Author: Jennifer Barber

Garlic Marinated Chicken Cutlets

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    I have really fallen in love with fresh basil. My problem is, I always have more than I need. This recipe is a great, easy, delicious way to use more of it. You can also use dried, but it is awesome with fresh!  The beautiful thing about this recipe is that you only have to marinade the meat for 10 minutes.

Garlic Marinated Chicken Cutlets

1 Tbsp EVOO
3 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp (or more) dried basil (use more if using fresh)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, butterflied or pounded flat

Mix marinade in a large bowl or baking dish. Add chicken and turn several times to coat each piece. Let marinate at room temp for at least 10 minutes, then grill until browned and cooked through.

Source: Adapted from a recipe in Martha Stewart’s Great Foods Fast cookbook.

Malt Whopper Pudding Cookies

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    I love Whoppers. I love malt. I love cookies. Putting them all together…heaven! The thing I liked about this recipe is that it uses Whoppers and malt powder so you can really taste the maltiness. The pudding keeps the cookies moist and delicious. 

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup butter softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 small box instant vanilla pudding, dry
  • 1/4 cup malt milk powder (near Ovaltine and chocolate milk powder)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1-2 cups Whoppers

Directions:

1. Cream butter and sugars 
2. Add in pudding and malted milk powder, beat until combined.
3. Mix in eggs and vanilla
4. Mix flour and baking soda together, then slowly fold into wet batter
5. Fold in chopped Whoppers
6. Roll into 1″ balls. Place on greased cookie sheet (or covered with parchment paper).
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. 

Source: chef-in-training.com

Grilled Caprese Sandwiches

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Grilled Caprese Sandwiches

    My hubby and I were lucky enough to go to Europe a few years back and while we were there, we absolutely feel in love with all things Caprese. The combination of fresh tomatoes, fresh mozarella, and fresh basil is absolute perfection. This sandwich is a great, fast way to get a caprese fix. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 slices of your favorite bread 
One ball of fresh mozarella, cut into 1/4 inch slices
4 Roma or Plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
Traditional Basil Pesto
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Freshly ground black pepper


Directions:

Heat skillet to medium. Spread one slice of bread with a thin to moderate layer of pesto to taste, put tomato slices on top of pesto. Grind pepper over tomatoes. Top with layer of mozarella and another piece of bread. Drizzle olive oil on skillet, place sandwiches on skillet with another heavy skillet on top to form a press (or use a panini maker). Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, flip and repeat until golden brown and mozarella is melty and gooey.

Notes: I used homemade bread and that always takes any sandwich over the top. You could also make your own pesto, which I have never tried but intend to someday…..I also find that it helps to drain the tomato slices a bit to take out some of the extra water. 

Source: anediblesymphony.blogspot.com

Chicken Pillows

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     This is one of our all-time favorite go-to recipes. My hubby loves it, my kids love it, and anything with ‘pillow’ in the name is delightful. It is very easy to put together and freezes well. It is very warm and comfort-foody. When I ask my kids what they want for dinner, this is one that always comes up.

Chicken Pillows

Ingredients:

About 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 Tbsp butter, softened
3-4 green onions, finely chopped
3 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
1 box chicken or turkey stuffing
Melted butter, for dipping

Gravy:

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can evaporated milk

Directions:
     Heat oven to 325 degrees. For filling: cream together cream cheese and butter. Add in chicken and green onions. I use a hand mixer to mix it all together, which shreds the chicken nicely.
     Open roll dough. Separate each roll. You will have triangle shapes. With a rolling pin, slightly widen and flatten the wide end of the triangle to make more room to put your filling in. Put about 1 Tbsp of filling in center of wide end. Roll toward point as you would a regular crescent roll. Take open side ends and fold toward center and pinch down so you have a nice little pillow.
     Crush stuffing mix a little bit until it is as fine as you would like, I leave mine a little coarse. (Make sure the seasoning and bread crumbs are mixed together) and put in a bowl. Dip chicken pillows in melted butter, then stuffing mix. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
     Meanwhile, for gravy, heat soup thinned with milk to desired consistency over medium heat in a saucepan.  Serve over hot rolls.

Source: College Roomate 🙂
    

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden style)

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     Thank you so much for inviting me to post on this wonderful blog! I love to cook and try new things, so I am looking forward to being here very much. 

    For my first post, I will share a wonderful soup we tried a few weeks ago. If you have ever tried Olive Garden’s Chicken and Gnocchi soup, you will be as excited to try this as I was. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy this was to put together. We all loved it (kids included)! It is hearty, silky, and satisfying. And let’s be honest, Gnocchi is just fun to say.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden Style)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon EVOO
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 1 quart half and half
  • 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
  • 1 cup onion, finely diced
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 1 or 2-14 ounce cans of chicken broth (adjust to desired level of thickness)
  • 1 cup carrots, finely grated
  • 1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced
  • 1 package gnocchi, cooked  (usually in the pasta or prepared food sections of the store)
  • 1 cup of fresh spinach coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional, but you should use it!)

Instructions

Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. Cook gnocchi according to directions. Stir in flour to make a roux and cook out the raw flavor of the flour for about one minute. Add half and half. Add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth. Stir until the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning. Simmer until soup is heated through. May season with additional salt to taste.

Notes: I used home canned chicken for speed and it was delicious. You could also use a Rotisserie chicken, which would give it an added flavor boost.

For those of you who don’t know, Gnocchi is Italian for potato dumplings. 

Source: Copykat.com

Sweet and Sour Chicken

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This has been a work in progress recipe. We no longer use a tempura batter on the chicken. My family prefers it without (plus it saves calories and time). This is our current favorite version. You can sneak a few extra veggies (sliced carrots or zucchini) in this and it still tastes delicious!

Ingredients:
2 tsp Olive Oil
12 Chicken tenderloins cut in thirds or 3 chicken breasts cut into 8 pieces each
1 green pepper “chunked”
1 medium onion chopped
1 cup water
1 cup ketchup
1 1/2 – 2 cups sugar
2 cloves fresh garlic or 1 tbsp garlic powder
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks with juice
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp powdered ginger (optional)
1/3 cup cornstarch dissolved in 3/4 cup water
5 cups (or enough for your family) cooked rice – brown or white

1. Slightly warm Olive Oil in large skillet.
2. Place chicken in pan and lightly brown on each side without cooking all the way through.
3. When turning chicken over to brown on the other side add the peppers and onions.
4. Remove from heat before chicken cooks through.
5. In Stockpot or large sauce pan combine water, ketchup, sugar, garlic, pineapple, Soy Sauce, and ginger. Stir until well blended.
6. Cook until mixture starts to boil, add chicken and veggies
7. Bring back to a boil. Stir in cornstarch and water mixture. Mix well to avoid lumps
8. Cook at a low boil for 15-20 minutes. Sauce will be slightly thick and bubbly.
9. Serve over rice

Source: A Jennie original