44: Creamy Mushroom Pork Chops

Weather is getting colder, that means its time for some delicious comfort food.  Tonight I took a chance and didn't use a recipe as a guideline at all.. those are always interesting.  

Ingredients:
2 pork chops*
Olive oil
S&P
paprika*
cayenne pepper*
1 ranch seasoning packet
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cloves garlic
~1/4 cup skim milk

*not pictured

The How To:
Preheat oven to 405
Tin a dish with foil (for easy clean up) 
Mix soup, milk, olive oil, ranch seasoning, paprika, cayenne, and garlic in a medium bowl
Place pork chops in dish, pour mixture over the top
Season with S&P
Bake for 40-45 minutes

It ended up looking like this.. more sauce!

Serve with extra sauce over the top, believe me - you're going to want more.

I have a feeling that we will be having this dish in our house again.  Will and I both loved it! Needless to say, this dish was Will approved!

43: Garlic Chicken and Hashbrowns

This past weekend was one of my favorite weekends in Dahlonega, Gold Rush Days.  This year we did something new and went to the Sorghum Syrup day at Loganberry Heritage Farm.  We learned all about the health benefits of garlic and several ways to prepare garlic.  Tonight I thought why not try put some of my new skills to use on this garlic inspired recipe.

Ingredients:

1 bag hashbrowns

Olive oil

1 tsp cumin

S&P

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp light brown sugar

1 lemon, juiced

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 red pepper - diced

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - diced

The How To:

Heat some olive oil in a medium skillet

Add chicken and cook through (about 15 minutes)

In another large skillet, heat olive oil 

Add red pepper and hashbrowns

In another small skillet, heat a little olive oil

Add garlic and cook, until golden (about 2 minutes)

Remove from heat and add brown sugar, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper

Add the garlic mixture and chicken to the hashbrowns

This wasn't one of our favorite dishes.  Will said that hashbrowns are usually a good base for a southern comfort cheesy dish.. too bad for trying to cook healthy.  This dish was Will ehh approved.

  

42: White Chicken Chili

 With fall approaching (yay!) I thought it would be the perfect time for a good bowl of chili.

Ingredients:

2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 bag frozen diced green pepper
1 bag frozen corn
1 can black beans
2 cans white beans
2 tbsp diced jalapenos
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can diced green chiles
1 can chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper

The How To:
Mix all ingredients in a crock-pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve with this avocado jalapeno cornbread and you will have one of the best fall meals ever!  The cornbread made this chili even better, it was absolutely delicious.  This was Will approved!

41: Breaded Ranch Chicken

Who doesn't love ranch dressing.  When I saw this recipe for breaded ranch chicken, I felt that we just had to try it.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil
1/2 cup Panko 
1/2 cup grated Parmesan 
*1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 envelope ranch seasoning packet
*2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

*not pictured

The How To:
Line a pan with tin foil (for easy clean up!)
Preheat oven to 405
Mix panko, parmesan, cayenne, garlic powder, and ranch seasoning packet in a small bowl
Drizzle chicken breasts with olive oil and then dip them into the dry mixture
Place chicken in the foil lined pan and sprinkle extra mixture over the chicken
Cook for 40 minutes or until fully cooked

Since I cheated served this with the cornbread, Will said this meal didn't get a fair show.  He said the cornbread overshadowed the chicken. Even still, the chicken was great.  I would absolutely make this again.  This dish was Will approved.

40: Avocado Jalapeno Cornbread

You might have noticed that I am not really one for baking.  But I saw this recipe for avocado cornbread that I just had to try.  I actually stayed closer to the actual recipe on this one - with the addition of some jalapenos -- because, why not! 

Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp cumin
5 tbsp butter
2 tbsp local honey
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg 
1 bag frozen corn
1 large avocado - diced
1 large jalapeno - diced
Juice from 1 lime

The How To:

Turn on oven to 400
Put 2 tbsp butter and 1 tsp cumin in an iron skillet and stick it in the oven (while oven is still heating) 
In a separate bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, cayenne pepper, cumin together
Melt 3 tbsp butter in a small cup
Mix melted butter and honey 
In a medium sized bowl and mix the corn, avocado and jalapeno - squeeze the lime and mix gently
Grab one last big bowl and whisk the egg and buttermilk
Now add the butter/honey to the egg/buttermilk 
Slowly add in the dry ingredients and the avocado/corn
Get the hot skillet out of the oven and pour in your batter
Don't worry if it looks like it burning - it's not.
Put the batter back in the oven and reduce heat to 375 - let it cook for about 30 minutes until your fork comes out clean. 

This was a little bit of trouble, but oh my.  SO worth it.
This dish was Will approved!

39: Crabcakes

In Publix the other day I was buying some Salmon (for our normal Monday dinner of blackened Salmon) and saw that you could get crabcakes.  I asked the guy behind the counter how he would prepare them and figured why not try it out.  So - for a very simple meal or side dish, you must try the crabcakes.

Ingredients:
Crabcake -seafood counter at Publix
Olive Oil
S&P

The How To:
Heat some olive oil in a frying pan
Cook the crabcake for about 3 minutes on each side
EAT!

Easiest meal ever!! 
We had this on the side with Blackened Salmon and quinoa salad.  Delish! 
This was Will approved! (but, I forgot to take the after picture) 

38: Buffalo Baked Chicken

As i have mentioned before Will and I both love spicy foods.  Basically anything with buffalo sauce we love.  So I figured I would try out a totally made up Buffalo Baked Chicken dish.

Ingredients:

S&P
1 lb skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Franks Buffalo Sauce
~1/2 cup panko
1/2 packet of dry ranch dressing mix
*Gorgonzola cheese - optional

The How To:
Preheat oven to 405.
Mix buffalo sauce, and ranch mix so that there are no clumps
Put the chicken in a foil lined baking dish
Pour the buffalo sauce mixture over the chicken
Season with S&P
Top with panko
Bake for 45 minutes
Top with Gorgonzola cheese if you want

Will and I both ate this dish so quickly that I'm not sure we even fully tasted it.  It was so delicious.  I served this with broccoli.  This will definitely be in the Burke dinner rotation.  This dish was Will approved!