Spicy Baked "Fried" chicken

1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
3 tablespoons pineapple juice
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Saeson chicken with salt and pepper Combine pineapple juice and chili garlic sauce. Toss chicken in mixture. Mix breadcrumbs and oil, then coat chicken one piece at a time smooshing it on. Bake 10-15 minutes or until juices run clear. Serve with a green salad, with creamy dressing to chill your mouth. YUM
*you can lessen the amount of chili garlic sauce if you have some picky kiddos, that don't do spicy.

Menu for April16th-April 20th (click on date at bottom of pst to view full menu)

Monday: Crockpot Pulled BBQ Pork Sandwiches, coleslaw, canned baked beans
Tuesday: Chicken Cordon Bleu and steamed Brocc.
Wed. : Homemade Pizza and green salad
Thursday: Stir fried veggies and brown rice
Friday: Balsamic Chicken and Garlic with pasta and steamed asparagus

Monday:
BBQ Pulled pork:
1 large pork roast at least 2.5lbs (shoulder, loin, or roast is fine)
2TBS minced dried onion, or 1 small minced fresh onion
2TBS diced garlic2
TBS butter cut up into small pieces, not margarine( personally I rarely use margarine)
1/2 C water

Put 1/2 of the onion, garlic, and butter, and all of the water in bottom of crock pot.Place roast in crock pot, sprinkle the rest of the ingredients over the roast, cook on high one hour. Then low for 5-7 hours, depending on size or until very tender. When cool, shred then add BBQ sauce to make very moist. Serve on good buns, (no cheap ones accepted here,) with pickle slices.

Coleslaw:
Buy prebagged and shredded coleslaw mix. Mix equal parts of mayo 2TBS(I prefer Hellmans) and cider vinegar 2tsp celery salt 1tsp black pepper 2-4TBS sugar depending on your taste.Mix together then pour over slaw, mix well let sit at least 20 min before serving, then stir well and serve.

Tuesday:
Chicken Cordon Bleu
8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
8 slices cooked ham
4 slices Swiss cheese, cut into 1 inch pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place each chicken breast half between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet to about 1/8 inch thickness. Place a finger of cheese on each ham slice and sprinkle lightly with thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Roll up seasoned ham and cheese 'jellyroll-style', then roll each chicken breast with ham and cheese inside. Tuck in ends and fasten with toothpicks.
Place melted butter in a small bowl and place crumbs in a shallow dish or bowl. Dip each chicken roll in butter, then roll in crumbs, turning to coat thoroughly. Place coated rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and juices run clear. Serve with cordon bleu sauce, if desired.
To Make Cordon Bleu Sauce: In a small saucepan mix together the soup, sour cream and lemon juice. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, and serve hot over chicken rolls. Makes about 2 cups; 8 servings of 1/4 cup each. Omit sauce if you are trying to cut calories.

Wednesday:
Make your own pizza, use a store bought crust or crust mix. Make as you desire with toppings
and sauce.

Thursday:
Stir fried veggies:
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Heat peanut oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until very hot. Add asparagus, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender but crisp. Stir in soy-sauce and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds. Serve over rice.

Friday:
Balsamic Chicken and garlic
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon butter
DIRECTIONS
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Rinse the mushrooms and pat dry. Season the flour with salt and pepper and dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute the chicken until it is nicely browned on one side (about 3 minutes).
Add the garlic. Turn the chicken breasts and scatter the mushrooms over them. Continue frying, shaking the skillet and stirring the mushrooms. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the vinegar, broth, bay leaf and thyme. Cover tightly and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter and cover with foil. Set aside. Continue simmering the sauce, uncovered, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Swirl in the butter or margarine and discard the bay leaf. Pour this mushroom sauce mixture over the chicken and serve with pasta and steamed veggies.
Have a great week!

Chicken Coconut Satay

1 14oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh jalapeno
1 clove minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast pounded thin and cut into strips
metal or wooden skewers (if using wooden, be sure to soak in water 15 min prior to using)

Combine milk, cilantro, lime juice, jap, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add the chicken and coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 min. to 1 hour, the longer it sits the hotter it gets! Preheat broiler, put chicken onto skewers, broil 7-8 min, turning once or until chicken is cooked thru. Good with white or brown rice and a sauteed veggie.

Shrimp and Feta Linguine

6-8 ounces uncooked linguine
1 pound uncooked med. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove crushed or minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups canned plum tomatoes slice
1/2 white wine or chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced (opt)

While cooking linguine, saute shrimp, onion and garlic in the olive oil 3-5 min. until shrimp turns pink. Add the toms, wine, tom paste, salt and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce, simmer for 10 min. Drain pasta, put onto plates, top with shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with feta and parsley. Serves 4 or less!

Spinach and Goat Cheese Tortilla Pizzas

1 box or bag frozen spinach defrosted and drained
1 bag of taco sized tortillas whole wheat or regular
1 4oz roll of soft goat cheese
4oz shredded mozz cheese
cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 450 degrees, spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Spread 2-3 tortillas with the goat cheese, sprinkle lightly with cayenne (to your liking), cover with light layer of spinach, sprinkle with mozz. cheese. Bake 6-8 min. or until crispy and cheese is melted. Cut into pizza slices. Serves 2-3 depending on appetite. This also makes a great appetizer or snack. Careful as these are addictive.

Stir-Fried Pork and Veggies

2 tablespoons canola or veg. oil
1 1/2 lbs sliced pork
4 scallions
3 cloves garlic minced
1 can sliced water chestnuts drained
1 can chinese stirfry veggies (omit the can of water chesnuts if you don't want alot as the veggies may also contain them)
1 can sliced mushrooms (use fresh if avail)
1/2 green pepper cut in strips
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Heat canola oil in heavy skillet or wok, add pork and stirfry 3-4 min. browning pork. Add scallions and garlic, cook 1-2 min. longer. Add mushrooms, veggies, water chestnuts and green pepper, cook 2 more min. Add vinegar, sesame oil and soy sauce cook 1-2 min. Serve with white or brown rice.

Menu: April 9th- 13th

Monday: Easy Chicken Piccata
Tuesday: Stir-Fried Pork and Veggies
Wednesday: Spinach and Goat Cheese Tortilla Pizzas
Thursday: Shrimp and Feta Linguine
Friday: Chicken Coconut Satay

Easy Chicken Piccata

This is a great dish to serve to company.
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 tablespoons butter
Olive oil
3 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together flour, salt and paprika. In a separate dish or bowl mix together egg and milk. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture, then in seasoned flour.
In a large skillet, heat butter and a drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat. Saute chicken pieces until golden brown, and cooked thru. Add mushrooms and onion and saute for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan and let rest.
In a medium bowl combine the broth, wine, lemon juice and cornstarch. Mix together and pour mixture into pan.. Reduce heat to medium low and let mixture simmer for 25 min. Place chicken mixture onto plated and spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with rice or pasta. A nice green salad rounds out this meal. Mushrooms or artichokes make nice additions to this dish too! Enjoy cause you will want to make this dish again and again, so yummy!

Sweet Potato Burritos

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups canned kidney beans, drained
2 cups water
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
12 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.
Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 cup half and half (can use fat free)
1/2 cup sour cream or light sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, combine asparagus, chopped onion, and garlic, sautee till soft, add 1/2 cup chicken broth. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer uncovered until asparagus is tender, about 12 minutes. Process the mixture in a blender to puree the vegetables. Set aside.
In the same saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk in the remaining chicken broth, and increase the heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture boils. Stir in the asparagus puree and the half anf half.
Put the sour cream in a small bowl, and stir in a ladleful of the hot soup. Add the sour cream mixture and the lemon juice to the soup. Stir while heating the soup to serving temperature, but don't allow it to boil. Serve immediately. Mmm, great with with homemade crutons or crunchy bread.

Irish Chicken Pie

Don't know why they call this Irish pie, but its good whatever you call it!
(9 inch) refrigerated pie crust
1 (4 pound) whole chicken, deboned and cut into bite size pieces
4 slices cooked ham
4 leeks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch ground mace or ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F .
In a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish, layer the chicken, ham, leeks and onion a couple of times each until the dish is full. Season each layer with a little salt, pepper and mace. Pour the chicken stock over the layers, and dampen the edges of the dish.
Roll the pie pastry out large enough to cover the top of the dish, and place over the top. Crimp the sides down with a fork, and trim the excess from the edges. Cut a round hole in the center of the pastry. Roll dough scraps out and cut into strips. Use the strips to form a design, and place lightly over the hole. Brush the entire top with milk.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until chicken is cooked through. If the top crust is getting too brown, cover it with parchment or aluminum foil. While the pie is baking, heat the cream over low heat. When the pie is cooked, remove from the oven, and carefully remove the design from the hole. Pour the cream into the hole, and replace the design. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Irish Cupcakes

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 4-serving-size package instant pistachio pudding mix
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
2/3 cup sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 beaten eggs
1-1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 of a can cream cheese frosting (1 cup)
Green colored sugar

Directions
1. Grease muffin cups or line with paper bake cups. In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, pudding mix, chocolate pieces, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl combine beaten eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla or almond extract. Stir into flour mixture just until combined. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
2. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting; sprinkle with green sugar. Makes 18 cupcakes.

Irish Stew

In honor of St. Patrick's Day I give you a week of Irish recipes!

2 pounds lean beef stew meat
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 large onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups Irish stout beer (Guinness)
2 cups chopped carrot
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Toss the beef cubes with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Dredge the beef in this to coat.
Heat the remaining oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and brown on all sides. Add the onions, and garlic. Stir the tomato paste into a small amount of water to dilute; pour into the pan and stir to blend. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
Pour 1/2 cup of the beer into the pan, and as it begins to boil, scrape any bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour in the rest of the beer, and add the carrots and thyme. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Garnish with parsley