LG Change Your Life Chicken

 This recipe is as amazing as the title implies!  One pan.  Whole family enjoyed.  Quick prep.  Classic.  Thanks Lazy Genius for sharing this one pan yumminess with us!

- chicken thighs, bone in and skin on, one per person or to family preferences
- olive oil 
- salt and pepper

- (Lazy Genius says two handfuls of vegetables per person; below is what I do most often)

- One onion, large chunks

- potatoes, cut in chunks

- carrots, round slices

- green beans

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.  Lift up skin to sprinkle under skin with salt and pepper.  Prepare chicken this way one hour to one day early.  I even buy double thighs that I need, preparing one batch for supper that day and the rest prepped and in the freezer for a later day. 

Preheat oven to 500.  

Line large baking tray with foil.  Spray with olive oil spray to prevent sticking.  (LG says toss with oil, but I find that unnecessary if you use one pan.  If you separate chicken on its own pan, the vegetables lightly tossed in oil would be great!)

Arrange vegetables on pan.  Salt and pepper the vegetables.  Place chicken skin side up on top of the vegetables.  Bake at 500 degrees for 50 min.  (My oven runs hot, so I bake at 450 degrees.)

The chicken will be amazingly moist!  The veggies will be browned so lovely and flavorful!  The Lazy Genius has a great description about why she does it all this way.  Read her words of wisdom or just try it; you won’t be sorry!

Delicious Chicken Lettuce Wraps

These lettuce wraps were so delicious!  The whole family enjoyed!  I have one other lettuce wrap recipe on this site, but I find them a little too sweet.  These have a good balance between sweet and spicy, and yum!  (I used damndelicious.net's recipe as a guide and then tweaked to my liking!)

This is also my favorite kind of recipe for a busy day.  I chopped the vegetables early in the day (would have been great to prep the day before as well), as well as cooked and cubed the chicken early.  Because in this style of recipe the vegetables are meant to keep some crisp-ness, the vegetables are only cooked for a moment.  Prep early, then have dinner on the table in 20 minutes or less!

Prepped

Stir in vegetables

Serve and enjoy!

- 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce

- 4 tablespoons soy sauce

- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

- 1-2 tablespoons Sriracha (optional to taste)

- 2 tbsp canola oil

- 1 tbsp sesame oil (optional)

- 3 large chicken breasts, cooked and then cubed (or 2 lbs of ground chicken)

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 in ginger, minced

- 1 onion, diced

- 3 baby bok choy, cored, chopped

- a handful of shredded carrot, or about 2 carrots, peeled and shredded

- 3 green onions, thinly sliced

- 1 head lettuce, for serving

Mix sauce ingredients.  Set aside.

Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat.  Add chicken, garlic, ginger, onion.  Stir and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add sauce.  Stir to combine.  Allow sauce to come to a bubble.  Reduce heat to low.  Add vegetables and stir to fully combine.

Serve and so much enjoy!  As an entree, I serve with lettuce and a roasted vegetable like green beans or carrots.  For the leftovers, serve over rice or riced cauliflower.  

One Pan Teriyaki

This recipe came across my computer screen when I was looking for something else.  I quickly added it to the "to try" list!  Pioneer woman says to drizzle Teriyaki Sauce, but with Whole 30 and with our youngest not able to have soy, I came up with a substitute sauce.  We ate this last night.  I want to quickly write down what I did, because we all liked it!

This was also inspired by us trying something new every week of Whole 30.  Bok choy was the new this week.  Another hit with everyone!  Okay, with no further commentary, 

- 1/3 cup soy sauce, or coconut aminos
- 1/3 cup mirin
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- splash of sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1in piece of ginger, minced

- 18 asparagus spears
- 3 heads bok choy, halved
- 1-2 green peppers, sliced
- 8-12 green onions, trimmed
- 4 thin pork chops, or 2 chicken breasts

Mix the first 6 ingredients.  Set aside.

Put asparagus, green pepper, and green onions on bottom of a sheet pan or over-sized dish.  Arrange bok choy along edge.  Drizzle half of sauce mixture over the vegetables.  Put pork chops or chicken on top.  Salt and pepper the meat.  Drizzle the rest of the sauce over the meat and vegetables.

Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

Serve as is, or over rice.  Enjoy!

Sonoma Chicken Salad

I enjoy chicken salad, but I am really picky.  I don't like when the chicken is shredded.  I don't like when there is tons of mayonnaise.  I want something that adds texture to the chicken salad.  I have a lot of rules for good chicken salad.  My favorite chicken salad ever, the cook wouldn't give me the recipe.  Major disappointment!  This is the first chicken salad since that favorite years ago that I considered worth seeking out the recipe.

This is Whole Foods recipe for Sonoma Chicken Salad.

for the dressing

- 1 cup mayonnaise

- 4 tsp apple cider vinegar

- 5 tsp honey

- 2 tsp poppyseeds

- salt and pepper, to taste

for the salad,

- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

- 3/4 cups pecan pieces, toasted

- 2 cups red seedless grapes, halved

- 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

Combine the dressing ingredients.  Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad.  This can be prepared up to two days ahead.

Stir together the chicken (when cold) with the pecans, grapes, celery, and dressing.

Serve over salad greens.  Or, in a sandwich.  Or just eat.

Hope you enjoy as much as I do!

4 Ingredient Mexican

A friend and I were talking about how cooking with young babies and kids in the house includes lots of quick meals.  But, it is also important to us to provide balanced meals.  This is definitely one that fits the family-friendly, balanced, provides-variety kind of meals!  I stole this meal from my sister-in-law years ago and just have never shared here.  

Enjoy!

- 2 cups frozen corn

- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

- 2 large frozen chicken breasts (about a pound)

- 1 1/2 cups salsa

Pour frozen corn on the bottom of the crock pot and place chicken breasts on top.  Cover with beans and salsa.  Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.  (adjust time if using thawed chicken breasts) 

Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred.  Return shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir until the corn, chicken, beans, and salsa are combined.

Here is the reason I love this dish:

Serve over a bed of chips.  Garnish with cilantro, cheese, lettuce, tomato, lime wedges, ... favorite toppings

Or, serve over rice, garnished with favorite toppings

Or, serve in a tortilla with rice and favorite toppings as a burrito

I love the versatility of this one!!  Becomes a great way to eat Mexican at home.  Nachos for an at-home take-out kind of meal.  Rice bowls.  Burritos.  Easy to accommodate each person's favorite! 

"General Tso's" Chicken

Asian goes over so well in this house!  Easy to differentiate plates, easy to make as spicy as you wish, not hard to make, and tasty!  This is one of my favorites of the Asian recipes I have tried lately!  (a Pinterest success from lecremedelacrumb.com)

- 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 cup corn starch

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp black pepper

For the Sauce:

- 1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce

- 1/2 cup soy sauce

- 1/2 cup rice vinegar

- 4 tbsp sugar

- 2 tbsp minced garlic (or garlic powder)

- 4 tbsp water

- 2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)

Whisk together corn starch, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.  In a bowl, combine all sauce ingredients, whisk to combine.  Preheat oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Add corn starch mix to a ziploc bag with the chicken.  Seal and then shake to coat chicken.

Add coated chicken to pan.  Saute 1-2 minutes, until browned.  (Chicken will be browned, but not fully cooked through yet.)

Add half the sauce to the pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.  Before serving, add the rest of the sauce.

Serve with rice.  Garnish with sliced green onions (optional).

Enjoy!

Mom's Chicken Pie

I have posted this recipe before, but I wanted to move it higher on the blog.  This was a major staple in my house when I was growing up.  None of us kids and my dad didn't like vegetables in the chicken pie, so this was my mom's answer.  This simple chicken pie with normally steamed broccoli on the side.  If you need the simple, this should absolutely be your next to try.

- 3 chicken breasts
- 2 pie crusts
- 1 can of cream of chicken soup or 9-10 oz of this cream of chicken soup
- 4 cups of chicken broth*

Cook chicken breasts with salt until chicken is tender (approx. one hour). Cook chicken and chop into pieces. Mix soup with broth. Heat mixture until hot. Grease baking dish. Put one pie crust into dish. Add chicken. Pour soup mixture over chicken. Add second pie crust to top.

Bake at 350 for one hour.

*I did not need this much chicken broth.  I think my mom's dish was a 10x10, but mine is only a 9x9.  So, feel free to adjust your liquid accordingly as well.

Anna-Kate's comment was, "This is the best supper ever."  Simple to prepare.  Always has enough leftovers for at least one night.  The sweet of the pie crust with the savory chicken mixture, a win for parent and kid alike!

Pasta with Peanut Sauce and Chicken

Asian.  Pasta.  Better the next day.  Good cold or hot.  Take out made at home.  

I am absolutely still on my Asian kick.  My pantry is expanding toward Asian; my house eats something Asian-inspired at least once a week these days.  Such a good buck-stretcher, left-over user, and crowd pleaser at this house.  

This one absolute fits all that.  Everyone enjoys it!  Comes mostly from the pantry, yes please!  And it tastes like Friday night take out, just made at home.  I am a sucker for this type recipe.  This comes from a friend (the same friend who shared "Citrus Chicken," a few posts ago); I love recipes from friends!  

- 12 oz linguine 

- 1 cup chicken broth

- 6 tbsp rice vinegar

- 4 tbsp soy sauce

- 4 tbsp peanut butter

- 1.5 tbsp minced garlic, about 4 cloves

- 1 tsp ground ginger

- 1 tsp crushed red pepper (or less/more to taste)

- 2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded

- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

- 1/4 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and keep warm.

While pasta cooks, combine broth and next 6 ingredients in a small sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Add the broth mixture to the warm pasta; stir well.  Add chicken and cilantro; toss gently.  Sprinkle with peanuts.  Allow pasta to sit a few minutes to absorb sauce.  Serve and enjoy!!

Truly perfect for a take-out mood!

Citrus Chicken

This recipe got 4 thumbs up!  A friend and I were talking about cooking for our families.  Our families have similar desires for lots of flavor in whatever we eat.  So, she sent me some of their favorites in her rotation.  This is the first one I made.  Yum!  Easy!  Healthy!  If that is not the best trio for recommendation, I don't know what is!

- 1/4 cup orange juice

- 1/2 tsp grated lime rind

- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice

- 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (or a tbsp of dry thyme like I used)

- 2 tsp minced garlic, about 3 cloves

- 1 tsp grated orange rind

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/8 tsp ground red pepper

- 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts cutllets

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 6 cups fresh spinach

*Note my tweaks are in italics.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well.  Pour a 1/4 cup in a large zip-top bag.  Add chicken to bag.  Seal; let stand at least 5 minutes.  Add oil to remaining juice mixture, stirring well.  

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with cooking spray oil or a little olive oil.  Remove chicken from bag, discarding marinade.  Add chicken to pan; cooking 4 minutes per side or until done.  Add spinach to the skillet; cover with lid for one minute.  Uncover and stir.  Recover.  Repeat until desired wilt.  

Divide spinach among plates.  Place chicken on top of spinach.  Top each serving with one tablespoon juice mixture.

I served with sweet potatoes cut into discs and roasted, as well as some grapes and orange slices.  Balanced.  Delicious.  And, I love spinach and any reason to eat it!  Enjoy!

Lemon Garlic Chicken

I have quite a few holiday recipes to post, but I have to interrupt that plan to post this recipe.  Oh my word, it was wonderful!!  The chicken was moist.  It was flavorful, or "flavory," as my 4 year old says.  Parents and kids alike devoured it!  I  made it Monday, and it is already planned for next week too!

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- juice of one lemon

- 1 (3.5 oz) jar capers, drained  OR 1 (3oz) can sliced olives

- 1 lemon, sliced

- 5 garlic cloves

- 1.5 tbsp rosemary

- 1 tsp kosher salt

- 1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix together above 8 ingredients.

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 8 chicken thighs (or 3 chicken breasts)

Add 2 tbsp olive oil to skillet or roasting pan or casserole dish. (I added about 1/3 onion, sliced to the bottom of my skillet.)  Arrange chicken.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken.  (Original recipe says to add 1 lb small red potatoes.  I cooked mine separate, but would be totally great to get out the trusty 9x13, and arrange potatoes around the chicken.)

Pour lemon mixture over chicken.  

Bake at 425 for 45 minutes or until chicken is done.  Serve chicken with sauce.  

This was simple preparation.  Absolutely "flavory!"  A hit with the family.  An immediate staple in the rotation.  I served it with roasted potatoes and roasted okra.  Yum!

Roasted Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Vegetables

While on Pinterest, I stumbled over this recipe.  Lemon and garlic are a marriage made in my husband's heaven!  I knew this was a recipe he would want me to try.  I, however, don't like recipes where lemon overpowers.  So, I knew a few tweaks were in order.  When I read the reviews on the recipe, most of the review-ers agreed with me.  This was really simple to prep, and a super tasty one-dish meal!  

Here is the recipe with my tweaks!

(Serves 4)

- 5 tbsp olive oil

- 1 lemon, halved, juiced

- 2 garlic cloves, whole

- 1/3 to 1/2 a small onion, sliced in rings

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 tsp kosher salt (more to taste)

- 1/2 tsp black pepper (more to taste)

- 1/2 tsp thyme, rosemary

- 3/4 lb trimmed green beans

- 8 small red potatoes, quartered

- 4 chicken breasts (I used boneless, skinless, so my time will be according to that; bone-in, skin-on would be great as well)

Marinate chicken in 1/2 the lemon juice, the whole garlic cloves, 1 tbsp olive oil, and salt and pepper for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375.  

Put onion slices in bottom of 9x13 baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, put olive oil, the other half of the lemon juice, minced garlic, salt and pepper.  Add the green beans; toss to coat.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the onion slices.

Add to the same mixing bowl the rosemary and thyme.  Then add the potatoes; toss to coat.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes and arrange around the edge of the baking dish.  

Remove chicken from marinade and place in the middle of the dish.  Spoon any remnants of the olive oil mixture from tossing the vegetables onto the chicken.  Sprinkle the chicken with a little lemon pepper seasoning.

Bake for 45 minutes.  Remove chicken to a plate, tent with foil.  Put vegetables back in oven for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Serve, and enjoy!

So tasty!  The husband, the kids, and me...we all loved it!  Will's exact words, "Please put this in the rotation."  

Enchilada Casserole

Oh friends!  I am so excited about this one!  

Do you like authentic-tasting Mexican food?  Will and I are always on the hunt for good Mexican food, not just okay, but good Mexican food.  This is it!  I really wonder if the guajillo pepper is one that the Hispanic families I used to visit used a lot in their cooking.  Those families, when I entered their home, would insist I taste what was on their table.  Yes please!  This red sauce is reminiscent of that flavor.

The red sauce is an adaptation from a recipe I tried recently, Chilaquiles.  I think it is defiinitely my replacement for the red enchilada sauce in a can.  The chicken mixture I dreamed up on my own.  I am so proud of this chicken mixture!  I am looking for ways to incorporate this more.  This recipe was going to be traditional enchiladas (red sauce, chicken mixture rolled into their tortillas, red sauce and topped with cheese), but I was running low on time, so I turned it into a casserole.  I admit, because I made this one up, I would love to know if you try this one.  It really is good and it really is easy!!  (TRY the Guajillo peppers!!  They are in the bright yellow and clear bags, dried peppers.  They are not spicy, just flavor-filled.)

For the red sauce:
- 3 dried Guajillo peppers
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes (fresh tomatoes would be awesome too!)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 white onion, chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, pressed
- a little (about 1/4 cup) fresh or (about 1/2 tbsp) dried cilantro

Broil the peppers about 90 seconds per side.  Then combine all ingredients in the blender.  Pour from blender into sauce pan.  Heat over medium heat.  Then allow to simmer while making the chicken mixture.

For the chicken mixture:
- 2/3 white onion, sliced in thin rings or strips
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 2/3 - 3/4 can black beans
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- salt to taste

Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a saute pan.  Add the onions and garlic.  Saute until soft (maybe 4-5 minutes).  While sauteing the onions and garlic, blend the black beans with the chicken broth.  Add the bean puree and the shredded chicken to the pan.  Heat over medium heat.  Then reduce to simmer.

Putting Together Casserole:
- red sauce
- chicken mixture
- 8 corn tortillas, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar, Manchego or favorite Mexican food cheese)

Layer a little red sauce, then chicken mixture, and chopped tortillas.  Repeat.  Top with a little red sauce and cheese.  Bake at 350 uncovered for 15 minutes.  Then uncover and bake 5 more minutes.

I forgot to take the finished picture!  Whoops!  I'll add it if I take it layer. Notice we had one for that night and one for the freezer.  Love those!

What do you think? 

Honey Mustard Pretzel-Coated Chicken

 At least once a week I have been trying to make what I call a "pantry meal," a meal that uses up leftover ingredients already in my pantry or fridge.  I am hoping this will help me keep my pantry under control and keep my grocery budget under control.  I have enjoyed that it has also helped my creativity. Some times I try to make up a recipe (ahem, alter recipes I already know to fit the ingredients I have), and others I go to the Internet to find a recipe that uses what I have.  This is one of those.

This recipe got 2 thumbs up from all three of us!  Definitely worth trying and an easy one because you probably have every ingredient in your fridge/pantry right now!

- 10 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup and 2 tbsp honey mustard, plus more for dipping if wished (one time I used honey and yellow mustard because I was out of honey mustard)
- 1/4 cup egg substitute (I used two eggs)
- 20 standard-size pretzel twists (I used pretzel sticks)
- 1 tbsp and 1 tsp sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Season chicken strips with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine honey mustard and eggs.  Whisk well.  Submerge the chicken and set aside to marinate for at least 5 minutes.  (Perfect timing to set aside while getting pretzels ready!)

Crush pretzels.  Add sugar and mix.  Put mixture in a dish.

Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Transfer chicken to pretzel mixture and thoroughly coat.  Then transfer to baking dish.  Mist the tops of the chicken strips with nonstick spray.

Bake for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking, until the chicken is cooked through.

Thank you Hungry Girl (and foodnetwork.com's search) for such a quick, easy, super yummy recipe!!  I made a spicy barbecue dipping sauce for me and Will.  I gave Anna-Kate some of the extra honey mustard. Truly yummy and a hit for all!  Hope you enjoy!

Chicken Chilaquiles

Anyone wanting Mexican?  Me, always!

My favorite dish at Dos Taquitos (the many, ahem 3 times, that I have been) is chilaquiles.  Yummy, cheesy, saucy chilaquiles!  I have tried it at other restaurants, and well, I need to stick with chilaquiles at Dos Taquitos.  Nothing compares!  When I saw this recipe in a cookbook of mine, I knew I had to try it.  You know, just in case it is even close to as good.  

It isn't the exact same as Dos Taquitos, but it is so good.  Look at this yumminess...

...totally worth you trying!  I mean, wonderful!

.

- 5 large dried guajillo peppers, stemmed *  (see note at bottom)

- 1 cup firmly packed fresh cilantro, divided

- 2 small onions, divided

- 8 plum tomatoes, cored

- 1 cup chicken broth

- 1 garlic clove, peeled

- 2 tsp vegetable oil

- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken

- 1 tsp salt

- 4 cups coarsely crushed restaurant-style tortilla chips

-  2 cups (6 oz) shredded Mexican-style Manchego cheese

Preheat broiler.  Arrange peppers on a sheet pan.  Place pan 2-4in from heating element.  Broil peppers 30-45 seconds or until slightly charred.  Chop cilantro and cut 1 onion in half lengthwise.  Place peppers, half of the cilantro, half of the onion, 4 tomatoes, broth and garlic in blender.  Pulse on low speed until blended.  Place remaining tomatoes in blender; pulse on low speed until blended.

In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering.  Thinly slice remaining onions.  Add onions to skillet; cook 1-2 minutes or until onions begin to caramelize.  Remove skillet from heat; stir in sauce, chicken and salt.  Return to heat and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat; stir in chips and top with cheese.  Cover; let stand 5 minutes.  Remove lid; sprinkle with remaining cilantro.  Great served with a green vegetable or salad.  Or, serve with fried eggs for an authentic Mexican breakfast (says the cookbook).  

Look at the sauce on this dish

 Reallly, look at it!   The peppers, cilantro, tomatoes, ... delicious!

 From Pampered Chef's Latin Flavor cookbook!  Mexican food at home, my kind of supper!

* These guajillo peppers are not spicy.  On the hot-ness scale at the top of the bag, they only get a medium.  I would classify them as mild.  They have really great flavor but no real spicy-ness.  Also, these can probably be found at Wal-Mart, in a bright yellow bag in the international/Spanish aisle.  I bought these at the International Food Store in Raleigh.
**Another note from the cookbook:  omit oil.  Cook 6 oz chorizo for 6-8 minutes for even more flavor.  Continue with the rest of the directions.  

Italian Chicken and Couscous

This dish used to be a staple in my supper rotation. It's been a little while since I made it, but a great friend ("the roommate") asked for the recipe and now I think I need to make it again soon! It makes a great main dish or a great side if you minus the meat. Add a salad or a green vegetable and you have your meal!

- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 can stewed tomatoes, drained, with 1/2 cup of the liquid reserved
- 1 lb chicken, cut into strips
- 1 med onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh or 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 med zucchini, sliced (I like using both squash and zucchini for color)
- 1/2 pkg (10 oz size) couscous (3/4 cup)

Heat oil in 10-in skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic in oil 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Stir in reserved tomato liquid, chicken, onion, oregano, and pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center.

Stir in broth; heat to boiling. Stir in zucchini, couscous, and tomatoes, breaking up tomatoes with a fork or snipping with kitchen scissors. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand about 5 minutes or until couscous is tender and liquid is absorbed.

So yummy!
This is taken from Betty Crocker's Cookbook (The Big Red Cookbook from Betty Crocker). This cookbook was a gift from my mom when I moved out on my own for the first time. She said every new cook needs a cookbook with all the basics like this one. This one has served me quite well; my roommate and I tried out more than a few of these recipes in our first months/years on our own. Thanks mom!... and Betty!

Cheesy Chicken [Nuggets]

My sister-in-law recommended this recipe to me, thinking Anna-Kate might really love it. Well, she was right!! Anna-Kate loved it, and so did me and Will! So, I stole this from her blog, and she stole it from KellytheKitchenKop. Definitely try this one! especially you guys with kids.

- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 6 thin boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.

Coat dish with melted butter.

In one bowl, mix the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together. In another bowl, whisk the milk and egg together. In a third bowl, mix the cheese and bread crumbs.

Dip each piece of chicken first in flour mixture, then egg mixture, then bread crumb mixture. Place in baking dish.

Drizzle the 2 tbsp melted butter over the chicken.

Bake for 35 minutes (less for nuggets) until the chicken is golden brown and juices run clear.

Yummy!!! This really did get rave reviews from the whole family! I served as a dipping sauce with it, a mixture of half honey mustard, half barbecue sauce mixed well together! (Forgive the picture above; it is the ready-for-the-oven picture. I forgot to take the after picture.)

Balsamic Barbecue Sauce

I was looking for a good marinade and came across this barbecue sauce that has minimal tomato sauce in it. Sounded different and good, and it was! Giada describes it as sweet and tangy. I agree with that. Her original recipe was to use this with chicken. I used it with pork tenderloin. Definitely one I recommend.

- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

**Giada's directions
Combine and whisk until smooth. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by one third, approx 15 min. Grill the chicken, brushing the chicken with the 1/2 cup barbecue sauce for the last 2 or 3 min. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Serve the remaining sauce alongside.

**What I actually did
Combine and whisk until smooth. Marinate meat for a couple hours. Bake in oven until cooked through. (I had one pork tenderloin. Baked at 400 for ~45 min.)

I really enjoyed this, as did the company I served it too. I had every ingredient in my pantry already, which is another added bonus!

Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

This was so yummy! This is a common casserole; I had just never made it. Here is the recipe I followed!

- 2 boxes of Uncle Ben's long grain and wild rice (cooked to pkg directions, omitting seasonings or using only one to not overwhelm the other flavors)
- 2 cans cream of chicken
- 16 oz sour cream
- 1 1/2 pounds of chicken, shredded
- 60 Ritz crackers, crushed
- 2 tbsp poppy seed
- 1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.

Spread rice evenly on 13x9 dish or 2 8x8s. Mix soup wtih sour cream. Sprinkle chicken over mixture. Place crushed Ritz crackers in a ziploc bag. Add poppy seeds and shake to combine. Pour melted butter over crackers and shake again. Sprinkle crackers over the chicken.

Bake 30-40 minutes until it begins to bubble and the crackers are golden brown.

Mexican Pizza

- pizza crust (I used Pilsbury refrigerated pizza crust.)
- tomatillo salsa
- favorite shredded cheese
- chicken, cooked and cubed

Fix pizza crust according to package directions. I like to bake it for 6-8 minutes first. Then spread salsa on like sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with chicken. Bake for another 4-6 minutes to melt cheese and meld flavors.

This was so good! I had this at a Pampered Chef party and loved it. I fixed this last night for Will and Anna-Kate. Both really liked it! Yes, both. Anna-Kate ate it and enjoyed the pizza with green salsa! Yay for a fun, Mexican-flavored dish!

(fake) Chiles Rellenos Chicken

This recipe is taken from a Pampered Chef cookbook, "Stoneware Inspirations." I think the name is a total misnomer. The recipe, however, is really tasty!

- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4-6 oz each)
- 2 limes, cut in half
- 2 egg whites
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
- 1 cup finely crushed nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips (about 3 cups chips)
- 1 can (8 oz) whole green chiles, drained and cut into strips
- 4 tbsp shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 tsp fresh cilantro
- salsa (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease pan. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

Juice lime halves into bowl. Add egg white and pressed garlic; whisk until frothy using whisk.

Place tortilla chips in a bag and finely crush. Place crushed chips in shallow dish. Dip chicken breasts into egg mixture and then into chips, coating completely. Discard any remaining crushed chips. Place chicken on pan.

Bake 20-22 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Arrange chile strips over chicken; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 2-3 minutes or just until cheese melts. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with salsa if desired.

This is what is for dinner tonight at the Simmons home, served with blackbeans mixed with a can of rotel. Enjoy!