Green Bean Chicken

This is a super easy recipe that only has six ingredients. It is a wonderful last-minute option if you need to get dinner on the table in less than a half hour. Another plus for convenience is that all the ingredients, except the chicken, are things that can be stored in your pantry. Pick up the items for this recipe next time you are at the grocery store and you will always have a back-up dinner on hand.


Serves: 4
Start to Finish: 30 minutes
Recipe By: Amber Brunson

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 TBSP olive oil
2 (14.5-oz) cans whole green beans, drained (if you have fresh asparagus on hand it would make a great substitute)
2 (14.5-oz) cans cream of asparagus soup
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 cups of uncooked rice

Directions:

1. Cut up chicken into 1-inch pieces.
2. Heat olive oil in large pan over medium-high heat.
3. Cook chicken in olive oil until golden brown.
4. Meanwhile, start steaming your rice.
5. Stir in cream of asparagus soup and green beans and heat through.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve over steamed rice.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

This was our traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner. I know I am a little behind on posting it, but better late than never. Mike LOVES corned beef and cabbage. He could eat this dinner once a week and never grow tired of it. I, personally, do not like corned beef or cabbage; I will only eat it once a year. But everyone who has tried this recipe says it is the best corned beef and cabbage they have ever eaten. It has all of the wonderful flavors you expect from corned beef. I would definitely recommend adding it to your St. Patrick's Day traditions.

Serves: 4
Start to Finish: 7 1/2 hours (30 min prep + 7 hours in slow cooker)
Recipe By: Karen Waters

Ingredients:

1 onion, cut into wedges
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup baby carrots
2 cups water
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
1 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP cider vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (1-2 lb) corned beef brisket with spice packet, cut in half
1/2 small head cabbage, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Chop onion, potatoes, and cabbage.
2. Place brisket in the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. Top with onion, potatoes, and carrots.
4. Combine water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, pepper and contents of spice packet; pour over vegetables.
5. Lastly, top with cabbage wedges.
6. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. (The key here is to watch the cabbage, when the cabbage just starts to get soft it is done. You do not want your cabbage to get soggy.)
7. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Spiced Ham with Apple Relish

This delicious, fruity recipe would make a great Easter dinner. It has wonderful presentation and is very easy to prepare. I love the smell of cloves, they give the ham a very rich flavor. When combined with the sweet relish, the orange and clove make a great combination. Pre-cooked hams can be found near the lunch meat in most grocery stores and are wonderful time savers. You can also cut them up and add the ham to soups or pasta salads.

Serves: 4 people
Start-to-Finish: 1 hour 10 minutes
Recipe By: Vicki Tasker

Ingredients:

Ham:
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 (2 lb.) boneless fully cooked ham

Apple Relish:
2 medium tart apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/8 cup vinegar
1 TBSP grated orange peel (don't overdo the orange peel, it is very strong)
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted (the almonds add a wonderful nutty, crunchy flavor. Don't skip out on them)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°
2. Combine cloves and allspice; rub into ham. (Do not leave a crust of seasonings on the ham. They have very strong, pungent flavors. A light dusting will give adequate flavor without making a crust of cloves you will have to bite through.)
3. Wrap tightly in foil and place in a shallow baking pan.
4. Bake for 1 hour. (The ham is already cooked, this is just to heat it through and let it marinate in the seasonings.)
5. Meanwhile, prepare the fruits for the apple relish. (Peel, chop, and grate)
6. In a large saucepan, combine the first six relish ingredients.
7. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
8. Reduce heat; simmer for 25-30 minutes or until thickened.
9. Toast almonds and stir into the fruit relish.
10. Slice ham; serve with the relish.




Oven Parmesan Chips

These really do taste like potato chips if they are sliced thinly. If you are lucky enough to have a mandolin then slicing the potatoes thin will be no problem. For myself and everyone else, just do the best you can. The seasonings add plenty of flavor so you do not need to add a lot.

Serves: 4
Start to Finish: 45 minutes
Recipe By: Mary Lou Kelly

Ingredients:

4 medium baking potatoes (you do not need to peel them)
1/4 cup butter, melted (I only used about half of the butter)
1 TBSP minced onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Dash paprika
2 TBSP Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425*
2. Cut potatoes into 1/4-in. slices; place on a greased baking sheet in a single layer. (I put foil on the baking sheet for easier clean up and sprayed the foil with non-stick cooking spray.)
3. Combine the butter, onion, salt, pepper and paprika; brush on one side of potatoes, then turn and brush other side. (If you need to save time only brush one side.)
4. Bake, uncovered for 20-25 min or until potatoes are crisp and golden.
5. Sprinkle with cheese; serve immediately.

Old-Fashioned Pot Roast

Pot Roast is the perfect meal for a lazy Sunday afternoon because you can put it in the oven and sort of forget about it. It is a low maintenance and hearty dinner. This recipe is different from your average pot roast recipes because it calls for sweet chili sauce. The chili sauce gives the meat a delicious, tangy flavor and makes a spicy gravy for your veggies. You can find sweet chili sauce in the Asian or ethnic food aisle of most grocery stores.

Serves: 4
Start to Finish: 3 1/2 hours
Recipe By: Georgia Edgington

Ingredients:

1.5 lb round roast
1 pkt onion soup mix
1 cup water
1 (7-oz) bottle sweet chili sauce
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 35o.
2. Place roast in large roasting pan (at least 2 1/2 quarts).
3. Combine onion soup mix, water, and chili sauce.
4. Pour sauce over roast.
5. Cover and bake for 1 hour 45 minutes (if you are doubling the recipe, up the cook time to 2 hours)
6. Meanwhile, cut up carrots, potatoes, and celery into 1-inch pieces.
7. Remove pot roast from oven and cut into 1/2 inch slices.
8. Return roast slices to pan and top with vegetables.
9. Cover and continue cooking for another 1 hour.