Apple Chicken

This is a great chicken recipe for fall or winter! Very hearty and delicious! Also, eat the apples--they just melt in your mouth!

Apple Chicken-adapted from The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook by Erin Chase
Total Time: 8 hours
Serves 6

• 1 cup apple juice
• 6 bone-in chicken thighs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 large gala apples, sliced
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Grease a 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Pour in apple juice. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and place in the slow cooker. Place onion quarters around chicken. Place apples, lemon juice and cinnamon over chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours or until chicken is cooked through.

Bruschetta Pork Chops

Fresh bruschetta is one of our new favorite things. I love how fresh everything tastes, and when you get some nice crunchy bread, and a good balsamic sauce with it, there's nothing better. Because I don't consider myself a huge tomato fan, you'd think that I wouldn't like it, but I can't get enough of this!

The original recipe calls for lamb chops, but, come on, who can afford those these days? The flavors were great, and having fresh tomatoes will make this even better!

Bruschetta Pork Chops-adapted from 30-Minute Dinners by Better Homes and Gardens
Total Time: 20 Minutes
Serves 2

• 2 pork chops, about 1-inch thick
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 green onion, diced
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Sprinkle pork chops to taste with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook pork chops until they begin to brown on both sides and are no longer pink in the middle.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, oregano and vinegar until blended. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pork chops.

Recipe Redo: Salad with Green Beans and Peanut Dressing

I decided to try this recipe again. The second time around this turned out great! I love the flavor of the peanut butter. It tastes so fresh, but this makes a lot of salad, so cut it in half if there aren't a lot of you eating! In the original recipe, I didn't write where I found this, so I guess this is an original now??

Salad with Green Beans and Peanut Dressing
Serves 6
Total Time: 15 Minutes

• 1 bag (16 ounces) frozen french cut green beans
• 1 head lettuce
• 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped into 1/4 inch slices
• 3 tablespoons bottled minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon sliced ginger
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 jar (18 ounce) smooth peanut butter
• 1-2 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 jar (8.5 ounce) hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Thaw green beans in a colander and pat dry to remove excess water. Clean lettuce and cut into bite size pieces if necessary; set aside.

In a food processor, combine the green onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Process until uniform. Add the oil and process briefly to form a paste.

Transfer paste to a large bowl. Add peanut butter and 1 cup warm water. Add the remaining water, 1 tablespoon or so at a time, if necessary to make dressing a smooth consistency. Whisk in cilantro, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce.

Thai Noodles with Shrimp

I've never made anything before with Thai peanut sauce. Let me tell you, it's totally worth it! It's got a bit of a spice kick to it, but it really steps up the dish! This recipe just has 5 ingredients but it's fantastic and easy to make. It's even good cold the next day!

Thai Noodles with Shrimp-adapted from 5 Ingredient 15 Minute Recipes by Pillsbury
Total Time: 20 Minutes
Serves 4

• 4 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 4 ounces fresh snow peas, cut into thirds
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 pound cooked, deveined, peeled medium shrimp, tails removed
• 1/2 cup Thai peanut sauce

Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients.

Sun-Dried Tomato Guacamole

For tacos tonight, I decided to try a new guacamole. To be honest, the base of the guac still came from my favorite, go-to guac, but I switched up a few things. I swapped out the tomatoes and onion in the original, to add sun dried tomatoes, sour cream and tabasco sauce. For me, this was too spicy--pretty sure it was the tabasco, I'm just not a fan. But Scott loved it. Just make sure you dice the tomatoes really small, otherwise they get a little chewy.

Sun-Dried Tomato Guacamole-adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Serves 6

• 4 avocados
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 teaspoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sour cream
• 1 teaspoon tabasco

Peel and remove the inside of the avocados from the shell into a medium bowl. Mash avocados and stir in the remainder of the ingredients. You can add additional to taste.