Lemon Chicken, Potatoes and Green Beans

This recipe came from Kelly's Korner.

6 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
4 cloves garlic (I used garlic salt since I didn't have any fresh garlic on hand)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
3/4 lb green beans (I used 2 cans)
8 small red potatoes, quartered
4 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 450. Coat a large baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange lemon slices from 1 lemon in a single layer on the bottom of the dish. In large bowl combine remaining olive oil, lemon juice of 2nd lemon, garlic, salt and pepper. Add green beans and toss to coat. Using tongs, remove green beans and arrange them on top of lemon slices. Add potatoes to same olive oil mixture and coat. Arrange on inside edge of dish on top of the beans. Place chicken in olive oil mixture and coat. Place chicken in dish. I also sprinkled some garlic pepper seasoning on top of everything for some extra flavor. Roast for 40-50 minutes. Remove chicken and continue roasting potatoes/beans if necessary.

Due to the lemon juice, the beans were rather tangy, according to the kids. It reminded me of when my grandma added vinegar to green beans when we would eat Sunday dinner at her house.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

From the Quaker Oatmeal container.

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
3 cups Quaker Oats (quick or Old Fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins
I sometimes add chocolate chips, too.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.
Stir in oats and raisins; mix well
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.

Bar cookies: Bake 30 to 35 minutes in ungreased 9 x 13 metal baking pan.

BBQ Meatballs

Hands down, the best meatball recipe ever! My mom's recipe, of course.

2 pounds hamburger
24 saltines, crushed (about 1 cup crumbs)
2 eggs
1 medium onion, chopped (I use less onion)

Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

Blend hamburger, cracker crumbs, eggs and onion. Shape into meatballs and place in greased roasting dish. Mix the sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour sauce over meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

From allrecipes.com

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1/4 cup milk
• I also added chocolate chips
  

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cocoa powder. Set aside.
• 
  
• 
• Zucchini, cocoa/flour mix, and cake batter
• 
  
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. In a small bowl, combine shredded zucchini with milk. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the zucchini mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
• I think this is best served on the day it is baked. After the first day, the cake was a little on the dry side.
• The original recipe also suggests frosting with cream cheese frosting.
  

Monster Cookies

A fun fall cookie recipe!

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
4 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup M & M's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs. Add remaining ingredients in order, stirring as you go. Use ice cream scoop to put on cookie sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes.
I made a 1/2 batch of these cookies (2 eggs, everything else halved).

Sunshine Toast

Raina really likes it when Barry makes her "drippy eggs" for breakfast. She found this idea in a Summer Activities book we have and wanted to try it.

1 slice of bread
Butter
1 medium egg
Large cookie cutter

• Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
• Dip a paper towel into some butter and rub it all over a baking sheet.
• Spread butter on one side of the bread. Press the cutter into the middle of it.
• Lift out the shape you have cut. Put the pieces of bread onto the baking sheet, butter side up. Break the egg onto a saucer. Then, carefully slide the egg into the hole you have cut.
• Bake them for seven minutes at the top of your oven, or for a little longer if you don't like a runny yolk.
• Use a spatula to lift the pieces of bread carefully onto a plate. Eat them while warm.

Stir Fry

The original recipe for Stir Fry Chicken and Broccoli came from my Calvinette (now Gems) cookbook. I've made some adjustments over time.

1 lb. chicken breast strips (I've also used pork and shrimp)
2 T. oil
4 cups veggies (broccoli, pepper strips, water chestnuts) (I've also used carrots in this, or occassionally a frozen stir fry veggie mix)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 T. soy sauce
2 T. cornstarch
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 to 2 cups Minute Rice (I never use Minute Rice, just cook some brown rice to go with it.)

Stir fry chicken in hot oil in large skillet until browned. Add vegetables. Stir fry until crisp tender.

I love the colorful veggies!

Mix broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, brown sugar, garlic powder and ginger. Add to skillet. Bring to boil. Boil for 1 minute or until thickened.

Liquid added, needs to thicken.

Meanwhile, prepare rice as directed on package. Serve chicken and vegetables over rice.

Menu Plan Monday 1

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday: Chili
Monday: Open house at school; eat at school
Tuesday: Spicy Honey Chicken
Wednesday: Sloppy Joes
Thursday: Pork Chops with Apples
Friday: BBQ Chicken Pizza
Saturday: Homemade Vegetable Soup
Go to I'm an Organizing Junkie for hundreds more meal plan ideas!