Chicken & Tri-Steak Potatoes

5 Stars (Because it's easy & because it tastes good.)

Chicken
Thaw two chicken breasts.
Season with Garlic Salt & Lemon Pepper.
Grill.

Tri-Steak Potatoes (This is a nickname my family has given to Twice-Baked Potatoes.)
Scrub and puncture potatoes. (Remember that the recipe naturally doubles itself so you don't need 4 potatoes for 4 people. Probably just 3.)
Cook at 375* for 1 hour.
Cut potatoes long-way.
Scoop out insides into mixing bowl, leaving a small layer inside the skins.
Add butter, salt & pepper, & sour cream to taste.
Mix/whip potatoes until blended well.
Refill skins with mixture.
Cover each potato with grated cheddar cheese.
Cook in oven until cheese is melted (about 3-5 minutes.)

Wa-la! All done. Sorry no pictures. I was really hungry last night so I forgot to take a picture before I dug in. And who wants to see pictures of half eaten food? :)

Stir-Fry Chicken & Veggies

4 Stars

3 T. canola oil
1 lb. chicken breast cut into strips
1 pkg. (10-16 oz.) frozen veggies containing broccoli, green beans, red bell peppers & mushrooms
2 T. water
2 T. soy sauce

Heat a large, heavy skillet or wok over high heat until water sizzles when dropped onto the metal. Add 1 1/2 T of oil and tilt pan gently in all directions until the oil has coated the surface. When the oil is hot (not to the point of smoking) add the chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Remove chicken.

Add the remaining oil to the skillet. When hot, add the frozen veggie mix and stir-fry for 4 minutes, until the larger pieces are cooked through. Return the chicken to the skillet, add the water and soy sauce, and stir-fry for an additional 2 minutes.

Remove the chicken and veggies with a slotted spook and serve. (We served this with rice.)

This is a healthy recipe that tastes really good too.

Stuffed Shells

(Brian took this picture. I would've just set it on the counter and snapped something really quick. He wanted it to look really good because it smelled so good. And those are my dozen roses he gave me.)

FIVE STARS

We loved this recipe. Usually we don't agree on how much we like something so I'll take the average, but this time we both took one bite and loved it! It's kind of like manacotti but easier I think. Enjoy!

Stuffed Shells

1 (16 oz) package jumbo pasta shells

4 cups large curd cottage cheese (32 oz. small curd cottage cheese)

12 ounces mozzarella cheese

1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1 pinch garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook shells according to package directions. Place in cold water to stop cooking. Drain.

2. Mix together cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic powder and herbs. Stuff mixture into the shells.

3. Spread 1/3 cup of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of 10x13 pan. Place shells open side up, and close together in pan. Spread remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.

4. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes, or until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Baked Chow Mein

Four Stars.

1 lb. Hamburger
1/2 cup uncooked Rice, (not quick)
2 cups chopped Celery
1 can Cream Chicken Soup
1 can Cream Mushroom Soup
4 T. soy sauce
2 chopped Medium Onions
1 1/2 cup Hot Water
1 can Chow Mein Noodles

Brown meat, stirring until it crumbles. Add rest of ingredients, mix well. Bake at least one hour at 350*. (I used a 8x8 pan.) When done top with chow mein noodles and serve.

We really liked this and it's pretty filling. Probably serves 4-6.

I love that Brian will eat my cooking. I'm not saying I'm a bad cook, but I'm not the best all the time. And I'm always trying new recipes so it's up in the air whether or not it'll be good. But he's good about always trying it and never says it's bad. If he doesn't like it he just doesn't ask for it to be made again. :)

Swiss Chicken

Tonight we tried this recipe & after only one bite, Brian said, "We can definitely have this one again."

(I'm an awful photographer. And this really does taste better than it looks in this picture.)

Swiss Chicken

4 Chicken breasts, cut in pieces
4 (1-oz.) slices Swiss cheese
2 (10-oz.) cans Cream of chicken soup
1 c. water
1 pkg. Stove top, mixed as directed

Mix chicken soup with the water. Place cut up chicken in glass pan. Put cheese on chicken & spoon sauce over top. Spoon stove top on top of sauce. Bake at 350* for 1 hour, uncovered. Serve with rice.

I actually just bought a 6-oz thing of Swiss cheese and used 2/3 of it instead of getting slices, but whatever works best for you. It was really easy to prepare and then just throw it in the oven. (I Wii-ed while it was cooking. lol.) I think it'll probably serve between 6-8 people, especially if you serve with rice because then it goes farther.

(I don't know if it half's well because we just cook the full recipe so we have leftovers for lunch. Let me know if you try it.)

Hope you enjoy!

For Natalie

As I said before, one of my goals is to actually cook dinner on a regular basis. Part of this goal is to try new recipes, preferably healthier recipes, so that we don't get stuck in a rut. I have a bad tendency to find something I like and then eat it over and over again until I'm so sick of it I never want it again. Also, I am so sick of eating sandwiches for lunch, so I figure having leftovers isn't that bad. The topmost reason is to save money. If I plan the meals, we spend less on groceries and eating out for dinners and lunches.

That being said, I have done really well this month. Not perfect. Sometimes the meals get switched nights, or we go out because something came up with friends, etc. But I think overall we've done good. Our grocery bill has gotten smaller each week and hopefully will continue to do so. I'd love to get our grocery budget for the month down to $100, or less. :)

Because I have a hard time finding new/different recipes/ideas of what to have for dinner, and because my sister has so graciously asked for it, I have decided to post my menu each week on here. I'll also update it after each new meal we try to give you our opinion of it if was good or not. If you would like a recipe just leave me a comment & I'll send it your way. If it's outstanding I might post it as a separate post with the recipe anyways. Or maybe I'll make it a weekly thing where I post a new recipe we like or an old recipe we love. :) Anyway, you get the idea.

Love ya Nat!

By Request

I've had a couple people request this so I'm finally getting around to posting it. Unfortunately, we ate it too fast to take pictures, so you'll have to try it for yourselves.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pie shell
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Whip cream or ice cream (optional, though not in my case)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325* F.

Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in chocolate chips & nuts. Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm w/whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

Notes: If using frozen pie shell, use deep-dish style, thawed completely. Bake on baking sheet; increase baking time slightly.

You may also drizzle with chocolate syrup for even more calories. :) Though it is pretty rich to begin with.

Enjoy!