Cranberry Orange Bread

If you are looking for a simple + easy breakfast bread, I highly recommend this one.  You can whip it up the night before and enjoy a yummy breakfast with your family the next morning.

Ingredients

• 1 box of Bountiful Beer Bread Mix (Don’t let the name fool you!!)

• 12 ounces of orange juice

• 2/3 cups of Craisins

• 3 tablespoons of melted butter – optional

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 375°.

• Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.  This one here is my personal favorite for baking. 

• Mix together the bread mix as directed using orange juice.

• Stir in the dried cranberries and spread this mixture into your greased loaf pan.

• Pour the melted butter on top, if desired.

• Bake for approximately 45 – 50 minutes until the loaf of bread is golden brown and pulls away from the side of the pan.

• Remove from pan and cool on rack for about 30 minutes before slicing.

• Wrap in foil and try your BEST to wait until morning not to sneak a bite. 

Additional Tips

• Don’t let the “beer bread” name of the bread mix scare you away.  This stuff is so yummy, whether you decide to cook it using alcohol or not.  This particular recipe simply substitutes orange juice for the carbonated beverage and it really makes the bread so moist.

• I also like to add in some walnuts for a different twist sometimes. 

• In the morning, we like to slice it up and then warm it in the microwave for a few seconds.  Gives it that fresh out of the oven feel to it once again!

• You can also purchase this particular bread mix in a 3 pack value pack (if you are addicted to it like I am) or if you need the gluten free version or want a wheat bread mix then that is an option too. 

Leave me a comment if you decide to try out this yummy breakfast bread!!  It certainly is a hit at our house!!

Swiss Chicken Bake

I honestly cannot remember where I found this recipe but it has been in our meal rotation for several years now and it never fails to produce a yummy dinner for our family.  As you can tell in the photo below, two-thirds of this dish was gone before I even had the chance to take a photo. 
Yes, it is that yummy!! 

Ingredients

• 4 – 5 chicken breasts
• 2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup
• ½ soup can of water
• 12 ounce box of stuffing
• 3 tablespoons of melted butter
• 1½ cups of Swiss cheese – sliced or shredded

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 350°.
• Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place chicken breasts in dish and cover with Swiss cheese.
• Mix the 2 cans of soups + ½ soup can of water and pour mixture over chicken.
• In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and stuffing together and spread over the top.
• Cover with foil and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
• Uncover and bake for an additional 5 – 8 minutes, just to get the topping a little crunchy and brown.

Enjoy!

Brunswick Stew

This recipe was given to me by Josh’s Mom several years ago and it is one of our family favorites.  I love how simple it is to prepare.  If I do not have the exact ingredients, it is no problem.  I can just throw in other stuff and it still turns out tasting so yummy. 

Ingredients

• 1 – 2 cups of barbecue pork – cooked and chopped

• 1 – 2 cups of chicken – cooked and chopped

• 1 – 2 cups of roast beef – cooked and chopped

• 1 can of whole kernel corn

• 1 can of mild rotel tomatoes

• 1 large can of stewed tomatoes

• 1/2 cup of barbeque sauce

• 1 chopped onion

Directions

• Mix all together and cook on low in crock pot for 4 - 6 hours.  Changing the amount of ingredients is definitely optional on this one.

Additional Tips

• We usually have “just a little bit” of meat leftover from our other meals (roast, barbecue, etc…) so I simply freeze our leftover meat in freezer bags with the date and when we get ready to make this stew I just throw it all in the crockpot.  No need to prepare fresh meat for this recipe!

• It does not hurt to add another can of stewed tomatoes or tomato sauce if you are cooking a larger portion.  I also like to add just a tad bit of water about half way through the cooking just to keep the meats from drying out.

• Ham is really yummy in this stew, which makes this the perfect holiday leftover recipe.

• We also like to throw in sliced mushrooms, butter beans, okra, black eyed peas. You get the idea, right?  Anything goes in this yummy stew!

I cannot say enough how much I love this yummy and EASY recipe and it is so good with hot cornbread on a cold winter night.  Of course, I am the odd one at our house and I like to mix my bread in with my soups.  My sweet hubby and children think I am nuts!!  Ha!!    This particular night we enjoyed another family favorite – Savory Wheat Bread – along with this dish and it was yummy too. 

Enjoy!

Crockpot Beef Stew

This is simmering in our crock pot right now and the house smells sooooo yummy!

Ingredients

• Beef tips – I like to use fresh, tender steak cut up into bite-sized pieces.
• 2 cans of cream corn
• 1 can of field peas
• 1 can of potatoes – We prefer the diced ones.
• 1 pack of onion soup mix
• 1 pack of brown gravy mix
• 1 can of stewed tomatoes

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients into crockpot and cover mixture with water.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cook on low for about 8 hours or low/medium for 4 – 6 hours.
4. Enjoy!

Corn + Rice Casserole

A great side dish!

Ingredients

• 1 package of Mahatma yellow rice
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can of Mexicorn
• Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°.
2. Prepare rice according to package directions.
3. Then add corn + soup and add mixture to a greased 8x8 casserole dish.
4. Top with shredded cheese.
5. Bake until bubbly ~ approximately 15 minutes.
6. Enjoy!