Butter-Browned Almonds

Just a simple recipe to get some wonderful Butter-Browned Almonds for topping veggies. Goes great on asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and spinach.

Ingredients:
1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup almonds, sliced or slivered
1/4 tsp seasoning salt

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients into a small pan and heat over medium heat, stirring frequently until the almonds are golden brown. Takes about 8 minutes.
2. Immediately after they are done, remove from the pan so they don't continue to cook and put in a bowl for serving.

This recipe is from the Extreme LC Meals on the Go cookbook.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

This recipe is a bit of work, but still pretty quick. About 45 minutes start to finish and it is very good. Our whole family likes these.

Ingredients:
1 Egg
1 tbsp water
3/4 cup almonds, finely ground
1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 6 breasts cut in half
1/4 pound Swiss cheese, cut into 12 slices ( we used provolone and cheddar)
1/3 pound deli-style ham, cut into 12 slices
cooking oil spray

Directions.
1. Combine egg and water in a bowl large enough to dip the chicken in.
2. Combine almonds, seasoning salt, and parsley in another bowl about the same size.
3. Divide cheese and ham into 12 portions.
4. Place chicken thigh or breast on a plate cut side up and place a piece of cheese in the middle of the chicken.
5. Roll up ham and place on top of the cheese and roll up the chicken around the ham and cheese.
6. If needed, use toothpicks to hold the chicken together.
7. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then into almond mixture and place on a baking sheet that has been pre-sprayed with the cooking oil spray.
8. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until chicken is done.

That's all there is to it. You can play around with the cheese and ham insides or the almond coating to your liking. We like cheddar or provolone instead of Swiss. I like Parmesan cheese in my coating to give a bit more flavor.

This recipe is from the Extreme LC Meals on the Go cookbook.

Easy Beef and Green Beans

Very quick and easy all-in-one meal. Have made it a few times and we love it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups celery, chopped
1 (16 oz) bag of frozen green beans (fresh could be used as well)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp seasoning salt (This home-made seasoned salt is great)
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
2 tbsp Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp hot chili oil (or more if you like it spicy)

Directions.
1. Brown the ground beef and garlic over medium heat.
2. Add in the celery, beans, and mushrooms and cook until they are tender. Usually between 15 and 20 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients to the pan, mix together and serve while warm.

There are also lots of options you can do to finish it off if you want. I add Paremsan cheese on top of mine and my wife likes Ranch dressing on hers.

This recipe is from the Extreme LC Meals on the Go cookbook.

Pizza Burgers

Here is one of my first attempts at making pizza burgers. I have a few things I will change, but overall, they were pretty good.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
18 slices pepperoni
1 can tomato sauce
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried minced onions
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Mozzarella Cheese

Directions.
1. Mix the garlic powder, dried onions, 1 of the 2 tsp of Italian seasoning, and the tomato sauce together.
2. Mix the other tsp of Italian seasoning into the ground beef. You can also add any binder if you want.
3. Press the ground beef into approximately 12 very thin patties. The thinner and bigger around they are, the better.
4. Lay one slice of pepperoni on each patty.
5. Place about 1 tsp of sauce on top of 6 of the patties.
6. Place the 2nd patty on top of the first, pepperoni side down towards the sauce and press the edges together to seal it so it looks like 1 burger.
7. Broil (or grill) until it is mostly done.
8. After it is almost done on the last side, place one more piece of pepperoni on the top, spoon on a bit more sauce, then cover with cheese and place under the broiler to finish.

I made a couple mistakes this time through. I made the first 12 patties too thick. I need to make them thinner and bigger in diameter. Will try using a plate to press them down flatter next time. I also didn't seal the outside on them well and a lot of the sauce ran out while cooking because about 1/2 of them curled up like 2 burgers stacked on top of each other. Overall it was a good learning experience and I will try them again.

I got the idea for this from the Extreme LC Meals On The Go cookbook but tweaked it quite a bit.

Ranch Chicken

Here's another super easy main dish to make. 

Ingredients:

8 pieces of chicken (a whole cut-up chicken works great)

1/2 packet of ranch salad dressing mix (powdered)

1 tsp lemon pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse chicken under running water and pat dry.

2. Mix Ranch salad dressing mix and lemon pepper together.

2. Put the chicken in a large baking dish and season with the mixture.

4. Bake for about 45-55 minutes at 375 degrees.

That's really all there is to it. I got the idea from my Extreme LC Meals On The Go cook book. 

Egg Muffelets

So, what is an Egg Muffelet you ask? Well, I figure it's a cross between a muffin and an omelet. A bit slow to make them, but not a lot of work. Just little things.

Ingredients:
Eggs - You will need about 1 egg for 3 muffelets, so plan accordingly.
Veggies - Whatever veggies you want to put in your muffelet. I use peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms
Cheese - Cheese to sprinkle on top
Meat - Whatever meat you like in your muffelet. I like sausage, ham, bacon, or turkey
Milk or Cream - Optional

Directions:
1. Saute your veggies in a skillet or on a griddle so they are nice and tender.
2. Cook up the meat as desired.
3. Put the eggs in a bowl and scramble with a fork, adding in the milk or cream if you desire.
4. Grease the inside of a muffin tin or use other muffin methods like the cups like we have.
5. Put the meat crumbles and veggies in the bottom of the tin or cup.
6. Pour the eggs on top, being careful not to over fill them.
7. Top with some shredded cheese if desired.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, checking every few minutes after the first 20.
9. Take out of the oven when done and let sit for a few minutes to firm up.

It's really quite simple and you can customize it to whatever you want to put in. Makes a nice breakfast and is more filling than just some eggs.

Italian Pork Chops

Here's a nice simple recipe for some wonderful pork chops.  Some of the best I have made on the grill.

Ingredients:
6-8 pork chops
1 bottle Italian Dressing
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix the Italian Dressing, Parmesan Cheese, Salt, and Pepper in a large bowl.
2. Put the pork chops in either a large dish or gallon zip-lock bag and pour in the marinade.
3. Let marinade from 30 minutes up to several hours.
4. Remove from marinade and grill over high heat for a couple minutes per side to get a nice sear on the outside, then lower to medium heat until cooked to your liking.

That's it. It's that simple and they turn out fantastic. Just don't overcook them on the grill or they will be too dry. If you want a nice side, just add some zucchini and onions on the grill as well in a grill basket and toss with some olive oil as you cook the pork chops. It's a very easy addition to the meal.