Broccoli Cheddar Braid

Very tasty. Modified this recipe a bit

INGREDIENTS:
a crown of broccoli, broken into smaller pieces & steamed
1 chicken breast, cooked & shredded
1/2- 1 c mayo (as needed)
1 jar alfredo (use as needed)
3oz real bacon bits
2c shredded cheddar (I added in a little extra white cheddar also)
2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg yolk (for basting)

DIRECTIONS:
Cook & shred the chicken ahead of time (or use pre-cooked chicken like rotisserie or whatever).
Steam the broccoli.
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a bowl mix broccoli, chicken, bacon, shredded cheese(s), and alfredo & mayo to taste (I didnt use an entire jar. Prob like half a jar and maybe 1/2c or a little more of mayo).
Spread out the crescent rolls lengthwise on a greased baking sheet to make a bigass rectangle, and pinch the seams together.
Spread the filling mixture in the center of the crescent roll sheet.
Cut slices down each side of the crescent roll sheet to make strips (see photo below).
Take each strip and fold up over the filling to make a "braid" appearance.
Brush with egg.
Bake about 30min.

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Stovetop Beer Brats w/ fixins

Very tasty brats cooked in beer, served topped w/ spicy chili & pineapple slaw
I categorized this under "grill" even tho I cooked them on the stove. I dunno if brats are considered pork or beef (or neither lol)

INGREDIENTS:
Brats (I used a 4-pack of large fresh brats from Schnucks)
1 can of beer (I used Busch)
A few pinches of minced garlic
little bit of olive oil
Buns (we used leftover onion burger buns)
Shredded cheddar
toppings:
slow cooker chili
pineapple slaw

DIRECTIONS:
Prep the chili and slaw ahead of time.
Stab the brats with a fork a few times.
Heat a skillet over med-hi heat, add in the brats. Drizzle a little bit of oil over them.
Pour in enough beer to cover the brats like halfway (I used prob 80% of a can, so like ~10oz).
Throw in some minced garlic.
Heat up till it gets simmering, then let it go till the brats are no longer pink on the bottom.
Flip brats over, and simmer till the beer evaporates & they are fully cooked.
Serve on buns topped with the shredded cheese & chili & slaw.

note: we had leftover burger buns, so we cut up the brats & made into like a brat sandwich.

more photos:

Baked Pork Steaks in Cheese Sauce

When you can't grill this is a great baked pork steak recipe! Even if you grill you can still use this marinade.

INGREDIENTS:
4 boneless pork steaks (or 2 bone-in steaks)
sliced cheese (I used jalapeno white cheddar)
sauce:
1 can evaporated milk
half a jar of Ragu double cheddar sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
marinade: (I didnt use exact measurements, just dumped everything together till there was 2-3c of liquid in the bag)
teriyaki sauce
soy sauce
olive oil
apple cider vnegar
honey
minced garlic
worcestershire
merlot (or other red wine)
seasonings (I used rosemary and mesquite seasoning)

DIRECTIONS:
Combine marinade ingredients in a big ziplock bag, add in the pork steaks & marinade in fridge for ~24 hours. Flip over after 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Mix the sauce ingredients together, and spread sauce in a 9x13" baking dish (reserve a little sauce if desired, I had a lot extra).
Bake for ~40 min, till pork is 145F. Cover with foil for the first 20 min.
After pork is done, add sliced cheese on top of the pork & throw under the broiler for a minute or 2 so it melts.
Serve.

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Spicy Baked Chicken w/ Pineapple

Spicy marinade + sweet pineapple = tasty ass chicken

INGREDIENTS: 
raw chicken breasts (we used 5)
sliced pineapple
slices of spicy cheese (used Kraft jalapeno white cheddar)
small/med onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, sliced
marinade:
teriyaki sauce
hot oil ( used China Bowl Select brand)
Sriracha sauce
grated/peeled ginger (I didnt use much, next time Ill use more)
rice vinegar
soy sauce
worchestershire sauce
lime juice
minced garlic
cumin, chili powder, rosemary

DIRECTIONS:
Combine marinade ingredients in a big ziplock bag.
Cut the fat off the chicken, pound the chicken flat & place in the marinade.
Marinade in fridge at least 24 hrs.
Heat oven to 400F.
Cut up the onion and jalapenos & place in bottom of greased 9x13" baking dish. Sprinkle on a bit of Worcestershire.
Place chicken breasts on top of the onions, and place in oven for about 45 min (or till 165F).
Add pineapple slices on top of the chicken halfway thru baking, and add the sliced cheese toward the end of baking*
Serve warm.
*note I forgot to bake (or grill) the pineapple and add the cheese durrr!!! So I had to add the cheese later & microwave it like a dumbass.  Not sure on the baking time for pineapple but we all agreed that next time definitely grill/bake the pineapple.

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Blueberry Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Interesting sandwich combo, found here

INGREDIENTS: (for one sandwich)
2 slices of bread (I used Sara Lee or something white bread)
Havarti cheese (cut into pieces)
2 big spinach leaves
~ 1/2c blueberries (I used like half of a small carton)
about 1 T brown sugar
dash of Balsamic vinegar
egg whites
butter
(optional) cooked bacon, I didnt use bacon but next time I will

DIRECTIONS:
make blueberry paste:
Put cleaned blueberries in a small saucepan & heat over med-hi heat. Add in brown sugar & Basalmic vinegar.
Smash up the blueberries with a spoon and boil for a few minutes.
Strain out the blueberry juice (reserve it for other purposes if desired).
Assemble blueberry mixture, spinach, cheese, and bacon on bread.
Heat butter in a skillet.
Brush one side of sandwich with egg white and cook in skillet. Smash the sandwich down with something heavy (I used a small cast iron skillet).
Brush other side of sandwich with egg white, add more butter to skillet and cook.
Serve warm (I served with Campbells Home Style "Creamy Gouda Bisque w Chicken" soup)

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Pear & Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This was AWESOME so good. Found the original recipe here

INGREDIENTS: (for one sandwich)
2 pieces of sliced bread (I used Sara Lee or something white bread)
cooked bacon (I used 4 strips per sandwich)
sliced sharp white cheddar
a few slices of Bartlett pear
2 big spinach leaves
honey
(optional) raspberry jelly (I used Strawberry cuz I had a couple packets lol)
egg (or egg whites)
butter

DIRECTIONS:
Heat up a skillet.
Assemble cheese, pear, spinach, bacon on sandwich. I put jelly on one side and honey on the other.
Melt butter in skillet. Brush one side of sandwich with egg white and place that side down on the skillet.
Smash sandwich down with something heavy like a cast iron skillet.
Brush the other side of the sandwich with egg white, add more butter to skillet and flip over.
Serve warm  (I served with Campbells Home Style "Creamy Gouda Bisque w Chicken")

Second time I made these I used mayo instead of jelly. Both ways were good.

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Sausage Mushroom Lentil Barley Soup Extravaganza

Combined & modified this recipe and this recipe
I loved this, great flavor! Easily modified to make it vegetarian if you want

INGREDIENTS: (fills a 7qt slow cooker)
carrots (I used 2 small bags of baby carrots & cut them into smaller pieces. see photo below)
1 med-large onion, chopped
fresh spinach, chopped (I used prob 30ish leaves)
1 small carton (8oz?) buttom mushrooms, sliced
1 small carton baby portabello mushrooms, sliced
16oz ground Italian sausage
6 oz real bacon pieces
1 c pearl barley
1 c lentils
1 can diced tomatoes
10c desired broth (I made 5 c vegetable broth & 5 c chicken broth.)
minced garlic, to taste
basil, to taste
2 bay leaves

DIRECTIONS:
(Basically throw everything except the spinach in the slow cooker & cook for a few hours).
Cook the sausage in a skillet and crumble. Drain if needed.
Layer in slow cooker:
chopped onion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms (the sliced mushrooms I bought were pretty big so I tore them into pieces)
Then layer in the sausage, lentils, barley, bacon, tomatoes, spices. Pour in the broth and stir it up a little.
Cook for 2-3 hrs on high, or 5-6 hrs on low. Set to warm until serving. Stir in the spinach prior to serving.

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