Yummy Recipes

After I had been married for over a year, it occurred to me that my family might be getting sick of eating BBQ chicken and spaghetti every night (which was the extent of my culinary experience). So I girded up my mental loins, checked the batteries in the smoke detectors and decided to learn how to cook. To my surprise (and my mother's never ending amusement) I'm not half bad at it. Along the way, I've come across quite a few easy and kid approved recipes... and I like to share :) Someday I'll actually take pictures of the food to prove that it's edible.

ORANGE CHICKEN

1 c. orange juice
1/2 c. Soy Sauce
4 T. (Tablespoons) brown sugar
Chicken (legs generally taste the best, but you can use whatever, and I generally use maybe 8-10 pieces, but you can use less or more)
Mix OJ, bwn sugar and soy sauce together, pour over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 mins.

** This is my Grandma's recipe. It's super super easy and the sauce is great over rice... sooooo goood

CHICKEN POT PIE

4 C. chicken (you can either bake chicken tenders or buy the canned stuff, works either way...)
4 C. Frozen cubed hash browns (thaw them, just run hot water over them)
16 oz. frozen mixed veg. (thawed also)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup (for the soups, you can use whatever cream of's soups you have on hand)
1 C. milk
2 T. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 pie crusts (the type you just unroll, generally found in the biscuits fridge at stores)

Mix together all ingredients except pie crusts. Pour half the mix into two pie tins, roll out the pie crusts and put over top. Cut slits. Make sure you bake the pie on top of a cookie sheet or something because it tends to bubble over. Bake 35-45 mins at 400 degrees. Second pie can be frozen. To bake from frozen: cover edges with tin foil, bake at 425 degrees for 30 mins, remove foil and make for 50-55 mins at 350 degrees.

GARLIC ROASTED CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Chicken (breast, thighs,legs... which ever you prefer)
22 cloves of garlic, peeled
2-4 lbs of potatoes (depending on how many people you are feeding)
1 t. salt
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. syrup
Arrange chicken, garlic and potatoes in roasting pan. Sprinkle 3/4 t. salt over (more if you have a ton of chicken and potatoes). Melt butter and pour over top. Bake at 400 for 40 mins . Mix together 1/4 t salt and syrup. Remove from oven, pour over syrup mixture and spoon over the pan juices. Bake for another 20 mins.

SUKI YAKI

1-2 lbs thin sliced beef
1/2 box tofu
2-3 packages of ito konnyaku (also called shirataki) noodles
1 bunch green onions
2-3 stalks of celery (very thin sliced)
Sauce:
2 c. water
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 1/4 T. sugar
if you have it, you can add a Japanese soup base or Mirin (Japanese cooking wine) but it tastes fine without it

1) warm sauce in LARGE frying pan (or a wok is even better)
2) add beef and celery
3) add the rest and cook till beef is done and celery is soft
4) serve over white rice.
**Again another recipe from my Japanese grandma... delish :)

**This makes a TON of suki yaki... lessen the beef and noodles if you want less)

AUNT KAREN'S AMAZING TACO DIP (perfect for potlucks)

soften 1 block of cream cheese (about 20 seconds)
add 1 1/2 cup of sour cream
one envelope of taco seasoning
Mix together and pour into a glass pie pan (this is the bottom layer)

Pour over the chunky salsa (if it's really juicy, strain some of the juice)

Finally put on the cheddar cheese (or mexican.. your call). I use a bag of shredded cheese.

Let it chill for several hours before serving
*Hopefully I'm not giving away any family secrets by publishing this, but this is one of my favorite dips of all time. And super super easy.

ROASTED CAJUN POTATOES

2 1/2 pounds medium red potatoes (or the white ones both work)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 shallots, chopped (I substituted 1/2 chopped onions for this)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (I used 2 t. dried and it was fine)
- I didn't have cayenne pepper, so I used Cajun seasoning... and it was great

Directions
1) Cut each potato lengthwise into eight wedges. In a large bowl, combine the oil, shallots, garlic, salt,   paprika, cayenne and pepper; add potatoes and toss to coat. Place in greased roasting pan.
2) Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until tender and golden brown, turning every 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

PORK CHOP CASSEROLE (company dinner)

6 pork chops (bone in or boneless)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. sour cream
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. dried rosemary
1 can french fried onions (divided)

1. Single layer the pork chops in 13x 9 baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. In a bowl, combo soup, 1/2 c sour cream, broth, ginger and rosemary. Pour over chops. Sprinkle with half the can of onions

2. Cover and bake @ 350 for 45-50 mins till tender stir in remaining s. cream. Sprinkle remaining onions, bake for 5-10 mins till onions brown.


** Really really really good recipe, and relatively simple to put together. People think you're an amazing cook when you make this, therefore, it's a perfect dish to serve people you want to impress :)