Outback Chicken

Ingredients:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2-1 tsp. seasoning salt
6 slices of bacon, halved
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp. dried onion flakes
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional, tastes fine w/o them)

Directions:
1. Pound chicken breasts to 1/2" thick. Season both sides with seasoning salt and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Cook bacon until crisp, set aside and reserve grease.
3. Combine mustard, honey, mayo, and onion flakes until smooth.
4. Brown chicken in a little bacon grease approximately 3-4 minutes per side (I know, so healthy!)
5. Place chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. Top with bacon and (mushrooms). Pour sauce over chicken and cover with cheese.
6. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees, or until cooked through.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This recipe is so yummy!

Ingredients:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
salt & pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Directions:
1. Season chicken with salt & pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch, then in egg.
2. Fry battered chicken in hot canola oil over medium heat just until browned (not cooked through).
3. Place browned chicken in a single layer in a 9x13 baking dish.
4. Pour sauce over chicken (see recipe below), and bake at 325 degrees for one hour, turning chicken every 15 minutes.

Sauce: whisk together the following
3/4 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic salt

If you like extra sauce you can make a second batch in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and stir constantly till thickened (about 6-8 minutes).

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
1 lb. cubed beef stew meat
1 10.75oz. can Golden Mushroom Soup (not cream of mushroom)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 envelope of onion soup mix
1/4 cup water
4 ounces cream cheese
dollop of sour cream
small can of mushrooms

Directions:
1. In your crock pot, combine beef, soup, onion soup mix, onion, Worcestershire, and water.
2. Cook on low for 5-6 hours (until meat is tender).
3. A half an hour prior to serving add mushrooms.
4. Add cream cheese and sour cream just prior to serving.
5. Serve over egg noodles.

*if your family likes it extra "saucy", then double Golden Mushroom Soup and water

Chicken Fried Chicken

Ingredients:
30 saltine crackers
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons potato flakes
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves

Directions:
1. Place crackers in a large Ziploc bag. Crush crackers until they become coarse crumbs. Add flour, potato flakes, seasoned salt, and pepper.
2. Beat egg in a shallow bowl. Begin heating oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Dredge each piece of chicken in egg, then place in Ziploc bag and shake to coat.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook chicken in skillet for 15-20 minutes, turning frequently (about every 3 minutes or so). Juices should run clear and breading should be a crispy golden brown.

This has plenty of flavor by itself, but serving country gravy over top would be really yummy too!

Thick N' Hearty Chicken Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
1 cup carrots, sliced
1/4 cup chopped green onion
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 10.75oz. can chicken broth
1 12.5oz. can of canned chicken
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, cook carrots and green onion in butter until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in flour.
3. Slowly add milk, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper.
4. Cook, stirring until thickened and bubbly.
5. Stir in chicken and cheese.
6. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese melts.
Thanks to Nelda Evans for this recipe!

Sour Cream & Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

16oz. sour cream

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 large can of canned chicken or any pre-cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

4 oz. diced green chilies and 1/2 cup diced onion (I substitute green onion for the green chilies)

1 dozen flour tortillas

Directions:

1. Mix sour cream, cream of chicken, chicken, cheese, green chilies, and onion in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Warm tortillas.

3. Spread mixture on each tortilla and roll. Place in a 9x13 baking dish.

4. Pour remaining mixture over top the rolled tortillas. (you can sprinkle a little more cheese on top if you'd like.)

5. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees, or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Spanish Rice

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup white rice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 glove garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1/2 Tablespoon cumin

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 8oz. can tomato sauce

Directions:

1. Brown rice in oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute.

2. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer 20-30 minutes with lid on.

Check periodically, add more water if necessary, but DO NOT STIR. Cook until rice is tender and liquid is gone.

Lazy Susan

This was a Pottery Barn Kids inspired project. If any of you get their catalog then I'm sure you've seen their $49.00 version of this. My version on the other hand only cost $6.50!

So I loved the idea of having all the kids art supplies all in one place. The buckets are screwed in place and stable so there's no chance for spilled buckets! Wouldn't this look so cute on the kids table in the playroom?!

I did however have a hard time finding a wooden lazy susan for this project because everything now a days is plastic or stainless steel. I ended up finding this one second hand for $4.00. I bought the buckets on clearance at Walmart but any of the buckets at Target's dollar spot would be cute too. I wanted mine to be non-gender specific since I have both a boy and a girl.

What you need:

wooden lazy susan

sand paper

spray paint

5 buckets

5 short screws

What you do:

1. Scuff up the lazy susan with sand paper just enough to break through the finish.

2. Spray paint the lazy susan, I did about 3 coats. Let dry over night or longer.

3. Measure or just eye ball the position you want the buckets in, and make a slight pencil mark on the lazy susan for each one.

4. Poke a small hole on the inside center of each bucket to start your screws.

5. Position each bucket and screw down tightly, making sure your screw does not go through the wood entirely or it will prevent the lazy susan from spinning.

*If worse came to worse and you couldn't find a wooden lazy susan, you could always buy a plastic one and glue the buckets down.

St. Patrick's Day Decor

Time to switch it up again! I'm actually really happy with the way this one turned out. I bought my little Leprechaun at Hobby Lobby, then sprinkled confetti (pots of gold and gold and green stars) around him. I then wrapped shamrock wire garland (dollar store) around the outside. I was worried about the wire garland being to "cheapie" looking, but I think it turned out cute.

Crock Pot Pork Loin Roast

Ingredients:
2-3 lb. pork loin roast
1/2 onion, diced
6 Tablespoons of brown gravy mix (equiv. 2 envelopes)
2 cups water

Directions:
1. Place pork loin in crock pot. Sprinkle roast with diced onion.
2. Prepare gravy as directed on package then pour over roast.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, depending on the size of your roast.
4. Slice and serve, drizzling gravy and onions over top.