Garlic Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon

This recipe comes from Rachel Ray's 30 minute recipes. It's really good and healthy too!

• 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 TB fresh rosemary leaved stripped from stems
• 3 TB extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 TB grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal seasoning) or, coarse salt and black pepper
• 1/2 chicken broth

Preheat oven to 450.

Arrange chicken in a baking dish, 9 x13. Add garlic, rosemary, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest and grill seasoning or salt and pepper to the dish. Toss and coat the chicken with all ingredients, then place in oven. Roast 20 minutes. Add chicken broth and lemon juice to the dish and combine with pan juices. Return to oven and turn oven off. Let stand 5 minutes longer then remove chicken from oven. Place baking dish on trivet and serve, spooning pan juices over the chicken pieces.

Sweet Chex Mix

My sister-in-law passed on this recipe. It's great for parties or a special treat, super good!

4 c. corn chex
4 c. rice chex
2 c. pretzel sticks, broken in half
1 1/2 c. sliced almonds
3/4 c. brown sugar
6 TB butter
4 TB light corn syrup
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 c. dried cranberries or cherries
1 c. white chocolate chips

In a large, buttered roasting pan, combine cereal, pretzels and almonds. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Gently boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. Pour over cereal mixture, stir gently to coat. Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for 10 minutes. Stir mixture and bake 5 minutes more. Remove from oven; stir in dried cranberries. Stir in white chocolate chips when almost cooled.

Party Foods

• Carmel Popcorn
• Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball
• Sweet Chex Mix

Pork Pizzaiola

This is yet another favorite. I have lots of favorites :) But it's my favorite way to make pork chops. Here's what you need:

• 2 TB olive oil
• 4 boneless pork chops (I buy the thin tenderloins)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 TB minced garlic
• 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes, in their juices (I just use diced tomatoes)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 4 slices of mozarella cheese (about 2 oz).

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Rinse your pork chops and pat them dry with paper towels. Place them in the pan to cook, turning them once, until they are nicely browned on each side (about 10 minutes for chops, 6 minutes for tenderloins). Transfer them to a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Lower your heat to medium and add garlic to the pan, cooking it until it is fragrant (about 35-40 seconds). Add the tomatoes, oregano, crushed pepper and pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes, until it thickens.

Return pork to the pan and cook through, about 8-10 minutes for chops or 5-7 for tenderloins.

Place the mozarella slices on top of the pork, then cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let it stand for a minute or 2 until the cheese is melted. Put your pork on your plate and top it with the tomatoes. Yum!!

*If you prefer, you can use chicken tenderloins instead of pork.

Chili's Potato Cheese Soup

This is one of our family favorites. Serve it with fresh, homemade bread and you've scored a homerun!

4 c. cubed potatoes
4 c. chicken broth
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 T butter
2 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. velveeta cheese
Basil
Garlic (I used the minced in a jar)
Salt and Pepper

Boil the potatoes in the chicken broth until soft. Saute celery and onion in the butter until soft. Mix with potatoes and blend. Add milk and cheese until melted. Then add seasonings to taste. You're ready to serve!
We always top it with some garnishes: chopped bacon bits, green onion, and shredded cheddar cheese. It's the perfect touch!

Seasoned Shrimp

I'm not a big seafood eater. But this year is all about trying new things. My brother sent this recipe on to me and we tried it out tonight; it was a huge hit.

Ingredients:

• Shrimp-I buy the grey, non cooked shrimp with the tails already cut off
• Fresh garlic-about 7 or 8 cloves, chopped
• Olive oil-enough to get your shrimp oily
• 1-2 limes, squeezed
• Seasonings: coarse pepper, thyme and dill weed

Mix the oil and seasonings together in a bowl. Then add your shrimp and mix it through. I didn't measure, I just eyeballed it to see what looked good. Then, add it all to a pan. Cook until the shrimp turns orange (that's when you know it's done). I left the lid on the pot for the first half of the cooking and then took it off for the last few minutes for the sauce to thicken up. It probably cooked for about 10 minutes or so, keep an eye on it.

When it's done, put your shrimp on a plate and you can either dip it in the left over sauce or drizzle it over the shrimp.

Cheesy Zucchini

I discovered this super easy way to make zucchini and now we don't eat it any other way!

You need:

Zucchini
Cheddar Cheese
Garlic, Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degree. Slice zucchini and arrange them on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle seasonings over the zucchini pieces and then top with cheddar cheese. Put in the oven for 20-25 minutes. And voila, a yummy veggie dish is made!

Beef

• BBQ Meatballs
• Joe's Famous Steak Nachos
• Stuffed Zucchini

Veggie Dishes

• Cheesy Zucchini


• Lyonnaised Carrots


• Oven Roasted Asparagus


• Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots


• Zucchini Tomato Medley

Casseroles

Soups

• Chili's Potato Cheese Soup
• Easy Mexican Chicken Crockpot Chowder

Salads

• Lemon-Basil Chicken Pasta Salad



• Pepperoni Pasta Salad
  


• Thai Beef Salad
  


• Tortellini Caesar Salad

Pork

• Pork Pizzaiola

Seafood

• Seasoned Shrimp


• Shrimp and Garlic-Parmesan Grits

Chicken Meals

• Chicken and Cheese Tostadas
• Garlic Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon
• Herb Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
• Mediterranean Pizza Skillet
• Super Easy Chicken Tacos

Desserts

• Lemon Blossoms
• Scotcheroos

Scotcheroos

6 cups rice krispies treats
1 c. corn syrup
1 c. peanut butter
1 c. sugar
1 pkg. chocolate chips
1 pkg. butterscotch chips

Place corn syrup and sugar in sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and it begins to boil. Take off heat and stir in peanut butter until it is completely melted. Pour over rice krispies. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Melt chips together. Spread over cereal mixture. Let it stand until it is firm.

Super Easy Chicken Tacos

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken
1 jar of your favorite salsa (I use Pace Picante salsa)

Put your chicken in a crockpot. Dump the salsa on top. Cook on low for about 6 hours. An hour or so before serving, shred up the chicken and mix it around in the salsa.

Serve in taco shells with whatever garnishes your family loves!

It's as easy as that!