Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken

from allrecipes.com, adapted from the recipe submitted by KAREN

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons olive oil 2 tsp garlic, minced 1 cup dry bread crumbs 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2.	In a large bag, blend the olive oil and garlic. In an 8 x 8 dish mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper. Put each chicken breast in the oil mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish, and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture, if desired.
3.	Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

I love this recipe.  I just want a nice sauce to put over it or dip it in because it feels a little dry to me.  

Husband rating:  4 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up

Clam Chowder

from allrecipes.com, submitted by PIONEERGIRL

INGREDIENTS:

3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams 1 cup minced onion 1 cup diced celery 2 cups cubed potatoes 1 cup diced carrots 3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 quart half-and-half cream 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoons salt ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
2.	Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
3.	Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

In case it helps, when it says to add water to cover I added one cup of water.  I also added 6 slices of bacon chopped up to the cream before I added the veggies.  I also sprinkled paprika on the top.

This was another recipe request from a son.  I have to say, the best clam chowder is at Mo's on the Oregon Coast.  If you're in the northwest make sure you stop by there and get some chowder!

Husband rating:  3.5 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up

Easy Meatloaf

from allrecipes.com, submitted by Janet Caldwell

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef 1 egg 1 onion, chopped 1 cup milk 1 cup dried bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons prepared mustard 1/3 cup ketchup

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, onion, milk and bread OR cracker crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased 5x9 inch loaf pan, OR form into a loaf and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3.	In a separate small bowl, combine the brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. Mix well and pour over the meatloaf.
4.	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour. I would double the sauce next time. My son was asking for meatloaf for days.  I think he heard about it on a show and was curious what it was!  So, we had a meatloaf night! Husband rating:  He wasn't home but I'd say 3 stars Boys say:  thumbs up

Lemon Herb Chicken

from Campbellskitchen.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 3/4 cups Swanson® Chicken Stock 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 chicken breast halves, skin removed

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Stir the stock, lemon juice, basil, thyme and black pepper in a small bowl.
2.	Lightly oil the grill rack and heat the grill to medium. Grill the chicken for 35 minutes or until it's cooked through, turning the chicken over halfway through cooking and brushing often with the stock mixture. Discard the remaining stock mixture.

I  substituted rosemary for basil because I couldn't find my basil.  I also added 1 tsp minced garlic.  I doubled the sauce and used 6 chicken breast halves.   I baked the chicken with all the sauce.  I think it was at 350 or 375 for 35 minutes or so.

Husband Rating:  3.5 stars
Boys say:  thumbs up

Better Books

Check out the Better Books tab for a great Thanksgiving book to read with your family.

Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole

from SixSisters' Stuff

Ingredients:
10 eggs, lightly beaten (or 20 egg whites if you don't want to use the yolks)
3 cups milk (I use skim)
1 tsp salt
1 loaf of crusty French bread (day-old bread works great!)*, cubed/torn into small pieces
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cups cheese (we love Colby Jack or Cheddar, but any kind works)
1/2 pound sausage, cooked and crumbled

*You could really use any kind of crusty bread . . . you just need about 6 cups worth.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (F). Combine the eggs, milk, and salt in a bowl. Distribute half of the bread evenly in a 9x13" glass baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle on half of the green pepper, half of the red pepper, half of the onion, half of the cheese, and half of the sausage. Repeat the layering again with the remaining ingredients. Sprinkle black pepper on top. Pour the egg mixture over the casserole and bake for 60 minutes. Refrigerate any leftovers. Serves 8-10.

I wanted to try something new for our Sunday morning brunch.  This casserole seemed easy enough.  Although I like most of the recipes from my Sis Sisters' Stuff Cook Book this is not one of my favorites.  

Husband rating:  2 stars

Boys say thumbs down except for one son who ate everyone else's!

Baked Pork Chops

(slightly modified) from allrecipes.com, submitted by bdld

INGREDIENTS:

6 pork chops 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon seasoning salt 2 egg, beaten 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 cups Italian-style seasoned bread

crumbs 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup 1/2 cup milk 1/3 cup white wine

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	Rinse pork chops, pat dry, and season with garlic powder and seasoning salt to taste. Place the beaten eggs in a small bowl. Dredge the pork chops lightly in flour, dip in the egg, and coat liberally with bread crumbs.
3.	Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the pork chops 5 minutes per side, or until the breading appears well browned. Transfer the chops to a 9x13 inch baking dish, and cover with foil.
4.	Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. While baking, combine the cream of mushroom soup, milk and white wine in a medium bowl. After the pork chops have baked for an hour, cover them with the soup mixture. Replace foil, and bake for another 30 minutes.

I put a tsp of garlic powder in with the bread crumbs (I forgot the seasoning salt but I would have tossed that in there too if I'd remembered!).  I skipped the flour and just dipped the pork in the egg and then in the bread crumbs.  I mixed the sauce ingredients and put them in the 9x13 pan with the pork chops and then threw that all in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour.  

Husband rating:  4 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up