FAN FAVORITE RECIPES
Coming up with new dinner
ideas is a CONSTANT CHALLENGE for most of us. Finding one meal that
pleases an entire family is next to impossible, so when we do find dishes
that work we tend to over-use them. Well, be prepared to add to your
recipe library! TWO WEEKS OF DINNER IDEAS, or ten “tried and true”
recipes will be a regular feature in this year’s newsletter. Following
are my family’s favorites, which are easy to prepare and mostly healthy.
Week One
Roasted
chicken with tomatoes
Hamburger soup
Penne alla vodka
Chicken Piccata
Shrimp scampi
Week Two
Penne with sun dried tomatoes
and basil
Lazy tacos
Fish soup
BBQ pork
Lasagna
Roasted Chicken with Tomatoes
This recipe is so easy
but it looks like it took all day to prepare
4 chicken
breasts with rib meat
24 oz. cherry tomatoes (4 cups)
¼ c. olive oil
5 garlic cloves
1 ¼ t. crushed red pepper
2 t. marjoram
Mix tomatoes, oil, garlic, pepper and 1 t. marjoram in bowl. Place
chicken in baking pan and pour mixture over chicken and sprinkle with salt
and pepper. Bake at 450 degrees for 35 minutes. Sprinkle on remaining
marjoram.
Hamburger soup
I love this recipe
because it gets veggies into my kids and my husband!
1 ½ c. onions
¼ c. green peppers (minced)
1 garlic clove
2 T butter or oil
1.5 lb. ground beef
8 oz. minced mushrooms
2 c. grated carrots
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 46 oz. can V8 juice
1 can kidney beans
Cook pepper, onion and garlic in oil. Add beef and cook through. Add
mushrooms and carrots. Next add soup, juice, spices and beans. Bring to
a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Penne alla vodka
OK, not so healthy but
very yummy!
½ stick margarine
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
½ pint light cream
3 oz. vodka
Optional spices. Basil, red pepper flakes and black pepper
Sautee onion in
margarine and oil until transparent. Add remaining ingredients and simmer
for 30 minutes on low to medium heat. Serve over penne pasta or pasta of
choice.
Chicken Piccata
An easy version of
this classic dish
4 boneless
chicken breasts
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
½ t. lemon zest
½ t. paprika
1 T. olive oil
¼ c. lemon juice
½ c. white wine
½ c. chicken broth
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, quartered
¼ c. drained capers
Pound chicken with meat mallet until ¼ inch thick and season with salt and
pepper. In a shallow dish combine the flour, paprika, lemon zest and
garlic powder. Mix well and add chicken to coat. Remove Chicken from
flour mixture and brush off excess.
Heat oil in sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté on
both sides until golden brown and cooked through. Add lemon juice, wine
and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for five minutes until
the sauce thickens. Add artichoke hearts and capers and simmer for one
minute until warm. Serve with white or brown rice.
Shrimp scampi
This is also yummy
with scallops instead of shrimp
1.5 lbs. shrimp
2 T. butter
2. t. minced garlic
¼ c dry white wine
1 T. lemon juice
2 t. chopped parsley
¼ t. lemon zest
Heat butter in large pan and add shrimp. Cook for one minute, add garlic
and cook for another minute. Turn the shrimp over and cook for two
minutes. Take the shrimp out of the pan. Return the skillet to the pan
and add wine and lemon juice. Boil until it thickens. Add zest and
parsley to the pan. Add the shrimp to the mixture along with salt and
pepper and pour over linguine.
Penne with Sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli and basil
The only time my kids
agree to eat broccoli is when it’s in this dish
¼ c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 small bunch broccoli, cut into florets
1 8.5 oz. jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil
¾ lb. boneless chicken breasts or tenders, cut into thin strips
1 c. chicken broth
fresh basil to taste (aprox. ½ c. chopped)
Pasta (Penne)
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and green onions;
cook 30 seconds. Stir in broccoli and chicken pieces and cook until
tender. Meanwhile, have water boiling for pasta, grate cheese and chop
basil. Drain tomatoes and add to skillet along with chicken broth. Cover
and allow to simmer while the pasta cooks (10 to 12 minutes). Drain pasta
and toss with chicken, vegetable mix, grated cheese and basil.
Lazy Tacos
I make this salad for
get-togethers with friends and family, but it also makes a great main dish
1 head of iceberg lettuce
1 lb. ground
beef
½ green pepper, chopped
1 large tomato, diced
½ c. Scallions, chopped
Taco seasoning
1 c. cheddar cheese
Doritos
Italian dressing
Chop lettuce and put on the bottom of a large bowl. Add pepper, tomato,
scallions and taco meat. Next add the cheese, and half a bag of crunched
up Doritos. Thirty minutes before serving add half a bottle of Italian
dressing. Do not toss.
Fish Soup
This dish isn’t one
that I can get the kids to eat, but I had to include it because my husband
and I love it
4 T. oil
1 chopped onion
1 garlic cove
¼ c. celery
2 T. parsley
½ t. Italian seasoning
1 can tomato soup
2 T. tomato paste
1 ¼ c. hot water
1 can minced clams
1 can small shrimp
1 lb white fish
Cook oil, onion, garlic and celery. Add all remaining ingredience and
summer for 30 minutes.
BBQ Pork Roast
This is a slow
cooker/crock pot recipe. It’s perfect when you have late afternoon plans
and want to come home to a cooked meal.
Pork Roast (2
lbs. or more)
1 c. chopped onions
1 c. chopped green pepper
½ c. brown sugar
¼ c. vinegar
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 ½ T. chili powder
1 t. dry mustard
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. salt
Combine all
ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on high for eight hours.
Lasagna
This recipe can be
doubled for “extra-thick” lasagna
½ lb. Italian
sausage
½ lb ground beef
1 garlic clove
½ t. salt
½ c. dry red wine
2 15.5 oz. jars spaghetti sauce
1 16 oz. can tomato paste
1 16 oz. package lasagna noodles
2 eggs
2 c. ricotta cheese
½ c. grated parmesan cheese
2 T. parsley
dash of pepper
1 lb mozzarella cheese
Brown meat in a
skillet. Drain fat. Add garlic, salt and wine. Simmer for 3-to-5
minutes. Stir in sauce and tomato paste. Simmer and stir occasionally
for 10 to 15 minutes. Boil noodles as directed. In another bowl combine
eggs, ricotta, parmesan, parsley and pepper. In a greased 13-9-2 pan,
arrange a layer of noodles. Next spread a layer of ricotta mixture and a
layer of meat mixture and a layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat until all
ingredience are used, but save enough sauce to pour over the top and
finish with a top layer of mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30
minutes or until bubbly. |
