Lemon Chicken

This morning I was asking my boys what we should make for dinner tonight. They said, "Pasgetti" so we might just have spaghetti and meatballs. I was curious what they thought of last nights Lemon Chicken, so I asked. How many stars was last nights dinner. One star, four stars...? Cameron replied 5 stars, Quin piped up and said 8 stars! Then Cameron said 100 stars. The number kept climbing so I said, "Did you guys really like it?" Their eyes got as big as their smiles as the nodded their heads. So folk I guess this one is a keeper. For me it is a keeper because it is so quick and easy and I always have everything on hand to make it. Once again this is a recipe my sister Echo, who is a great cook recommended. (I think she is going to get her on Label...guess that's like my cooking Hall of Fame. ;-)) Echo said this is her go to meal when she is short on time and doesn't know what she is making.

This is a east and quick gourmet dish that could be served with anything from a baked potato to noodles or rice of choice. A nice seasonal vegetable or salad rounds out the meal perfectly.

Lemon Chicken

3 Whole chicken breast, boned, skinned, and halved (I used tenders and pounded them into cutlet like pieces).

1 1/2 cup flour (I only used 1/2 cup for starters. You can always add more so you don't have waste.)

1/3 cup Butter

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Wash and dry chicken pieces. Pound them flat with a mallet. Melt the butter and oil in a large skillet. Put the flour in a plastic bag and drop the breast in to coat. Regulate the heat to moderately high, and put the chicken breasts in the skillet. Cook approx. 3 minutes on each side. When they are done, salt and pepper them and put them on an oven proof dish and into a 250 degree oven to keep warm while you make the sauce. (I personally added 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper right in with my flour before coating the breast so I didn't have to worry about it. I also didn't put mine in the oven while making the sauce. I simply covered it with foil. The sauce comes together so quickly I think its a waste of energy to warm the oven for that amount of time. Unless you have it on for something else.)

Sauce:

Add 4 Tablespoons butter to the chicken skillet and melt, scrapping up brown bits from bottom of pan. Remove from heat; add 4 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley (I didn't, tasted fine still), and the juice from 1/2 lemon. Pour hot sauce over breasts and serve. (I spooned it over each piece with a Tablespoon).

Beef Stroganoff-Crock Pot

Yes, another Beef Stroganoff for the crock pot. We do eat other dishes, honest!

I didn't get a picture of this dish. Most nights lately I feel lucky if I can get dinner on the table by 6 or 6:30. Life with the baby is good and normal as far as babies go. What is not normal in our lives at this point is how little we see of our daddy. (I always love having extra help with the kids while I am cooking...a grown-ups help that is!) Because it takes me so long to prepare and cook dinner with one hand while trying to keep my composure during the chaos with kids running, playing, or hanging out under my feet crying that they are hungry I am grateful to have recipes like this one for the crock pot my sister-in-law Echo gave me. It earned 5 stars at her house. Jack and I really liked it, the boys ate it but didn't love the sauce. It all worked out great because I am off dairy for Daisy right now so I kept the sauce separate to we could add it to our liking. (I had to snitch one bite so I would know how a complete bite would taste. ;-))

This makes a huge roast so I use the shredded leftover beef )because the sauce wasn't mixed in to make my easy beef pot pie-1 for dinner and 1 for freezer. I thought about beef enchiladas too but the cheese took it off the list for now.

Beef Stroganoff

2 lbs Beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into thin slices (about 1/2 inch think and 3 inches long) [I just put the roast in whole and mine was about 3 1/2 lbs)

1 Large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

1 lb White mushrooms, trimmed and halfed. Quarter if they are large [I used 8 oz package]

Course salt and black pepper

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

Cooked thin Egg noodles

Chopped fresh dill, for garnish, (optional) [I didn't use]

In 5-to-6 quart slow cooker, toss beef, onion, and mushrooms with 1 1/2 teaspoons course salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook on low until meat is tender, about 8 hours on low or 6 hours on high.

In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, whisk cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons water. Ladle 1 cup liquid that has cooked off your beef into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil; cook until thickened, about 1 minute. With slow cooker turned off, stir in cornstarch mixture, then sour cream and mustard. Serve beef over noodles; sprinkle with dill if desired. [I just mixed the sauce all in my small sauce pan so we could serve it separately. It reminds me a little of a hollandaise sauce in its flavor.)

If you prefer you can make this in the OVEN: Preheat oven to 350. Follow steps for the crock pot using a 5-quart oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid instead of slow cooker. Add 2 cups water, and cover. Transfer to oven; cook until beef is tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Proceed with the sauce instructions as listed above.

Sweet Potato Crunch

I never enjoyed sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving time. Everyone in my family loves my mom's sweet potatoes layered with butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows, but for some reason I have never acquired a taste for them to this day. It is nothing against my mom's cooking because she is a fabulous cook and I am always calling her with cooking questions. It wasn't until I had these yam/sweet potatoes at my sister-in-laws Echo's that I learned to like yams. So the honest truth is this dish is more like a pie--maybe that's why it won me over. It is a very southern style dish. If you like sweet potatoes this dish will have you asking for seconds. If you don't like traditional sweet potatoes with roasted marshmallows this one might win you over like it did me.

SWEET POTATO CRUNCH
2 Large Cans Yams/Sweet Potato, drained and mashed. (I use Bruce's Brand)
3 eggs (I only use 1 Egg if making half a recipe)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix sweet potatoes, eggs, sugar, milk, margarine, and vanilla. Put in a 9 x 13 (or 2 1/2 quart.) baking dish.
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup flour
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup margarine, melted

Mix brown sugar, flour, pecans, and margarine together. Put over the sweet potatoes in baking dish. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

Yields: 8-10 servings
May be prepared early in the day or the day before.

Pizza Cobbler

This is a recipe I got from my sister-in-law. She makes this frequently for her kids when she and her husband are going out on a date. I took pictures of it, but it is a picture of melted cheese and isn't much to look at. This is a pretty quick little toss together meal if you have the ingredients on hand (which I usually don't so I have to plan for it). If you enjoy pizza this is a quick option with out a lot of fuss.

Pizza Cobbler

Grease a 8 x 8 (I would suggest using a 9 x 13 so that it will cook faster)

Pour a 1/4 cup sauce to cover the bottom of your pan.

1 pkg refrigerated Pillsbury Grand Rolls

Cut the biscuits into quarters, roll each quarter into a ball and place in the pan of sauce.

Top with remaining Pizza sauces and sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Cover with foil if cheese starts to brown before the biscuits are done in the center.

*I found cooking them in an 8 x 8 they are really tight and it took almost 40 minutes to cook it through. I think if you use an 9 x 13 it would cook the biscuits quicker 20-30 minutes. We also added olives and mushrooms before topping with remaining sauce and cheese and it turned out great.

One-Crust Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe comes from Five-Star Recipes From Well-Known Latter-Day Saints compiled by Elaine Cannon. It is a recipe submitted by Roger and Melanie Hoffman.

1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup Bisquick
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 (10 oz) package frozen peas and carrots
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
3 Tablespoons hot water
3 Tablespoons butter, softened.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat butter in a 2-quart saucepan over low hear until melted. Stir in 1/2 cup Bisquick, onion, and pepper. Cook over low heat until bubbly. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly . Boil, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in chicken and frozen vegetables; heat through. Keep warm over low heat.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients to form a dough ball. (I learned that it is better it cut it together like making a pie dough.) Roll dough out until it is large enough to fit casserole dish (9 x 13). PLace chicken mixture into casserole dish and cover with dough. Cut several slits on top to allow steam to escape while baking. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until crust is deep golden brown.