Banana Sushi*

I haven't tried this one out yet, but it looks like a fun and tasty snack!

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/banana-sushi/

Buttermilk Chicken fingers**

This is what Rachael Ray made the day I went to her show and I've been dying to try them out, they looked so tasty-turns out they taste tasty too! (Plus she claims it's somewhat healthy because buttermilk is made from Skim Milk, you're shallow frying, not deep frying-whatever that means-and the chicken is breast meat with little fat on it-you be the judge!)

Ingredients
4 cups buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, grated
A few dashes of hot sauce
4 tablespoons (a large palmful) fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 tablespoons (a large palmful) fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons (about a palmful) fresh chives, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds chicken tenderloins
Canola oil
2 cups flour, plus more as needed
8 to 12 scallions, depending on size, trimmed of roots
1/2 cup sour cream
Assorted sliced vegetables, such as seedless cucumbers, celery and carrots

(I didn't use the hot sauce and I used the herbs out of the jars instead of the fresh stuff and it turned out yummy still)

Preparation
In a large bowl, mix together the buttermilk, garlic, hot sauce, parsley, dill, chives and lemon juice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Season the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and place in a shallow dish or large disposable plastic bag. Pour about 1/3 of the buttermilk ranch over the chicken pieces then cover the dish with plastic wrap or seal the bag and marinate for 10 minutes or up to an hour in the refrigerator. Reserve the remaining buttermilk dressing in the fridge.

To cook up the chicken, place a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add an inch of canola oil to your pan and get it hot. Place two high-sided dishes on the counter and fill one with flour and the other with 1/3 of your reserved buttermilk ranch. Dip the trimmed scallions into the buttermilk ranch, then into the flour; then back into the buttermilk ranch and back into the flour. Once they're double-coated, shallow fry them in the oil until they are golden brown on each side, then place on a paper towel lined plate to drain. Repeat the process with the remaining scallions.

When the scallions are finished frying, repeat the process with all the chicken strips, adding more flour to the dish as needed.

While the last batch of chicken tenders is cooking up, stir the sour cream into the remaining reserved buttermilk ranch and transfer it to a serving dish. Put your chicken strips and scallions in a bucket and serve the dipping ranch and sliced veggies alongside.

The Most Amazing Pot Roast Sandwiches *

This is from "Family Comfort Favorites"--by Kim Warren

She said this one is so easy, she is almost embarrassed to put it in the book. It is really easy, but very good.

Ingredients:

* 1 4 to 5 lb beef brisket (or your favorite pot roast) all or most of the fat removed
*1 can cream of mushroom soup
*1 package of dry onion soup mix
*2 tsp. granulated beef bouillon or 2 beef bouillon cubes (we used the cubes)
*pepper

steps:
1: Trim visible fat from pot roast and place in bottom of slow cooker. Season generously with pepper

2:In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Heat soup mixture in the microwave for about 30 second just until warm and bouillon starts to melt. Whisk again and spoon in top of roast.

3:Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours.

4: Remove pot roast from slow cooker when cooking time is complete and lace in large bowl. Using forks, shred the roast into medium or small pieces.When completely shredded, add quite a bit of the cooking gravy and mix. The mixture should be moist.

5. Place heaping portion of pot roast on top of good bread or rolls and eat.


This also makes for good left over sandwiches

Chicken Noodle Soup *

This is from the book "Family Comfort Favorites" by Kim Warren--- way easy

ingredients :

*8 cups chicken broth (we suggest 10-12 cups because it evaporates while pasta is cooking in it)
*4 cups of water
*1 to 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*2 cups sliced carrots (if you want to add other vegetables that would also be good)
*1 Tbsp fresh Thyme leaves
*1 shallot finely diced or 1 small yellow onion
*1 clove garlic minced
*salt and pepper to taste
*Extra wide Egg noodles or 2 cups Country style dry egg noodles --(we used the country noodles and they were really good)

steps:
1: In a stock pot, combine chicken broth, water, chicken breasts, carrots, shallot (onion), garlic, and thyme.

2. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

3.Remove chicken from soup to cool. Season soup with salt and pepper as necessary.

4. Bring back to a boil and add noodles. Maintain a simmer until noodles are cooked through. While noodles are cooking, dice chicken and set aside. When noodles are done, return diced chicken to the pot. Garnish with another teaspoon or so of fresh thyme leaves and cook 2 minutes until chicken is warmed through.

5. Serve!

Darin made this, and said it was really easy. It tasted really fresh, it was so yummy!

Beef Fajita Bowls

1 cup uncooked regular long-grain rice
1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Old El Paso® flour tortilla for burritos (8 inch) (from 11.5-ounce package), cut into 4x1/2-inch strips
1 bag (1 pound) frozen stir-fry bell peppers and onions
1/2 cup Green Giant® Niblets® frozen whole kernel corn
1 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Cook rice as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, cut beef with grain into 2-inch strips; cut strips across grain into 1/8-inch slices.
3. Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; rotate skillet to coat bottom. Cook tortilla strips in oil 1 to 2 minutes on each side, adding additional oil if necessary, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towel.
4. Add beef to skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Remove from skillet.
5. Add bell pepper mixture and corn to skillet; cook and stir 1 minute. Cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring twice, until crisp-tender. Stir in beef, salsa, lime juice, chili sauce and cumin. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot. Stir in cilantro. Divide rice among bowls. Top with beef mixture and tortilla strips.

We made this last night for dinner. I didn't use lime juice because I didn't have it and replaces chili sauce for a little chili powder. I also used fresh peppers and onions because I couldn't find the frozen ones. I just cooked my peppers and onions until they were to my satisfaction.

Cinnamon Pork Chops and Sweet Potatoes *

1 T oil
4 pork loin chops (1/2 inch thick)
1 (20oz) can pineapple chunks in unsweetened juice, drained, reserving liquid
2 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 T cornstarch

1. Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet or dutch oven (large pot) over medium-high heat until hot. Add pork chops; cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove pork chops from skillet.

2. Add 1/2 cup of the pineapple liquid, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon to the same skillet; blend well. Reserve remaining pineapple liquid. Add sweet potatoes to skillet; turn to coat with liquid. Add pork chops. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 15 to 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

3. Stir in bell pepper and pineapple chunks. Cover; simmer and additional 5 minutes. Transfer pork chops to warm platter.

4. In a small bowl stir cornstarch into remaining pineapple liquid until dissolved. Gradually stir into mixture in skillet. Cook and stir over medium- high heat until sauce is bubbly and thickened. Spoon over pork chops.

Very yummy! Almost a sweet and sour flavor to them!!

Recipe from Pillsbury: One-dish meals cookbook

Glazed Carrots with Pistachio Nuts

2 to 3 cups of carrots, sliced in diagonal pieces
3 TB packed brown sugar
1 TB butter
1/3 cup chicken broth
pinch of kosher salt
ground pepper
1/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts
parsley

Place carrots, brown sugar, butter, chicken broth, salt & pepper in a small saute pan over medium heat. Bring ingredients to a simmer, stir and reduce heat to medium low for 10 minutes. Add pistachio nuts and continue to cook until carrots are fork tender. Sprinkle parsley and serve!

Yummy! My 2 year old couldn't stop eating these! I got this from a cookbook by Kim Warren.

Tuna Noodle Casserole*

I found this recipe on Better Homes and Gardens' website. It was pretty tasty.

Prep: 25 minutes Bake: 20 minutes

Ingredients
3 cups medium noodles (4 ounces) or 1 cup elbow macaroni (3 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups milk
1 9- or 9 1/4-ounce can tuna, drained and broken into chunks, or two 6-ounce cans skinless, boneless salmon, drained
1 cup cheddar cheese cubes (4 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped roasted red sweet pepper or pimiento

Directions-preheat oven to 375 degrees.
1. Cook noodles or macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, combine bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon melted butter; set aside.
2. For sauce, in a medium saucepan cook celery and onion in the 1/4 cup butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, dry mustard, and black pepper. Add milk all at once; cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Combine sauce, tuna, cheese cubes, roasted pepper, and cooked noodles. Transfer to a 1-1/2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden.
3. Makes 4 servings
4. Vegetable Tuna-Noodle Casserole: Prepare as above, except add 1 cup frozen vegetables, thawed, with the tuna; transfer tuna mixture to a 2-quart casserole.