My brother and his wife came over on Valentine's day, and they were raving about this turkey loin they has eaten the night before.  I asked for the recipe, always excited to try new ones.  Of course, I could not find a turkey loin, so I had to buy pork.  When it came time to make it, scatterbrained me didn't have one of the key ingredients: wine.  (NO it is not because I drank it all.  I am just currently out) I had everthing ready to go and no other plans for supper.  I decided to see what would happen if I used apple juice instead.  Umm, YUM.  It was tender and juicy with just a  hint of sweetness.  I will do it this way on purpose next time.  That way I can drink the wine while I cook :) You will need to plan ahead some for this recipe because the longer it marinates, the better flavor it will have.  I marinated mine for about 8 hours, but you could marinate it overnight too.  For the marinade, mix to together 1/4 cup of olive oil (I used extra virgin) and 1 cup of apple juice.  Throw in some chopped garlic.  I used about a tablespoon of each, but you can adjust depending on how much you like the flavor.   about 1/4 of a chopped onion.  Again, you can use more if you like.  My husband is not a huge onion fan, so I went light on this.  Sprinkle a about a 2t of rosemary on top and mix it all together again.  Add a little salt and pepper, then marinate it either in a dish or a baggie.   When it is time to cook it,  brown it on each side first.  The recipe I had said about 5 minutes each side, but I did a little longer until it was really browned.  Next, stick it in a roasting pan and put it in an oven preheated to 350 degrees.  Cook about 45 minutes to an hour.  I would check it after 40 minutes because pork is so much better tender, but be careful not to under

cook it as pork can make you sick when it's raw.   Add whatever side you wish and you have a delicious meal! 

I've had two people ask me this week why I haven't blogged in a while because they miss my recipes.  (I'm not gonna lie, I teared up a little).  Okay, actually that WAS a lie, but regardless I am glad people enjoy it and I will try to post more often between my crazy life moments.  :)  I made this recipe about a month ago, and my husband loved it.  He said this is by far his favorite of the recipes I have been trying on this extreme cooking adventure.  I am always a fan of anything I can make in a crockpot because I love having supper ready when I get home.  For this recipe, you do want to be sure your chicken breasts are  not frozen because you want them to soak up the sauce.  You will need 5 chicken breasts, brown sugar ( I use the Splenda kind), soy sauce, garlic (chopped), and cornstarch.  I marinated mine in the sauce overnight and it had amazing flavor!   Begin by placing the chicken into a crockpot.  Mix together 1/2 cup water, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup of soy sauce, and 1 T chopped garlic. (Do not add cornstarch yet) As I said, I mixed it the night before and soaked the chicken overnight, but you don't have to do this.  Pour the mixture over the chicken and cook on low for 7 hours.  I am serious, that is all you do to prep.  How easy is that??!? Once the chicken has cooked, stir it all up so it shreds a little. 

Remove the chicken but keep the sauce in the bowl.  Add 3 T cornstarch mixed with 4T cold water to the sauce.  Put the chicken back in and stir it up.  This helps make the sauce a little thicker.  Cook it a few more minutes, and enjoy!  I put mine over rice, but my husband actually ate his shredded on a bun and said it was delicious.  Either way, it was really good. 

This week has been fa-reezing.  This is two steps above normal freezing and one step above fer-eezing.  Brrr.  It is always nice to have a warm, hearty, filling meal when it is so cold outside.  I am not a big soup person because it doesn't really fill me up.  This is my favorite "go-to" dish when I am craving something warm.  The best part is, it is really super easy.  Start with three chicken breasts, some chopped onion, and a can of cream of chicken soup.  I don't do my substitute for the soup on this one because I like it really creamy.  If you are looking for healthier, you can mix chicken bouillon with some milk and flour in place of the soup.  Place it all in the crockpot and cook on low for 7 hours. 

After seven hours, the shred the chicken with a fork and knife.  It should just fall apart. If it doesn't, you may want to cook it a little longer.  Stir the shredded chicken so it is well coated with the soup. 

Cook the rice.  I like to use Rice-A-Roni 4 cheese rice.  I make it in my pampered chef rice cooker so it is really easy.  You can use the rice of your choosing.  This is healthier than white rice.  If you are really looking for healthy, you could use brown rice as well.  I use a box, but if you are measuring, I would use about 3- 4 cups.   Mix the rice in with the chicken mixture.

Finally,  about 20 minutes before you serve, throw in some frozen corn and cheese.  I use a whole bag of shredded cheese.   I also use sweet corn because I like the flavor it adds.  This is seriously so yummy.  The leftovers are even better too!

Yummy, cheesy, filling, sweet!

Wondering what to do with the leftover ham from Christmas?  Here is a great scalloped potato and ham recipe.  I used turkey ham and red potatoes in mine to keep it more healthy, but you can change it based on your preference.   I made this recipe with about 6 medium potatoes.  You will also need 2 cups of chicken broth, onion, garlic, (to taste, I used about half a small onion and about 1 T garlic) shredded cheese, milk, and chicken bullion.  Begin by bringing the chicken broth, chopped onion, and garlic to a boil.  While it is boiling, cut the potatoes to about the thickness shown in the picture. 

Once it is at a full boil, reduce the heat and add one cup of milk and one packet of chicken bouillon.  You can also use a can of cream of chicken soup instead if you prefer.   Layer the potatoes in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Pour the sauce over the top.  Add the chopped ham and cover the whole thing with shredded cheese. (Again to your taste.  I used about 3/4 a bag).

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes.  Check it after 30 as I use a stoneware pan and my oven is old.  Enjoy! 

I ran to the grocery store after work because even though it is frigid out, I was giving Old Mother Hubbard a run for her money.  I was looking for something I could make quickly after shopping but that would still be decently healthy.  I saw Tyson Fajita Chicken Strips in the freezer section.  They are precooked so I decided I would try them in Chicken Wraps.  I used BBQ sauce, ranch, shredded cheese, and whole wheat tortillas. 

Per the directions on the bag, I cooked the chicken in the microwave for 2 minutes so it would not be frozen.  While it cooked, I mixed two parts BBQ to one part Ranch Dressing in a bowl.  I then added the chicken and stirred until it was coated thickly. 

Start a skillet pan heating at about "4" heat and spray it with cooking spray.  Place cheese in the tortilla and cover it with chicken.  Fold the tortilla and secure it with a toothpick so it will stay closed.  Once the pan is hot, cook the tortilla on each side until toasted.  I did about 3 minutes on each side.  That is all!  Talk about easy. 

Be sure to remove the toothpick, then devour this bad boy because it is GOOD.  My husband was skeptical at first, but after the first bite asked me if I could make another one for his lunch. 

One of my favorite fast but hearty dinners in the winter time is Tuna Noodle Casserole.  Of course, butter noodles, and cream of whatever soup is not on the top ten list of healthy foods!  I decided to "healthy it up" since it is such an easy but yummy recipe for those crazy week nights.  I used whole wheat noodles, milk with chicken bouillon, a little cream cheese, two cans of tuna,and some shredded cheese.  Oh, and peas.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I love peas.  I eat these things for a snack.  They are delicious!! 

Begin by boiling the noodles.  I used about half of a 12 oz bag.  This ended up being PLENTY.  I know what I am having for lunch.  For the next week.  :)  Drain them and put them back in the pot.  Meanwhile, mix together 1.5 cups of milk with 2 packets of the chicken bouillon.  Stir until most of the chunks are mixed in. 

Pour the mixture along with the tuna (undrained if you like tuna flavor, otherwise drain it for less of a tuna taste), 1/4 cup of whipped cream cheese, 1 cup of shredded cheese, and a steam bag of peas.  I did not cook the peas first and it worked just fine.    Stir it all together and cook until warm.  It doesn't get much easier than that!

I kept seeing this recipe floating around Pinterest that included pasta, bacon, and cream of chicken soup in a casserole.  I decided I was going to try it "healthy" by using whole wheat noodles, turkey bacon, and homemade cream of chicken.  However, after I had all the ingredients ready to go, my oven stopped working.  I decided to try making it as a hotdish on the stove top instead, and it was amazing!!! You will need everything pictured below.  I also add things as I go, so you will also need chopped garlic,  an onion,  and onion powder. 

Start by cooking the bacon in a skillet.  I used 5 pieces.  While it is frying, cut 3 chicken breasts into chunks and cut up part of an onion.  

Take the bacon off and set it aside.  Cook the chicken in onion in the same pan.  They will soak up some of the bacon flavor.  While the chicken is cooking, mix the following in a bowl: 2 cups of milk, 2 packets of chicken bouillon, half a cup of whipped cream cheese, and 4 T of flour.  Stir until most of the chunks are out. 

Stir in the chicken once it is cooked being sure it is well, coated.  While you are doing this, boil the noodles.  I used about 3/4 of the box.   Drain the noodles and put them back in the pot.  Pour the chicken mixture over the noodles and stir well.  Add about a cup of Colby Jack cheese and the crumpled bacon. 
Cook on medium heat. I added some chopped garlic and onion powder while it simmered.   It will be runny at first, but thickens as it cooks.  I cooked it for about 25 mintues. 

Yum!  It was good.  Oh look, my friend the sandwich thin with butter and garlic salt :)