Classic French Toast

 

Ingredients 

4 large eggs

2 C milk

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

4 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp. sugar

16 slices bread, thick sliced bread, texas toast or french bread

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

1) Whisk together the egg, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and sugar in a large bowl. 

2) Dip the bread in the custard, both sides and let milk soak for 15 seconds then remove and let drip for 5 seconds before adding to the pan. 

3) Add the butter to a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat before adding the bread in and cooking until browned on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side. 

4) Serve with butter and syrup and your favorite sides : bacon , taylor ham, sausage. 

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Total: 15 minutes

Serves: 8 

Sweet Chili Popcorn Chicken

Ingredients 

For the Chicken: 

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, or chicken breasts

3 C buttermilk

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. dried basil

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 1/2 tsp. paprika

3/4 tsp. dried thyme

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. ground black pepper

4 1/2 C panko bread crumbs 

1/3 C butter, melted 

For the Sauce : 

1/3 C ketchup

3 tbsp soy sauce 

3 tbsp. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp dried red chili flakes

9 tbsp. water 

1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch 

Directions 

1)  Start by preparing the chicken. If using chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch chunks/pieces. If using chicken breasts, portion the pieces a little larger - about 3/4 - 1" inch pieces. Add the prepared chicken to a bowl and set aside. 

2) In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, minced garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, paprika, salt, and ground black pepper. 

3) Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss well to coat. Cover chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Chicken can marinate for up to 12 hours) 

4) When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the chicken pieces into the panko bread crumbs until well coated. Place the coated chicken onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

5) Melt the butter and use a spoon to drizzle it over the top of the prepared chicken. Bake for 25 minutes, turning at the halfway mark. Remove from oven and set aside. 

6) Add ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, dried red chili flakes, and four tablespoons of water to a large skillet. Whisk to combine. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. 

7) In the meantime, whisk the cornstarch and the remaining tablespoons of water together until the cornstarch is dissolved. Once the ketchup mixture starts to bubble, pour the cornstarch and water mixture into the skillet and whisk into the sauce. 

8) The sauce will thicken almost immediately. Once thick, add the popcorn chicken into the skillet. Use two rubber spatulas to toss the chicken and coat each piece with the sauce. Turn off the heat. Transfer chicken to a platter, garnish accordingly, and serve immediately. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Marinating time: 30 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Serves: 9 

With this recipe my advice would be to double the sauce ingredients to make extra sauce. That way you can also use it to dip the chicken into while eating if you choose. 
 

Crockpot Sesame Meatballs

 

Ingredients 

Meatballs: 

1 lb ground pork

1 lb. ground beef

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 C grated onion

1/4 C Panko breadcrumbs 

1/4 C fresh cilantro , chopped

salt & pepper

Sauce:

3/4 C packed brown sugar 

1/2 C soy sauce 

1/2 C ketchup

1/4 C honey 

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. salt 

1 tsp. ground pepper

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (use 1/4 tsp. for less heat) 

2 tbsp. green onion, white and green parts chopped

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

Directions 

Meatballs: 

1) In a large bowl, combine the meatball ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. 

2) Line two baking sheets with foil and lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray. Form into 1 to 1 1/2 inch meatballs and place on the lined baking sheet in a single layer. 

3) Broil the meatballs on high 6 - 7 minutes, flipping halfway through, or just until browned. You want the meatballs ONLY browned on top not cooked through. 

Sauce: 

1) Combine all the sauce ingredients , except for the green onion and sesame seeds. 

2) Place the meatballs in a crockpot, coating with sauce evenly. 

3) Cook the meatballs on low for 3 hours. Mixing couple times to evenly coat with sauce. 

4) Transfer the meatballs to a serving platter and sprinkle with green onion and sesame seeds. 

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 3 hours 10 minutes

Total: 3 hours 30 minutes

Makes: 50 mini meatballs

Cheese Manicotti

 

Ingredients

1 carton ( 15 oz) ricotta cheese

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1 C shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 C grated parmesan cheese, divided

4 C marinara sauce

1/2 C water 

1 pkg. ( 8 oz) manicotti shells

additional parsley, optional

Directions 

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix the first 6 ingredients; stir in 1/2 C mozzarella cheese and 1/2 C Parmesan cheese. In another  bowl, mix marinara sauce and water; spread 3/4 C sauce onto bottom of a 13 x 9 in baking dish coated with cooking spray. Fill uncooked manicotti shells with ricotta mixture; arrange over sauce. Top with remaining sauce.

2) Bake, covered, 50 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 C mozzarella cheese and 1/2 C Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, 10-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. If desired, top with additional parsley. 

Prep: 25 minutes

Bake: 65 minutes

Total: 90 minutes

Serves: 7 

Easy Crescent Pizza Bake

 

Ingredients

1 can ( 8 oz ) refrigerated original crescent rolls (8 count) 

1 lb. lean ( at least 80% ) ground beef

1 C pizza sauce

1/2 C chopped green bell pepper (optional) 

1 C shredded mozzarella  cheese (4 oz)

25 slices pepperoni 

fresh basil or oregano, if desired 

Directions

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees. Separate dough into 8 triangles. Place in ungreased 9 in square pan or 10-in pie plate. Press in bottom and up the sides to form a crust. 

2) In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in pizza sauce and bell pepper (if using); simmer 5 minutes. Spoon beef mixture in crust-lined pan ; sprinkle with cheese. Top with pepperoni. 

3) Bake 14 to 17 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve topped with basil. 

Prep: 25 minutes

Cook: 17 minutes

Total: 46 minutes

Serves: 6 

Penna Alla Vodka

 

Ingredients 

2 boxes penne pasta 

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cans tomato sauce 15 oz ea.

4 - 6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 C vodka

2 C heavy cream 

2- 4 tbsp. flour

2-4 tbsp. water

1 1/2 C freshly grated parmesan cheese

4 tbsp. butter

red pepper chili flakes , to your liking ( you can omit you you choose) 

salt & pepper , to taste

parsley, for garnish

Directions

1) Make penne pasta according to directions on box. 

2) Heat medium sauce pan with butter until melted over medium heat. 

3) Add garlic, onions & red pepper chili flakes. Cook until onion is translucent. 

4) Add vodka and let it cook / simmer for about 10 minutes until reduced about half. 

5) Add tomato sauce and stir. Bring to a simmer. 

6) Lower heat to medium-low. Add 3/4 C of heavy cream and stir. Bring to simmer. 

7) While waiting for sauce to simmer. In a bowl mix the flour, remaining heavy cream (1/4 C) and water  in a bowl and whisk well. Then add to the sauce. 

8) Add 1/2 C of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Then add salt and pepper to taste. 

9) Serve over penne pasta and garnish with remaining parmesan cheese and parsley. Enjoy! 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Serves: 8 

* You can add any meat to this such as chicken, steak, shrimp, etc... and veggies such as spinach, tomatoes, basil, etc.. 

Cube Steaks and Gravy in the Slow Cooker

 

Ingredients 

1/2 C flour

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dry ground mustard

2 lbs. cube steak 

2 tbsp. vegetable oil 

1 onion, sliced

1 packet brown gravy mix

1 C water

Directions 

1) Stir flour, salt, garlic powder and ground mustard together in a bowl. 

2) Dredge cube steaks in flour. 

3) Brown in skillet in vegetable oil. 

4) Remove and place steaks in crockpot. 

5) Add onion to skillet and cook a few minutes. 

6) Stir gravy mix and water together. Pour into skillet, scraping up the browned bits. 

7) Pour gravy and onions over meat in crockpot. 

8) Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 5-6 hours. 

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 8 hours

Total : 8 hours 15 minutes

Serves: 6-8 

Skillet Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

 

Ingredients 

1 lb. lean ground turkey or beef 

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 C panko breadcrumbs, gluten free breadcrumbs if needed

1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, grated or minced

1 tsp. dried basil

3/4 tsp dried oregano

kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

3 oz. part skim mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 in cubes

1/2 C shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

3 C marinara sauce

Directions 

1) In a large bowl combine the ground meat, egg, panko, worcestershire, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper with your hands. 

2) Using a small ice scoop (if you have one) , scoop the meatball mixture. Take one of the pieces of cubed mozzarella and stuff it into the center of the meatball, making sure to cover the cheese completely with meat. Repeat the process until all of the meat mixture is gone. 

3) Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and spray it generously with cooking spray or add a tablespoon of olive oil. Place the meatballs in the skillet and brown them for 2 minutes on each side. 

4) Pour the marinara sauce evenly into the skillet and turn the heat down to medium low. Cover the skillet with a lid and simmer the meatballs for 10 minutes. Top the meatballs with the shredded mozzarella and serve. 

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Serves: 4-6 

These are good as an appetizer as well. 

Chipotle Honey Chicken Crispers

 

Ingredients 

12 chicken tenderloins

6-8 C Canola oil or shortening 

Batter: 

1 egg 

1/2 C milk

1/2 C chicken broth

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 C flour

Breading: 

1 1/2 C flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika 

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Honey Chipotle Sauce:

2/3 C honey

1/4 C water

1/4 C ketchup

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1-2 tsp chipotle chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp hot sauce

Instructions 

1) In a small saucepan combine honey, water, ketchup, vinegar, chili powder, salt and hot sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. 

2) To make batter, in a medium bowl whisk together egg, milk, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk in flour. 

3) Combine all ingredients for breading in a pie plate and mix well.

4) Heat oil in a Dutch Oven to 350 degrees. Dip chicken in batter and then roll to coat in breading. 

5) Fry 4 at time , frying until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes. 

6) Place cooked chicken tenderloins in a large bowl and toss with the honey chipotle sauce. 

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

This recipe tastes almost identical to Chili's Chicken Crispers ( Chipotle Honey flavored) Its very very tasty. 

Easy Grape Jelly Kielbasa (Crockpot)

    

Ingredients 

2 links Hilshire Farms Polksa Kielbasa (14 oz ea) 

1 C Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce

1 C Welch's Concord Grape Jelly 

Directions

1) Carefully slice kielbasa links into 1/4 inch piece, then place in crock pot. 

2) Stir together BBQ sauce and grape jelly in medium mixing bowl. 

3) Pour sauce over Kielbasa in crock pot, and stir well. 

4) Cook on low for 2 1/2 hours, high for 1 1/2 hours, or until hot. 

5) Grab the toothpicks and serve straight from your slow cooker. Enjoy!

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 2 1/2 hours

Total: 2 Hours  35 minutes

Serves: 10 

This recipe can be doubled for a bigger gathering or you can also make this as part of a dinner and make something to go with it. 

Garlic Bread Chicken Parmesan Pizzas

                                                                

                                             

   Ingredients 

8 slices garlic Texas Toast slices

1/2 C Pizza sauce

6 fried chicken strips ( or chicken nuggets) 

1 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions 

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2) Arrange garlic bread slices ( butter side up) on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

3) Bake frozen garlic toast for about 3-4 minutes until bread is no longer frozen and just starting to brown on the edges. 

4) While, the bread is toasting, start dicing up the chicken tenders. Cut them up into 1/2 inch pieces. 

5) When bread is ready, spread pizza sauce on each slice of garlic toast.

6) Then evenly layer diced chicken on top of sauce. 

7) Bake for about 6-8 minutes just to get the chicken warmed back up. 

8) Then take out of the oven and top each slice with some shredded mozzarella. 

9) And pop it back into the oven for another 3-4 minutes just until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Notes:

Any pre-cooked chicken will work for this : grilled, rotisserie or even chicken nuggets.

In addition, marinara sauce can be substituted for the pizza sauce. You might want a little extra for dipping!

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Total: 35 minutes

Serves: 4-8 

With this recipe you may wanna double it depending on how much everyone eats. 

Country Fried Chicken

 

Ingredients 

6-8 thin sliced chicken breasts

2 C flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 C buttermilk

 1 egg

1 tbsp. hot sauce

oil for frying

Gravy: 

1/4 C reserved oil from frying

1/3 C flour

2 C milk

salt and pepper

Directions

1) Heat oil in deep fryer or large pan on stove ( a few inches deep) to 325 degrees. 

2) In a large bowl whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper and garlic powder. 

3) In another bowl whisk together buttermilk, egg, and hot sauce. 

4) Dredge your chicken in the flour mixture then dip into the egg mixture than back into the flour mixture making sure to press down flour to get stuck on the chicken really good. 

5) Place chicken in pan/deep fryer and fry on each side 3-5 minutes until golden brown, remove and drain on paper towel lined plate, repeat with all the chicken. 

6) To make your gravy, in a large pan add 1/4" of oil from cooking and heat on medium-high, stir in your flour until absorbed and cook for 1 minute. 

7) Slowly add in your milk whisking to blend and heat until thickened then stir in salt and pepper to desired taste. 

8) Pour gravy over individual chicken before serving. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Serves: 6 

* You can use a regular deep fryer to make this instead of in a skillet. If you don't want to use frying oil to make gravy, substitute butter or bacon grease. Add more or less seasoning to the flour and gravy to your liking. You can also save yourself time by using premade country gravy or buying the country gravy packets and using that instead. Whichever works best for you. 

Italian Meatball-Stuffed Crescent Ring

 

Ingredients

24 (1 inch) frozen cooked Italian style meatballs, thawed and halved

1 1/2 C marina sauce

1 C shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz) 

2 cans (8 oz ea.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1 tbsp. butter , melted 

1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees. (350 for dark or nonstick cookie sheet). In a large bowl, mix meatball halves, 1/2 C of the marinara sauce and the mozzarella cheese. 

2) Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 8 rectangles. On ungreased large cookie sheet, arrange in a ring so short sides of rectangle form a 5 inch circle in center. Dough will overlap. 

3) Spoon meatball mixture on the half of each rectangle closest to center of ring (each rectangle should have 6 meatball halves) 

4) Bring each dough rectangle up over filling, tucking dough under bottom layer of dough to secure it. Repeat around ring until entire filling is enclosed (some filling might show a little). 

5) Gently separate dough perforations on top until filling peeks through. Brush tops of dough with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes or until dough is golden brown and thoroughly baked. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into serving slices. Just before serving , in a small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining 1 C marinara sauce uncovered on medium-high 1 to 2 minutes or until hot. 

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Serves: 8  

Creamy, Cheesy Italian Sausage and Basil Penne

 

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:

3 tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 small onion, chopped fine

3 cloves garlic, chopped fine or put through the garlic press

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage 

1 tsp. Italian seasoning (or a mix of dried basil, thyme, marjoram, and oregano) 

1 bay leaf

1 C. chicken broth

1 1/2 C heavy cream

3/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

handful of fresh basil, sliced thin

salt and pepper to taste 

For the Penne: 

1 lb. penne pasta 

1 tbsp. butter

Directions: 

For the penne : 

1) Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until al dente. Drain and toss with butter. 

For the Sauce: 

1) Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until it is soft an translucent. 

2) Remove the sausage from casings and add to the pan, Cook until browned. 

3) Add Italian seasoning , bay leaf, chicken broth, and heavy cream. Let simmer on low for 15 minutes. 

4) Off the heat, stir in parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and salt and pepper to taste. 

5) Toss with hot buttered penne and serve immediately. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Serves: 6 

* If your sausage doesn't contain fennel seed, toast 1/2 tsp fennel seeds in a pan until they become aromatic, then pound in a mortar and pestle and add to sausage. 

Easy Pancake Muffins

 

Ingredients 

1/2 lb breakfast sausage, cooked and cut into small pieces ( ground breakfast sausage or pre-cooked links or patties work just fine) 

1 1/2 C milk

4 tbsp. white vinegar

2 C all-purpose flour

4 tbsp. white sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

4 tbsp. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

Maple syrup for drizzling

Directions

1) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. 

2) Cook breakfast sausage and cut into small pieces.

3) In a small bowl combine milk with vinegar and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. 

4) In a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

5) Add in eggs, milk, vanilla, and melted butter and stir to combine. 

6) Stir in cooked breakfast sausage pieces.

7) Prepare muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray or line them with paper liners.

8) Fill each muffin cup 2/3 of the way full. 

9) Bake for about 15-16 minutes, or until done. 

10) Drizzle pancake muffins with maple syrup and serve immediately. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 25 minutes

Serves: 8

This is a recipe that if your really short on time or just wanna use a shortcut you can always use a box of pancake mix and just add the breakfast sausage to it and cook as above. I doubled the recipe and was able to get almost 48 muffins by doing so. They are great heated the next day and can be put in the freezer for a quick breakfast (just reheat in the microwave for a few minutes) . 

Sweet N' Sticky Polska Kielbasa

 

Ingredients

3 lbs polska kielbasa (beef or pork) 

27 oz. cola (regular , sweetened cola , NOT diet) 

Directions

1) Slice the entire kielbasa into 1/2 inch wide slices. Place them in a skillet and saute on medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the both sides of the kielbasa  begin to lightly brown. 

2) Pour the 27 oz cola into the skillet. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally , until all the liquid has reduced, thickened, and glazed the meat (about 30 minutes). All the liquid should be gone from the skillet. 

3) Remove kielbasa from skillet and serve hot, alongside a serving of mashed potatoes and a veggie. Enjoy!. 

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Total: 35 minutes

Serves: 12

You can double , triple etc this recipe and use it as an appetizer for a gathering if you like. 

Easy Honey Garlic Chicken

 

Ingredients 

6 chicken thighs, bone-in or out, with or without skin*

Salt and pepper, to taste 

2 tsp. garlic powder, to season

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1/3 C honey

1/4 C water (or chicken broth)

2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar, or any white vinegar)

1 tbsp. soy sauce

Instructions

1) Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder; set aside.

2) Heat a pan or skillet over medium high heat; sear chicken thigh fillets or breast fillets on both sides until golden and cooked through.

For Bone In Thighs: 

1) Reduce heat after searing on both sides, cover skillet with a lid and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, while turning every 5 minutes until done. Alternatively , see below for oven method. 

2) Drain most of the excess oil from the pan, leaving about 2 tbsp. of pan juice for added flavor. 

For Sauce: 

1) When chicken is done and cooked through, arrange chicken skin side up in the pan (if cooking with skin); add the garlic between the chicken and fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the honey, water, vinegar and soy sauce. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook until the sauce reduces down and thicken slightly (about 3-4 minutes). 

2) Garnish with parsley and serve over vegetables, rice, pasta or with a salad. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

* For chicken breasts: use 3 breasts, sliced horizontally in half. Sear breast fillets on each side until golden and cooked through ( about 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your fillets).  Continue directions from the sauce, onwards. 

* For oven baked, bone-in thighs: Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Sear chicken in an oven proof skillet pan, skin side down for the first 3 minutes. Flip and sear for a another 3 minutes until browned on each side. Then bake in the oven for another 20-25 minutes, until completely cooked through and no longer pink inside. Continue directions from sauce, onwards.