Saucy Baked Chicken

This meal is definitely going to be a regular in our house. It's healthy. It's filling. It's easy. It tases good. Clean up is a breeze..... What more could you ask for? I couldn't get enough of the sauce that was on the chicken. I even dipped my green beans in it.
Recipe adapted from Time Life.

Ingredients:
6 chicken cutlets
1 medium onion, sliced
8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil
1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 TBSP all purpose flour
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 and 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450.
Pour oil into a cassarole dish. Add chicken, onion and mushrooms, turning to coat with oil. Bake 5 minutes; turn chicken over and stir vegetables. Bake an additional 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk flour into chicken broth. Add vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper, stirring well.
When chicken has cooked for 10 minutes, add broth mixture to cassarole dish, cover with foil and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil; stir vegetables and bake, uncovered, until sauce bubbles and is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Heat broiler. Turn chicken over. Place dish 6 inches from heat and broil until chicken just starts to turn golden, about 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Info (per serving): 290 calories; 11 g Carbs; 27 g Protein; 3 g Fat; 740 mg Sodium; 70 mg Cholesterol; 1 g Fiber; 3 g Sugar

The Daring Bakers Challenge

Pizza

Yes, it's that time again... time for a challenge from the Daring Bakers. I was so excited when I found out that the challenge was going to be pizza. That was something that would make a good meal and not just an "extra" thing sitting around the house tempting me to take a bite.
This recipe for the crust (Pizza Napoletana) is from Peter Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice." The crust is the best I've ever had, and cooking it on a pizza stone made it taste like it came right out of a brick oven. The crust is a thin crust with the edges puffy and chewy. The recipe makes enough for 6 pizzas, and you can freeze the dough for later use.... even better. The main challenge was to toss the dough. I didn't get a picture, but I did attempt... ehhm... unsuccessfully. The dough is so stretchy, and when I tossed it, I kinda ripped it... twice. So I just moved my fists around with the dough on top and stretched it that way.
(Recipe for the dough is at the bottom ... underneath the topping recipes)

Blackened Chicken Pizza

The first pizza topping I made is from Paua Deen magazine. It's made with a white sauce and lots of toppings. I really enjoyed it and thought it was VERY filling. The bacon gave it an extra smoky taste, but I think the pizza would be just as good without it. The chicken was AWESOME. I'm keeping that recipe to make chicken slices to go on a bed of lettuce for future salads.

Paula Deen's Blackened Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:
3 tsp blackening seasoning, divided
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
4 TBSP butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 TBSP all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup whole milk
2 TBSP minced fresh basil
Pizza crust recipe (below)
1 and 1/2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Sprinkle 2 tsp blackening seasoning evenly over chicken breast.
In a large skillet, melt 2 TBSP butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until chicken is done. Remove from heat, and cool. Cut chicken into thin strips; set aside.
In a large skillet, melt remaining 2 TBSP butter over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in flour; cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in wine and milk. Cook, whisking constantly. for 4-5 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in basil and remaining 1 tsp blackening seasoning. Remove from heat.
Spread cream mixture evenly over prepared unbaked crust. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Top evenly with spinach, chicken strips, bacon, remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Bake according to pizza dough directions (below).


Classic Pizza Margarita
The second pizza I made is my favorite kind.... pizza margarita. I've never made my own tomato pizza sauce before, so this was a first for me. I gotta tell you, I'm never going back to the jar stuff. This was absolutely amazing with small chunks of tomatoes and onions, and the oregano gave it the perfect pizza sauce taste. The recipe for the sauce is adapted from foodnetwork.com and makes enough for 2 pizzas.

Ingredients:
(sauce)
1 can (28-ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, in juice
1 small white or sweet onion, finely diced and minced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
3 to 4 fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch salt
Pinch fresh ground black pepper
Pinch sugar, optional
2 tablespoons olive oil, to saute
(toppings)
Mozzarella cheese cut into medallions
Basil leaves, whole
1-2 tomatoes, sliced

Directions:
Empty the contents of the tomato can in a mixing bowl and coarsely crush the tomatoes with a fork or your hands, leaving them just a little chunky. In a heavy bottom 2-quart saucepot, add the olive oil, over a medium high flame and heat a little. Add the onions and saute until slightly translucent. Add the garlic and saute about a minute until golden. Quickly add the crushed tomatoes to the mix. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add the fresh basil and oregano. You can add a touch of sugar if desired or if tomatoes are tart. Simmer on a low flame, stirring often for at least 15 minutes. If not using right away, cool down and store in airtight container in the refrigerator, up to 1 week.
Place sauce on prepared pizza dough. Top with Mozzarella cheese medallions, basil leaves, and tomatoes. Bake according to dough directions (below).


And now for the dough recipe......
Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter).

Ingredients:
4 1/2 Cups
Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled
1 and 3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Instant yeast
1/4 Cup Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 and 3/4 Cups Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 Tb sugar
Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

Directions:

DAY ONE

1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil (a few tablespoons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO

8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C). NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and re-flour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping. In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully, then try again.You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

***************NOTE ON SAUCE: Your sauce (any) should not be too thick as it will thicken in the hot oven. Less is more but make the less truly more by using quality ingredients.

"Healthy-ish" Key Lime Pie

Key lime is my dad's favorite pie flavor. Since he was coming to visit, this was the perfect opportunity for me to try my hand at this pie. The reason I named this "healthy-ish" is because I used the fat free sweetened condensed milk and the reduced fat pie crust. To be honest, I couldn't even tell a difference in taste and neither could Aubrey or my dad.

Ingredients:
4 ounces key lime juice
4 egg yolks
1 can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free)
9-inch graham cracker pie crust

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine eggs and milk with an electric mixer and slowly add juice until well blended. Pour into pie crust and bake for about 8 minutes.
**Note: I forgot about the pie being in the oven and accidently cooked it for about 15 minutes, but nothing was burned at all... whew!

Pumpkin Pie Fudge

I saw this recipe on Dr. Annie's blog. I think the recipe is originally from Southern Living. I'm glad she suggested using a larger pan because this makes a good bit of fudge.
These pictures below are from my 2nd batch. I completely messed up the first batch because I didn't read the ingredients very carefully. I put a whole can of pumpkin in (go figure... just leave it to me), and the fudge tasted way too pumpkin-y. My 2nd batch was perfect! Candy is always on it's best behavior when it's cold and dry outside.

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tbsp. corn syrup
2 ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
9 oz. white chocolate, chopped
7 oz. jar marshmallow crème
1 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract



Directions:
Stir together first six ingredients in a 3 ½ - quart saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer registers 234° (soft-ball stage).

Remove pan from heat; stir in remaining ingredients until well blended. Pour into a greased aluminum foil-lined 8-inch square pan (I used 9x13). Let stand 2 hours or until completely cool; cut fudge into squares.

Zesty Chicken with Corn Salsa

I found this recipe on eatbetteramerica.com, and Aubrey and I both loved it. I think next time I'll use black beans instead of the kidney so it will give it more of a southwestern taste. I found some lime tortilla chips on sale at the grocery store today, so I bought them to serve with this. They were perfect for getting the last bit of salsa off of the plate.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can (7 oz) Green Giant® whole kernel sweet corn, drained
1/2 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 small cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup Progresso® red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. In cup, combine chili powder, brown sugar and cumin. Rub both sides of chicken breasts with the spice mixture.
2. In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook chicken in hot oil 12 minutes, turning occasionally, or until instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion reads 160°F and juices run clear.
3. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir together corn, red pepper, cucumber, kidney beans, lime juice and salt.
4. Evenly divide corn salsa onto 4 plates. Top each with a chicken breast.

Nutritional Info (per serving): Calories 320 (Calories from Fat 110); Total Fat 12g (Saturated Fat 2 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 85mg; Sodium 380mg; Total Carbohydrate 19g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 5g); Protein 34g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 15%; Vitamin C 30%; Calcium 4%; Iron 15%

Healthy Fudge Cookies

Healthy? Yep, that's what I said... but they are just as habbit forming as a chocolate chip cookie. I got this Fiber One Crunchy Fudge Cookie recipe from eatbetteramerica.com. However, I believe it's more of a chewy cookie. It tastes very much like a brownie with a small twist. Too bad we ran out of milk today because that's all that's missing.

Ingredients:
1 box (1 lb 2.3 oz) fudge brownie mix
2 cups Fiber One® original bran cereal
2 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray.
In large bowl, mix all ingredients with spoon. Onto cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes until set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container. Freeze up to 2 months if desired.

Makes about 3 and 1/2 dozen cookies:

Nutritional Info: 1 Cookie: Calories 70 (Calories from Fat 10); Total Fat 1g (Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 55mg; Total Carbohydrate 13g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 7g); Protein 0g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 0%; Iron 4%

Bacon 'n Egg Quesadilla

This recipe came from Rachel Ray's magazine. At first I thought it was really weird, but the more I looked at the recipe, the more I started liking it. I'm glad I made it because Aubrey and I both loved it. Her magazine says that 2 quesadillas are 1 serving, but we got full with just one. I just flipped the top of the quesadilla open so I could get the "fillings" in the picture, but I just served it like a regular quesadilla folded in half.

Ingredients:
8 medium flour tortillas2 hass avocados
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
½ pound bacon
8 large eggs
9 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
One 15.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed

Directions:
Place tortillas in oven in 2 stacks; heat to 200-degrees. In a bowl, mash the avocados with the lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.
Working in batches, in a nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp; drain on paper towels. Leave about 2 tbsp bacon fat in the skillet, reserving the rest of the fat. Cut the bacon strips in half.
Working in 2 batches, in the skillet, cook the eggs over easy; transfer to a platter. Reserve the skillet.
Lay the tortillas on a work surface. Sprinkle each with ¼ cup cheese; top with beans, 1 egg and bacon strips; then fold to enclose.
In the same skillet, heat 1 tbsp bacon fat over medium heat, add 4 quesadillas and cook, turning once, until crisp and golden, about 3 minutes. Repeat with more bacon fat and the remaining quesadillas; serve with the avocado mash.

Orange Teriyaki Beef with Noodles

I got this recipe from eatbetteramerica.com, and it was so quick and easy... not to mention good, too! I really like this recipe because it's cooking for 2... although you could easily double it if needed. I'm a big fan of citrus flavors on meat, and the orange really went well with the teriyaki flavor.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb beef boneless sirloin, cut into thin strips
1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons teriyaki stir-fry sauce
1 tablespoon orange marmalade
Dash of ground red pepper (cayenne)
3/4 cup sugar snap pea pods
3/4 cup uncooked fine egg noodles (1 1/2 oz)

Directions:
Heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef in skillet 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown. Remove beef from skillet; keep warm.
Add broth, stir-fry sauce, marmalade and red pepper to skillet. Heat to boiling. Stir in pea pods and noodles; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook about 5 minutes or until noodles are tender.
Stir in beef. Cook uncovered 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened.

Nutritional Info (per serving): Calories 340 (Calories from Fat 130); Total Fat 14g (Saturated Fat 5g, Trans Fat 1/2g); Cholesterol 75mg; Sodium 670mg; Total Carbohydrate 28g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 9g); Protein 25g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 15%; Calcium 4%; Iron 20% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 3 Lean Meat; 1 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2

Taco Salad Bowls

I've had this recipe that I've torn out of a Kraft Foods magazine for quite a while. Several months ago my mom made this when I came to visit, and I was so excited to try it. It is really good... so good that I had to make another one for Aubrey. I added a dollop of light sour cream, which the recipe doesn't call for. I also omitted the cilantro because mine died. :-(

Ingredients:
4 flour tortillas (8-inch)
1 TBSP chili powder, divided
3/4 lb. extra lean ground beef (I used a pound)
1 cup match-like carrot sticks
1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP chunky salsa
2 TBSP light mayo
4 cups torn salad greens
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 cup 2% shredded reduced fat cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Crumple 4 large sheets of foil to make four 3-inch balls; place on baking sheet. Place 1 tortilla on top of each ball; spray tortilla with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 tsp of the chili powder. Bake 6-8 minutes or until tortillas are golden brown. (Tortillas will drape over balls as they bake.)
Meanwhile, brown meat with carrots and remaining 2 and 1/2 tsp chili powder in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of the salsa; cook 2 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Mix mayo and remaining 2 TBSP salsa in large bowl. Add salad greens and tomatoes; toss to coat. Spoon into tortilla shells; top with meat mixture, cheese and cilantro.
Makes 4 servings

Nutritional Info: Calories 370; Fat 14g (sat. 5g); Sodium 820mg; Carb 35mg; Fiber 4g; sugars 5g; Protein 26g; Calcium 30%; Iron 25%

Smoky Corn Chowder

I've been saving this recipe from a Real Simple magazine for a couple of months now, and it's finally "cool" enough outside for me to start experimenting more with soups. This recipe wins one of the top spots on my soup lists, and I'll be making it one of my "staples" this winter. Aubrey loves it and says it would be good with some cornbread.



Ingredients:
8 ounces sliced bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 10-ounce packages frozen corn
3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup half-and-half (I used fat free)
Kosher salt and pepper
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Directions:
Cook the bacon in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Spoon off and discard all but 2 TBSP of the drippings and return the pot to medium heat.
Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, and red pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Stir in the corn, broth, and half-and-half and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer half the soup to a blender and puree until smooth.
Return to the pot, add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, and stir to combine.
Divide the soup among individual bowls and top with the scallions and reserved bacon.