Italian Chicken + Veggies

This is a yummy recipe I got from a friend and tried last week. It's picky-eater pleasing and I plan to make it frequently now that I know how easy, fast, and delicious it is! The boys scarfed it up!

(The photo shown here isn't mine. I made a few changes to the original version.)

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 16 oz package of frozen green beans
• 4 medium Yukon Gold or red potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 stick of butter, cut into pats
• 1 package of Italian dressing mix (I used the Aldi brand)

I also added

• 4 carrots, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, kept whole

* You could substitute any veggies you have. I'm going to try zucchini and yellow squash next.

In a 9x13 baking dish (or larger if you have it) lay out chicken breasts in the middle, then potatoes on one side, and beans on the other. Lay the pats of butter on top of everything. Then sprinkle Italian dressing powder over the whole thing.
Bake @350 uncovered for 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender.

I added the asparagus about 20 minutes before the end because I know they cook fast. If I were using zucchini or yellow squash, I'd put them in 30 minutes before the end because you don't want them overcooked. Seriously, this is one of the easiest meals to prepare! It took me less than 10 minutes to get it in the oven. And cleanup was a snap!

Real "Pot" Roast

• 1.5 pounds of beef chuck roast or arm roast
• 2 T. oil
• 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
  
• 6 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
  
• 1 celery stalk (optional), cut into large chunks
  
• 1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
  
• salt
• pepper
• garlic
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 1 pkg. onion soup mix
• A pot (I use a 6.5 quart Le Cruset cast iron enamel dutch oven but you can use anything of similar size. I just love the cast iron because it brazes so nicely.)
  

Preheat your pot on the stove over medium-high, add oil, and brown the meat on both sides until you get a nice color. Then turn the heat to medium-low.

Then add the seasonings and onion soup mix. Cover the roast to half-way up the side of the meat with water. Put the lid on and let it simmer. Check the water level every 1/2 hour or so to make sure there's still enough. Add more as needed. Cooking time will depend on the size of the roast. A meat thermometer will read 180 when it's well done. But over-cooking won't hurt it... it will just get more tender the longer it cooks.

When the meat is about 10 - 20 minutes from being done you can add the veggies around the sides and on top of the meat. I like to make sure they are all about the same size so they cook evenly.

After the meat and veggies are done, take them all out of the pot and use the juice to make a YUMMY gravy to top everything off.

This is how my grandma makes it and I always love how hers turn out. So she taught me how and now I may never go back to crockpot roast again. Yummy!

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

• 8 large potatoes; peeled, chopped, and boiled
• 1 (16 oz) container sour cream
• 1 stick butter
• 1 pkg. bacon bits
• 3 scallions, sliced thin (use green & white parts)
• 2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese (or more if you like)
• salt & pepper to taste

Peel, chop, and boil potatoes until fork tender, drain. Mash with sour cream, butter, and salt & pepper. Stir in bacon bits and scallions.

Transfer into greased glass 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes until warmed through cheese is bubbly.

Christmas Breakfast Casserole

Makes: 9 x 13 pan (which serves 8 or 12 depending on how hungry you are!)

• 10 slices of bread; diced up
• 1 pound package Jimmy Dean sausage; browned & drained
• 2 C. potatoes; peeled, diced and cooked until half-way softened (can be added to sausage to cook)
• 1/2 medium onion; diced
• 1/2 medium green bell pepper; diced
• 2 C. milk
• 8 eggs
• 1 T Worcestershire
• 1 tesp. dry mustard
• 3 C. shredded cheese (colby-jack or cheddar)

Dice up bread and place in bottom of glass 9x13 pan.

Brown the sausage. Peel and cut up potatoes, add to sausage to soften up a bit. Drain off grease.

In a large bowl beat eggs, whisk in milk, Worcestershire, dry mustard. Dice up onion and green pepper. Add veggies, potatoes, and sausage to egg mixture.

Pour over top of bread. Top with shredded cheese.

Better if refrigerated overnight before baking.

Bake covered in foil for 1 hour @ 350 degrees. Uncover for the last 20 minutes.

This is a close variation of the dish we always have for breakfast on Christmas morning. I'm not usually a big fan of egg, but this one is very good with all the other ingredients.

We like to have this with our favorite Christmas Citrus Salad.

"Hobos"

Servings: 2
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: about 20 minutes on the grill, 40 on a campfire

This can be made in any quantity you'd like, we just make two at a time because that's all we use.

• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 2 potatoes
• 3-4 carrots
• 1 small onion
• seasoned salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• 2 large pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil (or two disposable pie pans covered in foil)

Divide meat and prepare 2 patties. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic. Place in the center of each piece of foil.

Slice onion into thick rings, and potatoes and carrots into circles about 1/8 inch thick, divide into two servings, place on top of meat, season with salt and pepper.

Fold foil closed, sealing well on the top.

Cook over grill on medium high heat, or over campfire coals that have been raked out away from flames. Cooking time will differ; you know they are done when veggies are tender. Keep the peeking to a minimum as steam escapes when you open the packets.

This is one of my all-time favorite campfire recipes. We made it all the time on my Grandma's fire pit when I was growing up. The high heat of a campfire gives the meat a lovely caramelization on the bottom, and makes the potatoes yummy and soft. You can add other veggies too: like zucchini, squash, celery, or bell peppers. This is just the classic version. We call them "hobos" because supposedly people who jumped trains would make these on their campfires during the depression.

Hearty Potato Sausage Soup

Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Serves: 8

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or butter
  
• 8 medium potatoes; peeled and cut into about 1/4 in cubes
  
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 can chicken broth (or 2 Tbsp chicken bouillon stock base)
• 2 C. water
  
• 1/2 pkg Jimmy Dean regular sausage, browned and drained
  
• salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (optional)
• 1 T. butter
  

Cook sausage in heavy stock pot, drain and set aside, discard drippings. Prep veggies. Then heat oil or butter in pot, saute onion and celery with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add carrots and and potatoes, let them get a little soft. Add milk, broth, water, pepper, sausage, and Italian seasoning; simmer until potatoes are cooked through and soup has reached desired thickness. Taste for flavor, season with additional salt if necessary. Stir in 1 T. butter at the end before serving (to give soup extra creaminess).

I made up this recipe myself yesterday because I had half a package of sausage left over from another meal. I would have also added some uncooked spinach at the end if I had it. This tastes similar to Olive Garden's "Zupa Tuscana". It was perfect for a cold dreary day. I would serve it with a crusty Italian bread, cut up and broiled with some grated cheese on top.