Apple Porkchops

A lady at work gave me this recipe the other day. I thought she was smoking something. I was like "apple pie filling and stuffing", alrighty? I guess it could taste like Thanksgiving? Wow! What a suprise! I loved it. My first thought was "this taste like Cracker Barrel", down home type of cooking. It was easy and made the house smell like a big ol' family dinner was taking place.

6 bone-in center-cut pork chops (not the real thick ones but not the thin ones)

2 cans apple pie filling

2 boxes Stove-Top stuffing

salt, pepper, garlic and onion to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season pork chops to your taste and brown in a little olive oil in a skillet. Line 9x13 casserole dish with apple pie filling. Make Stove Top according to package. Place pork chops on top the apples and then place the place the stuffing on top. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until pork is done. Recipe can easily be cut in half. Also, the stuffing is very flavorful so you don't need to go crazy with the seasoning on the pork. Not saying I did that or anything ;)

Scalloped Corn

This is one of my favorite Holiday dinner recipes. I need to remember that it can be made any time! This recipe is loved by all, it travels well and it's easy. Exactly what you need this time of year. Enjoy and stay warm!

1 can whole corn

1 can cream style corn

1 box Jiffy corn bread mix

1 egg

1 stick butter, melted

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 casserole dish (Pam Butter Spray works great). Mix ingredients together in seperate dish and pour into casserole. Bake 45 minutes or until knife inserted into middle comes out clean. Should be golden also.

Christmas Wreaths

I am not a candy person. I have actually never made fudge or peanut brittle or anykind of candy for that matter. However, I will make these! These gooey little wreaths were the only candy I loved at Christmas time. I couldn't wait for my Mom to make them. And the fact that they turn your teeth green, what kid doesn't love that! You can take the time to shape them like a wreath or you can just drop in a blob and make them look more like green haystacks, whatever you have the time for. Christmas is almost here, we had better get a move on!



1/2 cup butter or margarine
30 large marshmallows
1-2 tsp green food coloring, depending on how green you want your teeth
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups cornflake cereal
Red Hot cinnamon candies

Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir constantly until all are melted. Remove from heat. Add the food coloring, vanilla and cornflakes. Stir until coated. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. With greased fingers, form into wreaths or leave as is. Quickly add red hots before the wreaths harden. Cool completely before removing from wax paper. Store in airtight container, with wax paper in between layers.

Sloppy Joes

Everybody had enough Turkey yet? Well, I don't have a turkey recipe, but I do have a kid favorite. This is my family's favorite recipe for Sloppy Joes. It's a little different, a little tangy and not real saucy. Adjust the seasonings or ketchup to your liking. I like this recipe because I have all these things in my pantry, besides the green pepper (it tastes good even w/o it), so I can whip these up whenever I feel like it. And if you are still in the turkey mood, use ground turkey instead of beef.




1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp mustard
1 cup ketchup
3 tsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, ground hamburger, green pepper and onion. Drain off any liquids. Add rest of ingredients and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve on buns.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This has been voted as the soup of season at our house. It is even worthy enough for my hubby to take into work on the next "crock pot day". What I loved about it, besides the taste, was that the rice kept absorbing the liquid so each day I would add another can or two of chicken broth and we would have the same amount of soup as when we started. I felt like I was holy! It taste a lot like Panera, but not exactly. My kids loved it also and that's what matters! Enjoy.

1-2 boxes of Uncle Ben's Original Long Grain and Wild Rice (I used 2 boxes and it was a lot of

rice, I plan on just using 1 next time and eliminating the "Holy" issue)

3-4 carrots, sliced thinly
3-4 stalks of celery, sliced thinly

1 onion, diced

garlic powder

2 TBS butter

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped or shredded

6-8 cups chicken stock (this is different than chicken broth, it's darker and stronger)
(buy extra chicken stock/broth for leftovers, the rice will absorb the liquid)

1 pint whipping cream

Cook rice as directed, exept use 3 cups of water for 2 boxes and 2 cups of water for 1 box and cook for just 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in dutch oven or large sauce pan. Saute carrots, celery , garlic and onions until onions are translucent. Then add chicken stock, chicken, rice (with remaining liquid) and whipping cream to dutch oven. Simmer and add more stock/broth as needed to make as thin as you would like. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Will thicken as it cools.

For leftovers, add more stock/broth (I used chicken broth on leftovers, not stock) until as thin as you would like and heat it up. This soup fed my family for 3 different meals before I finally threw it out.

Crunchy onion chicken

I started making these chicken fingers before Joe and I were even married, over 10 years ago! This recipe is on the back of the French's Fried Onions, just in case you are ever at the store without a list. I alternate between two versions: honey mustard or plain. I will post both and you can decide which you would rather make. Do not grease pan, it will make the bottom side of the chicken soggy.



Plain Version:
4 chicken breasts or tenders
1 (2.8 oz) can of French's Fried Onions
2 tsp. flour
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place onions and flour into plastic bag, crush. Dip chicken into egg then into onions. Press to adhere. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.



Honey Mustard Version:
4 chicken breasts or tenders
1 (2.8 oz) can of French's Fried Onions
1/2 cup honey mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place onions in plastic bag and crush. Coat chicken with honey mustard and then dip into onions. Press to adhere. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.

White Chicken Chili

Everybody needs a break from plain old chili. Don't get me wrong, I love it dearly, but sometimes we need some white beans! This is a good, not too spicy, family friendly chili that can easily being changed to your liking. Add whatever you want, it's your chili. This is just a good start and sooo easy. Enjoy!

2 strips, thick-cut bacon, cut into small pieces

1/2 sweet onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 (4 oz) can green chilis

1 (15oz) can Northern Beans

1 chicken breast, boiled and shredded
4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup white corn

1/2 cup monterey jack cheese

cilantro for topping

In a large pot, saute the bacon pieces until cooked, but not crispy. Add in the diced onions and garlic and cook with bacon over medium heat until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the green chilis, beans and chicken, then dump in the chicken broth. Stir over heat until the soup becomes very hot, but not boiling. Stir in the sour cream and corn. Continue stirring over medium-high heat until the cheese melts. Top with cilantro and sour cream.