Pesto & Chicken Calzone

Pesto

Ingredients:

2 Cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 Cup parmesan cheese

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

2 Tsp Minced garlic or 1 garlic clove

Put all ingredients in the blender (or magic bullet :))

To make individual serving sizes I froze the Pesto in an ice tray.
For the calzone use the recipe found on the previous post here.

For the ingredients inside the calzone, I just grilled some chicken and added pepper and garlic salt.
Put together the calzones, spread the pesto
tasty chicken & cheese (I only had Monterey Jack and it tasted great)

Then after you pinch the edges glaze the top of the calzones with egg whites and add some grated parmesan cheese on top.
Bake at 350 until the top is golden brown.

These were very delicious. Jeff and I loved them!! They are pretty easy, especially if you already have the pesto made up. The dough is wonderful and is easy to make. We highly recommend them!!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Adapted from the American club, in Kohler, Wisconsin via Gourmet Magazine
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)
1/3 cup vegetable oil*
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar**
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350*.

Mix flour and b.p. Set aside. Mix pumpkin, oil, eggs, spice, 1 ¼ cups sugar, b.s., and salt. Combine with flour mixture. In small bowl, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Divide batter evenly among 12 paper-lined muffins. Sprinkle with cinnamon mixture. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

These are pretty much my new favorite Fall treat. I love them, and they are a big hit with everyone that has had them!! I highly recommend them!! You shan't be disappointed.

The Best Chicken Fajitas

This hot summer weather put me in the mood for something fresh and light. These fajitas hit the spot. I LOVED them ... and so did the kids - amazing! My personal variations include using whole wheat tortillas, fresh avocados (vs. guacamole), smaller cut mushrooms - for the kids sake, reduced sodium soy sauce (pointless because you add salt anyway), and chicken breast tenderloins. Anyway, give it a try, it's delicious!

The Best Chicken Fajitas (courtesy of www.melskitchencafe.com)

Printable Version

Printable Version with Picture

*Serves 4-5

*Note: liquid smoke may seem like an unnecessary, optional ingredient but I promise it adds an irreplaceable flavor and smokiness – I keep a bottle of liquid smoke on hand in the refrigerator just to make these fajitas.

Marinade:

¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 3-4 limes)

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons apple cider or red wine vinegar

2 easpoons soy sauce

½ teaspoons chili powder

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon liquid smoke

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Fajitas:

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)

1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips

1 green pepper, cut into thin strips

1 red (or orange) pepper, cut into thin strips

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, quartered

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

½ teaspoon fresh lime juice (a quick squeeze of a cut lime)

dash of salt and pepper

Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade ingredients over the top. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 2-3 hours.

After marinading, take chicken out of the bag and discard the marinade. Grill or broil the chicken 4-5 minutes per side (I use my indoor grill pan usually). Remove from pan and tent with foil to keep warm.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat and add the onion, mushrooms and peppers. Stir fry until softened but still crisp tender. Add soy sauce, water, lime juice and salt and pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Slice chicken thinly on the diagonal and toss with the vegetables in the skillet. Serve immediately with flour tortillas and top with tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole, cheese, sour cream…the options are endless!

Crisp and Creamy Baked Chicken

Ingredients:
4 Small Boneless skinless chicken breast halves
6 TBS (1/2 of 1 pouch) SHAKE 'N BAKE Extra Crispy Seasoned Coating mix
2/3 cup Condenseed cream of celery soup
1/4 cup milk
1 cup Shredded Cheddar & Monterey Jack Cheese

Heat over to 400

Coat chicken with coating mix as directed on package; place in greased 9X13 baking dish.

Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is done.

Mix soup and milk until well blended; pour over chicken. Top with cheese. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

** I used chicken tenderloins and they cooked very fast! it was awesome. You could really just use bread crumbs, I don't think SHAKE 'N BAKE is necessary. Although the extra crispy did make the chicken very crispy.

I have become a fan of Kraft Foods Recipes. There are a lot of easy meals on there, and with my schedule I am very fond of easy, and inexpensive meals. I tried this recipe last night and I think it was delicious and took no time at all to make! Anyways, Jeff and I thought these were very good and we recommend it!

Chimichangas

Yield: About 4 large Chimis

• 6 Chicken Tenderloins, or 2 cups shredded chicken
• 1-2 cups Salsa of choice (the spicier the better)
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Lots of shredded cheddar cheese
• 4-6 flour tortillas
• Sour cream/guacamole/salsa for toppings

First put the chicken and salsa in crock pot. Once chicken is done, shred it up! Make sure the salsa and the chicken is good and mixed together. Then add the Cumin and Oregano to taste. I used about 1 tsp Cumin and about half tsp Oregano. Mix it up GOOD. Let the Herbs cook in for about 5 more minutes. Next take your tortillas and put as much chicken as you want in them, topped with lots of cheese. Fold in the ends and then wrap up the chimi.

Next you have the option of a little more healthy, or a little more tasty, whichever you prefer... I wanted mine more tasty. Either deep fry your chimi's or spray them with Pam and bake them at 350* for about 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortilla is a little golden.

ENJOY!!

Spinach Lasagna

Yield 6 servings or more

Time 1 hour, with prepared pasta and sauce

Ingredients

12 to 16 dried or fresh lasagna noodles

3 to 4 cups tomato sauce

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cups cooked spinach, squeezed dry and chopped

1 1/2 cups ricotta

1 1/2 cups coarsely grated mozzarella

2 cups grated Parmesan

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

• 1. If you're using dried pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. If you're using fresh pasta sheets, cut them into long wide noodles approximately 3 inches by 13 inches, or a size that will fit into your lasagna dish. Cook the noodles (6 at a time for dried noodles) until they are tender but still underdone (they will finish cooking as the lasagna bakes); fresh pasta will take only a minute. Drain and then lay the noodles flat on a towel so they won't stick.
  
• 2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a rectangular baking dish with the olive oil, add a large dollop of tomato sauce and spread it around. Put a layer of noodles (use four) in the dish, trimming any overhanging edges; top with a layer of tomato sauce, one-third of the spinach, and one-fourth of the ricotta (use your fingers to spread it evenly) , the mozzarella and the Parmesan. Sprinkle some salt and pepper between the layers of tomato sauce and spinach if desired.
  
  
• 3. Repeat the layers twice, and top with the remaining noodles, tomato sauce, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan; the top should be covered with cheese; add more ricotta and Parmesan as needed. (The lasagna may be made ahead to this point, wrapped tightly and refrigerated for up to a day or frozen. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
  
  
• 4. Bake until the lasagna is bubbling and the cheese is melted and lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest a few minutes before serving, or cool completely, cover well, and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze.

Recipe taken from the New York Times

Mountain White Bread

Makes 2 9x5 inch loaves

3/4 cup warm water

1 package yeast

pinch of sugar

1 1/2 cups warm milk

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 Tablespoons honey

1 Tablespoon salt

6 - 6 1/2 cups flour

1. In small bowl, pour 1/4 cup of warm water. Sprinkle with yeast and sugar. Set aside.

2. In mixer, with paddle, combine remaining water, milk, butter, honey, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Beat hard until creamy, add yeast mixture. Add 2 more cups of flour, beat until smooth. Switch to dough hook. Add 3 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time.

3. Place dough in a greased bowl, turn over. Cover with Saran wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface to deflate. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of loaf pans. Without working the dough further, divide it into 2 equal portions with a metal scraper or a knife. Pat each portion of dough into a long rectangle; it does not need to be exact. Fold the dough into thirds, overlapping the 2 opposite ends in the middle. Beginning at the short edge, tightly roll up the dough jelly-roll fashion into a log that is about the same length as your pan. Pinch the ends and the long seam to seal. While placing the loaf in the pan, tuck the ends under to make a neat, snug fit. The log should be of an even thickness and fill the pans about two-thirds full. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise again at room temperature until the dough is fully doubled in bulk and about 2 inches over the rims of the pans, about 45 minutes.

5. 20 minutes before baking, preheat the over to 375. Removed plastic wrap and , using a serrated knife, with a quick motion make a long slash lengthwise down the center of the loaf, no more than 1/4 inch deep. Immediately place on the center rack of the oven and bake 40-45 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of The Bread Bible