Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Oh my heck! Has it really been almost a year and a half since my last post?! Yikes! Well I have come up with a delish dinner and I have to get it down before I forget. Enjoy!

1lb raw chicken breasts, cut into tenders (apx 2" wide)

1 cup cayenne pepper sauce (I like Tabassco or Frank's Red Hot)

Put all this in a large zipper bag, remove as much air and you can, squish it around to cover all the chicken and get in between them all, and then place in your refrigerator for 1-2 hours. The pepper sauce has vinegar in it so you do not want to let it marinate for too long.

1/2 bag White Cheddar Cheez-Its (or knock off brand)

2 scoops ground flax seeds (optional as this is not for flavor but will kick up the nutritional value with the healthy Omega-3s)

1 tsp paprika

1 TSP garlic powder

Put all this in another large zipper bag and seal, removing as much air as possible. Grab your rolling pin and take out any irritations you have had that day. Keep pounding until you feel you are done or the mixture is pretty pulverized. Shake the bag well to make sure it is mixed well. Pour contents into a large plate.

Remove the bag of chicken from your fridge and give them another good squishing. With tongs take one or two tenders out at a time, roll them in the cracker mixture so all sides are covered and then arrange in a single layer on a greased baking sheet or dish. Repeat for the rest of the chicken.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 8 minutes. Turn and bake for an additional 8 minutes or until all the juices run clear.

These come out nice and juicy, and are pretty mild. Even my young daughters who do not like spicy foods liked these served with Ranch dressing and a glass of milk. If you like things spicier you can add 1 tsp cayenne powder to the cracker mix. I wish I had a picture to show you but they were eaten too quickly!

Chicken Picante

This is a delicious and easy dish with sweet corn and tomatoes and a kick of chili powder to keep things interesting!


Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1/2 in. wide strips (optional)
3 14.5 oz. cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
3 cups corn (frozen or fresh, if using canned drain first)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat (I used my electric skillet).

2. Add chicken to the skillet and saute until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, corn, chili powder and bring to a boil.

4. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until chicken is cooked through and sauce is slightly thickened, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon, about 8 minutes.

5. Mix in cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.


Serves 6


Nutritional Info Per Serving:
Calories: 330.7
Total Fat: 9.6 g
Cholesterol: 68.4 g
Sodium: 613.9 mg
Total Carbs.: 32.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.8 g
Protein: 32.1 g

Super Easy Crock-Pot Pork Chops

This was a staple for us growing up and one I make for my family and they love. We are having it tonight as a matter of fact! It could not be any easier and the options are practically endless.


Pork Chops - as many as you need to feed your family, bone-in or boneless - whatever is on sale!
1 can condensed Cream of Mushroom soup per 4-6 chops (depending on the size of the chops)



1. Partially or completely thaw your pork chops.

2. Spoon some of the condensed soup into the bottom of the crock pot, one or two spoonfuls depending on the size of your crock pot. Place a few chops on top and place more soup on top of them. Continue this process until all of your chops and soup are in your crock pot, making sure the top layer is soup. (This process is just to make sure the meat does not stick to the bottom of the pot or to each other and they all get some soup on them.)

3. Turn crock pot on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours or until the meat is no longer pink.

We usually serve this with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans.

Suggested Variations:

• Try Cream of Mushroom with Garlic soup if you like garlic.


• My brother does not like mushrooms so they use cream of chicken soup.


• Make extra and freeze it for a later meal or save for leftovers or lunches another day.


• This is great over noodles. We like either wide or homemade noodles and break up the meat into bite-sized pieces. If you like it saucier, mix in a little milk until it is the consistency you like!


• Try sour cream to mellow out the mushroom flavor and make a creamy sauce.


• Try using chicken instead of pork.

This is a great recipe to play with and be creative. Let me know what you think if you try it!

Enjoy!