Crusty Parmesan Chicken

Yummy parmesan chicken.  I admit, I pan fried mine in the remaining garlic and butter and then I just sat it in the oven to warm with a little marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese baked on top.  Yum!

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, pounded flat and cut into pieces
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 cube butter
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 TBSP. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. pepper

Melt butter and garlic in a pan.  Dry chicken breasts and coat in garlic, butter mixture then dip in bread crumbs and place in 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle remaining garlic butter mixture over the top and bake at 450 for 15 minutes.

Homemade Pizza

Pizza Sauce:
2 cans tomato paste (6oz.)
2 cans water (6oz)
6 TBSP. grated parmesan cheese
1 TBSP. minced garlic
3 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt, to taste

Mix together in a small bowl.

Dough:
5 tsp. yeast, dissolved in 1 cup warm water and 3 tsp. sugar
8 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups warm water

Add flour, salt, olive oil and warm water to your mixer.  With a dough hook, mix until blended.  Add yeast mixture.  Knead on low for 8-10 minutes.  Cover with a cloth and let rise for 1 hour.  Punch down and shape into pizzas.  Dough taste better if you let it sit overnight, however, it can be used immediately.

I prefer rolling the dough really thin and pre-baking it on my pizza stone at 500 for 10 minutes.  Then I flip the dough over and put my sauce, cheese and toppings on, then return to the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes longer.

Chicken Alabam

I haven’t made this recipe in a long time, but felt like making it tonight.  My family always loves it.

Ingredients:

8 pieces of chicken
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
dash of thyme
5 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 cup chicken soup stock
1/2 cup light cream
1/4 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp pimiento 

Instructions: 

Dredge chicken pieces with mitxture of flour, paprika, salt, pepper, and thyme. Brush chicken with 3 Tbsp of melted butter and brown in oven or shake off excess flour and saute in about 3 Tbsp of cooking oil.

Saute onion lightly in 2 Tbsp. butter for 5 min. Stir in excess flour from dredging chicken. Add soup stock. Cook and stir until thickened. Add light cream and cook until smooth and thick. Add lemon juice and pimento; blend well. Pour sauce over chicken in a 2-3 qrt. caasserole; cover and bake 1 1/4 hours at 325, or until chicken is fork tender. Serve over cooked rice. Makes 4-6 servings.

*I always double the sauce.

Spinach Mushroom Enchiladas

I rarely cook anything vegetarian, but I thought I’d give it a whirl.  I love mushrooms, and I love spinach, so this recipe really appealed to me.  The flavors blended beautifully and I loved it!  You could easily add chicken if you wanted to add meat.  I, personally, like it as it is.

Ingredients:
1 lb. baby portobella mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 TBSP. butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
12 oz. chopped fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup lime juice minus 1 TBSP.
1 TBSP. chicken bouillon granules
1 TBSP. garlic powder
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 corn tortillas, warmed
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Crushed red pepper flakes

In a skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in butter until tender.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant.  Set aside half of the mushroom mixture for sauce.  Add wine to the skillet and cook for a few minutes.  Add 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt;  Cook until spinach wilts and liquid evaporates.

In a large saucepan, bring the water, lime juice, chicken bouillon, garlic powder and remaining seasoned salt to a boil, stirring to dissolve bouillon.  Stir in the sour cream, cilantro and reserved mushroom mixture; heat through.

Place spinach mixture in the center of each tortilla; roll up and place seam side down in a greased 13 x 9 in baking dish.  Spoon sauce over top; sprinkle with cheese.  Bake, uncovered at 350 for 15 minutes.  Add pepper flakes on top, if desired.

Harvest Salad with Pear Vinaigrette

The dressing is very flavorful and pairs up with the fruit and honey-roasted almonds nicely.  It’s a quick salad that you can throw together that has the taste of gourmet.  

Ingredients:
Mixed greens
1 pear, sliced
honey-roasted sliced almonds
Gouda cheese
Pear Gorgonzola salad dressing by Litehouse

Toss together and serve.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix together until fluffy
2 cubes butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar

Add:
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Salt
6 cups flour

Add chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes

Poppyseed Chicken

Not the healthiest dinner in the world, but it is something that my family loves.  It’s one of those really easy week night dinners.  What I love about it is that I can make it and freeze it.  I love recipes I can double and then throw in the freezer to save me a cooking night later.  I have so many casserole pans from all my freezer meal days, that I just fill up two pans and saran wrap and then tinfoil cover the second pan and I write on the tinfoil the directions and what is inside and pop it in my freezer.  It’s perfect for a day you don’t feel like cooking!

Ingredients:
Shredded chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup and 1 pint of sour cream. Pour over shredded chicken.
Mix together with chicken.

Combine: 1 pkg. ritz crackers 
1 cube melted butter 
2 tsp. poppy seeds (opt.)

Sprinkle over chieken. Bake 350 until hot and bubbly. Serve over rice.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

 I had some peppers in my fridge I needed to use up, so I decided to try these stuffed green peppers.  I was surprised how much the kids loved them!  The vote was to definitely add to the blog.  So, here they are...

Ingredients:
6 sweet bell peppers
1 pound ground beef
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 carrot, shredded
2 stalks celery chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup cooked long grain rice
1 TBSP. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. basil
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Cheese

Cut the tops off your peppers and remove seeds from the inside.  Place in water and boil until crisp tender.  In a skillet, brown the ground beef and saute onions, carrots, celery, garlic until tender.  Add seasonings, egg, tomatoes, rice and worcestershire sauce.  Mix all together and stuff your peppers.  Top with cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.