Apple Pecan Pancakes, Hashbrown Casserole, Bacon, and Fruit

Can you go wrong with breakfast for dinner?

I smell bacon!

Tracy teaching Emily the art of flippin' pancakes.

Emily preparing to grate the cheese for the hashbrown casserole.

Let's eat!

Typical teen, talking on the phone...

Hashbrown casserole before... and after. Yum.

Hashbrown Casserole

2 lb. bag frozen hash browns, thawed

½ c. melted butter

½ tsp. salt & pepper

½ c. finely chopped onion

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 pint sour cream

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together and place in greased 9 x 13 dish.

Topping:

2 cups corn flakes, crushed, and then mix with ¼ c. melted butter. Spread over top of potato mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, uncovered.

Apple Pecan Pancakes

Note: The base recipe makes yummy pancakes. We are ready to experiment with other add-ins… like Chocolate Chips!

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs beaten (you can substitute egg whites if you’d like)

2 cups milk (low fat, skim, whole, it’s all good in this recipe)

2 tbsp canola (we used vegetable oil)

1 large apple, chopped into small pieces

½ cup chopped pecans

Mix first five, dry ingredients thoroughly.

Add eggs, milk, and oil to dry and mix until moistened.

Fold in apples and pecans.

Pour batter in ¼ cup increments onto hot skillet.

If you use a ¼ cup you will get at least 16 pancakes from this recipe.

Asparagus Pasta, Grilled Chicken, Salad with Lemon Citrus dressing, and Green Fluff

Asparagus ready for the boiling water.












Emily mixing the green fluff.

Dinner Guests: Cheryl and Nick Powers, Tracy Harrison, and Jimmy Wathey.

Asparagus Tagliatelle (from Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine)

2 heads garlic
6 tbsp EVOO
1 3/4 lbs asparagus, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 lb tagliatell pasta (never heard of it... we used fettucini noodles, next time we'll use ziti or something easier to eat!)
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp sugar
1 large red onion, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Place the garlic cloves on a piece of foil and drizzle with 1 tbsp. EVOO. Enclose the garlic in the foil and roast until soft and just golden, about 25 minutes. (NOTE: We didn't use this method ... too much work! Just cut the top off the entire head, drizzle the olive oil over and bake until you see golden brown tops. The roasted cloves are then easily pulled or popped out of the paper. I do this a lot on the outside grill. Any extra heads freeze well too.)

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the asparagus until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Remove with a strainer and refresh in cold water; drain. Add the pasta to the pot and cook until al dente; drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Reserve the pot.

3. Using a blender, puree the roasted garlic, the vinegar, lemon juice and sugar. With the machine on, slowly add 1/4 cup EVOO.

4. In the reserved pot, heat the remaining 1 tbsp. EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the pasta, asparagus, roasted garlic vinaigrette and the reserved pasta cooking water; toss to combine and season with salt and pepper.

Green Fluff

1 large can crushed pineapple
1 box instant Pistachio pudding
Cool Whip (2 small or 1 large)
Mini Marshmallows (as many as you want! we used almost a whole bag)

Mix pudding and pineapple till powder is dissolved. Add Cool Whip and Marshmallows. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lemon Citrus Salad Dressing
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp thyme leaves (I used dried)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 EVOO

Whisk together first 7 ingredients until well blended. Gradually whisk in the oil.

NOTE: We doubled this recipe and I'm not much of a measurer... so... if this one sounds good, try it and play around. We loved it!

Coconut Chicken with Mango Salsa, Grilled Veggies, Brown Rice, and Dutch Apple Pie



Emily cutting the butter into the flour for the pie crust.



Tracy and Emily before the pie went into the oven.



Just out of the oven!

Trimming the fat from the chicken and also cutting the large boneless breasts into 2-3 smaller pieces.



Jimmy, Emily, and Tracy enjoying the meal.





Coconut Chicken with Mango Salsa

(from Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine)

Ingredients:

1/2 pound frozen mango, thawed and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/3 cup chopped red onion

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon rice vinegar (we used apple cider vinegar)

Salt and pepper

1 egg

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Four 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine the mango, bell pepper, onion, cilantro and vinegar; season with salt and pepper.

2. In a shallow bowl, beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place the coconut in another shallow bowl. Dip the chicken in the egg, then in the coconut. Press to coat.

3. In large, ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until cooked through, about 12 minutes. Serve the chicken with the mango salsa.

NOTE: We found it easier (although colder) to cut the mango into smaller pieces while it was frozen. Look for DOLE frozen mango near the other frozen fruits at the market.