Pan Grilled Chicken with Scalloped Potatoes

Pan Grilled Chicken with Scalloped Potatoes

We eat a lot of chicken in this house. It's by far the most cost effective and versatile meat I can buy, and I'm constantly trying to find new ways to serve it. So far I haven't tired of it, and I do cook other kinds of meat, so you will eventually see variety! In the picture, the potatoes don't look quite like they should because we were hungry, and a little too impatient to wait until the cheese had browned. It still tastes fantastic, though. I prepare the potatoes, and cook the chicken while the potatoes are in the oven so they're done at roughly the same time.
To make this meal:

Chicken:
2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Put your pan over medium heat (I use a big pot because our kitchen is cold and the pan loses less heat). Drizzle a little olive oil in the pan and coat the chicken breasts with it. Add seasonings to taste. Cook chicken until browned on both sides and cooked through- 15-20 minutes for me, and I adjust the temperature throughout the cooking to make sure the chicken doesn't get too dark.

Scalloped Potatoes:
5-6 Medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin rounds (enough to go in a 9x13 pan)
1/4 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup Flour
1/2-1 tsp Salt
1/4-1/2 tsp Pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4-1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/4-1/2 tsp Dill
1/4-1/2 tsp Oregano
2 Cups milk
2-3 Cups grated cheese

Boil sliced potatoes until slightly soft, but not falling apart. Drain and pour into 9x13" pan.
While potatoes are boiling, melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add flour and spices (I don't measure the spices, just do it to taste), increase heat, and stir until smooth and bubbly. Add milk and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil one minute; sauce will be thicker. Turn off heat. Add half of the cheese to the sauce, stir until melted. Pour sauce over potatoes and stir a little to make sure they're all coated. Sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese over the top. Bake in a 350F oven 30-45 minutes or until the top of the cheese is slightly browned. Let sit a few minutes before serving to let it set.

Beef Crock Pot Roast

Beef Roast with Carrots and Potatoes

My favorite all-in-one meal is roast with potatoes and carrots. You throw a roast in the crock pot, add carrots, potatoes, garlic, onion, worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, and water, and let it cook it on low for 8-10 hours. It is so wonderful to eat, and great to just have to serve it up at dinner time instead of busting out pots and pans!

Dill Potato Rolls

Dill Potato Rolls (knotted)

I have discovered an awesome recipe for potato rolls (by a lady here in Oregon!) on allrecipes.com: click here to see the recipe. The only difference in my recipe is that I add about 2Tbsp of dill to the dry ingredients. You can't really taste the dill; it just gives it more of an aromatic flavor, I think. They still have that potato-bread sweetness to them that I love! I also roll them or tied them into 32 knots instead of the 24 the recipe suggests. It makes slightly over-sized dinner rolls, or small sandwich rolls. I made them for my family's Thanksgiving, and they were a hit. I'll probably be making them more, since they don't take much work.