Parmesan Herb Crusted Chicken Breast

Another one I got from Stephanie's Kitchen. An easy and tasty way to prepare chicken.

Parmesan Herb Crusted Chicken Breast

4 servings
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups crushed Stove Top Stuffing Mix (I use my food processor, much easier)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

In a shallow dish, mix together stuffing mix and Parmesan cheese. In a separate dish, whisk together the eggs and milk. First coat the chicken in the egg mixture, then liberally coat the chicken in the stuffing mixture. Place on greased pan and spray the top of the chicken with a non-stick spray. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Glazed Carrots

I've been searching different food websites for new ways to prepare veggies and came across this recipe. Oh my goodness, I love these carrots but in my family I was the only one! No, Keoni insists he liked them but he doesn't have me entirely convinced. This recipe is a mish-mash of a few different recipes I came across so I'm really not sure who to give credit...just know I'm not creative enough to have dreamed this up on my own.

Cinnamon Glazed Carrots

1 lb baby carrots
2 TB honey
2 TB butter
1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 TB lemon juice

In saucepan, cover carrots with water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer to desired doneness (be careful not to cook your carrots too long like I did). While carrots are cooking, prepare glaze in another saucepan by melting remaining ingredients together. When carrots are done, drain, and toss with the glaze.

Potpourri Pasta

I got this recipe from Stephanie's Kitchen and just changed the vegetables to red pepper and broccoli. It was very yummy, but next time I'm not going to make as big a batch because we aren't good about finishing off leftovers. Also, don't make my mistake and wait too close to dinner to fix this--you need time for the pasta and chicken to cool. There are so many variations you can try with pasta and Italian dressing--I've done a version before with pepperoni, cucumber, olives and cheese. Here's the original recipe as posted:

Potpourri Pasta

1 lb of your favorite pasta

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Italian dressing

1 cup cubed cheddar cheese

1 cup cubed mozzerella cheese

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 cups of your favorite vegetables

(I use yellow bell peppers, grape tomatoes, broccoli)

Marinate chicken breasts in Italian dressing for about 15-30 minutes. Cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta is done, let cool completely or run cold water over until cool. Place pasta in a large bowl. Cube cheese, cut up vegetables and add to pasta. Grill chicken and cube, let cool, and add to pasta. Add enough Italian dressing to coat all of the pasta. I usually use about 1 1/2 cups, but just add enough until the taste is right for you. Add parmesan cheese and mix all together. Enjoy!

Lemon Bars

I love lemon bars and am always looking to try new recipes. I came across this one today on Eating, Etc food blog (link to the right) and tried it out. Very tasty, very easy. But I'm still on the hunt for a tart lemon bar!

Lemon Bars

Crust
2 c flour
1 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c powdered sugar
Mix together, spread onto bottom of greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 min.

Filling
4 eggs, beaten
2 c sugar
6 TB lemon juice
4 TB flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
Mix with spoon, not mixer. Pour over hot crust. Bake at 350 degrees for another 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Cinna-spin Cookies

I tried a new cookie recipe over the weekend and thought they were tasty enough to pass the recipe along. It's a recipe I came across on the Betty Crocker website called Cinna-spin cookies. My boys love snickerdoodles and loved these just as much.

Cinna-spin Cookies

1 pouch (17.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 c butter or margarine, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 TB ground cinnamon

Glaze

1 c powdered sugar
2 TB milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, mix cookie mix and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Stir in butter and egg until soft dough forms.
2. On piece of waxed paper, shape 1 TB cinnamon into a line about 5 in long. Using floured fingers, shape 1 TB dough into a rope 5 in long. Press one side of dough into cinnamon.
3. On ungreased cookie sheet, coil dough rope tightly cinnamon side facing center, into cinnamon-roll shape. Press end of rope into roll to seal.
4. Bake 7-10 min or until golden brown. Cool 1 min; remove to cooking rack. Cool completely, about 15 min.
5. In small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.

This recipe is very easy to follow. Next time I will let the dough set in the fridge for a bit before I try rolling into ropes and coiling. The dough is very soft and made for a messy time forming the cookies. Still turned out good though. I didn't get a pic taken before the cookies were eaten! Click on the link for a picture on the Betty Crocker website. I swear, my cookies looked just like that...almost!

Baked Pasta

I tried a new recipe for dinner tonight adapted from a recipe for Baked Cavatelli in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Instead of cavatelli, I used penne pasta and instead of sliced Italian sausage links, ground sausage. This recipe is quick and easy and very tasty. My boys loved it...even Brody! It's a great alternative to our usual spaghetti.

Baked Pasta

2 1/2 c dried penne pasta
12 oz uncooked ground sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 26-oz jar pasta sauce
1 c mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, set aside.
2. In a large skillet cook the sausage, onion, and garlic until the sausage is brown. Remove from skillet and drain.
3. In a large bowl stir together pasta sauce, 3/4 c of the mozzarella cheese, and the pepper. Add the cooked pasta and the sausage mixture. Stir to combine and spoon into a 2-qt casserole dish.
4. Bake, covered, 25 to 30 min at 375 degrees. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c mozzarella cheese. Bake about five more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Apricot Bars

I sacrificed the last of my mom's apricot freezer jam (Zach and I fight over it for our peanut butter sandwiches!) and tried the Pioneer Woman's recipe for Apricot Bars over the weekend. I followed her directions except I used a 9x13 baking dish and they turned out just fine. These bars are yummy and got a thumbs up from my boys. They need to cool completely before cutting (I made the mistake of cutting too soon) and taste even better the next day. I don't recommend cutting the bars too big as they are quite rich-tasting. Next time, I may even try using strawberry jam. Worth a try!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

We bought some tilapia at Costco yesterday and I found this recipe online while looking for ideas on how to prepare the fish. The recipe is on allrecipes.com and we tweaked it a bit based on reviewers comments. I'll post the recipe we used but there are different variations online. Sorry, no picture, but it was yummy! And so quick and easy. Brody wouldn't touch it...what's new, but Zach couldn't get enough.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

1/2 c parmesan cheese
1/4 c butter, softened
3 TB mayo
2 TB fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 c bread crumbs
salt and pepper
2 lb tilapia fillets

1. Preheat broiler. Line baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with non-stick spray.
2. In a bowl, combine ingredients. Mix well, set aside.
3. Broil fillets 2-3 minutes. Flip and broil another 2-3 minutes. Remove, cover with parmesan mixture. Broil another 2 minutes or until topping is golden and bubbly.