Southwest Chicken

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Large Onion, Chopped
1/8 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Butter/Margarine
2 Cups Salsa
3 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cups Uncooked Non-Instant Rice
Cheddar Cheese

In skillet, melt butter. Saute onion in butter until tender. Add broth and salsa and bring to a boil. Stir in rice and garlic powder. Place chicken over rice. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes. Turn chicken over. Stir rice. Cook an addition 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat. Sprinkle with cheese and cover and let sit for about 5 minutes.

Sesame Chicken

This delicious recipe came from Bryon's cousin. It has since become one of our family favorites.

5 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut into Bite Size Pieces
Flour
Peanut Oil

Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Coat in flour. Cook in a frying pan with peanut oil until chicken is done.

In a saucepan combine:
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
Cook on low just to melt sugar.

Add to Sauce:
1/2 Cup Chopped Green Onion
4 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds

Pour sauce over cooked chicken and serve over rice.

Marinated Asparagus

My kids love asparagus. Strange I know! I am not a huge asparagus fan. However, I have been getting lots of asparagus in my Bountiful Basket. I am always looking for a new way to cook asparagus. I found this recipe on the Internet and LOVED it. My kids, on the other hand, were not huge fans and prefer me to just boil it.

1 Pound Fresh Asparagus
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 1/2 Teaspoons Dill Weed

Remove the bottom third of the asparagus (woody part of the stalk) and discard. Place asparagus in casserole dish. Add remaining ingredients. Marinate at least 1 hour, turning frequently.

Place asparagus spears in a greased grill basket. Grill over hot coals until tender but still crunchy. YUMMY!

Nicer Dicer From QVC

I just have to tell you about the one kitchen utinsel I cannot live without. It is called the Nicer Dicer from QVC. I tried to post a picture of this product and I can't. If you are interested go to QVC and search for the Genius Nicer Dicer. It is a 7 piece product.I LOVE this product. I bought one a long time ago. It finally broke and so I bought a replacement. When we had the dancers here for the Dance Festival last summer the mom staying with us, wanted one so bad. We looked everywhere. The only place I have ever been able to see one like this and of this quality is off of QVC. I ended up giving her mine to take home to Japan and I ordered a new one that day. I cannot live without it. I use mine at least once a day. It is fabulous for chopping onions, green peppers, etc. I love the diffrent size blades. The other night I made a soup. I used the smaller blade to chop my green pepper and onion. I then used the medium sized blade to chop my zucchini as well as the carrots. This is such a time saver for me. It will cost you about $43, that includes shipping. It is worth every penny!

Beef & Biscuit Casserole

This is a recipe from my Grandma Pehrson. This serves about 4.

1 Pound Ground Beef
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Onion, Chopped
16 Ounce Can Pork and Beans
3/4 Cup Barbecue Sauce
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Refrigrated Biscuits (The big ones don't work. Just get the normal size)
1 Cup Mild Cheddar Cheese, Grated

Brown ground beef and onion. Drain off excess fat. Stir in pork and beans, barbecue sauce, brown sugar and salt and cheese. Heat until bubbles. Pour in a 2 quart casserole dish. Cut biscuits in half circles. Place cut side down around the edge of the casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Chicken Rolls

2 Packages Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Filling:
4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
8 Ounces Cream Cheese
2/3 Cups Canned Mushrooms, Drained
2 Stalks Celery, Chopped
2 Cups Chicken or Turkey, Cooked and Cubed
1/2 Small Onion, Chopped

In Another Bowl:
2/3 Cup Herb Dressing, Rolled Fine

Roll out 2 packages crescent rolls a little thinner. Put a couple of spoonfuls of filling on roll and roll up. Melt 3 Tablespoons margarine. Dip rolls in the margarine and then roll in the stuffing. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Serve with sauce made of Cream of Chicken Soup and milk.

Homemade Pizza

Another one of my favorites from my mom. I couldn't believe I haven't posted this one yet.

Crust:
1 Package Dry Yeast
1 Cup Warm Water
2 1/2 Cups Flour
2 Tablespoons Oil
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt

Sauce:
1 Can Mushroom Pieces
3 Small Cans Tomato Sauce
1 Tablespoon Dry Onions
1 Teaspoon Dry Parsley
1/2 Teaspoon Oregano
1 Teaspoon Basil
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in flour, oil, sugar, and salt. Beat about 25 strokes. Cover and let rest about 5 minutes while mixing sauce ingredients. With greased fingers, spread dough thinly on cookie sheet or pizza pan. Let rest at least 10 minutes. Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Take out top with sauce, favorite pizza toppings and cheddar cheese. Return to oven and bake 10 more minutes, just long enough to heat the toppings and melt the cheese.

Finger Steaks

This is a recipe from my mom. This is probably one of my favorite meals.

Batter:
2 Eggs
1 Cup Milk
2 Teaspoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 Teaspoon Seasoning Salt
1 1/2 Cups Flour

Beat eggs until fluffy. Add milk. Beat. Add sugar, salt, garlic salt, seasoning salt, and flour. The batter should be fairly thick. Cut round steak into bite-size pieces. Dip steak pieces in batter and deep fry at 375 degrees for 3-4 minutes on each side. You can dip them in steak sauce or barbecue sauce. I like to dip them in Ketchup. YUMMY!

Sweet & Sour Pork

My sister-in-law, Michele, is a fabulous cook. This is her recipe.

2 Pounds Boneless Pork, Cut into bite-size chunks
1 Onion, Sliced
3 to 4 Carrots, Peeled & Sliced
1 Can Pineapple Chunks

Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1/3 Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 Cup Pineapple Juice (from the can of pineapple listed above)
1/4 Cup Green Pepper, Chopped (I leave the green peppers out. YUCK!)
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

Cut the pork into small (bite-size) pieces. Then coat with a mixture of flour that's been salted and peppered. I usually just put some flour, salt and pepper and a gallon Ziplock bag. Then I throw in my meat and shake the bag until the pieces are well coated. Heat a little oil in an electric skillet, then add pork pieces. You just want them to "brown" on all sides if possible, so let it sit a few minutes, then stir and turn pieces, etc. until all the flour is "browned." The pork will not and should not be done at this point, just browned.

Next add all the onion and carrot pieces. You may need to add a tad more oil if the meat is sticking too much. Cover and let cook while you make the sauce.

Make sauce by mixing above ingredients well in a separate mixing bowl. Then pour ll the sauce into the skillet that contains the pork, onion and pineapple. Stir well and cover. Let everything cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the carrots are as tender as you'd like. Stir periodically, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a good spoon or a sturdy spatula. The sauce tends to get a little sticky.

Serve over rice.

Italian Chicken Soup

With all the cold weather lately, I decided to try a new soup recipe Monday night for dinner and my family loved it.

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Green Pepper, Diced
1 Small Onion, Chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Dried Basil
2 Teaspoons Fennel Seeds
1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Dried Red Pepper (the pizza peppers)
6 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Medium Zucchini, Diced
1 Carrot, Diced
1 10 Oz. Package Cheese Tortellini or Ravioli
1 1/2 Cups Chicken, Cooked & Diced
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper, onion, garlic, basil, fennel seeds and crushed red pepper and saute until vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth. Cover pot and simmer 10 minutes. Add zucchini and carrot. Cover and simmer until carrot is almost tender, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high and bring soup to boil. Add ravioli and boil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook just until heated through, about 1 minute. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls passing grated Parmesan cheese separately.