Author: Cindy Randolph

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Chicken With Bacon and Pepper Jack Cheese

Ingredients
  • 4 to 6 slices bacon
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 clove garlic
  • 4 boneless chicken breast halves
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • salt and pepper
  • chili powder
  • 4 tablespoons thick barbecue sauce
  • 4 to 6 slices pepper jack cheese
  • chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish, optional
Preparation

Grease a baking dish and set aside. Heat the oven to 375°.  Fry or bake* the bacon until almost crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Cook the bacon the day before and refrigerate for even quicker prep time.

Wash the chicken and pat dry. Put a chicken breast half between sheets of plastic wrap and pound to a uniform thickness of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Repeat with the remaining chicken breast halves.  Dredge in the flour to coat thoroughly.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the garlic half, stirring around in the butter mixture. Remove the garlic and discard after about 30 seconds.

Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until browned cooked through. It should register 165° on an instant read thermometer.

Arrange the chicken breasts in the baking dish. Spread about 1 tablespoon of thick barbecue sauce over each chicken breast half. Top with a slice or two of bacon. Cut bacon slices in half to cover the chicken. Top the bacon with a slice of pepper jack cheese.

Bake the chicken for about 5 to 6 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Sprinkle with cilantro just before serving, if desired.

*Baked Bacon: Line a large baking sheet or roasting pan with foil. Place a cooling or broiling rack in the pan. Arrange bacon slices on the rack. Bake at 375° for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bacon is as crisp as you like.

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Chicken with Goat Cheese Sauce

Ingredients

 

  • 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves $
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil $
  • 2 tablespoons dry white wine $
  • 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 4 thyme sprigs
  • 1/4 cup (2 ounces) soft (log-style) goat cheese
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Preparation

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Add wine to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until mixture is reduced to 1 tablespoon (about 1 minute). Add broth and thyme sprigs; cook until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat; discard thyme sprigs.

Add cheese to pan; stir with a whisk until smooth. Serve sauce over chicken; sprinkle with thyme leaves.

Wine note: While a wine lover might ask which wine goes best with chicken, in this dish, it’s the goat cheese sauce, more than the chicken breasts, that deserves most of your pairing attention. Goat cheese is an ideal partner for sauvignon blanc. Both goat cheese and the sauvignon blanc have clean, fresh, tangy, earthy flavors, so the food and wine mirror each other. A sauvignon blanc I love for the flavor: Tin Roof Sauvignon Blanc from the North Coast of California–about $9. -Karen MacNeil

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Classic Fish and Chips

Ingredients:

Directions:

Prep Time: 35 mins

Total Time: 1 hr

  1. 1 Cut potatoes lengthwise into ½-inch strips.
  2. 2 Heat oil (2 to 3 inches or enough to cover) in deep fryer or Dutch oven to 375 degrees.
  3. 3 Fill basket one-fourth full with potatoes. (I don’t have a basket – I use a Fry Daddy and it works fine. Just be sure and put the chips in one at a time so they don’t stick to each other.) Skip the next step if you’re not using a basket.
  4. 4 Slowly lower basket into hot oil. (If oil bubbles excessively, raise and lower basket several times.) Use a long-handled fork to keep potatoes separated.
  5. 5 Fry potatoes 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown; drain on paper towels.
  6. 6 Place potatoes in single layer on cookie sheet and keep warm.
  7. 7 Repeat with remaining potatoes.
  8. 8 Cut fish filets into 2 x 1/-1/2-inch pieces. Pat dry with paper towels.
  9. 9 Mix flour and salt.
  10. 10 Mix baking soda and vinegar.
  11. 11 Stir vinegar mixture and water into flour mixture; beat until smooth.
  12. 12 Dip fish into batter, allowing excess batter to drip into bowl.
  13. 13 Fry 4 or 5 fish pieces at a time (do not use basket) about 3 minutes, turning fish once, until brown. Drain on paper towels.
  14. 14 Set oven control to broil. Broil potatoes 6 inches from heat 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp.
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Cole Slaw

Ingredients

6 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 cup sugar
Salt and pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, combine cabbage and carrots. In a smaller bowl, make dressing by combining mayonnaise, vinegar, celery seed, sugar, salt and pepper. Toss dressing into cabbage mixture and let chill. Serve in a family style bowl.

Copyright 2006, Robert Irvine, All Rights Reserved

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Cream Cheese Bars

  • 16 oz. cream cheese
  • 1 egg, separated
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 ½ C sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 pkg. crescent roll dough

 

Let the cream cheese and egg some to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350º.  In 13 x 9 pan, spread one package of crescent roll evenly over bottom.

Mix cream cheese, 1 C sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.  Spread over crescent roll dough.

Spread remaining roll of crescent roll dough over mixture.  Whisk egg white until frothy, and spread over top of dough.  Mix remaining ½ C sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle on top.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool, then cut into small pieces.

 

You can also add chopped pecans to the sugar and cinnamon mixture to place on top before baking.

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Creamy Baked Ziti

What You Need

  • 4  cups  ziti pasta, uncooked
  • Olive oil
  • 1  jar  (24 oz.) marinara sauce  (add a bigger jar since no tomatoes, maybe 32 oz.)
  • 1  can  (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 6  oz.  (3/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
  • ¾  cup  BREAKSTONE’S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
  • 1  pkg.  (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA
  • 1/3  cup  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

COOK pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt. Remove from pan; drain. Meanwhile, add marinara sauce, tomatoes and cream cheese to same pan; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Return pasta to pan; mix well.

LAYER half the pasta mixture in 13×9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella and remaining pasta mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

BAKE 20 min. or until heated through.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Make Ahead:  This tasty pasta dish can be assembled ahead of time. Refrigerate up to 8 hours. When ready to serve, bake, uncovered, 30 to 35 min. or until heated through.

Size-Wise:  Enjoy your favorite foods while keeping portion size in mind.

Substitute:  Prepare using regular KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese.

Probably want to add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, garlic, maybe a touch of red pepper.

1 # meat, like Italian sausage, maybe hamburger, maybe both!  Check prices…

 

Alternate Directions (with meat):

Cook pasta in large sauce pan, leave a bit firm; drain, toss with a little olive oil so it doesn’t stick.

Add Tbsp olive oil to skillet at medium-high heat.  When hot, add meat, browning well.  If not using Italian sausage, add a little salt.  When almost done, add spices.  Drain grease.

Mix marinara sauce and cream cheese in large sauce pan.  Cook at medium heat until cheese is melted.  Add meat, heat until all warm, then add past back to pan and mix everything together well.

In 9×13 pan, add half past/meat/sauce mix, then sour cream, 1 C mozzarella, then remaining pasta/meat/sauce mix.  Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375F ~20 minutes or until heated through.

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Creamy Chicken and Rice

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

  • 4 cups cooked white rice
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 5 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast meat
  • 12 ounces processed cheese food (eg. Velveeta), cubed
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 cups crushed buttery round crackers

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
  2. Spread rice in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish; set aside.
  3. In a medium saucepan melt butter or margarine and stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk, bouillon granules, seasoned salt, garlic powder and pepper. Stir all together and bring to a boil. Let simmer and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; add chicken, cheese and sour cream. Stir until cheese is melted. Mix all together and pour mixture over rice.
  4. Melt 1/2 cup butter or margarine in saucepan and toss with crushed cracker crumbs. Sprinkle crumb mixture over casserole. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.
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Crustless Mini Quiches

yield: Serves 6–8

Here’s a quiche recipe that goes wheat free without skimping on flavor. We call for broccoli and Cheddar cheese, but you can trade out the broccoli for asparagus tips or halved cherry tomatoes and the Cheddar for Gruyère, Swiss, or Comté. Depending on what fillings you use, this recipe will make 36–48 savory treats. These bite-sized quiches make portion control easy and are guaranteed to disappear quickly at your next party.

Ingredients

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1/2 head broccoli, thick stems removed and separated into florets
  • 6 large eggs
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 2/3 cup (5 fl oz/160 ml) whole milk
  • 2/3 cup (5 fl oz/160 ml) heavy cream
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup (3 oz/90 g) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly spray two 24-cup mini muffin pans with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
  2. Have ready a bowl of ice water. Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli and blanch until bright green and softened but still crisp, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer immediately to the ice water to stop the cooking. When cool, drain thoroughly and pat dry. Chop coarsely and set aside.
  3. In a bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, milk, cream, salt, and pepper. (If you like, heat a small frying pan over medium-low heat, pour in about 1 tbsp of the mixture, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, just until soft curds form and are cooked through. Taste and adjust the seasoning.) Transfer to a large glass measuring pitcher.
  4. Place the prepared muffin pans on 1 or 2 rimmed baking sheets to catch any drips. Add a few small pieces of broccoli and a generous pinch of cheese to each of the cups. Pour the egg mixture over the broccoli and cheese in each cup, filling as many as you can to just below the rim. Add a small piece of broccoli and a pinch of cheese to the top of each quiche.
  5. Bake until the tops are puffed and just beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool for about 5 minutes, then turn the quiches out of the pans, arrange on a platter or individual plates, and serve.
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Creamy Ham and Fettuccine

  • 1 package (9 oz) refrigerated fettuccine
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 medium green onions, sliced (2 tablespoons)
  • 6 oz thinly sliced cooked ham, cut into 1/4-inch strips
  • 1 cup Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ frozen sweet peas
  • 1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
  • ¼ cup ranch dressing
  • 2 tablespoons milk

 

  1. Cook and drain fettuccine as directed on package.
  2. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onions; cook 1 minute. Add ham and peas; cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until hot.
  3. Reduce heat to low. Stir in yogurt, dressing and milk. Add fettuccine; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until hot.
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Cheddar Witch’s Fingers

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 pound (about 1 cup packed) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornmeal
  • 1 large egg
  • Kosher salt
  • 30 sliced almonds

Preparation

  1. In a food processor or bowl, whirl or rub together butter, cheese, flour, and cornmeal until the mixture has the texture of wet sand. Add egg and whirl or stir with a fork until dough holds together.
  2. Scrape dough onto a sheet of cooking paper or parchment, 12 to 14 in. wide and about 14 in. long. Top with another equal-sized sheet of paper and pat dough into a 1/2-in.-thick circle. Wrap in plastic and freeze 15 minutes, or refrigerate up to 3 days.
  3. Roll dough into a rectangle about 8 in. wide and 10 in. long, working carefully to avoid creases in paper. Return to freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°.
  4. Peel off top paper and use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 30 strips, each about 1/2 in. thick and 5 in. long. Place each strip on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt to taste, then use your fingers to round the top of each strip into a fingertip shape. Use a sharp knife to score shallow “knuckle” lines in each finger, then press an almond “nail” into the tip. If you like, bend each finger in places to make it look knobby.
  5. Bake the fingers until an even light brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.