Recipes

Lemon Chicken Pasta

A comforting meal that makes so much food with just a few ingredients!

1 lb (~2) boneless skinless chicken breast, cut in bite sized pieces
Paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1.5 lbs bowtie pasta
Zest and juice of ½  lemon (~2 tbsp juice, 1 tsp zest)

  1. Season the diced/sliced chicken with seasonings (generously shake over chicken and stir to combine, suggested 1/2tsp ~ 1tsp each to taste). If time allows, let sit on chicken for up to 1 hour to marinate.
  2. Cook pasta according to directions in a large pot. While pasta is cooking, sauté chicken in melted butter on medium heat in a sauté pan or deep skillet. The pan needs to be able to hold a large amount of ingredients. Set chicken aside.
  3. Sauté veggies in olive oil until crisp tender. You may need to do this in 2 batches.
  4. Once veggies are done, add chicken, soup, sour cream, lemon zest and juice. Heat through till bubbly.
  5. Toss with cooked pasta in a large bowl (or the pot the pasta cooked in). Serve with warm crusty bread.
Recipes

Granola

A healthy snack or yogurt topping that is much cheaper to make at home!

3 cups          rolled/old fashioned oats (not instant)
3 TBSP        packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp         ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp         kosher salt (or half as much normal table salt)
1/3 cup        honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup        vegetable oil
1 tsp            vanilla extract

Optional:
½ cup small diced dried fruit
½ cup coarsely chopped nuts

  1. Heat the oven to 300°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
  2. Place the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine; set aside.
  3. Place the honey, oil, and vanilla in a small bowl and stir to combine. Pour over the oat mixture and mix until the oats are thoroughly coated.
  4. Spread the mixture in a thin, even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, then stir and continue baking until the granola is very light golden brown, about 5 to 15 minutes more.
  5. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool the granola to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. (Note: It will harden as it cools.)
  6. Add the fruit and nuts or seeds to the baking sheet and toss to combine. Store the granola in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks
Recipes

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

Good for breakfast or dinner. A carry-in favorite!


2 lb frozen hash browns, southern style/diced
1 lb pork sausage (such as Bob Evan’s original)
1 small onion, diced (optional)
6 eggs
½ cup milk
½ tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
12 oz shredded cheddar

  1. Preheat to 350 F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread hashbrowns in casserole dish as is (can thaw or fry them but I find it doesn’t make a difference), making sure to break up any clumps.
  2. Brown sausage and onion on medium until cooked. Drain grease.
  3. Beat together eggs, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper. Pour egg mixture evenly over potatoes.
  4. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the potatoes, then all of the sausage, then the remaining cheese over the sausage.
  5. You may refrigerate or freeze the casserole (covered tightly) at this point***, or bake in a 350 F oven for 50 – 60 minutes (check at 50, if egg in center still liquid/goopy continue to bake until it is set).

***If baking from frozen, let it thaw overnight or at least 12 hours in fridge before baking. If baking from fridge, do so within 24 hours.

Recipes

Honey BBQ Chicken Wings

Sweet, sticky wings that always hit the spot

3 or 4 lbs chicken wings (~20 full wings, or 40 drumettes/flats)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp kosher salt
¼ tsp pepper

Sauce:
1 c hickory bbq sauce (or any other bbq sauce you want)
½ c honey
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp ketchup
½ tsp garlic powder

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack on top and spray with oil or grease.
  2. If using full wings, use a large knife or a pair of kitchen shears to remove the tip and cut the chicken wings along the elbow joint into wings/drumettes. Toss with oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
  3. Bake chicken on wire rack for ~45 minutes.
  4. While wings are baking, heat together the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat until smooth/bubbly. Remove from heat. Optionally you can use whatever sauce you’d like, but we love this one. You can also add hot sauce if you like them on the spicy side.
  5. Remove tray from oven and brush chicken with sauce, covering both sides. Bake for 5 minutes with sauce. Remove and serve.
Recipes

No Bake Cookies

When it’s too hot to fire up your oven, try these fudgy no bake cookies!

¼ cup unsalted butter or coconut oil
1 ½  cup sugar
½ c milk
¼ c natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 c peanut butter such as jiff or skippy
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups old fashioned or quick cooking oats
*parchment paper
**room in your fridge!

  1. Combine butter, sugar, milk, cocoa powder in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until butter melts, then simmer. Allow to simmer for 1 minute without whisking. Remove from heat, then immediately stir in peanut butter and vanilla until combined. Stir in oats.
  2. Allow mixture to sit 5 minutes. This allows oats to soak up some moisture.
  3. During those 5 minutes, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Make sure there is enough room in the fridge for the sheets.
  4. Using a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop or spoon, drop a tablespoon of doug onto the baking sheets. May slightly flatten with spoon. Repeat with remaining dough.
  5. Refrigerate 30-60 min to let them set. Remove from fridge and enjoy!


    *Cover and store cookies in the fridge for up to 1 week
Recipes

Pioneer Cornbread

This is a crispy, crackly not-too-sweet cornbread

1 egg
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp honey or syrup
2/3 cup cornmeal
¾ cup flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter, melted (+1 Tbsp optional to grease a cast iron skillet)

  1. Preheat oven to 425F. If using a cast iron skillet, add 1 tbsp butter to the pan and place in oven while it is preheating. You do not want the butter to brown, but you want the pan hot and butter melted, so you may have to watch this if you want to try this method. If not using cast iron, grease an 8×8 square pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, beat egg until frothy. Add milk and honey, mixing well.
  3. In a separate bowl, sift or whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Add dry ingredients into egg milk mixture, stir just until combined. Add melted butter. Pour into a greased 8×8 square pan or an 8” cast iron skillet (if using cast iron, place in oven while preheating along with 1 tbsp of butter).
  5. Bake 18-20 minutes, remove promptly. Serve with soft butter.
Recipes

Texas Chili

A hearty bowl of chili with plenty of protein and flavor

2 lbs ground beef
½ cup diced onion (~ ½ small onion) or 1 tbsp dried minced onion or 2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp minced fresh garlic (~2 cloves) or 1 tsp dried minced garlic or ½ tsp garlic powder
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
8 ~ 15 oz tomato sauce (or leftover pizza or pasta sauce)

Seasoning Mix:
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 ½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)

  1. Brown beef and onion until cooked. Drain fat. Add seasonings and garlic, cook and stir 1-2 minutes.
  2. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and ~1-2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook 30-45 minutes.
  3. Add beans at the end, cooking for 10-15 minutes until tender.
  4. Serve with cheese and cornbread, or crackers, or over corn chips aka walking taco/frito pie