Garlic lemon stuffed chicken

Ok, so i thought i got a pic of this but i guess not....either way this recipe was too good to not share!

oil, for greasing pan
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 (8 ounce) package Cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a large, shallow baking dish with oil.

2. Butterfly each breast by slicing in half horizontally through the center, cutting almost but not completely through. Place one slice each of Cheddar and cream cheese in the center of each breast. Close again as if placing between the pages of a book. Set aside.

3. Pour milk into a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs and Romano cheese. Carefully dip each breast first in milk, then in breadcrumb mixture, patting lightly to firmly coat. Place breasts side by side in a single layer in pre-oiled baking dish, tucking edges under to seal.

4. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in lemon juice and garlic, and drizzle evenly over chicken.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

Hubby rating:8....Another successful Pinterest find!

Take care-DCW 

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

1 pound chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, cut into 1 inch pieces

⅓ cup flour

3 tablespoon cornstarch

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

⅓ cup buffalo wing sauce (Frank’s Buffalo Wing) , plus extra for garnishment

1 Tablespoon olive oil

10 6-inch yellow corn tortillas

Toppings:

Shredded butter Lettuce

Diced onions mixed with cilantro

Avocado slices

Blue cheese dressing 

Green onions, sliced thinly

Preparation:

Heat a large Skillet over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, cayenne, and garlic powder. Season the chicken pieces with pepper, then toss in the flour mixture.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the Skillet oven and once it gets hot, add chicken and cook on both sides – about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Once the chicken is done, set it aside in a bowl and toss with ⅓  cup buffalo wing sauce.

(Taken from Pinterest: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ze8c1vxNXIBaHUIoXr6K1GD3c0tJzA2wyNu7Z8bOdR4/mobilebasic?pli=1&hl=en_US)

This recipe was amazing....but it also might be because I'm a prego lady that for some reason craves anything buffalo chicken and have since I was prego with AC haha! Hubby rating 8.5

Take care-DCW 

Avocado Enchiladas

Enchilada Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
• 6 flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken(rotisserie works best)
• 2-3 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
• optional garnish: fresh cilantro, sour cream, and/or shredded cheese

Avocado Cream Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 avocados, peeled and pitted
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• juice of one lime

Avocado sauce: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the flour, whisking until golden and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk the broth into the flour mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, salt, garlic powder and pepper, whisking if necessary to remove any lumps. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a blender or food processor. Add avocados, cilantro and lime juice, and pulse until smooth and well-blended.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and jalapeno, and saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions are cooked and translucent. Remove from heat.
To assemble the enchiladas, by spreading a tablespoon or two of the avocado sauce down the middle of the tortilla. Then layer on some of the vegetable mixture, shredded chicken and cheese. Roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Drizzle the top with about half of the remaining avocado cream sauce, then cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, or until tortillas are heated through and begin to harden.

Remove from the oven, then serve individual enchiladas drizzled with the remainder of the avocado cream sauce. You can also garnish with additional cilantro, cheese, and/or sour cream.

BBQ Chicken Stir Fry

The best thing about stir fry? Well, you can really throw anything you have into it.... its a great/healthy good to dinner for weeknights & every time I make its different!

 

Tonight mix:

*1lb (about 3 breasts) Chicken marinade all day: 1 cup BBQ sauce/ 1 TB honey/dash of minced garlic, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Then grill.

 

Warm saute pan or wok on med/high heat, coated in olive oil. Toss in about 1 cup of all: carrots, pea pods, broccoli, spinach, cherry tomatoes and 1/4 cup onion. Measurements are not necessary!

Toss till veggies are tender, slice grilled chicken and soy sauce till warm. Serve with rice and sweet/sour sauce on the side. Hubby rating: 8
Take care -DCW

Quick chicken...not the best pic

Need a yummy but FAST recipe for a week night??

BBQ honey pineapple chicken:

1 lb, about 3-4 raw chicken breasts.

2 cups BBQ sauce, I used Sweet baby Rays sweet & spicy!

1 can sliced or chucked pineapples. Reserve 1/2 cup of juice.

(I would have used fresh if I had it and then added water for the juice.)

1/4 cup chopped white onion

1 Tb honey

(I based on a Pinterest recipe)

Mix honey, BBQ sauce, juice and pour over onions and chicken. Cook in Crock for 5-6 hours on low. Shred chicken and serve with rice!

Hubby rating: 9! 

*I know, I know....its been a long time! I promise to update what we have been up to asap! Take Care- DCW

Chicken Stir-fry

Thinking that I might be in a cooking rut I decided to try some new things when going grocery shopping yesterday....
One thing I picked up was Gold'n Plump Pre-seasoned chicken breast (plus they were buy one get one free! haha). I got the lemon pepper and we grilled it up tonight with our stir fry:

2 chicken breast, grilled

1/2 red & yellow pepper, sliced

1 cup of each: fresh broccoli, mushrooms, onion (garden fresh haha, about the only thing my garden produced this year) summer squash. Sliced

Warm med-large wok or pan with 3-4 tbs olive oil. Throw in all veggie and cook until tender. Top with 1/2-1 tbs peanut oil and soy sauce. Add chicken and cook till warm. Cook white or brown rice and top with veggies/chicken!

*Tonight (Nugget was in bed) I was in the dinning room enjoying my dinner.... the Hubby asked if I wanted to eat in the living room so we could watch TV.... I responded, "No, I would like to slowly enjoy my food and have some me time!" Then I thought for a minute... Dinner is now me time??? OH my goodness yuck, I'm SO a MOM!!! hahaha

Keep on Cooking!!

Coming full circle....

About 2 years ago I started this blog and tonight I again made the first recipe I posted: Chicken Pot pie

Talk about lots of cooking, changes and things to come for my life and this cooking blog! At times Ive gotten busy, side tracked and not sure if I was cooking enough for this blog. And being a mom has somewhat gotten in the way of the kind of cooking I might want to do. But I welcome that change and know that someday I will have more time to exercises that later!

Till then Ill keep you all updated on life, what Im cooking & hope you will join along!
Keep on Cooking!!

Blue Cheese Stuffed Chicken

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tbl sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbl milk
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Panko
1 1/2 tbl butter
6 tbl finely chopped drained roasted red peppers (I got some @ the deli)
2 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Heat oven to 350. Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl. Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast in half to form a pocket. Stuff cheese mixture evenly.
Place flour in a shallow dish. Combine milk, egg and whisk well. Place panko in a shallow dish. Working with 1 chicken breast at a time, dip chicken in flour, egg and panko. Repeat with all chicken.
Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon to butter. Arrange chicken in pan and cook for 4 min or until grown. Bake for 20 mins.
While baking combine butter, peppers, water, Worcestershire and garlic in small saucepan over med. heat. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat and stir in hot sauce. Serve sauce with chicken or drizzle over before serving. (from Cooking Light mag 2010)

Hubby rating: 7.5
Keep on Cooking!!

My favorite marinades

Chicken, beef or steak I love trying new marinades. I know that there are many different mixes and flavors you can buy in the store but I like to make my own. Here are some of my own homemade marinades:

Lemon pepper Chicken:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 1-2 tbs lemon pepper
dash of reg. blk pepper
fresh squeezed lemon over top

BBQ chicken or beef:
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced

Western chicken:
1/2-1 cup Western dressing
dash of paprika
dash of blk pepper
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 purple onion, sliced

Sesame Chicken or Steak:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup diced onions
2 Tb of worshire sauce
4 green onions, chopped
1 Tb sesame seeds
1 tsp sugar

Tomato Lime Chicken:
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 lime, squeezed
1/2 purple onion, sliced
bunch of cilantro, chopped

Ceasar Chicken:
1 cup ceasar dressing
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 lemon or lime, squeezed

Most I marinade over night or during the day for that nights dinner.
Keep on Cooking!

BBQ is back!

What an amazing day.... while my in-laws are in Mexico I toke Monday A.C. duty. We enjoyed some time outside & even a walk with Heidee. It was sunny & warm here, so who needs Mexico right?

BBQ chicken marinate: 1 tbs olive oil 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, 2 tbs soy sauce & 2 chopped green onions *Marinate chicken over night and then grill. We ate this with french bread, mac & cheese!

Keep on Cooking!

BBQ chicken stir fry

2 cups chicken, grilled

1 cup carrots, fresh and chopped

2 cup broccoli, fresh and chopped

2 cup mushrooms, fresh and chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

3 tbs olive oil

1/4 cup BBQ sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 cups cooked rice

*Warm olive oil in med pan. Toss in all veggies and cook until tender. Top with BBQ and soy sauce. Add chicken and cook till warm. Serve with cooked rice and enjoy!

(one way I pre prep for weekly dinners is marinate 1-2 lbs chicken in olive oil & season salt. Then grill and cut into strips. We use this chicken also for salads all week! I am 4 weeks going strong of pre-made lunches and dinners. Ive mixed it up a bit with fruit and different veggatables depending whats on sale. Either way its a very cost effective, quick and healthy way for our family to get through the week!)

Keep on Cooking!

A Happy Valentines Day Cookie!

Sealed with a Kiss Cookie
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg (unbeaten)
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
Combined ingredients in order listed Roll into balls and then sugar. Bake at 375 for 8 mins. Take out and press a chocolate kiss on the top until dough breaks. Bake 2-5 mins more. (you can use Hugs or chocolate stars also.) Happy Valentines Day! Honestly its not one of my favorite holidays.... I love to love those close to me everyday! (That couldn't be cornier right?!) But its true.... so all of you out there... I'm sending some L-O-V-E!
Keep On Cooking!!

Chicken & pasta primavera

The Hubby & I got out Saturday night for dinner & a movie. My brother & I have made it a goal the last 2 years to see all of the Oscar best picture nominees before the big show.... Of course the year we are up for the challenge they honor 10 and not only 5! But last year I saw about 7/10 and he saw all 10! This year I got a jump on it and have only 3 more to see....anyway, we saw True Gritt on Saturday. I have to say it wasn't my fav (I'm pulling for The Kings Speech!) but it was nice to spend some time with my Valentine!

Since we went out Saturday, Ill be cooking tonight:

2 split (1 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose wheat flour
1 extra-large egg
1/2 tablespoon water
3/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
Olive oil
Lemon slices
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.Mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the egg and 1/2 tablespoon of water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan, top with lemon slices and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes.

Pasta Primavera
1 pkg of spaghetti noodles, cooked & drained
zucinni, onion and peppers (sliced)
olive oil
1 pkg vegetable mix
1 & 1/2 cups milk

Warm oil in pan and saute all veggies. Add mix, milk and bring to boil. Simmer for 20 mins and toss in noodles.
Keep on Cooking!!

Chicken Florentine

1 can Roasted Garlic Cream of Chicken Soup
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 of a 20-ounce bag frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed and well drained
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, drained
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups penne pasta, cooked and drained
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat the oven to 375°F. Stir the soup, water, spinach, tomatoes and chicken in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Cover the baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the baking dish and stir in the pasta.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the pasta mixture is hot and bubbling. Sprinkle with the cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
*This recipe gets a VERY low Hubby rating... he is not a fan so that's why I made it this week when my mom was over. Its not the recipe he doesn't like, just the tomatoes and spinach! Oh well you cant please them all!
Keep on Cooking!!

Sleepy days & chicken tacos

Hello, some delay on any cooking & posts around our sleepy house. We have had so many friends and family visits! The fun part about it is having them meet the little guy & they have brought tons of food! :) Not much cooking for mom! (It still sounds so weird saying "mom")
This little guy has been the best baby and sleeping like a champ... I'm not sure I should be saying that for fear that it might change......

Either way here is a quick recipe for yummy chicken tacos:
3-4 chicken breasts
1 can of chicken broth
1 pkg of taco seasoning
2 sliced green and red peppers
1/4 cup chopped onion
*put all into crock pot and cook on med for 6-8 hours or until chicken falls apart. Serve on hard or soft shells with your choice of taco fixings. (Got this recipe from a friend Erin from my book club!)

Keep on Cooking!!

Just like Grandma's

This recipe makes me think of my Grandma's Wheatie chicken.... I wanted tacos 2night.... the Hubby wanted something "different" & I had chicken out. This is a first timer here: Double-Coated Chicken
7 cups Kellogg's Corn Flakes® cereal
1 egg
1 cup fat-free milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 pounds chicken pieces, (without or with skin) rinsed and dried
3 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
Directions
1. Place KELLOGG'S CORN FLAKES cereal in shallow dish or pan. Set aside.2. In medium mixing bowl, beat egg and milk slightly. Add flour, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth. Dip chicken in batter. Coat with cereal. Place in single layer, in shallow baking pan coated with cooking spray or foil lined. Drizzle with margarine.3. Bake at 350° F about 1 hour or until chicken is tender, no longer pink and juices run clear. Do not cover pan or turn chicken while baking.
Hubby rating: 6.... but solid 7 served with sweet/sour dipping sauce!
Keep on Cooking!!

Finally Cookin Angie's Chicken Linguine

Angie's Recipe: (friend feature back in January)

Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 40 mins
Bake: 30 mins
8 ounces uncooked linguine
4 tablespoons butter/margarine, divided
4 skinned/boned chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup water 1 small onion - diced
1 (8 oz) pkg sliced fresh mushrooms
2/3 cup all purpose flour 2 cups chicken broth, divided
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley - divided
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs

1. Cook pasta according to package directions - set aside 2. Melt 1 tbsp butter in large skillet over med- high heat. Add Chicken, cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly brown. Stir in sherry & water. Cover, reduce heat to low, simmer 20 minutes until done. Drain chicken, reserving 1 cup liquid - set aside. Cut chicken into 1 - inch pieces - set aside. 3. Melt 1 tbsp butter in skillet, sauté onion & mushrooms over med -high heat 5 minutes or until tender 4. Stir together flour & 1/2 cup broth. Add reserved liquid, flour mixture, & remaining 1.5 cup broth to mushroom mixture in skillet. Cook, stirring often,over medium high heat until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken,pasta, sour cream, Monterey jack cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup parsley & pepper. 5. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Combine breadcrumbs, remaining 2 tbsp butter, remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese & remaining 1/4 cup parsley in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the casserole. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Keep on Cooking!!

Summer Summer Summer Time.....

What a wonderful MN Sunday! As The Hubby & I rollerbladed (its our new thing) around the neighborhood today I could not help but notice everyone outside doing something!

My list a wonderful today:

-Church

-Lunch with the Nixons , love you guys!

-Cleaning up my garden

-Cleaning & pricing stuff in the garage for our up coming sale

-Rollerblading with The Hubby

-BBQ dinner & DQ desert

Marinated BBQ chicken & pineapple

3-4 breasts of thawed chicken

1-1 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

dash of soy sauce

2 Tb pineapple juice (optional, but orange or lemon works too!)

dash of garlic salt or minced garlic, about 1 tsp

*Sliced or cubed pineapple (canned or fresh)

Mix all ingredients together, pour over chicken and marinate 8 hours or over night. (I had planned on cooking this on Friday night, so mine had been marinating since Friday AM)

Place on grill and cover with 1 slice or 3 cubes of pineapple. (We also made pineapple kabobs with the extra) Grill till thoroughly cooked and serve.

*Side note about the garage clean up: Last year I received about 3 boxes full of my Grandma Shoberg's stuff (she passed about 7 yrs ago) my mom thought I might like. Well I went through them right away and kept a lot but have not gone back. Today when I went back to make final decision on on what to keep or sell I found the most adorable Watermelon melamine dishes set! I'm really into dinnerware... mostly glass, pottery and porcelain.... but how fun for summer! I washed it up & we even used some of it for dinner tonight. :)

Happy Sunday everyone! Keep on Cooking!

Grilled Chicken Ceasar Wraps

2 boneless chicken breast
3/4 cup ceasar dressing
1/2 tbls lemon juice (fresh)
1 red pepper, cut into slices
1 yellow or green pepper, cut into slices
2 green onions, chopped
2 cups greens
1 cup spinach
2 flour or veggie tortillas large

Marinate chicken in dressing, lemon juice and 1 green onion chopped over night or couple hours. (I put it together in the AM for PM dinner) Grill chicken and sliced peppers till fully cooked. (Slice chicken into strips or chunks) Toss greens, spinach, rest of chopped green onion in bowl and lay on top of both tortillas evenly. Top with cooled chicken and peppers on top, add any extra dressing (DO NOT reuse the marinate!) and wrap!

Making these tonight for dinner.... Enjoy- Keep on Cooking!!

Family Dinner...

Our family might be small right now but the Hubby & I are trying to make an effort to have "family dinner" @ the table a couple nights a week. I thought it would be fun to share our dinner tonight with some pics... clearly I was not the only one that thought it to be "funny":


Tonight's dinner,
Store bought Chicken Kev & "Mom's" Fried Rice:
1 box fried rice mix or long gran white rice
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 egg
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp worshire sauce
3 green onions
1/2 cup snap peas or bean sprouts
1/2 cup or small can of mushrooms

Cook boxed rice as directed on box. Saute chopped onion in olive oil on med/high heat. Add egg, fry and add cooked rice. Finally add soy, worshire, chopped green onions, sprouts and mushrooms. Fry for 5 mins or until sprouts or peas are tender.
Serve with chicken or mix in browned beef.... enjoy!!

I found out I have a NEW follower today... Welcome Kelsey!! Keep on Cooking!!