Swedish Pork Chops

4 pork chops
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups milk
4 potatoes, peeled & cut into small chunks
2 Tblsp. flour

Brown chops, seasoned with salt & pepper.  Add water and milk.  Add potatoes, salt again to taste & simmer.  Watch carefully so mixture doesn't boil over.  *Trust me, if you don't watch, it will boil over & make a horrible mess you'll have to clean up.  Boil until potatoes are soft; about 15-20 minutes.  Sprinkle flour over mixture immediately so it doesn't get lumpy.

As a little girl, I had dinner with my grandparents all the time.  This was the dinner that I remember my Grandma making the most often.  I always got excited when she served this, because it's such a yummy & hearty meal.  I make this all the time in our house now too, since I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand, and it's a nice, quick dinner.  Our kids LOVE this too & there are never any complaints when this is placed in front of them.  :)

Hearty Chicken Noodle Casserole

1 can cream of mushroom soup (I know I say this a lot, but I HATE mushrooms so I used cream of chicken)

1/2 cup milk

1/4 tsp. ground pepper (I used 1/2 tsp.)

1//4 cup Parmesan cheese (I've used both freshly-grated & the powdered kind & both taste good)

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (no need to thaw)

2 cups cooked cubed chicken

2 cups cooked egg noodles

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Stir soup, milk, black pepper, Parmesan cheese, vegetables, chicken & noodles in a greased 1 1/2-quart casserole dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until hot.  Stir & then top with cheese.

I found this recipe on Sister's Stuff.  This is one of those super easy & quick dishes to just hurry & throw together when I don't know what else to make for dinner.  Both of my kids love this & Tyler loves anything with egg noodles, so this is great for our family.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Sauce:

1/4 cup poultry gravy

1 1/4 cups water

3 chicken bouillon cubes

2 cups chicken broth

2 Tblsp. soy sauce; the first time I tried this it was way too salty for my taste, so next time I'll only use 1

4 Tblsp. cornstarch

chicken

Topping Choices:

shredded cheese of choice

pineapple

chow mein noodles

slivered almonds

celery

coconut

mandarin oranges

tomatoes

broccoli

other toppings of choice

Mix first two ingredients over low-medium heat.  Add next three. Then slowly stir in cornstarch.  *If your cornstarch looks too lumpy & looks like it isn't mixing in very well, don't panic like I did.  If you keep stirring, it will all work out.  :)  After you've added the cornstarch, turn up the heat and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat back down and simmer for a few minutes & then it'll be ready to serve.  * The sauce will be really watery until it boils & until the cornstarch kicks in, so again, don't freak out the way I did.  :)  I added the chicken right in with the sauce, but this is entirely optional.  Serve over rice & then assemble your haystack to your liking.  

I found this recipe on a blog called My Girl's Kitchen.  One of the best things about this dinner is that it has the potential of being an entire, food storage-based meal if you use canned chicken.  After having this sauce I don't think I can ever go back to using just plain cream of chicken soup again.  My whole family loved this & it both my kids LOVED putting their very own haystacks together.  :)

Smashed Potato Soup

1/2 cup coarsely-chopped carrot

1/2 cup coarsely-chopped celery

3 cups hot mashed potatoes (homemade or instant, but for us they tasted MUCH better with real!)

1 can chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

1 garlic clove, pressed (I used 1/4 tsp. garlic powder because it's easier, faster & cleaner) :)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

2 Tblsp. fresh parsley (I didn't use this)

Optional toppings:  green onions, cooked chopped bacon, cheddar cheese

Place mashed potatoes in a 3-quart saucepan.  Gradually add broth and milk, whisking until smooth.  Stir in carrot, celery, garlic, salt & pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.  I had to stir constantly so that the soup wouldn't "pop" & make huge splashes all over the place.  Remove from heat and stir in sour cream & parsley.  Put into bowls and top with desired toppings.

Here's another recipe from The Recipe Society.  One of the things I hate most is when I buy a bag of potatoes & then most of them end up going bad because I can't get to them in time.  This is a great way to use up extra potatoes & for me it's great comfort food whenever it's cold outside.  Both of our kids loved this too.  Serve it with some homemade garlic bread, or garlic cheese rolls & dinner's done!  :D

Stuffed Hot Dogs

This is one of the easiest, quickest, satisfying dinners to make on my list. All you need are hot dogs (however many you & your family members want to eat per person), prepared mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. Slice hot dogs down the middle, stuff with mashed potatoes and top with shredded cheese. Place on a cookie sheet covered with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until hot dogs are cooked and cheese is melted.

This recipe has been in my family for generations. When my Grandma was a little girl (on my Mom's side of the family), she remembers going to visit her grandmother Emily all the time. One night, Grandma Emily wasn't expecting company, and she apologized to my Grandma about not having anything special to give her for dinner. When it was time to eat, this was what she served. My Grandma couldn't believe how great it tasted. Grandma Emily had come up with this idea all on her own, and we've had it many, many times both while I was little, and now my kids get to eat something that was invented by their great-great-great grandmother. Both my kids LOVE these. We had them for dinner again last night & Aubrey had two whole hot dogs because one wasn't enough to satisfy her! :) I highly recommend these to everyone because they're so fast, easy, and kids just love 'em. :)

Hearty Winter Soup

1 can Campbell's bean with bacon soup
1 can cream of potato soup
1 14-oz can stewed tomatoes, chopped & undrained *
salt & pepper to taste
shredded mozzarella cheese

In a medium stockpot, combine soups and tomatoes; add salt & pepper. Heat until boiling; let stand several minutes before serving. Top with cheese.

This was another quick & easy soup to prepare for dinner. I made this for my family last week and they all loved it. It tastes especially good on a cold night. * I don't like buying stewed tomatoes because they're made with celery & green peppers, so I just bought a can of regular diced tomatoes instead. I highly recommend this soup, especially if you love tomatoes.

Cream Cheese Crock Pot Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts, or 8-10 chicken breast tenders
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
4 Tblsp. butter
1 clove garlic, minced *
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup water or chicken broth

Spray crock pot with Pam.* Put in chicken & sprinkle with dry seasoning packet. Mix butter and cream cheese. Add soup, then water (or chicken broth), and then the garlic.* Place mixture directly on top of the chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 to 6 hours. Serve with rice or noodles.

*Instead of using fresh garlic, I just use 1/8 tsp. of garlic powder, which is equivalent to 1 clove fresh garlic. I also use Reynold's plastic crock pot liners every time I use one & it saves tons of scrubbing time. I have my sister Elena to thank for this yummy recipe. :) She served this one night while the kids & I were over at her house, and it was soooooooo good! When she went to serve the chicken, she drizzled the gravy over the rice. It was VERY tasty. I made it last night after church and even both of my kids loved it, which usually doesn't happen very often. :)

Island Chicken Salad

1 10-oz. can chicken, well-drained
1 8-oz. can crushed pineapple, well-drained
1-2 celery stalks, chopped
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tblsp. mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients together well and chill. Serve with croissants.

I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks from Gooseberry Patch (www.gooseberrypatch.com). I made it for the first time last night and our whole family loved it! It's always nice to have a meal that doesn't require heating up the oven or turning on the stove when it's hot weather. I also served this meal with a tossed salad, and it was great!

Biscuit Pot Pies

1 can golden corn biscuits *
1 can cream of potato soup
1/3 cup milk
1 can mixed vegetables, drained *
1 can chunk chicken breast, drained

Cut each biscuit in half to form 2 circles. Grease 2 muffin pans and press 1 circle into each cup. Mix soup, milk, vegetables and chicken in a bowl. Season to taste. Spoon chicken mixture into biscuit cups. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

*When I first made this, I couldn't find golden corn biscuits, so I used buttermilk instead. They still tasted great. I also never use canned vegetables, so I thawed and drained frozen vegetables & used them instead. Another tip is that you can also use canned tuna instead of chicken. Or, you can fill the biscuit cups with cooked taco meat and top with cheese, etc. after baking (I haven't tried this yet).

I also wanted to mention that when I first made these for dinner one night, Tyler wasn't completely satisfied after having 3 of them, so in my opinion, this recipe is much better if you have an appetizer you need to prepare, or if you need a quick, satisfying lunch. Either way, they are YUMMY!