August menus...

I so do not want August to come...then that means school will soon follow and I have been enjoying my summer off from school so much...
since we had just moved to our new house in May, I still have so much to do...there are still boxes and bins to unpack but summer meant that I could take my time...having a heart attack right after we moved did not help the situation either...but I am feeling better and getting a lot done...but, while I had a few minutes I decided to go ahead and make the August line-up of food...

here goes...

porcupines
chicken and pea pod foil
chicken parmesan with bacon
pork roast
breakfast
huli huli chicken
seasoned potato with chicken and green beans in slow cooker
corn chowder
BBQ for hubby's dinner
hoagies
slow cooker lasagna
orange chicken
alfredo
smothered pork chops
frito casserole
polish sausage with apples and onions
sweet and sour meatballs
BBQ corned beef
stacked chicken enchiladas
lettuce wraps
slow cooker mac and cheese
italian sausage and veggies
thai pork
spanish rice
chicken fried steak fingers
hamburger soup
taco lasagna
taco salad
kabobs
grilled chicke and bacon sliders

happy eating

chicken fried rice and homemade egg rolls

I love fried rice and it is always what I get when we go to Pick Up Stix (my favorite place to eat...), I like it all coated but I still never have gotten anything else to eat there...
when we were first married I tried several times to make fried rice and it never came out like I wanted it to...

so a couple of years ago, I decided to try it again, but thoroughly researched different recipes to try to see what I had done wrong to begin with...I still am not sure what I did wrong, but everyone in this family loves my friend rice, especially my oldest grand daughter Zoie...but she likes to fry her own rice and put only what she likes into it...she made her own and then took it home with her for her dinner (smart girl...)

so, here is what I do...

I make up ahead of time 8 cups of white rice (I use the Minute rice)

and I fry it in a small amount of oil in 3 batches (easier that way to do in batches and also everyone can put their own spin on it with just basically rice///)
and then I add a ton of seasonings, garlic salt, onion powder, and black pepper and keep stirring and then I add enough soy sauce to lightly coat the rice (I hate to have white rice mixed in, in other words, I like to have each kernal coated...) LOL...

then to the last 2 batches I add...
diced cooked chicken
crumbled bacon
green onions
shredded carrots (I copied this from Pick Up Stix)
frozen green peas

once I remove the rice from the pan, I then add 6-8 lightly scrambled eggs to the bowl of rice and gently fold it in...then add some cashews to the top

voila...yummy

for the egg rolls...

I mix up some breakfast sausage
with some seasonings
and packaged cole slaw mix
and put inside an egg roll wrapper
fry in small amount of oil...

chicken lazone, my version...first posted 09/15

http://momsdutchoven.blogspot.com/2015/09/chicken-lazone-my-version.html

meatloaf patties, hash brown casserole and carrots

http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2016/06/27/crockpot-hashbrown-casserole/

this recipe I first made on Friday and then we decided to eat out instead and my son and the little kids ate the potatoes and loved them...little boy said (he says he is going to own a bakery when he gets big) these potatoes will be featured in his bakery...so I made them again for today...

paired with meat loaf patties and carrots...

this is the recipe I loosely base for my meat loaf...

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/30-minute-mini-meatloaves/d691ebd6-743b-4dc1-a04c-40ee7da480d5

chicken and wild rice casserole in the slow cooker

everyone that knows me, knows that this recipe is hands down my favorite ever...I could make this every week and never get tired of it...Tim also loves it but little boy especially does and since he is spending the night tonight decided I would make it in honor of him...he cannot wait until after water polo to get to eat...it is cute how excited he is about it...

http://www.southernplate.com/2014/08/chicken-and-wild-rice-casserole-bags-to-dishes.html

here in Riverside, we are in the depths of summer with triple digits forecasted till next Monday...oh my Lord, I hate summer...I melt in this heat...been battling a migraine all day because of it...and there is not way I will turn my oven on when it is this hot...

this works out great in the slow cooker...I had it on high for about 2-2 1/2 hours...I toasted the Ritz crackers by themselves in the toaster oven so they would be crispy and not soggy in the slow cooker...

Tim said there is no difference between this recipe in the oven and the slow cooker...yeah for me...

yum, happy eating

Wednesday night, chicken wraps, homemade pasta salad

for dinner I was going to make the Applebees copycat oriental chicken salad tortilla wraps but I made the mistake of going to the store without a shopping list and not once but twice last night and I still forgot a key ingredient...the honey...and I was not going to go back out when we have triple digits here in Riverside...
(can I please say, here, that it is sooooooo nice in the new house with air conditioning, how did we do it for 14+ years without one?)

so what I did was lay out all of the ingredients that I did have and let everyone make their own...Tim made a chicken wrap with honey mustard, I think Zoie did also and Sam made hers with BBQ sauce and ranch...and everyone loved their own creations...

I had out to add:
cole slaw mix
shredded carrots
sliced onion
almonds
chow mein noodles
chicken tenders and I cheated tonight and went to Carl's for their chicken so I did not have to cook it...


for my pasta salad

to al-dente cooked ditalini I add, 6 diced up hard boiled eggs, about 4 stalks of celery diced, green onions chopped, diced dill pickles, black olives, seasonings, a little mustard and some mayo...I also add a little of the pickle juice...

yum

honey sesame chicken with rice

http://damndelicious.net/2013/11/02/slow-cooker-crockpot-honey-sesame-chicken/

I have had this dinner bookmarked for a very long time and last night I decided that it would make a great dinner...(I have to make up my mind the night before, so that I make sure the meat is defrosted and I have all of the ingredients on hand...)  for some reason, if it is clear in my mind what I am making, it is so much easier...

this is definitely a keeper and the simplicity of the recipe makes it a winner...everyone loved it, in fact Zoie wanted me to put a bowl away for her for breakfast when she gets here in the mornings...haha...

a couple of very small changes I would make to it for next time...I would add just a couple of drops of sesame oil and maybe some shredded carrots to it...I also would not leave on for the whole 3 hours and 30 minutes, some of the chicken got a little more done than the rest...(I have come to the conclusion that my slow cooker cooks a little faster than some are stated...)  I would cut off the 30 minutes and Zoie also asked that I make a little more sauce...

otherwise, totally yum...

you will love the easy prep of this recipe...

smoked sausage foil packet hobo dinner, yum...

for many years I have made hobo but they were a side dish foil packet...I would put potatoes, onion, bacon and some cheese and put them on the BBQ...have wanted to try a main dish foil packet and tonight was the night...

here is how I did it...

3 packets of Hillshire smoked sausage (I planned on feeding a lot of people)
8 red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
one red onion, chopped
baby carrots
small corn on the cob
1 bottle Bernsteins Italian dressing to taste
salt and pepper

mix all together in a large bowl and portion out into foil packets...put on indirect heat on the BBQ, turning once...they need to cook about 30-45 minutes...

everyone loved dinner tonight, paired with a loaf of french bread, warmed on the BBQ

yum, happy eating

my version of swiss steak, mashed potatoes and carrots

this recipe as well as last night's came from an old magazine, approximately 42 years ago, when I was trying to impress my new husband with my great cooking...growing up, I had never had swiss steak...we were a very poor family and usually what we had for dinner was whatever was in the frig or whatever someone brought to us...I never had things like pork chops, steak, bacon, etc. until I was 18 and working...
when I came upon this recipe it just sounded good to me and over the years, I have remade this to our likings...

here is how I do it...

I took a london broil and cut it up into small serving pieces, then dusted all over with some flour and browned on all sides...
then it goes into the crock pot... and I season real well with garlic salt, onion powder, pepper and some parsley...I layer...one of meat and then a layer of sliced onions...once the layers come together, I add one large can of cream of chicken soup (undiluted)...and I put crock pot on high for 2 hours and then on low for about 4-6 hours...
the soup makes a terrific gravy...

for the potatoes, I use red potatoes and boil in small chunks, when fork tender I pull off the stove and add to the kitchen aid bowl that I already have 1/2 block of cream cheese, 1/2 stick butter, 2 spoons of sour cream and I mix until most chunks are mixed in...I then add garlic salt and pepper...so easy, why did I ever think that boxed instant potatoes were acceptable?   silly old me...

this is definitely a dinner that Tim and I both love...

steak and onions, fried potatoes and green beans, yum...

I cannot believe I have not blogged about this before in the 5 years that I have been blogging...this used to be one of our favorites too...

Tim works on Saturdays and he did not take lunch today and was thrilled to come home to this recipe for dinner...he just came out and said that this was one of the best dinners we have had in a long time...

I found this recipe in an old magazine many many years ago when I was first trying to impress hubby with my cooking...(42 years?)  the original recipe called for this meat to be in pita bread with mayo, lettuce and tomatoes...but, I have always used it as a main dish...
tonight, I very thinly cut london broil into small strips and lightly sauteed in a small amount of oil, and added garlic salt, pepper, onion powder and some parsley...once the meat is browned on all sides, I add just enough hot water to cover the meat and cover with a lid and let boil till water is cooked down...(it makes it very tender)...

paired tonight with friend potatoes and green beans...

maybe one of these times, I will finally try it in pita bread...

Bacon cheeseburger tator tot casserole

when tator tot casseroles first became sort of popular, I thought they would be gross until I actually made one and I fell in love with them...

saw this recipe and really wanted to try it, but we are pretty hot here and I hate turning my oven on in these temps...the recipe is for the oven, but I researched a few other tator tot casserole recipes for the slow cooker and adjusted this recipe accordingly...

http://www.plainchicken.com/2016/07/bacon-cheeseburger-tater-tot-casserole.html

it is very good and everyone liked it...I thought it a little salty, but might have been my fault being a little heavy handed with garlic salt...

after I mixed it all together, I put inside a liner covered slow cooker and put on low for about 5 hours...

really good...

root beer pulled pork sandwiches

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/root-beer-pulled-pork-sandwiches

this is a very good recipe and one I will make again...in fact, it was made yesterday and when heating up today, I added a small amount of root beer to the pan...delicious...

paired with
baked beans
corn on the cob
cole slaw

happy family

slow cooker chicken and gravy

http://southernbite.com/slow-cooker-chicken-and-gravy/

this was very good and easy to make, altho I expected the gracy to be a little thicker...

would make again

one pan...bacon, pasta and peas...very good

http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/one-pan-pasta-bacon-peas-recipe/

I love recipes such as this one that are tasty yet easy to make and everyone loves it too

pink lemonade pie

http://www.eaglebrand.com/recipe-detail/pinklemonadepie-4113

I have been making this for many many years now and I make it every 4th of July...

everyone loves it

new pasta salad I tried for 4th of July...bacon, ranch pasta salad

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/creamy-bacon-ranch-pasta-salad/

I have my own pasta salad recipe that everyone loves but I saw this one and wanted a change...this is very good and everyone loved it...

slow cooker ham dinner

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/80525/slow-cooker-ham/

this was so easy and very good too...as long as the ham will fit in my crock pot, I will use this method...perfect when you also use a slow cooker liner...no mess at all...

I made fried potatoes and green beans to go with it...

everyone loved this and I had enough to send home with the littles...this was one of those nights where after I make a big dinner but my heart failure prevented me from eating...

summer cooking and where I have been...

this is not how I had planned my summer, at all...we had moved to a new house on May 1st and I still have so much to do with the new house and I thought I would just be really busy with that...
I was thrown a curve ball...big time...

when I was 46, I had a heart attack...I thought at the time, I was too young for that sort of thing...although heart disease runs in my family...my mom died of heart disease at 56 and so when I passed that age, I thought I could breathe...from that heart attack, I got heart failure and at first, there was no problems but as time has gone on and I am now 67, heart failure is a huge issue, a daily problem...it is very hard...I also have CoPD with symptoms of frequent bronchitis and a daily cough (more than daily, seems like every minute of the day...)  when both issues decide to raise their ugly heads, we have a problem...

Friday night 6/3 I noticed an increased breathing issue, tried an inhaler, did not work, did a breathing treatment, still did not work and then felt an increasingly worse chest pressure with my blood pressure skyrocketing...the chest pressure kept getting worse with a burning tightness associated to it also...tried taking nitro, still pain...finally called paramedics when it was evident that I could not get better on my own...very scary night...it was pretty bad on a bipap machine etc.  once they started a nitro drip was the first I started feeling some relief...mild heart attack with heart failure exacerbation...

it is hard coming back from that...I am still very tired, and I feel guilty about not getting much done...I am still hoping to have the house completely done before school starts in August...(hopefully)...still some issues with heart meds, but we are getting there...

so, with all of these problems, I am still trying to get dinner on the table each night, being mindful my energy level and how hot it is outside...

here are a few things I have made this past month:
    slow cooker mac and cheese
    sloppy joes
    taco salad
    chicken salad
    BBQ whole chickens
    anything else I can BBQ
    I have made a couple of slow cooker pot roasts (they make terrific sandwiches)
    a slow cooker chicken with gravy
    sausage and hash brown casserole
    turkey and bacon wraps
    one skillet pasta with bacon and peas (this was very good)
    korean beef

at least I am trying...

summer cooking and where I have been...

this is not how I had planned my summer, at all...we had moved to a new house on May 1st and I still have so much to do with the new house and I thought I would just be really busy with that...
I was thrown a curve ball...big time...

when I was 46, I had a heart attack...I thought at the time, I was too young for that sort of thing...although heart disease runs in my family...my mom died of heart disease at 56 and so when I passed that age, I thought I could breathe...from that heart attack, I got heart failure and at first, there was no problems but as time has gone on and I am now 67, heart failure is a huge issue, a daily problem...it is very hard...I also have CoPD with symptoms of frequent bronchitis and a daily cough (more than daily, seems like every minute of the day...)  when both issues decide to raise their ugly heads, we have a problem...

Friday night 6/3 I noticed an increased breathing issue, tried an inhaler, did not work, did a breathing treatment, still did not work and then felt an increasingly worse chest pressure with my blood pressure skyrocketing...the chest pressure kept getting worse with a burning tightness associated to it also...tried taking nitro, still pain...finally called paramedics when it was evident that I could not get better on my own...very scary night...it was pretty bad on a bipap machine etc.  once they started a nitro drip was the first I started feeling some relief...mild heart attack with heart failure exacerbation...

it is hard coming back from that...I am still very tired, and I feel guilty about not getting much done...I am still hoping to have the house completely done before school starts in August...(hopefully)...still some issues with heart meds, but we are getting there...

so, with all of these problems, I am still trying to get dinner on the table each night, being mindful my energy level and how hot it is outside...

here are a few things I have made this past month:
    slow cooker mac and cheese
    sloppy joes
    taco salad
    chicken salad
    BBQ whole chickens
    anything else I can BBQ
    I have made a couple of slow cooker pot roasts (they make terrific sandwiches)
    a slow cooker chicken with gravy
    sausage and hash brown casserole
    turkey and bacon wraps
    one skillet pasta with bacon and peas (this was very good)
    korean beef

at least I am trying...