Cheesy Bacon Potatoes

These are like potatoes skins, but in my opinion, they taste a lot better.  Maybe it's because they are homemade & they didn't come from the freezer.  I will be making these again....in fact, I have some going as I type this up.

Servings: about 1 potato per person

Ingredients

1 large sized Russet potato, sliced into thin rounds

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

2 tbsp bacon

Optional dipping sauce

1/3 cup ranch dressing 

1/2 tsp Chipotle powder seasoning or chilli power will work in a pinch

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring sliced potatoes to a boil in cold, salted water to cover for 5 minutes. Carefully drain, and transfer slices to a paper-towel lined countertop or cutting board. Pat to dry.  Line a pan with foil & spray with cooking spray (easy clean up method), and lay out potato slices on it.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.  Bake 12-14 minutes in preheated oven until potatoes begin to slightly crisp and brown on the edges.  Remove from oven, and cover evenly with cheese and bacon bits.  Return to oven and cook until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10-12 minutes.

If making dipping sauce, prepare sauce while potatoes bake.  Combine ranch dressing and Chipotle seasoning.

Orange Chicken

I ran across this recipe a while ago.  I had this or apricot chicken on my list of want to try.  i can tell you I am so glad I tried this.  It was simply delicious!  The  hubby liked it as well, he said the only thing missing was the egg rolls.  This and the bourbon chicken, might be two of our favorite chicken recipes!!  After frying the chicken, I kept some aside for the girls to eat, as we wanted ours spicy!!!


Servings: 6

Ingredients"
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2-3/4 cup cornstarch for breading
3/4 cup orange marmalade or jam
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1-2 teaspoon ground ginger
1-2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or chili paste (I used sriracha sauce.)
Choice of oil
3-5 garlic cloves (Since we love garlic – use less if you don’t love it.)

Instructions:

Cut chicken breast into 1 inch strips.  Dredge chicken in cornstarch. Heat (medium-high) a large skillet that has been coated with your choice of oil. Cook chicken strips in a few cloves of minced garlic, oil and a few dashes of soy sauce until no longer pink.  Remove chicken from pan and deglaze pan with some of the vinegar. 

To make the Orange Sauce

Saute remaining garlic and then add orange marmalade, soy sauce, water, ginger, chili paste, red pepper flakes, and the rest of the vinegar.  Cook on medium – high heat until sauce begins to thicken slightly. Reduce heat. Initially, it will be very liquidy and seem as if it won’t thicken, but it will. This is also when I do a taste test, and ask myself those important questions. Do I want more of a kick to it? Then I add some more red pepper flakes. Is it not sweet enough? Add more marmalade Too sweet? Then I add a bit more soy sauce and rice vinegar. I love that this can be mastered into the perfect fit for your taste.  Pour chicken into skillet with sauce. It will continue to thicken.  You can add more water if sauce is too thick. (Taste test to see if additional seasoning needed.

Serve with recipe., your favorite vegetable or some egg rolls.

Pineapple Burgers

Sometimes a picture will speak a 1000 words, or make you think your self....I have to try this!  This was it for me....I must try!  But, if you have tried any of my recipes that I have posted, then you know I feel that way about all the recipes that I have tried.  Now, the bacon could have been a little crispier for my taste (I don't like chewy bacon).  Next time i make this, I think I will chop up some jalapeno's and mix them in with the burger  meat, for some added kick!

Servings: 4


Ingredients:
1 pound hambuer
your favorite burger seasoning
4 slices pineapple-fresh or canned
8 slices bacon

Directions-
Form your hamburger patties.  On a piece of foil (makes for easy clean up), place 2 pieces of bacon  to form an X.  Place your hamburger patty in the center of the  X, top with a piece of pineapple and bring bacon pieces to top.  Secure bacon pieces with a toothpick.  Grill to your desired doneness.

Chicken Breast stuffed with Pesto butter

We are not big oven baked chicken people, so I was a little skeptical of this recipe.  It seems every time I bake chicken, it always comes out tough.  This however was not not the case.  The chicken had good flavor, was tender and the crust...well mine wasn't perfect.  Oh well, its going to get all mashed up together, right?  Now, I had some leftover pesto butter, so I tossed it in some pasta that I had in the pantry.  Note- Store bought pesto can be substitute.
Servings: 6

	Ingredients:
	6 chicken breasts, halved, boneless and skinless 1/2 c fresh basil leaves 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese 1 minced garlic clove 1/2 c butter, room temperature 1/3 c flour seasoned with salt and pepper 1 egg, well beaten 3/4 c fine bread crumbs Serving Day 2 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp olive oil   Directions:   Flatten chicken breasts to 1/8" thickness.  In a food processor or blender, combine basil, cheese and garlic.Mix until a thick paste is formed. Add 1/2 cup of butter and blend. On a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap, shape into a 3" square.  Chill until firm. (To quick chill, place in freezer for 10-20 minutes).  Slice chilled square into sticks, approximately 1/2-inch wide and three inches long.  Lay out the flattened chicken breasts.  Place a stick of pesto butter on the larger side of the meat.  Fold the remaining side over the butter, then fold under the two ends.  Press meat together on all sides to securely enclose butter. 12. Using 3 separate plates, place the seasoned flour in one, beaten egg in another and bread crumbs in the third.  Dredge rolled chicken breast in flour and shake off excess.  Dip into egg, then roll in bread crumbs.  Firmly pat bread crumbs onto chicken.  Refrigerate chicken rolls for at least 1 hour to allow breadcrumbs to adhere.  At this point chicken rolls may be frozen.  Wrap each chicken roll in plastic wrap, and place in freezer bags.     Serving day instructions: Unwrap chicken rolls and put on plate in refrigerator and thaw completely. In large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter and olive oil on medium-medium high.  Saute chicken for about 10-15 minutes, turning chicken until golden brown on all sides.  Place in a lightly greased baking dish and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for approximately 40-45 minutes, or until meat is white all the way through. (Be careful not to overbake).

Beef Fajita's

Beef Fajita's in the crockpot...how easy!!  I love simple meals and right now in my life, I need simple.  I will be making this again, but may double the fajita spices and adding more garlic.  It was a little bland, but overall a good recipe!


Servings: 4-6

2 lbs of thin cut stir fry beef (you could use chicken) 
1 packet of fajita seasoning mix  
1 onion sliced 
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 bell peppers (I used 1 orange, 1 yellow and 1/2 green, or whatever you can get cheaply)
1/2 cup water
Optional Toppings- sour cream, guacamole, shredded Mexican blend cheese, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, salsa, sliced olives, rice, etc.

Directions

 
Dump your meat into the crockpot. It can be frozen or thawed. Cut the onion and garlic, add to the crock. Add the seasoning and water. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours, or high for 6. The meat is done when it reaches desired tenderness. An hour before serving, add you chopped peppers (l like to add mine towards the end, so they are not mushy).  Serve with your favorite fajita toppings.

Grilled Chicken Feta Burgers

I went to the store and they had ground chicken, cheaper then ground beef.  so, I snatched up a few packages.  Then, when I got home, I wondered what do I make with it.  I put a few slices of cucumber on mine and, it was awesome!!!

Servings: 4

1 lb ground chicken
6 oz crumbled feta
1 tbsp ground oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder


Directions:
Preheat grill or broiler. (You can also use a George Foreman grill).  Mix all ingredients well and form into 4 individual patties.  Grill or broil patties until internal temp. of burgers reaches 165 degrees F, or about 7 to 8 min. per side.

Swedish Meatball

I wanted something quick and easy for dinner the other night.  So, I came up with this.  My oldest didn't particularly like it, but my littlest inhaled it. I highly doubt that these are actually Swedish meatballs, but what do i know.

servings 4-6

Ingredients:

1 pound hamburger
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I like to use the Italian seasoned ones)
1 tablespoon garlic
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon garlic

Directions:
Mix the first 5 ingredients together and form your meatballs.  you can either pan fry until done, or spray a baking pan with pam and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until done.  If you want to go the super simple route, you can buy premade meatballs.  In a pan, big enough to hold sauce and meatballs, combine the rest of the ingredients.  Stir with a whisk to combine. Serve over hot noodles or rice.  

Want to do this in a crockpot?  After making your cooked meatballs, place all ingredients, except for sour cream in crockpot.  Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours.  30 minutes before serving, stir in sour cream, cover and cook.

Budget- 1 pound hamburger $3.23, 1 egg .10, bread crumbs .35, garlic .45, mushroom soup $1.00, sour cream .43, noodles $1.89.  $7.45 for all ingredients, for four large servings that is $1.86 per person!