Barbecue Chicken with Bacon and Swiss

Chicken breasts, thighs, drums, or whatever you want to use
BBQ sauce
1 slice of bacon per piece of chicken
1-2 slices Swiss cheese per piece of chicken

Directions:
1. Cut bacon slices in half and cook in a frying pan until they reach desired doneness. Set aside on a plate with paper towels.
2. Place chicken pieces in a casserole dish. Pour desired amount of your favorite BBQ sauce over each piece of chicken. Make sure each piece is covered with sauce.
3. Place bacon on top of chicken, putting 2 half slices on each piece of chicken. Place sliced Swiss cheese on top.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Notes: This recipe is so simple, but it is really tasty. It adds a little variety to plain barbecue chicken. I found a recipe similar to this online, but I can't remember where. I just went off of memory on this one. It's pretty hard to mess up.

White Chili

Ingredients
1 lb. great northern beans, dry
2 lbs. chicken, cooked and chopped or shredded
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (4 oz.) mild green chilies
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Fresh chopped cilantro, to taste
6 C. chicken broth
Sour cream
Salsa
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions
1. Soak beans overnight. Cook beans until soft.
2. Boil chicken. Save broth to use for soup. Chop or shred chicken & set aside.
3. Saute onions in oil. Stir in garlic, chilies, cumin, oregano, cloves, cayenne, and cilantro.
4. Add onion and spice mixture to beans; add broth and simmer.
5. Add chicken and warm chicken through.
6. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and cheese on top.

Notes: Brittany cooked the beans in a pressure cooker. The chili turned out a little thin, so she mashed up some of the beans to thicken it up.

American Hamburger Soup

1 or 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
2 c. peeled, cubed potatoes
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3/4 c. diced celery
2 tsp. minced parsley
1 tsp. sugar
2 c. canned tomatoes
2 Tbsp. minced green pepper
1 large bay leaf
1 small chopped garlic button
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 qt. (6 cups) water
1/2 tsp. allspice
3 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. barley or rice
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:
1. Brown ground beef with chopped onions
2. Put browned meat and remaining ingredients into a large kettle. Bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for several hours.

Notes: This one takes a long time to cook, so you'll need to plan ahead. Makes at least 6-8 servings.

Thai Peanut Chicken

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless chicken breast, sliced (we chopped it)
1/4 c. catalina dressing, divided (we used French)
1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
1 1/2 c. water
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) spaghetti, broken, uncooked
2 c. broccoli florets
1 c. thin carrot slices

Directions
1. Heat 2 Tbsp. of the dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook & stir 5 min. or until cooked through.
2. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing, water, chicken broth, soy sauce & peanut butter. Bring to a boil. Add spaghetti; cover. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer 5 min.
3. Stir in broccoli & carrots; cover. Simmer 4-6 min. or until spaghetti is tender. Serve.

Notes: Serves about 4. B and I both liked this and will likely cook it again some time. It would have been good with some peanuts in it as well, in addition to the peanut butter, since there was only a hint of peanut flavor.

Source: I got this recipe from my sister, Karen.

Stuffed Peppers

4 bell peppers, cut in half and seeds removed
1 lb. ground beef
2 1/2-3 c. cooked rice
2 small cans tomato sauce
Chili powder to taste
Pepper to taste
Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Brown ground beef. Combine cooked rice, tomato sauce, chili powder, and black pepper and add to ground beef in skillet. Allow to simmer.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Carefully add bell pepper halves into water. Let them boil for about 5 minutes, or until they are darker green in color. Remove from pot and place in a 9"x13" baking dish, cut side up.
3. Spoon rice mixture into bell peppers. Place any remaining rice around the peppers. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.
4. Cover with foil and bake for about 20 minutes.

Notes: Next time we make this, we will probably try using red bell peppers for variety. Canned tomatoes might be a night addition in place of the tomato sauce. Mozzarella cheese could also replace the cheddar cheese.