Craving This Dish

It's one of my favorites and I don't get to make it often, as hubby doesn't like "mexican style" rice, or for that matter, really rice in general. (Except in Chinese food, and if fried with eggs, even better lol)

This is one of those that as a young adult I actually created myself, and have tweaked as I've gone along. You can adjust heat and spice as you like. I've recently begun adding a tablespoon or so of adobo sauce to the rice, and a finely diced chipotle. Gives a nice smoky flavor to the dish.

Southwestern Chicken Bake

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts $3.00 ( you could cut up the chicken and stir in and use less to cut down on cost if you wanted to)
1T olive oil
1 onion, chopped .25
1 can of corn .40
1 can of black beans ( I have been cooking from dry and freezing) .20
1 can of tomatoes with chili peppers .60 (on sale)
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t chili powder
1 clove of garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups of rice, cooked (we use brown) .50
1 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded $1.00

Preheat oven to 375. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Preheat olive oil in skillet on medium high heat. Brown chicken 5 minutes on each side. Remove and hold on plate. Place onions in same skillet and cook on medium until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Drain and rinse corn and beans. Combine rice, corn beans, onion, spices and tomatoes (with juice) in 9x13 pan. place chicken on top. Cover with foil and bake in oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 5 minutes more until melted.

Menu Plan Monday

12/8 Monday
Papa Murphy’s pizza nite for family-the boys have been asking for pizza for a while now!

12/9 Tuesday
balsamic glazed pork chops $3.50 (3 pork chops)
butternut squash $1.00
spinach, pear and blue cheese salad $1.50
$6.00

12/10 Wednesday
spaghetti and meatballs $3.50
Italian salad $1.00
Bread sticks free
$4.50

12/11 Thursday
breakfast for dinner
ham and cheese scrambled eggs $2.50
hashbrowns $1.00
raisin toast .50
$4.00

12/12 Friday
cheesy turkey and noodle casserole (using chopped frozen turkey from t-giving) $2.00
green beans .40
biscuits $1.00
$3.40

12/13 Saturday
bbq baked chicken $3.00
slow cooker black beans with bacon $.75
spinach salad $1.00
$4.75

12/14 Sunday
roast sirloin $10.00
cheesy potatoes $1
corn .40
$11.40

Get more great menu plan ideas and recipes at http://orgjunkie.com

Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops

On the menu this week. YUM!

Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops
· 1 large sweet onion, chopped
· 2 tablespoons butter
· 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
· 3 tablespoons apricot preserves
· 1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar
· 4 pork chops, about 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick
· 1/4 cup flour
· salt and pepper
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 1/2 cup chicken broth
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, cook onions in butter until golden brown and tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add vinegar, apricot preserves and brown sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place flour, salt and pepper in plastic bag and add pork chops. Shake to coat. Arrange in the skillet and brown on both sides. Add chicken broth; simmer covered for 10 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking for 5 minutes longer. Add onion mixture, cover, and cook for 10 minutes longer.

Great way to jazz up canned green beans!

Okay, so first, I have to apologize that I didn't take a picture of this. I stumbled upon this video earlier for green bean and blue cheese gratin.

The recipe looked WONDERFUL, but fattening, as it calls for a whole pint of cream. Also fresh green beans, which I didn't have. But these kept bouncing around in my head so I improvised at home. I melted 2T butter and stirred in 1/2 of italian bread crumbs. sprinkled about 3T of them along the bottom of a little baking crock. Then added one drained can of green beans. I have blue cheese because I love it in salad, so I crumbled about 1.5 ounces over the top, then, since I had no cream, added about 1/2 cup of skim milk. Topped with the rest of the bread crumb mix, and then popped in the oven with my mini meatloaves and roasted potatoes at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Let them sit for 10. OMG!!! I will definitely make those again!

Chocolate Chip Cake Bars

So, out of all the things I made for Thanksgiving, my very favorite was this recipe for Chocolate Chip Cake Bars. I mean so good I've hidden them from the rest of the family so I can keep them all to myself! Never stand between a woman and her chocolate.

I revised the original recipe because they looked so rich, and these are still really rich, so a square is EXTREMELY satisfying! I will probably make these again for Christmas.

Chocolate Chip Cake Bars

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake in a 375 degree oven 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into small squares.