Caribbean Chicken and Rice

from my friend, Heather K.

3 Tbs. Olive Oil

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut into bite sized pieces)

3 Cups Salsa

2 Tbs. Orange Marmalade

¼ Cup Brown Sugar

Juice from 3 fresh Limes

1 tsp. Allspice

Salt & Pepper to Taste

1. Heat oil in a large fry pan, on medium heat.  Add chicken.  Cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink, about 7 minutes.  

2. While chicken is cooking mix salsa, marmalade, brown sugar, and lime juice.  Mix well.

3. Add to the chicken.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer at least 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally.  

4. Serve over hot rice.

5. Serves: 8-10 People

Heather said, "You can cut the recipe in half and make less, we like to make the full amount because we like it for left-overs."

We did cut it in half and had plenty for our family of six.

Husband rating: 3.5

Boys say: most said thumbs up

Chocolate Caramel Chex Mix

3 c Corn Chex

3 c Rice Chex

1/2 bag (14 oz size) caramels (about 25)

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp milk

1/4 c semisweet chocolate chips

1.  In large microwavable bowl, mix cereal.

2.  In medium microwavable bowl, microwave caramels, butter and milk uncovered on high 2 to 3 minutes, stirring after each minute, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth.  Pour over cereals; gently stir until evenly coated.

3.  Microwave on high 3 to 4 minutes, stirring after each minute, until just beginning to brown.  Spread on waxed paper to cool.  

4.  In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on high about 1 minute or until chocolate can be stirred smooth.  Drizzle over snack.  Refrigerate until set.  Store in airtight container.  

My only change was to double or triple the chocolate chips.  I guess I like more chocolate than the average person!

Boys say:  thumbs up

Slow Cooker Ham, Raspberry-Pear Salad

Slow Cooker Ham

INGREDIENTS:

1 (6 pound) bone-in country ham 30 whole cloves 3 cups apple cider, or as needed 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup maple syrup 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 tablespoons ground cloves 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional) 1 orange's peel

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Press whole cloves into the ham so they are evenly distributed. You may score the ham for easier insertion if you wish. Place the ham in a slow cooker. Pour in apple cider until only about 2 inches of ham is above the surface. Pack the brown sugar on top of the ham, pressing into the cloves. This will get washed away in the next step but any that stays on is a bonus.
2.	Pour the maple syrup over the ham. Season the apple cider with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves and vanilla. Add the orange peel to the pot. Fill the slow cooker as full as you can with apple cider without going over the fill line. Cover and set to Low. Cook for 8 to 10 hours.

I used a dinner ham that had no bone in it.  I cut the recipe in half and did only 7-8 cloves and 1/2 tbsp cinnamon instead of 1 tbsp.  Next time I will shorten the cooking time to 4-5 hours on low.  This had a great flavor.

Raspberry-Pear Salad

spinach

pear, cut up

raspberries

poppyseed dressing (I like Brianna's)

sliced almonds (optional)

Put spinach in a bowl.  Add desired amount of dressing and toss.  Add fruit and top with almonds, if desired.

Husband rating:  4 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up

Gluten Free Pancakes with Strawberry Puree

I have been trying different gluten free pancake recipes.  Our family really enjoyed Bisquick's Gluten Free pancake mix.  It's expensive, but if you need to cut out the gluten this is a tasty way to go.  I pureed some strawberries in the blender for a topping.  

Husband rating:  4 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up 

Southwestern Chicken

from my friend, Heather K.

2 Cans (15-¼ oz. each) Whole Kernel Corn, drained or about 3 cups frozen corn

1 Can (15 oz.) Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 Jar (16 oz.) Chunky Salsa, divided

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves

1 Cup (4 oz.) Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Combine the corn, black beans and ½ Cup of the salsa in a slow cooker.  Top with chicken; pour the remaining salsa over the chicken.  Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours or until meat juices run clear.  Sprinkle with Cheese; cover until cheese is melted about 5 minutes.  

Yield: 6 Servings

You can serve it by itself, in warm corn tortillas with a little sour cream, or with tortilla chips too.

Husband rating: 4 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

Frozen Fruit Smoothie

1/2 5.3 oz container of vanilla greek yogurt (I like the Light and Fit Brand from Dannon)

2 c frozen fruit mix (most stores have this in their freezer section-pick your favorite fruits and give it a try)

about 2 c skim milk (adjust depending on how thick you like your shake)

1/2 banana

Combine all ingredients in a blender.

Husband rating:  3.5 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up

Breakfast Burritos

This is a good meal to feed a crowd.  Here is what we use and you can always substitute sausage for the ham or leave out the cheese, all depending on your preferences and dietary needs.

Flour tortillas, warmed up
frozen hash browns, the southern or cubed kind with peppers is what I like to use, cooked
cooked ham, chopped
eggs, scrambled
shredded cheese
ketchup or salsa
salt and pepper to taste

You'll have to make the decision on how much or how little you use for your meal.

Husband Rating:  4 stars
Boys say:  thumbs up

Hawaiian Haystacks

from allrecipes.com, submitted by TheCHO

iNGREDIENTS:

2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup 3 cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite -sized pieces 1/2 cup milk, or more as needed 4 cups cooked rice 1 (5 ounce) can chow mein noodles 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 3 stalks celery, chopped 2 green bell peppers, chopped 3 green onions, chopped 1/2 cup flaked coconut 1/2 cup slivered almonds 1 teaspoon soy sauce, or to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Mix chicken soup and chicken together in a saucepan; stir in enough milk to make a gravy-like consistency. Cook and stir chicken sauce over medium heat until smooth and heated through, 5 to 10 minutes.
2.	Spoon 1/2 cup rice onto 8 plates. Layer each serving of rice with chow mein noodles, the chicken mixture, pineapple, Cheddar cheese, celery, green peppers, green onions, coconut, almonds, and a drizzle of soy sauce, respectively. We didn't do the coconut and we did offer tomatoes chopped up as another topping option. Husband rating:  3.5 stars Boys say:  thumbs up

Easy Pulled Pork

from allrecipes.com, submitted by Livie's Mammy

INGREDIENTS:

1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer 1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite

barbecue sauce 8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns. It really doesn't get any easier than this.  And over the weekend I tried a new bbq sauce.  This is my favorite now!  It's from Trader Joe's and it's called Bold and Smoky Kansas City Style Barbecue Sauce.  I like to add some coleslaw (most of the time the dry coleslaw mix in the bag from the store-I know that may seem weird but it adds a little crunch) to my sandwiches and one friend of mine also adds a pickle.  So experiment and see what your taste buds prefer! Husband rating:  4 stars Boys say:  thumbs up

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Onions

from allrecipes.com, submitted by USA WEEKEND columnist Jean Carper

INGREDIENTS:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks 2 medium Vidalia or other sweet onions, cut in 1-inch chunks 3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup amaretto liqueur 1 teaspoon dried thyme Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2.	Toss first 6 ingredients in a shallow medium-sized baking dish.
3.	Cover; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with almonds, bake 20 minutes more.

I didn't have amaretto liqueur so I used a few tbsp of orange juice and a little brown sugar.  

The Balsamic Steak Recipe can be found here.  Salad Recipe is here.

Husband Rating:  4 for steak and salad (try not to burn yours like I did on the edges of mine!) and 3 for the sweet potatoes

Boys say:  thumbs neutral

Garlic Lime Chicken with Orzo and Veggies

from allrecipes.com, submitted by C. PEREZ, with a few modifications

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/8 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 2 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons garlic powder 3 tablespoons lime juice 1/3 cup chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.
2.	Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice and chicken broth. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.

Orzo with Veggies

from allrecipes.com, submitted by beautifulansuz, slightly modified

INGREDIENTS:

12 ounces uncooked orzo pasta 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 sweet onion (such as Vidalia®), chopped 1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 cup chopped green onion 1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 teaspoon dried parsley salt and ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the orzo and lemon juice, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink. Transfer the orzo to a large saucepan.
2.	Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the sweet onion, garlic and green onion until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes; stir in the zucchini and squash, and cook until the squash are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir the cooked vegetables into the orzo; season with parsley, salt, and black pepper to serve.

Husband Rating:  4 stars
Boys say:  thumbs up