This Wife Cooks

8 chicken breasts 2 cans cream of chicken soup 1 cup sour cream 1 tsp. onion powder 2 tbsp. freshly minced garlic salt pepper steamed white rice toppings Cook chicken in crockpot until about an hour or so before serving. Cut into cubes or shred with two forks. In a saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Add cooked chicken. Heat until warm. May need to add more stock if sauce is too thick. Spoon over steamed white rice. Toppings: After spooning a helping of rice topped with Cream of Chicken gravy, your guests (or just you, depending on who you're feeding!) go through the line and add what ever toppings you'd like. These are some of the ones our family serves: almonds/cashews/peanuts Chow Mein Noodles shredded cheddar cheese craisins/raisins GoldFish Crackers (big hit with my boys!) peas {straight from the can, no need to  heat} canned corn {straight from the can, no need to heat} mandarin oranges mushrooms pineapple tidbits tomatoes olives thinly-sliced g

This is a fun meal that's quick and different! Build your own "Hawaiian Haystack." As a base everyone gets a plate of steamed rice with Cream of Chicken (and chicken is in the gravy) on top. Then they go down the line and add the toppings* of their choice. *topping suggestions are at the bottom of this post We use the crock pot to cook the chicken (seasoned with basic seasonings: garlic, onion, pepper, salt, parsley) earlier on in the day or the day before. Then, about an hour or two before serve time, stir in a few cans (or 8, depending on how many you're serving) of Cream of Chicken soup, if you need to thin it up with a little splash of milk, that's fine, just don't use the full amount of milk the can asks for. The rice cooker is by far the best place to cook the rice, unless you're like me and don't own one and then you'll have to cook it the good ol' fashioned way. Each person can top their haystack with any number of different t

1/2 cup alphabet pasta 1 to 2 tablespoons pizza sauce 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese 1. Boil noodles according to package directions. Drain. 2. Rinse pasta to get rid of starch. 3. Place pasta in small bowl, add pizza sauce, stir to mix. 4. Place in microwave for 30 sec. to heat sauce and pasta. {Every microwave is different so adjust time accordingly.} 5. Top with cheese.    

You'll need 2 pounds ground turkey 1/2 block cream cheese (4 ounces) 1/2 pound fresh baby spinach 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1 tablespoon chopped garlic In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, pepper, garlic salt and chopped garlic. Mix for a little bit, or until it's all combined and cream cheese is a little softened. Add ground turkey and spinach, stirring with mixer until combined, but don't over mix. Form into patties and place on hot grill, but once on the grill, turn it down. Cook until done, and enjoy! We serve ours with Au Gratin Potatoes or plain pasta with some parmesan cheese. (These can also be cooked in a non-stick frying pan in a little splash of oil or butter!)

{Ingredients} 4 large baking potatoes, baked 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/8 teaspoon pepper 8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup sour cream 4 green onions, sliced {Directions} Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-in. shell (save pulp for another use). Place potatoes skins on a greased baking sheet. Combine oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, garlic powder, paprika and pepper; brush over both sides of skins. Bake at 475 degrees F for 7 minutes; turn. Bake until crisp, about 7 minutes more. Sprinkle bacon and cheddar cheese inside skins. Bake 2 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and onions. Serve immediately.

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup cooked sweet potatoes, mashed   1 egg   1/3 cup all-purpose flour (use graham flour for a nice taste!) 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 cup milk (or more) Mix sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl with egg. Stir in the flour and add the baking powder.  Add up to 1/3 cup of milk, stirring. Stir in 1 tbsp butter. The mixture should have the consistency of thick, lumpy sauce like an "instant" pancake mix Place a non-stick or heavy iron skillet over medium heat on top of the stove and add 1/2 tsp butter.   Spoon batter into the skillet and cook until bubbles rise to the surface of the pancakes and break. Approx. 1 to 2 minutes.  Flip the pancakes and cook another 2 minutes. Remove pancakes from the skillet and keep warm on a covered plate in the oven. Freeze well, too!

{Image from: Fallen Soufflé } You'll need: 1 box ravioli (found in the refrigerator section of the grocery store) Butter milk Italian seasoned bread crumbs Oil for frying All you need to do: Line one cookie sheet with waxed paper and set aside. Line one cookie sheet with a double layer of paper towels and set aside. Pour the buttermilk into a shallow bowl (start with about ¾ of a cup and refill if necessary) Put about 1 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl (refill as necessary). Dip the ravioli in the buttermilk, letting excess drip off. Then dip the ravioli in the seasoned bread crumbs. Place the breaded ravioli on the cookie sheet with waxed paper. In a large skillet, heat about 1 inch of oil to 325 degrees. Using a skillet helps because the surface area is larger than a pot. Gently drop the breaded raviolis in the oil and fry until the underside is a light golden brown, then gently roll the ravioli over to brown the other side. When both sides are a light golden

Cube steaks are always thought to be gross and a "poor man's" food, when in reality, it's just a cheap cut of steak that turns out super tender when cooked properly. We get them at QFC, 4 of them for just under $5.00. I have made them a few times, and have now perfected my recipe. So here goes! First we're going to caramelize the onions. For that you'll need the following: Heavy-bottomed pan {preferably non-stick} big enough for the amount of cube steak you're going to be preparing. Olive oil for the onions 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into slices 4 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons white sugar 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon salt I don't know if I do them properly or not, so if this isn't the way you normally caramelize your onions, then feel free to do that how you normally do. :) Add olive oil to pan, and heat it up a little bit, not so it's smoking hot, but enough that the butter will melt when you put it in. Add bu

Ingredients 1 3/4 cups white sugar 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup butter 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup peanut butter 3 cups quick-cooking oats 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

{Photo credit: Taste of Home } Ingredients 1 cup light or nonalcoholic beer 6 tablespoons sesame seeds 6 tablespoons honey 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper 2 pork tenderloins (1 pound each) Directions In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Remove 1/2 cup for basting; cover and refrigerate. Pour remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add pork. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Drain pork and discard marinade. Using long-handled tongs, dip a paper towel in cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill pork, covered, over medium heat for 10-13 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160°, basting with reserved marinade occasionally. Or bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160°, basting occasionally. Yield: 8 servings. {Recipe came from the Taste of Home website.}