Easy Onion Chopping
One of the many things my Mom taught me about cooking was – How to Easily Chop an Onion.
Slice onion almost all the way through, but not quite.
Turn onion the other direction and slice.
Turn onion on its side and slice – the onion magically falls into nice little pieces. Ta – Da!
Funeral Potatoes
We all know this recipe to be called Funeral Potatoes. A good friend of mine preferred to call them Party Potatoes. She said that it sounded happier. She passed away way too early and I think of Jeanette every time that I make them.
1 cup fat-free sour cream
2 cans 98% fat-free chicken soup
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
2 tsp. green onions, minced
1 – 1 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. garlic granules
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. no-salt seasoning
Mix above ingredients together.
(I was making these for a crowd, so these pictures are a double recipe. My family insists on having these whenever we get together.)
2 pounds hash browns, either cubed or shredded – thawed (the OreIda bag has 1 lb. 14 oz., which works just fine.
Mix in thawed hash browns. If you don’t thaw them ahead of time, the soup mixture freezes to the potatoes and it makes it really hard to stir together.
Put in a buttered 9 x 13 inch pan.
Topping:
1 cup crunched corn flakes
2 – 3 T. melted butter
I find it easy to put the corn flakes in a zip lock bag, crunch them up, then add melted butter. Mix these together and sprinkle on top of potatoes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 – 60 minutes until hot all the way through.
FULL RECIPE WITHOUT PICTURES
FUNERAL POTATOES
2 pounds hash browns, either cubed or shredded – thawed
1 cup fat-free sour cream
2 cans 98% fat-free chicken soup
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
2 tsp. green onions, minced or green onions, minced
1 tsp. – 1 1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. garlic granules
1/4 tsp. – 1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. no-salt seasoning
Mix above ingredients together.
2 pounds hash browns, either cubed or shredded – thawed (the OreIda bag has 1 lb. 14 oz., which works just fine.
Mix in thawed hash browns. If you don’t thaw them ahead of time, the soup mixture freezes to the potatoes and it makes it really hard to stir together.
Topping:
1 cup crunched corn flakes
2 – 3 T. melted butter
Mix these together and sprinkle on top.
Bake at 350 for 45 – 60 minutes until hot all the way through.
Ken’s Clam Dip
Our family and friends love this Clam Dip. It is a standard staple at all our family gatherings.
The ingredients listed makes a large bowl – approximately 6 cups.
16 oz. fat free sour cream
24 oz. light mayonnaise – not Miracle Whip. We use Best Foods Light.
5 – 6 cans clams, (6.5 oz.) drained. Reserve juice from one can.
1 1/2 T. clam juice
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 T. garlic granules
1 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. no salt seasoning
Mix all ingredients and chill over night. Serve with crinkled potato chips.
Note: An easy way to measure out 24 oz. of mayonnaise is to empty 16 oz. of sour cream into the bowl first and then fill that same sour cream container with mayonnaise 1 1/2 times.
Recipe Source: Ken Allred
FULL RECIPE WITHOUT PICTURES
KEN’S CLAM DIP
16 oz. sour cream
24 oz. mayonnaise – not Miracle Whip. We use Best Foods Light
5 – 6 cans clams, (6.5 oz.) drained. Reserve juice from one can.
1 1/2 T. clam juice
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 T. garlic granules
1 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. no salt seasoning
Mix all ingredients and chill over night. Serve with crinkled potato chips.
Note: An easy way to measure out 24 oz. of mayonnaise is to empty 16 oz. of sour cream into the bowl first and then fill that same sour cream container with mayonnaise 1 1/2 times.
Recipe Source: Ken Allred
Caramel Brownies
Caramel and chocolate TOGETHER!!!! You will think you have died and gone to heaven! These brownies are absoluely the best!!! And only 5 ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1 box German chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup melted butter
Mix together the dry cake mix, butter, and evaporated milk.
(In this picture I just softened the butter and it mixed in just fine.)
Press half of this mixture into the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan. No need to grease pan.
Bake for 6 minutes.
1 cup milk chocolate chips (Guittard or other large chips)
When you take this out of the oven, sprinkle chocolate chips over baked crust.
14 oz. package caramels
1/3 cup evaporated milk
Melt caramels with 1/3 cup evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat.
Drizzle caramel over chocolate chips.
Take remaining dough and spoon small pieces over the caramel. Cover the best you can but it is ok to leave small spaces.
Bake for 16 – 18 minutes.
Cool for a little bit and then refrigerate approximately 30 minutes to set the caramel.
Recipe Source: Sisters Cafe
FULL RECIPE WITHOUT PICTURES
CARAMEL BROWNIES
1 box German chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup melted butter
14 oz. package caramels
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup milk chocolate chips (Guittard or other large chips)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the dry cake mix, butter, and evaporated milk. Press half of this mixture into the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan. No need to grease pan.
Bake for 6 minutes.
When you take this out of the oven, sprinkle chocolate chips over baked crust.
Melt caramels with 1/3 cup evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat.
Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked crust.
Drizzle caramel over chocolate chips.
Take remaining dough and spoon small pieces over the caramel. Cover the best you can but it is ok to leave small spaces.
Bake for 16 -18 minutes.
Cool for a little bit and then refrigerate approximately 30 minutes to set the caramel.
Recipe Source: Sisters Cafe
Creamy Parmesan Tilapia
Creamy, cheesy, this broiled tilapia with parmesan cream sauce is a healthy, delicious dish. Extra bonus – it is quick and easy! 5 minutes to prepare – less than 20 minutes to cook.
Preheat the oven’s broiler. Spray your casserole pan with non-stick cooking spray. (You can line it with foil and then spray it to save some clean up time) Some tilapia is thin and flat, other tilapia pieces are thick and skinny. You want to use a pan that will allow the pieces to be in there snug but not overlapping, if you can help it. You don’t want the yummy cheese sauce to burn off so, don’t have a lot of “leftover” space in the pan. This is also where the foil can help. Form it up around the fish.
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. butter or Brummel & Brown soft butter
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic granules
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients, except the fish fillets.
4 – 4 oz. tilapia fillets
Arrange fillets in a single layer in the pan. Broil a few inches from the heat – about 6 minutes on each side – less if they are the thin pieces.
Remove from the oven and top each piece with the cheese mixture.
Broil for about 5 minutes more until the topping is creamy and slightly browned.
Recipe Source: Revised from LaaLoosh
CREAMY PARMESAN TILAPIA
4 – 4 oz. tilapia fillets
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. butter or Brummel & Brown soft butter
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic granules
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
Preheat the oven’s broiler. Spray your casserole pan with non-stick cooking spray. (You can line it with foil and then spray it to save some clean up time) Some tilapia is thin and flat, other tilapia pieces are thick and skinny. You want to use a pan that will allow the pieces to be in there snug but not overlapping, if you can help it. You don’t want the yummy cheese sauce to burn off so, don’t have a lot of “leftover” space in the pan. This is also where the foil can help. Form it up around the fish.
In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients, except the fish fillets.
Arrange fillets in a single layer in the pan. Broil a few inches from the heat – about 6 minutes on each side – less if they are the thin pieces.
Remove from the oven and top each piece with the cheese mixture.
Broil for about 5 minutes more until the topping is creamy and slightly browned.
Recipe Source: Revised from LaaLoosh
Blondies
This is such a delicious change from your typical brownie. It is especially good for that person who does not like chocolate. These make me think of my father-in-law every time I make them because he loves them so much.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
Cream brown sugar, margarine and vanilla.
4 eggs
Add eggs. Blend well.
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
Add salt and baking powder.
1 1/2 cups flour
Add flour.
1 cup of nuts (optional)
Stir in nuts, if desired.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
It is normal for the sides to rise more than the middle.
After blondies are completely cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar. ENJOY!!
FULL RECIPE WITHOUT PICTURES
BLONDIES
This is such a delicious change from your typical brownie. It is especially good for that person who does not like chocolate. These make me think of my father-in-law every time I make them because he loves them so much. I’ll have to take him some.
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup of nuts (optional)
powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.
Cream brown sugar, margarine and vanilla.
Add eggs. Blend well.
Add salt, baking powder and flour.
Stir in nuts, if desired.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. It is normal for the sides to rise more than the middle.
After blondies are completely cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar. ENJOY!!
Cleaning Products Door
Thanks again to Pinterest for this awesome idea. Simply hang a shoe bag over the back of a door. Ours is in the laundry room. We love that all these products are not “lost” undeer the kitchen sink. It is so easy to have everything at our fingertips.
Spinach Stuffed Pork Chops
Pictures shown are for half the recipe. Also, I used canned mushrooms this time around and mushroom gravy. The pork is pork tenderloins but any thick cut pork chops are just fine.
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach
Thaw spinach and squeeze out the excess water between paper towels. Set aside.
This isn’t a very attractive picture but I have found this method works the best for getting all the water out of the spinach.
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic, fresh or bottled
3/4 cup chopped mushrooms, fresh or canned
1/2 tsp. bon appetit seasoning
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Heat oil in a non-stick skillet. Add chopped onion, gralic, chopped mushrooms, bon appetit seasoning, pepper and nutmeg and saute over medium heat until onions are tender.
Remove from heat and add this mixture to the spinach and combine.
4 center cut pork chops, at least 1 inch thick
Trim any fat off of the pork chops. Cut a pocket into each pork chop and stuff with the spinach mixture. Secure with toothpicks.
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. italian seasoning
dash bon appetit
Heat oil in skillet at medium to medium high heat. Sprinkle oil with italian seasoning and bon appetit.
Brown chops in hot oil on both sides.
When chops are brown, transfer to a baking dish.
1 1/2 cups fat-free chicken broth
3 T. marsala wine or apple juice
Add chicken broth and wine/apple juice to the skillet. Stir for a minute to collect any drippings from the pan.
Pour over pork chops.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 5 – 15 minutes or until done. This additional time depends on the thickness of your chops. You can check this with a meat thermometer – should read 165 degrees.
Remove chops to serving platter. Don’t forget to remove the toothpicks!
2 T. dry pork, mushroom or brown gravy mix – really, any flavor is great.
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, fresh or canned
Return juices to the skillet, add pork gravy mix and sliced mushrooms. Simmer until gravy thickens and mushrooms are tender. Pour over pork chops.
SPINACH STUFFED PORK CHOPS pictured with Oven Roasted Asparagus – recipe in this blog.
FULL RECIPE WITHOUT PICTURES –
SPINACH STUFFED PORK CHOPS
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach
Thaw spinach and squeeze out the excess water between paper towels. Set aside.
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic, fresh or bottled
3/4 cup chopped mushrooms, fresh or canned
1/2 tsp. bon appetit seasoning
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Heat oil in a non-stick skillet. Add chopped onion, garlic, chopped mushrooms, bon appetit seasoning, pepper and nutmeg and saute over medium heat until onions are tender.
Remove from heat and add this mixture to the spinach and combine.
4 center cut pork chops, at least 1 inch thick
Trim any fat off of the pork chops. Cut a pocket into each pork chop and stuff with the spinach mixture. Secure openings with toothpicks.
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. italian seasoning
dash bon appetit
Heat oil in skillet at medium to medium high heat. Sprinkle oil with italian seasoning and bon appetit
1 1/2 cups fat-free chicken broth
3 T. marsala wine or apple juice
Add chicken broth and wine/apple juice to the skillet. Stir for a minute to collect any drippings from the pan. Pour over pork chops.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 5 – 15 minutes or until done. This additional time depends on the thickness of your chops. You can check this with a meat thermometer – should read 165 degrees.
Remove chops to serving platter. Don’t forget to remove the toothpicks!
2 T. dry pork, mushroom or brown gravy mix – really, any flavor is great.
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, fresh or canned
Return juices to the skillet, add pork gravy mix and sliced mushrooms. Simmer until gravy thickens and mushrooms are tender. Pour over pork chops.
Oven Roasted Asparagus
This is such an easy and elegant way to serve asparagus. The asparagus gets a slightly nutty flavor after roasting, which makes it even more delicious.
Why should you be eating asparagus? Asparagus is high in Folic Acid and is a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamins A, B6 and C.
Oven Roasted Asparagus pictured with Spinach Stuffed Pork Chops.
Desired amount of Asparagus
We learned this awesome tip from Rachel Ray. Bend each piece of asparagus separately and it will magically break right where the woody part starts, leaving you with the tender stem of the asparagus.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Olive oil
Pour a tiny bit of olive oil on asparagus and mix them around with your hands so each piece is coated with olive oil. The olive oil will spread quite easily so use a very small amount. Or, lightly spritz asparagus spears with olive oil.
Salt
Dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix (optional)
Roasted Slivered Almonds (optional)
Lay asparagus spears on a cookie sheet, preferably in a single layer. Sprinkle with a little salt. You can also sprinkle with dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix for a delicious flavor. We also love to sprinkle on some roasted almonds.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your stalks and how tender you like them. They should be tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
Like this:
Savory Chicken Stuffing Bake
(I used chicken tenders this time around.)
1 package (6 oz.) Chicken Stove-Top Stuffing mix
Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions using only 2 T. of margarine instead of the 4 T. that is called for on the box. Do not let it stand as directed on package.
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup (or mushroom)
1/3 cup milk (milk can be omitted if you want a thicker sauce)
1 tsp. parsley
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic granules
1/2 tsp. onion powder
Combine soup, milk and seasonings.
At the last minute, we decided to add the seasonings – not shown in the picture.
6 skinless boneless chicken breasts (or equivalent chicken tenders)
In a 9 x 13 pan, arrange 3 pieces of chicken on each side and spoon stuffing down the middle. Pour soup mixture over the chicken. Cover with foil.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes or until chicken is done.
Makes 6 servings
Recipe Source: Revised from Campbell’s Deliciously Easy Recipes – page 32
Food Storage: All ingredients, except the chicken can be stored in your pantry.
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup (or mushroom)
1/3 cup milk (milk can be omitted if you want a thicker sauce)
1 tsp. parsley
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic granules
1/2 tsp. onion powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions using only 2 T. of margarine instead of the 4 T. that is called for on the box. Do not let it stand as directed on package.
In a 9 x 13 pan, arrange 3 pieces of chicken on each side and spoon stuffing down the middle.
Combine soup, milk, parsley and seasonings.
Pour over chicken and cover with foil.
Bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more or until chicken is done.
Makes 6 servings
Recipe Source: Revised from Campbell’s Deliciously Easy Recipes – page 32
Food Storage: All ingredients, except the chicken can be stored in your pantry.
No Meals on Wheels 