Kaytucky Chicken

This is so good on so many different levels I can't even stand it. Want something special to do with chicken that takes it a little out of the ordinary? Look no further! My friend Hilary made this for a birthday dinner and even though I was full, I still wanted to eat more because it tasted that good!

(don't give me credit for the photo! That comes from the person who originally had this recipe! Go check out more of their recipes they are delicious! http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/kaytucky-chicken)

What You'll Need:
4 chicken fillets
4 frozen puff pastry sheets (I actually used Filo Dough (sp?) and it was delicious!)
4 oz cream cheese (the firm kind)
few rashes of bacon
flat -leaf parsley
1 spring onion
1 large egg
pepper
salt

Let's Get Crackin!

Cook up the bacon (use as much or as little as you like) and chop/crumble it up. Chop up the spring onions, parsley, and a good pinch of pepper to 4 oz firm cream cheese. You can use a low-fat cream cheese if you like! It will still be very flavorful. Also, if you want, adding a little garlic, chili pepper, and/or grated cheese helps kick up the flavor! However, the one I tried was just the basic onion, parsley, pepper, bacon, and cream cheese. But feel free to experiment! Mix everything in a bowl and set aside. Now let's turn our attention to the chicken. Trim the fat from the chicken then make a deep cut into each chicken fillet. Stuff the cream cheese mixture into the chicken. Take the puff pastry sheets/Filo dough out of the box and make SURE they do not dry out. They are very delicate and will dry out quickly, so get a damp cloth and place it on top of your pastry sheets until you are going to wrap them around the chicken. I used like three or four to wrap around each breast. Place the chicken on top of the puff pastry, with the cream cheese side down. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, beat a large egg and brush some onto the puff pastry. Fold the pastry sheets around the chicken. The egg will act as a type of glue to hold it all together. Brush the egg mixture on the top of the chicken/pastry package. Throw them into a preheated oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!!

Shirlyn's White Chili

I don't know about you guys, but when the weather gets cold, I always turn to a nice big bowl of chili! Now, I'm picky about my chili, and this was one of the best recipes I have EVER come across. A HUUUGE thank you to my roommate Ashley's mom Shirlyn for this divine recipe!! I LOVE IT!! :)

What You'll Need

1-2 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
4  15oz cans Northern White Beans, do not drain
2  14oz cans of chicken broth
2  4oz cans chopped green chillies
1 TBSP dried minced onion
2 tsp Garlic powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Black pepper
2 cups sour cream
1 cup half and half

Chili! :)
Put all ingredients except sour cream and half and half into a large pot.  Bring to a slow boil.  Add sour cream and half and half.  Heat to desired temperature. Enjoy!!

Chicken Parmesan

Another favorite of mine to do around the holidays (not sure why, I think it's just cause it's easy and it's poultry so it still kinda works in my head) is chicken parmesan. I adore my family's heritage and I keep it alive! My dad loves to make chicken and eggplant parmesan when he knows the family is going to get together, and I am the same way! It feeds a ton of people and it's pretty cheap to make!

What You'll Need
eggs
milk
Italian bread crumbs
chicken breasts
spaghetti sauce
Canola oil (or vegetable, if you prefer)

Ciao!
This is a simple way to make your chicken! Trim the fat off the chicken and butterfly it if they are thicker breasts (I don't know why, but I always end up with ones that look like strips! Weird huh??) Once that is done, grab two bowls. In one bowl, put in some eggs and milk (the ratio between the two should be 1:1) You will have to eyeball the amount depending on how much chicken you are planning on cooking. In the other bowl, pour bread crumbs. Take your chicken breasts and dip them into the egg/milk mixture. Make sure that they are completely covered! Then dip it in the bread crumbs (to keep messes to a minimal, I always have one "wet" hand and one "dry" hand. I use my left to dip the chicken in the egg/milk mixture, then my right to dip it in the bread crumbs. Once you are done with that, throw them in the pan and lightly brown the outsides so the bread crumbs become a nice golden brown! Try not to burn them! Then place the chicken on a cookie sheet. You will then bake the chicken at 350 until done (mine usually takes 20-25 minutes). By doing it this way, you make the chicken very moist and tender! When there's about five minutes left, pull the chicken out, pour some sauce and mozzarella cheese on top, then put it back in to finish so the cheese gets all nice and melty and bubbly! Make up a bowl of pasta and enjoy!

Peach Crisp

For Thanksgiving this year, I like to be a little less than ordinary in the food I choose to make (for one thing, I do not have time to make the traditional Thanksgiving turkey with all the fixings! And let's face it...as delicious as turkey is, it's time to shake it up a bit!) And as much as I love my pumpkin pie, I thought for dessert this year we'd try something new! Peach crisp still gives a warm, homey feel, goes well with ice cream, and has all the right kinds of spices with delicious peaches!

What You'll Need

1 can (29 oz) sliced peaches, drained
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup regular oats
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup margarine, softened

Start the Cooking!
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 8x8" baking pan. Arrange peaches in pan. Mix remaining ingredients with fork; sprinkle over the peaches. Bake until peaches are tender and topping is golden brown (so about 30 minutes).

Not a fan of peaches?? No problem! You can substitute the peaches for 4 cups sliced pared baking apples (about four medium) and use 3/4 cup sugar instead. Or you can also do a cherry crisp, where you use 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling (use the same amount of sugar for the peach crisp on this variation).

Enjoy! Will post pictures once it finishes baking :)

Blonde Brownies

Want the deliciousness of a brownie but not a huge fan of chocolate?? My wonderful roommate Ashley has the PERFECT alternative and they are sinfully delicious!! I am in love with blonde brownies!!

What You'll Need
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups brown sugar
2/3 vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Bake-tastic!!!
Mix together the sugar and oil. Then mix the eggs, vanilla, then add to the sugar/oil mixture. Add to flour and spices. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour the pan well (unless you want it to stick to the pan...then it becomes a pain). Bake for 25-30 minutes. See? Super easy, chocolate free, and still freaking amazing! Enjoy!

They've got such a unique, almost crumbly texture that just mushes in your mouth in the best way possible!

Taco Soup

Here's some soup with some kick!! It's SUPER easy, though it does take a while! But it's nice to set it up, go to class, then come home to a delicious meal! :)

What You'll Need

1 lb hamburger

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cans cream of potato soup

1 can beef consumme

¼ taco seasoning mix (heaping tablespoon)

2 cans chili beans (30 oz) don’t drain

1 can tomatoes (quart size)

Small can tomato sauce (8 oz)

Basically all you need to do is brown your meat then throw everything else into the pot and let it simmer for about two hours! Throw some mozzarella/cheddar cheese on top with come Cool Ranch Doritos and you've got a delicious meal that will leave PLENTY of leftovers!!

Easy Shepherd's Pie

Want something that gives the "homecooked" feeling in your apartment AND is easy to make?? Well I've got the recipe for you! Nothing says "home" like creamy mashed potatoes, hearty beef, and good ol' vegetables! Luckily, shepherd's pie does the trick (I always amaze myself at how incredibly cheesy I sound in describing the dishes I make...sorry guys, I'm a dork) My dear friend Mary Rendon suggested this recipe AND it comes with a vegetarian alternative which I thought was absolutely brilliant!! She got it from a blog called Simply Recipes, which I highly recommend! I may try some of their recipes out as well!!

What You'll Need
1 lb ground beef (for the vegetarian option, my friend suggested I get the meat crumbles from the frozen food aisle)
1 onion (yellow) chopped
About 2 cups vegetables, but if you want you can definitely add more! I used frozen vegetables (like corn, beans, peas, and carrots) and they worked just fine!
3-4 good sized potatoes
8 tablespoons of butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, and other seasonings of your choice (I just stuck with salt, pepper, and some garlic!)

Getting Started
Start by washing, peeling, and quartering your potatoes. Boil them in salted water until they are tender (the way I check is I take a fork and stab the potatoes when I think they're done. If the fork goes through easily, they are done! If not, keep boiling! Will take about 15-20ish minutes) While the potatoes are cooking, time to work on the main part of the pie! Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter (1/2 the stick) in a large frying pan (make sure it's a good sized frying pan, or at least that it's deep - trust me, you'll thank me later!) Saute onions in butter until tender over medium heat, then add vegetables. When the onions start becoming transparent, throw in your ground beef or meat crumbles (I didn't get the chance to try it with the meat crumbles, I just did ground beef, so I will assume meat crumbles work the same way). Cook until no longer pink. Add in your salt and pepper (I added about a teaspoon of salt and a couple cracks of fresh ground pepper, but I'm not a huge pepper fan so if you feel like changing up the ratio with that, then go for it! I also added the garlic at this time as well.) Add Worcestershire sauce, beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes. Make sure it stays moist. If it's not, add more beef broth (but when I made it, the 1/2 cup called for worked just fine). By this time your potatoes will be done. Strain the water out, put the potatoes in a bowl and throw in the remainder of the butter and pour some milk in it (this keeps the potatoes creamy and delicious! Mash the potatoes and season it according to taste. Grab a baking dish (like 9x13) and place the beef and veggie mix into baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. You can let loose with your creative side and draw on teh top of the potatoes if you want :) have fun with your cooking!! Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (I just baked it for about 30 minutes) Just because I love it, I threw some cheese on top the last five minutes so that is another option! Careful when you eat it - its HOT (my blistered tongue can attest to that - but it was sooo worth it!) Enjoy!