Recipes? Did someone say they wanted recipes? Well, I still have some tested recipes to type up, and some recipes that I haven’t even tried yet, but I’ve got a few I can share with you. And because I’ve been making a lot of new recipes lately, I have remembered to have my camera at the ready (most times) so I can share the finished products with you visually.

DISCLAIMER: I am presenting these recipes to you exactly as I received them. When making the various baked recipes, I had to bake some of them longer than the amount of time stated in the recipe. The element in my oven is less than 3 years old, but the oven itself is very old (nothing is digital, including the clock). Since that happened with different recipes, I’m going to blame it on my oven and not on the actual recipe. Just an F.Y.I. to keep your eyes open for timing if you make any of these.

Nettie’s Chicken
(Note: This recipe was received via video and did not have a “title”. I chose this title to honor the dear friend who forwarded the video to me.)
Ingredients:
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 stick butter
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. white vinegar
3 tbsp. honey

Instructions:
⦁ Pat dry your chicken breasts. Using sharp knife, make cross-hatch marks on the top of each breast. (Cross hatch is making diagonal parallel cuts that do not go the whole way through the meat, then repeating the process in the opposite direction.)
⦁ Place the butter in a pan and place it on medium heat to melt butter.
⦁ While the butter is melting, mix together the salt, pepper and oregano and rub into the chicken, then dredge each breast through flour to coat the entire piece.
⦁ Place in pan with the top side up, turning at 15 minutes (20 minutes if you are using really thick pieces of meat).
⦁ Once the meat has been turned, add the minced garlic, soy sauce, white vinegar and honey into pan between pieces of meat. Stir together and allow the meat to continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Then turn the chicken over again to allow the bottoms to cook in the broth for another 5 minutes.
⦁ Use a meat thermometer to check if the internal temperature has reached 160°. Continue simmering until meat has reached the required temperature, turning over if necessary.

Caramelitas

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag of baking caramels
¾ cup melted butter
½ cup whipping cream
1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a square baking pan (8×8 in size).
2. Over medium heat in saucepan, combine heavy cream and caramels. Cook the mixture while stirring constantly until it becomes smooth. Once smooth, remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Mix until thoroughly combined.
4. Take a baking dish and press half of the mixture into it, creating an even layer at the bottom.
5. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake the crust for around 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the dish from the oven.
6. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top of the partially baked crust.
7. Pour the previously prepared caramel mixture over the chocolate chips, ensuring an even distribution.
8. Now, take the remaining half of the oat mixture and evenly spread it over the caramel layer, creating a top layer for the bars.
9. Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the bars turn golden brown.

Allow to cool completely before serving!

Slow Cooker Sweet Ginger Pork Chops

(Note: This recipe can be used for boneless chicken breasts or thighs as well.)
Ingredients:
Boneless pork chops
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. tomato sauce
1/4 c. soy sauce
4 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. ground ginger
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Instructions:

1. Place a single layer of meat in the bottom of your crockpot.
2. In a bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and whisk together thoroughly.
3. Pour sauce evenly over meat, making sure there is no uncovered meat showing.
4. Cook on low for four hours. Check the internal temperature of the meat (145° for pork or 160° for chicken). Continue cooking until the required temperatures are reached.

The sauce has a little bit of a bite to it and is great for over rice as a side dish.

Parmesan Baked Chicken

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts or 6 boneless chicken thighs
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheet with foil or parchment.
2. In a shallow bowl, mix together Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, pepper and garlic powder.
3. Pat chicken pieces dry on both sides, then drizzle olive oil on both sides, rubbing it in to cover the meat. Dip chicken pieces into the mixed dry breading and press down to coat both sides evenly. Bake 25-35 minutes, or until internal temperature is 160°. (For a crisper crust, broil for an additional 2-3 minutes.)
4. Removed from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe can also be used with boneless pork chops.

NOTE: I suggest putting half of the dry ingredients in a plastic bag and shaking to cover the meat. You probably won’t use all of the breading the recipe calls for, but you can save the other half. You can use it as breading for other items as well.

3-Ingredient Fried Cheese Balls

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
3 tbsp. corn starch

Instructions:

1. Heat approximately 2 inches of oil in a pan.
2. While the oil is heating, use your hands to mix the ingredients and roll them into small balls.
3. Fry in batches to avoid overloading. Fry until golden brown.
4. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain.

Serve with marinara sauce if desired.

NOTES: This recipe is intended as an appetizer or a snack. However, the amount of ingredients only made 9 small balls for me. I would probably triple the recipe if making for an appetizer. I would also consider using other flavors of shredded cheese, like cheddar or pepper jack, depending upon your tastes. Also, I did actually fry these in oil (and they didn’t absorb much because they weren’t in the oil that long). I would definitely consider doing them in the air fryer.
The amount of cheese balls this made was perfect for me as a complete dinner! Oh, and the breading is so light (unlike mozzarella sticks), that you really do taste just cheese!

Toasted Ravioli

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pound bag of beef or cheese ravioli, fresh or frozen (place frozen ravioli in fridge to thaw before using)
1 cup buttermilk (ways to substitute buttermilk follow this recipe)
2 eggs
2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
vegetable oil
Shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix buttermilk and eggs together.
2. In a second bowl, mix breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
3. Dip each ravioli in the milk mixture, then press into bread crumb mixture, coating both sides.
4. Place on a large baking sheet, and then place the baking sheet into the freezer for about 30 minutes or until completely firm to the touch.
5. Place about 2 inches of oil in pan and heat to 350°.
6. When oil is heated, place several ravioli in the oil. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, flipping halfway, until both sides are golden. Do not overcrowd the pan.
7. Remove from pan and place on paper towel lined plate or pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Serve with marinara sauce if desired.

NOTES: This recipe is intended as an appetizer as it makes quite a few pieces. Once I had them all in the freezer and firm, I took many of them off the baking sheet and put in a zippered bag, returning to the freezer for a future time. I also chose to use the ‘mini’ raviolis because they were small enough to just pop the whole thing into your mouth.
BUTTERMILK SUBSTITUTES:
1 cup buttermilk = 1 Tablespoon white vinegar + enough milk to measure 1 cup
1 cup buttermilk = 1 Tablespoon lemon juice + enough milk to measure 1 cup
1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup buttermilk = 1 and ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar + 1 cup of milk
Stir together and let sit for about 5 minutes. For those who are lactose intolerant, you can also use coconut milk.

Baked Stuffing Balls

Whether you call it stuffing, filling or dressing, this bread cube mixture seasoned with flavorings like onion, celery, sage, etc. is always a part of our Thanksgiving feast. I first thought that perhaps it was ‘invented’ as a way to serve something to help fill dinner guests’ tummies up, but it’s an integral part of our turkey tradition. We like it so much that our mom not only stuffed the bird but made extra and baked it in a loaf pan outside the turkey. We’d slice it down and pan fry it in a little butter or use two slices instead of bread for our leftover turkey sandwiches. This recipe works perfectly for me because I can make it once and then freeze each separate stuffing ball, cooked or uncooked, and have stuffing as a side dish for other meals!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 eggs
1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
10 cups cubed bread (I used 15 slices to make 10 cups)
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 °. Line baking sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray.
2. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add salt, pepper, sage and thyme and cook another full minute to release the herbs’ fragrances. Turn off cooktop and remove pan from heat to cool slightly.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and chicken broth. Stir in bread cubes and parsley, then pour butter mixture over the top. Mix until combined. (This goes easier mixing with your hands.)
5. Form mixture into 2″ balls and place on baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.
6. Serve warm, top with gravy if desired.

NOTES: The only thing that I have negative about this recipe is that the thyme tasted overpowering to me. I just won’t use it the next time. I got 6 balls from these measurements; it would be easy to cut the recipe in half if you just want to have them for one meal.

This last one isn’t exactly a ‘recipe’, just something I tried and liked, talked about it and other people liked it too, so I thought I’d share it.

It’s no secret that I like chicken. Sometimes I want to make a specific recipe but sometimes I don’t want to go to that much work. One day, I had just a few pieces left in a bag of Lay’s Sour Cream and Cheddar chips and thought about how they might taste good as a sort of breading over my chicken breast. I put them in a zipper bag, crushed them up completely (hands first and then my meat mallet!). I cut my breast into 4 pieces, as I usually do since I seldom eat more than half at a time, tossed it in the bag, and shook it up (remember Shake ‘n Bake? Same principle). The pieces weren’t totally covered since I hadn’t used an egg wash, but I was okay with that. Let me say that my taste buds thought it was incredible! The texture difference between the chip crumbs and the chicken meat was pleasant. The flavor of the chips was mild but pleasant. I have also done this with barbeque chips and even Cool Ranch Doritos! My friend tried it with barbequed chips but did an egg wash first. They liked it too. So, whenever you want some kind of variety for your chicken, just think about chip chicken!

(Oh, and remember the breading that I mentioned you would have left over from making the Parmesan Baked Chicken? Works exactly the same!)

I still have at least 20 more recipes to try, then type up to share! My grocery store receipts lately have had some unusual ingredients along with regular groceries! I’ll keep working on them! Enjoy trying these in the meantime!