk

1 lb. velveeta cheese

1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Simmer chicken in broth for 15 min. Add broccoli and potatoes and simmer 7 more minutes. In separate pan over low heat (or microwave in a large glass bowl) melt butter, bullion, milk, and cheese together. Mix sauce with chicken and veggies-do not drain broth. (You can leave out the potatoes and chicken if you prefer just broccoli).

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

Beans & Spanish Rice

Beans:
1 can black beans
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
salt & pepper to taste

Heat up black beans in a small pot. Add remaining ingredients. Serve hot.



Spanish Rice:
(This is actually Jared's Aunt Jenalyn's recipe.. with a few additions. Thanks Aunt Jen!)

1 c. white rice
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 c. corn (optional)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 can diced green chiles, drained
1 can water
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin

Brown rice and onion in oil (and optional corn). Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, chiles and water. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and cover. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.