Apple Chicken Salad with Rosemary Pecans

from: The Fresh Market

This salad is sooo tasty! We can't wait to have it again, and love that there are left-overs for lunch tomorrow!

Ingredients:

ROSEMARY PECANS

	2 tablespoons butter
	1 1/2 cups pecans
	1 teaspoon seasoned salt
	2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped



APPLE CHICKEN SALAD

	2 tablespoons olive oil
	2 chicken breasts (approximately 1 pound)
	4 - 6 fresh thyme sprigs, chopped
	2 cups apple cider
	2 apples, cored and chopped (do not peel)
	1 cup celery, chopped
	1/3 cup golden raisins
	1 cup mayonnaise
	1 tablespoon sugar
	2 teaspoons rosemary, chopped
	1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
	1 teaspoon salt
	1/2 teaspoon pepper
	bed of lettuce or flaky croissant, for serving

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350º. Place butter on a pizza pan in the oven and allow to melt while oven preheats. Remove pizza pan from oven when butter is melted and spread pecans on the pan; stir to coat pecans with butter then sprinkle seasoned salt and rosemary over pecans. Bake 7 to 10 minutes in preheated oven; remove from oven, stir and let cool.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Place chicken breasts in pan and sear 5 to 6 minutes on each side until golden brown. Add thyme and sauté for 1 minute. Pour in apple cider, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low; poach chicken for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through (liquid will barely bubble while poaching but should not be boiling).

Remove chicken from pan, increase heat to high and boil liquid about 10 minutes until reduced to 1/2 cup; strain into a bowl and allow liquid to cool. Shred chicken after it has cooled.

Mix shredded chicken, apples, celery, raisins, mayonnaise, strained apple cider mixture, sugar, rosemary, seasoned salt, salt and pepper until well blended. Fold in 1/2 cup Rosemary Pecans.

Sprinkle remaining pecans on top of salad before serving and serve on a flaky croissant or over a bed of lettuce.

Baked Pasta

from: TLC Recipes

Baked Pasta with Ricotta

YIELD Makes 12 servings
See Cooking Videos

INGREDIENTS

1	package (16 ounces) uncooked rigatoni or penne pasta
1	container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
2/3	cup grated Parmesan cheese
2	eggs, lightly beaten
1/2	teaspoon salt
1/8	teaspoon black pepper
2	jars (26 ounces each) marinara sauce, divided
3	cups (12 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 13X9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook rigatoni according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, beat ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, salt and pepper in medium bowl until well blended.
3. Spread 2 cups marinara sauce over bottom of prepared pan; spoon half of cooked pasta over sauce. Top with half of ricotta mixture and 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers of marinara sauce, pasta and ricotta mixture. Top with 1 cup mozzarella, remaining marinara sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.
4. Cover with foil; bake about 1 hour or until bubbly. Uncover and bake about 5 minutes more or until cheese is completely melted. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Super Easy Pumpkin Bread

(from Recipe Zaar)

SERVES 4 -6

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup olive oil (can sub with canola or vegetable)
• 2 eggs, Beaten
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Sift together flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
3. In a separate bowl combined pumpkin, oil, eggs, water, and spices.
4. Then, combined with dry ingredients but, do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in walnuts.
5. Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.
6. Makes one loaf. Can easily double the recipe.
7. If desired, you can use them in a muffin tin as well. They come out just as moist. If you use muffin tin bake for 20-25 minute.

**A note from Mama**

This bread would be super tasty with an icing as well! Something like this, perhaps....

(from Food Network)

Icing:

• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons whipping cream, fresh orange juice or rum

Icing: Cream confectioners' sugar and butter. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. (If icing is too thin, add more confectioners' sugar; if too thick, add more cream, orange juice or rum. Drizzle over bread and enjoy!

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash salt
• Praline Topping, recipe follows
• Maple syrup

Directions

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

Taco Salad

I'm sure it seems funny to have a "recipe" for Taco Salad, but this is so I don't forget any ingredients when I'm running to the store!

hamburger (you can add taco seasoning to this, but I just add salsa to my salad later)
tortilla chips
lettuce
tomatoes
cheese
sour cream
kidney beans
black olives
Dorothy Lynch dressing (or French Dressing)
salsa
corn (optional)

**Lil Mama's Note**
I always have leftovers. This time I am going to try using the leftover ingredients to make nachos and Taco Pockets.

Donut Muffins

(from Hillbilly Housewife)

• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 medium egg
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 cup milk

For The Topping:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup melted margarine

In a mixing bowl mash together the shortening and sugar. Add the egg and whisk it all up until it is smooth. Make sure you use shortening, Not Margarine. The shortening gives this recipe it’s special texture. Measure the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg into the bowl. Pour in the milk. Mix the batter with a whisk until it is smooth. Drop the mixture into 12 oiled muffin cups. Make sure not to over fill the muffin cups, 1/2 to 2/3 full is full enough. Bake the muffins at 350� for 25 minutes, or until the muffins are brown on top. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.

Mix the powdered sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Take the muffins out of the pan. When they are cool enough to handle, dip the tops of the muffins into the melted margarine. Then dip them into the powdered sugar/cinnamon mixture. Arrange the prepared muffins on a large plate and serve while still warm. Makes a dozen. Very good for breakfast and after school or midnight snacks.

This recipe is very very old, at least 80 years old. It was created by a cook with leftover donut batter who didn’t have time to deep fry them. She added a little milk to make the batter thinner, and cooked it in muffin cups instead of deep frying it. The nutmeg is the secret ingredients which gives these muffins their special old fashioned donut flavor. Necessity is the mother of invention, and bless the cook who invented these. My family is grateful.

****Lil Mama's Note****

These would be super tasty with a chocolate drizzle frosting too!

Quick Cinnamon Rolls

(from Hillbilly Housewife)

• 
  
• 3-1/4 cups Biscuit Mix (homemade is fine)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup softened margarine
• 1/2 cup brown sugar or Sucanat
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts, optional

In a large bowl combine the biscuit mix and milk. Mix the milk and biscuit mix together until you have a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a large sheet of waxed paper. Knead the dough gently for few second. Pat the dough into a rectangular shape. Using a rolling pin or a heavy jar or glass, roll the dough out so that it is about half an inch thick. Try to keep it in a rectangular shape as you roll it out, this is a little challenging at first, but becomes very easy with practice.

Spread the margarine over the dough like spreading peanut butter on bread. Sprinkle on the brown sugar, breaking up any large lumps as you come across them. Scatter the cinnamon over the brown sugar. If you are using nuts, then sprinkle them on now too.

Now comes the part that takes a little skill. Lift up one side of the waxed paper and use it to help you roll up the dough like a jellyroll, with the filling on the inside of the roll. Pull back the waxed paper as you go so it doesn’t get inadvertently wrapped up in the roll. When the roll is nicely formed, use a sharp knife to cut it into about a dozen slices. I cut in the center first and then I cut each half in half again, making even quarters. Each quarter is then divided into 3 or 4 slices depending on how thick I want my cinnamon rolls to be. I prefer the rolls thicker rather than thinner.

Arrange the cinnamon rolls in well-greased muffin cups, or side by side in a well-greased 9 by 13-inch rectangular pan. If desired, squirt a little Pancake Syrup in the center of each cinnamon roll for flavor and stickiness. Bake the rolls at 400° for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before eating. You may be tempted to eat them sooner, but if you do, you will burn the inside of your mouth. These are also good cold, and make good lunch box desserts.

**A note from Lil Mama**

I was going to make these cinnamon rolls, but didn't realize that real dough is a 2 or 3 hour project. Since I had already promised homemade cinnamon rolls for our Saturday morning breakfast, and it was 9:00 pm on Friday night, and quickly scrambled to the computer and came across these. They were super easy to make, and quite tasty! The dough tastes like biscuit dough, because that's what it is, but they were still super yummy, and I loved how they cook in the muffin tin! A great find and a definite make again!

Robyn's Roast - crockpot

(from Dinner's On Me!)

This pot-roast makes its own gravy!

2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
1 (1oz.) package dry onion soup mix
1 ¼ cups water
3-5 pound roast

In the crock-pot, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water. Place pot roast in crock-pot and coat with soup mixture. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 8-9 hours.

When done I like to take the roast out and shred it up and add it back to the gravy so that I’m not spending my whole meal cutting up meat for the kids. We serve this over rice or baked potatoes. The kids even love it!

Macaroni & Cheese

(from Hillbilly Housewife)

• 2 cups dry macaroni
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup instant dry milk powder
• 1/4 cup margarine, melted (1/2 a stick)
• 2 medium eggs
• 3 cups shredded cheese (Colby is traditional)
• 4 oz of Velveeta type cheese, cut into chunks OR the equivalent of sliced sandwich cheese, torn into smallish pieces
• a pinch of dry mustard
• a pinch of salt

This is an incredibly rich version of that old favorite, macaroni and cheese. It isn’t the cheapest recipe for Mac ‘n Cheese. It is, however, the least expensive of all of the deluxe versions I have found in my church pot-luck travels. It is also really high in protein which is a good thing when your oldest boy won’t eat meat, but loves mac ‘n cheese. First boil the macaroni until it in tender in plenty of boiling salted water. When it is soft, drain it very well.

Meanwhile oil a 3-quart casserole or a 9 by 13-inch rectangular pan. Combine the dry milk powder, water, melted margarine, eggs, dry mustard and salt in the oiled casserole. I use a whisk to get it all emulsified nicely.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese and Velveeta-type cheese (or torn up sandwich slices) into the milk mixture. Add the macaroni too. Stir it all up until the cheese is sort of evenly distributed. One needn’t be obsessive about this part; randomness of the cheese distribution stands out as one of the charms of this creamy delicacy. Every third bite or so, has an extra gooey bit of cheese in it, which delights the palette of even an unsophisticated hillbilly. Bake the casserole at 350 ° for about half an hour. The cheese should be melted, and the milk should be absorbed into the dish, making it creamy and delicious. If desired, a bit of shredded cheese may be sprinkled on top of the casserole before baking.

This recipe serves about 8, fewer if they are gluttons. Which means it feeds my family for one meal as the main dish, without leftovers. I like to serve it with a plain green vegetable like broccoli or spinach, and a light dessert like gelatin with fruit, or even plain canned fruit cocktail. Tomato juice would be a good beverage to serve along side. As a side dish, this quantity serves about 10 or 12, once again, depending on how many macaroni cheese gluttons are in attendance. Excellent for pot lucks and the like.

Finger Jell-O

(from my friend PJ)


3 small boxes of Jell-O (any flavor, regular or sugar-free)
4 envelopes Knox gelatin

Dissolve gelatin in 1 cup cold water

Dissolve flavored Jell-O in 3 cups boiling water

Mix together. Pour into pan and refrigerate until firm.

Cut and enjoy!

You can cut into squares, or if you're super fun, you can use cookie cutters to make fun shapes.

buffalo baked chicken with blue cheese, celery & carrot slaw

(from Rachel Ray)

Aired on:

November 1, 2007

A more figure-friendly version of buffalo chicken.

Ingredients

3/4 cup hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot

6 tablespoons butter

4 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, cut in half across

4 chicken drummers

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup blue cheese crumbles

Juice of 2 lemons

1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or make it lighter with buttermilk)

6 to 8 ribs of celery from the heart with greens, thinly sliced on an angle

2 cups shredded carrots

6 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced

1/2 head red cabbage, cored and shredded

3 cups salad croutons, ground into crumbs in a food processor

1/4 cup (a generous handful) flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Preheat oven 400ºF.

Melt butter over low heat in a small pot and combine with hot sauce.

Place chicken in a large bowl and season the pieces with salt and pepper. Pour the butter-hot sauce mixture over the chicken and toss the pieces to coat in the Buffalo sauce. Let stand 10 minutes.

In a salad bowl, combine the blue cheese, lemon juice, mayonnaise or buttermilk, salt and pepper. Add the celery, shredded carrots, scallions and red cabbage. Toss to combine.

Arrange the crushed croutons in a shallow dish. Add the parsley and mix with your fingers to combine. Press the hot sauce-coated chicken into the breadcrumb mixture to coat and set the pieces onto nonstick baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 40 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown.

Remove the chicken from the oven and serve with the blue cheese-dressed celery and carrot slaw alongside.

The Best Baked Potato Soup Ever! (crockpot)

(from Fix It and Forget It Cookbook)

4 large baked potatoes OR 1 bag of Steam ‘n Mash Potatoes

2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup flour

6 cups milk, whole or 2%

¾ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

4 green onions, chopped and divided

12 slices bacon, fried, crumbled, and divided OR 12 slices MICROWAVE bacon, cooked, crumbled, and divided

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream, plus some for topping

1. If using baked potatoes, cut potatoes in half. Scoop out pulp and put in a small bowl.

If using Steam ‘n Mash Potatoes, cook in the bag for 10 minutes.

2. Melt butter in large skillet. Add flour. Gradually stir in milk (sometimes I only add half of the milk and put the other half in the crock pot, set on LOW). Continue to stir until smooth, thickened, and bubbly.

3. Transfer milk mixture to crock pot and set on LOW.

4. Stir in potatoes, salt, pepper, and three-quarters of the onions, bacon, and cheese. Cook until heated. Stir in sour cream.

5. Cook on LOW until all well mixed and heated.

Serve with remaining onions, bacon, cheese, and sour cream.

Brownie Goody Bars

(from Betty Crocker Brownie Box)

Ingredients:
1 box Betty Crocker Original Supreme brownie mix
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 container Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
3/4 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
3 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 bag (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make brownies as directed for a 13x9-inch pan. Cool completely.

2. Frost brownies with frosting. Sprinkle with peanuts; refrigerate. Meanwhile, into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside. In 1-quart saucepan, melt peanut butter and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour over cereal in bowl, stirring until evenly coated. Spread over frosted brownies.

3. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set before cutting. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes 24 brownies.

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Muffins

(from girltalk)

2007 at 12:01 pm | by Janelle Bradshaw
Filed under Homemaking Recipes

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Muffins:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar (I used 3/4 cup sugar, but we like ours sweet.)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or use paper liners.
Beat cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Beat in egg, cream and vanilla. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into cream cheese mixture until flour is moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups filling them 3/4 full.
Bake in preheated oven until tops are golden, about 20 minutes.

EASY Chicken Parmigiana

Ingredients:

Tyson Chicken Breasts
Favorite Red Sauce (whatever you like or what's on sale...)
Mozzarella Slices
Cooked Pasta (spaghetti, penne, whatever you have)


1. Cook the chicken as directed.
2. With about 2 minutes remaining, cover with the cheese slices.
3. Serve the chicken over cooked pasta and cover with red sauce.


I like to serve this with a salad and bread.


**Can also be served as a sandwich**
1. Cook chicken as directed.
2. With about 2 minutes remaining, cover with red sauce and cheese.
3. Serve on buns with a little more red sauce.

EASY Chicken Ranch Sandwiches

Ingredients:

Tyson Chicken Breasts
Hot Sauce (we like Franks Red Hot Sauce)
Mozzarella Slices
Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing
Buns
Lettuce
Tomato


1. Prepare chicken as directed.
2. With about 5 minutes left in the oven, cover each chicken breast with the hot sauce, dressing of choice, and cheese.
3. Finish baking and serve on buns with lettuce and tomato.
4. You can add more hot sauce or dressing if you would like.

EASY Chicken Teriyaki Burgers

Ingredients:

chicken breasts
teriyaki sauce
pineapple slices
Swiss cheese
burger buns
red onions (optional)


Note: Marinate the chicken in teriyaki sauce before grilling for more flavor.

1. Grill the chicken breasts
2. Near the end of the grilling, place one pineapple slice on each chicken breast.
3. Fill the hole of the pineapple with teriyaki sauce and cover with cheese.
4. Wait for cheese to melt.
5. Serve on buns with red onions and extra sauce if desired. We add a little mayo as well.

Cream Cheese Chicken (crockpot)

(from Dinner's On Me!)

4-6 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 package dry Italian dressing mix
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup milk

Place chicken breasts, butter & Italian dressing in crock pot on low. Cook about 6 hours. One hour before serving, add the final 3 ingredients. Cook all ingredients until they are melted and it is the consistency of gravy. Use two forks to shred the chicken. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta.

Marshmallow Brownies

(from Mommy's Kitchen)

1 - (9 x13) boxed brownie mix
Miniature marshmallows
Frosting (recipe below)

Make the brownie mix according to package directions for CAKE LIKE brownies. Bake according to package directions. When brownies are done, cover them with a layer of miniature marshmallows and put back into the oven for a few minutes until marshmallows are nice and puffy. Cool brownies and top with frosting recipe below.


Frosting

1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons water
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring 1/2 cup butter or margarine, 4 tablespoons cocoa, 3 tablespoons water, and 3 tablespoons milk to a boil. Remove from heat. While still hot, add confectioners' sugar, and vanilla. Beat well. Pour frosting over brownies while frosting is still hot. Allow to cool before cutting.

Oriental Chicken Wraps

(from Dinner's On Me!)

terriyaki chicken, shredded (recipe below)
mandarin oranges
bag of mixed salad greens
crispy chow mein noodles
sliced green onions
Creamy Sesame Dressing (recipe below)

Teriyaki Marinade

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup Sprite
1/2 tsp minced garlic

(She said the longer you marinate the chicken the better is, although she has marinated chicken for just one hour and it was great.)

I placed the chicken in a large ziplock bag, added the marinade ingredients, sealed it and stuck it in the fridge. A few hours later I had wonderfully marinated chicken, no leaks, no garlic smell in my fridge, and no dish to wash.

Creamy Sesame Dressing

1 c. Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1/3 c. Sugar
1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
5 Tbsp. Milk

Combine all ingredients & enjoy!