Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:
6 boneless pork loin chops
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
30-oz. pkg. frozen hash brown potatoes
1-1/2 cups shredded baby swiss cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups frozen sugar snap peas
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, brown pork chops in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat, turning once to brown; set aside. Add onions and garlic to pan and cook and stir over medium heat until crisp tender. Add condensed soup and milk; cook and stir until bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. 
In 13x9" glass baking dish, combine potatoes and grated cheeses and toss to mix. Add the soup/onion mixture and stir to combine. Place the browned pork chops on top. Bake casserole, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Place sugar snap peas and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish; toss to coat and place in oven. Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until pork chops are fully cooked, casserole is bubbling, and peas are hot and tender. 6 servings 

Shrimp Fried Rice
Fried Rice of any kind is a fabulous last-minute supper idea. All you need is some cooked rice (stop at your local Chinese take-out place and buy some on the way home), eggs, soy sauce, and a few other ingredients - leftovers are perfect - and you'll have dinner on the table in about 20 minutes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups cold cooked rice
3 Tbsp. olive oil
12 oz. pkg. frozen cooked shrimp 
1 cup frozen baby peas
2 eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
dash white pepper

Preparation:
Make sure rice is cooked, then chilled. In colander, place shrimp and peas; run cold water over these ingredients until thawed. Drain well. 
In heavy skillet or wok, heat olive oil and add shrimp and peas; stir-fry until food is hot. Add rice; stir-fry until hot. 

Push food to sides of skillet or wok and pour beaten eggs in center. Scramble eggs, stirring frequently, then stir the eggs into the rest of the food until pieces are small. Add soy sauce and pepper, stir-fry for 1-2 minutes longer, then serve. Serves 4

Crockpot Sauerbraten Meatballs
Sauerbraten is a classic German recipe that combines beef with onions, vinegar, and gingersnaps in a fabulous sweet and sour flavor combination. Make it super easy with this recipe that uses frozen meatballs 

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours, 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 (10 oz.) cans condensed tomato soup
1-1/4 cups water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups baby carrots
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. bag prepared frozen meatballs
12-18 gingersnap cookies, crumbled
1/2 cup sour cream

Preparation:
In 4-6 quart crockpot, combine soup, water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Stir until well mixed and add onions, carrots, and meatballs. Turn crockpot on high for the first hour; then reduce to low for 4-6 hours longer, stirring occasionally. Or cook on low for 7-8 hours. 
Then add crumbled gingersnap cookies and cook on low for 20-30 minutes, tasting to see if you need to add more gingersnaps. Stir in sour cream until blended. Serve over hot cooked spatzele or rotini noodles. Serves 4-6 

Cheesy Chicken Casserole
Oh yum - this casserole combines some of my favorite ingredients. And because you make it ahead of time and refrigerate until it's time to bake, it's so easy. 

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 (16 ounce) jar four cheese pasta sauce
3 cups uncooked farfalle pasta
1-1/4 cups water
1/2 cup sour cream
2 (6 ounce) packages cooked chicken strips
2 cups frozen baby peas
3 tomatoes, chopped
1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
In heavy skillet, cook onion in butter over medium heat until crisp tender. Remove from heat and add all remaining ingredients except for Parmesan cheese; mix well. Place in 2 quart baking dish, cover, and refrigerate for 8-24 hours. 
When ready to eat, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle casserole with Parmesan cheese and bake casserole, covered, for 55 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes longer until casserole bubbles and cheese is melted. Serves 4-6

Fresh Apple Quick Bread
Make this super easy quick bread and your house will smell like heaven! It's perfect for snacking or breakfast on the run. Yum. 

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup peeled, chopped apples
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 Tbsp. milk

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until blended. Add chopped apples and pecans. Mix together flour, soda, salt and cinnamon and add alternately with the buttermilk to the apple mixture. 
Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x5" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until bread tests done when tested with a toothpick. Meanwhile, mix powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk in a small bowl. Remove bread from pan when done, place on wire rack, and drizzle glaze over warm bread. 

Note: The batter is thick, but be sure that you carefully measure flour by scooping it into the measuring cup with a spoon, then level with the back of a knife. Do NOT scoop the flour out of the bag with the measuring cup. That can result in adding 25% more flour to the recipe, making your baked goods tough and dry. 

Perfect Gingerbread
Gingerbread always reminds me of fall; perhaps it's because it's the classic dessert recipe that moms always had ready and waiting for their kids after school in the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle book series. This recipe really is perfect; moist and tender with a fabulous flavor. 

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:
1 (11 ounce) jar Lyle's Golden Syrup
1/2 cup butter
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup milk

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large saucepan, melt syrup with butter, stirring until smooth. Set aside. 
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon and mix well. Add the syrup mixture along with the egg and milk and mix until combined. Spray a 9" square pan with baking spray and pour in the batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes until set and gingerbread begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely. Best served warm. 

Madras Chicken
Pull out your crockpot and start making wonderful, comforting meals like this one. This recipe is called 'Madras' because of its Indian flavors. I like using Granny Smith apples in this easy recipe. 

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 hours, 

Ingredients:
3 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic
4 apples, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons curry powder
1 (8-ounce) jar mango chutney
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
3 cups hot cooked couscous

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a 4-5 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and onions are tender. Stir well and serve over couscous. Serves 6 
Calories: 600
Fat: 20 grams

Crockpot Roast Beef Dinner
With five different vegetables and fabulously tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef, this truly is a one pot dinner. Make it anytime; I especially love making it on the weekend when there's time to savor the flavors. 

Cook Time: 9 hours, 

Ingredients:
4 lb. boneless beef top round roast
1 tsp. Beau Monde Spice Mix
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced celery
16 oz. pkg. baby carrots
3 potatoes, quartered
1 cup dry red wine or beef broth
1 tsp. sugar
15 oz. can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Preparation:
Sprinkle roast with Beau Monde seasoning and lemon pepper. In large Dutch oven or heavy skillet, brown roast on all sides in hot oil over medium heat; drain well. Place onions, celery, garlic, carrots, and potatoes in 3-4 quart slow cooker and place roast on top. 
In medium bowl, mix together wine or broth, sugar, tomato sauce, and tomato paste and pour it over the roast. Cover crockpot and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours, until vegetables are tender and roast is cooked. 8 servings

California Gold Bars
These bar cookies are rich but not too sweet; perfect for lunchboxes. I love the combination of brown sugar dough and apricot jam in this old family recipe. 

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/3 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup apricot jam

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat together the brown sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in large bowl until smooth and creamy. Stir in flour and nuts. Spread half the batter evenly in a 9" square pan. Spread apricot jam over the batter. Cover with the remaining batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes until light brown and set. Cool and cut into bars. 16 bars 

Cheesy Mexican Strata
Stratas are casseroles made of bread layered with a cheesy egg mixture and other ingredients; they're almost always make ahead recipes. This one has the flavors of Mexico: Pepper Jack cheese, chili powder, and green chiles. 

Cook Time: 1 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients:
8 slices whole grain or whole wheat bread
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies or jalapenos, drained
1/2 (6 ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
1 cup mlk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup grated Cotija cheese

Preparation:
Place four slices of the bread in a 9" square baking dish. Arrange Cheddar cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, chiles, and red peppers over bread. Top with remaining four slices of bread. 
In medium bowl, beat milk, cream, chili powder, cumin, and egg until smooth. Pour over bread in baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for 8-24 hours. 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Uncover casserole and sprinkle with Cotija cheese. Bake for 60-75 minutes until the casserole is set and golden brown. Serves 4