Spicy Honey Chicken

Another recipe from Our Best Bites that I liked.  Here is the original.

My version with modifications below:

Spicy Honey Chicken

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

 2 t canola oil

Rub

2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder

Combine spices and oil in a large ziplock bag. Deposit chicken breasts and toss to coat.  Let sit for 10 min to allow flavors time to blend.  Grill chicken is cooked and juices run clear.  (I utilized my George Foreman.  Bless that man.)

  

Glaze
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Instructions:

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

Chicken Bacon Alfredo

(picture from Ourbestbites.com)

This is from Our Best Bites.  Original recipe here.  This pasta reminded me of Firehouse's Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta.  It's pretty heavy, even though the Alfredo is called "guiltless".  Regardless, it's delicious.  Rachel loved it.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:
2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2-3 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter (I probably only used a t.)
3 garlic cloves (Honestly, this is overpowering, and this is coming from a garlic lover.  I would cut this to 2 cloves)
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Place milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.  (I used my food processor) In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don’t want to burn it.

Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it’s nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Season with additional salt if needed.  Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

Pasta Dish

8 oz. penne or bowtie pasta

1 recipe Guiltless Alfredo Sauce (1 16-oz. jar would work in a pinch)

2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped (about 2 c. chopped chicken)

(I cooked the chicken in olive oil and a bit of garlic in my frying pan.  Too cold outside to grill)

6 oz. (1/2 package) cooked bacon, chopped

(If you haven't discovered Hormel picnic bacon from Sam's Club, you must)

1 14-oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 c. chopped green onions (about 1 decent-sized bunch)

I omitted this.  Green onions are just nasty.  

1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, prepare Guiltless Alfredo sauce. When pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce. Toss with chopped chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, green onions, and 1/2 c. mozzarella. Season to taste.

Transfer mixture to an 8×8″ baking dish . Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

Chicken Nuggets with Potato Chips

This was from the Sept. issue of Cooking Light.  You can find the original recipe here.  I did make a few changes.  I think there is some sort of potato chip cutting device, and I will definitely be buying one.

• Chicken nuggets:
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/3 cup dill pickle juice
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 t. garlic powder or garlic salt
• 1/4 t. crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• Potato chips:
• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 medium baking potatoes  cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
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• Mustard Sauce:
• 1/2 cup canola mayonnaise

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1T Dijon mustard

1. 1. To prepare the chicken nuggets, combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.
2. 2. Place panko in a large skillet; cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently.
3. 3. Preheat oven to 400°.
4. 4. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Place panko, salt, garlic, and pepper  in a zip-top plastic bag. Combine 2 tablespoons water and egg in a shallow dish; dip half of chicken in egg mixture. Add chicken to bag; seal and shake to coat. Remove chicken from bag; arrange chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining egg mixture, panko, and chicken. Bake chicken at 400° for 12 minutes or until done.
5. 5. To prepare chips, combine oil  in a large bowl. Add potatoes; toss gently to coat. Place potatoes evenly on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt.  Broil until chips appear crispy.  (this was kind of tedious, but my kids really loved the result)
6. 6. To prepare sauce, combine mayonnaise and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir to combine. Serve with chicken nuggets and potato chips.

Favorite Cinnamon Rolls

I have tried a lot of different cinnamon roll recipes, but this is my favorite.  I think the magic is in adding the mashed potatoes (I just make instant, unless I have left-overs).  Generally, I make these at night and let them rise until morning, but you can make them during the day and place them somewhere warm as well.  Another hint on cinnamon rolls is to use brown sugar for the filling instead of white sugar.  I use the frosting from this recipe.  

2 c. scalded milk
1 heaping c. mashed potatoes
1/2 c. warm water
1 c. sugar
7 c. flour
1/2 c. shortening
2 T. yeast
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 t. salt

filling
1/2 stick butter, melted
A generous amount of cinnamon
brown sugar

Heat milk until just before it begins to boil.  Remove from heat and pour over shortening, allowing to cool to luke warm.  Meanwhile, soften yeast in 1/2 c. warm water.  Add yeast and luke warm milk mixture to eggs, sugar, salt, mashed potatoes, and 4 c. flour.  Beat until smooth.  Slowly add the remainder of flour and mix until dough pulls away from sides.  Cover and let rise to double.

Divide dough in half.   Roll out on a floured or oiled surface and cut into a square.  Add half of filling and roll, using a knife or dental floss to cut into rolls.  Repeat with remainder of dough.  Rise to double and bake at 350 for 20 min.

Tortellini Primavera

Even my picky eater liked this one.
5 servings (1-1/4 c each) 424 calories

Tortellini Primavera

1- 14 oz can vegetable or reduced sodium chicken broth
2 T flour
1 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, separated
1 c. shredded parmesan cheese
1 T chopped fresh tarragon, dill or chives
1/8 t. salt
4 c. chopped vegetables (broccoli, carrots, snap peas)
1- 16 oz package frozen cheese tortellini
2 chicken breasts (optional, my addition)
1 T. lemon juice

Slice chicken breasts and cook in a skillet with 1 clove garlic and 1 T lemon juice until browned.  Set aside
Put large pot of water on to boil

Whisk broth and flour in a small bowl.  Heat oil in a large skillet over med heat.  Add garlic and cook until just beginning to brown.  Add broth mixture to pan, bring to boil and cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese, tarragon, and salt.  

Add vegetables and tortellini to boiling water.  Return water to a simmer and cook until both are tender.  Drain and add to the pan with the sauce.  Also add chicken, stirring until coated.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

• This is so delicious.  The blueberries really make this bread, which is really more like a cake.  Yum!  Also, I didn't have mini loaf pans, so I just separated the batter into two regular sized pans.  
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• Blueberry Zucchini Bread

allrecipes.com

• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup vegetable oil (I subbed applesauce and wasn't pleased with the texture.)
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar (I cut this in half)
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pint fresh blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini-loaf pans.
3. Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Skillet Chicken Vesuvio

Our lack of recipes lately is a bit embarrassing.  My husband returned from Afghanistan, another sister nears the end of her pregnancy, while the other prepares for a trip across the world...  At any rate, it's time to return to cooking.

Skillet Chicken Vesuvio

(serves four)

4-6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

salt and pepper

4 tsp canola oil

10 small red potatoes (about 1-1/2 lbs, halved-- be sure they are no bigger than 1 inch in diameter)  I just used regular red potatoes and cut them in small chunks.

2 minced garlic cloves

1 tsp minced fresh rosemary

1/2 t dried oregano

1 T flour

1-1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 c. dry white wine

1 cup frozen peas

1 T unsalted butter

2 t fresh lemon juice

Pat chicken breasts dry and season with 1/4 t. salt and 1/4 t pepper.  Heat 2 t. oil in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium high .  Carefully lay chicken in the skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides.  Transfer chicken to plate.

Heat remaining 2 t. oil in the same pan over med heat until simmering.  Arrange the potatoes in the pan, and cook until golden brown.  Stir in garlic, rosemary, oregano, and 1/4 t. salt and cook until fragrant.  Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.  Add the broth and wine, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to a simmer.  

Nestle chicken breasts into the potatoes.  Cover and cook over med heat until the chicken registers 165 degrees and the potatoes are tender, about 12 min.  Transfer chicken and potatoes to platter and tent loosely with foil.

Increase heat to med high and cook until sauce is reduced to 1 cup-- about 5 min.  Stir in peas and cook until heated through.  Off the heat, whisk butter and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon the sauce over the chicken and potatoes and serve.

420 calories per serving

Tomato Pizza Rolls

I found this recipe in August's Better Homes & Gardens. As always, I made a few adjustments. This is a delightful spin on traditional pizza.
*This makes 10 rolls
(Christina's note:  I used a food processor to cut the tomatoes and highly recommend draining the juice if you choose this method.  Also, don't make these too big or they will never cook on the inside!)


2 cups warm water
2 packages active dry yeast (2 tbsp)
6 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp salt
1-2 large garlic cloves
3 cups cherry tomatoes (I used regular tomatoes and diced them)
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp shredded lemon peel
1- 4 oz finely sliced proscuitto (I used bacon which is cheaper, i pre cook and then crumble)
1 cup basil leaves
I also used fresh mozzarella cheese. I can't give you an amount, because I don't really know. But it's cheese, so you really can't mess it up.

1. In a large bowl combine water and yeast, let proof. Add flour and 2 tsp salt. Then knead until dough is elastic. I used my Bosch to mix and knead. Let dough rise in a covered bowl until doubled, about 1 hour.

2. While the dough rises, make sauce. Mince/mash garlic. stir together tomatoes, 1/4 cup oil., lemon peel, sliced basil, pepper and salt to taste.

3. Roll the dough out in a large rectangle. Spread the topping over the dough, sprinkle basil, parmesan and place mozzarella on dough then roll just like you would a cinnamon roll. Then using a sharp knife, divide dough into 10 slices and placed on a cookie sheet. Let rise about 30 minutes. Bake at 425 for 25-35 minutes (bake half the time on the bottom rack, then move to the top rack). McKay suggested I put some mozzarella cheese on top, but i have not tested this method yet.

Asian Style Salad with Chicken

(Note:  this does not save well.  If you have more than you can eat at one sitting, separate the salad mix before adding half the dressing)



Yield 4 Servings/415 calories

For the Chicken

Combine  oil and soy sauce and rub on chicken breasts.  Arrange in baking dish and bake until juices run clear, about 13-15 min at 350.  Remove from oven, cool completely and cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t. sesame oil

Salad
Combine the following:


1/2 head napa cabbage, thinly shredded (about 6 cups)
1/4 head red cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups
2 cups shredded carrot
1-8 oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1-11 oz can mandarin oranges drained and rinsed (I also tried fresh pineapple.  Yum)

1/4 c. sliced almonds (add later)

Salad Dressing
Whisk together the following:

3 T soy sauce
1/3 c. rice wine vinegar
1 t. minced garlic
2 T canola oil
1-1/2 t. sesame oil
2 T. brown sugar
1-1/2 t chili garlic sauce

Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine.  Divide among bowls and top with chicken and 2 t.  almonds.

Double Chocolate Brownies

I found this recipe on Allrecipes and made some alterations. These are not the best brownies I've ever partake of, but they are pretty tasty and easy to make.

• 1 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl. Gradually stir flour mixture into the egg mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 25-30. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting. The recipe originally had baking time at 35-40 minutes. I have found this would be much too long. Baking them for less time also gives them a more fudgy taste.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Best chocolate cake ever.  you can go here to watch Ina make it.

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing the pans
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
• Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

• 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.