Chicken Marsala

I had a ton of mushrooms to use up (I first typed marshmallows instead of mushrooms.  I think it's because Brooklyn calls the little marshmallows in her Lucky Charms cereal mushrooms.  I'm all screwed up now).  So I decided to make one of Callen's favorites to order at restaurants, Chicken Marsala.  And it was delicious!

I found the recipe here.  Good all Allrecipes.com

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/ t. oregano
4 skinless, bonless chicken breasts, pounded 1/4 in think
4 T butter
4 T olive oil
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. Marsala wine
1/4 c. cooking sherry (I didn't have this so I just used 3/4 c. Marsala wine)

1.  In a shallow dish, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and oregano.  Dredge chicken breasts in the mix.
2.  In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat.  Place chicken in the pan and lightly brown.  Turn over chicken pieces and add the mushrooms.  Pour in wine/sherry.  Cover skillet; simmer 10 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is no longer pink and the juice run clear.

I served it over pasta.  Delicious!

Chicken and Cream Cheese Taquitos

These. Are. Amazing.  Enough said.

Found originally here.

Ingredients

3 cups cooked shredded chicken

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup salsa

1 + 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 + 1/2 cups chopped baby spinach, stems removed

coarse salt (and fresh black pepper if you like), to taste

9 - 10 (6-inch) flour tortillas

vegetable or canola oil, for frying

topping as you like:

sour cream/quacamole/salsa/taco sauce/ranch dressing

Instructions

1. In a large bowl mix together the chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, cheddar and spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Working with one tortilla at a time add 2 heaping tablespoons of the chicken mixture off center and spread out like a log. Roll up and set seam side down in a 9x13 dish. Repeat until all the tortillas are filled and rolled.
3. Bake at 350 for about 10 mins, flip over if desired. 

*The original recipe has you fry these, so feel free to go that route instead!

5 stars!

Bacon and Chicken Shish-Kebobs

I made these for Father's Day dinner last week.  It was funny because Callen said how much he loved the mushrooms at the same moment I was gagging them down.  I can't handle squishy food.  I think that is also why I have an aversion to seafood.  Food should not be spongy like that.  Anyway, the rest was great and Callen said it was worth making again, so here you go.

Ingredients

• 1/4 C. soy sauce
• 1/4 C. cider vinegar
• 2 Tbs. honey
• 2 Tbs. canola oil
• 10 lg. mushrooms, cut in half
• 2 green onions, minced
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into chunks
• 1/2 lb. sliced thick cut bacon, cut each slice in half
  
• 1 8-oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
• skewers

Directions

In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, cider vinegar, honey, canola oil, and green onions. 

Place the mushrooms and chicken into the mixture, and stir to coat. Cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. 

Preheat grill for high heat. Wrap the chicken chunks with bacon, and thread onto skewers so that the bacon is secured. Alternate with mushroom halves and pineapple chunks. 

Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange skewers on the prepared grill. Cook for 15-20 minutes, brushing occasionally with remaining soy sauce mixture, until bacon is crisp and chicken juices run clear.

Butternut Squash Risotto

I could have sworn I already did this recipe, but I can't find it, so here goes.  This is definitely worth keeping.  (Though I made it for my mother-in-law and she gave me some pointers on what I could do better next time.  I didn't think there was anything wrong with it to begin with...)

Butternut Squash Risotto (found here)

1 medium butternut squash peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces-let me just say this is harder than it looks. These bad boys are not easy to peel.  In the end Callen came and did it for me).

2 chicken breasts

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 an onion chopped (gross)

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 cup Arborio Rice (I didn't know what this was, but apparently it is a specific kind of rice especially for risotto.  Found by normal rice at the grocery store).

3 cups Chicken Broth (I made this back in Brooklyn's soy-free days so I used water from the boiled chicken.  Now that we can eat soy, it will probably have a little more flavor next time I make it)

Parmesan Cheese

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Salt

Fresh Basil

To start with, peel and chop your butternut squash into 1 inch cubes.  Then melt 1 Tbsp. of butter in a pan and add your squash.  Sprinkle with salt and let it cook.  Cover it with a lid so it can steam while you work on the chicken.

Cut your chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes.  Cook your chicken on the stove top with 1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil and a sprinkle with garlic salt.  When it’s finished cooking, set aside.

Saute the onion in 1 Tbsp. of butter for about 5 minutes.  (Or just leave it out).  Then add the garlic and Arborio rice and saute for another 3-5 minutes until your garlic and onions are cooked and your rice is starting to turn golden.

Then add 1 cup of broth and stir constantly over medium heat until the liquid is absorbed.  Then add another 1/2 a cup.  Continue to add the broth a 1/2 a cup at a time until it is all absorbed into the rice.  It should seem creamy when it’s finished.

Once the rice is done, add the butternut squash (it should be steamed and maybe even a little golden brown) and your chicken and mix it all together.  Then top with parmesan cheese.  Add salt and pepper as needed.

4.8 stars!  Great!

Chicken and Cream Cheese Taquitos

So I got home late today after taking the kiddos to Baby Animal Days.  It's one of those nights when it's late and you already made spaghetti this week, so you don't have any other "quick" meals.  So we tried this one.  And we were extremely pleased with the outcome.  Brooklyn even ate it.  Without a fight.  That's how you know it's good. DEFINITELY a repeat.

Cream Cheese Chicken Taquitos (here)

1 1/2 cups cooked shredded cooked chicken

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/6 cup sour cream

1/4 cup salsa

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 cup chopped baby spinach, stems removed

coarse salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

4-5 (6-inch) flour tortillas

vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients (except tortillas) in a large bowl.
2. Fill tortillas with mixture down the middle, roll up like a burrito.
3. (Original recipe calls for frying these bad boys in a pan in oil.  I chose to bake them to keep them healthier.)  Cook at 350 for 12-15 mins.
4. Serve with your choice of sauce.  (We just ate them straight up).

Easily 5 stars.

Mango Chicken Skewers

We are loving our grill.  In fact, I learned how to use it this week and make some mango chicken skewers.  It was perfect.  I had mango and green peppers in my basket this week.  It was like it was meant to be.  And can I just say, they were A.MAZE.ING.  I normally don't like cooked fruit, so I was worried about the mangoes, but they were perfect.  The whole situation was perfect.  These will definitely be a new favorite around here.  (And this is a soy-free recipe that Brooklyn could also eat!)

I found the recipe here.

Mango Chicken Skewers

Ingredients

• 6 Tbs. olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice (I think I used 2-3 limes)
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 ripe but firm mangoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
• Bell peppers, optional

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the spices, and lime juice. Immerse the chicken and mangoes in the mixture and marinate for 2-4 hours, covered, in the refrigerator. (I only marinated for about 1 hour cuz I didn't prepare enough ahead.  And I didn't do the mangoes cuz I didnt want them to get soggy).
2. Prepare a hot grill, line the grill with a strip of foil on one end to prevent the bottom of the skewers from burning. (I didn't do this either, I just loaded the sticks almost clear to the end with food).
3. Take the skewers and alternately place pieces of chicken, mango and peppers. (Brooklyn loved doing this part).
4. Arrange the skewers evenly on the grill. Turn them once while cooking and cook until cooked through and nicely charred. 6-10 minutes. Remove from grill and serve immediately.

5 stars.  Easily.

Italian Chicken Marinade

Callen got a grill.  He said it makes him more of a man.  Well, my dad got a new grill for Christmas, and so we got his old one.  There is nothing wrong with it.  Not sure why dad even needed a new one...  But one man's trash is another man's treasure, right!??

So he stood out in the snow under the overhand that happens to end right where he stands.  So even though it wasn't raining or snowing, he was getting constantly dripped on.  But it was totally worth it.

We used this chicken marinade from Mom on a Mission for the chicken.  It was simple and extremely flavorful.  She talked about using this as a freezer marinade, it is an interesting idea, you should probably check out her site for her details.  I just mixed all the ingredients and put the chicken in it for about 6 hours to marinate.

• 6 Tablespoons canola oil
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 8-10 boneless , skinless chicken breasts ( I butterfly all the way through if they are extra-large)

I only used 2 pieces of chicken, so there was a TON of marinade, I definitely didn't need that much.  But it still tasted excellent!  5.0 stars, this is definitely a repeat.

Dorito Chicken Casserole

I am on a no-sweets eating plan right now except holidays.  (SO EXCITED TOMORROW IS A HOLIDAY!  I have my sweets all planned out...) So lately I have been craving chips.  I probably shouldn't be eating those either, but what do you want from me.  I'm not perfect.

So this little gem of a recipe was perfect the other night.  I found it at Jam Hands.

Mexican Dorito Casserole 
Serves 4-6

• 2 c. shredded cooked chicken
• 1 c. shredded cheese
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (I used homemade soup)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 can Ro-tel tomatoes (I have a bunch of fresh tomatoes from my basket, so I just chopped one up and omitted the jalapenos)
• 1/2 packet taco seasoning (or more- to taste)
• Bag of doritos (and you should probably eat some doritos as you are cooking.  Maybe like 3 servings worth)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350-f degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except doritos.

3. In a greased 2 qt baking dish, put a layer of crushed doritos (about 2 cups), then a layer of the chicken mixture. Repeat once more, ending with a layer of chicken mixture. Top with more shredded cheese, cover, and bake for 30-35 minutes, till bubbling hot.


And ENJOY!
Rating: 4.0 stars (I couldn't give it 5 stars since it's not the healthiest thing I've ever made... I mean, it has crunched up chips in it.)

Chicken Crepes and Buttermilk Syrup and Whole Grain Waffles

I LOVE breakfast.  I would eat breakfast for every meal of every day if I could.  Especially if I have some homemade buttermilk syrup to go with it.  In fact, here is the recipe for that.  This recipe comes from a colleague of mine from when I taught 4th grade, so I can thank Carla Randall for my hip size!

3/4 c. butter
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
2 T karo syrup
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla
(Can you already see how healthy this recipe is??!)

Mix the butter, karo syrup, buttermilk, and sugar together in a medium size sauce pan and boil for 5 mins while stirring.  Remove from heat.  Add the soda and vanilla, being careful because it will froth up a bit before settling down.

(On a side note, if you are trying to use up the rest of your buttermilk before it goes back in two days so you decide to quadruple this recipe, be warned that it will probably boil over your largest pot and make a HUGE sticky mess all over your stovetop, under the burners, down the front of your oven, and onto the floor.  I would suggest not making more than a double batch at one time.)

Rating: 5.0 stars.  Easily.  If I could give it more than that, I would.  It's that good.

Ok, so now you need something to go with the syrup.  How about whole grain waffles?  Also courtesy of Carla.

2 eggs
1/4 c. canola oil
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. flax seed meal
1/4 c. flour
1 T sugar
1 3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. applesauce
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. wheat germ
4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla.  Beat in all dry ingredients just until smooth.   Preheat waffle iron.  Cook until crisp and golden brown.  (These take a little longer to cook so they don't stick to the pan).

Rating: 5.0 stars

Or maybe make some crepes.
This recipe I found on pinterest.  Obviously.

1 c flour
1 T sugar
1/4 t salt
1 1/3 c milk
1 T vanilla
3 eggs
3 T melted butter

1. In a large bowl combine the flour sugar and salt.

2. In a large measuring cup combine the milk, vanilla, eggs and melted butter. Mix with a fork to break up the eggs.

3. While whisking rapidly, slowly pour the milk and egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Whisk until very well combined. I keep the whisk in the bowl and continue to mix the batter occasionally as I make the crepes.

4. Heat an 8" non-stick skillet to medium heat. I used a paper towel with butter to coat the pan. Pour ¼ cup of batter into pan and tilt pan so that batter covers pan in a thin layer. Cook until the edges start to lightly brown, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip over and cook for a few more seconds until done. I sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar over the crepe and roll them up in the pan and keep them covered with aluminum foil to keep them warm until they are ready to serve.

(I didn't do the sugar, since this last time I used them to make chicken crepes and I didn't want them to be sweet).

Rating: 5.0 stars

So maybe you want some crepes, but you don't them super sweet.  Or you want to sneak breakfast into dinner.  Try chicken crepes! (by the Mormon Maven Moms here).

Super easy.

3-4 breasts chicken

2 cans cream of mushroom soup (I made my own so it wouldn't have soy in it)

Crepes

1 c. Sour cream

Cheddar cheese

Cook the chicken and dice it into small pieces.  Mix it with one can of soup.  Put some down the center of a crepe, then roll it up.

Place it in a 9x13 dish and repeat until the dish is full.

Mix the other can of soup with the sour cream.  Pour over the top of the crepes, then sprinkle as much cheese as you want on the top.  

Cook at 375 for 20 mins.  Enjoy!

4.0 stars.  Since I made my own soup, it tends to be a little bland in flavor.  But still a recipe I would use again.

Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Tin Foil Dinners

I was a little nervous about this one, since it seems like something you would eat while camping.  But it turned out fine!  I don't really have a cool story about it, so just enjoy the recipe found at Best Life 4 Moms is Now.

Ingredients:
1 package Stuffing mix; chicken flavor 
1 1/4 cups Water
4 Boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 cups Broccoli Florets
1 cups Shredded cheddar cheese
4 slices Cooked bacon; crumbled 
4 tbsp Ranch dressing divided
- Oven to 400

Directions:
Spray 4 large sheets of heavy-duty foil with oil.
Combine stuffing mix and water.
Spoon 1/4 of the stuffing mixture onto the center of each foil sheet.
Top stuffing with a 6oz. chicken breast half.
Top chicken with 1 c. broccoli.
Sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese and 1 slice of bacon, crumbled.
Drizzle with 1 T. ranch dressing
Bring up foil sides and fold to seal, leaving room for heat circulation inside
Place packets on a cookie sheet and bake 35-40 mins (depends on the size of your chicken breasts)
Remove packets and let stand 5 mins
Cut sits in foil for steam before opening.

It's been a while since I made these, but from what I can remember, 4.5 stars?

Chicken Pesto Calzones

Grandma Phyllis gave us a turkey for Christmas.  Like a 15 pound turkey.  We had some friends over the other night and cooked it, along with mashed potatoes, peasant bread, green beans/bacon, and they brought salad and dessert.  It was so fun, but we were STILL left with TONS of turkey.  So now I have to find recipes to use the turkey.  This recipe called for chicken, but I can use turkey instead, right?  Well, I did.  And even Callen said a couple of times how good they were.  And the other bonus, the dough was homemade so B could have it!  (Have I mentioned lately how obsessed I am with making bread.  I feel like I am winning every time I successfully make bread.  Winning what?  I'm not sure.  Just winning).

Turkey Pesto Calzones

Chicken Pesto Calzones

For the dough (adapted from The Pioneer Woman):

Mix together in a bowl:

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon dry active yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Add in and stir:

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour

Using a bread hook, slowly add in the whole wheat flour until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl.

• 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

Put the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with seran wrap.  Let rise for 1 1/2-2 hours.

To finish the calzones:

Mix together in a bowl:

• 1 cup pesto
• 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (or shredded turkey)

After the dough has risen, split it into 4 balls (this makes HUGE calzones, I would probably do 8 balls next time and make smaller ones that a normal person could actually eat in one sitting).  Roll out on a lightly floured surface to make a rectangular or oval shape.  Spread 1/4 of the pesto chicken mix on 1/2 of the dough.  Layer on top:

• 4 ounces Provolone Stravecchio cheese, shredded (or use mozzarella)

Fold the dough over the top.  Press the edges together to form a seam all the way around.  Brush the oil on and sprinkle on the seasoning.

• Extra virgin olive oil (to drizzle on top)
• Italian seasoning

Put in the oven (preheated to 425) for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. 

**The original instructions said that I could freeze them.  So I made two and froze two.  Make sure and wrap them and put them in BEFORE cooking them.  So, I put on the oil and the seasoning, wrapped them in seran wrap and put them in the freezer.  So excited to have some pre-made dinners for later!

Rating:  5 stars, easy

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

The picture in the pin where I found this recipe looked much more appetizing then mine.  For whatever reason, my pictures never look that cool.  Maybe it's the fact that I don't have a nice camera, that I don't have fancy dishes or garnish my food, perhaps it is because I do not possess the skill of being a photographer.  But the purpose of this blog is for me to catalog my favorite recipes so I can search for them quickly instead of scrolling through my pinterest board for 10 minutes because I keep skipping it.  And this way I can also keep track of changes I made or disasters I had.

So without further ado, here it is!  (And as a head note, 4.9 stars, I went back for seconds even!  And I NEVER go back for seconds.  I am on a very strict 1250 calories a day diet.  Seconds do not make their way into a diet like that.)

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole (say that 5 times fast)

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced (omitted)

3 stalks celery, finely diced (omitted)

3 carrots, peeled and diced

2 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic 

2 Cups shredded, cooked chicken breast

2 Cups steamed white rice (I used brown rice)

16 oz prepared wild rice (I used a box of Uncle Ben's and it says 6 oz on the box.  Not sure if that means it is 6 oz BEFORE it's cooked?  Cuz when it's done there is more like 2 cups, which would be 16 oz).

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

______

Cheese Sauce (I halved this)

4 Tablespoons butter

1/4 Cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 Cups chicken broth

2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese

Top with 1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese

0.  There should really be a prestep.  It took me awhile to figure out what was going on when I started this.  So, for those of us who are a little slow...  Boil and shred chicken.  Make white/brown rice.  Prepare wild rice according to instructions on the box.

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat.  Saute onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in chicken, both rices, salt, pepper and garlic salt.  Reduce heat to low.

2.  To prepare cheese sauce melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously.  Whisk until thick and nearly boiling then stir in cheese until melted.  Pour cheese sauce into rice mixture then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through.  Serve.

8-10 servings

Absolutely delicious!