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

Easy Food Storage Soup

So if you keep canned goods on hand for a rainy day you might want to try this recipe.

2 cans healthy request cream of chicken soup
1 can corn, drained
1 can green beans, drained
1 can tuna

Mix the cans of soup with two cans full of water.  Add the corn.  Add half the can of green beans.  Add half to the whole can of tuna, depending on how big your can is.  Cook until heated through.

Pair this with a sandwich and some fruit you've got a meal!

Boys say:  thumbs up

Braised Balsamic Chicken

from allrecipes.com, submitted by MOONANDBACK, with a few changes

INGREDIENTS:

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves whole or cut up  ground black pepper to taste 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried rosemary 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Season chicken breasts with ground black pepper and garlic salt. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet, and brown the onion, garlic and seasoned chicken breasts.

2.

Mix tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme.  Pour over chicken. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes. I put this over angel hair pasta and also made a salad.  Be sure to buy the best balsamic vinegar you can get.  This is a great meal.  You could also put this with rice or potatoes and some green beans. Husband rating:  4 stars Boys say:  thumbs up

Grecian Pork Tenderloin

from allrecipes.com, submitted by Dave Nash with a few changes

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice 3/4 cup olive oil 6 cloves garlic, sliced

2 teaspoons salt 6 tablespoons dried oregano 2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and oregano in a large resealable plastic bag. Shake sealed bag until ingredients are well mixed. Taste the marinade for tartness. If too tart, add a little more oil. Not enough zing, add more lime. The garlic and salt flavors should also be up front, yet not overpowering. Place tenderloins in the bag, seal, and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 5 hours.
2.	Preheat grill for medium heat.
3.	Lightly oil the grill grate, and discard marinade. Grill tenderloins for 20 to 30 minutes, turning once, or to desired doneness. I used 1/2 c bottled lime juice, a little less than 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp kosher salt, 2 tbsp dried oregano and one 2.5 lb pork tenderloin.  I left the original recipe above though so you could take a look and decide what sounds best to you.  I made my changes based on various reviews on the recipe.  We thought this was very tasty.  Because my cut of meat was larger it took more than twice as long to cook.  I would like trying this in the slow cooker too. Husband rating:  4 stars Boys say:  thumbs up