"Cheater" Chicken Parmesan

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Amy, who is not a lazy chef at all.  So I am always very skeptical when she says things are "easy."  But this one really is!  Enjoy.

Ingredients:     

• 3 chicken breasts – cut into 6 cutlets
• 1 can Hunt’s spaghetti sauce (I used traditional)
• Provolone cheese slices (About 5)
• Bread crumbs
• Romano cheese –  about  ¾ -1 cup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Season cutlets with salt and pepper.  Sautee chicken in skillet just to get crusty.  Place browned chicken in 9X13 casserole dish.  Deglaze skillet with a little chicken broth and sauce.  Cut provolone cheese in half and lay over cutlets.  Pour sauce from pan and remainder from the can over chicken.  Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and romano cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes, uncovered.  Serve with angel hair pasta. Yum!

Handy tip: To reheat leftovers, warm chicken and sauce in covered skillet on med/med-low heat.

Garlic Herb Bubble Bread

I got this divine recipe from my friend, Christa Shaw.  I have made it twice now and still can't believe how delicious and EASY it is.  But warning: when I say garlic, I mean garlic.  My fingers stink for days after making it. :) 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/8 teaspoon each dried thyme, basil and rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 loaf (1 pound) frozen Rhodes bread dough, thawed

Directions:

• In a small bowl, combine cheese and seasonings. In another bowl, combine butter and garlic; set aside.
• Cut dough into 16 pieces. Roll into balls. Coat balls in butter/garlic mixture, then roll in cheese mixture. Place in a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 350° for 22-26 minutes or until golden brown. (Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly.) Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. 

YUM!  We made this for dinner with some friends, and the husband said it tasted like bread you go to a restaurant with mediocre food for just because the bread is so stinking good.  Enjoy.

Jessica's Banana Bread

This recipe comes to you courtesy of Jessica Haslam, via Sarah McKenna.  It is her mom's banana bread recipe, and it is Y.U.M.M.Y.  I can't wait to have it again!

Jessica's Banana Bread

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon soda

3/4 cup Buttermilk (Jess usually just adds lemon juice to regular milk.)

3-4 smashed "bad" bananas

1/2 cup walnuts (opitonal)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cream shortening and sugar.  Add eggs, salt, soda, bananas, flour and buttermilk.  Mix until smooth.  Add nuts if desired.  Grease and flour (baking PAM) two bread pans.  Bake two loaves at 350 degrees for 45 minutes - 1 hour.  Let cool and turn out of pan.

Genie's Chocolate Sauce

This recipe for homemade hot fudge sauce was contributed by Ann Brown via Sarah McKenna.  It is her grandma's recipe.  And it is divine!

Genie's Chocolate Sauce

6 oz (1 cup / half of a standard sized bag) of semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

1 1/3 cup evaporated milk (just under one full can)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Slowly melt chocolate chips and butter. Add other ingredients and boil for 8 minutes. Serve over ice cream or pound cake.

Top Ramen and Cabbage Salad

This recipe was contributed by Marie Newman via Sarah McKenna.  This seems to be a Mormon standard recipe.  It saves remarkably well overnight because the cabbage stays crisp.  Marie says that it is better if you put it together about two hours early so the dressing has time to soften the cabbage and ramen a bit.  Throw in chicken if you want a main dish or leave it out for a side salad.

Top Ramen and Cabbage Oriental Salad

2 cups cubed chicken, optional
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 med. head of cabbage
6 green onions
2 pkgs Ramen noodles, crushed

dressing:
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper
2 flavor packets from Ramen noodles

Broccoli Salad

I know that I'm always looking for cheap and easy side dishes to bring to the zillions of events at church and with church friends which ask for attendees to bring side dishes or desserts.  Not shockingly, I always bring a dessert.  It seems cheaper and easier to a junk food junkie like myself who always has sweets ingredients hanging around the house.  However, last week I went to an Easter Egg Hunt at a friend's and one of my friends, Michelle Leinweber, brought this cheap, easy, and---oh yeah---delicious broccoli salad.  It was a huge hit.  Next event . . . I'm bringing it!

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup craisins
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp vinegar
7 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

In a large bowl combine mayo, craisins, onion, sugar, and vinegar.  Add broccoli and stir to coat.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.  Before serving, stir in sunflower seeds and bacon.

Corn Bread

Contributed by Tia Sherwood.

This is so good that we call it corn bread cake. It makes and entire casserole dish, but doesn't half well b/c of the eggs.

1 cup margarine, melted

1 1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 cups flour

1 cup corn meal

4 tsps baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

Combine in a mixing bowl, pour into a 9x13 and bake for about 35 min.

Great with chili.

The McKenna Family's Spaghetti Meat Sauce

The McKenna Family's Spaghetti Meat Sauce 

a.k.a. "Special Sauce"
(as dubbed by Logan's mom when they were little)

This is an easy and yummy homemade spaghetti sauce.  It makes a LOT!  I doubled it last week and fed two couples that we had over for dinner (on two different nights!) and still had leftovers.  It freezes well.  Some of my friends sneak pureed veggies (broccoli, carrots, zucchini, etc.) into their spaghetti sauce to trick their kiddos into eating more veggies, and they say they can't even taste them.  I've never tried it, but it seems like a good idea and something you could definitely do with this recipe.

1 1/4 pounds ground beef
1 onion, diced
several Teaspoons olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic
2 cans tomato paste (short and skinny can)
2 cans tomato sauce (short and fat can)
2 cans diced tomatoes (regular sized can)
   To taste:
Basil
Oregano
Salt
Pepper

1.  Brown meat, drain.
2.  Throw in olive oil and onion (with meat) and cook until onion is soft.
3.  Add garlic and cook for 15 seconds (ONLY IF USING FRESH GARLIC, otherwise add garlic later with other spices).
4.  Add all tomatoes.
5.  Add spices.
6.  Bring to a boil.
7.  Simmer 1+ hours.