Hawaiian Chicken

My mother-in-law had this at a Relief Society dinner and loved it so I was excited that she got a copy of the recipe to share. I'm sure we all agree that a good crock-pot dish is like a little cooking treasure. Hope you enjoy this one!

10-12 chicken tenders or 4-5 chicken breasts

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 cups water

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 can crushed pineapple

2 garlic cloves, grated

1 Tb. grated ginger

1/4 package green onions, chopped finely

*Mix all ingredients (except chicken) in a big bowl. Place chicken in a big ziploc bag with mixture and marinate overnight. Cook all day in a crock-pot. Shred chicken and serve over rice.

*I don't recommend serving this with spinach. Not a good combo. Next time we'll try broccoli or maybe peas.

TWICE BAKED POTATOES

Everyone in my family loves these...however, most of the time I am too lazy to make them. And I don't really know why I'm posting this recipe in the heat of the summer because I certainly have been avoiding turning on my oven if I can possibly get away with it. At least that's my excuse!!

4-5 large russet potatoes
1/2 c. sour cream
1 T. chopped chives (or tops of green onions)
3-4 pieces of cooked, crumbled bacon (or bacon bits--I don't like the fake ones!)
4 T. real butter
milk
salt & pepper
Cheddar cheese

Scrub potatoes well and pat dry. Do not wrap the potatoes in foil. the skins need to be sturdy to hold the potato mixture. Pierce each potato with a fork several times and bake in a 400 degree oven for approx. 1 hour or until done. Pierce with a fork to make sure potatoes are completely done.

Remove potatoes from oven and slice in half lengthwise. scoop most of the inside of the potato out with a large spoon, leaving about 1/4 inch white part in skin. Place the scooped out potato insides in a bowl and add the sour cream, salt and pepper to taste, butter and a little milk. Beat with beaters until smooth. Stir in the bacon and chives. Spoon the potato mixture back into the potato skins and place on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle each with a generous amount of Cheddar cheese and place under broiler, just until cheese melts. Keep warm until serving time.

BAKED ZITI IN CREAMY MARINARA

This recipe is so great and easy because you don't have to cook the pasta first. You can also omit the meat if you like.

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
Set aside.

Mix:
1 26 oz jar pasta sauce, (Ragu or Prego)
1 1/2 c. water
15 oz. container of Ricotta cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Mix well and stir in:
8 oz. uncooked ziti (can use penne also) and the ground beef. Place in a 9 x 13 pan and bake, covered in 400 degree ovenfor 55 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with Mozarella cheese. Bake uncovered for 5 more minutes until cheese is melted. So easy!!

Frosted Banana Bars

Sometimes when I have really ripe bananas, I don't want to make banana bread. Sometimes I just want something sweeter. These bars do the trick. Sweet and moist. And the frosting just seals the deal. I try not to turn my oven on very often when it's 115 outside, but I made an exception for these today.

1 cube butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 ripe bananas

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

*Mix butter and sugar. Add eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla. Mix well. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Spread onto a greased jelly roll pan (15x10x1) and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool before frosting.

Frosting:

1 cube butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 cups powdered sugar (1 box)

1 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

*Mix really well and add a little milk if it's too thick. Spread onto cooled bars.

Fried Chicken

When I can't think of anything to make or I feel like we don't have any ingredients... this is my go-to meal. My friend Shari told me about this. Its easy, buttery, and delish. Lately I like to make the savory rice (can't get enough of this) to go with it. Its a great combo!

thawed chicken tenders or thinly cut breasts
flour
Season All
salt
pepper
butter

Dip chicken in flour. Place in frying pan with melted butter. Sprinkle with season all, salt and pepper. Fry on both sides until browned and a bit crispy. ( The secret is using enough butter so the chicken is tender, but not too much so it is still crispy and not soggy) It may take some practice :)

Father's Day Sandwich

Doesn't this look like something a guy would love to eat?

We had these last night and I have to say that I loved them, too.

I am a sucker for a steak and cheese sandwich with lots of onions and peppers.

Definitely a winner in the summer since you don't have to turn on your oven.

your favorite steak, sliced into thin pieces

Lawry's seasoning salt

1 onion, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

provolone cheese slices

sandwich rolls

butter

worcestershire sauce

tabasco sauce

*Melt 2-3 Tbs. of butter in a large saucepan on stove. Brown onion and green pepper slices until nice and golden. Remove onto a plate. Melt a couple more Tbs. of butter and brown your steak that you have seasoned. (I used a really thin sirloin tip steak). Add some worcestershire (maybe 1/4 cup) and a few drops of tabasco while cooking. Cook until done and then add back in the onions and peppers. Meanwhile, butter your sandwich roll halves and brown them on another pan until golden brown. Add steak mixture and a couple slices of cheese to each roll.

Trifle

This isn't really a recipe, but just an idea for an easy, yet delicious, summer dessert. Plus it looks impressive when you serve it.

1 box yellow cake, baked as directed on box

1 large box vanilla pudding, prepared as directed on box

sliced strawberries

sliced bananas

blueberries

whipping cream, whipped up with some sugar and vanilla

*Layer in a trifle bowl: half of yellow cake (broken up), half of vanilla pudding, half of fruit, half of whipped cream. Repeat layers.

*I whipped up the cream to be pretty stiff so it would stay good and not run down. This tasted even better the next day when everything was all mixed together. You could also do a chocolate version with brownie or chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, candy bar pieces and whipped cream.