Man Pleasin' Jambalaya
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, diced
6 cups chicken broth
3 cups long grain white rice
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 can mushrooms or 1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently until soft. Add the chicken and continue cooking and stirring so that it doesn't stick. When the chicken is browned, add the carrots, celery, mushrooms, and sausage.
2. Pour in the broth, and bring to a boil. Add the rice, and season with cayenne, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, until rice is tender and broth has been absorbed.
I know this recipe has more than the 5-8 ingredients for a simple supper recipe, but this truly is easy. And it's your whole dinner in one pot! I just served this with bread and we were set. And my toddler LOVED it! I also think this is a good recipe to add/subtract ingredients depending on what you have. I didn't have chicken so I omitted it. You could easily add some other veggies too.
Aunt Carol's Spinach and Fish Bake
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 pound cod (or any whitefish) fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, mix the spinach, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, and about 5 tablespoons dry bread crumbs, and the egg. Spread the mixture into the bottom of a small baking dish. Arrange the cod fillets on top of the spinach mixture, and season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese and bread crumbs.
3. Cover, and back 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
I got this recipe from allrecipes.com and the reader reviews all suggested more spice to this dish. So, I added onion salt and garlic powder along with the salt and pepper and it turned out great! I LOVE making fish for dinner and am always on the lookout for new recipes. This one was a winner.
Stuffed Chicken Breasts
submitted by Mrs. T
Bone-in chicken breasts with skin on (as many as you like)
Stuffing (use a mix or your favorite stuffing recipe)
Line a baking sheet or pan with foil.
Prepare your stuffing from a mix, or use any stuffing recipe you like.
You will want to allow 1/2 cup stuffing for each chicken breast.
On the straighter side of each chicken breast, work your fingers under the skin to form a pocket. Fill the pocket with stuffing. Replace the skin, using toothpicks to hold it in place if necessary. Place stuffed chicken breasts on the baking sheet and bake at 350º for 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
This is a delicious way to fix the bone-in chicken breasts, which can often be found on sale for 99¢ a pound. The skin is necessary to hold the stuffing in place and keep the chicken moist, but you can discard it before eating if you prefer.
China Lake Fried Rice
submitted by Mrs. T
1 cup raw rice
2 cups water
4 to 5 slices of bacon, diced
4 eggs, slightly beaten
4 to 5 green onions, sliced
Soy sauce
Any leftover meat in tiny pieces (optional)
Bring the rice and water to a boil in a heavy saucepan; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15-20 minutes or until rice is cooked. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Add the green onions; cook until tender. Add the eggs to the skillet, stirring, and cook until eggs are scrambled. Add the cooked rice and the optional meat; mix well. Add the soy sauce until the fried rice is as brown as you like it. Cook all together over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Serve piping hot. Yield: 4-6 servings.
I copied this recipe from a radio cooking show many years ago. The lady who shared the recipe was from China Lake, Maine. This fried rice is really delicious. For years, whenever we ordered Chinese takeout, I would whip this up while we waited for the food to arrive.
Asian Beef and Noodles
submitted by Mrs. T
1 pound ground beef
2 pkg. (3 oz. each) Oriental flavor instant ramen noodles
2 c. water
1 bag frozen stir-fry vegetable mixture
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 Tblsp. thinly sliced green onion
In a large nonstick skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking it up into pieces as you cook and stir. Remove the beef to a bowl, using a slotted spoon; pour off any drippings from the skillet and discard them. Season the beef with one seasoning packet from the ramen noodles; set the beef aside.
In the same skillet, combine water, vegetables, noodles (broken up), ginger, and remaining seasoning packet. If you prefer your green onions cooked, add them now also. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Return beef to skillet; stir in green onion.
Yield: 4 servings.
Finally a good use for ramen noodles... something one would actually eat and that actually tastes good! This is a quick and easy meal for a busy day.
Cheese Ravioli with Veggies
submitted by Mrs. T
1 16-oz, pkg. frozen vegetables (we like the asparagus stir-fry blend from Walmart, but use whatever you like)*
1 25-oz. pkg. frozen miniature cheese ravioli
1 to 2 Tblsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. seasoning of your choice**
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Fill a large saucepan or Dutch oven with water and bring it to a boil. Add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the ravioli and cook for 5 to 7 minutes longer, until the vegetables and ravioli are tender. Drain the mixture in a colander, then return the veggies and ravioli to the saucepan. Gently stir in the olive oil, then the seasoning and Parmesan. Yield: 6 servings.
* I usually use an entire package of one vegetable blend as called for here, but sometimes I have leftover veggies I want to use up. In that case, the leftover vegetables were already cooked once. So I just heat them in the microwave and stir them in with the olive oil and seasonings.
** Seasoning could be whatever you like -- Mrs. Dash®, garlic pepper, lemon pepper, Italian seasoning or whatever. I have used a McCormick Grinder -- the pizza blend, and it was wonderful.
Spicy Tomato Soup
submitted by Mrs. T
1 can tomato soup
3/4 of a soup can milk
1/3 cup medium salsa
Shredded cheddar cheese
In a small saucepan, combine the soup, milk and salsa until well blended. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese (and oyster crackers if you like) when serving. Yield: 2 servings.
The original recipe called for a 4-oz. can of chopped green chilies rather that salsa. I happened to be out of green chilies, but decided to substitute salsa. It worked beautifully. A great warming soup for a chilly night! You could easily double or triple the recipe for more servings.
Apples, Sweet Potatoes, and Pork Chops
submitted by
Alicia6 large sweet potatoes
4 Tbsp. cooking oil
6 2" thick pork chops
salt and pepper
6 large tart apples
1 c. raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the potatoes; cut them into large chunks and boil them till they're about half done. Set aside. Heat the oil and brown the chops quickly on both sides - salt and pepper. Put the chops and sweet potatoes in a large baking pan. Peel, halve and core the apples. Place them in the pan with the chops and potatoes and sprinkle on the raisins. Sprinkle cinnamon on each apple. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake 50 minutes until apples and chops are tender.
Ok, this isn't the simplest supper since peeling and coring are involved. But what I love about this recipe is that your whole supper is in one pot! Just slice up some french bread on the side and you're done. And the smells of this luscious dish are so comforting on a crisp fall day.
French Bread Pizza
submitted by
Pamela Smith 1 loaf of Italian Bread
1 can of Pizza Sauce
2 cups – Mozzarella Cheese
Pizza toppings to your liking
Preheat your oven to 350* F. Slice the loaf of bread evenly horizontally & then each piece diagonally in half giving you 4 “slices.” Place on a cookie sheet. Ladle pizza sauce onto each slice. Sprinkle cheese to each slice; use all but a couple handfuls of cheese. Add your own variety of toppings, and then top with remaining cheese.
Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Topping Ideas: Pepperoni, Sausage, Fully cooked Meatballs, Leftover meats, Chopped Ham Steak, Bird’s Eye Pepper Stir Fry (Found with frozen vegetables), Chicken Marinated in Barbecue Sauce.
