Tag - dinner

Pork Carnitas

My e-maginary friend Brenda shared this recipe with me and 200 of our closest homeschooling friends. Brenda makes me laugh, she’s married to a tough fire fighter and she’s a 49er fan. Doesn’t get much better than that! As a bonus, this recipe is quick, easy, tastes great and makes a ton.

 

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Pork Carnitas

Pork Carnitas

Ingredients

  • 1 pork roast (Cheap is good!)
  • 2 T oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 2 cans (7 oz ea) or 1 jar (16 oz) verde sauce (Get Herdez brand if you can, don't sweat it if you can't.)
  • flour tortillas
  • shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • sour cream

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a skillet.
  2. Season roast with salt and pepper and sear roast on all sides.
  3. Place in slow cooker, cover with onions and verde sauce. Cook on low 8-10 hours.
  4. Shred the roast and serve with warm tortillas, cheese and sour cream
https://themacandcheesechronicles.com/2013/07/15/pork-carnitas/

Crockpot Lemon Chicken

I got this recipe for crockpot lemon chicken off of Pinterest, but the link to the original is now dead, so I’ll give you the recipe myself.  It meets all my criteria – it is easy and yummy, with a bonus that I usually have all the ingredients on hand.  The original said to shred the meat when it was done and serve over rice or noodles, which I did the first time.  After that I just served it whole.  I don’t have time for unnecessary shredding!

 

 

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Crockpot Lemon Chicken

Crockpot Lemon Chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 packet Italian dressing mix
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Put all ingredients in crock pot, in order given.
  2. Cook on low 4-6 hours.
  3. Serve over rice or noodles, with juices from the pot.
https://themacandcheesechronicles.com/2012/10/18/crockpot-lemon-chicken/

 

Taco Biscuit Pie

The day after we evacuated from the fire, I realized I had left all my recipes behind.  I knew that I could find some of them online, others were family recipes I could get from my mom.  Others would  suffer the same fate as our house.  Fortunately, we had a happy ending.

This particular recipe came from a Pillsbury Family Fun Cookbook published in 1983 and until very recently, I could not find it online.  So I’m sharing it now so that I can always find…and you can try it, too! This is one of my children’s absolute favorites.  Enjoy…

 

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Taco Biscuit Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Taco Biscuit Pie

Ingredients

  • 10 oz can biscuits (Grand or Hungry Jack size)
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 15 oz can kidney beans
  • 1 envelope taco seasoning
  • 4 oz (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup crushed corn chips
  • 1/2 cup shredded lettuce
  • 1/4 cup chopped tomato

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Separate dough into 10 biscuits.
  3. Arrange 7 biscuits around sides and 3 on bottom of ungreased 9 inch pie pan; press biscuits to form crust. Biscuits will form petal-like shape around rim of pan.
  4. In large skillet, brown ground beef; drain.
  5. Stir in kidney beans and taco seasoning mix.
  6. Simmer 5 minutes over low heat.
  7. Spoon hot meat mixture into prepared crust.
  8. Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-16 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
  9. Immediately top with cheese and corn chips.
  10. Sprinkle with lettuce and tomato.
  11. Allow to cool 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.
https://themacandcheesechronicles.com/2012/09/13/taco-biscuit-pie/

Lemony Chicken Noodle Soup

April on the East Coast is a cold and damp affair.  It has rained here 4 of the last 6 days and today the temperature peaked at 50 degrees.  That was sometime around noon and it has been getting colder ever since.  If any day called for a nice, warm soup, it is today.  I made Lemony Chicken Noodle soup which I got from Taste of Home.  The original only makes 2 servings, so I’ve modified it to serve a family.

Lemony Chicken Noodle Soup

1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 garlic clove, minced
enough water to fill your pot plus 2 1/2 Tablespoons chicken bouillon or
2 cans chicken broth
4 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 bag uncooked medium egg noodles
6 Tablespoons lemon juice

In a large pot, saute onion in oil until tender.  Add the chicken and garlic.  Cook and stir until chicken is lightly browned.  Stir in the water and bouillon (or broth), carrots, peas and basil.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the noodles.  Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until noodles are tender.  Stir in lemon juice.

Like most soup recipes, this one isn’t an exact science.  Adjust the ingredients to suit your family size and tastes.

Chicken or Pork Adobo

Another quick and easy recipe (it’s all I ever make) that can be doubled without a lot of math. Adobo is traditional Filipino dish, though I’m not sure if this is my family’s recipe or not.  You can make it with either chicken or pork.

Chicken or Pork Adobo

2 lbs chicken or pork, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 Tablespoon peppercorns
1 bay leaf

At all ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, 45 minutes.

See, I told you it was easy!

Mix 2 Tablespoons cornstarch with small amount of water and add to sauce to thicken. Serve over hot rice.

I usually fish out the garlic cloves and bay leaf before serving. You’ll probably want to pick out the peppercorns while you’re eating. It’s ok to eat them if you like, but they are pepper after all. My children call them “hotcorns”.

Boo Cooks (Baked Ravioli and Meatballs recipe)

This month’s recipe is brought to you by Boo. It’s a baked ravioli and meatball extravaganza, resplendid in its use of pre-packaged food. It may not be good for you, but it’s good. And quick and easy. If you have a big enough freezer, you could even keep the ingredients on hand (even the cheese) for last minute dinners.

Bake Ravioli and Meatballs

1 25 oz pkg frozen cheese filled ravioli
1 20 oz pkg frozen cooked meatballs, thawed
1 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce
6 oz (1 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 13×9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook ravioli to desired doneness as directed on package.

Drain ravioli; place in sprayed dish. Top with meatballs and sauce; sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at for 30-35 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.

See how easy that is? Don’t go crazy trying to find the exact right sizes of the ingredients. Just use what you can find. Better yet, have your 9 year old son make dinner for once. Maybe you should help him drain the ravioli, though.

Boo dumps the cooked ravioli into the baking dish…

…and pours on the sauce. (Please note that where he is working is my entire kitchen workspace.)

Dinner is ready!

Albondigas Soup

Today is the 15th, so we are halfway through the month.  In honor of that, I present my grandmother’s recipe for Albondigas (meatball) Soup, as requested by Renee.

Albondigas Soup

1 pound ground beef
1 Tablespoon rice
1 egg
1 small can tomato sauce
1 tsp Mrs. Dash
1 small onion, sliced
1/4 cup barley
3-4 carrots, sliced
4 small potatoes, cubed
lemon juice

Fill soup pan 3/4 full with water and tomato sauce.  Bring to rapid boil.

While waiting for water to boil, beat egg, add rice and mix with meat.  Form into balls.  When water has reached boiling, add meatballs, onion and Mrs. Dash.  After the meatballs have resurfaced, lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes.  Add barley and simmer an additional 15 minutes.

Bring soup back to boil.  Add carrots.  Continue to cook for 10 minutes, then add potatoes.  Boil (slow) for 20 minutes.

Garnish individual servings with several drops of lemon juice to taste.  (If you add too much lemon juice, mix broth with someone else who hasn’t added lemon yet or return your broth to the pot.)

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