Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I'm not usually a fan of chicken salad fan but these are so tasty I make them often.  One day I had some chicken I needed to use and since hubby likes chicken salad I was looking for a recipe that I thought would be quick and good.  I came across this one and decided to give it a try and I'm glad I did.  I'm not usually a raisin or celery person but they both work in this recipe so don't be scared if you're not a fan either give it a try.

I follow the recipe exactly.  I use mayo and again I'm not a fan of mayo by itself but it works here.  And I always warm my croissants in the oven for a few minutes before...yummy!

Original recipe found on Tasty Kitchen.

2 cups Cooked, Cubed Chicken Breast
¼ cups Diced Celery
¼ cups Golden Raisins
¼ cups Sliced Almonds
¼ cups Dried Cranberries
¾ cups Mayonnaise Or Salad Dressing (your Preference)
2 Tablespoons Chopped Red Onion
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Pepper
4 whole Croissants, Split

Preparation Instructions:
In a bowl combine everything except the croissants. Spoon about 1/2 cup salad onto each croissant. 

Looking for a quick weeknight meal then this one is for you!

Easy Swiss Steak

Another Crock Pot meal…yay!  This one was simple and easy.  I just threw it all in the pot together and then gave it a good stir and let it cook away.  It turned out really good.  We actually served it as tacos with all the fixins .  But I can see that it would be very yummy over potatoes…we’ll probably give that a try next time.

I used diced tomatoes and my steak was thin.  I don’t know if you can even by an inch thick cube steak!?..

Recipe taken from – Thalian Society’s Cookbook

2 lbs. beef round steak, 1 inch thick

1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes

1 tsp. pepper

1 sm. Onion, chopped

1 tsp. salt

Pound steak with meat mallet if not tenderized.  Trim off excess fat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cut into serving pieces.  Place in crock pot.  Add tomatoes and onions.  Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.  Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Try this tender steak and make your own dinner combo.

Baby Meatloaf

You have to make these today!  These were a childhood favorite of mine.  They were probably the second favorite dish my mom made.  Second, only to yummy chicken fried steak!  We would eat with baked potatoes and glazed carrots.  Oh so so good.  I still make them to this day and my hubby loves them as much as I do and our son enjoys them too!  Anyone any of my family members have made these for has also loved them.  They are so quick and easy that you’ll have plenty of time to spare.

Recipe taken from – My Mom

1 lb hamburger meat (some of my family use turkey meat)

1 small onion, chopped

1 small can evaporated milk

1 egg

¾ c oatmeal

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine above ingredients.  Mix well.  Make into balls the size of your fist.  (usually makes 4-5)  Put into greased 9x13 dish.  Combine sauce ingredients.  Put equal amounts on baby meat loaves before placing into oven.  Cook approximately 45 minutes.

Sauce: *

*Bear with me because I guesstimate when making this so I do not know the accurate measurements. One time I cooked them I tried to measure it out and this is what I came up with me….sorry if it’s more than needed!

4 Tbsp Catsup

2 tsp Mustard

4 Tbsp Brown Sugar

If you make no other recipe on this blog PLEASE at least give these a try.  I promise they won’t disappoint!

Chicken With A Twist

Another crock-pot meal…yay!  This was super easy to throw together.  I served it with potatoes, bread, and corn.  It turned out good.  I would make it again for sure.  It screamed of something Mexican for leftovers so I made some tacos for lunch.  I had flour tortillas, sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, and corn.  I wish I would have had an avocado!  It was yummy like that too.  And best of all the little monster liked it too which is always a plus!

I used 3 boneless skinless breasts (2lbs) instead of buying bone in with skin.  Everything else I kept the same.  I cooked mine for approx 8.5 hours, I think 7 would probably work.

Recipe taken from – W.M.U Centennial Cookbook (1988)

4 to 6 chicken breast, skinned

¼ c chopped onion

2 Tbsp butter

Juice of 1 lemon

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp thyme

¼ tsp paprika

Garlic powder to taste

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Place chicken in crock-pot.  Add all the other ingredients, letting them fall in and around chicken.  Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.  Good company recipe.

Tired of the same old chicken recipes then give this a go and use your imagination on how to serve it up!

Texas Hash

This recipe was better than it looked!  While combining everything I thought ‘what have I done?’ but in the end it turned out pretty good.  We served it with mashed potatoes, green beans, and French bread.  I used only 1 onion and 1 bell pepper.  I can’t imagine two of each.  Hubby and I were talking about some of the measurements/times on these recipes and we figure people made them from memory so much that when they wrote them down they weren’t entirely accurate?!  I also used olive oil not shortening and one 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes.

Recipe taken from – Heritage Cookbook (1976)

2 large onion, sliced or finely chopped

2 green peppers, finely cut

3 Tbsp shortening

1 lb hamburger meat

1 tsp salt

2 c canned tomatoes

½ c uncooked rice

1 tsp chili powder

¼ tsp pepper

Cook onions and peppers in shortening until onions are yellow.  Add hamburger and salt; cook until mixture falls apart.  Add tomatoes, rice and other seasoning.  Arrange in large casserole.  Cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until done.  Yield: 8 servings.

Note:  In any recipe that calls for cooked hamburger meat I always season it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and some Tony’s.  This adds some seasoning in case the recipe is under seasoned as most are when dealing with hamburger meat I think.  And with this recipe I decreased the salt to ¾ tsp since I added some to the beef.

Don’t be intimidated by different – give it a try!!

Smothered Steak

This was a recipe by mistake!  I had this page marked for another recipe but for some reason when I was making the grocery list I thought I wanted to do this one so I bought the stuff to make it.  After I made it I went to highlight it on my master list and to my surprise it wasn’t on there.  Oops!  I was very leery when making it wondering why I put it on the list!!  (you’ll see why when you read the recipe!)  I can’t say it was a happy mistake but it wasn’t a bad one.  My hubby said he’d eat it again.  He said it was poor man’s pot roast.  If I did it again I think I would leave out the flour which made it kinda slimy and I would season it more.

Recipe taken from - Thalian’s Society Cookbook

Sm. Round steak

1 med onion, sliced thin

1 c. flour

Water

Salt and pepper, to taste

Salt and pepper steak to taste.  Sprinkle flour on both side of steak.  Brwon steak in small amount of oil.  Place sliced onions on top of steak.  Drain grease.  Add water to cover steak.  Simmer for 2 hours, covered.

If you’re feeling adventurous give this recipe a try!!

Sausage Quiche

I don’t think I’ve ever made a quiche not to say I don’t like them I just never have made one.  So, I saw this one in one of the cookbooks and with trying new recipes I marked it to try.  It seemed very easy and it was.  It took no time at all to prepare.  We served it with biscuits and jam for dinner and then ate it for lunch the next day with fruit.

The only thing I may do different next time is pre cook the crust a little because it didn’t get done on the bottom and I love crust on anything.  I probably will use half or three quarters of the sausage.  One pound was quite a lot not overwhelming it just could be less.

Recipe taken from – Heart of the Home (1982)

1 lb bulk pork sausage

½ c onion, chopped

1 ½ c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2 Tbsp flour

1 pie crust shell

2 eggs, beaten

1 small can evaporated milk

2 tsp parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 375.  Fully cook sausage.  Drain very well.  Combine sausage, onion, cheese and flour.  Mix well.  Spread in unbaked pie crust shell.  Beat together eggs, evaporated milk and parsley flakes.  Slowly pour over sausage mixture.  Bake on baking sheet 35-40 minutes or until filling is set.

Try this breakfast for dinner recipe to shake things up a bit!

Chicken Casserole

Growing up my mom made a yummy chicken and rice casserole.  I asked her for the recipe and she gave it to me but it wasn’t as good as I remember hers being.  So, in my cookbooks there are lots of chicken and rice casseroles and I have plenty of them marked!  I chose this one first just because it’s the first one I looked at when making my grocery list and it sounded good.

The only thing I really did different is I used minute rice uncooked (approx 1 ½ c) in the dish and used more than a 1/3 cup of green peppers (probably ½ cup).  Everything else was the same.  I think next time I will sprinkle my chicken with salt and pepper though.  Oh, and I did add some shakes of pepper to the mix when I added the salt.

Overall, this was a good dish and easy as well.  We served with salad, toast, and the marinated carrot sticks.  I will make again unless I find one of the other ones I have marked is better!!:) 

Recipe taken from – Feeding the Flock (1988)

¼ c butter

¼ c flour

1 c chicken broth

½ c water

1 ½ tsp salt

1 (4.5 oz) evaporated milk

Cheddar Cheese

3 c cooked rice

2 ½ c diced chicken

1 (4 oz) can mushrooms

1/3 c green peppers

¼ c chopped pimento

Melt butter; blend flour; add broth, milk and water.  Cook and stir over low heat until thick.  Add salt rice, chicken and vegetables.  Pour into greased dish; bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Add cheddar cheese.

Give this quick casserole a try.  The whole family will love it even the toddlers!

Spaghetti with Italian Sauce

There was a recipe similar to this in almost every cookbook so I decided it must be good and I guess this one caught my eye the most.

I followed the recipe as stated for the most part.  The few things I did differently is that I roughly chopped my onions and used probably 1 cup and I used a 4 oz can of mushrooms...I don’t even know if they make 3 oz anymore.  I also used one large can of whole tomatoes and one 14 oz can of diced tomatoes instead of 2 1lb cans.  This was actually really easy to throw together.  I had it done and simmering in 30 minutes which is always a hit in my book.  It was similar to spaghetti but with a bit more flair!

We all loved it and especially our son but he likes anything Italian.  I think this was probably my favorite so far!!

Recipe taken from - W.M.U Centennial Cookbook (1988)

½ c onion slices

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 (1 lb) cans tomatoes

2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce

1 (3 oz) can sliced mushrooms

¼ c chopped parsley

1 ½ tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp thyme

Dash of pepper

1 bay leaf

1 c water

Cooked Spaghetti

In large skillet, cook onion in olive oil until almost tender.  Add ground beef and garlic, brown lightly.  Add remaining ingredients, except spaghetti.  Simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until thick.  Remove bay leaf.  Serve on hot cooked spaghetti.  Pass bowl of grated Parmesan cheese.  Serves 6.

Give this quick Italian meal a try soon.  It’s quick and oh so good!

Crock Pot Enchilada Stack-Up

I love all crock pot meals because they are easy to fix and clean up.  So, when I saw this recipe in one of the cookbooks I was excited to try a new crock pot recipe.  It was easy and my husband LOVED it.  He was very disappointed that he didn’t get to take leftovers to work because he was going to lunch with his boss.  I thought it was good but a little salty so I’ll decrease the salt to ¼ tsp next time. 

I cooked up the beef and onion mixture the night before to make it easier the next day.  I mixed it all together the following day.  We used flour tortillas and served with rice and beans.  I also used nearly the whole can of the green chilies (4 oz) and I only used 4 oz can of black sliced olives.  I also used a little more onion than suggested.  I used cheddar and monterrey jack cheese.  Our grocery store sells single cans of tomato juice so I just bought a 12 oz can of Campbell’s tomato juice and measured it out.  I might try red enchilada sauce next time.

Recipe taken from – W.M.U Centennial Cookbook (1988)

1 lb ground beef

½ c chopped onion

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

2 Tbsp chopped green chiles

1 ½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Few drops of hot sauce

½ c slced black olives

4 corn or flour tortillas

1 c shredded cheese

¾ c tomato juice

In skillet, cook ground beef and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender.  Drain off fat.  Add tomato sauce, chiles, chili powder, salt, and hot sauce.  Stir in olives.  Trim tortillas slightly smaller than diameter of crock pot.  Add trimmings to meat mixture.  Place ¼ of meat mixture in bottom of cooker.  Top with 1 tortilla; sprinkle with ¼ coup cheese.  Repeat layers with meat, tortillas, and cheese.  Pour tomato juice around edge of stack-up.  Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours of high for 2 to 2 ½ hours.  Cut into wedges and carefully lift out of cooker.

*I’m really not sure what is meant by “Add trimmings to meat mixture.” Since the recipe already mixed things together.  If you understand please fill me in!!

All in all this was a yummy quick and easy week night dinner.  So, when you’re pressed for time give this recipe a go!

Chicken Spaghetti

I've always been on the lookout for a good chicken spaghetti recipe that is quick.  Every cookbook I got had several recipes in them for chicken spaghetti.  This one caught my eye because it had mushrooms and used cheddar cheese and not velveeta.  I still may try some of the other ones though to compare and see if there is a better one!

I did make some adjustments to the recipe though.  I only used 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and a half of stick of butter to sauté the veggies in and it took about 10 min to get them soft.  I also used 1 lb of chicken breasts cut up into small cubes which I cooked in 1 T of oil and 1 T of butter, 1 min per side.  I used a 16 oz package of spaghetti noodles.  I used a large skillet to cook the sauce in but then transferred it to the big pot with the spaghetti at the end and mixed it all together.  We did put more cheddar cheese on top before serving but I really don't think it needs it.  It has enough cheese and creaminess without the addition.

Overall, this was a good dish but it had a lot of dairy which my husband can’t tolerate as well.  So, I probably won’t be making it to often but I will make it again for sure.  It also heated up very well the next day…I thought it might have been even better.  Oh, and another positive our 20 month old loved it too!

Recipe taken from – Thalian’s Society Cookbook

1 c chopped green bell pepper

1 c chopped celery

1 lg chopped onion

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 lg can pimientos

1 sm can mushrooms

3 cans Swanson’s chicken

2 T Worcestershire sauce

¼ c catsup

1 c grated sharp cheese

Sauté pepper, celery and onion in 1 stick of butter, 20 to 30 minutes or until tender.  Add soup, pimientos, mushrooms, chicken, Worcestershire sauce, catsup and cheese.  Simmer 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add 1 package of cooked spaghetti.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese when served, if desired, or melt cheese on top if desired.  Serves 6 to 8.

Give this unusual version a try and you just might be surprised!

Deep South Baked Chicken

This was our first main dish out of the new cookbooks and it was good but not great.  I think with some tweaking it could be really good but the chips just didn't stick well so it didn’t make a nice crust.  We were basically eating baked chicken.  The marinade was good but I think next time I would put salt and pepper on the chicken before I breaded it.  Also, I think I would use egg and not butter for the dipping next time because once the cold chicken went into the butter the butter hardens back up which is another reason I think the chips didn't stick.  I’m also wondering if frying the chicken a couple minutes on each side would help the crust get crispy and golden before putting it in the oven?  Any thoughts?  If so please leave a comment!

The 1 hour baking time is also way off I used thick chicken breasts (1.5 lb for 2 breasts) and cooked it for 35 minutes and it was perfect.  Since I only used two breasts I halved the marinade and turned the chicken every hour.  I baked on aluminum foil on a cookie sheet.

Recipe taken from – Thalian Society’s Cookbook

4 chicken breasts, split in half

1 c lemon or lime juice

1 tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp basil

1 c melted butter

3 c potato chips, crumbled

Mix juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and basil.  Marinate chicken in this.  Refrigerate for 4 hours.  Turn occasionally.  Remove chicken and pat dry.  Dip each piece in melted butter.  Roll in potato chips.  Arrange in greased, flat baking dish.  Bake uncovered, at 350 for 1 hour.

Give it a try to see what you think.  Please let me know if you have ideas on how to make a better crust.  I also think this would be a good marinade for grilled chicken…yummy!