Peanut Butter Popcorn

This is one of my favorite popcorn recipes from my childhood.  Granny always had a big bowl of it to share when we went to visit. 

Ingredients

Approx. 1 cup popcorn kernels 

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup peanut butter

Pop the popcorn into a big bowl. Bring the corn syrup and honey to a boil in a heavy saucepan, stirring constantly. Boil for two minutes, remove from heat and stir in vanilla and peanut butter. Mix well.  Pour over popped popcorn and stir well.  You can make into balls, spread onto wax paper to cool or just eat it from the bowl. 

ENJOY!

Smothered Pork Chops

Ingredients

6 pork chops

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs (beaten)

2 cups Italian bread crumbs

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup apple juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse pork chops if needed and pat dry.  Season both sides of chops with garlic powder and seasoned salt then coat with flour.  Dip into the beaten egg and then the bread crumbs.  

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and fry pork chops for about five minutes per side or until well browned.   Then transfer to a 9" x 13" baking dish and cover with foil.

Bake at 350 for one hour.  In the meantime, combine the soup, milk & juice in a bowl and stir well.  After one hour, pour the soup mixture over the chops, replace foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes.  

Serve over white rice and enjoy! 

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Ingredients

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (halved lengthwise)

2 ham steaks (remove any bones)

8-10 slices of swiss cheese

2 cups Italian bread crumbs

3 Tbsp. melted butter

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with a non-stick cooking spray.  Layer the chicken, ham and cheese.  In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and butter.  Stir well then spread it evenly over the cheese.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until juices run clear. 

 

Enjoy!

Cowboy's Delight

Today was a rainy, Valentine's day and I thought something warm and hearty sounded good for dinner.  I knew the kids would come home from school with sugar highs and want some good food.

So I pulled out the trusty crock pot and got to work preparing something yummy.  

When I was a child in elementary school, one of my favorite school lunches was 'Cowboy's Delight'.  It's basically a delicious version of goulash.  This was back when the cooks actually prepared our meals from scratch and served them hot and fresh.  I don't think most schools do that anymore.  Anyway, today I made it by accident while experimenting.  When I took that first bite, the memories came flooding back.  I never want to forget this recipe!

So here it is:

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef, browned

1 14.5 oz. can beef broth

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 Tbsp. dried chopped onion

2 tsp. garlic (crushed, chopped or minced)

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. parsley

salt & pepper

12 oz. package of macaroni

1/2 - 1  cup water

 

 

Put everything except the macaroni and water in the crock pot.  Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours.  30 minutes prior to serving, stir in the uncooked macaroni and water and let cook through.  If you want a more soupy consistency, you can add more broth or tomato juice when you add the macaroni.  Serve with breadsticks found here if you'd like.

 

 

 

Enjoy!



Crock Pot Beef Stew

It has been snowing for days!!  It's been cold and wet and all I've wanted to cook is comfort foods.  Needless to say, I am loving my crock pot this week! ☺

 

Today it's beef stew!

 

Ingredients

 

carrots

celery

potatoes

1 onion (optional)

1-1 1/2 lbs. stew meat

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can of tomato soup

1 envelope of dry onion soup mix

 

 



 

Spray the inside of the crock pot with a non-stick cooking spray.

 

Cut the vegetables into bite size pieces and layer at least one cup of each in the crock pot.  I almost always put an onion in my stew, but this recipe has onion soup mix already so it's your choice.

 

 

 

In a skillet, brown the sides of the stew meat in butter or oil.  I sprinkle about a tablespoon of flour over the meat while it's browning.  Once the sides are brown (the center should still be pink), place the meat over the vegetables in the crock pot.

 

 

 

In a separate bowl, combine the soups and soup mix and stir well.  Pour over the meat and spread it around.

 

 

 

Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low.  It smells delicious!

 

 

Stir and serve with crackers or bread. 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Crock Pot Chicken and Potatoes

Ingredients

 

8 chicken thighs

1 can cream of chicken soup

3 large red potatoes (thinly sliced)

1 large onion (chopped)

3-4 stalks celery (diced)

1 tsp. paprika

salt & pepper

 

Spray the inside of your crock pot with a non-stick cooking spray.

 

Layer the potatoes, onion and celery and sprinkle with paprika, salt & pepper.  Place four thighs on top and spread the soup over them.  Then add the other four thighs.  Salt and pepper the thighs on top, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

 

 

 

 

Serve with a slotted spoon to eliminate the juices.

 

If you like cheese, smother with cheese while it's hot and let it melt.

 

EnJoY!

 

 

Homemade Breadsticks

Ingredients

 

3 1/2 cups flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 1/2 cups hot water

 

In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour (reserve the rest for later) and the remaining ingredients.  Mix well, then slowly add the rest of the flour.  Knead into a ball and let rise until doubled, about 20 minutes. 

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Pour 1/2 stick of melted butter into a 13x9 pan. 

 

Roll dough out onto a flat surface and cut into strips (about 2 inches wide).  Fold and twist each strip and line them up in the pan.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. 

 

Let cool and ENJOY!