Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

Recipe Courtesy of The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup dried Italian bread crumbs
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper

1. Place milk and bread crumbs in separate bowls.
2. In skillet, heat butter to medium heat.  Dip chicken in milk, then coat with crumbs.  Cook chicken in butter, on both sides, until juices run clear.  Remove and keep warm.
3. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds over medium heat.  Add the chicken broth to the skillet.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and stir to loosen browned bits from the pan.  Stir in cream and sun-dried tomatoes; boil and stir for 1 minute.  Reduce heat.
4. Add Parmesan cheese, basil and pepper.  Stir sauce and cook until heated through.  Remember that for a thicker sauce all you have to do is cook it longer. 
5. Serve chicken with sauce poured over the top.

**I didn't use a 1/2 cup of milk to dip the chicken in.  I would start with a 1/4 cup and keep adding until all your chicken is coated.

Enjoy!

Finished Project

This past weekend I finished a cross stitch I have been working on, on and off for 3 years.  My mom was very surprised to receive it.

I also made some Grad cupcakes, but I revamped them from what I did last year.

BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas

Recipe courtesy of Closet Cooking

Ingredients
- 1 tortilla
- 1/4 cup cheddar, shredded
- 1/4 cup chicken, cooked, shredded or cut into small pieces and warm
- 2 tbsp. BBQ sauce
- 1/4 cup pineapple, sliced and optionally grilled
- 1 jalapeno, sliced

1. Heat a pan over medium heat.
2. Place the tortilla in the pan, sprinkle half of the cheese over half of the tortilla, followed by chicken, BBQ sauce, pineapple, jalapeno, and the remaining cheese.
3. Fold the tortilla in half covering the filling and cook until the quesadilla is golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted, about 2-4 minutes per side.

*Serves 1

Enjoy!!!

Empire Cookies

My friend and I have wanted to make Empire cookies for awhile.  Here is the result of our baking;

 

Recipe courtesy of All Recipes

Ingredients
- 2 cups butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 4 cups flour
- 1 cup raspberry preserves
- 24 maraschino cherries
- 8 cups icing sugar
- 1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Gradually stir in the flour until well blended.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut into rounds using a cookie cutter.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the oven.  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.  Sandwich one tsp. of jam between two cookies.  Repeat with remaining cookies.   In a medium bowl, gradually stir the milk into the icing sugar until the icing is a spreadable consistency.  Spread on top of the sandwiched cookies.  Top each cookie with half of a cherry while the icing is still wet.

makes about 4 dozen.

*For the icing it is easier if its thicker, also I added a little bit of almond extract.

Enjoy!

Mexican Pizza

Recipe Courtesy of Trader Joe's

Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. ground beef/turkey
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 can refried beans
- 4 9-inch tortillas
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 2 cups cheese
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup olives, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Place meat, onion and garlic in skillet over medium heat.  Cook until beef is evenly browned.  Drain off grease.  Season the meat with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.
3. Coat 2 pie plates with non-stick cooking spray.  Place one tortilla in each pie plate and cover with a layer of refried beans.  Spread half of the seasoned meat over each tortilla and then cover with second tortilla.  Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
4. Spread half of the salsa over the top tortillas.  Top each pizza with half of the cheese, tomatoes, green onions, and olives.  Return the pizzas to the oven, bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  Slice each pizza into 4 pieces and serve.

*Instead of using the chili powder, cumin, and paprika, I substituted taco seasoning.

Enjoy!

Lemon-Oregano Chicken

Recipe courtesy of Kraft Canada

Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
- 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (1lb./450g)
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
- 1 lemon, cut into 8 slices, divided

1. Heat barbecue to medium heat.
2. Pour dressing over chicken in resealable plastic bag.  Add oregano and 4 lemon slices; seal bag.  Turn to evenly coat chicken with dressing, squeezing lemon slices in bag to release their juices.  Refrigerate 30 minutes to marinate.  Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade.
3. Grill chicken 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until done (170F), adding remaining lemon slices to barbecue for the last 2 minutes.
4. Serve chicken topped with grilled lemon slices.


Enjoy!

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Recipe courtesy of "The Cupcake Diaries"

Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 3 tbsp. ground ginger
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 10 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups molasses
- 1 cup hot water

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a muffin pan.
2. Sift together the dry ingredients, except for the brown sugar, and set aside. 
3. Cream together butter and brown sugar with a mixer on high speed, 3 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs on at a time, beating slowly after each addition.  Add the molasses, mixing until well incorporated.
4. Add one third of the dry ingredients and one third of the water and mix thoroughly.  Repeat.  Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed.  Add the last third of the dry ingredients and one third of the water, and mix thoroughly.
5. Scoop the batter into the muffin pan.
6. Bake at 350F for 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely.

I made "The Cupcake Diaries" Vanilla Buttercream and added a little cinnamon to it.

Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients
- 16 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 1 tsp. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp. salt

Combine the ingredients with a mixer and whip together at high speed until light and airy, approx. 3 to 5 minutes.

Enjoy!