Harvest Chicken

Adapted from Swanson's

This meal cost us under $8, and will feed us for two meals, so it's less than $4/meal. Good deal!

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 c frozen green beans
1 c chicken broth
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bag Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (we used Long grain & Wild)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Brown chicken in oil for five minutes on each side. Meanwhile, spray a large baking dish with cooking spray. In dish, mix together sweet potatoes, green beans, broth, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Top with chicken. Cover, then bake for one hour, until chicken is cooked through and sweet potatoes are tender. Microwave rice for 90 seconds. Enjoy!

Homemade pizza & breadsticks

1.5 c hot water
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c honey
2 tsp salt
4.5 c flour
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1.5 tsp garlic salt
2 tbsp quick yeast
15 oz. can tomato sauce
6 oz. can seasoned tomato paste
Pinch of sugar
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Place hot water, then olive oil, then honey, then salt, then flour, then seasoning, then garlic, then yeast into a bread machine. Set on the dough cycle. When complete, divide dough in half. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together tomato paste, tomato sauce and sugar to make pizza sauce. With oiled hands, press one half into desired pizza shape. Top with pizza sauce, then cheese. Oil hands again, then press remaining half of dough into a rectangle. Cut into strips, and place on a baking pan. Bake pizza and breadsticks for 15-25 minutes, until dough is done. Use remaining pizza sauce as a dip for breadsticks.

Lemon butter scallops and broccoli

4 tbsp butter
1 large lemon, juiced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. bay scallops
2 heads broccoli

Steam broccoli; keep warm. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic 1-2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Remove 2 tbsp of the sauce, and stir it into the broccoli. Add scallops to pan. Saute until opaque, 3-5 minutes.

Baked Ziti

This is the BEST baked ziti I've ever had! I got the recipe from a friend, who got it from Cooks Illustrated. It was really, REALLY good. It wasn't dried out on top and mushy in the middle like all of the other baked ziti I've had. I added 1/2 lb. pork sausage that I browned with a generous dose of Italian Seasoning. We will be having this again. Often.

Baked Ziti

1 pound 1% cottage cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 pound ziti or penne
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the cottage cheese, eggs and 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese together in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, about 7 minutes (the pasta will finish cooking in the oven). Drain pasta and leave in colander. Do not wash the large pot.


2. While the pasta is cooking, heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, basil and oregano, and sugar; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Take off heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.


3. Stir cornstarch into heavy cream and transfer mixture to the now-empty large pot the pasta cooked in. Set the pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup tomato mixture, and half of the mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add pasta and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce.


4. Transfer mixture to a 9X13 baking dish and spread remaining tomato sauce evenly over pasta. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese over the top. Cover the baking dish with foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes.


5. Remove foil and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

Mexican breakfast pie

adapted from $5 dinners

4 large flour tortillas, torn into pieces
6 eggs
1/4 c milk
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
Cilantro to taste
Hot sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded cheddar

Place tortilla pieces in a Pam-sprayed pie plate. Whisk together egg, milk, onion, tomato, garlic, cilantro, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Pour over tortilla pieces. Sprinkle with a handful of cheddar. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes.

*Next time I make this I'll add green onions as well, and maybe some bell pepper.

Grilled Chicken & Home Cookin'

Simple Grilled Chicken

1 lb. chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/4 c butter, melted
Creole seasoning

Stir Creole seasoning into melted butter. Brush over chicken generously and often while grilling. It's that simple!

Country dinner

2 lbs. leftover ham chunks
4 baking potatoes
2 cans green beans, undrained
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 c whole kernel corn
1 egg
1/3 c milk

Place ham into a slow cooker, then whole potatoes, then green beans. Set on low, and cook 6-8 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Stir together corn muffin mix, corn, egg and milk. Pour into a greased 8x8 dish or pie plate. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with soft butter.

Zucchini Bread & Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Zucchini Nut Bread

3 eggs
2 c sugar
1 c vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 c grated zucchini (w/skin)
3 c flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 c chopped nuts
1/2 c golden raisins (optional)

Beat eggs until fluffy. Add sugar, oil and vanilla. Fold in zucchini. Add dry ingredients, then nuts and raisins. Pour into greased and floured loaf pans.  Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown.
Makes two loaves.
(I eat one, freeze one.)

Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking dish.

Beat at low speed until blended:
1.5 c sugar
1 c butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
Increase speed to high. Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Reduce speed to low and add:
2.5 c flour
1/2 c sour cream
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Beat until blended. Increase speed to medium for one minute.

Fold in:
2 c shredded zucchini
6 oz. chocolate chips
1 c chopped walnuts or pecans

Pour into prepared dish. Bake 40-45 minutes.

(I used an 8x8 dish and a loaf pan, because a 9x13 is too much for us. We'll eat the loaf now, and freeze the 8x8 for later.)