Chicken BLT Wedge Salad

This recipe was an instant hit at my house. Talk about yummy. I served this with cut up pita bread to round out the meal. To make it super simple use prepared bleu cheese dressing.

• 1 cup buttermilk, divided
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup panko 
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp dried chives
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 medium head iceberg lettuce, cored and cut into 6 wedges
• 2 cups chopped plum tomato
• 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese (1/2 cup)
• 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. 2. Combine 1/2 cup buttermilk and egg white in a shallow dish. Place panko in a shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg white mixture; dredge in panko. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
3. 3. Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add chicken. Cook 4 minutes; turn over. Bake at 425° for 14 minutes or until done. Let chicken stand 10 minutes; slice crosswise.
4. 4. Combine 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, mayonnaise, dill, chives, and vinegar. Place garlic on a cutting board; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Chop until a paste forms, scraping with the flat side of knife to mash. Add garlic to dressing.
5. 5. Place 1 lettuce wedge on each of 6 plates. Top each serving with chicken, 1/3 cup tomato, and 2 1/2 tablespoons dressing. Sprinkle with cheese and crumbled bacon.

Cream of _____ Soup

If you are like me, you run out of stuff and it drives me crazy! I love this recipe to use in a pinch or to save money. It can be used in any recipe for cream of chicken, mushroom, celery, whatever.

Ingredients:
2 cups powdered milk
3/4 cup corn starch
1/4 instant chicken bouillon granules
2 tsp onion flakes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix well and store in airtight container

To make 1 can cream of ____ soup:
Mix 1/3 cup dry mix and 1 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Cook and stir until thick. Use in your favorite recipe.

Bratten's Clam chowder

1c. finely chopped onion 1c finely chopped celery 2c potatoes diced 16 oz cans minced, juice from clams 3/4 c butter 3/4 c flour 1qt half and half (or milk if you want) dash of pepper 1/2 t sugar or honey 2T red wine vinegar, optional drain juice from clams and pour over  vegetables in a very small sauce pan.  Reserve clams for later.  Add enough  water to barely cover and simmer,  covered over medium heat until barely  tender.  in the meantime, make a roux  by melting butter and adding flour, blend.  cook stirring constantly.  Add cream and  stir with a whip till smooth and thick.  This is important.  Add undrained vegetables  and reserved clams, heat through.   Season with salt, sugar and pepper.   8-10 servings

Hamburger Stroganoff

This recipe warms my soul on a cold winter day.

This can be made as healthy (or as unhealthy) as you want. This is my version and is a staple at our house.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground meat (beef, buffalo, turkey)

1 can sliced mushrooms

1 tbsp garlic salt

2 tbsp flour
1 cup greek yogurt or sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup

Noodles (I use whole wheat rotini)

Directions:
Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown meat in a skillet until done. Add mushrooms and cook about 2 minutes. Add flour and garlic salt until well mixed. Add yogurt and soup. Cook until ingredients and blended, smooth, thick and bubbly. Serve over warm noodles.

Gail's Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

2 c dry lentils 2 slices bacon or leftover ham 1 small onion, diced finely 1/2 c. celery diced finely 3T parsley 1 clove garlic minced  1 1/2 t salt 1/4 t pepper 1/2 t oregano 1lb can tomatoes chopped with liquid 2T red wine vinegar rinse lentils and drain. Place in soup kettle add 8 c water and  remaining ingredients except tomatoes and vinegar.   Cover and simmer 1.5 hours add tomatoes and vinegar.   Simmer covered 30 min. Season to taste.  8-10 servings

Slow Cooked Elk with Rich Tomato Gravy

This is a modification of a pot roast recipe we enjoy. The tomato gravy compliments the elk so perfectly. My 4 year-old twins couldn't get enough of this and actually asked for second helpings! (They don't ask for second helping of ANYTHING). This takes a little bit of effort up front but the results are wonderful. Be sure to thaw your roast before cooking to make this more tender. (My favorite method: place frozen roast in a ziploc bag and the place the bag in a large bowel. Cover the bag with cool water and let thaw overnight in the refrigerator.)

FYI: Elk is super lean so don't skimp on the added oil, otherwise you end up with tough dry elk.

Ingredients:
3 TBSP vegetable oil
1 elk roast (3-4 lbs)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 small bag of baby carrots or 3 large carrots, peeled and cut in pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 TBSP flour
1 can (10 oz) condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup beef broth

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat 1 TBSP oil over medium-high heat. Add roast and cook, turning, until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Pour 2 TBSP oil into slow cooker and transfer roast to cooker.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onions, celery and carrots to skillet and cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Sprinkle mixture with flour and stir. Add romato soup and broth and cook, stirring, until thickened.

Pour mixture over roast, cover and cook on high 4-6 hours or low 8-12 hours, until meat is very tender.
This is excellent served with mashed potatoes.

Cranberry Relish so easy my 4 year old made it

This is a great recipe for anyone who loves cranberry relish but doesn't like all the sugar. My father-in-law is diabetic and has difficulty with regular cranberry sauce so this is a great alternative. The best part is that you just make it in the blender and Viola! Cranberry Relish! Apart from coring and seeding, my 4 year old daughter really did make this. FYI: the picture is chunkier than I prefer, but do whatever suits your family.

Ingredients:
1 bag of fresh cranberries
1 apple, washed and cored (peel on)
1 orange, rind on, seeds removed
1/4 cup agave or honey. More to taste if desired.

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree. If your blender isn't very big, start out with two batches to grind up the big chunks then combined to finish the puree.