Parmesan Ranch Chicken

Parmesan Ranch Chicken (from the Lion House cookbook)

1/2c. Cornflakes (crumbs)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1.5 oz dry ranch dressing mix
6 boneless chicken breasts
3/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese
26 oz. Marinara or spaghetti sauce

Combine cornflakes, 1/2 parmesan cheese (shredded) and all of grated parm. and ranch. Coat both sides of the chicken. Place in a 9x13 pan, sprayed with Pam. Spray tops of chicken.
Bake 350degrees for 25-30 min.

To serve, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Place Chicken on top of some spaghetti noodles and drizzle warm spaghetti sauce over it all.

Serves 6

I usually cut the chicken breasts in half. Then it makes more and we don't end up with half eaten chicken.

Easy Tomato Soup

And twice last week, I made homemade tomato soup. Dean had some at Jason's Deli and said he wouldn't mind it if I made it for dinner, which was a total shocker since he "hates soups." I found a basic soup recipe on foodnetwork.com and tweaked it a bit. Pops, Dean and I loved it. Marnie thought it was "too thick" and kept calling it "sauce," and suggesting that we serve it over pasta or chicken. Weird. Apparently she is too accustomed to Campbells Tomato soup. :)

So here is my modified recipe:

Kylie's Tomato Soup

3 cans of chopped tomatoes
3/4 c olive oil
salt and cracked pepper

Drain tomatoes, and reserve the juice for later. Spread tomatoes onto cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast in 450 degree oven for 30 mins, til they get a little color.

Meanwhile, dice:

2-3 stalks celery
2-3 carrots
1 large onion
3-4 cloves of garlic

In a large pot, heat:

3/4 c olive oil
1/4 c butter

Add

2 t dried basil (if you have fresh basil, wait and add it at the end of the soup with the milk)
and all the veggies

Saute the veggies til they are pretty soft, about 20 mins.

Add

roasted tomatoes
2 c chicken broth (I used 2 chicken bullion cubes)
reserved tomato juice
2 bay leaves
2 T tomato paste

Simmer another 20 mins. Then remove bay leaves, and add

1 c milk (or cream)

Puree with a hand blender (carefully!), bring back to temperature and serve with a little mozzarella or Parmesan cheese and bread. Yum!

Twangy Chicken Casserole

So yesterday afternoon I cooked up a whole bag of frozen chicken breasts, enough for a couple meals. I just put a little olive oil in the bottom of the skillet, throw on the chicken (still frozen, breasts or tenders work) and then sprinkle them with pepper and garlic salt. I cover them with a lid, and turn them halfway through. They turn out pretty juicy when you keep the lid on. Then I chopped them up into chunks, and froze whatever I didn't use for dinner.

Chicken Casserole (from the brown Stone Oak cookbook, by Lisa Price -halved-)
3 chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 can of cream of chicken
8oz sour cream
1 1/2 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic, minced (I used powder)
1-1 1/2 T dried onions
1 T poppy seed (I didn't add this)
1 tube Ritz crackers (we used those crackers from Ash's reception)

Cook and shred chicken (I cubed it). Mix soup, sour cream, soy sauce, garlic and onions and salt/pepper (and I added about 1/4 c of water to thin it out). Pour (more like glop) over chicken. Sprinkle with crackers and poppy seed. Bake 45 mins at 350 degrees. Serve over hot rice.

So everyone liked this. I think the soy sauce added a little something different than plain ol cream of chicken. Dean scooped some into a tupperware for lunch the next day, so I take it as a success. Next time I will use less crackers, or drop pats of butter on top to make them a little crispy. You could probably add broccoli to bring in a veggie too.

Corn Pudding -Kramers

1 Stick of butter
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 3/4 cups milk
3 cups of frozen white corn (thaw & chop)
3 eggs beaten until frothy (with a hand mixed for a long time)

In a sauce pan over med-high heat melt butter, stir in salt, sugar and flour. Stir constantly and cook until completely bubbly.
Add milk and cook until thick. Stir in chopped corn and blended eggs. Put mixture in a buttered casserole dish and bake at 350 for 45 mins or until golden brown on the top.

Slow cooked peppersteak

This is a traditional branding recipe (i.e. served for the branding crews in the Spring), but we really love it other times too.

Savory Slow Cooked Pepper Steak

1.5-2 lbs of beef round steak (cut in to 1-3 inch pieces)
2Tbs cooking oil
1/4 c. soy sauce
1c. chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4tsp ginger
1 can (16 oz) stewed tomatoes or 4 fresh tomatoes cut in quarters
2 large green bell peppers, cut in strips
1/2 c. cold water
1 Tbs flour

Sear beef in oil. Transfer to crockpot. Combine soy sauce, onion, garlic and ginger and pour over beef.
Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hrs.
Add tomatoes and green peppers--cook 1 hour more.
Combine water and flour to make a paste. Stir into liquid in crockpot and cook on high until thickened.
Serve over rice, noodles or cubes of baked potatoes.

My changes--I dice the onion really small b/c my kids shrivel up and die if they notice that there is onion in stuff. I also one or two more garlic cloves (I like garlic).
I've made it with canned tomatoes and fresh, both are equally good.
Hope you like it!

Great Idea, Ash

So Ashley suggested last night that we should start a Stewart Sisters Recipe blog. As I was falling asleep last night, I started thinking about it again, and brainstormed a few names... Hope you like this one!

I think Ash's idea was great. I have been feeling in a dinner rut lately, and am just sick of making beef stroganoff, meatloaf, bowtie lasagna and chicken enchiladas. Not that I don't like those things, but I feel like we make them alllll the time, much like Ashley makes Manhattan Meatballs like once a week... haha.

Having a toddler and the world's pickiest eater for a husband, I get really stressed about dinner. Dean professes to not like anything Asian, Mexican (including tacos/burritos), salads, baked pastas, soups, vegetables, anything with spaghetti noodles, anything with vinegar, anything with lemon, sweet dishes, teriyaki, and the list goes on and on ...sigh.

My goal is to get on here at least a few times a week and post a recipe for what I made for dinner that night, along with a little review and a few tips/changes I would do next time.

So here's to a good start, and hopefully someone will post something I can make for dinner tonight! :)