Grilled Balsamic Chicken

1/2 Cup olive oil
1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
1 dry packet Italian dressing

mix all, marinade chicken and grill.
This is delicious! The balsamic almost becomes sweet when you
grill it.

Quiche with Asparagus, Mushrooms and Bacon

Quiche with Asparagus, Mushrooms and Bacon

1 9-inch pie crust
7 large eggs
3/4 cup half and half
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and chopped
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained (you can use fresh, I just happened to have canned on hand)
4-6 slices bacon, cooked and diced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Press pie crust into a pie plate and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half and salt and pepper. Add the chopped asparagus, mushrooms, bacon and cheddar cheese and stir to combine. Pour into pie plate and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until quiche is set (the center might still be slightly jiggly- that’s ok). If it starts browning too soon, cover it with a foil tent. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

*I like my asparagus slightly crisp, so I don’t cook it before putting it in the quiche; but if you like it really tender, you can blanch it in some boiling water for about 5 minutes before adding it to the egg mixture.

I have not made this yet, but I may bake the crust for 10-12 minutes before.

Spinach and Tomato Quiche with Potato Crust

Spinach and Tomato Quiche with Potato Crust

2 medium Russet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into very thin disks (less than 1/8 inch)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained of all liquid
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
5 or 6 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
1/2 cup cheese (any cheese you have on hand- cheddar is always great)
7 eggs
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Layer the sliced potatoes in an even layer in the bottom of a pie plate or quiche pan, overlapping the edges a bit. Brush with the olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and slightly crisp. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the red pepper, spinach, mushrooms and cheese. Spread mixture in an even layer into the potato crust, then place the tomatoes cut side down on top of the vegetables.

In another large bowl, combine the eggs, milk and salt and pepper. Whisk until totally combined. Pour over the the vegetables. Top with additional black pepper, if desired. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.
Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly golden (If you’re making smaller cookies like mine, bake them for about 10 minutes). Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Makes approximately 12-14 very large cookies or 36 smaller cookies.

Poptart Pops

FOR THE TWO-BITE POPTARTS

1 pkg. prepared pie crusts

Pie filling, any flavor

FOR THE POPS
wooden popscicle sticks

FOR THE GLAZE
1 c. powdered sugar
1-2 T. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
food coloring and sprinkles (optional)

Unroll pie crusts and using a pizza cutter to slice them into 1 1/2″x 2″ rectangles (I used a ruler to measure mine into equal sizes. Just use a butter knife to score your pie crust before cutting).

Place a wooden popscicle stick on top of one of the cut rectangles, then spoon a small amount (about 1 1/2 tsp.) of filling into the center of the pie square, taking care not to get it near the edges. Gently lay a second rectangle over the top of the filling. Press the edges of the rectangles together with a fork. Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake poptart pops in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or just until the edges begin to brown.

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla to make glaze. Tint with food coloring, if desired. Spoon over cooled poptart pops, sprinkle with colored sugar, and allow to the glaze to harden slightly before serving. Enjoy!

Fudge Fondue

Fudgy Chocolate Fondue

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; add cocoa powder, sugar and milk,Stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Transfer to a fondue pot.
Serve with cubes of pound cake (I personally love it with cheesecake bites!), strawberries, bananas, oranges and anything else you want! Enjoy!

Panera Bread Fuji Apple Salad Knock off

Dressing:
3 T apple juice concentrate
1 T cider vinegar
1 T white balsamic
1/4 t garlic powder
1/2 C olive oil
1/2 t lemon juice
dijon mustard to taste
honey to taste {if desired}

Salad:
greens, shredded chicken, gorgonzola, pecans, apple chips

Chicken Parmesan

1/2 cup butter melted
2 teaspoons of Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon of Salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 cup dry Bread Crumbs
6-8 skinless, boneless Chicken Breast halves
{I did mine more like strips}

In a shallow bowl, combine butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and salt. In another shallow dish, combine Parmesan cheese and crumbs. Dip chicken in butter mixture then coat both sides with crumb mixture. Place in an ungreased 13x9 baking pan. Drizzle with any remaining butter mixture. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Last 5 minutes top chicken with a slice of mozzaralla cheese. Serve over spaghetti noodles and top with spaghetti sauce.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

1/2 c. butter
1 cup crushed ritz crackers
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
4 chicken breasts (cooked and cubed)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1½ c. sour cream

Topping:

½ c. crushed ritz crackers

3 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

Melt butter, add crackers and poppy seeds. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into a 9x13 inch pan. Top with ritz cracker topping. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

**my suggestions for easy goodness**
Place chicken in crockpot with the can of cream of chicken over top. Cook on high for 4 hours, shred and combine with all other ingredients. Chicken is very moist and so easy.

Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches

4 chicken breasts
1 bottle Teriyaki sauce (we used Lawry's brand)
3/4 c. brown sugar
4 slices deli ham
1 can sliced pineapple (or you can use fresh which would be even better)
4 slices Pepper Jack cheese
4 large hamburger buns

Pound chicken breasts until they are about 1/4" thick all around. Place in a large Ziploc bag. Combine Teriyaki sauce and brown sugar until sugar dissolves. Add 1/2 of the mixture to the bag with the chicken and seal tightly. Place bag in refrigerator for at least 4-5 hours. Separate remaining Teriyaki mixture into 2 separate bowls (to prevent cross contamination use 2 separate brushes too)-- one for the pineapple, one for the chicken. Open pineapple can and save a little of the juice in a bowl. Place chicken and pineapple on the grill (medium heat). Brush with Teriyaki sauce every few minutes until chicken and pineapple are done-- try to only flip the chicken and pineapple once. Either on the grill or in a frying pan, cook ham with a little of the pineapple juice until it becomes nice and hot. Slice open hamburger buns and place a piece of cooked chicken on each bottom bun. Top with cheese, ham, grilled pineapple, and bun top. Serve immediately with remaining grilled pineapple.

Parmesan Baked Potatoes

6 small potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half

1/4 cup butter
grated parmesan cheese
garlic powder
other seasonings (to personal preference)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter and pour into a 9x13 inch pan and spread evenly across the bottom. Generously sprinkle parmesan cheese and lightly sprinkle other seasonings all over the butter. Place potato halves face down on the butter and seasonings. Place in preheated oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve on a plate with a side of sour cream for dipping.
This is how mine actually turned out, pretty huh!
They were delicious, I will make baked potatoes
like this lots.

Yogurt Pancakes

For the pancakes:
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 - 3 c. plain yogurt (or 2 c. buttermilk)
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 c. all-purpose flour

Mix all ingredients. If it seems too thick, add milk a little at a time until it reaches a good "pancake batter" consistency.

For the syrup:
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup butter
3 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring first four ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and stir constantly for 5 minutes. Add baking soda and vanilla. Remove from stove and serve over pancakes, waffles or french toast. (The syrup will be thin-- this is normal. After it cools off a bit it thickens up. Store any extra syrup in the fridge for later use.)
**The baking soda will make it boil high so make sure you use a large pot.***

Creamy Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef
2-3 carrots, shredded
1 large potato, shredded (raw)
1 yellow onion, grated
1 egg
1/2 c. bread crumbs
red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 c. sour cream
1 can milk
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Preaheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix meatball ingredients together. Roll into fairly large meatballs and place in a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish or large casserole (you will have to put them pretty close together and that's ok). Bake for 25-30 minutes (you can also brown them in a skillet instead of baking them but I am all about putting in the least amount of effort). Mix sauce ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl and mix with a whisk until creamy. After meatballs are browned, pour sauce evenly over the meatballs and place back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes (or until sides are hot and bubbly). Serve over rice.

Thai Chicken Skewers

"chicken on a stick" You can also grill these on a George Foreman Grill if inside.
Ingredients:

2 large limes
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 Tbs. minced ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 Tbs. Asian sesame oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 1 1/2 lb. total, cut into thick strips
1 small head romaine lettuce, cored and leaves shredded
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

Directions:

Marinate the chicken
Place 8 bamboo skewers in cold water to soak until ready to use. Grate 1 tsp. zest from the limes and squeeze 1/4 cup juice.

In a bowl, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, vinegar and peanut butter until smooth. Stir in the cilantro, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the mixture in a separate bowl to use as a sauce. Add the chicken to the marinade and turn to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Cook the chicken
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill. Or, preheat a broiler.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade. Divide the chicken strips among the 8 skewers, threading the strips on lengthwise. Place the skewers on the grill rack, or put them on a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Cook, turning once, until seared on the outside and opaque throughout, about 6 minutes total.

Divide the lettuce, cucumber slices and chicken skewers among 4 plates. Drizzle with some of the reserved sauce and serve immediately, passing the additional sauce at the table. Serves 4.
May want to make extra sauce!

Beef Stroganoff

•1 lb. hamburger
•1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
•1 packet brown gravy mix
•1/2 cup sour cream
•2 Tbsp. chopped onion
•salt & pepper (to taste)
•1 small can sliced mushrooms (I used fresh mushrooms)
•Egg noodles, rice or mashed potatoes (I love it over noodles)

1.Brown hamburger with chopped onion, salt and pepper. While the meat is browning, Start the noodles, rice or mashed potatoes to cook. Drain off any grease from the hamburger. (I then cooked the fresh mushrooms in the beef fat until tender)

2.Add cream of mushroom soup, gravy mix (plus water according to packet directions) mix together and simmer over low heat about 10-15 minutes.

3.Add mushrooms and the sour cream mix until thoroughly blended. Serve over cooked noodles, mashed potatoes or rice.