Honey Mustard Chicken

This is the honey mustard chicken I like to make on occasion.

1 cup dijon mustard
1 cup honey
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
2 - 3 large chicken breasts (or 4 - 6 small chicken breasts)
2 - 3 Tbsp butter or olive oil
1 package sliced mushrooms
1 yellow onion, sliced in large wedge strips
3 or 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

If the chicken breasts are large, fillet each chicken breast into two pieces. Tenderize the chicken until it's slightly thinner.

With a mixer, mix the dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, and lemon juice until well blended. Separate half of the mixture into a jar for a sauce when serving. With the remainder, put chicken into bowl and marinade, covered in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or up to 24 hours.

Saute onions and mushrooms in olive oil or butter until tender. At the same time in a different frying pan with a lid, add oil and cook chicken on both sides until cooked through. When it is finished cooking, top with the mushrooms and onions and then top with the sprinkling of shredded cheese. Put lid on pan and cook an additional minute or two until cheese has melted. Serve with the reserved marinade.

Spinach Rose Alfredo Ravioli

This is the Ravioli recipe I have used for a while. It feels like a healthy meal because it's meatless and has an entire package of fresh spinach. Pay no attention to the cream!

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 or 3 jalapenos, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
Heavy cream
1 package frozen cheese ravioli
1 package baby spinach, roughly chopped
Mozzarella or parmesan cheese to top

In a deep frying pan with a lid, saute diced jalapeno in oil for a couple of minutes and then add minced garlic. After a minute, add diced tomatoes and bring to simmer. Add cream until desired rose color and bring back to simmer. Add pasta and cook with lid on until slightly tender. Add package of spinach and cook until wilted with lid on. Top with cheese and warm until it's melted. Serve and enjoy!

Lasagne

This is a pretty basic recipe for lasagne and is the one our mom used to make when we were children.

2 Tbsp veg oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 lb hamburger, crumbled

8 oz can tomato sauce

2 1/2 c canned tomatoes

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

8 oz lasagne noodles

8 oz sliced mozarella (if our mom didn't have any, sometimes she'd use monterrey jack)

12 oz ricotta (or cottage cheese)

1/2 c grated parmesan

Saute burger and garlic in oil. Add tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano and simmer for 20 minutes. While simmering, cook noodles for 15 minutes and drain. In a casserole dish, layer noodles, cheese, tomato/meat mixture, and parmesan, finally ending with the sauce & parmesan.

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Goulash Pasta

This is the infamous recipe where I asked Mom and Dad how to make it, and they responded with amounts like, "however much" or "a bit." They tend to cook, not with exact recipes but by putting ingredients together "to taste." I had to assign actual amounts to these ingredients, but if you're going to make this properly, you can totally deviate from the quantities listed here.

1 c uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 can corn
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 lb hamburger
1 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook elbow macaroni. Drain. Set aside. While the macaroni is cooking, brown onion and green pepper in a pan. Add hamburger and cook until browned. Add tomato sauce and corn. Mix and heat until warm. Add chili powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix in the macaroni until coated sufficiently with hamburger mixture. Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread

This is the recipe for zucchini bread that my mom always made from the garden zucchinis.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp shredded lemon peel or 1/8 tsp lemon juice or extract
1/2 cup walnuts

Mix sugar, egg, oil, until blended. Add lemon and zucchini and mix well. After sifting dry ingredients together. Add into wet ingredients until well mixed. Fold in walnuts.

Bake in bread loaf pan at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to an hour or until thoroughly cooked through.

Sweet & Sour Pork or Chicken

This is my dad's recipe for the Sweet and Sour Pork or Chicken that he used to make.

Cubed Pork or Chicken (leftover from Sunday dinner was common)
Onion, chopped into large pieces
Carrots, cut into large pieces
Peppers (green or red), cut into large pieces
Canned Pineapple

Sauce:

1 cup pineapple juice (add water, to get to 1 cup if necessary)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp brown sugar (you can use white if you don't have brown)
3 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp chicken granules (or chicken bouillon)
1 tsp soy sauce
Optional: Add garlic powder or minced fresh garlic

If uncooked, fry chicken or pork for 2 minutes. Add vegetables and fry about 4 minutes to soften. In a pint jar, shake up sauce ingredients. Add sauce to pan and stir while thickening. Add the pineapple and cook until warm. Serve over rice.

Stroganoff

When my mom and dad were first dating, Dad when to Mom's apartment, and she whipped this up really quickly. He was impressed how quickly she could make this meal.

Hamburger

1/2 - 1 Onion, diced

1 big spoonful of sour cream

Cream of mushroom soup

Can of mushrooms

Brown hamburger with diced onion in a pan. Drain any excess grease. Add a big spoonful of sour cream, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and a small can of mushrooms. Mix and heat until fully warmed and bubbling. Add any additional seasonings to taste.

Serve over noodles or rice.