Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Creamy Chive Sauce

I can't take credit for coming up with the delicious meal (I found it here ) but I can say it is amazing! All of my family ate it up without complaining ( a miracle in and of itself) but my 3 year old twins even asked if I would make it for lunch the next day! That's a sure sign of a winner to me, and if that doesn't put it over the top for you, I found it while looking up "healthy" meal ideas, which means you can easily have 3-4 helpings and still not gain weight right? :)

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (about 1 pound), trimmed of fat
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (I didn't have any and just used more broth instead)
  
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup chopped chives, (about 1 bunch)

Preparation

1. Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until flattened to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch. Season both sides of the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place 1/4 cup flour in a shallow glass baking dish and dredge the chicken in it. Discard the excess flour.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour; stir to coat. Add wine, broth and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil, stirring often.
4. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until heated through and no longer pink in the center, about 6 minutes. Stir in sour cream and mustard until smooth; turn the chicken to coat with the sauce. Stir in chives and serve immediately.

Thai Pork

*excuse me while I go off on a tangent for a minute* (its what I do best)

My friend called me a few days ago. She had gotten a flat tire on the freeway. Luckily the timing was right and we could go help her fix it asap. In a span of about 15 minutes we had the car ready to go. We got back in our truck, closed the door and a second later a huge truck flew right past us, barely missing us all the way safely off on the shoulder of the road. We then watched as this vehicle drove about 20 more seconds before crashing off the freeway into the guard rails at full speed. It was a dreadful sight (the driver was okay, his truck was not).
This driver was drunk.
If we hadn't have been parked behind my friend or come to help her with her flat, he would have easily hit right into her and her blond hair, blue eyed babies napping in the back seat.

We were all a bit frazzled of course.

The next night she had us over for dinner as a thank you. And the main course was fabulous.

She called it, the You saved our lives Pork.
I called it, fantastic!

Thai Pork

2 lb boneless pork loin, trimmed
2 large red bell peppers, cut into strips
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less for heat)
2 cloves of garlic minced

Add all ingredients to slow cooker and cook on low for 5-7 hours.
At the end, shred the pork and add 1/4 cup peanut butter.
Serve over Jasmine rice. Top with sliced green onions, chopped peanuts, and lime wedges.

Marinated chicken kabobs

*Disclaimer*
saddest picture ever of on a food blog

I indeed took a picture, of a picture, in a magazine, from photo booth, sitting on my porch. Why you ask? I scoured the web for a real picture with no luck, and last night after grilling these delectable chicken morsels- they were gone in an instant.
This is a delicous fresh tasting marinade! It made the chicken tender and flavorful. I will definitely be making them again.

Marinated Chicken Kabobs- Everyday Food Magazine
1 cup plain Greek style yogurt
8 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
8 teaspoons chopped fresh dill (I use dried, approx 2 tbs)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper seasoned to your taste.
Add chicken and stir to coat well. Let marinate in fridge 1 hour up to overnight.

If using wooden kabob sticks, make sure to soak in water to prevent burning. Thread chicken 6 or 7 pieces at a time on a stick.
Place on the grill or broil in the oven until cooked through and brown in spots turning occasionally, 10-12 minutes.
Serve along side salad and lemon wedge.
Makes about 15 kabobs.
Would taste delicious with fish as well.

Beef and Broccoli

I got this recipe from my friend Lisa! It is super super yummy and actually quite easy! Enjoy!

1 pound top round beef steak
1/4 c soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 c apple juice
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water
2 c fresh broccoli
4 Tbsp oil
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tsp sesame oil

Cut beef steak into thin strips, set aside. Combine soy sauce, sugar, water, juice, and cornstarch in small bowl and set aside. In large skillet stir fry broccoli with 2 Tbsp oil for about 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook. Set broccoli aside in a dish. Pour remaining oil into skillet and add beef steak and cook until well browned on all sides. Add garlic and cook until fragrant but not more than 1 min. Pour soy sauce mixture over meat and cook until slightly thickened. Stir in sesame oil. Remove from heat. Stir in broccoli serve over rice.

Curried Coconut Chicken

source: Allrecipes.com

We like to make this to accompany Thai sticky rice. It makes such a satisfying meal!

Curried Coconut Chicken
(serves 6)

Curried Coconut Chicken
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed, diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
Directions
1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
3. Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

Pesto Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of visible fat- I use 1 lb.
1/4 cup pesto sauce
canola oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 T butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat tenderloin with pesto sauce. Add canola oil to a large saute pan and heat over medium high heat until smoking. Add tenderloin to the pan and sear on all sides until nicely browned (2-3 minutes per side).

Transfer meat to baking dish and put in oven. Bake until a meat thermometer placed in thickest part of meat registers 150 degrees- I usually cook it for about 30-35 minutes, then cut and see if the meat is done. Tonight I cut the tenderloin in half before I put it in, just to make sure it wouldn't take more than 30 minutes.

While meat is cooking, make a little pan sauce by adding chicken broth to drippings in the pan used to brown the meat. Scrape the sides and bottom of pan to get all of the brown bits for the sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until sauce reduces by half, stirring occasionally. Add butter and whisk until combined. Strain to remove large bits, if desired.

Cut pork into 1 1/2 inch thick medallions, serve with pan sauce.

I'd show a picture, but we always eat it too fast! This is my husband's new favorite. So good!

Ham, Walnut, and Cheese pasta

Ham,Walnuts and Cheese...oh my!
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray.

• 1 pound bow tie pasta
• Salt
• 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 10 slices Canadian bacon or breakfast ham, cut into thin strips
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (3 generous handfuls), chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus some to pass at the table

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Preparation

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil over high heat to cook the pasta. Once the water boils, salt it and cook the pasta to al dente. Right before draining the pasta, remove and reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the chopped walnuts and toast them, stirring every now and then, until they are golden and smell toasty -- a couple of minutes. Remove nuts from the skillet and reserve.

Once the pasta is close to being done, return the same skillet you cooked the walnuts in to the stove top over medium-high heat with 3 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. Once the EVOO is hot, add ham and cook for 2-3 minutes or until it starts to lightly brown.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, cook it for another minute. Add the reserved pasta cooking liquid and cook until liquid has reduced by half. Add the pasta, toasted walnuts, lemon juice and parsley, toss it to coat the noodles and continue to cook until the pasta has soaked up almost all of the liquid. Turn heat off, add the butter and grated cheese, and toss until the butter has melted. Serve with extra Parmigiano at the table.

***Notes***

After the dish is all mixed and ready to eat, it turns sort of a purple color. Probably from the lemon juice and ham, but it still tastes good.

I cut the amount of red pepper flakes or there is too much heat for me.

And in place of walnuts or along with I like to throw in some toasted pine nuts.

Creamy Pesto Crock Pot Chicken

Well hot dog! Dont you just love when you throw ingredients into your slow cooker with no recipe and it actually turns out? This dish tastes great and smells like basil while its cooking. Mmm. I love me some basil.

You will need:

1 pound chicken tenders or breast
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom
1 cup prepared pesto (Im sure you could use a dry mix, but prepared is what I had on hand)
1 can of artichoke hearts drained and quartered
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes cut into small bits
1/2 cup milk or cream (more or less to desired sauce thickness)
salt
pepper
garlic powder
a handful of pine nuts
Add to crock pot and cook on high for 3 hours. Serve over pasta and along side a vegetable. We ate it with asparagus. I could eat anything with asparagus but thats a whole nother post.....
Enjoy.

Southwestern Shepherd's Pie

I haven't used ground beef in a long time but I had some in my freezer that needed to be eaten so we made this yesterday and it was sooo yummy! Ya gotta give it a try.

2 T olive oil
1 med onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 T garlic, minced
1T jalapeno, minced
1 lb ground beef
1 T tomato paste
1 T chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 c. tomatoes, chopped (I used canned)
1/2 c corn
1/2 c black beans (I used a whole can)
1/4 c cilantro
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes*, peeled and cut into chunks
2 T butter
1/2 c milk
Salt & pepper, to taste

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring for 10 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno; cook for minutes. Raise heat to medium high; add beef and brown for 5 minutes.

Add tomato paste & spices. Cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, corn, beans, and half of the cilantro. Spoon into a 9x13 baking dish.

Place sweet potatoes in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain, mash with butter and milk. Spread potatoes over meat mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until brown. Garnish with additional cilantro.

*My husband has a real aversion to sweet potoates so I made a corner for him with Yukon Gold and while still good, the sweet potatoes were sooooo much better.

Stove Top one-dish chicken skillet

I also made this dish this week. It was one that I will do every once in a while. It was super easy and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand!

1 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken6 small bonesless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 lb.)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup sour cream

Mix hot water, butter, and stuff mix as directed on the box. Set aside.

Cook chicken in nonstick skillet on medium-high heat for approx 5 min on each side of until browned on both sides.

Mix soup and sour cream; pour over chicken. Top with stuff; cover. Cook on low eat for 10 minutes or until chicken is all the way done.

You could also opt out to use the oven. Heat oven to 375. Prepare stuffing as direction. Place chicken in 9x13 inch baking dish. Mix soup and sour cream; pour over chicken. Top with stuffing. Bake for 35 minutes.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I got this recipe off my friend, Brenda's, cooking blog and it was FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC! The chicken had such a great taste!! I have amended a few things to clarify and to add one little step! ENJOY!

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I use 2-3 chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack and Colby Jack cheese, mixed and shredded
1 1/2 - 16 ounces cans green enchilada sauce
1 1/4 cup heavy cream

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a Ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all night). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce with 1/4 cup heavy cream on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese and drip about 1 tablespoon of the mixed sauce (green enchilada sauce and heavy cream) and roll. Fill pan with rolled enchiladas. Save about 1-2 cups of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the remaining cream. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with leftover cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Chicken Pecan

Stuffing my face with oatmeal pecan chocolate chip cookies this afternoon, I noticed this recipe on the back of the pecan package. Maybe it was my must eat salty after sweet thing but holy moly, it spoke to me. I had every ingredient except the poultry seasoning and made it there and then. Delicious, and different. 2 thumbs up. (plus it reminded me of eating open face sandwiches on English muffins at Grams in younger years :)

Chicken Pecan
recipe courtesy Fishers Nuts

3 cups cooked chicken breasts cut into julienne strips (a leftover rotisserie chicken did the job)
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp. chicken bouillon
1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 cups milk
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Toasted English muffins

In saucepan melt butter. Add bouillon. Blend in flour and seasoning. Gradually add milk and lemon juice; stir constantly until thickened. Stir in celery, red pepper, chicken and pecans. Cook until heated through.
Spoon over toasted English muffins. Garnish with pecan halves.

Hamburger Casserole

There are many names for this dish in our family, hamburger casserole, tortilla casserole, beef and green chili casserole, what ever you call it, its good!! My kids will eat it all. I usually double the recipe for a 9x13 pan because leftovers are even better!

Hamburger Casserole
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
1 small can diced green chilies
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3-5 tortillas
shredded cheese

Brown ground beef and onions together, drain. Mix in green chilies and soup. Layer tortillas in an 8x8 pan (like lasagne) with filling and a little cheese in between each layer. Cover with more cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Voila! Easy and tasty!! Enjoy!

Sausage Corn Chowder

My Husband could eat this every day!

Sausage Corn Chowder

1 lb ground sausage
1 can creamed corn
1 can whole kernal corn
2 cups water
1 medium onion, diced
1 can evaporated milk
four large potatos

brown sausage and onions together. drain. Add water and potatos, simmer 15 minutes until potatos are tender. Add corns and evaporated milk. Heat through, salt and pepper to taste.

Paprika Chicken with Sour Cream Gravy

Paprika Chicken with Sour Cream Gravy by way of a campbells cookbook

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. each of the following: salt, ground pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper

4 boneless chicken breasts

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1 8oz carton sour cream

Mix flour and seasonings. Coat chicken

Melt Butter in skillet. Add chicken and cook until browned.

Add soup and onions. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir in sour cream. Serve with mashed potatos or rice.

*I left out the cayenne pepper cause I have small children and wussy tastebuds!*

Potato Cheese Soup

One look at the ingredients will be enough to tell you that this is a very tasty soup. I made some bread bowls using Rhodes dough (about 3 bowls from one loaf of bread). While the dough is partially frozen, cut into thirds and shape into round dough balls. Let rise several hours, until it reaches the desired size, and bake for about 20 minutes at 350.

Potato Cheese Soup

6 to 8 large baking potatoes
2 cups milk (I used fat free Half and Half because I had some left over)
4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup butter
8-12 strips bacon, cooked
1 cup sour cream
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Bake potatoes until soft, then peel. Mash or cube the potatoes depending on the desired consistency for the soup.

In a large soup pot, combine butter and flour to make a roux. Cook for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in the liquids.

Add salt and pepper, potatoes, cooked bacon, and cheese. At the last minute, stir in the sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

(Next time I would definitely add some more vegetables, maybe carrots and celery, so I could feel a little better about the rest of the soup.)

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup

I made this the other day and it was big hit with the whole fam. Super easy and fun for a cold day!

2 chicken breasts
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (I used one can tomatoes)
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 mild green chile, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 corn tortillas, halved and cut into 1/4 inch strips
shredded Monterey Jack cheese, a little for each serving
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or
Italian parsley

Preparation:

Combine chicken breasts, onion, garlic. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Put in crock pot and add tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper and green chiles. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours. Heat oil in large skillet and add tortilla strips. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until crisp; drain on paper towels. If desired, put a tablespoon or 2 of shredded Monterey Jack cheese in each serving bowl. Ladle tortilla soup into bowls and top with tortilla strips; sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley (I added the cilantro about a half hour before serving--I like the flavor it gave the soup).

8 can chicken enchilada soup

For the days when you feel like you need to use the cans collecting dust in your cupboard.

2 cans chicken broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can corn
1 can white chicken breast
1 can northern white beans
1 can Rotel tomatoes (flavor to your liking) -I like mild....I'm a wuss.


Add all cans not drained in a large pan and heat through. Just until it boils then turn down the heat. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, avocado, and cheese.


*this recipe serves 6 well. You can customize to serve your families hungry meter*

Vickis chicken with grapes ,couscous and roasted asparagus

So when my blog was a baby way back in 2007...one of the first posts I did was this great recipe. It comes courtesy of Rachael Ray. You know what that means? EVOO, 30 minutes, and really tasty. Plus you don't have to listen to her crack lame jokes. [wink]
We ate this tonight. I haven't made this in awhile and it was the perfect dinner to mix it up a bit. The ingredients sound strange but paired together taste wonderful!

1 1/2 pounds asparagus
5 TBS extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 TBS fresh chopped thyme leaves (I left this out since I'm not a fan of thyme)
Course salt and pepper
2 TBS butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 pounds chicken tenders
1/2 cup white cooking wine
2 1/2 cups chicken stock (cans, boxes, or just made from cubes)
1 cup heavy cream (I use half and half)
1/4 cup grainy, stone ground mustard
1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
2 cups couscous

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Trim asparagus. Toss with about 3 TBS of olive oil, 2 TBS chopped thyme and salt and pepper. Spread asparagus out onto a cookie sheet and roast 10-12 minutes until it is tender and crispy at the tips.

Heat large skillet over medium-high heat; add 2 TBS olive oil and 2 TBS butter to the pan. Place flour in shallow dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Add it to the pan. Cook chicken 7 to 8 minutes until browned. Add wine and scrape up browned bits as wine cooks down and bubbles, 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup stock. Combine cream and mustard and add to stock. Let simmer then add grapes and turn to coat and combine with sauce. Simmer over low heat.
Bring remaining 2 cups chicken broth and 1 TBS of fresh thyme to a boil in small pot. Add couscous and take off heat. Cover with lid and let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with fork.
Serve tenders and grapes on couscous alongside asparagus.

Ultimate Beef Stroganoff

This meal is in my top 10, maybe even my top 5! It is incredibly good and I crave it. So we just had it for dinner.

My kitchen has been over worked since discovering a fantastic food blog, My Kitchen Cafe.

In fact, stop reading this and put it on your google readers right now, you will thank me.

Melanie knows what she is doing! Ive loved every recipe Ive tried!

Okay, Stroganoff talk....Make it, it wont disappoint.

The Ultimate Beef Stroganoff

Put in crock pot:

2-3 pounds stew meat

1 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

1 onion, sliced

Mix in a bowl and pour over meat:

¼ tsp. garlic salt

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ cups beef broth or stock (made up from cubes or granules)

1 tablespoon ketchup

Cook in crock pot on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. When cooked make a simple roux by whisking 1/3 cup flour with enough apple juice (about 5-6 tablespoons) to make a thick but still pourable flour mixture. Whisk the roux into the crock pot and add 4 ounces sliced mushrooms.

Cook on high for 15-30 minutes. Then stir in ½ cup sour cream. Serve over pasta, rice or baked potatoes (pasta is my favorite option!).