pork chops and potatoes in mustard sauce

another sunday. another crock pot dinner. i got this one out of my "Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipes" book that wade bought me at sam's club eons ago for like mother's day of something. typical, i guess. it was a pretty good dinner. wade thought it a bit too mustardy, but i guess that's what you get when there's "mustard" in the title. if i were to make it again, i would decrease the amount of mustard (and i used spicy brown instead of the dijon, so i don't know if that made a difference) and maybe add another can of cream of mushroom soup. but i did love the sliced potatoes and onions. so i think i'd definitely try it again with some variations. but here it is, as is:

6 to 8 pork loin chops (i only used four)

2 T. vegetable oil

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/4 c. chicken broth (i actually used about 1/2 cup since my crock pot burns everything up)

1/4 c. dijon-style mustard

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1 clove garlic, minced or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. black pepper

6 medium sized potatoes, cut into thin slices

1 onion, sliced (i probably used less than half an onion)

In skillet, brown pork chops on both sides in hot oil. (I never use oil, just non-stick cooking spray.)

Mix soup, chicken broth, mustard, thyme, garlic, and pepper. Add potatoes and onion, stirring to coat. Place browned pork chops on top of potato mixture. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high 4 to 5 hours.

mac & cheese

So last night we went to out to eat at California Pizza Kitchen to celebrate Leigh's birthday. So no cooking for me. Instead, I want to post a recipe I made from Just Cook Already for homemade mac & cheese. It was real easy and had some sneaky ingredients to add in some extra veggies for the kids. My kids all loved it and Wade said he liked it better than my usual homemade mac and cheese (until I told him the secret ingredients anyway). Here it is:

Cheese Sauce:

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup Arborio rice {the stuff you use to make risotto}

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

6 cups cooked macaroni noodles

Instructions:

1. Place onion, carrots, rice and chicken stock in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. When rice is very tender, add grated cheese. Cool slightly and place in blender. Puree until smooth.

3. Pour sauce over cooked macaroni and mix well.

Makes 6 servings.

Sweet Crock Pot Roast

I LOVE this recipe and I've probably been making it for like 6 years. It's super easy and I usually serve it with mashed potatoes. I got the recipe from our 1st Abbey Church Cookbook (a compilation of recipes from all the girls at Abbey Church village when we were living in Ohio) and it's from Becky Whitney.

1 (3 to 5 lb.) beef roast

garlic salt, to taste

Garlic salt the roast and place in crock pot.

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

1 can beef gravy

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 T. vinegar (I usually use red-wine vinegar)

2 T. soy sauce

1 T. worcestershire sauce

Mix together and pour over roast. Cook on low-heat for 12 hours or high-heat for 6 to 7.

The recipe says to take the roast out when cooked, strain gravy to get rid of lump, and thicken with cornstarch and cold water mixture. However, I never even paid attention to this after making this many times, and so I've never bothered with straining and thickening the gravy. I just put the gravy in a gravy boat and serve directly over the roast and over mashed potatoes. Super yummy!

Sweet Mustard Roast

I made this last night. My original plan was to make it on Sunday for my weekly crock-pot, but we went to my brother-in-law's for dinner instead. Yeah for that! So I made it last night. I liked it ok, but I think it was mainly because it tasted dry. I don't know if it's because my crock-pot likes to fry things and I need to buy a smaller crock pot for smaller meals. And I have a super-favorite crock pot roast recipe that I like better (I'm going to post it next). So, I may or may not make it again. I got the recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking.

3 pounds beef or pork roast (I made beef)
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup dijon mustard (I only had spicy brown mustard)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons white vinegar

Use a 4 quart slow cooker. If you have a larger model, that's fine, but you won't need to cook it as long---I'd check after 5 hours on low.

Dump meat into cooker. Top with molasses, dijon, and vinegar. Toss in the garlic powder. Using tongs, flip the meat over a few times to coat it nicely with the sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for about 4.

French Dip Sandwiches

I made this a couple of weeks ago for friends and it was a big hit, so I decided to make it again tonight for the missionaries. I got this one from Just Cook Already. It is EASY and DELICIOUS.

Ingredients:
1 2.5-3 lb. beef roast
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
2 c. water
2 cans beef broth
8-10 large buns
swiss or provolone cheese, sliced.

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart.

When meat is ready, shred with a fork. Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty.Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

Balsamic Chicken Noodle Bowl

I found this one off of My Kitchen Cafe and I really liked it. Quick and easy and again I already had most of the ingredients on hand. It made LOTS (more than enough for my little family), but it should be good lunch leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 pound linguine (I used whole grain spaghetti from my chicken parmesan that I already had cooked, and it tasted great)
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips (next time I will add 2 peppers, probably a red and orange or yellow, I didn't think there were enough)
4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
5 garlic cloves, finely minced (I did 2 teaspoons minced)
½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil (can substitute 1 cup fresh basil)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 cups shredded or cubed mozzarella cheese
½ cup feta cheese

Directions:

Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until just tender according to package directions. Drain.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. When combined, slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is completely combined.

While the pasta is boiling, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the bell pepper. Cook briefly until crisp-tender. Add the cooked chicken and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until the chicken is heated through. I put 2 frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot earlier in the day with a cup of chicken broth (for flavor and so it is not dry). Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. I then shredded and added.

When the noodles have been drained, add the hot noodles to the skillet with the red pepper and chicken and toss. (I just mixed in a bowl because my skillet was not big enough) Add the shredded or cubed mozzarella and toss quickly to combine before the cheese melts. Pour the dressing over the top and toss with tongs to coat all the ingredients with the dressing. Top with feta cheese. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com as I was searching for a new stroganoff recipe. I love stroganoff, but was needing something new. I think Wade was bored of all my other recipes. Now, he may be sick of this one too, but I am not and I keep on making it. My kids even like it, especially Ella, but of course not Drew (who eats nothing but spaghetti and chicken nuggets).

1 T. butter

1 onion, chopped (I usually used minced onion since it's always around)

1 tsp. minced garlic

8 fresh mushrooms, sliced (I just buy a package of sliced mushrooms, that's a pound, I think)

2 tsp. curry powder

1 lb. beef top sirloin, thinly sliced (I usually just buy stew meat since it's easier)

2 cubes beef bouillion

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 (6 ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1/4 cup dried shiitake mushrooms

1 1/4 cups heavy cream (I usually use 2% milk or 1/2 and 1/2)

Now, I have never used the shiitake mushrooms or can of mushrooms. I don't think my kids would like the shiitake mushrooms and I think a pound of sliced fresh mushrooms is usually enough. But it would be interesting to try it with all the mushrooms.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and fresh mushrooms; cook until the onions are translucent. Stir in curry powder until well blended. Place the meat strips in the skillet, and fry until evenly browned.

Dissolve the bouillion cubes in the boiling water, then stir into the skillet, Add the mushroom stems and pieces and dried shiitake mushrooms. Let the mixture simmer over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes.

Reduce the heat under the skillet to low, and pour in the cream, stirring until the sauce is an even color. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Every time I make it, after the 20 minutes, most of the liquid is not evaporated. That may be because I'm not using the shiitake mushrooms that are probably absorbing some of the liquid. So after pouring in the milk or 1/2 and 1/2 or cream, I usually add some sour cream, like a half a cup. Then I whisk some water and cornstarch together and slowly add to the mixture to thicken it. I love the curry taste of this recipe.

Serve over noodles.

baked parmesan chicken

Another meal with ingredients I mostly have around. This is a HUGE hit with Chase, he ate it all. I got this from Just Cook Already, but modified it slightly. It calls for fresh thyme, basil and oregano, which I am sure tastes great, but I am lazy so I used dried - which still tastes great.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced - or 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 chicken breast halves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. melt butter with garlic over the stove. when butter starts to bubble, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir breadcrumbs, parmesan, thyme, basil, oregano and salt and pepper in bowl. Dip chicken halves in butter, and then in bread crumb mix. place chicken in baking dish. I sprinkle some extra bread crumb mix on top, and then drizzle with extra melted butter. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Serve with red sauce and pasta. I used whole grain spaghetti, which was great. And Matt had no clue it was whole grain.

Chicken and Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes

So one of my unwritten new years resolutions is to cook more often, meal plan each week, cook healthier and especially on Sundays, to try new crock pot recipes (since we have church from 1-4). Last night I made "Chicken and Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes" from "My Kitchen Cafe." It was pretty easy. I love making and trying new soups. The only thing I would change for my family is that no one (besides me, I guess) really loved the sweet potatoes. The kids wouldn't eat them and Wade didn't like them either. So next time, I would probably just substitute for regular potatoes. That said, it was a really flavorful, good soup that was easy to make. Ella even had leftovers for lunch (minus the sweet potatoes). Here's the recipe:

Chicken and Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes

adapted from Cook's Country
serves 6-8

3 cups whole milk (I just used 2%)
1 cup yellow corn muffin mix (Jiffy brand was recommended in the original recipe)
2 T. butter
1 onion, chopped fine (I didn't have an onion, so I used minced)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 " cubes
2 sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
3 cups frozen corn (not thawed)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix milk and muffin mix in bowl until well combined. Meanwhile, heat butter in large pot over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, chicken and sweet potatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sweet potatoes are just tender, about 8 minutes.

Stir in milk and muffin mixture and simmer until soup thickens, about 10 minutes.Add cheese and corn and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Honey Baked Chicken

With all of the rain this week, I never made it to the grocery store. This is a recipe that I ALWAYS have the ingredients for, and it is pretty good, and Chase eats it...which is a plus. It is pretty much the only thing I cooked all week. I got this one courtesy of Gay. Sorry no picture!

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast (2 - 4)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup prepared mustard (dijon tastes best, but any will do)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon curry powder (I usually add more just because I love curry)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut chicken breasts in halves or thirds to soak up more flavor and place in baking dish. Combine ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes - depending on size of chicken. You may want to baste the chicken every 10-15 minutes for more flavor.

I serve over rice with the extra juices.