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.

baked ziti

Easy and really good

1 lb. ground beef
1 can four cheese spaghetti sauce
1 can tomato paste
8 ounces ziti pasta
1 cup cheese

bake pasta according to package

brown ground beef. add spaghetti sauce and tomato paste. spray an 8X8 pan. layer 1/2 the sauce in the pan add half the noodles and 1/2 the cheese then repeat. i mixed my sauce and noodles and added cheese to the top.

THE MOST AWESOME 5 MINUTE FUDGE!!!*

Yesterday I was watching Oprah and she had Rachael Ray on showing some holiday tips. On there she showed Oprah how to make her 5 minute fudge. It looked so easy that I thought I should give it a try. She gave her recipe which you can see at http://www.oprah.com/foodhome/food/recipes/food_20051123_wreath.jhtml along with a few variations, but she also said you could pretty much throw anything in it that you wanted, so tonight for our ward Christmas party I made 2 different kinds, here are the changes I made:

1st one: Peanut Butter Fudge
Instead of butterscotch chips I used Peanut butter chips
didn't add any nuts or raisins or anything
topped it off with M & Ms

2nd one: Mint Fudge
Instead of butterscotch chips I used 1 cup of the Mint, candycane Hershey kisses (if you haven't tried them yet, go get a bag now!!!)
again, didn't add any nuts or anything
topped it off with M & Ms also

This one was my favorite!!!

This recipe is so easy and it turns out so well, anyone can do it! (Plus it looks so cute in the wreath shape for this time of year, but I'm sure you could decorate it with something else throughout the year to make it suitable.

Easy Stove Top Chicken Bake*

1 box Stove Top Stuffing for chicken
1 1/2 lb chicken, cooked and cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
1 16 oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables

Preheat oven to 400 degrees:
Prepare stuffing according to the directions on the box. Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and veggies in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with prepared stuffing. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

This meal is nice because it's pretty much a whole meal all in one dish, you have the chicken, the side dish(stuffing), and the veggies.

Taco skillet/soup*

1 lb. ground beef
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 8 0z. can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1-2 cups shredded or cubed cheese of your choice (I usually use mild cheddar)

Brown beef and drain. Add remaining ingredients and simmer in skillet 20-30 minutes. I like to serve mine over Fritos and with a bit of sour cream on top.

Perfect thing on a cold night!