LIfe on Courtney Lane

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Oct. 16, 2008 - Tasty Thursdays

Paella (You know, the Spanish dish)

1 cup cooked rice

2 T. olive oil

1/2 c. onion, diced

1/2 c. green pepper, diced

2 chicken breasts, cubed

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 oz. smoked sausage, sliced and halved

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

1 clove garlic, chopped

Heat oil in a large skillet and saute onions and peppers til crisp tender. Add chicken and saute til it's half cooked. Add remaining ingredients except garlic and tomatoes. Stir and cover til shrimp and chicken are fully cooked. Stir in tomatoes and garlic. Stir in cooked rice and serve.

**I usually at least double this for us. Also, hubby doesn't like shrimp, so I omit them and it's fine.

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Jun. 12, 2008 - Tasty Thursday

Today's recipe will be short- I am scrubbing down the kitchen and repainting the cabinets and the trim. They have been in desperate need of repainting for a while now, and since I had some paint left over from painting the stairwell and hallway last year, I thought I'd go ahead and get it done. White is a nice color for a kitchen, but not when you have 7 children. It is impossible to keep it clean looking. The new coat of paint will make it look nice for at least a day or two. Hopefully.

Bagel Spread

1/2 package cream cheese

2 T. orange marmelade

Stir these two together and serve on toasted bagels.

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Jun. 5, 2008 - Tasty Thursday

Chicken Stir Fry

1 pkg. chicken breast (1-2 pounds)

3 T. cornstarch

2 T. soy sauce (can use low sodium)

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

3 T. cooking oil, divided

2 c. broccoli florets (or any other in season vegetable-green beans, asparagus, whatever)

1 small onion diced

1 c. water

1 tsp. chicken flavored bullion cubes

Cut chicken into bite size chunks and place in a ziploc. Add the cornstarch and shake to coat. Next, add the soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Shake to coat and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a large skillet add 2 T. oil and saute the chicken until no longer pink. Remove from the pan and add the last tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the vegetables and onion and cook 4-5 minutes or til crisp tender. Add water and bullion and return the chicken to the pan. Cook and stir until sauce is thickened. You could also put on the lid for a minute if you like the vegetables cooked more tender.

Serve over rice. (I love brown rice, but the fam. likes white.)

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May. 22, 2008 - Tasty Thursday

Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar and baking soda. Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup water and spices together. Then combines with the dry ingredients, but only stir until thoroughly mixed. Pour into a well buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool. Makes 1 loaf. **I always double this recipe and make two loaves- you can always freeze one loaf.

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May. 15, 2008 - Tasty Thursday

Homemade Granola Bars

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter

2 T. honey

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1 c. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups oats

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 1/4 cups krispy rice cereal, corn flakes, or any crushed grain cereal or graham crackers

*Optional mix ins: chocolate chips, coconut, dried fruits, nuts, etc

In a large bowl, cream butters and sugars til fluffy. Add honey, vanilla, and egg. Mix well. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda into a separate bowl, mix together and then blend into the wet ingredients. Stir in remaining ingredients. Press into bottom of ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and cut into bars.

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May. 8, 2008 - Tasty Thursday

Waffles

2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

4 tsp. baking powder

2 T. sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups warm milk

1/3 c. butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat eggs then, stir in milk, butter and vanilla. Pour this into the flour mixture and mix until thoroughly blended.

Ladle onto your waffle iron and cook as directed.

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May. 1, 2008 - Tasty Thursday

Garlic Beef Enchiladas

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 T. flour

1 T. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. sage

Sauce:

5 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup margerine

1/2 c. flour

1 can (14 1/2 oz) beef broth

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 T. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. sage

1/2 tsp. salt

10 flour tortillas

2 cups (8 oz) shredded Colby/Jack cheese

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add flour and seasonings and mix well. Stir in tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover an simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in another sauce pan, saute garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually stir in broth; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until bubbly. Stir in tomatoe sauce and sesonings; heat through. Pour about 1-1/2 cups of sauce into bottom of ungreased 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Spread about 1/4 cup beef mixture down the center of each tortilla; top with 1-2 tablespoons of cheese. Roll up tightly; place seam side down in sauce. Top with the remaining sauce. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Srinkle wiht remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes longer til the cheese is melted.

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Apr. 10, 2008 - Tasty Thursday

Pork Chops with Scalloped Potatoes

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can chicken broth

6 pork chops (3/4 inch thick)

2 T. oil

6 c. thinly sliced/peeled potatoes

1 medium onion

Opt. paprika and parsley

In a saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add chicken broth; cook and stir constantly until mixture boils. Cook for 1 minute; remove from the heat and set aside. In a skillet, brown pork chops in oil; season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired. In a greasted 13x9 inch dish, layer potatoes and onion. Pour the broth mixture over. Place pork chops on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for one hour; uncover and bake 30 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender. If desired, sprinkle with paprika and parsely.

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Apr. 4, 2008 - Tasty Thursday

Orange Jello Salad

1 8 oz. tub Cool Whip

1 8 oz. tub of sour cream

3 oz. box of orange jello

1 can mandarin oranges, well drained

1 large can of chunk pineapple, drained

Combine the Cool Whip and sour cream. Stir in the dry jello powder and well drained fruit. Chill for several hours or over night. Serve.

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Mar. 13, 2008 - Tasty Thursday

Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese- Light version