Honey Nut Chicken

I didn't take a picture of this, but I have made it twice now and it always turns out really tasty! It is super easy and quick too. Enjoy!

Honey Nut Chicken
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

4 ounces, 2 small packages, honey roasted peanuts, about 2/3 cup
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick)
2 eggs
A splash half-and-half or whole milk
2 teaspoons hot sauce, several drops
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 (6 to 8-ounce) pieces of chicken breast

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Put nuts, bread crumbs and grill seasoning in food processor and pulse grind to combine the nuts into bread crumbs. Pour nutty-breading onto a plate.
Beat eggs and half-and-half or milk with hot sauce in a shallow dish.
Pour flour out on a plastic board or plate.
Dust both sides of the chicken with flour. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and then coat with the nutty-breading.
Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer, 2 or 3 turns of the pan. Brown chicken pieces 2 minutes on each side in hot oil or until evenly light golden in color. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook in oven until juices run clear and breasts are cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Creme Caramel French Toast

Crème Caramel French Toast
2 Tbls corn syrup

1 c brown sugar

½ c butterone loaf of uncut bakery white and cut it into Texas sized pieces

6 eggs

2 c milk

2 c light cream

1/3 c sugar

1 Tbls vanilla

½ tsp salt

Sour Cream
In a saucepan, combine the corn syrup, brown sugar and butter. Melt until smooth and bubbly. Spread in the bottom of a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Overlap the bread like dominoes on the syrup. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, light cream, sugar, vanilla and salt. Pour the mixture over the bread. Refrigerate the mixture overnight. (Don’t be concerned about the extra liquid in the dish: it bakes up like a custard) Bake COVERED in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, then add TOPPING and bake UNCOVERED for 15 minutes more. The toast should be puffed and golden. Cut into 8 pieces and invert to serve. Top each piece with 2 Tbls or less of sour cream and accompany with fresh berries or a raspberry or cranberry sauce.
TOPPING:
½ c. brown sugar,

½ c. chopped pecans,

1 c. cornflakes crushed,

¾ cube butter melted mixed together and add to top.

Simple and Creamy Tortellini Alfredo

This is a Kraft recipe that my friend Vanessa made and posted on her blog and it sounded good so I decided to try it out and it is a fast and easy winner!! Everyone loved it and it was so easy! I think it is in the new Kraft foods magazine if any of you get that, but if not you can get the recipe here or on kraftfoods.com. Enjoy!

By the way.....I am not very good at this recipe blog thing...I thought the idea was for EVERYONE to post recipes!!!haha:) feel free whenever you want!!

1 can 14.5 oz reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup water

2 pkg. refrigerated tortellini(9 oz. packages)

(I found a good tortellini in the frozen section at Wal-mart...I think it was only $2.87 whereas the well-known one in the refrigerated section is like $6 or $7.)

4 oz. cream cheese cubed

1 cup frozen peas

3/4 cup italian style shredded cheese

6 slices bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled

Pour broth and water into saucepan and bring to a boil on medium high heat. Add tortellini. Reduce heat to medium-low;cover. Simmer for 8-9 minutes until tortellini is tender. Do not drain. Add cream cheese and peas; stir. Heat for 2-3 minutes or until cream cheese is completely melted stirring occassionally. Stir in shredded cheese and bacon.

I made homemade breadsticks and caesar salad to go with the alfredo and then you have a complete Italian feast! Yummy!

Easy Caramels!

This was the only picture...those pretzels are good too, but the caramels are just mixed in with them.

1/2 c. butter melted

1/2 c. corn syrup

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk

Mix all ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 6 1/2-7 minutes. (My microwave cooks fast so I do 6 1/2 minutes...its just trial and error) As soon as it is done pour into a 8x8 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. It will be REALLY hot and boiling, but you have to pour it right away. Cool for 10 minutes at room temp. Then put in the refrigerator for another 30-35 minutes. Cut into dice size squares and then roll into wax paper!

Cowboy Caviar

I picked up this yummy salsa recipe from a girl in my ward and it is always a hit! So by popular demand, here is the recipe.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can white "shoepeg" corn

1/4 c. parsley, chopped

1/3 c. cilantro, chopped

1/3 c. green onions, chopped

1/2 c. chopped tomatoes

2 avocados, chopped

2 T. salsa

Mix together in bowl and let sit.

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. salt

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/8 tsp. pepper

Mix both parts together and toss. Chill and serve with chips.

Enjoy!

Mom's Mint Brownies!

This was my first attempt to make my Mom's mint brownies.....it turned out okay....they tasted soooo good....but definitely didn't LOOK as good as my Mom's. But I guess she has had a lot more practice than I have. And I'm not shy...I will post things if they taste good but don't look so good!:) Everyone should still try these out though! These are perfect to make when you need a ton of something for a shower or a Christmas party. You can cut them small and they can go a long way! They are really addicting. Here is the recipe...it is a little bit of a process, but totally worth it! Enjoy!


Brownie

3 cups flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 eggs
3/4 cups oil
3/4 cups buttermilk or sour milk(just add a little vinegar to normal milk to make sour milk)
3 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups hot water
Mix all ingredients together and bake in greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 to 35 min. Check at about 25 min. Mine cooked a little faster, but that could just be my oven.

Frosting

4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter softened
1/2 tsp. mint extract
4 tsp. milk(I had to use a little more....just add a tsp at a time until it is a spreadable consistency)

Spread on cooled brownies. Always make sure you have enough frosting on your knife so that it doesn't pull up the brownie! You don't need to spread it all the way to the edge because when you cut them into squares you trim off the edge pieces.

Chocolate Topping

12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butter

Melt slowly in small pan. The chocolate must be LUKEWARM before you put it on top of the frosting. If it is too warm it will melt the frosting. You can put it in the freezer in a different bowl and stir it every once in a while to make sure it doesn't harden. But if you leave it too long you will have to reheat it again. So just check it periodically. The chocolate will set more once it is on the brownie.
Let set for a while. Trim around edges and cut into smaller brownie squares. And Serve!

Parmesan chicken with Pasta Rags

I wasn't sure if I was really going to ever post a recipe on here since I don't make anything too exciting, but......I made this chicken last night and let me just tell you it tasted like something I'd order from Olive Garden. I found the recipe from Betty Crockers website, and the directions were pretty easy to follow, and it turned out soooo good! You can also use any kind of pasta you want, and add whatever else to the pasta mix you want! I used 2 chicken breasts but had extra stuff to make more, I would say this recipe makes enough for about 4 chicken breasts. Enjoy :)


Chicken
3
cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2
teaspoon seasoned salt
3
tablespoons olive oil
1
tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2
cup Progresso® garlic herb bread crumbs
1/2
cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 1/2
lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves or thighs


Pasta
8
oz uncooked lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
1/4
cup olive oil
1
clove garlic, finely chopped
1
package (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen spinach, thawed, drained
1/2
teaspoon seasoned salt
1
cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2
tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Garnish, if desired
Fresh basil sprigs
Shaved Parmesan cheese


1. Heat oven to 475°F. In shallow microwavable bowl, stir together 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt, 3 tablespoons oil and butter. Microwave uncovered on High 1 minute or until butter is melted; stir.

2. In another shallow bowl, stir together bread crumbs and grated cheese. Coat chicken pieces with garlic mixture; coat with crumb mixture. Place in ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan.

3. Bake about 20 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut. Meanwhile, cook broken lasagna noodles as directed on package. Drain; cover to keep warm.

4. In 10-inch skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 clove garlic; cook and stir 1 minute or until tender. Stir in spinach and 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until spinach is cooked. Add cooked noodles, tomatoes and chopped basil; cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot. Serve pasta mixture with chicken. Garnish with basil sprigs and shaved Parmesan cheese.