Easy Lemon Pasta with Chicken

1 lb. Dried Penne Pasta (or use the pasta from LaRae's Meals Made Easy!)
2 Chicken cutlets (LaRae's Meals Made Easy)
3 cloves Garlic, sliced
1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
3 Tbl. Olive Oil
3 Tbl. Parsley
2 Lemons, juiced
1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese

Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain well. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and oil to pan and saute until fragrant. Add the chicken and saute for a few minutes to heat then add the pasta.

Remove to a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, parsley, and lemons and mix all together. Top with parmesan cheese.

Raspberry Chipotle Pork Glaze

1 Tbl. Olive Oil
1/2 C. Onion, diced
2 tsp. Garlic, minced
2 tsp. Chipotle Chile's in adobo, chopped
2 pints fresh Raspberries, rinsed
1/2 C. Raspberry Vinegar
3/4 C. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft and slightly caramelized, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Add the chipotles and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute. Add the raspberries and cook until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add the vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan. Add the sugar and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened and reduced by half, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Serve over pork loin.

Bacon Wrapped and Cheese Filled Dates

Cream Cheese, softened
Whole Dates, pits removed
Bacon, sliced long enough to wrap around the middle of the date. (we used thick cut maple and pepper bacon)

Preheat oven to 375. Stuff softened cream cheese into the center of the date by using a pastry bag or plastic Ziploc bag with the tip cut off. Wrap stuffed date in bacon strip and fasten with toothpick. Bake for 15 minutes or until bacon is thoroughly cooked.

Note: These tasty appetizers can be made a head of time and then baked as needed.

Blackberry Pomegranate Glazed Ham

1 Spiral-sliced smoked Ham with glaze packet
1 C. Seedless Blackberry Jam
1/2 C. POM Pomegranate Juice (regular or blueberry)
2 Tbl. Cornstarch
1 tsp. fresh Ginger

Preheat oven to 350. In large roasting pan, place ham cut-side down. Loosely cover with foil; bake 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, in small pot over medium heat, combine remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring until thickened 5 minutes.

Remove foil from ham. Brush ham with glaze. Bake 30 minutes or until golden. Transfer to serving platter; pour pan drippings over ham. If desired, garnish with pomegranates and herbs.

Party Slush

8 C. Water
3 C. Sugar
18 oz. Cran Raspberry Juice Concentrate
Sprite To Taste

Combine the water, sugar, and juice until the sugar has dissolved. Place in a 9x13 pan and then in the freezer. Allow to freeze overnight. Remove from freezer 45 minutes before serving and crush with a fork or wooden spoon before service.

Easy Apple Cobbler

6 Granny Smith Apples, cored peeled and sliced
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 C. Water
1 Tbl. Vanilla
1 pkg White Cake Mix
1/2—3/4 C. Rolled Oats
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 pan.

Toss Apples with the cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla before placing them in the bottom of the pan. Pour 1/2 C. water into the corner of the pan so you don’t wash off the cinnamon.

In a separate bowl combine the cake mix, oats, brown sugar and melted butter until mixture is crumbly. Pour over apples and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Note: To make this recipe even quicker replace the apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and water with a can of apple pie filling, add the vanilla to the pie filling, and then follow the recipe above for the cake topping.

Pulled Pork Loin with Mustard BBQ Sauce

1 Pork Loin
Salt and Pepper to taste
Season meat with salt and pepper before roasting in a crock pot for 8-12 hours. Remove loin and shred meat into nice sized sandwich pieces. Return to crock pot and add An-Jo Nanny’s Carolina Style BBQ Sauce to taste. Allow flavor to meld together for 20-30 minutes before serving.

Mustard BBQ Sauce

Although we will be sampling this with a bottled sauce this recipe is for the “I can do that!” recipe lovers!

Peach Mustard BB-Q Sauce
3 Tbl. Butter
2 Tbl. Onion, minced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
3Tbl. Cider Vinegar
1/2 C. Whole Grain Mustard
3/4 C. Peach jam or Preserves
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

Saute butter, onion, and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and saute for another 4 minutes or
until liquid is almost gone. Add the mustard and jam and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the salt.

Fruit Smoothies

2 C. Peach Nectar
2 C. Vanilla Yogurt
1 C. Frozen Peaches (or 1 whole fresh peach)
6 whole Strawberries, frozen
1 1/2 Tbl. Sugar
1/8 tsp. Cinnamon

In a blender, combine all ingredients; cover and process for 30-45 seconds or until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately.

Apple Breakfast

1/2 C. Butter
4-6 medium Apples; cored, peeled, & sliced
6 Eggs
1 C. Milk
1 C. Flour
1/2 C. Sugar
1 Tbl. Cinnamon
1 Tbl. Sugar
Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Saute the butter and the apples until apples are almost soft. Combine the eggs, milk, flour, cinnamon, and sugar together in a bowl. Place sauteed apple mixture in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Pour egg mixture over the top and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly cooked through. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve hot with butter syrup.

Mango Salsa

This was a spontaneous side dish that we came up with to go along with our hearty burrito and we wanted to include the recipe here for all of you to have.

4 Mango's, chopped
1-2 Jalapenos, small diced
1/3 Red Onion, small diced
1/2 bunch Cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 Lime

Mix all ingredients together and chill 1 hour.

Note: this is also wonderful with chopped pineapple and chopped kiwi when they are in season! Enjoy!