Crockpot Chicken & Cookies

I've made two delicious recipes lately that I wanted to share with you.

My dad is home from the hospital right now until his surgery on Tuesday.  We went over there on Thursday night and I made dinner so that my mom wouldn't have to worry about cooking.  My sister, niece and great-niece also came, so I was feeding a crowd.  I made the Sisterhood's Crockpot Chicken BBQ!
The only thing that I changed was that I used chicken thighs instead of breasts.  I made yellow rice to serve with it, and rolls.
To us, it doesn't really taste BBQ-y, so I am going to come up with another name for it.  I just haven't done that quite yet.  But it was a BIG hit!

And then these cookies....Ohhhh, these cookies.  AMAZING.  I've made them twice now.  Actually I made them once and my talented 12 year old cook made them the second time. Both times we made them exactly by the recipe, but I swear hers taste even better.  They're made with white chocolate chips, crushed oreos, and oreo pudding mix.  These are some delicious cookies!

ENJOY!!!

Spinach Stuffed Chicken

I found this on Pinterest and then tweaked it - of course.
It is hands down one of the best things I've ever cooked.  Everyone who has tried it, LOVES it.
I made it for Hunter's parents and they loved me even more than before!
It's one of those dishes that seems hard and kind of impresses people, but it's actually really easy.  It's also very simple to double.

Here's the website with the original recipe: Cooking Creation   Their version uses cajun seasoning and chicken breasts, among a few other differences.  Also, they use toothpicks to seal the chicken shut while cooking.  I prefer wooden skewers cut in half, so that you're not hunting toothpicks before serving.

And here's my version:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (we prefer dark meat)
• 2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded 
• 1 c frozen spinach, thawed and drained (you can also use fresh cooked spinach)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp Italian style breadcrumbs 
• Nature's Seasons, to taste
• wooden skewers, cut in half

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the pepper jack cheese, spinach, & seasoning.  Spoon about 1/4 c of the spinach/cheese mixture into each chicken thigh. Roll each chicken thigh tightly and fasten the seams with 3-4 wooden skewers.  

Brush each chicken thigh with the olive oil. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over all. Sprinkle any remaining spinach and cheese on top of chicken.  (in my family we don't believe there's any such thing as "too much cheese".)

Place the chicken seam-side up onto a tin foil-lined baking sheet (for easy cleanup).  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

I like to serve it with parmesan orzo and dinner rolls.


PS - I'm (finally) getting a new camera next week and I am SO looking forward to taking good food pictures!!  =D

3 Cheese Chicken Parmesan

I know, I know, I haven't posted here in FOREVER.  Thank you so much for coming back!

A couple of months ago Hunter, my honey-bunny, told me his favorite dish is chicken parmesan.
I had actually never made chicken parm, but I figured, how hard can it be?
I googled and found a couple of recipes, and then created my own, loosely based on what I found.
It was a success, to put it mildly!  Hunter LOVED it, and all of our kids loved it - even his super-picky son, and my youngest, Elayna, who doesn't like spaghetti, lasagna, or many things with tomato sauce.

So, I figured I'd share the recipe with you, my amigos.
Oh - and I don't really measure, so bear with me, I'll estimate when I can.  Sorry!


3 Cheese Chicken Parmesan

6 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 slices of provolone cheese
2 cups of mozzarella cheese
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
olive oil
tomato sauce (I used jarred sauce, and doctor it up with spices and minced garlic)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Next, pour your breadcrumbs into a large bowl and add about 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.  Add your favorite italian spices.  Dip the chicken breasts into the mixture.  Then, brown them in a little olive oil.  No need to fully cook them, you're just giving them a crunchy bread coating.

Heat up your tomato sauce, and add 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.  
Place your browned chicken breasts into a 9x13 baking pan.
Put one slice of provolone over each chicken breast.
Pour tomato sauce mixture over the chicken, and in the pan around it.  
Cover the entire concoction with mozzarella cheese.  
Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes, depending on the thickness of your breasts.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.
Serve!

I like to make spinach as a side dish and mix it with the excess tomato sauce while I'm eating it.
Oh.My.God.  Delicious!!!

Everyone who I have made this for now LOVES it.

Hunter really loves and appreciates my cooking, and I love cooking for him, so I'm hoping to get this blog going again.

Next up will be my cheesy spinach stuffed chicken recipe!

Creamy Artichoke Pasta

I made this yummy dish tonight and wanted to share it with you.

It's made with the new Philadelphia Cooking Creme, but this is not a compensated or sponsored post. This was my first time using the new cooking creme and it was very good.

I added chicken to mine, but I think next time I won't; I'll just make it as a side dish and have the meat separately. It was delicious though!

What You Need:

1 lb. pasta, any variety

1 tbsp. butter

1 can (14 oz) small or medium artichoke hearts, drained & halved

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tub (1o oz.) Philadelphia Savory Garlic Cooking Creme

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano

Make It:

Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package. Meanwhile, melt butter in small saucepan. Add artichokes; cook and stir 3-4 minutes, until heated through. Season to taste.

Drain pasta; return to pan. Add olive oil, toss to coat.

Add artichoke mixture and all remaining ingredients; cook and stir 2-3 minutes, until heated through.

Enjoy!

Makes 4 servings.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I made this dip for our church's Superbowl Party last night and it was a HUGE hit! It's incredibly easy and delicious. You just can't go wrong with that!

I found it on Southern Plate. I doubled the recipe.

1 block of cream cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 cup hot sauce

1 large can of chicken

Soften your cream cheese by microwaving it for about 30 seconds. Then mix all ingredients until well blended. Pour into an 8x8 pan, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve warm with tortilla chips, crackers, or veggies.

Enjoy!

Southwestern Pasta

I snagged this recipe from One Starry Night last week (one of the most beautiful blogs in the blogosphere, truly). I made it for dinner tonight. As promised, it was easy and delicious!
I did add chicken since it was our main dish, however it will definitely be a new Meatless Monday dish as well! I also eliminated avocado because I no likee. It's a nice flexible recipe, you can alter it to your tastes.
Its rating: Off the Chain!

Southwestern Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet onion, large dice
• 1 large red bell pepper, large dice
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained (15oz generally)
• 3 ripe avocados, diced
• 1 bag of frozen corn (1lb)
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 TBSP cumin
• 1 can of diced tomatoes, (28oz)
• 1 box of dried penne (1lb)
• 1 block of sharp cheddar cheese (8oz, eliminate this to make the dish vegan!), cubed
• 4 limes
• 1 TBSP oil (I personally use olive but vegetable is fine)
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Start by boiling the water for the pasta, make sure you salt your water VERY well as this is your only chance to really season the pasta. Once your water is boiling like crazy, drop your pasta in, give it a stir, and cook for 8-10min until it’s done but not mushy, still has some texture to it.

In a separate skillet, add the oil, cumin, and the frozen corn. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the corn is soft and slightly caramelized.

In a large pot, add the beans, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, avocado, garlic, corn/cumin mixture, and diced tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook for around 5-10 minutes, just to heat through.

Dump the cooked pasta and vegetable mixture into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the cubed cheese, the juice of the 4 limes, and any additional salt/pepper that it may need.

Tangy Ranch Chicken

A couple of weeks ago, my friend posted on Facebook that she was making Tangy Ranch Chicken for dinner. I asked her for the recipe, and she passed it along.
I made it the other night and it was pronounced "off the chain". It is really good!
And not only that, but it's really cool to me that I made something from a recipe from a friend who I haven't seen in years, and who lives in Texas now. It's like a connection spreading across the miles, and yet another way that food brings people together!

So now, I'm sharing it with you.

2/3 cup ranch dressing
1/3 cup mustard (I used Hellmann's dijonnaise)
1/4 cup brown sugar
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs

Mix dressing, mustard & brown sugar in a bowl. Marinate chicken in this mixture for 30 minutes. Then bake the chicken at 350 for 45 minutes - an hour, until chicken is brown, adding leftover marinade as the chicken cooks.

I served mine over rice.

What's Going On?

I've been on a little bloggy break lately. You can see what I've been up to here.
I wanted to share with you all a couple of new recipes.
I found this one at a new-to-me site, Recipe Shoebox.

The ingredients:
4 strips bacon, halved crosswise
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 lbs)
salt and pepper
1 cup favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 chipotle pepper, minced (optional)
1/4 cup water4 large onion rolls, split (we used onion hamburger buns)
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fry bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken in bacon fat until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken and add barbecue sauce, chipotle pepper (if desired), and water.
Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce is slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.
Remove chicken from skillet and slice into bite size pieces. Arrange onion rolls cut side up on baking sheet. Divide chicken among bottom haves of rolls and top with sauce, cheese, and bacon.
Bake open-faced sandwiches in oven until cheese melts and rolls are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Top each sandwich with toasted roll top.
Serve immediately with a fruit smoothie on the side. Makes 4 sandwiches. Enjoy!

My notes: I skipped the chipotle pepper just because I didn't have any around. I doubled the recipe and added more bacon, because, ya know, bacon!!! YUM!! It was absolutely delicious, we all loved it.

And this dish from Taste of Home is sitting in my refrigerator right now, waiting for me to finish it for our breakfast in the morning. I'll let you know how it turns out. I am so looking forward to going home and eating it, it sounds wonderful!

Ingredients
1 loaf (10 ounces) French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (10 cups)
8 eggs
3 cups milk
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt, optional
TOPPING:
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Maple syrup, optional

Directions
Place bread cubes in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt if desired. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Dot with butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the top.
Cover and bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with maple syrup if desired. Yield: 12 servings.