Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

Recipe from Taste of Home cookbook

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. flour

filling:
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
Powdered sugar

In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; gradually beat in flour until blended. Press into an ungreased 8 in. square baking dish. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Meanwhile, for filling, in a small mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, lemon juice, flour and baking powder until frothy. Pour over crust. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into squares.

Pennsylvania Pot Roast

*I stole this picture from the Taste of Home website because I didn't take a picture of mine.

Pennsylvania Pot Roast
Recipe from the Taste of Home cookbook

1 Boneless pork shoulder roast (2 1/2 to 3 lbs), halved
1-1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
6 Medium red potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks
4 Medium carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks
7-8 fresh mushrooms, quartered
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold water

Place roast in a 5 quart slow cooker; add the broth, onions and seasonings. Cover and cook on high for 2 hrs. Add the vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until vegetables are tender. Remove the meat and vegetables; keep warm. Discard bay leaf.

In a saucepan, combine flour and cold water until smooth; stir in 1 1/2 cups cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add browning sauce if desired. Serve with roast and vegetables.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

*A side note from me...I LOVE chicken cordon bleu...but I don't like hammering the chicken...it kind of grosses me out and makes me feel like the chicken is more like a real chicken and not just a piece of something to cook and eat.

Chicken Cordon Bleu
Recipe from the Taste of Home cookbook

4 Boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp dried thyme
4 thin slices fully cooked ham
4 thin slices Swiss cheese
8 bacon strips
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Flatten chicken to 1/8 in thickness; spread butter on the insides. Sprinkle with thyme. Top with a slice of ham and Swiss cheese; roll up tightly. Wrap each with two strips of bacon and secure with toothpicks. In a shallow bowl, beat eggs and milk. Place flour in another bowl. Combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, oregano, and Parmesan cheese. Dip each chicken roll-up in egg mixture, then coat with flour. Dip each again in egg mixture, then coat with crumbs. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. emove toothpicks before serving.

Tomato Rice Pilaf

*I changed this up a bit, what I changed I'll put in parenthesis next to it, including cooking instructions.

Tomato Rice Pilaf
Recipe from the Taste of Home Cookbook

2 tsp butter
1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice (1 cup rice)
1 small onion, sliced (1/2 medium onion)
1 1/4 cups chicken broth (1 can broth)
2 Tbsp chopped green onion (1 chopped green onion)
2 Tbsp chopped tomato (cut up until looked good)
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

In a 3-cup microwave-safe dish, melt butter. Stir in the rice and onion. (I stuck the butter, rice, onion, and chicken broth in the rice cooker and cooked like normal rice.) Microwave, uncovered, on high for 2-3 minutes or until rice is lightly browned and onion is tender, stirring once. Add broth. Cover and cook on high for 13-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. stir in the green onion, tomato and parsley. (Once rice was cooked I just added the green onion, tomato, and parsley.)

Meatballs with Cream Sauce

*This recipe was worth it just to see how much Eden LOVED these. She ate several and kept asking for more.

Meatballs with Cream Sauce
Recipe from the Taste of Home cookbook

1 egg, lightly beatne
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
3 Tbsp flour

Cream sauce:
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 14-oz can chicken broth
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1 1/2 in balls. Roll in flour, shaking off excess. Place 1 in. apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake uncovered at 400 for 10 minutes. Turn meatballs; bake 12-15 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink.

Meanwhile, for sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour, thyme, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add broth and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Drain meatballs on paper towels; transfer to a serving dish. Top with sauce; sprinkle with parsley.

Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
Recipe from Taste of Home cookbook

2 Cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, divided
1 Cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 Cup packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup butter, melted
1 8-oz pkg reduced fat cream cheese
1 14-oz can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
4 Egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 16-oz can whole-berry cranberry sauce
2 Tbsp cornstarch

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, oats, brown sugar, and butter; mix until crumbly. Press 2 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture into a greased 13x9 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the milk, egg whites, vanilla and remaining flour. Spoon over crust. In a small bowl, combine cranberry sauce and cornstarch. Spoon over cream cheese layer. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack before cutting.

Spinach-Stuffed Chicken

*I used real spinach, just made sure I had about a half cup per chicken when cooked down.
*I also couldn't find bone-in with skin chicken....so I used regular chicken breasts, cut open, stuffed, and cooked spinach mix side down.

Spinach-Stuffed Chicken
Recipe from the Taste of Home Cookbook
Serves 6

2 pkg (10 oz each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
3/4 c. ricotta cheese
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmet
1/4 tsp pepper
6 bone-in chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme

In a large bowl, combine the spinach, cheeses, onion, garlic, salt, nutmet and pepper. Carefully loosen the skin on one side of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff 1/2 cup spinach mix into each pocket. Place chicken skin side up in a greased baking pan. Combine the oil, paprika, oregano, and thyme; brush over chicken. Sprinkle with additional paprika if desired. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until meat is cooked through and juices run clear.