Dilled Chicken and Fresh Vegetables

Can you say, YUM?! I love this meal and make it often!
Since hubby is out of town, I only used 2 chicken breast and got carried away with the gravy. So if you make this and it doesn't quiet look like this picture... that's why, lol. ;)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 boneless chicken breast halves (about 5 ounces each)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried dill, divided
8 small red potatoes, halved
12 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combined flour, salt and paprika on a plate or piece of waxed paper. coat chicken with mixture, reserving excess. Heat oil in a deep, large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken. Add reserved flour mixture to skillet. Stir well. Add chicken broth. Stir in half of the dill. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes. Reduce heat. Cover; simmer for 10 minutes. Add green beans to skillet. cover; simmer until chicken and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in lemon juice. Sprinkle with remaining dill. And ENJOY!! Serves 4

Banana Bread

I had a couple people ask for my Banana Bread recipe, so I thought I'd post it here too. ;) This is out of an old recipe book that was my moms. My bread always turns out moist and yummy!

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 medium) mashed bananas
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/4 cup milk (I used Pure Almond Silk milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease (not oil) bottom only of 9x5 or 8x4-inch loaf pan. In large bowl, blend first 6 ingredients; beat 1 minute at medium speed. Stir in remaining ingredients just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350ºF. for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; removed from pan. Cool completely.

Bacon Cheese Topped Chicken

I got this recipe years ago out of a catalog and it's super yummy and well worth the time to make. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cups Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
4 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Dash paprika
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
8 bacon strips, partially cooked
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

In a bowl, combine the mustard, honey, 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and lemon juice. Pour 1/2 cup into a large resealable plastic bag; and the chicken. Seal the bag and turn to coat; refrigerate the remaining marinade.
Drain and discard marinade from chicken. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in remaining oil on all sides. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Transfer to a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish.
In the same skillet, saute mushrooms in butter until tender. Spoon reserved marinade over chicken. Top with cheeses and mushrooms. Place bacon strips in a crisscross pattern over chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 375º for 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160º. Sprinkle with parsley.

I'm trying to get better at remembering to take photos - this one was taken after two of the chicken breast had been removed, lol.

Beef Enchilada Casserole

Okay, I've been on a Mexican casserole kick these last couple weeks, lol. Here's another yummy casserole - this time using beef. This turned out super yummy but a little on the hot side. Little Princess Guinea Pig loved it but Princess Guinea Pig fell asleep before she got to try it (it was a looong first week of school for her).
This recipe is one that's easy to change it's level of hotness. I went with the smaller amounts on those items and made sure my can of diced tomatoes & chilies were mild.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder
2 to 3 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 flour tortillas (7 inches)
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet, cook the beef and onion until the meat is no longer pink drain. Add beans, chili powder, cumin and salt. Transfer to greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Arrange tortillas over the top. Combine soup and tomatoes; pour over the tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 8 servings.

Cheesy Lasagna

I'm currently looking for a yummy Lasagna dish and found this one that sounded really yummy and decided to give it a try. Though this Cheesy Lasagna dish didn't quiet turn out the way I was hoping, it was still good. I know I'll make a few changes the next time I make it. My only complaint was the center wasn't as firm as I like. If you have a Lasagna dish you would like to share - I'd love to have it!! :D

The only photo I have is of Princess Guinea Pig helping me make the base.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups water
1 can (12 ounces) tomato paste
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package (8 ounces) lasagna noodles
8 ounces sliced Swiss cheese
1 carton (12 ounces) small-curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the water, tomato paste, salt, rosemary and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain. In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish, layer a third of the meat sauce, noodles and Swiss cheese. Repeat layers. Top with cottage cheese and the remaining Swiss cheese, noodles and sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Cover and bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

**The few things I would change is either less water or another 12 ounce can of tomato paste. I felt the mixture was too runny. I also added other herbs to my base, like basil and oregano. Enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I love anything Mexican, so you'll find I make a lot of Mexican dishes in my house. ;) Here's one I recently made for my family that was a hit. *Sorry, no photo.

Ingredients:
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
1 cup chicken broth
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 small onion, finely chopped
12 corn tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

In a bowl, combine the chicken, chilies, broth, soups and onion; set aside. Warm tortillas in the microwave according to the package directions. Layer half of the tortillas on the bottom of the greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan, cutting to fit pan if desired. Top with half of the chicken mixture and half of the cheese. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 30 minutes.

Barbecued Pulled Pork Sandwiches

My brother and his two oldest kids arrive last night to visit for a few days. Because they were driving in, I wasn't sure what time they would arrive, so I decided to make Barbecued Pulled pork sandwiches in the slow cooker. I've tried several pulled pork recipes, this is the one I like the most so far.

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs. pork roast
1 - 14 oz. bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 medium onion, chopped
8 hamburger buns or hard rolls

Place the pork roast in slow cooker. Cover; cook on Low 10 to 12 hours (or on High for 5 to 6 hours). Remove the pork roast from the stoneware, and pull the meat into shredded pieces. Pour out any liquid in the stoneware, and combine the pork with the remaining ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on High for 2 hours. Serve the barbecue pork on hamburger buns or hard rolls.