Malibu Chicken with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

This is a very quick, easy, and inexpensive dinner, not to mention it tastes so good, so an all around winner.  The inspiration from this beauty came from dining at Sizzler and ordering this entree then thinking to myself, that would be so easy to make at home, so here you go...

Malibu Chicken

Source: Me!

1-2 frozen chicken patties per person

2 slizes swiss cheese per person

1 slice of deli ham per person

Cook the frozen chicken patties according to package directions.  Pull out of the oven and top with one slice of deli ham, and 2 slices of swiss cheese.  Place under the broiler in your oven and broil on high for 1-2 minutes until cheese starts bubbling.  Remove from oven and serve with honey mustard dipping sauce.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Source: Again, me.

Okay, so I never measure out the portions so that I know how to give you the exact amounts on this, but it is something to this effect...

1/2 cup mayonaise or Miracle Whip (I always prefer the tangy zip of Miracle Whip myself)

1/4 cup honey

1 tbsp. dijon mustard (or if you don't like fancy mustard regular mustard will do)

Mix all together well, and remember this is just a guess of how much of each, so if it tastes off, add a little more of each ingredient until it tastes right.

Pickled Asparagus

When I was a child, we visited my grandma often.  She was an avid canner and her specialty was pickles!  And not just your regular run of the mill pickles (though she did those too and they were awesome), but she also pickled beans, a delicacy that you just can't buy in a store.  Years later, my sister Lyndsay took that one step further and pickled asparagus.  Since asparagus is so abundant where we live, it was an instant hit.  Recently, I was given a huge bucketful of asparagus from my amazing sister-in-law and so I decided to try my luck at canning and here is what turned out!

Pickled Asparagus

Source: Lyndsay

4 lbs. green or yellow beans (or asparagus)

8 cloves garlic (or more if you really like pickled garlic)

4 C. white vinegar

1 tsp. red hot pepper flakes

8-16 heads fresh dill

1/2 C. pickling or canning salt

4 C. water

Wash & snap beans (or asparagus).  In each jar, place 1-2 dill heads and 1 clove of garlic.  Place whole beans (or asparagus) upright in jars leaving 1/2" headspace.  Combine salt, vinegar, water, and pepper flakes - bring to a boil.  Add hot solution to beans leaving 1/2" headspace.  Adjust lids & process 25 minutes in a boiling water canner.

*So just a few explanations on her directions, mostly to myself, as I felt like Amelia Bedelia through the whole canning process.  First off, did you know that a clove of garlic is just one piece off the head of garlic?  After all this time, and I have claimed to love cooking so much, I am just now figuring this out.  So, I happened to buy 8 HEADS of garlic rather than just the 1-2 cloves I would have needed.  Needless to say, I am becoming acquainted with fresh garlic in my cooking and it is terrific!  Second of all, I searched the whole grocery store before the produce guy told me that they don't sell fresh dill and he had to go in the back and get me some dried dill that he says "everyone" knows you use in canning.  And third of all, I had to double the recipe for the brine to make enough to use the whole batch of asparagus.  And finally, fourth of all, you have to wait a couple of weeks to let these pickle before you eat them.  Not a happy thought when you spent all day and want to sample the fruit of your labors.  But the good news is that they keep for years and get better over time... so enjoy!



Easy Cheesy Peasy Shepherd's Pie

 Have I ever mentioned my love for the Kraft Food and Family Magazine?  If you haven't you should totally check it out.  They have ideas for the simplest and most delicious meals and can keep coming up with new ideas month after month!  This one came from the Fall Food And Family Magazine and is a great comfort meal, so why am I posting it in the Summer?  It could have to do with the month of June that we had where it rained litterally every day and we rushed home from Tee-Ball games and grabbed ourselves some hot chocolate.  We were in need of some comfort and this Shepherd's Pie hit the spot!

Shepherd's Pie

Source: Kraft

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

2 cups  hot mashed potatoes

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed

1 cup  KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups  frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 cup beef gravy

 

Directions:

1. Brown, meat in large skillet; drain.

2. Mix potatoes, cream cheese, 1/2 cup cheddar and garlic until well blended.

3. Combine meat, vegetables and gravy; spoon into 9-inch square baking dish.
4. Cover with potato mixture and remaining Cheddar. Bake 20 min. or until heated through.
 



Mmmmm... hearty meaty goodness!  Guess who ate the most... the 1 year old!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

To me, homemade chicken nuggets are SO much better than the processed ones!  These were so delicious and easy and every one of my kids ate them!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Source: All Recipes.com

Ingredients:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon dried basil

1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2-inch sized pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put melted butter in a bowl or dish for dipping.

3.  Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the well-coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.



Chicken Chimichangas

 I have been using this recipe for years.  It is seriously one of my favorite things to do to a tortilla.

Chicken Chimichangas

2 cups prepared shredded chicken (there are tons of ways to season and shred chicken, my favorite is probably to let it sit in the crock pot all day with some onion, water to cover, and taco seasoning mix)

1 can refried beans

2 cups chredded cheddar cheese

8-10 flour tortillas

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1.  Prepare and shred chicken.

2.  Heat refried beans.

 3.  Lay out tortillas, spread with warm refried beans, top with 1/4 cup shredded chicken and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

4.  Fold ends of tortillas in and wrap tightly.

5.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees and prepare pan... okay this is the best part, so pay attention.  Cover a cookie sheet with foil, then spread a little less than 1/4 cup of cooking oil all over the pan.  Place the folded tortillas on the pan and bake for 8 minutes, then flip over and bake for another 8 minutes.  The oil makes the tortillas toasty and so good while the cheese gets ooey goey on the inside.  When you are done baking, you can just toss the foil and the pan stayed clean!  You can also make these chimichangas with just beans and cheese or with beef, or pork.

Creamy Ranch Chicken

Creamy Ranch Chicken
From: Delicious Recipes
6 slices bacon, cooked
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 T. flour
2 T. dry ranch salad dressing milk
1 1/4 C. milk
3 C. medium egg noodles
1 T. shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook chicken in a small amount of butter in a large skillet until no longer pink, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle flour and salad dressing mix over the chicken; stir well. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add more milk if too thick. Stir in crumbled bacon.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. Serve the chicken mixture with the noodles and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.

This recipe was seriously so delicious and easy to make, it is a definate do again!

Mormon Green Jello Salad

My mom made this salad ever since I could remember, and I'm pretty sure that this was passed to her by her mom.  I love it because it is so easy to make and always a crowd pleaser.

Green Jell-O Salad

Source: I think that the joke is, whenever green Jell-O is involved, it comes from the Mormons!

Ingredients:

1 can crushed pineapple

1 tub whipped cream (such as cool whip, the big tub)

1 lg. package small curd cottage cheese

1 (6 oz) pkg. Lime green Jell-O

Directions:

1.  Sprinkle Jell-O over thawed whipped cream and stir until Jell-O color is a consistent green, add crushed pineapple with juice, stir in cottage cheese.  Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

2.  Chill for several hours.  Stir before serving.