Camo Archery Cake

Our family has been involved in Cub Scouts for many years.  Every year each group, or pack, has a Blue and Gold Dinner where it is tradition for the boys to provide desserts with a cub scout theme.  One belt loop the boys earn is an archery belt loop.  They always love this one!  

Ryan, and friends, decorated this cake to look like a target and we even stuck an arrow in to it!  I found the cake mix at the store.  The camo idea gave it that extra touch and was really easy to do.  Then we frosted it and let the boys try to put more m&m's on the cake than they ate!  We took a knife to make lines in the frosting to help them visualize where each color should go.  It was a fun project and a great pack meeting!

Italian Breaded Pork Chops

from allrecipes.com, submitted by ELISAW

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs, lightly beaten 3 tablespoons milk 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons dried parsley 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 4 pork chops

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).
2.	In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. In a separate small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley.
3.	Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook until lightly browned. Remove garlic, reserving for other uses.
4.	Dip each pork chop into the egg mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating evenly. Place coated pork chops in the skillet, and brown abut 5 minutes on each side.
5.	Place the skillet and pork chops in the preheated oven, and cook 25 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

This pork with rice pilaf and steamed broccoli is really an inexpensive meal.

Husband rating:  3.5 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up

Roasted Pork Loin

adapted from allrecipes.com, submitted by Kathleen Burton

INGREDIENTS:

3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon dried rosemary salt and pepper to taste

2 pounds boneless pork loin roast 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 cup white wine

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	Crush garlic with rosemary, salt and pepper, making a paste. Pierce meat with a sharp knife in several places and press the garlic paste into the openings. Rub the meat with the remaining garlic mixture and olive oil. Place pork on pan. Add 1/2 c wine to pan.
3.	Place pork loin into oven, turning and basting with pan liquids. Cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

This is a tasty, easy way to cook pork.  We had this with mashed potatoes and a green salad.

Husband rating:  4 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up

Zucchini Meatball Soup

16 frozen cooked meatballs

1 32 oz carton beef broth

1 c small shell pasta

1 can stewed tomatoes with oregano and basil (chopped briefly in blender)

1 medium zucchini cut into julienne strips

Place frozen meatballs and broth in pot, heat to boiling. Stir in pasta; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until pasta is al dente, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and zucchini. Cook about 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender.

Husband rating:  3 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up

Shrimp Stir-Fry

1 package medium frozen shrimp

1-2 packages (depending on what size you can find) fresh veggie mix

1 small can water chestnuts, drained

1 package crunchy asian noodles

1 bottle of your favorite teriyaki or sweet and sour sauce

1.  Heat skillet with a little olive oil.  Cook shrimp, stirring frequently, for a few minutes.  Remove from pan and cover to keep warm.

2.  Add 1/4-1/2 cup water to pan (depending on how many veggies you have).  Add veggies and cook under almost tender.  Add water chestnuts.  Add shrimp and stir-fry sauce.  Heat until everything is warm.

3.  Serve over rice topped with asian noodles.

Husband rating:  3 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up

Sausage Pasta

adapted from allrecipes.com, submitted by Tammy

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 pound pasta 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage 1 onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 - 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and reserve.
2.	In a large skillet, heat oil and sausage; cook through until no longer pink. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add onion and garlic to skillet. Add broth, basil and tomatoes with liquid.
3.	Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to slightly reduce. Add pasta to skillet and mix together. Add chopped spinach; cover skillet and let sit for about 5 minutes until spinach is tender.
4.	Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

Husband rating:  3.5 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

adapted from allrecipes.com, submitted by BUCHKO

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 clove garlic, minced 1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 c red wine 1 onion, chopped 1 1/2 cups beef broth 3 potatoes, diced 4 carrots, sliced 1 stalk celery, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
2.	Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours. I made some Bisquick biscuits to go with the stew. Husband rating:  3.5 stars Boys say:  thumbs up