Leah's Slow Cooked Chicken

My new friend Leah e-mailed this recipe to me a couple weeks ago. I was so excited to put it on the menu. I used chicken thighs because I prefer them in the crock pot, but you can use breasts or a whole chicken cut up. I also used bone in thighs to give the sauce more flavor, when its done cooking you can just pull the bones out and throw them away. I used sun dried tomatoes that were in olive oil, next time I will rinse the oil off of them. I thought it tasted a little oily. Serve this over rice or noodles.

Ingredients:
8 skinless chicken thighs
3 oz sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons water



Make It:
Spray the inside of the crock pot with cooking spray. Put chicken thighs in first, then tomatoes, onion, olives, and basil. Pour chicken broth over top and stir lightly. Set on low for 8 hours. Turn crock pot on high and stir in cornstarch water mixture, recover for 10-20 minutes, till thickened. Taste and salt to your preference. Serve over noodles or rice and sprinkle with basil and parmesan. Enjoy!

Tortellini Toss

This is adapted from a pampered chef recipe. They do their's in the microwave. I just can't cook a dinner in the microwave. If you don't care for spinach, switch it out with broccoli or asparagus. You can use chicken instead of ham if you prefer. This is also a very quick dinner, if you make the sauce while the tortellini cooks, this will take 30 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 ham steak cut into cubes
1 container tortellini noodles, cooked
2/3 cup shredded parmesan
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
8 oz. spinach, cooked
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk


Make It:
Heat a large pot over medium high heat, add butter. Once butter is melted add garlic, cook for a minute. Add flour to pan, stir, cook for another minute. Pour milk in whisking to combine. Cook for a minute or two until thickened. Turn heat to low. Add ham and tortellini, stir to combine. Add spinach, cover pot for 2 minutes to wilt spinach. Stir in parmesan. Enjoy!

Shredded Beef with Onions

I made this beef in the crock pot so it is so easy. Perfect for sandwiches. Feel free to add more ingredients if you like. We put the beef on french rolls with cheese and dipped them in the au jus. Super Yummy!

Ingredients:
1 top sirloin roast, trimmed
3 small sweet onions, sliced
4 cups beef broth
salt and pepper to taste


Make It:
Put beef in crock pot first, then onions over the top of the beef. Add salt and pepper. Cover with beef broth, set on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Pull out meat and some onions and shred meat with forks. Add a little broth to the meat if it needs it. Now put on bread and eat as a sandwich or eat alone whatever you prefer.

To make au jus pour rest of broth and onions into a pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add a little worcesterchire  sauce, a little sherry wine, a little apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper. Allow to reduce by a little more than half. Serve next to sandwiches as a dip. Enjoy!

Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy

This recipe along with all my meatball recipes can be made with premade frozen meatballs, if you don't want to make your own. Also these meatballs can be made ahead and frozen, to use for a quick weeknight meal. You can also use more mushrooms if you prefer.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped italian parsley
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 container mushrooms, sliced
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups low sodium beef broth
1/4 to 1/2 cup low fat milk

Make It:
Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl mix together beef, parsley, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 teaspoons pepper, red pepper, parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic and egg. Stir until completely mixed together. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet. Meanwhile using a small scoop, put mixture into the palm of your hand and shape into a tight ball. Add to pan continue until pan is full. Brown meatballs on all sides. Move to a baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the mixture. Move baking sheet to oven. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until meatballs are cooked through. While meatballs are in the oven, heat a large pot over medium heat. Add butter to pan, once melted add mushrooms to pan. Once mushrooms are softened add flour to pan, stir to combine. Allow flour to cook for 1 minute add beef broth to pan, whisk to combine. Allow to cook and thicken, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Stir in milk, season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Remove meatballs from oven and add to gravy, stir lightly to combine. Serve over mashed potatoes or noodles. Enjoy!

Menu for May 3rd- May 9th

Well last week didn't up the way I planned, I ended up catching some kind of cold. So 2 of my recipes didn't get made, we had kfc and pizza instead, while I layed on the couch and hoped to get better. I have for the most part made a full recovery, still tired though. We did make it to the choctaw festival which the the kids and I really enjoyed. This week we have Cinco de Mayo and Mother's Day! Kili also has her final book report of the year to turn in, a diorama, she is very excited. I'm glad that she didn't get the fear of public speaking that I have. She loves to stand up in front and talk! For Cinco de Mayo i'm going to pick up tacos from Las Salsas. Even though I make good tacos, their little tacos can't be beat! And we will have margaritas of course. I have no clue what we will have on Mother's Day, but I will be relaxing and enjoying being a mom. On the menu this week I have one adapted recipe from pampered chef, one recipe from a new friend, one new recipe of my own, and a twist on a old favorite.


Monday- Tortellini Toss, broccoli
Tuesday- Open Faced Patty Melt on Texas Toast, fries, green salad
Wednesday- Cinco de Mayo- Tacos and Margaritas
Thursday- Leah's Slow Cooked Chicken, Parmesan Bow Ties, butter carrots
Friday- Steak, mashed potatoes, asparagus
Saturday- Orange Shrimp, rice pilaf, peas
Sunday- Mother's Day


Dessert of the Week: Peanut Butter Cookies

Chicken Etti

While watching an episode of 19 kids and counting, Anna the wife of the oldest Duggar son made this for dinner. I thought the name was so clever, short for chicken spaghetti. The ingredients she used are all things our house enjoys so I thought I would adapt and make my own chicken etti. Hopefully you will enjoy it too.

Ingredients:
1/2 package cooked spaghetti
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 ounces cut up velveeta
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 green bell pepper chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
1 can rotel
2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese


Make It:
Heat a large pan over medium heat, spray with pam. Add peppers and onions to pan, cook and stir until softened. Stir in soup, rotel and velveeta, cook and stir until combined and velveeta is melted. Add chicken and broth to pan, stir to combine. Stir noodles into sauce, making sure all noodles are coated. Sprinkle cheese over top and cover pan until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Menu for April 26th - May 2nd

Wow we had a busy weekend. Last weeks menu got all mixed up, thats why I didn't post any new recipes. Should be a normal week, then the choctaw festival on saturday. I bought a magazine last week called clean eating and I really enjoyed, so gradually i'm going to start changing the way I do some of my recipes. If I do a big change the kids and hubby will freak out. It involves eating mainly whole grains and nothing thats over processed. Lets be honest though we are never going to give up flour and sugar. I don't want to be extreme, just a little healthier. We didn't get a chance to go by the farmers market this week, so its on schedule for next week. I also got a request for more fast dinners, so i'm working in that. I'm not sure homemade and fast go together but I can try.


Monday- Meatballs with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes. carrot sticks
Tuesday- Chicken Etti, green salad
Wednesday- Migas, fruit salad
Thursday- Chicken with Broccoli Stir Fry, ramen noodles
Friday- Sushi
Saturday- Onion Steak(crock pot), rice pilaf, asparagus
Sunday- Stuffed Shells, garlic bread, green salad

Dessert of the Week: Peanut Butter Cup Cookies