Pork Chops and Rice Casserole

This is a yummy basic pork chop casserole and it has great flavor. I combined a couple of recipes to make this one and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I tend not to cook pork as much as other meats, but my family really loves pork chops so I'm sure I'll make this one again. It's actually the rice that makes this casserole great - I love the toasted beefy flavor. Be sure to take the pork chops out 45 minutes into cooking time or they will dry out too much; they don't need as much baking time as the rice.

Pork Chops and Rice Casserole

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup long-grain converted rice (like Uncle Ben's Original)
6 pork chops
2 tablespoons oil (olive, canola, veg, etc)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1, 14.5 oz can beef broth
1/2 cup water
1 onion sliced into rings
1 green pepper sliced into rings
ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion and uncooked rice and cook until rice is toasted and onion is tender. Place rice/onion mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.

Combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge pork chops in flour mixture and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the previously used skillet. Brown pork chops on both sides. Place browned pork chops on top of the rice mixture in the baking dish. Combine broth and water and pour over pork chops and rice. Place sliced onion rings and sliced pepper rings on top of pork chops. Sprinkle pepper to taste over all. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until pork chops are cooked through and tender.

Remove pork chops to a plate and cover tightly with foil. Return baking dish to oven and cook uncovered until rice is cooked - 15-25 minutes - you want all the liquids to be absorbed and rice to be tender. Serve pork chops with rice.

Crock Pot Cheeseburger Pasta

Life is busy so I make lots of crockpot meals. That's just the way it's been going, but at least I'm getting dinner on the table and because I'm making a lot of crock pot meals, I've been trying lots of new ones, which is fun. This one I got from Pinterest (can't remember the original site!) and it's great. My kids especially loved it and said I should make it again (which I will because I have another 2 cups of shell pasta). It's not fancy, but it's tasty and cooks incredibly fast for a crockpot meal - just 3 hours on high. Give it a try and I bet your family will love it too.

Crock Pot Cheeseburger Pasta

1 lb ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1, 14.5 oz can beef broth plus enough water to equal 2 cups
2 cups uncooked shell pasta
pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef and drain off fat. Place cooked ground beef, tomato soup, cheddar cheese soup, and beef broth plus enough water to equal 2 cups in slow cooker. Stir together to combine. Add uncooked pasta, stir in. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Serve individual servings with a little shredded cheddar on top if desired.

The Best Crockpot Lasagna

This is my new favorite crockpot lasagna recipe. It is the best one I've ever tried! I love the flavor of the sauce, it's easy to make, and I ususally have these ingredients on hand. All huge pluses. It's also a great Sunday dinner and makes the house smell so yummy as it cooks. Thanks to Real Mom Kitchen for this fabulous recipe.

The Best Crockpot Lasagna

1 lb ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons prepared pesto, or 1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
25 oz jar marinara sauce (I used Emeril's Homestyle Marinara)
8 oz can tomato sauce
9 uncooked regular lasagna noodles
4 cups shredded mozzarrella cheese
24 oz tub small curd 4% cottage cheese

Spray the inside of the crockpot with cooking spray.

In a skillet, brown the beef until fully cooked. Drain grease. Add garlic, parsley, pesto, salt, marinara sauce, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

In a bowl combine 2 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese with the cottage cheese, set aside.

Place 1/4 of the meat mixture in the bottom of your crockpot. Spread to cover the bottom. Place 1/3 of the uncooked noodles on top of the sauce, breaking them up as needed to fit. Spoon 1/3 of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Repeat layers 2 more times, finishing with the remaining sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Top with remaining 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella. Cover with lid and let cook for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Soup

We've had a lot of rain and cloudiness this past week so I thought it was time for some good old comfort food and what is better on a rainy day than a bowl of creamy, cheesy, soup and some homemade rolls. One of my favorite meals and definitely a favorite of my kids. This recipe is from Picky Palate and it's wonderful! My kids ranked this soup up with their favorites: chicken noodle soup and creamy chicken and wild rice soup, so it'll be on my soup short list for when I want a kid-pleasing meal. This would be a great soup to serve with a slice of pumpkin bread this fall.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 stick, 8 tablespoons, butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2, 32 oz cartons chicken broth or stock (may not use all)
8 oz medium cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
3 cups cooked and shredded chicken
3-4 cups cooked rice (I cooked 2 cups uncooked rice, which is about 4 cups cooked)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cream, half and half, or fat free evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste

Place oil in a large dutch oven/soup pot and heat over medium heat. When oil is hot add onion, celery, and carrots. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

In another saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Slowly whisk in flour, salt, and pepper and cook for a minute until thick and bubbly. Slowly whisk in one 32 oz carton of chicken broth. Increase heat slightly and keep whisking until broth gets thick and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Once thick, turn heat to low and add cheese, stirring until smooth. Add hot sauce. Add this cheese sauce to the large soup pot with the vegetables. Add chicken bouillon, shredded chicken, and rice. Add another 2 cups of chicken broth, sour cream, and cream. Stir to combine. Add more chicken broth as needed to get soup to desired consistency (I used an additional 2 cups of chicken broth). Heat through, then turn heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-20 minutes. Serve with some shredded cheese on individual servings.

Easy Crock Pot Saucy Meatballs

I recently saw this recipe on Pinterest, originally pinned from Food.com under the title "'Please make those meatballs!' Crock Pot Meatballs". I had all the ingredients already so I decided one morning to throw it all in the crockpot and try the recipe out. It turned out super good. Not foodie food at all, but comforting and easy. My family really enjoyed it. I served the meatballs over mashed potatoes with buttered peas and lingonberry preserves.

Easy Crock Pot Saucy Meatballs

2 lb frozen meatballs (I used Armor brand)
2 can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet brown gravy mix (can use low sodium)
1, 14.5 oz can low sodium chicken broth

Place meatballs in slow cooker. In a bowl mix together soups, gravy mix, and chicken broth, whisking to combine. Pour soup mixture over the meatballs in slow cooker. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oh my goodness, these have got to be the naughtiest cookies I have ever made. Naughty!! But SOooooo good! The recipe is of course Jenny Flake's, of Picky Palate, famous recipe and it is to die for. The ooey gooey richness of the slightly melty Double Stuf Oreo in the middle is incredible. It really is a hugely delicious cookie. Depending on how much cookie dough you cloak these bad boys in, you get anywhere from 12-24 cookies. I made monsters, so I only got 12. Next time I think I'll make them a little smaller.

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus 1/4 cup for high altitude)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1, 10 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
12-24 Double Stuf Oreo Cookies

Preheat oven to 350. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner (I used stoneware baking sheets, so I didn't use parchment or silicone liners).

Add the butter and sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until well combined.

In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then add the chocolate chips, beating until just combined.

With a large cookie scoop, take one scoop of dough and place it on top of an Oreo. Take another scoop of dough and place it on the bottom of the Oreo. Seal the edges together by pressing and cupping the dough in hand until the Oreo is completely enclosed and is in the shape of a patty. Repeat with remaining dough and cookies.

Place the stuffed cookies onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 11-17 minutes, until cookies are cooked through. Let cookies cool for at least 5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling over Biscuits

My family loves chicken pot pie, but I don't always want to take the time to make the pie dough, assemble the pie, and bake it. So I thought why not just make the filling and put it over some biscuits (the kind in the tube, baked). It was a hit! And turned out to be a delicious, hearty meal that I can get on the table in less than 30 minutes. Awesome. You could also serve the sauce over rice, toast, or egg noodles.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling over Biscuits

1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/3 cup flour
1, 14.5 oz can chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half
2 1/2 cups cooked and chopped/shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken works great)
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, cooked
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8-1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
prepared biscuits (I used Pillsbury Buttermilk Grands)

In a large saucepan melt butter over medium high heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes or until tender. Whisk in flour and cook for a minute. Slowly add chicken broth and half and half. Cook, stirring until bubbly and thickened. Add chicken, vegetables, salt, chicken bouillon, pepper, and thyme. Stir and heat through. Serve over biscuits, rice, toast, or egg noodles.