Success to share

This past week I wrapped up my fall courses (all of which ended with successful grades), and I had a bit of a break to catch some rest. However, that did not last too long before I had to jump back into the mode of school work. I started my winter mini this past Saturday. I am taking Fine Arts and will complete the course in only two weeks! I really have been enjoying the course so far, and I think its because of my artsy background. Believe it or not this is my first art class since the sixth grade. Looking forward however to this class flying by and having a few weeks of NOTHING before the spring semester kickstarts.

I thought I would share a few recipes that have been quite successful for me this past week. I stumbled upon a new cookbook called 1,001 Recipes: Short, Easy, INEXPENSIVE. The title sounded great, but I really thought that it had to be too good to be true. I decided to pick a handful of recipes from it and mix up our menu for the week. Here are some of the recipes that were serious hits in our home:

Chicken Taco Pie (my fav for the week)

1 lb. chicken tenderloins

Vegetable oil

1 (1 ounce) pkg. taco seasoning mix

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 cup shredded Mexican 3-cheese blend

1 (8 ounce) pkg. corn muffin mix (I use Jiffy)

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut chicken into 1 inch chunks and cook on medium high heat in skillet with a little oil. Cook for bout 10 minutes. Drain and stir in taco seasoning, bell peppers and 3/4 cup water. Reduce heat, simmer and cook for about 10 additional minutes. Stir several times

Spoon chicken mixture into 9-inch (23 cm) deep-dish pie pan and sprinkle cheese on top. 

Prepare corn muffin mix with egg and milk and mix well. Spoon over top of pie and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes. Serves 4 to 6. 

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 (8 ounce) carton whipped cream cheese with onion and chives, softened

butter

4 strips bacon (I used turkey bacon)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1/4 cream cheese on each chicken breast. Wrap each with bacon strip. 

Place seam-side down in sprayed baking dish. Back uncovered for 40-45 minutes or until juices run clear. 

To brown, boil 6 inches from heat for about 3 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Serves 4. 

Tangy Pork Chops

4-6 pork chops

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup honey

Preheat over 325 degrees

Mix ingredients in separate bowl. Place pork chops in baking dish. Pour sauce over meat. 

Cover and bake 45 minutes. Serves 4-6. 

I hope you get a chance to try some of these extremely simple and tasty recipes. I would highly suggest any young wife picking up a copy of this cookbook. It's a great tool to stay on budget and mix up the menu. Have any recipe successes to share? I'd love to hear about them :)

Brandi