Tag: chicken

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” ~ Michelangelo

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There is a touch of fall in the air!! And that is so hard to believe considering it’s the middle of August in Alabama. But I am not complaining at all! It has been a very mild summer and for that I am grateful – pregnant in the summer in the south is not a good thing. Oh the swelling and the sweating. Fun, huh?

I’m afraid the temperature will start rising again this week so I’m going to enjoy this very mild morning while I can and tell you about an easy crock pot dinner we had last week. It’s packed with flavor and simple, simple, simple.

Angel Chicken

(adapted from cleverlyinspired)

  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 pounds)
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 12 ounces of sliced mushrooms (your choice of kind – I used a combo of button and shitake)
  • 1 0.7-oz. pkg. Italian dry salad dressing mix
  • 1 10-3/4-oz. can condensed golden mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
  • 1/2 of an 8-oz. tub cream cheese spread with chives and onion
  • Hot cooked rice

Start by melting butter in a sauce pan and add in Italian dressing, stir until mixed thoroughly.

Stir in soup, cream cheese and wine unit completely melted and combined. Gently fold in mushrooms.

Place chicken in crockpot and pour sauce over the top.

Cook on low for 6 hours, serve over rice.

Angel ChickenThis will become one of your quick “go-to” meals!

-abp

“Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it each day, and at last we cannot break it.” ~ Horace Mann

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Well, today I’m sitting here killing time as the guys for AT&T are installing U-Verse throughout the house.  I’ve never had anything but cable so I’m a little wary but hopefully it will be a good change.

Really, why does anything to do with cable/internet have to be so complicated?

While I’ve been sitting here (before they cut off my internet – please oh please work when they re-hook-up everything) I have found several new recipes to try! 🙂

But today I’m going to tell you about last nights dinner.

Chicken Cutlets with Tomato Cream Sauce

(adapted from Southern Living Magazine)

  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 lb chicken cutlets
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ¼ cup olive oil, divided
  • ¼ cup loosely packed sage leaves
  • ½ large shallot, sliced
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup chicken broth 2 medium  tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
  • 8 oz hot cooked thin spaghetti
  1. Stir together flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour/cornstarch mixture.
  2. Cook chicken in 2 Tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels.
  3. Heat remaining oil in skillet; add sage. Cook, stirring often for 2-3 minutes or until crisp and fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.
  4. Add shallots and saute until tender. Add wine and cook until mixture is reduced by half, stirring to loosen all brown bits.
  5. Add broth, next 2 ingredients and chicken.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium/low and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Sprinkle with cheese.
  6. Serve over pasta and sprinkle with crumbled sage leaves.

*****being pregnant, I do not have wine on hand like I normally would so I used 1½ cups chicken broth and added it when it calls for wine and cooked it down.********

DSC03831DSC03834I very much enjoyed this meal! I will say I thought it to be a little mild but would be perfect to serve to people who might not like “bold” flavors.

-abp

“Spring is nature’s way of saying – Let’s Party!” ~ Robin Williams

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Ahhh……The beautiful sunshine and warmth!! I can feel it coming – SPRING!

I can also feel the pollen coming too……

But that’s ok! I love spring.

Had a great day that started with church and a quick lunch at Zoe’s – I’m very excited about their new app that lets you scan in your receipts and sends you goodies as you build up points.  I highly recommend downloading it if you live around a Zoe’s.  I practically have one in my front yard – so it works great for me.

Even though it seems to be warming up, I’m still craving warm comfort food you usually have during the colder months.  My BFF made this last weekend and told me it was a must try.

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole (adapted from The Shady Porch)

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
  • 2 cups chicken stock (from boiling the breasts above)
  • small bag of frozen vegetables
  • ½ stick butter
  • 2 cups Bisquick
  • 2 cups 2% milk
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 3 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 1/2 t. dried sage
  • 1 t. black pepper & salt

Preheat oven to 350º

Melt butter in 9 x 13 casserole dish.

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Layer shredded chicken and season with salt/pepper and sage. Top with veggies.

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(I forgot to take a picture of the veggies)

In a small bowl, mix together milk and bisquick and evenly pour over chicken and veggies.

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In another bowl whisk together chicken stock, cubes, and soup.

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Pour this mixture over milk mixture.  DO NOT MIX any of the layers.

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Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until set and browned on top.

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This one pan dish is a super simple way to make chicken pot pie and it was super delicious too!

-abp

“Ideas are like pizza dough, made to be tossed around.” ~ Anna Quindlen

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Simple was the key for Sunday night when preparing dinner because I had one eye on dinner and the other eye on the tv watching The Oscars or Oscar coverage. That’s why I opted for the all time favorite – spaghetti.

I love me some “sketti”.

And don’t you just love all those dresses?!?

(Although some of those chicks really need to eat.)

The girly girl in me wishes there were more occasions to dress up – it’s so much fun!

Don’t get me wrong – I looooove casual but I do not think there are enough times that we go all out like they used to in the golden era.

You know – “dress for dinner”

Oh well. I’m sure there are more days that I’m glad I do not have to “dress for dinner” than there are days that I wish I could.

Since Sunday was just a staple dinner I thought last night I would try something a little different.

BBQ Chicken Pizza.  Should be pretty simple and will go perfectly with the left over Cheesecake in the fridge. 🙂

BBQ Chicken Pizza

(adapted from My Baking Addiction)

  • 1 store bought pizza crust or refrigerated crust
  • ½ cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 ½ cup cooked and shredded chicken (I pan fried a few chicken tenders and shredded that)
  • ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
  • ½ – 1 orange bell pepper; diced
  • 1 cup mozzarella  shredded cheese
  • Chopped cilantro; to taste

(all these ingredient amounts vary according to size of pizza crust and your desired tastes)

Preheat oven to the temperature your pizza crust suggests.

Place Pizza dough on pizza stone or foil lined baking sheet and cook until it has a slight toast on it – about 5 minutes. (I opted for foil lined because my stone is round and this pizza crust was square)

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Remove crust and spread barbecue sauce over crust. Add shredded chicken, onion, and bell peppers on top of the barbecue sauce. Top with cheese and cilantro.

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Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown. Garnish with more cilantro.

Chicken BBQ PizzaChicken BBQ PizzaThis was so so good! It tastes like you ordered it from a specialty pizza place! And EASY too!

I might add artichoke hearts next time – and there will be a next time – soon!

-abp

“There’s nothing more romantic than Italian food.” ~ Elisha Cuthbert

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One of our favorite dishes we had on our honeymoon trip to Italy was Saltimbocca.  Saltimbocca means “jump in your mouth” and that it does! I knew it would be a meal that I must try back at home and I finally got around to it.

Saltimbocca is a very popular Italian dish that is traditionally made with veal but can be made with chicken (which is what I had on hand).

Chicken Saltimbocca

4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 fresh sage leaves
2 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 8 thin strips
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt. Place 3 sage leaves on each cutlet.

top with sage

Wrap 2 prosciutto slices around each cutlet, securing sage leaves in place.

wrap with prosciutto

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook for 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Combine broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture and the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.

Place chicken on bed of fettuccine and top with sauce.

Chicken Saltimbocca

Love, love, love this dish! It’s simple too!

abp

“People who throw kisses are hopelessly lazy.” ~ Bob Hope

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I’m not sure if its the weather or if jet-lag from the holidays but I’m feeling pretty lazy. So tonight it’s another crock pot meal.

It’s already smelling yummy!!

That’s one of the great side benefits of cooking with the crock pot – how it makes your whole house smell awesome!

Tonight’s recipe has been adapted from Mmm…Cafe.

Honey Sauced Chicken

  • 1.5 – 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 3 tablespoons of ketchup
  • 1 ½ Tbs. vegetable oil
  • 2 clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ to ½ tsp. red pepper flakes (depends on heat desired)
Salt and Pepper chicken and place in slow cooker.
salt and pepper chicken
In a medium bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients.
mix ingredients
mixuter
Pour over chicken, stir to coat. Bake on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
stir to coat
With 30 minutes left to cook, carefully remove chicken from sauce, cut into bite size pieces.
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Return to sauce, mix well and continue to cook.
return to sauce
Serve over rice.
serve over rice
This was a very good meal and one of the more simple I have found. So much so, even though I was feeling lazy, I decided to whip up Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles!
More on those later.
Happy Rainy Monday!!!
abp

“Don’t compare yourself with someone else’s version of happy or thin. Accepting yourself burns the most calories.” ~ Caroline Rhea

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As mentioned earlier in the week – all I am craving is the “sweet stuff” but man can’t live on sugar alone (although goodness knows I could but my waistline could not) so…….

I found a couple recipes from Cooking Light I would like to try and tonights will be Walnut and Rosemary Oven-Fried Chicken.

  • ¼ cup low fat buttermilk
  • 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
  • 4 (6 ounce) chicken cutlets
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
  • 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
  • ¾ teaspoon minced rosemary
  • 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
  • cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425º.

Combine buttermilk and mustard in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk.

Add chicken to mixture, turning to coat.

Heat small skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko bread crumbs to pan, cook 3 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.

Combine panko, nuts, cheese, rosemary, salt and pepper in shallow dish. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture and dredge in panko mixture.

Place a wire rack on a large baking sheet, coat with cooking spray and arrange chicken on rack; spray chicken with cooking spray.

Bake for 13 minutes or until chicken in done.  I served mine with wild rice and a salad.

Having this for dinner (292 calories, 9.6 grams fat/serving) made me feel better about all the Chocolate Chip Nutella Cookies I ate!

I hope to try more Cooking Light recipes soon!

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

abp

“You knew when you married me I’m more Coco Chanel than coq au vin” ~ Carrie Bradshaw

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My stupid, stupid cold is back. Ugh, ugh, ugh.

I have no idea why this year has been so bad.  The DH is threatening to take me to the doctor to see if they will take my tonsils out…….I believe this is mainly because he’s a big ol’ chicken about catching it from me. Although – if it will help me feel better on a regular basis – I’m all for it! I’ll just think about all the gelato I would have to eat while I recuperated.

I’d like to make my own gelato – does anyone have one of those electric counter-top ice cream/yogurt/gelato makers? I think I want one…….

Oh well, hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow. On to brighter topics…….

DINNER!

On the menu tonight is the less fussy Coq au vin. Everybody loves a good Coq au Vin but is not always up for the work it can sometimes require.  So I say this is Coq au Vin’s country cousin.

Country Style Coq Au Vin

  • 1/2 pound sliced bacon, diced
  • 1.5 – 2 lb. chicken breast, cut up
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 pound small white mushrooms
  • 1 cup frozen small white onions, thawed
  • 6 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary leaves
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

First you brown your bacon and remove to slow cooker with slotted spoon.

Next reserve a tablespoon of bacon grease and brown your chicked (seasoned with salt and pepper) on all sides. Then remove to slow cooker.

Add mushrooms and onions on top of chicken.

De-glaze your pan with the white wine and add the garlic and rosemary for 1-2 minutes to release flavor.

Pour over vegetables, chicken and bacon.

Stir all together and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.

After the allotted cooking time, remove vegetables, chicken and bacon to bowl and keep warm.

Pour pan juice into small sauce pan and mix cornstarch and water in a bowl.

Slowly pour cornstarch mixture into sauce pan with juice and bring to a boil stirring constantly until thickened.

Pour thickened sauce into bowl and mix.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

This is a wonderful dinner for a cool fall night! There were no leftovers!

Granted, this is not the prettiest dish you have ever seen but do not let that discourage you! It’s very good!

You could also serve this in a bowl over rice a la gumbo style. I think that’s what I will do next time.

Happy Fall Y’all!!!

abp

“Food is not about impressing people. It’s about making them feel comfortable.” ~ Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa)

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Italian food ranks right up there as being my favorite type of food but I have to admit when we got back home from our trip to Italy- I most definitely wanted something that 1) wasn’t Italian and 2) was not ordered in a restaurant.

I wanted good old comfort food and I wanted it in the form of Mexican!

So Mexican Chicken Casserole fit the bill perfectly!

It’s simple, simple and full of flavor.  It can also be adjusted according to the heat you desire.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

  • 2-3 cups of cooked chicken, shredded
  • 8 oz of jalapeno Velveeta cheese, cubed (use regular for milder version)
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can mild rotel tomatoes (hot for spicier version)
  • 1/2 bag Doritos, crumbled

Mix shredded chicken, cheese, soups and rotel in large bowl.

Pour into casserole dish.

Top with Doritos and bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until slightly browned and bubbly.

Serve with Sante Fe Ranch Salad and chow down.

That sure was simple and perfect for this hungry jet-lagged girl.

Glad to be back in the kitchen!

abp

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” ~ Rabindranath Tagore

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The calm before the storm.

The next couple days/weeks are going to be pretty crazy for me.
(But in a good way!)

We are going on our delayed Honeymoon – YAY! So this will be my last post for about 2 weeks. I would like to blog about some of the things we do and EAT on our trip but I’m not sure what the internet situation will be like. So until then I’ll send you off with the recipe from last Mondays Peanut Gallery meal.

Chicken and Black Bean Casserole

(recipe adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff)

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 cup rice
  • 1 ¼ cup chicken broth (divided)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/3 cup diced onion
  • 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
  • 2 cooked skinless boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ground cayenne pepper to taste
  • 2 oz cream cheese
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained
  • 1-2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese-depending on how much cheese you like (pretty much any kind of cheese combo you would like would work well – I’m using cheddar-jack)

Bring rice and 1 cup chicken broth to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until rice is soft and liquid is absorbed.

Preheat oven to 350º and grease a 9×13 casserole dish.

Cook the onion in olive oil over medium high heat until tender.

Then add in chicken, mushrooms and zucchini. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.

Cook until zucchini and mushrooms are soft and slightly browned.

Add in chicken, green chilies, cream cheese, ¼ cup chicken broth, black beans, rice and half the cheese.  Stir until mixed well and heated through. (see note below)

****Note***** When doing this again, I would not add rice and beans in to the pan,  I would fold in rice and black beans in a large bowl after the rest was combined. When mixing in the beans over heat it kind of turned everything greyish – not very appealing.

When combined, spread into casserole dish and cover with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese has slightly browned.

One thing I would add next time would be ½ – 1 Tablespoons of diced jalapeno peppers – I like it spicy!

I have to admit – it’s not a very pretty dish (the greyishness doesn’t help) but it’s a  yummy, filling dish that’s not on bad on the diet either!

I will definitely miss you guys for the next couple weeks but I should be back with good stories (and probably 5-10 extra pounds…….)

And for all you would be burglars out there – since I’m telling the whole world wide web that I’m going to be out of town – there will a house sitter staying in our home to take care of things while we’re gone, so no need in getting any ideas.

I’ll see you in a couple weeks!

Ciao!

abp