Baked Orange Chicken (Recipe 20 of 125)

Photo from SixSistersStuff

Orange chicken is a favorite of mine and is often fried and just so bad for you. I like the breading, but not all the extra fat frying brings to it. I mean, I like it, but, well, you know?

This recipe was an interesting one. I wasn't at all sure about the egg dip and then the baking. I thought it might get gummy, but it really didn't. 

The flavor, overall, is fantastic. Just enough orange flavor without being overwhelming. I used low carb brown sugar and I don't think that made a bit of difference in the flavor. Gotta save the carb count where I can. 

Baked Orange Chicken
Recipe from SixSistersStuff

Serves: 4

Chicken:

• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 c cornstarch
• 3 eggs (beaten)
• 1/4 c canola oil

Sauce:

• 2/3 c brown sugar
• 2/3 c orange juice
• 1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp sriracha
• 3 T white vinegar
• 3 T apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.

In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture.

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until lightly browned.

Place the chicken in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, orange juice, sriracha, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, soy sauce, garlic salt, and cornstarch.

Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour.

Serve over rice, if desired.

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole (Recipe 19 of 125)

This recipe seemed like a nice comfort type of recipe. It has everything I like...so it was sure to be
delicious. And it was. Super simple. Super delicious! I mean who doesn't like poultry and stuffing together?

I made no modification to this recipe. Wasn't really anything to change. One thing I'd recommend is putting foil over the dish for the first 10 minutes otherwise the stuffing might burn. 

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
Recipe from 12Tomatoes

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/3 c sour cream
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (8 oz) package dry stuffing mix
• 1/2 c (1 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together the chicken, soup, sour cream, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Spread into prepared baking dish.

In a separate bowl, stir together the stuffing and melted butter. Spread over the top of the chicken mixture.

Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Crisp Pork Cutlets with Lemon-Caper Sauce (Recipe 18 of 125)

Can you believe this is Recipe #18 of 125 already? I'm gonna crush this goal...unless we have to go back into the office, then I may not cook as much. Ahem...

Crisp is a word I like. It means it's going to be delicious to me. This recipe is one from my friend Paul. We are exchanging our favorite recipes once a month to try. Then we FaceTime each other and chat about it and other things. I made this with a side of Lemon Garlic Parmesan Orzo with Roasted Asparagus. 

This recipe was delicious! I didn't change a thing. But what really made this recipe is the Lemon-Caper Sauce. That might be a sauce I make more often for other things. It'd be great with fish for example.

Crisp Pork Cutlets with Lemon-Caper Sauce
Recipe from Fine Dining

Serves 4

• 4-1/2-inch-thick boneless pork chops (about 1 lb.)
• 1/4 tsp chipotle powder or smoked hot paprika
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• 2 T small capers, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 large clove garlic, mashed to a paste with a pinch of kosher salt
• 3-1/2 oz. (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1-1/2 c panko
• 6 T olive oil

Pound each chop between two pieces of plastic wrap with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan until 1/4 inch thick. Mix the chipotle powder with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper and sprinkle on the chops.

Finely grate the zest of half the lemon and then juice that half. Cut the remaining half into wedges for serving.

In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the lemon juice and zest, the capers, 1 tsp. of the thyme, the garlic, 1 tsp. pepper, and 1/4 tsp. salt.

Put the flour, eggs, and panko in separate shallow bowls. Toss the panko with the remaining 1 tsp. thyme and 1/2 tsp. salt. Dredge each cutlet in the flour, shaking off any excess, then in the egg, and then in the panko to coat well. Transfer to a plate or platter.

Heat 3 Tbs. of the oil in a 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add 2 of the cutlets, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, flipping once, until browned on both sides and cooked through (cut into a thicker chop to check), about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Wipe out the skillet and repeat with the remaining 3 Tbs. oil and cutlets. Serve with the sauce and lemon wedges.

Lemon Garlic Parmesan Orzo with Roasted Asparagus (Recipe 17 of 125)

Oh Lord! This recipe was THE BOMB! This is a perfect side to just about any dish. Tonight it was a
side to the Crisp Pork Cutlets with Lemon-Caper Sauce. 

Tonight was the second "dinner" with friends Paul and Suzanna. We decided in December we'd meet monthly and cook each other's favorite meals. In January I made Paul's Trifecta Chicken. So good. 

Tonight he gave me Pork chops. I had to find a side dish...enter this dish. 

I had to make the sauce twice though. The first time I added the cream after the lemon juice which just curdled. Dump...start all over. 

What I did the second time, once I drained the orzo, I put the lemon juice on the orzo and let it sink in. Worked like a charm. 

Lemon Garlic Parmesan Orzo with Roasted Asparagus
Recipe from Butter Your Biscuit

Serves 4

• 1 c dried orzo
• 1 lb Asparagus
• 4 T butter
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 T Lemon juice
• 1/4 c half and half
• 1/2 c Parmesan cheese -shredded
• 2 tsp Olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• fresh parsley

Cook orzo according to directions and set aside

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut 1-2 inches off the ends of the asparagus. Place asparagus on baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over asparagus and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Roast for 8 minutes. Set aside and let cool. Then cut into bite size pieces.

In a skillet on medium heat add butter, once melted add garlic and cook until fragrant about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and add lemon juice, cream and Parmesan cheese. Whisk until combined and let simmer on low 1-2 minutes.

Add orzo and asparagus toss until combined.

Add salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.

Mom's Stir Fry

This is by no means a new recipe. This is Mom's Stir Fry recipe that she made at least once a month while I was growing up. It changed over the years as Mom found other things to add to it. But by and large this is what I make now. I haven't made it for over a year. And now as I make it, I think of Mom and this dish feels like a hug from her. 

Mom's Stir Fry
Recipe from Mom

Serves 4

Light oil (not olive oil)

1 round steak or chicken breast, sliced thin

1 c celery, diagonally sliced

1 c carrots, diagonally sliced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can water (I use the soup can)

1 can water chestnuts, sliced, drained, and rough chop

1 can Chinese vegetables, drained (or just bean sprouts)

1 can bamboo shoots, sliced, drained

1 T cornstarch

1 T brown sugar

3 T soy sauce

1 tsp ginger

Slice meat into slim strips and cook. Remove from skillet. 

Stir fry carrots and celery for 3 minutes until tender on high heat in about 1 tsp of oil. I dust them lightly with ground ginger. No salt or pepper is needed. The soy sauce will provide enough salt. Though once you have this whole thing put together, you should taste it and adjust your seasoning accordingly.

In a bowl, mix soup, 1 can water, cornstarch, soy sauce, brown sugar, and 1 tsp ginger. Set aside. 

Add meat to vegetables, add Chinese vegetables, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Sauté for 2 - 3 minutes. 

Pour sauce over mixture. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve over rice. 

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (Recipe 16 of 125)

One of the goals inside a goal this year is cooking at least 12 recipes from The Gray Tin Box. I'm
calling it the Gray Tin Box Project... clever huh?

The "tin box" is Mom's recipe box. It's full of recipes from friends and family over the years. Some are the craziest recipes - pulled directly out of the 70's. Some recipes aren't complete and you have to kinda guess. And some are family favorites that have been made a thousand times over the years. 

This month my Aunt Imy's Chocolate chip Oatmeal Cookies was selected as the Gray Tin Box recipe.

I didn't know my Aunt Imy very well(She was the wife of one of my mom's brothers) . I was a kid and they lived in Alaska. When we did see them I have fond memories of the fun we had as a family. Watching the siblings get together and laugh and joke was one of my favorite things.

This recipe appears to make a LOT of cookies. I mean 6 cups of oats? I chose to not use shortening, but butter instead. I almost made them with shortening to be legit in following the recipe, but I was reminded how gross cookies with shortening are. How flavorless. So butter it is. 

I also misread it, or forgot, to mix the milk and the flour alternately. I added the milk after all the flour was added. It didn't really make a difference. 

And last, but not least, I forgot the vanilla. I had the bottle out. I had the lid off, and completely forgot it. Also don't think it made a huge difference. The cookies still tasted fine. 

Here's the recipe with my "misses" or my added knowledge on how to bake.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe from Aunt Imy (Spaid)

• 1 1/2 c shortening (or butter), at room temperature
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1 c sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 c + 4T flour (ahhh...didn't see the + 4 T when mixing. The dough was already pretty tacky still think the cookies were fine without the 4T)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 c milk
• 1 tsp vanilla (forgot this)
• 1 c nuts (didn't add these)
• 6 c oats
• 3 c chocolate chips

Cream together shortening (or butter), brown sugar, and sugar. 

Add, one at a time, 4 eggs. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with 2/3 c milk. 

Stir in vanilla.

Stir in nuts, oatmeal. Then add the chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for X number of minutes. 

Keto Hibachi Chicken (Recipe 15 of 125)

So this recipe wasn't thrilling. It was good, but not exciting. It's basically chicken, mushrooms, and broccoli with tamari - basically soy sauce.

I didn't have any avocado oil which may - or may not - have made a difference in the overall flavor. Like I said, it was good, but not great. 

It is a perfect keto recipe though. High protein low carbs.

Keto Hibachi Chicken
Recipe from Castironketo.net

Serves 4

• 3 T unsalted butter
• 2 T avocado oil
• 1 lb chicken thighs cut into bit sized pieces
• 8 ounces halved cremini mushrooms
• 1 c broccoli florets
• 3 T tamari
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil and butter in a large 10.5″ or larger skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and brown 3-4 minutes per side.

Add the mushrooms to the skillet along with the broccoli. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until softened. Pour in the tamari and cook just until it starts to evaporate. Season to taste and serve.

Pork Spanish Rice (Recipe 14 of 125)

I didn't fully understand how the pork got cooked in this recipe so I opted to cook the pork separately. The recipe I used is here. 

Spanish rice is one of my favorites. The tomato that gets added to the rice really makes the rice delicious to me. My dad has a Spanish Rice recipe that's pretty involved. I like finding one that's not.

Pork Spanish Rice
Recipe from Taste of Home

Serves 4

• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 T butter
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 c chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1-3/4 c cubed cooked pork
• 1 c uncooked instant rice (use cauliflower rice for low carb)

Optional: Lime wedge and minced cilantro

In a large skillet, sauté green pepper and onion in butter until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; stir in pork and rice.

Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 20-25 minutes. Stir before serving. If desired, serve with lime wedges and top with minced cilantro.

The Best Air Fryer Pork Chops (Recipe 13 of 125)

Photo from SweetCDesigns

I didn't quite understand the Spanish Rice recipe I made tonight and how the pork was cooked. So instead, I decided to cook the pork separate and make a new recipe at the same time. 

I only marinade this for about an hour. I've mentioned before I'm not a fan of marinating a protein with lemon juice for much longer. I think it makes the texture weird. Still, an hour was a perfect amount to me. 

I changed nothing of this recipe - there's not much to it. The air fryer really does pork well. I tend to overcook pork (I do the same with chicken) and the air fryer prevents me from doing that for some reason. If you don't have an air fryer you could easily pop these in the oven. You might have to cook them longer, but you'd get the same result.

The Best Air Fryer Pork Chops
Recipe from Sweetcsdesigns.com

Serves 4

Easy Pork Chop Marinade:

• 1 T garlic powder, minced
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 T lemon juice

Easy Baked Pork Chops:

• 1 tsp celtic sea salt
• 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• 4 pork chops, 1/2" thick boneless chops - NOT extra thick or super thin

Add lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, pork chops, salt, and pepper to a ziploc bag and marinate for at least 3 hours, and up to overnight.

Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees.

Season pork chops with salt and pepper.

Add pork chops to air fryer basket, without crowding the pan.

Close oven and cook to browned on one side - about 7 minutes.

Flip pork chops and place back in air fryer.

After 6 minutes, check pork's temperature. If pork chops are thinner, they cook much faster - pork chops are done when they are 145 degrees internally.

If pork chops are not done, keep cooking until they are (cooking time will vary widely based on the thickness of your pork chop, whether or not there is a bone, etc. - so I find it's best to go from temperature instead of time.)

When pork is 145 degrees internally, remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Crispy Garlic Chicken Strips with Sweet Chili Mayo (Recipe 12 of 125)

This was another super easy and super delicious recipe. What really made this good was the sweet chili and mayo sauce. I added less mayo (2 T ) and one extra tablespoon of the Sweet Chili sauce (total of 4T of sweet chili sauce). I used this brand and prefer it above others. 

I baked it at 400F (not 390F) and I baked the tenders for about 20 minutes.

Crispy Garlic Chicken Strips with Sweet Chili Mayo
Recipe from CafeDelites

Serves 4

Chicken Strips:

• 1 whole egg
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 clove garlic , crushed (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/4 c fresh parsley , finely chopped
• Sea salt to season
• 1lbs skinless chicken breast fillets cut into strips
• 3/4 c panko
• 1/4 c multigrain /whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 2 T fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Sweet Chilli Mayo:

• 3 T reduced-fat/light whole egg mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt for a healthier version)
• 3 T sweet chilli sauce
• a squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Preheat oven 390f. Lightly grease a baking tray with cooking oil; wipe over with paper towel and set aside. 

Whisk eggs, oil, garlic, paprika and salt in a medium sized bowl. Add in chicken and mix to coat well until chicken strips are fully covered.

Pour panko, breadcrumbs and Parmesan onto a separate plate, and dip chicken pieces one at a time into breadcrumbs. Coat well and place onto baking tray. Repeat with all chicken strips.

Lightly spray the chicken strips evenly with cooking oil spray.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, turning once halfway, until golden and cooked through.

While the chicken strips are cooking, prepare the mayo by combining the mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt) and sweet chili sauce together in bowl. Mix well and serve!

Parmesan Chicken and Rice (Recipe 11 of 125)

This recipe gets 5 stars from me for so many reasons. 

First, its easy. Nothing fancy about it and, in fact, lists shortcuts for your prep time (bottled garlic, pre-sliced mushrooms)

Then there's the flavor! I had pretty low expectations for some reason and was blown away. That last hit of Parmesan really brings it all together. The nutty-ness of the Parmesan with the sautéed mushrooms really hit the right flavor profile for me tonight. 

I followed this recipe almost exactly. I cooked the mushrooms first for a lot longer than 5 minutes. I like a nice brown on my mushrooms. Then I tossed in the onions until they were soft, and then the chicken. The rest I followed exactly. 

Parmesan Chicken and Rice
Recipe from MyRecipes.com

Serves 4

• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 c chopped onion
• 1 tsp bottled minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 (8-ounce) package pre-sliced mushrooms
• 3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 c dry white wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 c uncooked instant rice
• 1 c fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 c grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add chicken; sauté 4 minutes or until the chicken is lightly browned. Add wine, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates.

Stir in rice and broth. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in cheese and parsley.

Broccoli Beef (Recipe 10 of 125)

Chinese food is hard to find here in Lynnwood. Nothing good anyhow. I figured I can make mine
quicker than ordering and I control what I put into it.

SkinnyTaste is one of my favorite blogs. Her recipes are always filled with flavor and are a bit lighter.

Two things I did different from her recipe:

1. I didn't have low sodium soy. And when it's one of the major ingredients you really need to use the low sodium otherwise it tastes like you're licking a salt lick. So instead I did have soy and half water. I also doubled the sauce because I like my sauce. 
2. I didn't blanch the broccoli. Every time I make beef and broccoli the broccoli gets overcooked. Blech. So this time I what I did was get a pot of boiling water going. Dropped in my steamer. Turned off the pot and let it sit. RIGHT before I wanted to serve, I dropped the broccoli in the steamer for about a minute and then put it on the rice, with the beef and sauce over it. Result was the broccoli wasn't over cooked and still was al dente.

I'll keep this one around. It was quick and easy and full of flavor.

Broccoli Beef
Recipe from SkinnyTaste

Serves 4

• 1 pound flank steak, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 c low sodium soy sauce, or gluten-free tamari
• 1 T brown sugar
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 one-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 T cornstarch, optional
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets and blanched
• cooked rice or cauliflower rice, for serving
• 1 T toasted sesame seeds
• 3 scallions, sliced on the bias
• Season the beef with white pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch, if using. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet over high heat, warm 1/2 tablespoon of the sesame oil until just smoking. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is just about cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the skillet, then add the onions and cook until they are softened, about 8 minutes.

Add the blanched and drained broccoli and cook for 1 minute. Then add the reserved sauce and stir to coat.

Return the beef to the skillet and continue to cook until the beef is cooked through and the sauce has reduced slightly, about 3 minutes more.

Transfer to serving plates over rice or veggie rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions.

Beef Daube Provençal (Recipe 9 of 125)

To hit my 125 New Recipes this year I need to do 10-11 per month. This one puts me right on target. In fact, I want to front load new recipes this quarter (as in do as many as I can) because if we end up going back into the office, I might not cook as much as I do now. 

Ahem...anyhow. This recipe is, in my opinion, basically my stew recipe - minus potatoes. I served it over mashed potatoes, though they recommend serving it over egg noodles. I had a potato, so that's what I used. 

It was tasty and delicious. I'd make it again.

Beef Daube Provençal
Recipe from MyRecipes

Serves 6

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 12 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 c red wine
• 2 c chopped carrot
• 1 1/2 c chopped onion
• 1/2 c lower-sodium beef broth
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 300°.

Heat a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add garlic; cook 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 

Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add reserved garlic, beef, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf), and bring to a boil.

Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles or mashed potatoes.

Guinness Beef Stew with Cheddar Herb Dumplings (Recipe 8 of 125)

Photo from HostTheToast

Winter is very much soup and stew season to me. And I love the smell of the house when a stew is on
the stove for several hours. 

This was a delicious stew. I got a little heavy handed with the salt, but it was still fantastic. It's a basic stew recipe with all the basic elements. The main difference is the Guinness. 

Looking at the recipe I thought I had followed it to a T but turns out I used beef broth instead of chicken broth. Which, personally, I don't think made a bit of difference. Just a more beefy flavor. 

I also didn't make the dumplings. I had all the ingredients to make Bisquick Cheddar drop biscuits, so I made those. 

I also ended up using some cornstarch at the end to get it to thicken up. I like a thick stew, so I felt it needed it. 

Guinness Beef Stew with Cheddar Herb Dumplings
Recipe from HostTheToast

Serves 4

For the Stew:

• ¼ pound bacon
• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 sticks celery, chopped
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large potatoes or parsnips, diced
• 1 turnip, diced
• 3 ounces tomato paste
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle Guinness
• 4 c low sodium chicken broth
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 1 T cornstarch, or as needed
• ½ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• Chopped parsley

For the Cheddar Herb Dumplings:

• 1 ½ c self-rising flour
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ⅓ c shortening
• ¾ c shredded Irish sharp cheddar
• ⅔ c milk
• 2 T mixed fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, and thyme, chopped

Cook the bacon in a large, oven-safe, heavy-based pot or high-walled saute pan over medium heat.

Remove the bacon, crumble, and set aside, but leave the bacon fat in the pot. Season the beef with salt and pepper and fry in the bacon fat until browned on all sides. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.

In the same pot, fry the onion, celery, and carrots until soft and fragrant, adding a little oil if necessary.

Add garlic and fry for another 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste.

Pour in the Guinness and Worcestershire sauce. Allow to come to a simmer and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Add the beef back to the pot and pour in the chicken broth. Add the bay leaf and thyme.

Reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 1½ hours. Add the potatoes or parsnips and the turnip. Simmer for another ½ hour, or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove the bay leaf and thyme branches. If the stew is still thin, mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water to form a slurry. Mix the slurry into the stew and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer again, stirring occasionally, and add in the mushrooms if desired. Cook for 10 minutes, uncovered, until the stew thickens and the mushrooms are cooked through. Stir the bacon back in. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Stir together the self-rising flour and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Cut in the shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the cheddar cheese, then add the milk and stir until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Make small balls with the dough and place them on top of the stew, leaving them room to expand-- they grow a lot as they cook. Place the stew in the oven uncovered and bake until the dumplings are browned and cooked through, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Garnish the stew with parsley and serve.

Mom’s Sizzlin’ Steak Marinade (Recipe 7 of 125)

One of my all time favorite, and go to, steak marinades is the Better Than A1 marinade. THIS marinade is BETTER than the Better Than A1 marinade. I know! I can't believe it either. 

This marinade will be on rotation and will be one of my all time favorites. 

I made just one modification. The recipe calls for 1.5 cups of vegetable oil. That seems like a lot of vegetable oil. I used 1/2 c and it was fine. 

Oh, I guess the other change I made is I used a flank steak instead of 6 small steaks. Honestly ANY beef cut would be great with this recipe. 

I also only marinated this for 3 hours because I didn't plan ahead and allow for a full 24 hours to marinade it. I felt like there was a ton of flavor from that 3 hours. 24 hours may be overkill with the acid in the marinade, but that may be just me. I think it makes beef mushy when you marinade it too long. 

Mom’s Sizzlin’ Steak Marinade
Recipe from Sixsistersstuff.com

Serves 6

• 1 1/2 c vegetable oil [JWnote: I used just 1/2 c]
• 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 c apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 c soy sauce
• 2 T dry ground mustard
• 1/3 c lemon juice
• 6 small steaks JWnote: I used a flank steak]

Photo from SixSistersStuff

Mix together vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, dry mustard, and lemon juice in a Ziploc bag or an airtight container (like tupperware or rubbermaid).

Add 3 pounds of steak (about 6) to the marinade (any cut of steak will work).

Store in fridge to marinate for about 8 hours. Flip over the steaks halfway through marinating.

Grill over medium-high heat to your liking

Parmesan Chicken (Recipe 6 of 125)

Photo from
Simply Recipes

I must have a dozen recipes for "Parmesan Chicken". Each has a slight variant, but they are mostly all the same: Chicken, breadcrumbs and parmesan.

The variant in this recipe was in the preparing. Melting butter and adding garlic to it as your "wet" for the dredge is simply brilliant. The added flavor of garlic put this over the top for me. 

I only made two changes:

1. Really? 1 clove of garlic? I don't think so. I used 4 small to medium size
2. I baked it in the Air Fryer at 400 for 15 minutes.

Parmesan Chicken
Recipe from Simply Recipes

Serves 4

• 1 clove garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)
• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup or 1/4 pound), melted
• 1 c dried bread crumbs
• 1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 T chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt (can sub regular salt)
• A large pinch of Italian seasoning (herb mix)
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 lbs of skinless, boneless, chicken meat, cut into 1-inch to 2-inch wide pieces

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Patting the chicken pieces dry will help the chicken pieces have crispy breading when baked.

In a small bowl, stir the minced garlic into the melted butter. In another bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper.

Piece by piece dip the chicken pieces into the garlic melted butter, and then dredge into the Parmesan breadcrumb mixture to coat.

Place coated chicken pieces on to a 9x13 (or larger) roasting dish. Try to leave a little room between each piece. (You may need to use more than one roasting pan.) Drizzle with remaining garlic butter.

Bake uncovered at 450°F 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Note that the chicken will get much more browned on the bottom side than on the top.

Boiled Ham Dinner (Recipe 5 of 124)

Part of my 125 recipes this year I want to try to do a couple in Mom's Gray Tin box. There are some pretty interesting recipes in that box. Some are so obvious 70's esk type of recipes. This is one of I think is definitely from the 70's. 

What makes this recipe more difficult is there aren't any real amounts of things. I did some guessing with the ingredient list below. 

I bought a ham that was about 1.5 lbs. Turns out it was presliced. I don't think that was what should be used here. Because it was presliced I chopped it up into big pieces. 

So this was an odd meal. I'm really not sure how it was supposed to turn out. Was it supposed to be stew like or soup like? And what would you do with the ham if it wasn't already presliced? So confused.

My version: I used Spicy V8 because I had it. It had a nice, slight spice to it. I didn't add any salt because ham often has enough, and it did. It was very much a soup to me. A very brothy, loose soup. And in traditional fashion, I chopped up the parsley and completely forgot to add it. 

Overall, it was good, not great. I have no need to make this again. 

Boiled Ham Dinner

Recipe from Mom's Gray Tin Box from someone named Barb

No idea how many it serves. I'm guessing about 4

• 24 oz can V-8 vegetable juice
• 1 ham 
• 2 small garlic, minced
• 1 med onion, minced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 small ribs of celery, chopped
• 2 T chopped parsley
• 1/2 c frozen peas
• 1/2 cabbage, chopped ( I used 1/2 of a small head)

Put everything except cabbage and peas in a pot with about 1 c water.  Simmer for about 1 hour. 

Add cabbage and peas, let cook for 15 more minutes.

The Best Cheesy Bread Ever (Recipe 4 of 125)

What is there not to like about cheesy bread. I forgot the garlic powder when I was making this. Didn't really matter much though, it was still delicious. 

The Best Cheesy Bread Ever
Recipe from CentsLessDeals

Serves 8

• 1 loaf french bread or 6 rolls
• 2 oz cream cheese softened
• 1/4 c butter softened
• 4 oz cheddar cheese shredded
• 2 oz parmesan cheese grated
• 4 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp parsley optional

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer until fluffy.

Add cheese and garlic powder (and parsley if using) and mix well.

Spread cheese mixture over french bread or rolls and place on a pan.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Broil 1 minute if desired.

Sheet Pan Chili Lime Salmon (Recipe 3 of 125)

Photo from
CafeDelites

I'm trying really hard to get more fish, especially salmon, into my weekly menus. I don't have too many fish recipes, but I have enough that will keep me in business for awhile. 

This is a super easy, super yummy recipe. The lime really sits well with the salmon. 

The original recipe has a bunch of nonsense about bell peppers. You can see the original here. 

I put my salmon in the oven at / about 375F for about 10 minutes. I try very hard to not over cook salmon. I like it well done, but not jerky-like. 

Sheet Pan Chili Lime Salmon
Recipe from CafeDelites

Serves 4

• 1/2 c freshly squeezed lime juice (or juice of 2 limes)
• 1/4 c fresh chopped parsley
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T water
• 1 T minced garlic (or 4 crushed garlic cloves)
• 1 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (adjust to your preference of spice)
• 1 tsp ground Cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 T honey
• 4 salmon fillets (wild caught if possible)
• 1 onion , cut into wedges

Preheat oven to grill/broil settings on high heat. Spray a baking sheet tray with cooking oil spray; set aside.

Whisk lime juice, parsley, olive oil, water, garlic, chili flakes, cumin, salt and parsley together to combine. Add the honey and whisk again until the honey runs smooth through the rest of the ingredients. Arrange the salmon fillets, and onion in a single layer on the prepared baking tray; and pour over half of the marinade. Toss onion to coat; and rotate the salmon to coat in the marinade.

Broil / grill about 10 minutes and the salmon is cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with lime wedges and remaining marinade for added flavor. 

Broccoli Salad with Cheese and Bacon (Recipe 2 of 125)

I'm trying to plan better for my weekly lunches. AND I need to eat more broccoli (blood thinner stuff). So when this recipe showed up in the random selection I figured it was perfect. 

I didn't change much with this recipe. I couldn't find no sugar bacon, so I just went with what I had. I did include the onion, but made it a red onion (Side Note: did you know if you cut a red onion in half and let it soak in a bowl of cold water for 15-30 minutes, it take out all the "sting" from the red onion?)

I also didn't cook my broccoli before. I like raw broccoli and as it sits in the dressing it'll get "soft". 

Broccoli Salad with Cheese and Bacon

Recipe from Low Carb Yum

Serves 6

• 1 bunch fresh broccoli , cut in small pieces
• 3/4 c mayonnaise
• 2 T apple cider vinegar
• 3 stevia packets
• 6 slices no sugar bacon , cooked crisp then chopped
• 1/2 c cheddar cheese , grated
• 1/4 c onion , chopped (optional)
• 1/4 c roasted sunflower seeds (optional)

Lightly steam broccoli for a minute or two. Drain and cool.

In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, vinegar and stevia with a whisk.

Toss the broccoli and cheddar cheese into the dressing.

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy (Recipe 1 of 125)

Here we go. The start of 2021! My recipe goal is 125 recipes this year. I did 134 last year (2020) so there's a good chance I'll hit this goal. Rules are the same. No limitations on what a "new" recipe has to be. It can be a protein shake, cookies, dinner, vegetable, etc. If I've not made it ever, it's considered new. 

I got my act together tonight and cooked up this delicious steak tips recipe. I love steak tips. When I've had them in restaurants there's something about how simple they are and yet are often so delicious. 

I'm not sure where the "peppered" part of this comes into play. The recipe only calls for 1/2 tsp of pepper and that, to me, is just normal pepper. I was expecting a more pepper-y flavor. I tasted more soy sauce than I did pepper. 

Regardless, this will be flagged as a favorite. I didn't make the egg noodles with it. Instead I put it over rice. 

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy
Recipe from My Recipes

• 2 c uncooked egg noodles
• Cooking spray
• 1 pound top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 T butter
• 2 T finely chopped shallots
• 1 (8-ounce) package presliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 T lower-sodium soy sauce
• 3 T all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; sauté 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan; cover.

Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. 

Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Discard thyme sprigs.

Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.