Crockpot Chili Pork Chops **

This is another one that I had in my old files, but I had labeled it as one that we really liked.  It was good, but nothing special.  Definitely not as good as the Creole Pork Chops in Crockpot.  In my mind, they were very similar, but they're really not.  The sauce on this was good, but the meat was really dry.  Dh and I were talking, though, and we really think it would be better with a more tender side of meat.  A pork steak would probably be excellent in it.  Maybe I'll try it again, maybe I won't.  For now, this one's getting demoted to 2 stars.  Sorry, Charlie.  :)

Photo courtesy of Recipezaar

CROCKPOT CHILI PORK CHOPS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar)

¾ cup chopped onions (I used minced)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves (I used minced)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ¼ cup water
1 ¼ cup ketchup
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
8-10 pork chops, bone-in preferred (I used 10 boneless)
salt and pepper

Cook onions in oil until lightly brown.
Add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, water, ketchup, salt, and pepper.
Cover and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes.
Arrange pork chops in crock pot, pour sauce over the chops.
Cover and cook on low heat for 6-7 hours.
OP’s notes: I find that the longer you cook them, the more tender they are. I normally serve them with mashed potatoes and a vegetable. I put the sauce over the mashed potatoes (yummy!).

Rachael Ray's Grilled Beer Chicken With Potato Slabs ***

I doubled the recipe on this, since it said it only made 4 servings, and I like to make enough for dh to take some to work for lunch the next day.  That's absolutely wrong.  It's more like 6 servings.  Next time, I'll keep the marinade the same and just add a bit more chicken.  I used boneless/skinless thighs instead of drumsticks, since that's what I had.  The marinade smells divine.  The flavor is wonderful.  I forgot that I would need to cook it longer with thighs than with drumsticks.  I ended up cooking it an extra 10 minutes, but it could have used even longer.  Of course, if I hadn't doubled the recipe, there wouldn't have been more on the grill, so the 10 extra minutes probably would have been fine.  The chicken was so moist and flavorful, though.  I'll be doing that again soon.  The potatoes weren't a keeper for me.  I expected them to crisp up some on the grill, but they never did.  The outer edges were mushy, while the inner circles weren't even completely cooked.  It says to only cook them 3 minutes per side, but I cooked them a total of 15 minutes, and they were still slightly raw.  Next time, I'll skip them and just do baked potatoes.

Photo courtesy of Recipezaar

RACHAEL RAY'S GRILLED BEER CHICKEN WITH POTATO SLABS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar)

12 ounces beer, room temperature (can or bottle)
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt, plus more
salt, for sprinkling
6 chicken drumsticks (about 1.5 pounds)
2 baking potatoes
olive oil, for drizzling
lime wedge, for serving

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the beer, butter, garlic, chili powder, brown sugar and salt.
Add the drumsticks, seal the bag and let marinate while you proceed.
Preheat a grill or grill pan to high.
Microwave the potatoes on high until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
Slice the potatoes lengthwise about 1/4-inch thick.
Drizzle both sides generously with olive oil.
Transfer the chicken and potatoes to the grill.
Grill the drumsticks, brushing with the beer marinade and turning occasionally, until the skin is golden and crisp and the juices run clear, 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, grill the potatoes until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes on each side.
Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with salt.
Serve the chicken and potatoes with the lime wedges.

Comforting Smothered Chicken ****

(meltort)

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
2 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp black pepper
2/3 c flour
½ c vegetable oil
1 small onion, sliced
2 c chicken broth, low sodium

Season flour with salt and pepper and mix well. Coat chicken completely with the seasoned flour. Heat oil in heavy skillet. Add chicken and brown on each side (about 4 minutes per side). Remove and set aside. Add sliced onions to the pan drippings and cook for 1 minute. Add remaining flour and continue to stir until onions and flour begin to brown. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, stir until incorporated and return chicken to the gravy. Cover skillet, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until gravy is thick and chicken is tender.

Easy Zucchini Bread **

This was pretty good.  I loved the flavor of it.  Even after an hour, though, it was still pretty soggy in the middle.  The flavor was phenomenal, though.  I do love the idea of a cake mix base, so I'm still in search of a better recipe.  I think if you could eliminate some of the liquids, it would make a better density.  I just don't want to change it up so much that it loses the basic taste.  It's definitely a work in progress.

Photo courtesy of Recipezaar

EASY ZUCCHINI BREAD
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Southern Living, Oct 2007)

1 cup chopped pecans, divided
1 (18.25-oz.) package spice cake mix
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
2 cups shredded zucchini (1 medium zucchini)

Place 2/3 cup pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan.
Bake at 350° for 6 to 7 minutes or until pecans are lightly toasted, stirring occasionally.
Beat cake mix and next 3 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium, and beat 1 minute, stopping to scrape bottom and down sides of bowl as needed. Stir in zucchini and 2/3 cup toasted pecans. Pour batter evenly into 2 (9- x 5-inch) lightly greased loaf pans. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup pecans evenly over batter.
Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire rack, and let cool 15 minutes before slicing.

Chicken Marseilles **

This makes a really yummy sauce.  My only complaint was that it made very little sauce.  I ended up adding an extra 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup water, just to make a little more of it.  Next time, I think I'm going to just double some of the sauce ingredients and add a little chicken broth.  We had enough sauce to go on the rice, but it would have been nice to have some for the chicken as well.  Other than that, I have no complaints.  I used chicken breast tenders, since they were on sale, and I think I would do that again.  We're not big fans of chicken breasts in general, so the tenders work a little better for us.  I just had to cut down the cooking time a bit.  I wouldn't be opposed to having it again, since it was pretty good.

CHICKEN MARSEILLES
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar)

3 tablespoons butter
5-6 boneless chicken breasts
2 cups water
1 (1 ounce) package dry vegetable soup mix (I use Knorr's)
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 cup sour cream

Melt butter in skillet.
Place chicken breasts in skillet and brown for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally.
Stir in 2 cups water, soup mix and dill into skillet and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionallyl for 25-30 minutes until chicken is tender.
Remove chicken to a plate.
Add sour cream to skillet and stir until creamy.
Place chicken over hot brown rice (prepared according to directions) and spoon sour cream sauce over chicken before serving.

Best Dang Fried Banana Peppers ***

Our banana pepper plants in the garden are putting out peppers more quickly than I can find recipes.  These were really pretty good.  I didn't know exactly what they meant by slicing them lengthwise - as in, whether to slice through one side and leave the pepper whole, or to completely slice into two halves.  I went with slicing them into halves.  Dh and I loved them.  The kids tolerated them, lol.  It's not a batter-dip at all, but it just adds some crunch to the peppers.  It was definitely good and worth making again.

BEST DANG FRIED BANANA PEPPERS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar)

10 banana peppers (washed, sliced lengthwise and seeds removed)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup saltine crackers, crushed
1 to taste vegetable oil (for frying)
 
Heat vegetable oil in frying pan over medium heat. 
In medium bowl, mix together equal parts corn meal and crushed saltines. 
Prepare another shallow bowl of buttermilk.
Dip banana peppers in buttermilk.
Coat with cornmeal/cracker mixture. Fry in veg oil over medium heat until golden brown. 
Drain/cool slightly on paper towels.
* Amy's notes: OP said to serve with marinara, but we served with ranch dressing as a dipping sauce.

Macaroni and Cheese Pizza ****

Thumbs up all around from us! I used ground turkey and added some Italian seasoning. I also added some chopped mushrooms. We all loved it! I do think that I'll halve the noodles, eggs, and sauce, though. This made way too much for our family of 4. Other than that, it was perfect!

Photo courtesy of Recipezaar

MACARONI AND CHEESE PIZZA
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar)

1 (14-1/2 ounce) box macaroni and cheese dinner mix
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 (32 ounce) jar pizza sauce
1 (8 ounce) package pepperoni
3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
 
Preheat oven to 325*F; grease 13 x 9 inch baking dish and set aside. 
Prepare Macaroni and Cheese according to box directions. 
Stir eggs thoroughly into Mac and Cheese. 
Pour mixture into 13 x 9 inch baking dish. 
Bake for 15 minutes. 
Remove from oven. Spread pizza sauce over Mac and Cheese. 
Cover with as much or as little pepperoni as you like. 
Cover with Mozzarella cheese. 
Bake for additional 15 - 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. 
Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!