October 18, 2011: Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

Well, my resolve to eat lower fat foods didn’t last too long… When my husband got home after working out of town for a while, I wanted to give him a special dinner so I fixed his favorite steak sauce, baked a couple potatoes, and made these stuffed mushrooms as an accompaniment. Actually, this recipe isn't very fattening and if you use fat-free cream cheese (blah! yuck!) it might even be a good diet dish. :-)

Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 t. diced pimiento

1 green onion, minced (both white and green parts)

1 t. finely minced garlic

Freshly ground black pepper

8 – 10 white mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed

1 t. olive oil

Cooking spray

French fried onions (about 4 teaspoons)

Balsamic vinegar

Mix together cream cheese, pimiento, green onion, garlic and black pepper.

Spray inside the cups of the mushrooms with the cooking spray. Fill each with cream cheese mixture (go ahead and mound it over the top if you wish).

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium low. Add mushrooms, cheese side up, cooking for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften on the bottom. Splash a bit of balsamic vinegar in bottom of the skillet and cover. Cook another 5 minutes. Remove lid from pan and sprinkle French fried onions over the tops of the mushrooms. Place pan under broiler for about a minute, just enough to heat the onions.

Serves 2

August 18, 2011: Easy Onion Chicken Recipe

Are your kids back in school now? Are you readjusting to a routine of chauffeuring them to and from school, extracurricular activities, sports, lessons and whatever else they’ve got on their schedule? If so, you need some help in the kitchen come dinner time. This is a very simple recipe that comes out juicy and tasty. Even if your kids are particularly fond of onions, they’ll probably love this dish!

French Fried Onion Chicken served with Potatoes, Asparagus and Green Onions and sweet marinated jalapeno peppers.

French Fried Onion Chicken

4 pieces chicken, skin removed

Garlic salt and black pepper

2 T. mayonnaise

1 cup French fried onions, slightly crushed

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with garlic salt and pepper on each side. Spread with mayo on both sides. Place in a baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Top with crushed French fried onions; press slightly to get them to stick.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Tip: You can add additional spices for more flavor, if you'd like. Try lemon pepper, citrus peel seasoning, paprika, dry mustard, and/or chili powder.

May 22, 2011: Honey Mustard Pork Chops Recipe

As you know, I love the challenge of looking through my pantry and fridge and coming up with a satisfying, delicious dinner. Since my husband and I have been on a salad kick lately, I wanted something a bit more substantial (plus the weather’s turned cool again, making me crave a hot dish).

For this dinner, I took a couple apples that were on their last legs and turned them into a quick applesauce. I marinated the pork chops in the sauce and while they were baking, tossed together packaged pierogis with caramelized onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Voila! Dinner was served and it was more than satisfactory.

Honey Mustard pork chop served with sauteed pierogis and homemade applesauce

Honey Mustard Pork Chops

1 pound pork chops, ½” thick
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup light mayonnaise
1 t. honey
½ cup cornflakes, crushed
½ cup dried French fried onions, crushed

Mix together the mustard, mayo, and honey. Coat the pork chops completely with the mustard mixture and refrigerate for several hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking pan or cookie sheet large enough to accommodate the pork chops in a single layer. Combine the crushed cornflakes and onions and sprinkle this mixture over the top of the pork chops. Bake for 35 minutes, or until just done (slightly pink) in the middle.

April 28, 2011: Chicken Casserole Recipe

This is an easy, simple, tasty casserole for those nights when you aren’t feel particularly creative about dinner (which I’ve been experiencing a lot lately); just add a fresh green salad and maybe some crusty bread and voila! You can easily double this recipe and have enough to feed a family of four or five (use a 13 x 9 inch pan). And because it still tastes good even when it’s not hot, it makes a great dish to contribute to a potluck meal.

I first found this recipe in an issue of American Profile and the recipe is attributed to Elaine Arnold. As usual, I’ve done just a wee bit of tweaking and here’s my version.

Chicken Casserole

2 large chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
2 small stalks celery, finely chopped (optional)
1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 2-ounce jar pimientos
2 T. minced onion (can use dehydrated)
½ to ¾ cup light mayonnaise (depends on how much chicken you have)
2 T. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
French fried onions (the kind in a can)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a medium-sized casserole dish or 8 x 8 inch square pan.

Combine all ingredients (through salt and pepper) and mix well. Start with half a cup of mayonnaise and add more if necessary (too much mayo makes this casserole taste very greasy). Place the mixture into the prepared pan; top with French fried onions and shredded cheese. Cover the dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Tip: Feel free to add/substitute other vegetables. For instance, I’ve used diced red bell pepper in place of the pimientos before and mushrooms instead of celery. You could also add mandarin orange slices and bean sprouts to make it more “Chinese”. My husband doesn’t like nuts so I omit the almonds; it would also taste good if you substituted pecans or cashews for the almonds. Experiment with the ingredients your family likes best.