Chicken Stuffed Shells and an award

This is a great, quick and easy weeknight meal.I found this recipe over at Pioneer Woman. It was the response to one of her contest questions, just like my last post. This is a big hit in my house and you really only need to add a salad and you have a satisfying dinner. It can be put together fast and you can use store bought Rotissere chicken, if you don't want to roast your own.


Chicken Stuffed Shells

1 package Jumbo shells, I used Ronzoni
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 cup mayonaise
1 box stove top stuffing
1 large jar beef or chicken gravy, I used Franco American


Instructions:

I roasted my own chicken, so basically took 2 chicken breasts on the bone, salted and peppered them, drizzled with olive oil and baked for 45-50 minutes, until they looked like this:


Let them cool and then shred them and put in a bowl to the side.

Cook shells according to package and drain. Make stuffing according to directions, using the butter and water. Cool and add in chicken and the mayo:
Right here I could stop and just take a fork and go to town, the filling is soooo good.

Fill shells with the chicken mixture and place in a 9x13 pan, that already has a thin layer of gravy spread on the bottom of it.

Pour remaining gravy over the shells.

Cover and bake 30 minutes. That's it, that is all there is to it. It is really yummy and so easy and so perfect for weeknight dinner. Aren't we all looking for easy weeknight dinners right now? I know I am.

I would also like to take a minute to thank Spryte, over at Sprytes place for this awesome award. Go visit her if you haven't already. She has lots of good things to try. I tried to answer the questions but couldn't figure out how to copy and paste them....sigh....oh well

Easy weeknight Chicken Teriayki

Weeknights are so difficult. I get out of work at 3:00, I come home and then my husband goes to work and I then start my second job as "mom". I have to clean up after the 3 of them, do laundry,dishes, be a referee and on top of that make dinner. I don't know how we moms do it, but we do. Recipes like this help. I got this recipe from a woman who lived in our apartment complex years ago. It is a quick , go to meal. I usually have everything I need for it on hand, and it is made on top of the stove. It is really good, I don't know if it has true teriayki flavor but I like it better than what I get at Shen Wangs for 10.00. Let's get started.


Chicken Teriayki


1 lb chicken cutlets, cut thin and in strips
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 garlic clove ( I used 2)
1 med onion, sliced into thin rings
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp Guldens spicy brown mustard
1-2 tbsp brown sugar ( I used 2)
1/2 tsp ground ginger



Directions:


Mix soy sauce,mustard,brown sugar, and ginger in a small bowl.


Whisk together and set aside.

Cut your chicken into thin strips

Set aside, until ready to use.

Cut garlic in half and the onion into thin rings. Heat oil in skillet and add garlic and onions and cook for 5 minutes.

Add chicken to the pan. Cook chicken for a little bit.

Add the soy sauce mixture, cover and simmer until sauce thickens and juices run clear, about 15 minutes.

***Double the sauce ingredients, remove cover after 10 minutes to help thicken quicker. Sometimes I use a cornstarch slurry. Remove chicken and keep warm if done before the sauce thickens to your liking.

That's the whole thing, done, finished. Serve over white rice or even better serve it with Donna's special fried rice, this takes it to a whole other level and you know exactly what you are eating and you can control the ingredients. Even my kids like this. So when you are stuck , at home, kids are screaming, the laundry needs to get done, the dishes need to get washed and you are trying to keep the kids from killing each other, give yourself a break and try this quick, easy, delish weeknight meal.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have laundry to fold and put away, because just like washing the dishes, my husband forgets how. It never ends. Keep smiling everyone, keep smiling.

Almond- Orange Shortbread and Basil Grilled Chicken

It is so hot. It is so humid. It is so sticky and muggy out and I have just about had it with the constant threat of thunderstorms, so I am going to think of Chrsitmas. Christmas means cold weather and snow. It means hot chocolate and presents, but most importantly it means Christmas cookies. This recipe comes from everyday food and I discovered it, I believe, about 2 years ago and it is a definate keeper to my holiday trays. The orange flavor really shines through and the almonds make them look so pretty, and it is a true buttery, shortbread. It hits on all cylinders in my book.

Let's get started, shall we:

Almond -Orange Shortbread

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 cup confectioners sugar

3/4 tsp almond extract

2 cups flour

grated zest of 1 orange

3/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

In mixer, beat butter, sugar almond extract until smooth. With mixer on low add flour and zest, until a dough forms.

Gently mix in almonds, by hand.

It should look like this:

Form dough into rectangular log. 12 inches long, 2 1/2 inches wide and 1 inch thick. ( keep it clean people, keep it clean. We are talking dough here. lol)

Wrap log in wax paper, I used plastic wrap and freeze.

When you are ready to bake, remove from freezer and let sit for 30 minutes.

Cut dough into 1/4 inch slices. Place on parchmant lined baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes.

Cool 5 minutes, before transferring to rack to cool completely.

They are just gorgeous and I love that the almonds show through so nicely and when you make them, and I know you will, you will see the little bits of zest show through.

A fantastic addition to any holiday tray, or simply wrap some in cellophane with a pretty ribbon and you have a great little gift for someone special, they better be someone special if you make them these babies.

Up next is a recipe my sister Donna, of My Tasty Treasures, just posted the other day, Basil Grilled Chicken. I was looking for something easy for the grill and this is both easy and tasty. I think this is a Paula Deen recipe, so prepare for butter, lots of butter.

Basil Grilled Chicken

3/4 tsp coarsley ground black pepper

4 skinned chicken breast halves

1/4 cup freshly chopped basil leaves, plus 2 tbsp freshly minced basil leaves

5 tbsp butter, melted, plus 1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

fresh basil sprigs, optional

Directions:

Prepare your grill

Get out your fresh basil.

Press the coarsley ground pepper into the meaty side of the chicken breast halves. Stir the chopped basil into the melted butter.


Brush the chicken lightly with this mixture.

In a small bowl, combine the softened butter,minced basil,parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix together until smoothly blended. Transfer to a small serving bowl and set aside.


Grill the chicken 8 to 10 minutes on each side, basting frequently with remaining butter mixture.


Easy with the flames, Babe, you are not Donna's FFH, who puts out flames for a living and unfortunately, you cannot arrest a flame for burning your eyebrows off.

Serve the chicken with the basil- butter mixture. Garnish with fresh basil, if you choose.

And I would definately take Donna's suggestion and add a squeeze of lemon or lime over the top, just brightens everything up.

Great summer BBQ dish.

135 days until christmas, but who's counting?

My favorite Chicken Salad,Sugar Cookie Bars and awards

First things, first. I have amazingly received another award. I never thought anyone would even look at my blog, let alone give me for an award for it and it is very rewarding for me. This Kreativ Blogger award comes from Teresa over at A blog about food. Her blog is wonderful, she has great recipes, so if you haven't visited her, please do so today. You won't be disappointed.





I am giving you 2 recipes today, just because I feel like it. My kids are quiet, the husbands sleeping, so in between cutting out paper hands for the girls , I am posting my absolute favorite cranberry-walnut chicken salad and sugar cookiebars. First the chicken salad. This recipe comes from smitten kitchen. I am sure most of you know about her blog. It is amazing. There are so many recipes and they all look so good. Go see, if you haven't already seen. You will be so happy you did. I love this salad because it has so many different textures, creamy and crunchy and just so good. I tweaked it a little to suit me. My changes will be in parenthesis.







Cranberry-Walnut Chicken Salad


4 cups cubed cooked chicken


1 cup walnuts,chopped and toasted

1 cup dried cranberries

1 celery rib,diced into small bits

2 tbsp chopped shallots

2/3 -3/4 cup mayo ( i didn't measure, just put what looked right)

3 tbsp Tarragon vinegar ( used white vinegar, its fine)

2 tbsp finely chopped tarragon or herb of your choice( I used dill)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper















The way I prepared my chicken, was The Barefoot Contessa way. I took 2 chicken breasts on the bone and drizzled them with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.



Roast at 425, for 40-45 minutes, or until they look like this:


I know my picture is upside down. So dumb. Let the chicken rest and when it is cool enough to handle, shred it into large bowl.


Then comes the hard part. Add all ingredients to the bowl with the chicken and mix well.

Refrigerate and enjoy on bread, english muffins, put it in wraps or enjoy it on toast. I am going to share one of my favorite appetizer s with you. Have you seen these little shells in the supermarket. When you see them, buy them. They are so versatile. Sweet or savory.



I take a teasoonful of chicken salad and put it in a prepared shell and serve it as an appetizer. People love it.

And why wouldn't you? They are adorable and really tasty. Try it, you'll like it.

Next up are sugar cookie bars, that's right you heard correctly. Sugar cookies as bar cookies. This recipe comes from stylish cuisine, this blog is full of goodies you have to see to believe. So when you have a minute , go check it out. I'm sure you will like it. You will find things like this on there:

These sugar cookie bars are so easy and it makes a huge amount. They are perfect for a school bake sale or a big holiday party. The original version called for buttercream frosting, but I used a cream cheese frosting instead, I didn't want them overly sweet. I even cut down on the amount of sugar used. I only used 1 2/2 cups and it is just perfect to me.

Sugar Cookie Bars

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar ( i used 1 1/2)

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

5 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream butter and sugar, until fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.

Add vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour,salt and baking soda.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Spread into a greased jelly roll pan (13x18)

Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Cool completely and frost with your favorite icing. Cut into as many bars as you can. This makes alot!

I used cream cheese icing. I also doubled the icing , you can never have too much. Here is the recipe:

Cream cheese icing

1/2 cup butter ,softened

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Beat together butter and cream cheese, add vanilla and then add powdered sugar. Beat until you reach the consistency you want.

Aren't they lovely? And the best thing about these cookies, think about the holidays. For Valentines day add a little red food coloring to the icing, St Patricks Day, add some green, how about Halloween add some orange food coloring and you will have a huge tray of the most festive cookies, at whatever party you are at.

I hope you try them, you will like them. They are a keeper.

No exact Recipe Chicken with Pasta and Broccoli

This is one of those dinners that I have no exact measurements for, there is no exact science to it, I only know it is a family all-time favorite of my kids and husband and the excitement builds in my house if they know it is being mad for dinner. I cannot even remember where the recipe comes from, I believe it is a firehouse recipe and you will notice the title says broccoli, but there is no broccoli in my pictures, because noone eats anything green in my house, other than myself , so there is no broccoli in my dish, but please add it to yours, if you like, it really is good.

Here is what you need:
1lb to 1 1/2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
eggs,beaten
olive oil
bread crumbs, Italian flavored
garlic, minced
1 can chicken broth, I use low sodium
1 box pasta, I use rotelli or my new favorite is pipette
1 head broccoli, cut into florets, if you choose
freshly grated parmesan cheese



First, heat up a large skillet with olive oil and add minced garlic. This is to your taste, I probably add about 5-6 cloves, minced. Add garlic to oil and be careful not to burn. Meanwhile, dip the chicken pieces into the egg and then into the bread crumbs, until well coated. I usually put the breadcrumbs in a large ziploc bag and then just shake up the chicken until I think they are coated. Add chicken to skillet. You may have to add more oil as it cooks, just use your judgement. It should look like this.

At the same time pour your can of broth into small saucepan and warm through on the stovetop. And in another pot have your pasta water boiling and get that cooking. And if you are using broccoli, you should have that steaming at the same time. Or if you want to use a box of chopped , frozen broccoli, go ahead and microwave it now .So, ideally you should have all 4 burners occupied at the same time, it is key to the dish that everything be ready at the same time. When your chicken is done, it should look like this:

Sorry, I couldn't rotate my picture, so dumb. When the pasta is ready, drain it and put it right back into pot you cooked it in, add chicken and scrape all the bits of breadcrumbs and oil you cooked it in to the pasta pot, add broccoli, if using, and finally add the warmed through chicken broth. Mix all together and add lots and lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Mix it again and breathe it in, breathe again. It smells so damn good and it is quite honestly a 30 minute meal.

Here is my broccoli-less version. The chicken broth keeps everything so moist and makes a little light sauce. This is an all-time keeper in my house. They come running when this is at the dinner table. It is even better the next day, reheated. All you need with this is a salad and a loaf of bread. So, I know it is not exact, the ingredients are rather simple, the instructions are hopefully understandable, because normally I wing this, and have never written it down before, so forgive me if it sounds confusing. I think you will forgive me once you try it. It is so good and family friendly. Added bonus: Can easily be doubled or tripled for a party.