Recipes to extricate from the rut of routine suppers

By Susan McClanahan

I was visiting with a friend last week and she said she was "burned out" on what to cook her family for supper. You might say they were in a supper-routine rut and she was looking for help to get out of it.

I decided to look for recipes that I could pass along to her in hopes of helping her with some new and different entree options.

This week you may choose to try one or more of these recipes as your own new supper recipe. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Salisbury Meatballs

• 2-3 pounds fully cooked frozen meatballs
• 1-2 cans (10 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 package extra wide egg noodles

In small bowl, stir together the cream soup, milk, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Place meatballs in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Pour sauce over all and top with onions. Cook on low, 7 to 8 hours or high, 3 to 4, stirring at least once to help the onions cook. Serve hot over cooked extra wide egg noodles.

Minnesota Pork Chop Casserole

This is a rich, hearty, and comforting dish making this pork chop, mushroom and wild rice casserole a family favorite.

• 6 pork chops
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed
• 1 3/4 cups of water
• 1 (8 ounce) can canned mushrooms or 1 1/2 cup of fresh mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a hot skillet with a small amount of olive oil, quickly sear the pork chop. Season with salt and pepper.

Spray a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray. Sprinkle the washed rice evenly in the bottom of the dish. Add water and mushrooms. Sprinkle with chicken bouillon granules. Spoon 1/2 of the cream of mushroom soup over the mushrooms and rice. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Remove casserole, uncover, add the pork chops, spoon remaining soup over pork chops. Cover casserole again and place back in the oven for an additional 30-45 minutes or until pork chops are done.

This could also be made in a crock pot on low. Do the rice, water, mushrooms, bouillon and soup for 4 hours on low, then add the seared pork chops for another 2 hours or until done.

Sticky Chicken

• 3-5 pounds bone in chicken with skin (or use legs and/or thighs)
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350. In a sauce pot, combine ketchup, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder over medium heat. Bring it just to a boil while stirring. Remove from heat.

Arrange chicken pieces in 9 x 13-inch dish. Pour entire amount of sauce over chicken, turning pieces with tongs to coat. Place in oven, uncovered, for 90 minutes, turning after 45 minutes.

Fifteen minutes before cooking time is up, flip pieces once more and baste with sauce.

Pizza Macaroni and Cheese

A fun family-friendly twist to an old favorite. This is a very flexible dish as you can adjust ingredients to your own liking.

• 2 packages (14 ounces each) deluxe macaroni and cheese dinner mix
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) pizza sauce
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 small sweet red pepper, chopped
• 2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
• 2 ounces sliced pepperoni

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook macaroni according to package directions for al dente. Drain; return to pan. Stir in contents of cheese packets and sour cream. Transfer to a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine tomatoes and pizza sauce; drop by spoonfuls over macaroni. Top with peppers, cheese and pepperoni. Bake, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 12 servings.

Chicken Ranch Mac and Cheese

You can prep once, then feed the family twice when you double this mac and cheese recipe and freeze half to use later.

• 3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup 2 percent milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 3/4 cup ranch salad dressing
• 1 cup coarsely chopped cooked chicken

Topping:

• 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 6-quart stockpot, cook macaroni according to package directions for al dente; drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheeses until blended. Stir in dressing. Add chicken and sauce to macaroni, tossing to combine. Transfer to a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Toss bread crumbs with melted butter; sprinkle over macaroni. Top with bacon. Bake, uncovered, 30 to 35 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Sprinkle with parsley.

Freeze option: Prepare recipe as directed, increasing milk to 1 1/3 cups. Cool unbaked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover casserole with foil; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; continue baking as directed or until heated through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165 degrees. Yield: 8 servings.

Spaghetti and Broccoli

This one dish meatless meal is a creamy, cheesy comfort food is good anytime, but especially nice during Lent.

• 3 tablespoons salt
• 1 pound spaghetti broken into 2-3-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 (12 ounce) packages fresh broccoli florets
• 4 cloves garlic peeled, crushed, and minced, adjust to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2-2 cups grated Romano cheese or more to taste
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella or more to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Fill an 8-quart pot just under 3/4 full of water. Stir in the salt and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the spaghetti, oil, garlic, pepper and broccoli. Bring the mixture back to a boil and let boil for about 2 to 3 minutes. Cover the pot, turn off the heat and let the mixture sit for about an hour and a half, stirring every 15 minutes, until the pasta is cooked through and has absorbed most of the liquid. At the 45 minute mark, stir in the Romano cheese, until melted and evenly incorporated. As soon as the pasta's cooked, stir in the remaining cheeses until melted and serve. Top with additional grated Parmesan, if desired, and enjoy with a piece of warm crusty bread.

Notes: Just a reminder, this is more of a soup than a pasta dish! The pasta is not firm and al dente like a macaroni and broccoli served with less liquid. You can add more water if you prefer it more "soupy," and you will have to add more when reheating any leftovers.

Italian Wedding Soup Pasta Skillet

An Americanized version of an old Italian soup, this version skips the broth, adds some pasta, and keeps all of the flavor.

For the meatballs:

• 1 pound ground chicken or low sodium ground sausage
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, if using chicken (is using pork, omit the salt)

For the pasta skillet:

• 2 cups small pasta, cooked according to package directions
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup baby carrots, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup white onion, diced
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 heaping cup spinach leaves, washed and chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

To make the meatballs: To a large mixing bowl, add the ground meat, Italian seasoning, bread crumbs, milk and salt (if using chicken). Using your hands, knead all of the ingredients together until evenly combined. Lightly spray the baking tray with non-stick cooking spray. Using your hands again, roll the meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Place them on the prepared tray, until all the meat has been rolled. Bake the meatballs at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

To make the pasta skillet: Add the olive oil to a large skillet, and heat over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots and onions. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cream of chicken soup, spinach, broth and thyme until they're evenly incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the meatballs. Cover the skillet and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the pasta until evenly coated. Serve the dish topped with the shredded Parmesan. Taste before salting and peppering, if desired.

Honey-Mustard Breaded Chicken

The coating in this recipe adds fast flavor to tender chicken cooked on the stovetop.

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, divided
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons butter

Flatten chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon of mustard. In another shallow bowl, combine honey and remaining mustard. Dip chicken in honey-mustard mixture, then coat with crumbs. In a nonstick skillet, cook chicken over medium heat in butter for 4 to 6 minutes on each side or until chicken juices run clear. Yield: 4 servings.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Once you make this comforting, cheesy, chicken casserole, everyone will ask for the recipe. It's so simple to make that you feel like you're cheating.

• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 12 ounces egg noodles, cooked and drained

In a large bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Stir in the chicken, onion, peppers, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Add noodles and toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Freeze option: Sprinkle remaining cheeses over unbaked casserole. Cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake casserole as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165 degrees. Yield: 6 servings.

Asian Chicken Thighs

A thick, tangy sauce coats golden-brown chicken pieces. Serve them over long-grain rice or with ramen-noodle slaw.

• 5 teaspoons olive oil
• 5 bone-in chicken thighs (about 1-3/4 pounds), skin removed
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• Sliced green onions
• Hot cooked rice, optional

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until golden brown. In a small bowl, whisk water, brown sugar, orange juice, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, pepper flakes and five-spice powder. Pour over chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is tender, turning chicken occasionally.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1 minute or until sauce is thickened. Sprinkle with green onions. If desired, serve with rice.

Freeze option: Cool chicken. Freeze in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat slowly in a covered skillet until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165 degrees, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if necessary. Yield: 5 servings.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.