5 Decker Dinner

We had this recipe for dinner often when our children were growing up. I had forgotten about it for the past 10 years or so. I was excited when I found it in the recipe file box today. As I looked over the ingredients, I realized that all of these ingredients were in the refrigerator or panty. It was meant to be!

It is 5 Decker Dinner is because it is layered...5 layers...or 6 or 7, depending on what you want to include in the dinner. What do you have in your refrigerator?

5 Decker Dinner

4 strips of bacon (Cut in pieces or leave whole)
1 lb. hamburger (Formed into patties or break it into pieces. Your choice!)
4 medium potatoes, thin sliced
4 large carrots, thin sliced
1 large onion, thin sliced
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup water

Place the bacon in a skillet or dutch oven. Fry the bacon on one side. Turn the bacon and place the hamburger on top.  Season the hamburger. Layer the potatoes, carrots, onion and green pepper on top. Season. Add the water, cover and steam on medium low for 30 minutes.

Serves 4.

Additonal layers may be:
Green beans
Peas
Celery
Corn
Green Pepper

Recipe shared by Robin.

Woodruff Caramel Corn

WARNING! This caramel corn is seriously addictive!  Let the Eater, Beware!

My Dad, Ferrin Brinkerhoff, grew up in a small town in Arizona, named Woodruff. This is a recipe from Dad's childhood. It is an excellent recipe for caramel corn!

Woodruff Caramel Corn

2 cups brown sugar
2 cubes of butter
1/2 cup karo syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup peanuts

1 cup of unpopped popcorn (Pop the popcorn in your desired way.)

Bring the brown sugar, butter and karo syrup to a boil in a large saucpan. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add baking soda and vanilla. Pour over popped corn. Stir well. Add peanuts, if desired. (It's great either way. I PROMISE!) Pour onto baking sheets (I use 2 jelly roll pans.) and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. (This makes it crisp.)

It's delicious with peanuts, too!

Recipe shared by Robin.

Lemon Asparagus

This recipe is from The Cozy Apron.

Lemon Asparagus

12 oz. fresh asparagus
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Pinch of fresh pepper
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Trim the asparagus, discard the hard bottoms. In a medium bowl, toss the asparagus with the remaining ingredients. Roast on a foil lined baking sheet for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Roasted Teeny Potatoes

This recipe is from The Cozy Apron.

Roasted Teeny Potatoes

1 lb. teeny potatoes (Or fingerlings)
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. fresh pepper

In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Drizzle the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil on a foil lined baking sheet. Place the potatoes on the lined baking sheet and roast for 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees, until golden brown and tender.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Fresh Tomato-Basil Relish

Serve this with the Garlic Crusted Salmon. Or, be creative! This recipe is from The Cozy Apron.

Fresh Tomato-Basil Relish

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. sea salt

Pinch of fresh pepper

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Garlic Crusted Salmon

I have had this recipe for years and today I actually looked at it closely and noticed that it came from The Cozy Apron. I love it and want to share this fantastic recipe with you.

Garlic Crusted Salmon

4 skinless, thicker cut salmon fillets

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. fresh pepper

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lemon, cut in 4 wedges

In a small dish, combine garlic, sea salt, pepper, paprika, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil, whisk with a fork to combine. Place the salmon fillets on a foil lined baking sheet. Rub garlic-olive oil mixture onto each fillet. Set aside to marinate for 35 minutes, then broil for 8-9 minutes until moist and flaky inside and crust is golden brown.

Serve with Tomato-Basil Relish, Roasted Teeny Potatoes and Lemon Asparagus. Recipes are included on the blog.

Recipe shared by Robin

Crockpot Salsa Porkchops

We are having Salsa Pork Chops tonight for dinner. I thought that I would share the recipe with you. We had this recipe often when I was a child. It is easy to put together and ignore for the day. Or, if you forget to put them in the crockpot, then they can be cooked in the oven for 1 hour, or so.

Crockpot Salsa Porkchops

The picture is from Kalyn's Kitchen.

(Here is the link to her recipe for salsa pork chops, too.)

Pork Chops (I buy one per person plus an extra for lunch the next day.)
Salsa (I look for the cheapest salsa available.)

Pour a little salsa in the bottom of a crockpot. (Spray it with vegetable spray first or you will regret it during the clean-up later. Ask me how I know that!) Layer the pork chops with some salsa on each pork chop. Keep layering until all of the pork and salsa have been used, ending with salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

I have put frozen pork chops straight into the crockpot and topped with salsa and it is always perfect when it is time for dinner. But, I start the cooking on high for 1 hour and then turn it down to low for the remaining 6-8 hours.

If you want salsa porkchops for dinner and you neglected to put the pork chops in to cook in the morning, you can layer them the same way in a 9x13 pan, cover it with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Check it for tenderness and cook a little longer as needed, maybe up to 30 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the pork chops.

I have used boneless and bone-in pork chops, pork steaks, pork loin and pork roast in this recipe and it has always turned out great. It is a very forgiving...and delicious recipe!

Recipe shared by Robin.

Mushroom Quinoa Pilaf

Mushroom Quinoa Pilaf

1 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (use any color you desire)
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup quinoa
3/4 cup chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
3/4 cup water

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Saute onions, peppers, mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add quinoa and stir 1 minute. Add liquid and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Serve.

Makes 6 servings.
120 Calories

Recipe shared by Robin