Sweet & Sour Chicken

When I was in high school, I made a cookbook for a Young Women in Excellence project. It was titled "A Recipe Book of Favorites". I collected all of my favorite recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner - typed them up and put them in a binder. That binder went to college with me and I have been grateful for it many many many times. However, in the almost-five years that David and I have been married - I've never once made this dinner for us. (Something to do with the fact that David doesn't like pineapple, soy sauce, or chinese food.) However, I've thought of it often and this week when I had a couple of peppers that needed to be used I decided to pull it out. Oh. My. Goodness. I can't believe that I have let so many years pass without enjoying this delectable goodness. I love it. I was immediately reminded why it made it into my recipe book of favorites. I'm pretty sure that the recipe came out of my family's old tattered copy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook. I love that cookbook. The pages are covered in grease/food and are all falling out but it has some of the most wonderful recipes. The new book isn't nearly as good. David didn't love it - for the reasons listed above - but he loves me and told me that I could make it whenever I wanted. Which I will be doing again soon. If you are looking for a delicious and fairly easy meal - this is it. SO good.  

Sweet & Sour Chicken
Source: Betty Crocket Cookbook/The Walker Family

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 can pineapple chunks, drained (reserve syrup)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp soy sauce
2 carrots cut diagonally into thin slices
1 red or green bell pepper, cut into 3/4" pieces
1/4 onion chunked

Directions:
Cut chicken into 3/4" pieces. Heat oil in fry pan(I use a high edged electric skillet),  add chicken and brown. Right before chicken is done, add onions. When onions are slightly see-through, remove onions and chicken, set aside and keep warm.

Add enough water to reserved pineapple syrup to measure two cups. Heat syrup mixture, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, soy sauce, and carrots in fry pan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are crisp-tender (about 6 minutes). Mix cornstarch and 2 tbs cold water; stir into sauce. Add chicken, pineapple, and green/red pepper. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Serve warm.

Caramel Apple Slices

I love caramel apples, however, I'm always a little disappointed in them for two reasons: they are hard to eat and they don't have the right apple to caramel ratio. These Caramel Apple Slices solve both of those problems and make a yummy and fun fall treat!  

Caramel Apple Slices

Ingredients: 

5 apples 

1 bag of caramels

1 cube chocolate almond bark

Directions: 

Cut apples in half and scoop out core. Melt caramel according to package direction. (Remove wrappers, place in microwave safe bowl with 1 tbs water, stir every 30 seconds until caramels melt.) Spoon melted caramel into the hollow apple and place in fridge to set up. Just prior to serving, cut apples into slices (this can get tricky - if the caramel pops out of the core just set it back in - it will set up nicely). Melt almond bark in microwave then transfer to a plastic baggie. Snip a small hole in the corner and drizzle over each apple slice. Enjoy!

 (Tip: Refrigerate until serving. It will make the caramel a little hard- but otherwise the caramel will start to melt like in these pictures. Originally the caramel was at the same level as the chocolate.)

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

This is one of my all time favorite party appetizers. I love the taste and texture. It's delicious with toasted baguettes or tortilla chips. The only sad part is that David doesn't like it - so I only really make it to take to a party where there will be other people who enjoy it as well. However, I just learned that it freezes really well, so I may just start making a batch and then freezing it in small portions so I can eat them whenever I'm in the mood. There are a million recipes out there but this one is fairly simple and so so good. (Also, I sometimes replace the mozzarella with cheddar if I want to keep my costs low.) 

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Source: Adapted from My Epicurean Adventures

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
14 oz marinated artichokes, chopped
1 box (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
* You can also saute fresh spinach and garlic instead of using frozen spinach.

Directions:
Chop artichokes and spinach. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and transfer to baking dish. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes, uncovered.

Ranch Chicken and Rice Soup

I found this from one of my favorite food blogs, Picky Palate. Its recipes are aimed at finding yummy foods that even picky eaters will like. We made it on a nice rainy fall evening and loved it very much. It's got a nice flavor and is super filling. Perfect when you need something delicious to warm you up.

Ranch Chicken and Rice Soup
Source: Picky Palate

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 Cups cooked rice
2 cans chicken broth
1 Tablespoon dry Ranch Dressing seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

Directions:
Heat oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat. When hot, saute onion, carrots and celery for 7-10 minutes or until softened slightly. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in chicken breast and rice then pour in chicken broth. Stir, then season with ranch seasoning, salt, pepper and add in Dijon. Reduce heat to low and simmer until serving. Taste and season accordingly.

Southwest Chicken Soup

My little sister Melissa introduced us to this recipe and it was an instant hit. My favorite thing is that you can double the chicken/bean mixture and freeze it for an easy weekday meal! Just defrost and add some chicken broth. We had a bad experience with a few recipes calling for salsa verde, and so I was skeptical even though this recipe technically calls for "Green Salsa." (Is that the same thing? We don't know.) But I was pleasantly surprised at the nice flavor, definitely not too spicy. Yum! 

Southwest Chicken Soup
Source: Melissa Walker

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded chicken
1 TBS El Paso Taco Seasoning
1 can White Beans, mashed
1/2 cup Green Salsa
1 red pepper, diced
34 oz chicken broth

Directions:
Cook and shred chicken. Place shredded chicken in frying pan, add taco seasoning and brown. Drain and mash white beans. (When mashing the beans, mash them really well. The inside of the beans serves to thicken the soup so you want all of the skins broken and mashed together.) Combine beans, green salsa, diced red pepper, and chicken. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer ten minutes. Serve with cheese and tortilla chips.

FREEZER MEAL
Before adding chicken broth, remove desired amount of chicken/bean mixture and place in a freezer bag. (You could also place in a tupperware container.) Freeze and store. When you are ready for a quick and delicious meal, defrost and add 2 cans of chicken broth. Simmer 10 minutes and serve!

Sweet Pork Salads {Costa Vida Copycat with Dr. Pepper}

When I was in college at Utah State, I had a roommate that worked at Costa Vida. She would bring home extra rice and chips and even more importantly she had a 40% discount (or something) that we used on a fairly regular basis. We loved it. To this day, thinking about digging in to a nice big Sweet Pork Salad from Costa Vida makes my mouth water! Unfortunately, our budget doesn't allow for frequent Costa Vida runs. However, for practically the same price as ONE salad - you can make your own Copycat Costa Vida meal for the whole family.

I absolutely love this meal and love that I can make it at home in my crock pot. To make our dollars stretch I try to do the following things: 

1- Buy the pork roast on sale. You can get a nice 2-3 lb roast for just a couple of bucks if you time it right. Wait for a $1.48 - $1.60/lb sale and then stock up. Pork roasts freeze well and you can use them for many things. Don't pay $3/lb. 

2-After the pork roast is cooked and shredded, but before you add all of your ingredients, pull out a tupperware-full of pork to use for BBQ Pork Sandwiches. (If you have a big family, you should only do this if you buy a big roast - but I still recommend it. It's a great way to get several meals out of one roast.)

3-Have the sweet pork on salads the first night and then use the leftover sweet pork in burritos a couple of nights later. Just add in the rice/beans and maybe a can of diced tomatoes if you need to stretch it. Wrap them up in tortillas and top with half a can of red enchilada sauce and some cheese. So yummy! 

Sweet Pork

Source: Adapted from New Day, New Dish

Ingredients:
2-3 lb. pork roast
1 (12 oz.) cans Dr. Pepper
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 jalapeno - seeded and chopped
2 carrots - shredded or finely chopped
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce

1/2 c. salsa
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 c. brown sugar

Directions:
Slightly thaw pork roast in microwave. Remove from packaging, rinse under running water, pat dry. Place roast in crock pot with 1/2 cup Dr. Pepper. Cook on high for 4-5 hours. Remove roast from crock pot and place in kitchen aid with paddle attachment. Run kitchen aid on medium speed to shred pork. (You may want to remove the large pieces, dump the small pieces back into the crock pot, and then continue to shred the large pieces to prevent the smaller pieces from becoming too tiny.) 

Place shredded pork back into crock pot and add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and cook 2-3 additional hours. 

Spray a frying pan with cooking spray and heat to medium heat. Place tortilla in pan and brown both sides. This only take 15-30 seconds, but it adds so much to your salad! Place rice, beans, meat and lettuce on top of tortilla and top with yummy cilantro ranch dressing. (Recipes below.)

I've tried many sweet pork recipes (you can find them all over the internet) - but this one is my favorite by far! However, I know that sometimes so many ingredients, and all of the chopping/prep work isn't really in the cards. So, this is my other favorite recipe which is much easier: 

Easy Sweet Pork 

Source: Six Sisters Stuff

3 lb. pork roast
16 oz. chunky salsa
1 can Dr. Pepper
2 c. brown sugar

Put pork in slow cooker and fill halfway with water. Cook 4 hours on high. Drain water, cut pork in thirds, mix together sauce and pour on top. Cook 4 more hours on low. Drain liquid and shred pork. Save a little liquid and mix it in with the pork so it is really moist.



Tomatillo/Cilantro Ranch Dressing
Source: Adapted from A Mommy's Life with a Touch of Yellow

Ingredients:
1 packet of buttermilk ranch dressing
1 Cup mayo/Miracle Whip
1 Cup buttermilk (the smallest carton is perfect)
1 bunch of cilantro (after you wash, make sure you pat dry)
2 tomatillos husked
1 jalapeno (take the rib and seeds out)
Garlic powder (just a few shakes)
juice from 1 lime

Directions:
Put the mayo, dressing mix, buttermilk, and garlic in a blender and mix until blended all together. Squeeze lime juice directly into the blender. Cut up tomatillos, jalapeno, cilantro and pat dry. Add to the blender and blend until everything is mixed together and creamy. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This can be stored in the fridge for several months - so don't throw your leftovers away. If it starts to separate - just shake it all back together.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Source: Favorite Family Recipes

(We don't always make this. Most of the time I just use regular white rice - but if I'm feeling fancy or want to go all out, I put this together and feel great about how easy it is. Also, as a side note- I never so anything special to my beans. I just open a can of black beans and a can of pinto beans and heat them up.) 

Ingredients
1 c. uncooked rice (long-grain, white rice)
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Directions.
In a rice cooker combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Cook until rice is tender. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

Zucchini Rounds

Zucchini and summer seem to go hand in hand. There are a million things that you can do with zucchini, but last night I wanted a simple side to go with our Macaroni and Cheese. I had lucked out earlier in the day and been given a zucchini by a neighbor (our zucchini plants were planted late and haven't started producing yet). I came up with these yummy guys, and I'm so glad that I did. We all loved them. David went back for seconds and thirds,  and Lydia kept signing "more". We will definitely be making these again. In fact, maybe tonight. Mmm....

Zucchini Rounds
Source: The Peaden Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/8 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:
Wash zucchini well and slice into rounds. Top with cheddar cheese and sprinkle a tiny bit of Italian bread crumbs on top. Bake at 350 (or you could probably even broil these) until cheese is melty and starting to brown. Serve hot.

Steamed Chicken Squash Rice

I've been wanting a steamer for a long time and David finally convinced me that we should just do it. So we bought a big steamer/rice cooker and I am so excited! We made this yummy dish by just throwing together a few things that we had and it was delicious. Very simple but had a good flavor. 

Steamed Chicken Squash Rice

Source: Taste of Home

Ingredients
4 chicken tenders
1 cup chicken broth + 1 cup water
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 medium yellow summer squash, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions
Combine rice, water, and broth in the bottom of the rice cooker. Place chicken in steaming tray, season with salt and pepper, and begin cooking. After ten minutes add sliced squash and zucchini to steaming tray. Cook until rice and chicken is done and vegetables are tender. Serve by placing chicken and vegetables on top of rice. 

Chicken Nachos

I found this yummy recipe from one of my most favorite real-life family food sites, Howe to Cook. It originally is meant to be put on rice or in a tortilla but we love to eat it on chips as a dinner version of nachos. Pop it in the crock pot in the morning or afternoon and then dinner comes together in minutes.  

  

Chicken Nachos

Source: Adapted from Howe to Cook. 

Ingredients:

2 cans corn, drained

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can diced green chilis

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1/2 jar salsa (1-2 cups)

{Tortilla Chips}

Directions:

Layer it in the order of the ingredients. Cook on low 3-7 hours (the greatest thing about this meal is that you can put it in three hours before dinner or in the morning before you leave. It won't hurt it to sit in the crock pot all day - it just makes the chicken even more tender.  Stir everything together, shred chicken using a fork, and serve on top of tortilla chips. 

We halved the recipe (just used one can of corn and beans) and added about 1/3 can of diced green chilis and it was perfect for the two of us. Yum!