Crispy Herb-Coated Pork Chops

I usually have a hard time finding pork chop recipes that my family will eat. Most of the time the flavor was lacking. Russell tried this and really liked the crispy coating and the flavor. This makes it a keeper in my book! morgainegeiser from Ypsi, Michigan was my teammate for this recipe. This was part of the September 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap.

Crispy Herb-Coated Pork Chops
1/3 cup butter or margarine, cubed
2/3 cup instant mashed potatoes with butter and herbs
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp garlic powder
4 pork loin chops (boneless would probably work best)
2 TBSP vegetable oil

In a shallow bowl, melt butter. In a large ziploc bag combine potato flakes, cheese and garlic powder. Dip chops one at a time in butter, then place in bag. Seal and shake to coat. In a large skillet, cook chops in oil over medium heat for 7-8 minutes on each side or until chops are no longer pink.

Zucchini Soup

This is a different kind of soup. I really enjoyed it. The rest of the family - not so much. But then again....I love zucchini. I will eat it just about any way I can get it. mersaydees from Southern Maine was my teammate who shared this recipe. This was part of the September 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. I also added in some diced carrots for color.

Zucchini Soup
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs zucchini, washed and sliced
28 oz chicken broth
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup half and half

In large pot melt the butter and saute onion until golden. Add the zucchini and saute over medium high heat until limp. About 10-15 minutes. Add chicken broth, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half and half. I partially mashed the soup with a potato masher to thicken it up a bit. The original recipe called for sending the whole pot through a blender. I prefer my soup to have some body so opted not to do the blender. I did add extra salt and pepper to taste. We served this with homemade rolls for a yummy dinner.

Chicken Chow Mein

I am always on the prowl for a good chinese recipe. I really like chow mein and this one is full of yummy veggies! We also doubled the amount of shrimp because we are shrimp fans! This recipe also called for homemade fried noodles which I opted to leave out. They seemed like more work than what I had time for. We ended up eating this over brown rice and with egg rolls. Super easy to put together and everyone liked it! This is part of the September 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. My teammate is mersaydees from Southern Maine.

Chicken Chow Mein
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 oz boneless lean pork, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 tsp cornstarch, divided
2 1/2 TBSP apple juice, divided
2 TBSP soy sauce, divided
1/2 cup water
2 tsp instant chicken bouillon
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 tsp powdered ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 lb shrimp, deveined and shelled
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 green onions, chopped - with tops
4 oz cabbage, shredded (I bought a small napa cabbage and used 1/2 of that)

In a large bowl combine 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 1/2 tsp apple juice and 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce. Add chicken and pork. Coat well. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
Combine remaining 2 tsp cornstarch, 2 TBSP apple juice, 1 1/2 TBSP soy sauce, water and bouillon in small bowl, set aside.
Heat oil in wok or large skillet over high heat. Toss in powdered ginger and garlic. Stir fry 1 minute. Add chicken and pork. Stir fry until cooked through and no longer pink. Add shrimp. Stir fry until shrimp turns pink. Toss veggies into wok. Stir fry until crisp tender. Add sauce mixture. Cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens.
Serve chow mein over fried noodles (either homemade or store-bought) or white or brown rice.

White Bean Soup with Ham

I am a sucker for white bean soups. I've had some that were super bland. I've had some that were very flavorful. This one has lots of flavor. I really liked it with cornbread. This is also part of the September 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. My teammate is Dreamgoddess from Alabama, USA.

White Bean Soup with Ham
1 lb smoked ham hocks
3 cups dried small white beans, rinsed and picked over
12 cups chicken OR beef OR vegetable stock OR water (I used beef stock)
2 medium onions, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Put smoked ham hock, beans and liquid together in a large saucepan. Turn heat to medium high. Add onions. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium low and cover so lid only partially covers pan. Cook, stir occasionally until beans are soft and meat is falling apart. About 1 hour. Turn off heat. Remove meat and chop it up if desired and return to pan.

You definitely want to serve this with some type of cornbread.

Savory Bread Cases

I doubled the recipe on this one. I am so glad I did! It was a huge hit with the family! The leftover filling also makes a very tasty sauce for macaroni and cheese! This recipe comes from my teammate mummamills from Maryborough, Queensland, Australia. I made this for the July 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap.

Savory Bread Cases

24 slices bread - store bought works best

margarine

8 oz bacon (this equals 1/2 lb), diced

1 lg onion, diced

2 cups shredded cheese - I used cheddar and mozzarella

3 tsp minced garlic

8 TBSP flour - you may not need it all

5 cups milk

1 pinch dry mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Cut crusts from bread slices. Spread very lightly with butter or margarine. Press, butter side down into muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes - until bread cases are dry. (These can also be frozen for use at a later time.)

Spray frying pan with vegetable oil. Add diced bacon and onion. Saute over a high heat until bacon is cooked. Add garlic and saute a minute longer.

In same skillet- add in flour - 1 TBSP at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until it is completely absorbed. Keep stirring and gradually whisk in milk. Stir until thickened and there are no lumps. Allow to cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add cheese and mustard. Stir until cheese is melted.

Refrigerate mixture until serving time.

Put bread cases on a large cookie sheet. Fill with cheese mixture. You may want to sprinkle additional cheese on top. I sprinkled parsley for color. Bake ato 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Corn Chowder

This chowder is one of my go-to comfort foods. Especially when it's cold like it's been. This recipe I got from my sister-in-law Carrie. She got it from my mother-in-law. Russell doesn't particularly care for it - but I LOVE it! So it gets to come to my recipe blog. As a side note...I like to do my bacon in the oven. It's less messy that way. I keep a canning jar in the fridge for bacon drippings. Actually there are about 5 or so in my freezer as well. Who knows....they just might come in handy. When I need a bit of bacon drippings here or there - I just scoop it out and return the jar to the fridge.

Corn Chowder
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled, save 3 TBSP of drippings
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 TBSP flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cups corn, cream style or not - it's up to you (canned or fresh or frozen is also your option)
3 cups diced potatoes, cooked and drained
parsley - to make it look pretty (you decide)
paprika - to make it look pretty (again - you decide)

Cook onion and celery in bacon fat about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is bubbly. This step doesn't take very long at all. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. This step takes awhile. You want to end up with a nice thick creamy base for your chowder. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in pepper, corn, potatoes, parsley and paprika. Stir in bacon.
Serves: 6

Scrambled Eggs with a Twist

The true name would be Brunch Eggs. The teammate is JustJanS from Warrnambool Victoria Australia. She found the recipe on the internet. I think it's just a fancy way to make scrambled eggs. The kids really liked it and it reheated just fine in the pan (NOT the microwave) for Russell when he got home from work late. The original recipe called for corn kernels - but that just doesn't sit well with me. Eggs and corn? Not at this house. At least together. For a meal. Oh - and I learned the bell peppers are called capsicum in Australia!

Scrambled Eggs with a Twist
4 oz cream cheese, softened for about 1 minute in the microwave
3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
4 TBSP butter or margarine, divided
9 eggs
1/4 tsp red chili powder (You can't taste it. I promise.)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to your tastes
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
hot buttered toast for serving
extra chopped green onions for garnish

Saute bell peppers and onion in 2 TBSP butter or margarine over medium heat just until softened. Add sauted veggies to the cream cheese and mix well. Combine eggs and spices. (I prefer to do it in a blender until the eggs are nice and frothy. That's just me though.) Melt remaining 2 TBSP butter or margarine in pan. Add in cream cheese/veggie mixture and egg/spice mixture. Cook over medium heat until eggs are done to your specifications. Not everyone likes them the same. I prefer to have them not soft. Serve over hot buttered toast. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon (I figure one bacon slice per person) and garnish with extra chopped green onion.
We had this for dinner and used my homemade bread for the toast to make a very satisfying meal.

Sirloin Steak Kabobs

I was wanting red meat. Really bad. I was wanting kabobs. Really bad. I found this tasty recipe on recipezaar.com. It comes from Marie. The boys didn't put much on their skewers as far as kabobs go so there were quite a bit of raw veggies and uncooked meat left over. Let me just say....this was good material for stir-fry the following night!

Sirloin Steak Kabobs

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 TBSP Worchestershire sauce

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

Combine the ingredients well. This is your marinade.

Add:

3 lbs sirloin steaks cut into 1 inch cubes. Coat meat and refrigerate overnight.

Green bell pepper, cut into squares

Red bell pepper, cut into squares

Yellow bell pepper, cut into squares

1 small onion, cut into squares

mushrooms and tomatos would be very tasty as well....but I didn't have any

If you are using bamboo skewers....soak for 20 minutes before grilling.

Alternate meat and veggies on your skewers and grill till the meat is done to your liking.

Cannelone Crepes

This yummy recipe comes from Mom Zaugg. She made it for her family while they were growing up. The first time I had it was before Russell and I got married. I instantly fell in love with it.

Cannelone Crepes

Crepes:

2 cups flour

2 cups milk

1/4 cup oil

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

Beat together until well blended. Cook in crepe pan or if you are me and don't own a crepe pan...I do mine on the pancake griddle and use a spatula to spread them out so they are thin. As the crepes are done cooking I like to lay them on a clean kitchen towel, overlapping slightly. Set aside when done making crepes.

Filling:

1 8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

2 cups cottage cheese

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cube butter or margarine

1 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce

Parmesan cheese

Beat filling ingredients together until fluffy. Fill crepes. I like to fill them peanut butter style. Spread the filling over the crepes like you would peanut butter on bread. Roll crepes and place in a greased 9x13 baking pan. You may need a smaller pan for any extra crepes that don't fit in the big pan. If this is the case - then divide 1 jar of spaghetti sauce over both pans. Otherwise use the entire jar of sauce on the big pan. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 3o minutes uncovered. We like this with homemade breadsticks.

Cat Head Biscuits with Sawmill Gravy

When I first saw this recipe I did a double take. Cat Head biscuits! No actual cats were used in the making of this recipe. :) This is actually one I chose as part of the May 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. My teammate is Crafty Lady 13 from Dalton, Ohio. She found the recipe in Deen Brother's Y'all Come Eat cookbook. The biscuits have this name because they are the size of a cat's head. I can tell you it was an attention getter at the dinner table though!

Cat Head Biscuits

3 cups self-rising flour**

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 TBSP butter or margarine, cut into pieces and softened

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl combine flour, buttermilk and butter just until the dough comes together. On a floured surface pat the dough into a 1 1/2 inch thick round. Cut the dough into 6 4-inch circles. (I only had a 3 inch cookie cutter - so mine were a bit smaller.) Transfer biscuits to baking sheet. Bake about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

**If you are like me and don't buy self-rising flour - it can be made at home. You will need:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Mix well and use for every 1 cup of self rising flour.

Sawmill Gravy

1 lb bulk sausage

4 1/2 TBSP flour

2 1/2 cups milk

salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet brown sausage. Sprinkle flour over sausage and coat well. Gradually add milk and stir. Bring to a boil and stir until gravy is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Break open biscuits and spoon gravy generously over the top. Enjoy!

Breaded Fish with Rice Pilaf

We don't eat a lot of fish at our house - but when we do - this is one of the ways we like it. I like to use cod but when it is too expensive - any white fish should work. As for the Rice Pilaf - this recipe comes from Mom and Dad Dysart. Not sure where they got it from - but Russell really likes it. That's all that matters at my house.

Breaded Fish
desired amount of fish to feed your family
1-2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs - either homemade or storebought
parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning

Cut fish into serving pieces. Coat in beaten egg. If you have a lot of people in your family - 2 eggs are the better option.
Combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and Italian seasoning in a food processor and mix well. I just eyeball the cheese and seasonings.
Coat the fish pieces in breadcrumb mixture and place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with vegetable spray. Bake at 500 degrees for about 15 minutes or until fish is flaky when you go to separate it with a fork.
Serve with tartar sauce if desired.

Rice Pilaf
2 cups long grain white rice
2 1/2 TBSP oil
4 cups boiling water
4 tsp boullion
3/4 cup thin pasta (such as angel hair or spaghetti)

Combine rice, oil and pasta in a skillet. Over high heat brown the rice. Pour into a 2 qt casserole dish. Add boullion and boiling water. Mix. Cover casserole and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy

I don't have a picture for this tasty meal! It was a huge hit with the family though. I got this recipe years ago from a Taste of Home magazine.

Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy

1 egg
1 can (1o 1/2 oz) condensed French onion soup, undiluted, divided
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 TBSP flour
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp prepared mustard
hot cooked noodles or rice

In a large bowl beat egg. Stir in 1/3 cup soup, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Add beef. Mix gently. Shape into 6 oval patties. Brown in a skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside. Discard drippings.

In small bowl combine flour and water until smooth. Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and remaining soup.

Add patties back to skillet. Add sauce mixture. Cook and stir gently for a couple minutes. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve patties and gravy over noodles or rice.

Parmesan Crumbed Chicken

This recipe is part of my choices for the April 2010 recipe swap on recipezaar. My team mate for the recipe is Kiwi Kathy from Whangarei, New Zealand! This is fairly quick to assemble - provided you don't have to wait for the chicken to thaw. I think next time I make this though I will add some salt and pepper to the bread crumb mixture.

Parmesan Crumbed Chicken
6 chicken breasts, trimmed and flattened
2 1/4 cups dry breadcrumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 TBSP dry parsley
3/4 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup vegetable or olive oil

Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and parsley. Add in some salt and pepper if desired.
Place yogurt in a medium bowl. Dip chicken in yogurt then coat in crumbs. Place on plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes. Brown chicken in oil over medium heat turning once. Transfer to a baking dish sprayed with vegetable spray. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Sunday Roast Chicken

Sorry - no pictures on this one! It went too fast!
I found the recipe in a cookbook called Fix-It and Forget-It Recipes for Entertaining. There was just enough chicken picked off the carcass to make a gravy for another meal. It went over really, really well. We had this with mashed potatoes and veggies.

Sunday Roast Chicken
Seasoning Mix:
1 TBSP salt
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp savory (I have no idea what savory is so I used Beau Monde instead)

Combine seasoning mix in small bowl.

2 TBSP butter or margarine
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 roasting chicken (mine was almost 5 lbs)
1/4 cup flour
1-2 cups chicken stock

Saute onions and celery in butter over high heat until onions are golden brown. Add in 3 TBSP seasoning mix. Mix well and let veggies cool.
Stuff bird with cooled vegetables.
Sprinkle outside of chicken with remaining seasoning mix. Rub in well.
Place chicken in large slow cooker. Cover. Cook on low for 6 hours.
Empty juices into saucepan. Whisk in flour and 1 cup chicken stock. Cook over high heat until thickened. Add more stock if you prefer a thinner gravy.

Tortilla Stack

I found this recipe while we lived in Arizona. Money was super tight for groceries. I think at this time we had roughly $20/week for groceries. Thank goodness for food storage I tell you! I found this recipe in a book from the library called The Crockery Cook.

Tortilla Stack
1 1/2 lb uncooked lean ground beef
1 pint pinto or black beans
8 corn tortillas, each cut into 6 wedges
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1 pkg taco seasoning
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
sour cream
shredded lettuce
chopped green onion
chopped red bell pepper
sliced olives
peeled and chopped avocado
grated cheddar cheese

Combine soup and taco mix. Set aside.

Spray crockpot with veggie spray. Crumble 1/4 of ground beef into bottom of crockpot Top with 1/4 of beans. Top with 1/4 of tortilla wedges. Spread 1/4 soup mixture over tortillas. Sprinkle with 1/4 tomatoes. Repeat layers until all beef, beans, tortilla wedges, soup mixture and tomatoes are in crockpot. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours. Spoon onto individual plates. Top with sour cream, lettuce, green onion, bell pepper, olives or avocado if desired. Additional cheddar cheese may also be used.

Pepper Steak

We like Chinese food at our house. I am always on the lookout for something I think we all will enjoy. This went over well. I got this recipe from Taste of Home years ago.

Pepper Steak
1 lb boneless sirloin steak
2 TBSP cooking oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt, optional
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 large red OR yellow OR orange bell peppers, thinly sliced (I used green, orange and yellow)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3/4 tsp beef bouillon granules
3/4 cup hot water
1 TBSP cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 tsp sugar

Cut steak into thin strips. Marinate with a bit of oil and cornstarch. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Combine beef bouillon and hot water. Set aside.

Combine cornstarch, soy sauce, cold water and sugar. Set aside.

In large skillet or wok brown steak in oil. Add garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Cook until meat is almost done. Add peppers and onions to skillet. Cook and stir until peppers are crisp-tender.

Add beef bouillon water to skillet.
Add cornstarch mixture. Cook and stir until mixture boils and starts to thicken a bit. Serve over rice or oriental noodles.

Chicken with Parmesan Cream Sauce

This chicken was so easy to put together and so moist! The sauce was perfect for mixing with pasta to create an "Alfredo" kind of side dish. I chose this recipe from my teammate LifeIsGood from Michigan. This was part of the March 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap on recipezaar.com.

Chicken with Parmesan Cream Sauce
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used thigh/leg quarters - bone in since that's what I had)
1/2 cup flour
6 TBSP butter or margarine, divided
16 mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellas - my favorite)
2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
paprika

Melt 3 TBSP butter. Coat chicken with flour then dip in butter. Arrange in 9x13 baking pan. Melt remaining butter. Saute mushrooms until softened. Spread mushrooms over chicken. Pour in cream. Season with salt and pepper. Top with parmesan cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight and all the next day until ready to make dinner.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle paprika over chicken. Bake uncovered 20-30 minutes if doing just boneless chicken breasts.
If you did bone-in like I did - I baked my chicken at 375 for 1 hour 15 minutes. I probably would have been fine doing less time but I like to make sure my chicken is cooked all the way.
When chicken was done....
I removed the chicken to a plate and had angel hair pasta already cooked and ready to add to the cream sauce in the pan. I added in some garlic salt, pepper and additional parmesan cheese to make an "Alfredo" pasta side dish.

Macaroni and Cheese

Classic Macaroni and Cheese is the correct name of this so yummy, creamy mac-n-cheese. There was an actual macaroni and cheese cookoff in Portland either this week or last week with chefs from everywhere making their own creations. The requirement - using Tillamook cheese products! You can go to www.tillamookcheese.com then click on the recipes link. From there are many choices to choose from. If you click on the recipe link for Macaroni and Cheese there will be many choices to peruse at your leisure. After having done this myself....I opted to make the below recipe for my family. It was a winner!

Classic Macaroni and Cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. I will tell you what I did to the recipe to make it work for my family. If you want the original - go to the website.

16 oz small elbow macaroni - cook per package directions and drain

3/4 cup breadcrumbs - either homemade or panko
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 TBSP softened butter
Combine these ingredients in a medium size bowl and set aside.

4 cups Colby Jack cheese shredded and set aside

In a large dutch oven melt 3 TBSP butter.
Add:
4 TBSP flour and whisk well. Gradually add 3 cups **whole milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in:
2 pinches of nutmeg
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (If your family doesn't like spicy - leave out. It adds a nice "kick.")
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Cook, stirring continuously until sauce begins to thicken. About 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add 4 cups shredded cheese. Stir until smooth. Stir in pasta. Pour into 9x13 baking pan that has been sprayed with vegetable spray. Top with breadcrumb mixture. Bake uncovered until cheese is bubbling and the top is golden. Approximately 25-30 minutes.


**On the whole milk...
I don't buy whole milk. I like the powdered milk from the LDS cannery and found out I can make my own - which I did for this recipe. 1 cup powdered milk and 3 cups water in a blender makes the amount of milk needed for this recipe. Just thought you should know that. :) Maybe this helps lessen the fat content - not that you should be worrying about that if you are eating macaroni and cheese in the first place. Enjoy! This makes excellent leftovers as well. Hence the 9x13 pan. This recipe can always be halved.

Shrimp in Lemon Cream Sauce

This recipe was probably hands down the most favorite out of all the recipes I chose this month for the Aussie/NZ recipe swap on recipezaar. My teammate was I'mPat from Perth West Coast of Australia. Her original recipe she posted calls this Seafood in Lemon Cream Sauce. We don't like scallops so left those out and probably tripled the shrimp as we love those. She found the recipe from The Australian Women's Weekly After Work Fast. It is fast going to together. The kids all thought it was definite restaurant quality. Which is a HUGE compliment coming from them.

Shrimp in Lemon Cream Sauce
2 1/2 lbs large shrimp or prawns (I buy mine already cooked and if the tails are still on - just pull the shells off)
2 tsp vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tsp lemon juice
4 TBSP apple juice
1 1/2 cups cream
Parsley for garnish if desired
hot pasta
In a bowl - combine shrimp, oil and garlic. Let marinate for a couple hours.
Simmer lemon juice and apple juice in a pan, uncovered until reduced by half. Add cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for a couple of minutes. Since my shrimp was already cooked - I added the whole bowl at this point and simmered until hot.

Cook up some asparagus and or sugar snap peas. Set aside.

When the shrimp is heated through - you will probably have to eat a couple just to make sure - Drain the sauce into the hot pasta. Mix well. It makes a fettuccine kind of dish. Serve shrimp over pasta and add vegetables.

Swedish Meatballs

I've only had Swedish Meatballs a few times in my life. I have enjoyed them the times that I ate them. So I was excited to try this recipe from Mom2Rose from recipezaar for the October 2009 recipe swap. She calls them Grandma Katie's Swedish Meatballs. I downsized for a family of 6. Her original recipe feeds something like 25 or more people.

Swedish Meatballs

a little over a pound of ground beef

8 oz ground pork

**6 strips bacon, crispy and finely crumbled
1 cup finely diced celery

1 large onion, finely diced

1/2 cup or so of breadcrumbs

--------

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

16 oz beef broth

I cooked my bacon in the oven on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until done. I drained most of the bacon fat leaving just a little. Save the pan with drippings and set aside.

Combine all meatball ingredients from the ground beef to the breadcrumbs in a mixer. Make sure it is well combined. Make golf ball size meatballs.

Using extra breadcrumbs - coat each meatball and place on reserved cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile - combine soups and broth mixing well to remove any clumps. Add just a little to a crockpot. Add cooked meatballs. Pour remaining sauce over meatballs. Leave in the crockpot for just a couple hours or so.

We served this over rice. A very yummy comfort meal.