Tonight's dinner mission was to make a wonderful Sunday dinner.  I decided to try the Pork Schnitzel recipe I came across online at SimplyRecipes.com.  This is a fairly easy recipe to make and everyone seemed to enjoy it - though my daughter did opt to leave the sauce off of hers.  I was ok with that too. 

Here's what you'll need

4 boneless pork chops about 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp Lawry's season salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup pank bread crumbs
1 tsp paprika
3 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)
1/2 tsp dried dill

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Use a meat mallet to flatten pork chops to about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick.

Remove pork chops from skillet and place in warmed oven to bake the rest the way through while you create the sauce.

Add dried dill to sauce.

Plate pork chops and drizzle with sauce.  Serve with your choice of sides.   Tonight we had homemade mashed potatoes with gravy and broccoli/cauliflower with homemade cheese sauce.  Enjoy!

Wimpies are a simple "lose meat" type sandwich that are a nice change from Sloppy Joe's.  This recipe is very easy to make in the crock pot and my family enjoys it.  I usually have all the ingredients on hand for seasoning it and usually only need to purchase hamburger buns and ground beef.

Here's what you'll need



CROCK POT WIMPIES
2 lbs ground beef
1 cup ketchup
3 onions, diced
1 cup celery, dice
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp brown sugar
4 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp vinegar
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp ground mustard

The last few days have been crazy busy, so I haven't had a chance to post the last few meals I made.   This dinner mission was made a few days ago when I needed something I could just put in the crock pot and go about my day.  My mom has been making this recipe for probably 20 years.  She found it in a store circular ad many years ago and we loved it.  She always browned the roast, added the remaining ingredients, and finished it in the oven.  I didn't have time to babysit an oven so I decided the crock pot would work.

Here's what you'll need

CHUCK WAGON ROAST
3 lb chuck roast
3 Tbsp oil
1 8oz pkg button mushrooms
1 large green pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 to 5 large carrots
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5 oz cans stewed tomatoes
1 4 oz can green chiles
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Tabasco (optional)

Tonight I made white chili and about half way through the preparation of the meal I thought it needed a bread of some time.  Since most breads take awhile to prep, I quickly grabbed my "America's Most Wanted" cookbook and turned to the Red Lobster copy cat recipe to see how long they would take to prepare.  Less than 20 minutes seemed perfect so I glanced at the ingredients and knew I had everything on hand.  These biscuits were so soft and delicious!  My daughter was in love.

Here's what you'll need

Red Lobster Copy Cat Cheddar Biscuits
2 cups bisquick
2/3 cups milk
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp parsley to sprinkle

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spoon onto greased baking sheet (I have silicon cooking mats I use instead).   Place in preheated oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown on top.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, add butter.  Microwave 45 seconds to melt. Add garlic powder.  Stir to combine.

Tonight's dinner was something I've been intrigued about for awhile now, but never actually took the time to make it - white chili.  It seemed interesting; however, I wasn't sure how well it would be received by my family.  Since I'm always looking for something new to try and tonight just felt like a chili kind of evening, I decided to give white chili a chance.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy it. I was even more pleased when my daughter said she loved it because she's very picky.  Saving this one for a future use.

Here's what you'll need.

White Chili
5 3/4 cup chicken broth
1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded
2 14.5 oz cans Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 14.5 oz cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 4 oz can green chiles
2 onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Top with shredded cheddar cheese and cilantro.  Serve with your choice of bread.

Tonight's dinner mission was to have some good ole comfort food - shredded chicken w/homemade gravy over mashed potatoes with southern fried corn and green beans.  Doesn't get much better than this.  I got this idea from my friend, Julie, who told me she was going to make this one night last week and I thought man that sounds good.  After a little explanation I knew what to do and decided to give it a go myself.  This was a big hit at our house last night (Thanks Jules!).

Here's what you'll need

Shredded chicken w/homemade gravy
2 large chicken breasts
2 14.5 oz cans reduced fat/low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cold water
Salt
Pepper
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (optional)

You can find my Green Bean recipe here.

Nothing says yummy like some good southern-style comfort food.  Tonight's shredded chicken with mashed potatoes needed a delicious side dish and my friend, Julie, told me about southern fried corn.  I'll have to admit, I'd never heard of it.  She told me what I needed and how to make it - seemed simple enough so that's what I did. 

Here's what you'll need

1 10 oz pkg frozen corn
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp sugar
½ cup milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Begin by melting your butter in a 10 inch skillet.  Be careful not to brown it.

Add your flour.

Green beans along can be bland and boring, but with the right additions they can be great.  One way I make green beans is to add a little bacon.  This is a great comfort food and I recently served it with shredded chicken over mashed potatoes with gravy and southern fried corn.  Every once in a while a little comfort food is just what you need.

Here's what you'll need

Green Beans w/Bacon
2 slices bacon, chopped up
1 10oz bag frozen green beans
1/2 cup water
Salt & Pepper to taste

Add green beans to bacon, season with salt and pepper, then stir to coat.  Add water, cover and simmer approximately 15 to 20 minutes.  Make sure the beans do not boil dry to avoid burning.

My mom has always told me how much she loves the Tangy Tomato Salad dressing at Outback so I was intrigued when I came across this recipe in my "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes" cookbook.  I'm a loyal ranch dressing fan at Outback; however, I planned to use up the bag of spinach I opened for tonight's Tuscan Garlic Chicken so it wouldn't go to waste.  We lost a bunch of condiments when the compressor went out in the refrigerator, so instead of spending a ton of money restocking the refrigerator with various salad dressings, I decided to try to make one.  This was super simple to make and tasted delicious.  I can't compare it to Outback's since I always get ranch; however, I really enjoyed this dressing.

Here's what you'll need

Outback's Copy Cat Tangy Tomato Salad Dressing
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp ketchup
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
pinch dried thyme
1/2 salt (optional)

Transfer to desired container, cover, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Tonight's dinner mission was to make a meal that was easily as good as something we would get at a restaurant without the high price.  After surfing around online and reading a copy cat version of Olive Garden's Tuscan Chicken in my America's Most Wanted Recipes book, I decided to give the book's recipe a chance; however as I was cooking it I thought the sauce was a little bland so I changed things up just a bit.  I've never had Tuscan Garlic Chicken at Olive Garden, so I cannot say how close this recipe resembles it; however, it was very tasty and my family really enjoyed it!

Here's what you'll need

Olive Garden Style Tuscan Chicken - Copy Cat
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large or 4 thin boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp marjoram, dried
1 tsp oregano, dried
1/2 tsp fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Parmesan, grated
1/2 bag of fresh spinach (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup white wine
1 lb angel hair pasta, cooked according to manufacturer's directions.

Preheat oven 350.  Prepare pasta.

Cook until spinach is wilted.  Add remaining 1/4 cup of wine.  Bring sauce to a simmer, stirring frequently for an additional 5 minutes.  Test seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Tonight's recipe was a big hit.  Even my seven year old daughter loved it!