Chicken Marsala

We went to The Cheesecake Factory a while back. Brad ordered their chicken marsala... and I have been craving it ever since. I found this recipe from EMERIL off the food network. Not much else to say except the recipe is truly divine. really good. period. I've made it over noodles and mashed potatoes. I personally like potatoes better. I also doubled the sauce.. yes, it's that good!

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups sliced mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake)
3/4 cup Marsala
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions

In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and Essence and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the chicken breast halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Cinnabon - Cinnamon Bun

These cinnamon rolls are the best! There so good I even made them for myself on MY birthday :) I actually just put the whole 3.4 oz of vanilla pudding package in and they turned out sooooo YUMMY! I also let the yeast sit in the warm water for a few minutes before adding into the bread machine. I set my oven to the lowest heat just so it get somewhat warm and then turn off the oven and let the rolls rise in there. The cream cheese frosting is my FAVORITE!


Ingredients

1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup warm milk
1 egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt




Directions

1.In the pan of your bread machine, combine water, melted butter, vanilla pudding, warm milk, egg, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt, bread flour and yeast. Set machine to Dough cycle; press Start.
2.When Dough cycle has finished, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 17x10 inch rectangle. Spread with softened butter. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over dough.
3.Roll up dough, beginning with long side. Slice into 16 one inch slices and place in 9x13 buttered pan. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4.Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. While rolls bake, stir together cream cheese, softened butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk. Remove rolls from oven and top with frosting.

Thai Chicken Satay

This dish we call "chicken on a stick" Annabelle seems to like eating chicken better when it's on a stick! We grilled this the first time and cooked it on the foreman also. Both ways turned out really yummy! I love peanut butter and it's nice to use it in something other than cookies :) Love the cilantro in this as well.. Hey, if my two yr old will like it.. so will you!

Recipe from WILLIAMS-SONOMA

Ingredients:

2 large limes
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 Tbs. minced ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 Tbs. Asian sesame oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 1 1/2 lb. total, cut into thick strips
1 small head romaine lettuce, cored and leaves shredded
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

Directions:

Marinate the chicken
Place 8 bamboo skewers in cold water to soak until ready to use. Grate 1 tsp. zest from the limes and squeeze 1/4 cup juice.

In a glass or ceramic bowl, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, vinegar and peanut butter until smooth. Stir in the cilantro, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the mixture in a separate bowl to use as a sauce. Add the chicken to the marinade and turn to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Cook the chicken
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill. Or, preheat a broiler.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade. Divide the chicken strips among the 8 skewers, threading the strips on lengthwise. Place the skewers on the grill rack, or put them on a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Cook, turning once, until seared on the outside and opaque throughout, about 6 minutes total.

Divide the lettuce, cucumber slices and chicken skewers among 4 plates. Drizzle with some of the reserved sauce and serve immediately, passing the additional sauce at the table. Serves 4.

Feta Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Breasts

I was looking for a recipe that used feta cheese. This recipe had TONS of high ratings on ALLRECIPES.COM... and I love bacon, so I picked this one to try out. I pounded the chicken pretty thin and added a piece of bacon to wrap around the chicken. The chicken was really moist and the feta and bacon complemented each other well. This recipe was very easy to make, but still tasted really good.

Ingredients
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 slices feta cheese
4 slices bacon, fried and drained

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.In a small bowl combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix together. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour oil mixture over chicken.
3.Stuff each chicken breast with 1 slice feta cheese and 1 slice bacon. Secure open sides with toothpicks.
4.Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes.

Peanut Butter Suprise

This recipe was given to me by my sister in law Vanessa. She is the dessert master! These cookies are so yummy. Unlike my other Reese's cup cookies, these aren't chocolate based, so not AS rich... which means you can eat A LOT OF THESE IN ONE SITTING!!! Thanks for the recipe Vanessa (and all the extra calories you have given me) Be aware.. these are addicting to make and eat.

1 cup butter
1cup crunchy peanut butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups coarsely chopped peanut butter cups

Preheat overn to 350 degrees. Cream 6 ingredients until fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together. Gradually stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Stir in chopped peaunut butter cups. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from sheets and cool on wire racks. makes 5 dozen cookies.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

OK, I love Mexican Food. I wanted to try something different from my "big beefy recipe" (which is really good) and is my staple Mexican dish. On this recipe, I used corn tortillas instead of flour. While it did make the dish taste more authentic, I will give flour tortillas a shot next time. I fried the corn tortillas for a minute or two before adding the chicken mixture.. just so they wouldn't come out mushy. Also, I would use only one jar of jalapeno salsa next time. This dish is quite tasty!


Ingredients

1 bunch cilantro
1 cup sour cream
2 (7 ounce) cans jalapeno salsa
2 (7 ounce) cans prepared green chile salsa
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
1 onion
12 (6 inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Steps

1.To Make Sour Cream Mixture: In a blender or food processor, puree cilantro, sour cream, jalapeno salsa and 1/2 can of the green chile salsa. Set aside.
2.To Make Chicken Mixture: In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, onion and the remaining 1 1/2 cans of green chile salsa. Mix well.
3.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4.Heat tortillas in conventional or microwave oven until soft. Pour enough of the sour cream mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish to coat the bottom. Place 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of the chicken mixture in each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Pour remaining sour cream mixture over all and top with shredded cheese.
5.Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 30 minutes, or until dish is heated through and bubbling.

Chicken Parmesan

Recipe from SOUTHERN LIVING

Since I'm pretty much obsessed with Mexican food , I thought I'd think outside of the "tortilla" with this Italian dish. The chicken was yummy and fun to pound (for any of you who watch Modern Family, hitting the chicken while making absurdly loud noises :) Anyways, it was fairly simple and two chicken breasts went a long way. It would taste yummy with some french bread (which we didn't have) but will next time around! Very yummy and will be making this dish again.

Ingredients

* 1 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 2 skinned and boned chicken breasts
* 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* Tomato Sauce
* 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Steps

Combine breadcrumbs, flour, and ground red pepper in a small bowl, and set aside.

Place chicken between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/4-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Dip 1 chicken breast in egg whites, and coat with breadcrumb mixture. Dip again in egg mixture, and coat again in breadcrumb mixture.

Repeat procedure with remaining chicken breast.

Cook chicken in hot oil over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until done.

Place chicken breasts in a single layer in a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish. Top evenly with Tomato Sauce and cheeses.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheeses melt.



Tomatoe Sauce

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Ingredients

* 1/2 small onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
* 1/4 cup red wine
* 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Steps

Sauté onion and garlic in hot oil over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes, wine, and red pepper; simmer 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add salt and basil.