Yum...This is a childhood favorite of mine! My mom used to make this at least 4 times a month for me growing up and it never got old! We always used to fight over the left overs too! (It makes a great breakfast let me tell you!)
I'm not sure where this recipe came from-it might even be something my mom whipped up-who knows.
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts--fat trimmed
1 1/2 sleeves of Ritz crackers crunched up
1 stick of melted butter
Italian Seasoning *
Parmesan Cheese *
Garlic Salt *
** I do these by putting some in, seeing how the mixture looks and going from there. Adjust them to your taste!
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Melt butter in a bowl large enough to place your chicken breasts in.
Combine crunched up Ritz crackers, spices, parmesan cheese and garlic salt on a plate.
Dip each chicken breast in the melted butter, then coat with the Ritz cracker mixture. Place in a casserole dish. Once finished dipping all your chicken, pour some (or all haha) of the remaining butter over top of the chicken. I also sprinkle some extra cheese over top. Bake in preheated oven uncovered for approximately 40 minutes. (Cook time will vary based on how large your chicken breasts are!)
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! YUM
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Finished the apple butter!
So my apple butter finished cooking all night long on low in my crockpot and boy did my house smell amazing at 7am this morning! YUM! It took some work to get the mason jars to seal properly, but eventually all 7 8oz jars were sealed and ready to go! I can't wait til breakfast tomorrow!
I also made an amazing recipe for my hubby to take to work for breakfast. This one was from this website http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/12/new-years-day-2001/
Boozy Baked French Toast
Ingredients:
1 loaf of supermarket challah bread in 1 inch slices
3 cups whole milk
3 eggs
3T sugar
1/2t salt
Your choice of flavorings: Use 3 tablespoons Bailey’s and 3 tablespoons Cointreau, but Frangelico (hazelnut), Chambord (raspberry), Crème de Cassis (black currant) Grand Marnier or just a teaspoon or two of vanilla or almond extract can do the trick. You can bump up a citrus flavor with a teaspoon of zest, add a half-cup of chopped nuts such as almond slivers or pecans between layers or on top or a similar amount of raisins or other dried fruits.
Directions:
1. Generously grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with salted (my choice) or unsalted butter.
2. Arrange bread in two tightly-packed layers in the pan. I always cut one slice into smaller pieces to fill in gaps, especially when using braided Challah. If using a thinner-sliced bread, you might wish for more layers, though I find that over three, even baking can be difficult. If you are using any fillings of fruit or nuts, this is the time to get them between the layers or sprinkled atop.
3. Whisk milk, eggs, sugar, salt and booze or flavorings of your choice and pour over the bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
4. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refridgerate overnight. The bread will absorb all of the milk custard while you sleep.
5. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden. This will take longer if you have additional layers.
6. Cut into generous squares and serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit, powdered sugar or all of the above.
Serves 6 as main course
He called me an hour later and said it was a hit and was gone in 15 minutes. I used Craisins and some vanilla extract with cinnamon. It baked about 45 minutes or so. It was nice and crispy on top!
I also made an amazing recipe for my hubby to take to work for breakfast. This one was from this website http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/12/new-years-day-2001/
Boozy Baked French Toast
Ingredients:
1 loaf of supermarket challah bread in 1 inch slices
3 cups whole milk
3 eggs
3T sugar
1/2t salt
Your choice of flavorings: Use 3 tablespoons Bailey’s and 3 tablespoons Cointreau, but Frangelico (hazelnut), Chambord (raspberry), Crème de Cassis (black currant) Grand Marnier or just a teaspoon or two of vanilla or almond extract can do the trick. You can bump up a citrus flavor with a teaspoon of zest, add a half-cup of chopped nuts such as almond slivers or pecans between layers or on top or a similar amount of raisins or other dried fruits.
Directions:
1. Generously grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with salted (my choice) or unsalted butter.
2. Arrange bread in two tightly-packed layers in the pan. I always cut one slice into smaller pieces to fill in gaps, especially when using braided Challah. If using a thinner-sliced bread, you might wish for more layers, though I find that over three, even baking can be difficult. If you are using any fillings of fruit or nuts, this is the time to get them between the layers or sprinkled atop.
3. Whisk milk, eggs, sugar, salt and booze or flavorings of your choice and pour over the bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
4. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refridgerate overnight. The bread will absorb all of the milk custard while you sleep.
5. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden. This will take longer if you have additional layers.
6. Cut into generous squares and serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit, powdered sugar or all of the above.
Serves 6 as main course
He called me an hour later and said it was a hit and was gone in 15 minutes. I used Craisins and some vanilla extract with cinnamon. It baked about 45 minutes or so. It was nice and crispy on top!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Apple Butter
This recipe came from allrecipes.com. I've been waiting to try this for months but I haven't had two consecutive days off in a while. This was the quickest recipe ever to make. I'm already enjoying the smells billowing out of the kitchen and it's only been 15 minutes!
Tomorrow I will post on the finished product!
INGREDIENTS
8 apples - peeled, cored and chopped (i put my cored apples in the food processor to chop them)
4 cups white sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
Fill a slow cooker with diced apples, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Cover, and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 12 hours, or until thick and dark golden in color.
Fill small jars with hot apple butter, leaving about 3/4 inch space at the top.
Tomorrow I will post on the finished product!
INGREDIENTS
8 apples - peeled, cored and chopped (i put my cored apples in the food processor to chop them)
4 cups white sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
Fill a slow cooker with diced apples, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Cover, and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 12 hours, or until thick and dark golden in color.
Fill small jars with hot apple butter, leaving about 3/4 inch space at the top.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Other Recipes
These are some other recipes that I have made in the past several months. Most of them are from http://www.allrecipes.com/ or http://www.cooks.com/ although I have altered many of the ingredients to suit our tastes.
The first one is Stuffed Shells. This was from allrecipes.com submitted by Karen Marshall.
It serves 8 people.
Ingredients:
16 oz package jumbo pasta shells
4 cups small ricotta cheese (or small curd cottage cheese)
12 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 pinch garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
26 oz jar spaghetti sauce (I used a lot more because we like lots of sauce)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (for the top)
I also added 1 package of chopped frozen spinach defrosted and liquid drained.
Directions:
1. Cook shells according to package directions. Place in cold water to stop cooking process. Drain
2. Mix together Ricotta (Cottage) cheese, Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic powder, and spinach if using. Rub the dried herbs in the palms of your hands to pulverize them, and stir into the cheese mixture. Stuff mixture into the shells.
3. Spread 1/3 spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 15x10 inch pan. Place shells open side up, and close together in the pan. Spread remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining parm. Cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving!
I actually made 2 pans of this with intentions of freezing 1 of them, and my husband threw a fit because he wanted to eat them all--and he did!
This next recipe is for BBQ Beans. This recipe came from a good friend of ours D. Sears. It's amazing! We make it for all kinds of gtg's!
Ingredients:
4 cans butter beans--drained and rinsed
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/2# brown sugar
1 large green pepper sliced into strips
1 large onion chopped
1# bacon fried and cut into chunks
1# Kabassi--cut into rounds
Directions:
You can either bake this in the oven at 350 degrees for 2 hours covered and then the last 30 minutes with the lid off OR in the crock pot for 5-6 hours. It's amazingly delicious.
This 5 pepper hummus Recipe came from allrecipes.com as well. I took this to my grandmother's 75 birthday party and it was a HUGE hit! It's very easy to make!!
INGREDIENTS
1 large green bell pepper
1 (16 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
4 fresh jalapeno peppers
1 (16 ounce) jar banana peppers, drained
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1/4 cup tahini
DIRECTIONS
Remove top 1/4 of the green bell pepper, keeping bottom part intact to use for serving the hummus. Discard stem, and remove seeds and pulp from both parts of the pepper.
Chop top part of pepper, and place in a blender or food processor with garbanzo beans, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, garlic, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and tahini. Blend into a smooth paste. Scoop into the bottom part of the green bell pepper to serve.
I served this with Celery, Triscuits, and pumpernickle sticks. It was so yummy--Spicy too!
This next recipe is from the food network! This was the very first whole chicken I had ever roasted and let me tell you--it was the absolute best chicken I had ever had! It was amazingly moist and literally fell off the bones! My husband keeps asking me to make it again!
Garlic and Citrus Chicken
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients:
1 (5 to 6-pound) whole roasting chicken, neck and giblets discarded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 head garlic, halved crosswise,
plus 3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
Kitchen string or butcher twine
Directions:
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the orange, lemon, and garlic halves. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string to help hold its shape. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
Place a rack in a large roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the rack in the pan. Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting occasionally and adding some chicken broth to the pan, if necessary, to prevent the pan drippings from burning. Whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, oil, oregano, and chopped garlic in a medium bowl to blend. Brush some of the juice mixture over the chicken, after it has baked 1 hour. Continue roasting the chicken until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the innermost part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F, basting occasionally with the juice mixture and adding broth to the pan, about 45 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Tent with foil while making the sauce (do not clean the pan).
Place the same roasting pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in any remaining broth and simmer until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Strain into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and discard the solids. Spoon the fat from the top of the sauce. Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.
I think this is all I have time for now. I promise--more tomorrow! Enjoy!
The first one is Stuffed Shells. This was from allrecipes.com submitted by Karen Marshall.
It serves 8 people.
Ingredients:
16 oz package jumbo pasta shells
4 cups small ricotta cheese (or small curd cottage cheese)
12 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 pinch garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
26 oz jar spaghetti sauce (I used a lot more because we like lots of sauce)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (for the top)
I also added 1 package of chopped frozen spinach defrosted and liquid drained.
Directions:
1. Cook shells according to package directions. Place in cold water to stop cooking process. Drain
2. Mix together Ricotta (Cottage) cheese, Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic powder, and spinach if using. Rub the dried herbs in the palms of your hands to pulverize them, and stir into the cheese mixture. Stuff mixture into the shells.
3. Spread 1/3 spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 15x10 inch pan. Place shells open side up, and close together in the pan. Spread remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining parm. Cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving!
I actually made 2 pans of this with intentions of freezing 1 of them, and my husband threw a fit because he wanted to eat them all--and he did!
This next recipe is for BBQ Beans. This recipe came from a good friend of ours D. Sears. It's amazing! We make it for all kinds of gtg's!
Ingredients:
4 cans butter beans--drained and rinsed
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/2# brown sugar
1 large green pepper sliced into strips
1 large onion chopped
1# bacon fried and cut into chunks
1# Kabassi--cut into rounds
Directions:
You can either bake this in the oven at 350 degrees for 2 hours covered and then the last 30 minutes with the lid off OR in the crock pot for 5-6 hours. It's amazingly delicious.
This 5 pepper hummus Recipe came from allrecipes.com as well. I took this to my grandmother's 75 birthday party and it was a HUGE hit! It's very easy to make!!
INGREDIENTS
1 large green bell pepper
1 (16 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
4 fresh jalapeno peppers
1 (16 ounce) jar banana peppers, drained
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1/4 cup tahini
DIRECTIONS
Remove top 1/4 of the green bell pepper, keeping bottom part intact to use for serving the hummus. Discard stem, and remove seeds and pulp from both parts of the pepper.
Chop top part of pepper, and place in a blender or food processor with garbanzo beans, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, garlic, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and tahini. Blend into a smooth paste. Scoop into the bottom part of the green bell pepper to serve.
I served this with Celery, Triscuits, and pumpernickle sticks. It was so yummy--Spicy too!
This next recipe is from the food network! This was the very first whole chicken I had ever roasted and let me tell you--it was the absolute best chicken I had ever had! It was amazingly moist and literally fell off the bones! My husband keeps asking me to make it again!
Garlic and Citrus Chicken
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients:
1 (5 to 6-pound) whole roasting chicken, neck and giblets discarded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 head garlic, halved crosswise,
plus 3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
Kitchen string or butcher twine
Directions:
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the orange, lemon, and garlic halves. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string to help hold its shape. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
Place a rack in a large roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the rack in the pan. Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting occasionally and adding some chicken broth to the pan, if necessary, to prevent the pan drippings from burning. Whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, oil, oregano, and chopped garlic in a medium bowl to blend. Brush some of the juice mixture over the chicken, after it has baked 1 hour. Continue roasting the chicken until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the innermost part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F, basting occasionally with the juice mixture and adding broth to the pan, about 45 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Tent with foil while making the sauce (do not clean the pan).
Place the same roasting pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in any remaining broth and simmer until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Strain into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and discard the solids. Spoon the fat from the top of the sauce. Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.
I think this is all I have time for now. I promise--more tomorrow! Enjoy!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Chicken Divan is Divine
Tonight I made chicken divan for my husband and I. This is a dish I first had in 4th grade at my best friend's house and I haven't had it since! I remember it being this creamy, cheesey, yummy chicken "thing" and tonight when I took my first bite, all those memories came flooding back to me!
This is also a great recipe for stretching a buck--the most "expensive" part is the chicken and most people have this already in their freezer. You can make as much or as little as you like!
Ingredients:
4 pieces of cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
2 cans of creamed soup (can be mushroom, chicken, or broccoli)
10oz package of frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 cup of mayonaise or milk (I used milk since hubby won't touch mayo!)
1/4 cup of lemon juice
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (to taste) divided
1/2 cup buttered bread crumbs
Garlic Powder to taste
Salt/Pepper to taste
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Boil chicken in salted water. Cool and cut into chunks.
Break up broccoli on the bottom of the casserole dish. Cover with chicken chunks. In a separate bowl, combine soup, milk, lemon juice, and 1/2 of your cheddar cheese. Pour over chicken and broccoli. Top with buttered bread crumbs and the rest of the shredded cheddar.
Bake for 30-45 minutes or until bubbley and gooey!
I served this over egg noodles but it's also really good with rice!
This is also a great recipe for stretching a buck--the most "expensive" part is the chicken and most people have this already in their freezer. You can make as much or as little as you like!
Ingredients:
4 pieces of cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
2 cans of creamed soup (can be mushroom, chicken, or broccoli)
10oz package of frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 cup of mayonaise or milk (I used milk since hubby won't touch mayo!)
1/4 cup of lemon juice
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (to taste) divided
1/2 cup buttered bread crumbs
Garlic Powder to taste
Salt/Pepper to taste
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Boil chicken in salted water. Cool and cut into chunks.
Break up broccoli on the bottom of the casserole dish. Cover with chicken chunks. In a separate bowl, combine soup, milk, lemon juice, and 1/2 of your cheddar cheese. Pour over chicken and broccoli. Top with buttered bread crumbs and the rest of the shredded cheddar.
Bake for 30-45 minutes or until bubbley and gooey!
I served this over egg noodles but it's also really good with rice!
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