Success!

I made steak and potatoes for dinner the other night.

My husband's words were "This is the best steak I have EVER eaten!"

I'd say that was a success!

I love it when I'm good at what I do.

Apricot Chicken

Just had this for lunch at work.  

Yes, we do have a cook that makes lunch for everyone.  

I know, I'm spoiled.  :0) 

Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 1/2 (1 ounce) packages Lipton dry onion soup mix
• 1 (10 fluid ounce) bottle Wishbone Red Russian salad dressing
• 1 cup apricot preserves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the chicken pieces in a 4 quart casserole dish. 
3. Mix the soup mix, dressing and jam together, and pour over the chicken.
4. Cover dish and bake for 1 hour in preheated oven.

Architec Gripper

I wanted to tell you about my favorite cutting boards.

These are Architec Gripper cutting boards.  They

come in all different sizes and can be found at most

department stores or online.  I love them because

they have these little "grippers" on the bottom that

keep them in place.  They come in so many fun

colors, are dishwasher safe, AND they are

inexpensive.  I highly recommend trying one! 

You can check out their website here.

French Bread

One of my good friends made us some home-made french bread and it was so good I had to ask for the
recipe.  Here it is!  Enjoy!

2 1/2 c. hot water
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 cube margarine
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
7-8 c. flour

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir until all flour is absorbed. Cover and let sit for 20 min. Stir
again. Repeat every twenty minutes for an hour.  Shape into desired rolls or loaves. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake
at 375 until golden brown.

Jiffy Corn Bread with a Twist

This is simply the recipe off of the Jiffy Corn Bread box, with a can of creamed corn thrown in.  The creamed corn makes the bread so moist and yummy!  And best of all, it's super easy.  I like easy.

2 boxes Jiffy Corn Bread mix
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 can creamed corn

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a greased 8X8 pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Great with chili!!!

Slow Cooker Venison Chili

This is what is on the menu for tonight!  It smelled so good when I got home from work, I could hardly wait for my husband to get home!  Well, I did snitch some before he got home.  I couldn't resist!  This recipe can be adapted with whatever beans you want.  Also, lean beef can be substituted for the venison.  This recipe totally fills up my slow-cooker, so we will be eating this tomorrow too.  I also made my favorite corn bread recipe to go with it.  I'll share that next.

1 1/4 cup dry pinto beans
1 cup dry black beans
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans green chilies
1 can corn
1 can tomato soup
1 medium onion (diced)
1 lb venison stew meat or equivalent
1 tsp El Pato hot sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
enough water to cover (2-3 cups)

Soak beans overnight, rinse.  Place beans and all the other ingredients in slow-cooker.  Add enough water to cover everything, cook on low for 8-9 hours.  Top with crackers, cheese, or sour cream.  Great served with corn bread.  Enjoy!

Eating from the pantry

I have been trying to cut down on our grocery bill lately and have been wildly successful!  I cut my grocery cost in half for February!  It's been amazing to me how many different things I can cook with what I already have at home.  I'll admit I have had to get a little creative, but meals have still turned out good for the most part.  Since I have most of the basic ingredients at home, the only stuff I have to buy is milk and other dairy products, eggs, and vegetables.  Oh, and don't forget the bananas!  I don't think I could survive without them!  Anyway, I would suggest giving this a try at your house.  Save some money, and probably eat healthier too!  On the menu for tonight:  Elk Chili.  ~mm mm good~