Tasty Tuesdays: Garlic Lemon Chicken

Sunday afternoon, I found myself with less than an hour to get supper on the table, eat and rush off to my Church Council meeting. These are the days that Schwan's™ really saves my behind. While I prefer to buy fresh meats from the butcher, I don't always get out there, so I buy a few products from Schwan's to supplement our regular fare.

This is a dish I made up on a whim. It combines favorite ingredients with diced chicken breast. I'm not known for measuring anything, so I'm guessing on the ingredients (except the meat).

1 lb. Schwan's Diced Chicken Breast Meat (frozen)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Heat olive oil in saute or frying pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add chicken, garlic, onion powder, and lemon juice. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add thyme and marjoram. Cook until chicken is heated all the way through.*

I served this with white rice and Green Giant® Whole Kernel Sweet Corn.

* You can also add all the ingredients at once and cook until the chicken is thoroughly heated.

Time Saving Tip: I steamed my rice before cooking the chicken. Though this meal doesn't create many used dishes or utensils, I washed what I could in between preparations, so that when I was ready to leave for church, all that was left to clean was the steaming pot.


This is not a sponsored post. Schwan's and Green Giant have not compensated me in any way for mentioning their products.

Tasty Tuesdays: CROCK-POT® Inspired Lemon Pork Chops

Thank goodness for potluck suppers at church or I might not use my CROCK-POT® slow cooker at all. I wish I got a chance to use it more often, but honestly, I rarely find a recipe everyone likes. The hubby and I usually agree, but one of the kids is destined to hate what I prepare. Ah, the joys of motherhood!

This weekend, I decided to use up some pork chops I had bought on sale at the grocery store. I usually get meats at the butcher, but the store had buy 1, get 2 free, so this ended up being a great deal--even if they were bone-in chops.

I thought Lemon Pork Chops would be a good choice, since so many people usually make chicken dishes for our potlucks. I discovered I didn't have all the ingredients to make this dish according to the recipe, but I'm known for substituting wherever I see fit. Everyone raved about the dish, so I decided to share this one with you. I don't have a picture to show, so I apologize for that.

Here is the recipe per the cookbook.

• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 4 boneless pork chops
• 3 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 1 large onion, quartered and sliced (optional)
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 tablespoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large lemon, quartered
• Lemon wedges (optional)

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-low heat until hot. Brown pork chops on both sides. Drain excess fat and discard. Transfer to CROCK-POT slow cooker.
2. Combine tomato sauce, onion, if desired, bell pepper, lemon-pepper seasoning and Worcestershire. Add to CROCK-POT slow cooker.
3. Squeeze lemon juice from lemon quarters over mixture; drop squeezed peels into CROCK-POT slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours or until pork is tender. Remove lemon wedges before serving. Garnish with additional lemon wedges, optional.

Here is my recipe:

1 tablespoon of oil

4 pork chops

1 can (15 ounce) tomato sauce

1 can (14.5 ounce) stewed tomatoes

1 large onion, quartered and sliced

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1. Debone pork chops or use boneless chips and cut into strips. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-low heat until hot. Lightly brown pork chops. Drain excess fat and discard. Transfer to CROCK-POT slow cooker.
2. Combine tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, onion, celery, lemon juice, black pepper and Worcestershire. Add to CROCK-POT slow cooker. 
3. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours or until pork is tender.

If I made this at home, I would have served it with white rice. The sauce can be ladled over the rice if desired.

Tasty Tuesdays - Honeyed Rock Cornish Hens

This recipe comes from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook Revised and Expanded Edition (The Hearst Corporation, 1980). I received it as an engagement present in 1998, and it's one of my favorites because it provides instruction and not just recipes. For vegetables, it tells you when they are in season, what to look for, how to store them, and how to prepare them.

My family isn't a huge fan of Rock Cornish hens, but I've loved them since I was a kid. They humor me every once in a while by eating them. This isn't the quickest recipe, as it must marinate for at least 6 hours, but if you prepare it one day and cook it the next, it's not bad.

Honeyed Rock Cornish Hens

• 4 1 1/2 pound frozen Rock Cornish hens, thawed
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 green onions, minced
• salad oil
• 1 small head, iceberg lettuce, shredded

1. Remove giblets and necks from inside of hens. Rinse hens with running cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Cut each hen into quarters.
2. In 13" by 9" baking dish mix soy sauce, sherry, ginger and green onions. Add hen quarters to soy sauce mixture and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours, turning occasionally.

3. About 40 minutes before serving: In 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, in 1/4 inch salad oil, fry half of hen quarters until tender and well-browned on all sides, about 20 minutes. Remove to platter: keep warm. Repeat with remaining pieces.

4. To serve: Brush hen quarters with honey. Arrange on platter lined with lettuce.

I would typically serve this with white rice--the family doesn't like any other kind--and either streamed green beans or a corn and peas mix. I think asparagus would make a nice alternative vegetable.

Tasty Tuesdays - Cheese Tortellini in Light Broth

Over the years, I have amassed a sizable collection of cookbooks. Funny thing is I usually go back to the same one time and again once I find a great recipe. This one comes from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentis.

Now that the weather is warming up around here, I don't want to spend every evening cooking a large meal and heating up the kitchen. Here is a recipe for an easy soup that takes less than 10 minutes to make. My husband loves it.

Cheese Tortellini in Light Broth

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (9-ounce) package fresh cheese tortellini
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Pour the broth into a large, heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the tortellini and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cover partially and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini are al dente, about 7 minutes. Season the broth with more pepper to taste.

Ladle the broth and tortellini into serving bowls. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley, and serve.

I usually serve this with a side salad and garlic bread.

Tasty Tuesdays - Slow Cooker Meal: Honey-Lemon Chicken Recipe Inspired by Rachel Ray

This is a new feature I am adding to Books, Products and More! You may not see it every week, but I do cook a lot. I'm not great about measurements all the time, though. At this point, I know my family well enough to season by taste. I don't have a photo of this recipe, except for what appears at Rachel Ray's website. I doctored this a bit and I didn't add the finishes she did, so it didn't look that way when I made it for our church potluck supper. I'll find a way to take photos and cook, but I might need to implore the help of the Lil Diva (10).

As I mentioned, I made this for a church potluck supper. The Lil Diva and my husband had a stomach bug earlier that week, so I didn't get a chance to plan what I would bring. I literally found this on the Internet about 6 hours before we had to be at church. That meant I couldn't go shopping for ingredients I didn't have on hand. I don't use my slow cooker much either. It's old, so it isn't programmable and it weighs a ton. I try not bring anything I haven't made at least once, but this time I had no choice.

You can see the original list of ingredients at Ray's website. You can also watch a video of her making this if you click here.

This is my list of ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)


1 - 1.5 lb. bag of Schwan's Dice Chicken Breast Meat
Salt and ground black pepper

1 lb. of Schwan's Roasted Baby Bakers (potatoes)
1 small onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

1/2 tsp. dry thyme
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup chicken stock or water ( I went with chicken stock.)

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. The chicken was frozen when I used it, and since the diced pieces are so much smaller than Ray's suggestion of bone-in, skin-on thighs, I opted not to fully brown the meat. Instead, I just cooked it until thawed and then seasoned it with salt and pepper.

I lined the bottom of the crock pot with the potatoes. They come in a 2 lb. bag, and I honestly didn't measure to be sure I had exactly 1 lb. I ended up using about 12 - 15 of them. Then I added in the chopped onion, grated garlic, and thyme. I did not season these with salt and pepper as Ray's recipe suggests. The Roasted Baby Bakers are pre-seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic, so I didn't feel the need to add anything else.

I placed the chicken over the vegetables and then added the lemon juice, honey and chicken stock. Then this got covered and cooked on high for four hours.

I have to admit I was concerned the meat would be overcooked. I also wasn't too sure about using pre-seasoned potatoes, but it came out great. Even with the liquid generated by cooking, I was easily able to transport this meal without spilling it in the truck; another reason I don't use my slow cooker very often--I hate mess. If I made this again, I would probably up the lemon juice to half a cup or use real lemons.

Feel free to let me know if you make this and how it turns out.