Apricot Baked Pork Chops (Aimee)

Ingredients

4-6 Thinly sliced pork chops.
Salt, pepper, garlic powder (to season chops to taste)
For sauce, mix ingredients below together in glass bowl:
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 10 oz jar apricot jam (we use smucker's simply fruit)
1 TB minced garlic
1TB apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 (or dash to taste) each: cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves

Directions:

 
Put oven on broil,
Season each porkchop on one side with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Broil in oven for five minutes, flip, season other side and broil again for 5 more minutes.

Turn oven down to 350 and place pork chops side by side in glass baking dish and pour sauce on top. Cover with foil and bake @ 350 for 60 minutes, flipping chops over half way through cooking time and stirring sauce around.

Great served over rice.

Menu planning on a budget

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Chicken Club Pizza (Kraft)

Ingredients 

1 can (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust

1/4 cup  KRAFT Mayo with Olive Oil Reduced Fat Mayonnaise

1/2 cup KRAFT Ranch Dressing, divided

1-1/2 cups  KRAFT Shredded Triple Cheddar Cheese with a Touch of PHILADELPHIA, divided

1-1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken

8 slices  OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled

1-1/2 cups finely shredded lettuce

1   tomato, finely chopped

 

Directions

HEAT oven to 400ºF. UNROLL pizza dough on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray; press into 15x10-inch rectangle. Bake 10 min. MIX mayo and 1/3 cup dressing; spread onto crust. Top with half the cheese, chicken, remaining cheese and bacon. BAKE 5 min. or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted. Top with lettuce and tomatoes; drizzle with remaining dressing.   

 

 

Redbook's Boneless Buffalo Chicken vs. Chili's Buffalo chicken

Chili's Buffalo Chicken appetizer has 1, 170 calories and 72 grams of fat.

Redbook Boneless Buffalo Chicken has 552 calories and 24 grams of fat. 

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
• 2 tablespoon(s) light mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoon(s) cider vinegar
• 6 tablespoon(s) crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup(s) whole-wheat breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoon(s) cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 2 large egg whites
• 6 tablespoon(s) hot red pepper sauce (such as Frank's or Tabasco)
• 1 1/2 pound(s) boneless chicken tenders, cut into 40 pieces
• 2 tablespoon(s) canola oil
• 2 teaspoon(s) unsalted butter
• Celery sticks
• stick(s) Carrot sticks

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Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, cider vinegar, and blue cheese; set aside.
2. In a pie plate or shallow dish, combine flour, breadcrumbs, cayenne, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and 1 tablespoon of the red pepper sauce.
3. Dip chicken tenders in egg mixture, then in flour mixture to coat.
4. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook, stirring often, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet, set aside, and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Add remaining oil to pan and cook the rest of the chicken.
5. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, heat remaining hot sauce and butter until melted; add cooked chicken to bowl, tossing to coat. Serve with dressing and celery and carrot sticks.

Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns (Redbook vs. Cinnabon Pecanbon)

Cinnabon Pecanbon has 1, 080 calories and 50 grams of fat.
Redbook's Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns has 372 calories and 15 grams of fat.


Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns (Redbook)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup(s) dark-brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoon(s) honey
• 1/2 cup(s) pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1 can(s) (16 1/3-ounce) reduced-fat buttermilk biscuits
• 1/4 cup(s) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon(s) melted butter
• 1/3 cup(s) confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoon(s) low-fat milk

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Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. In a small saucepan, heat brown sugar, butter, honey, and 1 tablespoon water over medium heat, until mixture is smooth. Pour into a 9-inch-round cake pan. Sprinkle pecans over mixture, then place biscuits on top of pecans in pan.
2. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Brush each biscuit with melted butter; sprinkle with ­cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake 20 minutes or until tops of biscuits are browned. Remove from oven and immediately invert onto a wire rack (with foil underneath to catch drips); let cool slightly.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients and drizzle over buns. Serve warm.

Unstuffed Peppers (Rachel Ray)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 1 pound mild italian sausage, casings discarded
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• One 10-ounce package white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red onion, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups water, the rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil. Cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes; fluff with a fork. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to the rice. Return the skillet to the heat and add 1 more tablespoon olive oil, the bell peppers, mushrooms and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the veggies to the sausage and rice and toss.

The "Hot Mess" Burger (Rachel Ray)

 

Ingredients:

• 8 slices bacon
• 3/4 cup thousand island dressing
• 1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 to 2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and chopped
• 2 pounds ground beef chuck
• Salt
• 8 slices American cheese
• 4 deli rolls, split and toasted
• 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• One 20-ounce bag frozen sweet potato fries, prepared according to package directions

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp; transfer to a plate to drain. In a small bowl, stir together the dressing, pickles, onion and jalapeños. Crumble in the bacon.
2. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Form the ground beef into 4 patties and season with salt. Add the patties to the grill and cook, turning once, for about 10 minutes for medium-rare. During the last few minutes of cooking, top the burgers with 2 slices of cheese each.
3. Divide the burgers among the roll bottoms and spoon the dressing on top. Pile high with the lettuce and fries and cover with the roll tops.

Chicken Ragu (Rachel Ray)

"Less fat, but just as much Italian flavor, is found in this chicken tomato sauce. Serve over whole wheat or whole grain pasta."

 

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound whole wheat or whole grain rigatoni or other short-cut pasta
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1/4 pound pancetta (a couple thick slices), cut into fine dice
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, chopped into small, bite-size pieces
• 1 medium to large onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled
• 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Black pepper
• 1/2 cup Marsala wine, a couple glugs
• 1 can San Marzano tomatoes (28 ounces)
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• A handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

Preparation

Heat a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water when it boils and cook the pasta to al dente.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO over medium-high heat. Brown the pancetta for 3-4 minutes, then add another tablespoon of EVOO. Add the chicken and brown evenly for 5-6 minutes. Add the onion, rosemary, bay leaf and garlic, season with salt and pepper, then grate the carrot with a box grater directly into the pan and stir in. Cook until the vegetables are soft, 5-6 minutes.
Add the Marsala to the chicken and vegetables, stir and reduce for a minute, then add the tomatoes and crush them with a wooden spoon. Simmer for a few minutes to thicken the sauce and combine the flavors.
Drain the pasta and toss with the chicken ragu and cheese. Discard the bay leaf. Garnish with some torn basil. Serve immediately.