Southern Dinner

Tonight we had what I would call a Southern Dinner. Pork chops, homemade macaroni and cheese, and green beans. My sister in law sent me a recipe for crock pot macaroni and cheese last week. At first I thought she was crazy but every recipe she has sent me has been a keeper, so I added it to our menu this week. Tonight we invited our friend and her two kids over for dinner since her hubby is out of town so I thought the mac and cheese would be a winner with the kids. And it was! Now please let me say this is not a healthy recipe by any means but I think it is just fine to have a little splurge every once in a while. Everything in moderation, right?

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
1/2 of a 16oz box elbow macaroni
1 cup chedder cheese soup
1 14 oz. can of evaporated milk
1 cup milk
3 cups cheddar cheese
1/2 stick butter
salt and pepper to taste

Cook macaroni on the stove until 1/2 way done (should still be chewy). Spray cooking spray in crockpot. Drain macaroni and pour into crockpot. Stir in all other ingredients. Cook on low for 2-2 1/2 hours or high for 1-1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally.

*My can of evaporated milk was only 11 or 12 ounces and it worked great.


I love it when Phillip grills. He does a great job and generally the kitchen clean up is easier. I found this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe last year and we have made these pork chops several times. They are so moist and flavorful, even though there are only three ingredients. You should give them a try!

Grilled Pork Chops

4 bone in, thick cut pork chops
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon steak seasoning (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning)

Mix olive oil, soy sauce and steak seasoning in a one-gallon resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate the pork chops for 3-8 hours (no more than 8) flipping the bag over every couple hours to redistribute the marinade. Heat the grill to medium and grill the chops 8-10 minutes per side (depending on how thick they are) until they are no longer pink in the center. Let the pork chops rest for several minutes to help retain their moisture.

Kabobs

We love grilling! Phillip is great at it and we all enjoy eating it. We are known to grill all year round, in all kinds of weather. Rain or shine, sunshine or flash light! Kabobs are one of our new favorite grilled items. They are even good for a weekday meal since I can have everything ready to go when Phillip gets home and they only take 15-20 minutes to cook. Plus it means less clean up in the kitchen. It doesn't get much better than that!


Honey Kabobs

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic
1-2 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
1-2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 8oz package of whole mushrooms
4 Chicken Breast or 2 Steaks, cut into 2 inch cubes
Skewers

Combine oil, honey, soy sauce, pepper, and garlic in a gallon zip bag. Add meat and vegetables then turn to coat. Place in refrigerator for a minimum of two hours, all day is best. Turn the bag over every couple hours to redistribute the marinade.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
Pour off remaining marinade and discard. Thread the vegetables and meat on the skewers, keeping a little space between each item so they will cook evenly all around.

Place skewers on grill and cook 12-15 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Turning over half way through for even cooking.


*If using wooden skewers- An hour before preparing kabobs place the wooden skewers in a shallow baking dish of water to soak. This will prevent your skewers from burning.

PB&J Pies

Do you ever feel like you fix the same thing for lunch everyday? I struggle with what to fix for the three of us for lunch. I want something that is quick and healthy and I don't want a big mess to clean up after lunch.
I've seen varying versions of homemade pop tarts on line and I had some refrigerated pie crust that was going to expire so I thought I would throw little PB&J pies together for our lunch.

I took a couple tablespoons of peanut butter and a couple tablespoons of jelly and mixed it together in a small bowl. I then unrolled one refrigerated pie crust and made one horizontal cut and one vertical cut.


Next I spread a small amount in the middle of each of the sections being careful to leave enough room on the edge to crimp them. After the filling was spread I folded them in half to form a triangle and crimped the open seams with a fork to form a seal.


Then I baked them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (that way I don't have to wash the baking sheet :) ) in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes until they were golden brown.


They were a nice change from the same 'ol pb&j. Aubrey even mumbled "yum yum" when she took a bite. Something that rarely ever comes out of her mouth unless it's sweets!

Do you have any good kid friendly lunch ideas?

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

A couple years ago we were invited to lunch after church by some sweet friends. She served Creamy Tomato Basil Soup and it was wonderful! I have been making it on a regular basis since then, Ashlyn even requests it! We normally enjoy it with a side of toasty grilled cheese sandwiches. Such a quick, easy, and satisfying meal!


Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

6 cups Tomato juice
1 large can crushed tomatoes
15 leaves fresh basil or 1 1/2 to 2 Tbl dried basil
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 stick butter

In a large pot combine tomato juice, crushed tomatoes, and basil. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Stir in whipping cream and butter. Heat until butter is melted and cream is heated, do not bring to a boil. Salt and pepper to taste. (I don't add salt, the tomato juice is salty enough for our taste)

*This makes enough for three meals for our little family. I always freeze two portions in quart freezer bags which makes for wonderful weekend lunches or quick week night meals.

A Fall Dinner

Today was pretty cool and overcast. I was so glad I put Taco Soup on the menu for today when I made my menu last week and also had all the ingredients to make a new pumpkin bread recipe. The perfect meal for a chilly day!


Paula Deen's Taco Soup

2lb Ground beef
2 Cups diced onion
2 Cans Pinto beans
1 Can light kidney beans
1 Can corn, drained
1 Can Mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 Can chopped tomatoes
1 Can tomatoes with chiles
2 Cans diced green chiles
1 Packet Taco seasoning
1 Packet Ranch Dressing Mix

Brown ground beef and onion together until beef is cooked through. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on low in crockpot for 6 hours or on stove on a low simmer for 1 hour.
Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, and jalapenos.



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

2 ½ cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2/3 cup water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans or three 8×4-inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together canned pumpkin, oil, eggs and 2/3 cup water until well combined and stir into dry ingredients, just until the dry ingredients are moistened and no dry streaks remain. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter in prepared pans.

Bake the bread for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Run a knife gently around the edge of the bread and turn the bread out, right side up, onto a wire rack to cool completely.

*Recipe taken from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Both girls gobbled up the Pumpkin bread! The fact that pumpkin is so good for you makes me feel better about serving them dessert tonight. Plus the big grin Aubrey flashed me when she placed the first piece in her mouth made her momma's heart melt.

What's for Dinner?

My sister-in-law, Heather, gave me this recipe a couple years ago and it has become one of our favorites. I think it was originally a Rachel Ray recipe but we have both made little tweaks to it. It tastes best with fresh herbs so I was excited to use our fresh basil and mint from our little herb garden in our backyard this week.

Lemon Chicken with Sweet Peas and Mint Couscous

2 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock (divided)
1/2 Cup Frozen Sweet Peas
1 1/2 Cup Couscous
3-4 Tbl Olive Oil (or enough to coat bottom of pan)
1 Cup Flour
Salt & Pepper
Juice of two Lemons
1 1/2-2 lbs boneless, skinless Chicken Breast
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbl Butter
10 Basil Leaves, Chopped
10 Mint Leaves, Chopped

In a sauce pan bring 1 1/2 cups chicken stock to a boil. Add peas, couscous, and mint. Place lid on pot and let sit 5 minutes.
Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Cube chicken into 1 inch pieces and coat with flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Cook chicken until browned and cooked through. Add remaining chicken stock to pan and gently stir to scrape browned bits from pan. Once stock is heated through add butter, lemon juice, garlic, and basil. Heat until butter is melted and thickens slightly.
Fluff couscous with a fork and serve chicken and broth over couscous.

(This can definitely be made without the mint. Most of the time I make it without.)

What's for dinner?

Last night we had Roast Tacos for dinner. After I had Aubrey my sweet friend Jennifer brought us Roast Tacos for dinner, they were so good! She gave me the recipe and I have made them several times since. They are super easy and make a ton. The left overs freeze really well which makes me like them even more. You can serve the meat with tortillas wrapped up with cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and tomatoes or over chips to make a taco salad or even over a baked potato.


Roast Tacos
1 Rump Roast (1-2lbs)
2 Cans Pinto Beans (no not drain)
1 Packet Taco Seasoning
1 Can Rotel

Combine all the ingredients in a crockpot. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or 4 hours on high. Before serving use two forks to shred the beef.


There is nothing more comforting at our house than warm homemade tortillas! This recipe is from a family friend in South Texas. It's the real thing!
I used to roll out my tortillas with a rolling pin which takes for-ev-er and they were never anything close to round. Then one afternoon Phillip and I were watching TV and saw this guy making tortillas with a tortilla press. I told Phillip I HAD to have one of those. So we made a deal that he would buy me one if I made tortillas on a regular basis. And I can honestly say I have kept my end of the deal. Phillip got mine on Ebay for around $10, I think Target has them on-line also.

Tortillas
2 Cups Flour
2 t Baking Powder
3/4 t Salt
1/3 Cup Crisco
3/4 Cup HOT water

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cut in Crisco. Pour in hot water and mix until well combined. (The hotter the water you can stand to mix with your hands the better) Form dough into 12 equal balls and set aside. (A little bigger than a golf ball) Roll each ball into a thin circle. Place tortilla on a hot, un-greased skillet. Flip tortilla when the bottom starts to dry and brown spots start to appear.
I use a cast iron griddle. You can also use an electric skillet with great results. You want the griddle to be on medium to medium/high heat. The tortillas need to cook quickly or they will be a bit hard.

Cooking and Crafts

Ashlyn got water colors from her Sunday school teacher for Christmas this year. She had a blast painting today! She totally understood that you first have to dip your brush in water then in the color tray. I used her "masterpieces" to make thank you cards to her friends from her birthday party.



I cooked a family favorite for dinner tonight. Roasted chicken, yum! It always turns out so tender and flavorful with crisp skin. Ashlyn will eat as much chicken as I do. Plus, there is always left over chicken to pull off the bone and use in another recipe. I also made creamed corn as one of our sides. This is a Johnson family staple during the holidays. It's not the most healthy thing on your plate, but oh man is it good. Canned creamed corn doesn't even compare!! I thought I would share the recipes with you!

Roast Sticky Chicken

2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 onion peeled and quartered
1 whole chicken

In a small bowl mix all seasonings. Pat chicken dry, rub inside and out with seasonings. Place onion in cavity of chicken. Place in refrigerator covered overnight or at least 4-6 hours.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees
Cook uncovered in a roasting pan for 4 hours. Let chicken stand 10 minutes before carving.
(I have seasoned and cooked the chicken without letting it stand in the refrigerator and it still turns out great)

Creamed Corn

1 20 oz Pkg frozen corn
1 Cup milk
1 Cup heavy whipping cream
2-3 Tbl sugar (to preferred taste)
1 tsp salt
3 Tbl flour

Boil corn in medium sauce pan until tender. Drain water and return corn to sauce pan. In a small bowl stir flour into milk until lumps are worked out. Pour milk/flour mixture, heavy cream, sugar, and salt into corn. Simmer on medium low until thickened.