Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Chicken:

4 large chicken breasts

1 sleeve Ritz crackers

1/4 t salt

1/8 t pepper

1/2 C milk

3 C cheddar cheese, grated

1 t dried parsley

Sauce:

1 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup

2 T sour cream

2 T butter

Cut each chicken breast into 3 pieces.

In a small food processor grind up Ritz Crackers

Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine.

Dip each piece of chicken in the milk

then the cheese. Press the cheese into the chicken with your fingers. Some of it will fall off when you add it to the cracker crumbs, don't worry about it.

Press the cheesy chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in.

By the time you are coating

the last piece of chicken,

the dish you are using for the

crumbs will be full of cheese.

Don't let it get you down once the cheese melts in the oven

it will adhere nicely to the crumbs and the crackers.

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan

Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.

Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden Into a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the top.

7 Layer Dip Cups

Do I really need to put a recipe for these? :)
Just wanted to remember the idea.

Do see my guacamole recipe for the best guacamole.

Italian Cheese Biscuits

1 Tube of Grands Flaky Layers Biscuits

6 String Cheeses

1 Cup of Zesty Italian Dressing

1-2 Cups of Parmesan Cheese

Remove biscuits and split in half. Cut each string cheese in half and place in the center of the biscuit. Fold dough around cheese so that it is completely sealed. Roll in Italian dressing and then in Parmesan cheese. Place on baking sheet and cook at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve with Marinara sauce.

Chicken Chowder

Set aside:

1 large chicken cooked {use rotisserie chicken}

In a pot add:

1 quart of chicken broth + 1 chicken bullion cube

1 cup celery (thinly sliced)

1/2 cup onion

1 cup of grated Carrots

4 cups of Potatoes {can use frozen}
1 cups of sweet white corn (Optional)

Simmer until veggies are cooked.

Cook in separate pan:

Melt butter in pan slowly stir in flour then milk. Stir until mixture thickens.

1 cup of Butter

1 cup of Flour

1 quart of Milk

Pour thickened sauce into veggie mix.

Add:

1/2 teaspoon of Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Accent (optional)

dash of pepper.

Add chicken and simmer. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking and burning the white sauce.
Top with bacon, cheese green onion etc...

Skinny broccoli & cheese casseroles

1 (16 oz) bag frozen broccoli florets

6 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp. light butter, melted

Slivered almonds, chopped as garnish

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add frozen broccoli, cover and cook for about 5 minutes until thawed. Drain water and mix in cream cheese until broccoli is completely coated. Divide broccoli evenly into four mini ramekins and set aside.

Mix breadcrumbs with melted butter in a bowl and sprinkle over each broccoli mixture. Garnish with chopped almonds, if desired, and bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until top is browned and dishes are bubbling. Enjoy!

Candied balsamic tomatoes and mozzarella salad

4 cups grape tomatoes

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, drained and cut in small pieces

1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves, torn

Cooking spray

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add tomatoes to pain; cook 5 minutes or until tomatoes release juices. Sprinkle with sugar, salt, and pepper; cook 2 minutes. Drizzle with vinegar and cook about 30 seconds or just until vinegar evaporates.

Transfer tomato mixture to a serving bowl. Add mozzarella and basil, toss and enjoy!

Asparagus Gratin

1 lb thin asparagus

1 1/2 cups water

S&P

1 T butter

1 T flour

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup monterey jack cheese

Bring water to a boil and boil asparagus for 5 minutes

Add asparagus to a skillet, cook stirring occasionally 2-4 minutes.

Transfer asparagus to baking dish.

{keep asparagus water you boiled them in}

Melt butter in now empty skillet over medium heat,

add flour and cook, stirring constantly until. Cook until thickened about 3-5 minutes

Turn heat off whisk in part of each cheese.

Use reserved asparagus water to thin out

cheese mixture as you go along.

Season with S&P.

Pour cheese mixture over top of asparagus in baking dish.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over top and place in

broiler for a few minutes, watch carefully.

You just want to turn the cheese brown.

{I have not made this yet, but I may use Shirley J mix to make my cheese sauce}

Carver's Salad

Ingredients:

1 small bunch baby spinach

1 head romaine lettuce

1 16 oz. bag craisins

1 cup sliced almonds, *roasted

1 golden delicious apple, sliced or cut into pieces

Honey Cider Dressing:

3 Tablespoons cider vinegar

3 Tablespoons honey

6 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

1 ½ Tablespoons finely minced onion

1 ½ Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

¾ Cups Oil

Directions:

Honey Cider Dressing

In a small microwave safe dish or in a saucepan, heat cider vinegar and honey together until honey dissolves.

In small bowl whisk mayonnaise and Dijon mustard together until smooth

Add in onion, fresh parsley, honey and cider vinegar then whisk together until combined.Whisk in the oil to emulsify then chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Salad:

In a large salad bowl, toss lettuce, apples, craisins and *roasted almonds. If eating immediately, toss the salad with dressing and serve.

Notes: To toast almonds: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread pre-sliced almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer and put in the oven for 10-20 minutes. Watch them closely to be sure they do not over roast.

Chicken and Veggie stirfry

1 1/2 lbs of chicken breasts cut real thin

5 cups raw veggies cut into strips

Sauce:

3 T soy sauce

1/4 cup water

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 packet dry Italian dressing pack

pour 1 T of sauce in saute pan and saute chicken, when cooked add veggies and remaining sauce.

Serve over rice

{90 second Uncle Ben's brown rice is perfect for this}

*the sauce is the key to this very tasty dish

3 envelope roast beef sliders

3 to 4 pound beef chuck roast
1 cup of water
One envelope of dry onion soup mix
One envelope of dry Italian dressing mix
One envelope of dry brown gravy mix
1 (8 ounce) jar of Pace Original Mild Picante Sauce
1 sweet onion, sliced and sauteed until browned
Swiss Cheese, shredded
12 Dinner rolls

Instructions

Whisk together the water with ingredients from all 3 of the envelopes.
Pour about 1/4 cup of the liquid on the bottom of the crockpot, place the roast on top.

Pour the remaining liquid mixture all over the top and all around the roast. Pour the jar of picante sauce on top of the roast, cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high 4 to 5 hours.

To thicken gravy, remove the roast and tent with foil to keep warm. Transfer the contents of the crockpot to a saucepan and stir in one tablespoon of cornstarch with just enough water to loosen. Stir into the sauce, bring up to a boil, reduce and simmer until thickened.

This would be used as a gravy over roast and potatoes for first meal.

Sliders will be 2nd meal.

If you only want to make sliders just drain the extra contents and only

shred the roastfor the sliders.

To Make Sliders: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Butter the insides of dinner rolls and toast, butter side down, on a baking sheet in the oven just until warmed through and browned on the bottoms.
Meanwhile in a skillet, caramelize a sliced onion in a tablespoon of canola oil and one tablespoon of butter. Use a fork to shred the meat. Place a scoop of beef on the bottom half of dinner rolls, then top with caramelized onion, and some finely shredded Swiss cheese. If you like, stack all the sliders back on the baking sheet and cover the whole pan tightly with aluminum foil. Return to the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.

Sour cream horseradish sauce:
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
1/4 cup of sour cream
1 tablespoons of horseradish
2 tablespoons of chili sauce
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Prepare and refrigerate till needed.

EASY peach cobbler- did I mention easy!

1 big can of peaches with juice (29 oz)
1 package of yellow cake mix with pudding
(the pudding in the cake mix, I believe Betty Crocker)
1 stick melted butter
Vanilla and cinnamon if desired

Pour peaches in a 9x13 dish. Combine cake mix, butter and vanilla. Crumble over
top of peaches. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes
(bake until done and not runny)

Serve ala mode!
{that's with vanilla ice cream silly!}

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups salsa
1 can black beans {drained}
1/4 cup italian dressing
2 T taco seasoning
1/4 t cumin
tortilla {corn or flour}
3/4 C sour cream
2 C shredded cheese
lettuce and tomato
*cilantro if desired

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion.
• Stir in the salsa, beans, dressing, sour cream, taco seasoning and cumin.
• Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of 2 quart baking dish.
  
• Sprinkle with grated cheese.
• Place a flour or corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Layer with half of the meat mixture, and cheese. Repeat as many layers as you like.
• The last & final layer should be a healthy dose of grated cheese.
• Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pam or other and bake at 400° for 25 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.
• Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce and tomato.
  

Creamy Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash

One large spaghetti squash [feeds two, get more if you have more people]
salt and pepper for taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees

1. Slice Spaghetti Squash down the middle lengthwise into 2 halves.
   
2. Scoop out strings and seeds with a spoon and throw away [don't dig too deep you need that flesh to eat it at the end].
3. With squash cut side facing up - drizzle liberally with olive oil and season with salt, pepper
   
4. Place squash CUT SIDE DOWN on metal baking sheet
5. Bake for 45 mins to 1 hour
   
6. Remove from oven and let cool for a moment
   
7. Using a fork, gently rake the inside of the spaghetti squash causing the "meat" to turn into lots of "spaghetti like" noodles for your dinner
8. Once you have "shredded" the inside of each half of the squash, top with creamy pasta sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Creamy Pasta Sauce

1 Can of Petite diced tomatoes
1 Can of Quartered artichokes
1/2 cube of cream cheese
Salt, Pepper and Garlic Salt
Half & Half

Simmer tomatoes for about 5 mins.
Add the artichokes.
Salt, Pepper and Garlic Sauce to taste.
Add Cream Cheese
Simmer on low until ready to serve
Add Half & Half until you get the consistency that you want and simmer until warm.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 cup flour
1 cup blueberries

1/2 pkg cream cheese, cut into 1 tsp cubes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Blend in the lemon zest, juice and eggs. Make sure to scrape off any bits of zest that stick to the mixer paddle.

In a separate bowl whisk together the baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour then mix it into the wet ingredients. Gently fold in the blueberries so as not to burst any. Refrigerate the dough for about 15 – 20 minutes to make it stiff enough to roll.

For each cookie, roll 1 heaping tbsp of dough into a ball then flatten it slightly into a disc shape. Place a 1 tsp cream cheese cube into the center and form the dough around it creating a ball again. Bake them for about 10 - 14 minutes until the edges brown slightly. Transfer them to a cooling rack and enjoy!

Loaded Chicken & Potato Skillet

3 medium potatoes, peeled & cubed
4-6 strips of bacon, cooked & crumbled
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cups monterrey jack cheese, shredded
cajun seasoining-to taste

Topping:sour cream,green onions,salt & pepper

Cook bacon {I prefer baking it...so much easier!!}. While bacon cooks, peel and cube potatoes. Boil on stovetop and remove from heat when cooked {soft & mushy}. In a large skillet, cook chicken until brown on both sides and no more pink inside. Remove from heat & cut into cubes. In the same skillet, heat olive oil and add onions & peppers. Add potatoes to the pepper/onion mix and cook for another 3-5 minutes. {This is where I added a few dashes of my favorite cajun seasoning}
Add chicken, bacon, and cheese.
Cover the skillet with a lid and remove when cheese is melted.
Season with salt and pepper...serve & ENJOY