BBQ Shake and Bake Chicken or Pork Chops

Making your own shake and bake chicken is just as easy as buying the premade version and using that. You can use our recipe for BBQ Shake and Bake found here.  You'll be well on your way to making a great meal without spending a lot of money.  However, you can use store bought shake and bake packages as well.

Ingredients

2 1/2 lb. chicken
1 egg, beaten, or you can use water or milk
1/2 c. Homemade BBQ Shake and Bake seasoning mix or store bought

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly oil a heavy baking sheet. You can also line the baking sheet with foil.

Beat one egg with about a tablespoon of water in a bowl.

In a low sided bowl or dish, place about 1/2 cup of your homemade dry BBQ sauce powder.  You can also add the contents in a plastic bag. 

Dip a piece of chicken in the water and allow the excess water to drip off.

Dredge the chicken in the BBQ sauce, making sure to coat all sides. Place the chicken on a heavy baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Bake the chicken for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the chicken tests done. The internal temperature should be at least 165°.  If you are using boneless chicken, the baking time will not be as long.  Check the chicken after 25 minutes, to see if it is done. For pork chops, bake about 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 145°.

Kettle Popcorn

Kettle popcorn is an old-fashioned treat, often bought at a fair or carnival. But you can easily make your own for just a fraction of the cost, and you can have it as often as you like.

Ingredients

1/4 c. vegetable oil, or coconut oil
1/2 c. popcorn kernels
1/4 c. white sugar or brown sugar
salt

Directions

In a large pot that has a lid, or a whirly pop stovetop popper, heat the oil over medium heat.

Add 3 kernels in the hot oil. Wait until those 3 kernel pop before adding in the rest of the popcorn and the sugar. Wait 30 seconds so all the kernels come up to temperature. 

Cover and start shaking the pot constantly.  Or if you have a whirly pop, cover, stir and shake the popper as directed. Continue shaking or stirring the pot until the popping has slowed to 1 pop every 2 seconds.  Remove from heat, but continue to shake or stir until the popping stops. 

Immediately pour the popcorn into a large bowl and allow the popcorn to cool before eating. The sugar on the popcorn is very hot and you could burn your fingers. 

Season with salt to taste if desired and shake or stir to mix in.  

Notes

You can use brown sugar or half confectioners sugar to half white or brown sugar. 

If you want more buttery flavor, melt some butter and drizzle it over the popped corn while it is till hot.  Shake or stir to distribute evenly.

6 Loaves of White Bread

Our family loves homemade bread. This is a big batch of bread that we make every other week. Bread you buy at the store never fills a person up as it is mostly air.  It reminds me of an angel food cake. But the bread you make yourself does fill you up and it is delicious.

Ingredients

3 pkg. yeast or 2 Tbs. yeast
7 1/2 c. warm water, divided
9 Tbs. sugar, or honey, divided
18 to 20 c. flour, divided
2/3 c. dry milk powder
2 Tbs. salt
1/2 c. oil or butter, melted

Directions

Grease six 9 x 5-inch bread pans.  

In a medium bowl or large cup, combine yeast, 1/2 c. warm water, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Place in a warm location for about 8 to 10 minutes, so the yeast can proof, or show that it is alive. 

In a very large bowl, combine 12 cups flour, the remaining sugar, dry milk powder and salt. Mix so the ingredients are distributed evenly. 

Pour in the yeast mixture, water, and oil. Beat with a wooden spoon for a minute or two. 

Mix in the remaining flour until you have a soft dough. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough, adding more flour as necessary. You'll want the dough to be slightly tacky, but not sticky.  Knead the dough for 10 minutes, or until it is smooth. 

Grease or oil the bowl that you mixed the dough in.  Place the dough in the bowl and turn the dough over, so all sides of the dough are oiled. Cover with a tea towel or sheet of plastic. Set in a warm location until doubled in bulk. This can take up to 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on how warm the location is. 

Punch dough down and allow it to rise for 30 minutes. 

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Working with one loaf at a time, roll the dough out, keeping the narrow end as wide as the loaf pan is long. This helps to remove the air bubbles. Starting at the narrow end, begin to tightly roll up the dough. Place the loaf into the prepared bread pan. Lightly oil the top of the bread. Place the loaf pan in a warm location to rise.  Repeat with the other dough pieces.  Let the bread rise until doubled. This takes about 1 1/2 hours.

Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.  The loaves should sound hollow when tapped with your finger. 

Butter the tops by running a stick of butter over the top. Place on wire racks to cool completely. We put our bread in bread bags. Keep the loaves in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to eat them.

Notes

Instead of using all white flour, you can use some wheat flour instead. 

For more flavor, add in 2 eggs with the water and oil. 

You can add more milk powder. If you want to use half whole milk for half of the water, you can do that too. Just make sure the milk has been warmed on the stove before you add it in. 

The amount of flour you use will vary each time you make bread. It depends on the day and how much humidity there is. 

If you don't have a large oven to bake the bread all at once, put half of the loaves in a cooler location.

Slow Baked Beef Roast with Vegetables

This beef roast turns out tender and full of flavor. Slow cooking the beef is the way to get a tender cut of meat. The meat and vegetables act together to flavor each other, and you have the flavorful juices to pour over the meat or make into a gravy.  

Ingredients

1 (3 lb.) beef roast
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
6 potatoes, cut in half or quartered
1 onion, sliced and cut into half rings
2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
1 lb. baby carrots
2 c. beef stock or broth or 2 tsp. beef bouillon dissolved in 2 c. water.
1 c. red wine or water
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf

Directions

Preheat oven to 195° to 200°.  You can also use a slow cooker for this recipe, instead.

 

Season both sides of the beef roast with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.  Rub the seasonings into the meat. I don't have measurements for these seasonings, as it is personal preference. You can add as much or as little as you like of these seasonings.

 

Place the beef roast in a roasting pan or a large cast iron skillet or Dutch Oven. 

Add the potatoes, onions, celery and baby carrots around the beef roast.

In a bowl, combine the beef stock, wine, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Pour this in with the beef and vegetables. 

Bake for 8 to 10 hours.  The roast is done when the internal temperature reaches at least 145°. 

To serve, cut the beef roast into thick slices or shred with a fork. . 

 

Serve the roast and vegetables with the juices poured over the top of the meat, or you can make gravy. 

 

To make gravy, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch with equal amounts of water. Mix until smooth. 

Remove the beef roast and vegetables from the roaster onto a serving platter. 

Bring the juices in the roaster to a boil.  Whisk in cornstarch mixture. Cook and stir until thickened. You can add more beef broth or water if needed.

Season with salt and pepper

Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake

 

This is one cake recipe that we have made several times.  It is that good! However, it is not one to be made and eaten if you are watching calories or on a diet.

Ingredients Crust

1 yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 c. butter, melted

Cake Ingredients

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1/2 c. butter, melted
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 c. powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly grease or spray the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch cake pan.

In a bowl, combine cake mix, egg and butter. Mix with a wooden spoon.  The batter will be very stiff, like a soft dough.  

Press this crust mixture into the bottom of your prepared cake pan. 

In the same mixing bowl that you made the crust in above, add the cream cheese and pumpkin purée. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. 

Pour in the butter, eggs and vanilla.  Mix until well combined. 

Turn the mixer to the lowest setting possible. Mix in the pumpkin pie spice and powdered sugar, until thoroughly combines. 

Pour over the crust mixture. 

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The cake is done when the outer edges are set, but the middle will still be soft.  If you bake it until the middle section is completely firm, you will lose the ooey gooey center. 

Let the cake cool before serving. You can serve this with whipped cream, if you like.

Juicy Pork Loin with Potatoes, Carrots and Onions

This is an easy meal to make. A tender juicy pork loin baked in the oven with potatoes, carrots and onions. It is a complete meal to serve in just a fraction of the time.  You can also make some gravy with the liquid in the roasting pan to make the meal perfect.

Ingredients

2 to 3 lb. pork loin
1 to 2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. salt
1 Tbs. garlic powder
1 Tbs. onion powder
1 Tbs. paprika
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. rosemary (optional)
2 c. chicken stock
3 or 4 potatoes, halved lengthwise
12 or so baby carrots or 5 large carrots cut in sections
1 onion cut in quarters

Directions

Heat oven to 350°.

Place the pork loin on the prepared pan. 

Rub the olive oil over the pork loin, coating all sides.

In a small bowl, combine salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, pepper, sage, thyme and rosemary.

Sprinkle the seasoning over all sides of the pork loin. Rub the seasonings into the meat.

Place the pork loin in a roasting pan.  

Add the potatoes, carrots, and onion around the pork loin. 

Pour in the chicken stock.

Bake for an hour, or until the internal temperature reads 145°.

Spicy Refried Beans

The refried beans you buy at the store often lack taste. By making your own refried beans at home, you can make them as spicy as you like. This is a simple recipe to make, and it doesn't have to always go with a Mexican style dinner. They are good to eat any time.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. oil 
1 onion, chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, chopped
2 can (16 oz.) pinto beans
3/4 tsp. chili powder
3/4 tsp. cumin
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. shredded cheese

Directions

In a large cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno peppers. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are tender. 

Stir in the pinto beans, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and chicken bouillon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Using a potato masher or a hand held blending wand, mash the beans to your desired consistency. They should be like mashed potatoes. If the mixture is too thick for you, add a little water to thin it.  

Cook and stir over medium low heat until the contents are heated through. Top with cheese.