Sweet Cornbread

This is for all you cornbread-haters out there.  Derek is one of them, but he actually likes this because he says it tastes like cake.  And it actually does, because half of it is cake.  The ingredients I kind of made up, so just follow your gut on those.

Ingredients:

1 package cornbread mix (I used Betty Crocker, but Jiffy would work great)
1/2 package yellow cake mix
Whatever ingredients they call for (oil, water, milk, butter, eggs, etc.)

So the ingredients on the back of the boxes: I put in everything that the cornbread mix called for (since I put in the whole mix), and half of what the cake mix called for (since I only put in half).  After all was said and done, I had put in 2 eggs, 1/3 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 of a 1/3 cup of oil (I estimated) and 2 T melted margarine.  The cornbread said to bake at 350 and the cake said 400, so I baked it at 375 for about 5 minutes longer than what the cornbread said to do.  And it turned out great!  Just make sure you stick a toothpick in the middle to make sure it's done before you take it out.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe comes from my sister and it is oh so good!  Normally I'm not a huge chicken noodle soup fan, but this has lots of flavor and I love the creamy consistency.  Derek actually liked it too!  It's a keeper.

Ingredients:

2 chicken bouillon cubes

3 cups chicken broth

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups cooked, diced chicken

cooked egg noodles

Heat bouillon and broth in large pot.  Add carrots, celery and onions and simmer until tender.  Add soup and sour cream.  Add chicken and noodles.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Golden Baked Pork Cutlets

Sorry for the terrible picture, but I was in such a hurry to eat because these were so good!  Derek said he'd pay money at a restaurant for them.  The breading kept the meat nice and juicy (another tip to make it juicy is to tent it with foil for 5-10 minutes after coming out of the oven) and the flavor was great.  I believe I got the recipe from Food Network, but I saved it so long ago I can't remember.

Ingredients:

1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed (I just used some pork chops)
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs (I only had Italian and they were great; plain would be good too)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp canola oil
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
4 tsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

Holding a chef's knife at a 45 degree angle and perpendicular to the tenderloin, slice the pork into 4 long, thin fillets (skip if you already have pre-cut pork chops).

Mix breadcrumbs, sugar, paprika, onion powder, and salt in a shallow dish.  Drizzle with oil and mash with fork until oil is thoroughly incorporated.  Lightly beat egg white with fork in another shallow dish.  Sprinkle cornstarch over pork slices and pat to coat evenly on both sides.  Dip the pork into the egg, then press into the breading mixture until evenly coated on both sides.

Place the pork on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake until just barely pink in the middle and a thermometer reads 145 degrees F, 14-16 minutes.