Pork Pasta Salad

Tonight was my night to make dinner for the family. I wanted to mostly use stuff I already had, and I had to work during dinner time, so I wanted it to be something I could make ahead of time and have it be ready for the rest of the family later.

I had three pork chops...not nearly enough for 8 people. I broiled them in the oven with a little extra virgin olive oil and seasoned salt. I just kept turning them over and cutting into them to check if they were done. I have no idea how long it actually took, I wasn't really paying attention, I just wanted to make sure I didn't over cook them. I chopped those up, and put them in a container in the fridge to cool while I made the rest of the salad.

Next, I put a large pot, and a medium pot of water on the stove to boil (with salt). I chopped one bunch of broccoli to put in the medium pot. Cooked that for a few minutes, until they were slightly tender, then they went in the fridge to cool as well. The large pot was for all my pasta. I had a couple of different shapes to make it fun. When that was done, I rinsed it all in cool water to cool it down quickly.

Then I poured the pasta, the pork, and the broccoli in a big bowl. I chopped up a (peeled) cucumber and a tomato, and threw those in with a small can of sliced olives. I mixed in enough Italian salad dressing to coat everything, covered the bowl, and stuck it in the fridge till dinner time. (I also cubed some cheddar cheese and left those on the side for whoever wanted cheese.)

I almost added twice as many veggies, but I realized with so many different kinds, it'll probably add up. It turned out pretty tasty, and my family loved it.

Pizza Casserole

This is something my mom made a lot when I was a kid. I made it for the first time recently, and I still love it. Cheap, easy, and yummy. Nothing better than that. It makes a lot, and is something my husband doesn't like (pasta with tomato sauce...yes, he's weird and doesn't like spaghetti or lasagna) so it made a few meals for me and Mikey.



1 lb hamburger
1/2 cup chopped onion (or handful dried onions)
3 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, etc)
pinch garlic powder

Brown hamburger and onion in large frying pan. Add tomato sauce and spices. Let simmer while cooking elbow macaroni in a pot of boiling water on the stove. When macaroni is cooked, drain and dump into hamburger mixture in frying pan. Stir. Top with slices of mozzarella cheese. Cover and let cheese melt.

Options: Can put anything on top of casserole that you would want on a pizza: pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, etc.

Pot Roast

Throw some chopped veggies (this time I used potatoes, onions, and carrots) in the bottom of the crock pot.
Add a couple tablespoons of butter.
Salt and Pepper
Add a pot roast.
Sprinkle a McCormick Pot Roast seasoning packet over the meat.
Top with a can of cream of mushroom soup.
Pour about a third of the can full of water in.
Turn on low for 6 hours.

Chicken Corn Chowder

handful of diced onions
tablespoon olive oil
garlic salt
1 3/4 cup milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can corn
1 1/2 cooked, diced, chicken breasts
salt and pepper

Saute onions with olive oil and garlic salt in a sauce pan for a few minutes. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Cook till warm, not boiling.

Yummy!

Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

I've never made chicken and rice in the crock pot before, so I decided to try it. I couldn't find a recipe that I liked, so I made one up. I guess we'll see how it turns out.

Here's what I did.

Mixed together in crock pot:
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
3 cups water
1 can cream of chicken soup
handful chopped onion
small green bell pepper, chopped
sprinkled garlic salt and black pepper

Then I put in 3 frozen chicken tenderloins, put the lid on, and turned it on low.

I guess in 5-7 hours or so, we'll find out how it worked.



Note: This ended up being okay. Not enough flavor or chicken. It was mostly just rice with a few green peppers in it. Next time I'd add another can of cream of chicken soup, and more seasoning...like onion soup mix or something.

Fettuccine Alfredo

I made this blog a loooong time ago. I keep forgetting to post here! So, here's the first one, my first ever attempt at Fettuccine Alfredo, yesterday's dinner.

When I cook, I base what I'm doing off of a recipe, or more than one recipe, and change it up to whatever I would like. So, I don't really ever use measurements...these are all guesses. I just taste it and decide if it needs more of something.

Alfredo Sauce

4-5 tablespoons butter
2 cups heavy cream
1-2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the heavy cream and increase heat to medium high, stirring constantly. Heat until the cream is bubbling slightly. Stir in garlic powder. Add cheese a little at a time, letting it melt before you add more, and stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper, if you want. Heat and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is warmed through. Serve over your favorite pasta. (I love cheese, so I sprinkled some shredded cheese over the top...an Italian Five cheese blend.)



Cheesy Garlic Toast

Preheat the oven to broil.
Slice some french bread (or even just sandwich bread), as many as you want.
Arrange on cookie sheet.
Butter each slice. (I use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread)
Sprinkle with Garlic Salt.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if you want.
Broil in oven until toasty brown, and the butter and cheese is melted.

The verdict? Here's what Joshua said: "It boggles my mind how...*searching for the right word*...GOOD this is."

PS. Keep an eye on the bread in the oven.
PPS. Our smoke detector works just fine.