Jennifer's meals

Comfort food

Minute steak

Cube steak or tenderized deer tenderloins

Cavender’s Greek seasoning or Tony Chachere’s or Seasoned Salt
Flour
Sliced onion and bell pepper (optional)

Sprinkle meat with seasoning of choice.  Dip in flour.  Fry in skillet over medium heat with oil to cover bottom of the pan for about 5-8 minutes per side (don’t deep fry – cast iron skillet is best).  When done, place in oven to keep warm.  If using onion and bell pepper, place in skillet with drippings and add more oil as needed and sauté until tender then place on top of steaks warming in the oven.   Add 2-3 tablespoonful of oil to pan with equal amount of flour to make a gravy seasoned with seasoning of choice.

Serve with mashed potatoes and frozen black eyed peas cooked with bacon and onion and seasoned with seasoning of choice.

Crock pot

Corned beef
Corned beef and seasoning packet
Head of cabbage

Put corned beef and seasoning packet in crockpot and enough water to cover corned beef.

Cook on low 8-10 hours. Remove corned beef and reserve liquid.
Very coarsely chop or cut into wedges the head of cabbage and boil in a pot on the stove using the reserved liquid (if cabbage is chopped it takes less than 10 minutes to cook).  While cabbage is boiling, slice corned beef and moisten with cooking liquid prior to serving.  (If you had a big enough crock pot, you probably could cook the cabbage with the corned beef)

Serve with mustard and toasted, buttered bread

Ethnic/ Budget/Meatless
Fried rice (this is the original recipe I use but I never have 3 C of leftover rice so I just eyeball everything)

3 C cold leftover cooked rice
½-1 C butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 C frozen peas
3 eggs, beaten
1/4-1/2 C soy sauce (to taste, I prefer to use less)
Pepper

Melt butter in skillet. Add onion, carrots and celery.  Sauté until onions are transparent and carrots are crisp tender, about 5 minutes.  Add peas and cook one minute until thawed.  Push to side of skillet and add beaten eggs and scramble in remaining butter.  Mix eggs into veggies and season with pepper.  Add soy sauce. Then slowly mix in rice by the spoonful until all rice is added and all ingredients are well blended. Fry until steamy hot stirring often.  Can add shrimp or chicken, but I sauté first and add back in at the end.

 <20 minutes

Rio Rancho Chicken Wraps (serves 4 so double as needed)
3 boneless , skinless chicken breasts – cut in ½ inch cubes
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp seasoned salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 C mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 medium onion halved and sliced
¼ C Ranch dressing/French onion dip/sour cream
Flour tortillas

In a bowl, toss chicken with lemon juice, seasoned salt and garlic powder.

Heat oil in skillet and sauté chicken for about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and onions. Cook 4-5 minutes until chicken and vegetables are done. Reduce heat to low and stir in dressing/dip/sour cream.
Heat tortillas and spoon mixture onto center of tortillas and roll up tightly.

Serve with one can black beans (rinsed) mixed with one can corn and heated in salsa.

 Meatless Friday

Eggplant casserole:
2 eggplants, diced, cooked in salted water and drained
1 beaten egg
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 C corn bread crumbs
1 C shredded cheese of choice, divided
4 Tbsp butter
½ C chopped onion
¼ tsp Cavender’s Greek seasoning
1/8 tsp poultry seasoning
¼ tsp black pepper

Mix eggplant, egg, tomatoes, cornbread, seasoning and ½ of the cheese.  Cook onion in butter until soft. Add mixture and stir until cheese melts.  Place in baking dish and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Top with remaining shredded cheese and bake additional 10 minutes until melted.

Serve with frozen corn cooked with onions and butter and seasoned with salt.

Salad

Family Favorite

Sausage casserole
1 ½ lbs bulk sausage or 2 tubes of Jimmy Dean-type sausage
1 medium-large onion, chopped
½-¾ lb fresh mushrooms
1 can cream of celery soup
½-1 C sour cream
2-3 C cooked rice
Salt and pepper to taste
Slivered or sliced almonds (optional)

Brown sausage and drain.  Cook onions until tender then add mushrooms and cook until done.

Mix together soup, sour cream, rice, salt and pepper.  Add sausage, onions and mushrooms.  Place in greased casserole dish and sprinkle with almonds.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve with wilted spinach (sauté garlic then add spinach until wilted and season with salt) and green beans seasoned with a bouillon cube

Budget

Rosemary Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2-3 tbsp Dijon mustard 
½ tsp garlic powder
2-3 fresh rosemary sprigs (can freeze leftovers to use later)
Pepper to taste

Place chicken in greased baking dish. Combine mustard and garlic powder and spread over chicken.  Sprinkle with rosemary and pepper.  Bake, uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes or until done.

Serve with buttered green beans