Pretty Marinated Chicken

from allrecipes.com, submitted by TaraNicole

I thought this sounded very cheesy-"pretty" chicken.  I mean how pretty can chicken be?  And I'd rather a recipe advertise tasty chicken instead of how it looks!  But I tried it and I'm glad I did.  This was as pretty as it was yummy!

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup olive oil 2/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce 1/4 cup lemon juice 2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring

2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 2 teaspoons garlic powder 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, liquid smoke, mustard, pepper, and garlic powder. Place chicken in the bowl, and coat with the marinade. Cover, and allow chicken to marinate a maximum of 4 hours in the refrigerator.
2.	Preheat the grill for high heat.
3.	Oil grill grate. Discard marinade, and place chicken on grate. Cook 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until juices run clear.

I didn't make any changes to this recipe.  It is good just the way it is.  It does give the chicken a "sun-kissed tan" sort of look, as silly as that sounds!

We had this with corn on the cob, baked beans and a fruit salad.  I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

Husband rating:  4.5 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up

Bolognese Pasta

allrecipes.com, submitted by Greg Johnson, with a few changes

1 pound ground beef (85% lean) 1 cup diced onion 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 carrot, shredded

1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 bay leaf salt and ground black pepper to taste 42 ounces canned crushed tomatoes (such as San Marzano®) 2 cups water grated Parmesan cheese

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Stir in the beef, onion, garlic, and carrots. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir in the oregano, garlic powder, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Add the tomatoes and water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

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 noodles, and return to a boil.  Cook according to package instructions then drain.

Serve sauce over pasta topped with Parmesan cheese.

I did 1/2 lb italian sausage and 1/2 lb ground beef.  I followed one reviewers tip to let sauce simmer with the lid on or it would be too thick.  I found mine was too thin so I would do this with the lid off next time.  

Husband rating:  3 stars

Boys say:  neutral thumbs 

Pad Thai

slightly modified from allrecipes.com submitted by TRANSMONICON

INGREDIENTS:

1 (12 ounce) package rice noodles 2 tablespoons butter 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces 1/4 cup vegetable oil 4 eggs 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fish sauce 3 tablespoons white sugar 1/8 tablespoon crushed red pepper 2 cups bean sprouts 1/4 cup crushed peanuts 3 green onions, chopped 1 lemon, cut into wedges

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Soak rice noodles in cold water 30 to 50 minutes, or until soft. Drain, and set aside.

2.

Heat butter in a wok or large heavy skillet. Saute chicken until browned. Remove, and set aside. Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Crack eggs into hot oil, and cook until firm. Stir in chicken, and cook for 5 minutes. Add softened noodles, and vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and red pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. Mix while cooking, until noodles are tender. Add bean sprouts, and mix for 3 minutes.

I didn't soak the noodles for that long.  I followed the package instructions.  One reviewer said to boil the noodles for a minute and then let them sit in the hot water for another 5 minutes or so.  I don't know the best way-mine weren't soft enough so you'll have to experiment.

I heated oil, instead of butter, and added 1 tsp of minced garlic.  I doubled the sauce and added the juice of one lime to the sauce.  We didn't use a lemon.  Fresh bean sprouts are hard to find these days.  Look for the canned ones in the asian food section.

Husband rating:  2 stars (it needs work to live up to the awesome Pad Thai we had in Alexandria!)
Boys say:  thumbs down

Crack Brownies

from Vanessa

**no illegal substances involved**

50 light caramels
1/3 c skim evaporated milk
1 package german chocolate cake mix
3/4 c melted butter
1/3 c skim evaporated milk
2 c milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In heavy saucepan, combine caramels and 1/3 c evaporated milk.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until caramels are melted.

Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray (like Pam).

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry cake mix, melted butter and the other 1/3 c evaporated milk.  Stir by hand until the dough holds together. Divide dough in half and press first half of dough into prepared baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over baked crust. Pour caramel mixture over the chocolate chips. Crumble the other half of the dough over caramel layer. Return pan to oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove and cool before serving.

My brother-in-law calls these crack brownies because they are so good he can't stop eating them!  They are addicting!

Husband Rating:  5 stars
Boys say:  thumbs way up!

Chicken and Rice Casserole

1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup, the less fat kind
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
1/2 package dry onion soup mix
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, chopped into bite-sized pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chicken in 9x13 pan.  Mix first four ingredients and cover chicken with that.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1.5 hours.  I added frozen broccoli to this and topped with sliced almonds.  This was an attempt to copy a dish my sister-in-law made for us over spring break.  It was not nearly as good.  I'll try to get her recipe!  The broccoli was mushy.  I would just do that on the side next time.  I guess it was not flavorful enough for us.  Most everyone had cereal later that night!  I guess this wasn't "better than cereal!"

Husband rating:  2 stars
Boys say:  thumbs down

Sweet and Sour Pork

6 pork chops about 1/2-1 inch thick

sweet and sour sauce

green onions

Place pork chops in a 9x13 dish.  Cover with your favorite sweet and sour sauce.  Sprinkle chopped green onions on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  We then chopped the pork and put it on rice.  We had cooked sugar snap peas with this.  Easy, yummy, cheaper than take out and healthier too!

Husband rating:  3.5 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up

Lemon Herb Chicken

1 3/4 c chicken stock
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
4 skinless chicken breast halves

Stir the stock, lemon juice, basil, thyme and pepper in a bowl.  You can grill this and baste the chicken regularly with the mixture.  You could bake the chicken in the lemon mixture for about 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

I made the potatoes without the red pepper flakes this time and they were great.

Oven Roasted Potatoes
adapted from allrecipes.com submitted by JMRYGH

1/8 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, basil, marjoram, thyme, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet. Roast for around 45 minutes in the preheated oven; turning occasionally to brown on all sides.

I cooked the asparagus in a little water in the microwave for 5-6 minutes.  Then I drained the water and tossed with a little butter, some kosher salt and pepper.

Husband Rating:  3.5 stars
Boys say:  thumbs up