One Pot Taco Spaghetti

shared by Patty H.  (quick and tasty recipe; I halved it for the two of us and there was plenty; love the fact that there was only one pan to clean)

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

½ onion finely diced (optional; I added because we like onion)

1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning * (see below)

1 (10-ounce can) Rotel Mild Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies

3 cups water

8 ounces spaghetti (I broke it in half)

1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend or Monterey Jack cheese

* homemade taco seasoning

½ tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. sea salt

¼ tsp. cumin

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. dried cilantro

1/8 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1.     Brown meat and onion, if using, in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Make sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; stir in taco seasoning. Drain any excess fat.

2.     Stir in Rotel, spaghetti and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through and water is mostly evaporated, about 11-12 minutes (see spaghetti package instructions)

3.     Remove from heat and top with cheese. Cover until melted, about 2 minutes.

4.     Serve immediately, garnished with a spoonful of sour cream, if desired.

Braised Pork Chops for 2

shared by Patty H.  (The unusual ingredients caught my eye so I wondered how this would turn out but we absolutely loved it!  The pork chops were tender, melt-in-your-mouth and the sauce was awesome.  No taste of dill pickles at all ! This made two meals for us. )

Ingredients:

4 boneless pork chops

2 tablespoons butter, divided

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion (I used more onion than this)

1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

3/4 cup beef broth, heated

1 heaping tablespoon chopped dill pickle

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1.     In a large skillet, heat 1 T, butter and 1 T. olive oil over medium heat.

2.     Add the pork chops and brown on both sides. Remove the chops to a plate and set aside

3.     Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan; add onion and saute for 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent

4.     Add the flour and mustard. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. While stirring constantly, gradually add the heated beef broth, chopped pickle, and lemon juice.

5.     Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper, as needed. (I added ¼  tsp. coarse ground pepper and ½ tsp. Kosher salt)

6.     Return the pork chops to skillet; spoon sauce over them. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until pork chops are tender.

7.     Serves with noodles

One Dish Chicken Fajita Dinner for 2

shared by Patty H. (Cooking for two is a bit of a challenge unless we want to eat left-overs all week. I have been looking for some scaled down recipes.  This one was delicious and could be easily doubled or more)

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 4 chicken tenders)

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

½ onion, thinly sliced

2 cups cooked rice

1 (1 ¼ oz.) pkg. fajita seasoning mix * (I used the recipe below)

vegetable oil ( for frying)

Directions

1.     Chop chicken breast into chunks

2.     Fry chicken quickly until almost cooked through

3.     Remove chicken from pan

4.     Cook peppers for 2-3 minutes

5.     Put chicken back in pan with peppers

6.     Add fajita seasoning and 1/4 cup water

7.     Cook until chicken is done

8.     Put mixture over rice

Fajita Seasoning Ingredients

½ tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. sea salt

½ tsp. brown sugar (optional) (I used this)

¼ tsp. cumin

¼ tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. garlic powder