Honey-Mustard Baked Chicken

Honey-mustard baked chicken is an easy way to bake chicken breasts. While it does require an hour of cooking in the oven, the marinade preparation will only take 10 minutes. This goes great with creamy Italian noodles: http://homecookedgourmet.blogspot.com/2012/10/creamy-italian-noodles.html

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Place chicken in a large shallow baking pan.
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter; stir in remaining ingredients and heat through
3. Brush glaze over chicken.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or 1 1/4 hours or until the chicken is golden brown.

5. Baste chicken frequently with sauce while baking. There may be some burnt sauce around the edges of the pan.

Slow Cooked Lasagna

I love using my crockpot and finding simple yet delicious recipes to use in the slow cooker. This lasagna recipe is easy to prepare, let cook all day and have a delicious dinner.

Slow Cooker Lasagna
8 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup diced onion
1 can (15 ozs.) tomato sauce
1 can (14 1/2 ozs.) Italian diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ozs.) spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 container (15 ozs.) ricotta cheese
12 uncooked lasagna noodles

Directions:
1. Cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink.
2. Mix together tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, basil, garlic powder and salt.
3. Add meat/onion to sauce mixture.
4. Add together 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and ricotta cheese.
5. Spoon 1/4 of the beef/sauce mix into a 5-6 qt. slow cooker; top with 4 noodles broken into pieces to fit.
6. Spread with half of the cheese mixture and another 1/4 of the beef/sauce mix.
7. Top with 4 more noodles, the remaining cheese mixture and then 1/4 more of the beef/sauce.
8. Top with the remaining 4 noodles and the remaining sauce mixture.
9. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until the noodles are tender.
10. Sprinkle the top of lasagna with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Cover again and let stand for about 15 additional minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Crockpot of Brats

Cooking brats in the slow cooker makes for a hearty fall meal. Add some bread and a salad and you have a full dinner. Not everyone in our family likes sauerkraut, so I do not add it to the slow cooker, but heat some up before the brats are done to add to individual plates.

Crockpot of Brats
6 servings

Ingredients:
5 brats
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 can sauerkraut, rinsed and well-drained
1/3 cup diced onion
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, brown bratwurst on all sides and slice into 1-inch pieces.
2. In a 5-quart crockpot, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in the brats.
3. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours on HIGH or until the potatoes are tender.

Spicy Garlic Chicken Pizza

I love this pizza, the flavors are great together and it is a unique take on the normal pizza recipe. It may seem a little weird to add pine nuts, but they really do add to the overall flavor. I have been making it for years and have tweaked the original recipe a few times.

Spicy Garlic Chicken Pizza
6-8 servings
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared garlic
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch
16 oz. Italian pizza shell
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts

Directions:
1. Brown chicken and cut into small pieces.
2. Combine the garlic, soy sauce, vinegar with olive oil and red and black pepper.
3. Add chicken to the mixture and marinade for 30 minutes at room temperature.
4. Drain and reserve marinade.
5. Heat the marinade and add cornstarch, heating until the mixture is thick and bubbly.
6. Spread the marinade and chicken over the pizza shell.
7. Add the pine nuts and cheeses.
8. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.

Fabulous Fettucine Alfredo

Fabulous Fettucine Alfredo makes a nice fall meal with some garlic bread and a tossed salad. It is fast and easy to put together and can be made with or without chicken.
4-6 servings
Ingredients:
3/4 pound fettucine
6 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper ]
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Directions:
1. Brown chicken and cut into small bite-size pieces.
2. Cook fettucine in a pot of boiling salted water until pasta is done.
3. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
4. Add shallots and saute until tender.
5. Add heavy cream and bring to a boil.
6. Cook until sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes; remove from the heat.
7. Mix chicken into sauce mixture.
8. Add 3/4 of the Parmesan cheese to the mixture and stir until well blended.
9. Drain the fettucine and stir into the alfredo sauce.
10. Top with leftover Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Slow Cooker Roast Beef with Gravy

Slow Cooker Roast Beef with Gravy
10-12 servings                                                                                  
Ingredients:
1 boneless beef sirloin tip roast (about 3-4 pounds)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 envelope brown gravy mix
2 cups cold water

Directions:
1. Cut roast in half; rub with 1/4 cup flour.
2. Place in a 5-quart slow cooker.
3. In a bowl, combine the soup and gravy mixes and remaining flour, stir in water until well blended.
4. Pour over roast.
5. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.
6. Slice and serve with mashed potatoes and/or noodles.

Chicken Breasts with Homemade Barbecue Sauce

I have been making this easy chicken breast recipe for years. I like the homemade taste of the barbecue sauce and the fact that because it is from scratch, I am cutting out preservatives involved in using bottled barbecue sauce. It has a tangy flavor, but is not terribly hot. 


Country Barbecued Chicken Breasts                                        
4 servings

 Ingredients:
3/4 ketchup                                                                                              
1 tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients.
2. Brush chicken with butter.
3. Place chicken in a baking dish and baste with barbecue sauce.
4. Bake at 350 degrees  for 45-50 minutes, continuing the baste with barbecue sauce.

Marinated Sirloin Steak

Very easy steak marinade that tastes great on the grill.

4 servings

1 cup lemon-lime soda
3/4 cup vegetable juice
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon horseradish
1 boneless beef sirloin steak (1 to 2 pounds)

Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients.
2. Cut steak into strips and place submerged in the bowl.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
4. Drain and discard marinade.
5. Grill steaks, uncovered, until they reach desired doneness