EASY LEMON-CHICKEN PICCATA

Food & Family Magazine
Kraft

3 large lemons
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
22 Ritz crackers, finely crushed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon capers
 
Cut 4 thin lemon slices from half of 1 lemon; squeeze juice from remaining lemons. Coat chicken with mayo, then cracker crumbs.
 
Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes. Turn; cook on medium heat 5 minutes or until chicken is golden brown on both sides and done (165 degrees). Transfer chicken to platter; sprinkle with parsley. Cover to keep warm. Carefully wipe any crumbs from skillet with paper towel.
 
Add lemon juice and broth to skillet; cook on medium-high heat 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally. Add butter and lemon slices; cook and stir on low heat 3 to 4 minutes or until butter is melted and lemons are heated through. Serve over chicken.

Serving Suggestion: Serve chicken and sauce over hot cooked angel hair pasta.

prep 10 minutes
total 33 minutes
makes 4 servings

CHEESEBALL

Mom

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon buttermilk ranch mix
Longhorn cheese, grated
Pecans, chopped

Mix cream cheese, ranch mix and cheese together and form ball.  Roll in chopped pecans.

HOT PIZZA DIP

The Pampered Chef

Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 12

Ingredients
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 jar (8 oz) pizza sauce
2 Tablespoons chopped green pepper
2 Tablespoons sliced green onion
Baguette bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine in bowl, the cream cheese and Italian seasoning. Mix well. Spread mixture in bottom of greased round baking dish.

Combine cheeses, sprinkle half of the mixture over cream cheese.

Spread pizza sauce evenly over cheese mixture, top with remaining cheese, peppers and onions.

Bake 15-18 minutes or until melted and mixture is bubbling around the edges.

BRUSCHETTA

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chopped roma tomatoes
2 Tablespoons red onion
1 large garlic clove
2 Tablespoons fresh basil
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
2-3 sprigs Italian parsley
Crusty bread

Mix tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, vinegar and salt with 1/2 Tablespoon oil.  Refrigerate mixture for 1 hour.

Mix remaining oil with garlic salt.  Brush on each slice of bread on both sides.  Broil 1 1/2 - 2 minutes each side.

Top bread with tomato mixture and serve.

KEY LIME FROSTING

Ingredients
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons key lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
4-5 cups powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth.

SUGAR COOKIES

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar plus 1/3 cup for rolling
2 oz cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg at room temperature
1 Tablespoon milk
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 - 1 1/4 cups M&M's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

Combine 1 1/2 cup sugar and cream cheese.  Put remaining 1/3 cup sugar in pie plate and set aside.  Pour warm butter over cream cheese mixture and combine. Add oil then egg, milk and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.

Add dry ingredients.

Roll into balls and roll in sugar.  Use bottom of a glass to flatten the balls.

Bake 10-12 minutes (8 minutes at Evanston altitude) or until edges are set.  Let cookies sit on sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack until cool.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH SOUR CREAM SAUCE

raininghotcoupons.com

Ingredients

10 small soft flour tortillas

3 Tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

2 1/2 cups shredded and cooked chicken (can use rotisserie)

3 cups Monterey Jack cheese - shredded

3 Tablespoons butter

4 oz can diced green chilies

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine shredded chicken and 1 cup of cheese

3. Fill tortillas with the mixture above and roll each one then place in a greased 9x13 pan.

4. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat.

5. Stir flour into butter and whisk for 1 minute over heat.

6. Add broth and whisk together.  Cook over heat until it's thick and bubbles up.

7. Take off heat and add in sour cream and chilies. (be careful it's not too hot or the sour cream will curdle)

8. Pour mixture over enchiladas and add remaining cheese to top.

9. Bake in oven for 20-23 minutes then you will want to broil for 3 minutes to brown the cheese.

photo from raininghotcoupons.com

MAGIC COOKIE BARS

Trini
(Barilyn's friend)

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 oz) can Eagle Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 (16 oz) package chocolate chips
1 1/3 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts (slivered almonds)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter in oven in a 9x13 pan, sprinkle crumbs over butter.  Pour sweetened condensed milk over crumbs.  Top evenly with remaining ingredients.

Bake 25-30 minutes.  Cool.  Cut into bars.  Store at room temperature.

LEMON BARS

Barilyn Petersen

Crust:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour, unsifted

Cream butter and powdered sugar.  Add salt and flour.  Mix well.  Pat into 9x13 greased baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.

Filling:
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
rind of 1 lemon, grated

Mix all ingredients and pour over hot crust.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.  When done sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Cut when cool.

CHOCOLATE CRACKLE COOKIES

Mountain View High School

1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Melt chocolate chips.  Combine with sugar and oil.  Add eggs one at a time, beat well.  Add vanilla.  Add flour, baking powder and salt.

Chill dough.  Roll in balls and roll in powdered sugar.  Place on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

CHOCOLATE CHIP PUDDING COOKIES

Candy Mattick
(Mission Bend Ward)

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

2 eggs

1 large box (or 2 small boxes) instant vanilla pudding

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Cream butter and sugars. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Add pudding, soda and salt. Slowly add flour. Mix well then stir in chips. 

You can use vanilla pudding or use 1/4 cup cocoa in place of 1/4 cup flour and use chocolate pudding. If you make chocolate, peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips are good. 

PEACH CRUNCH CAKE

bakerella.com

24.5 oz jar sliced peaches in light syrup

1 package yellow cake mix

1 stick butter (1/2cup), cut into 16 pieces

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Layer ingredients in a 9x13 dish, in order starting with the peaches.

Bake for about 40 minutes.

Serve warm or cold. With or without ice cream.

CROCKPOT SHREDDED CHICKEN NACHOS/TACOS

mommart.blogspot.com

Prep Time: less than 5 minutes

Cook Time: 6-8 hours

Ingredients

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

1 jar salsa

1/2 can diced green chiles

1 packet taco seasoning

Combine the jar of salsa, taco seasoning and green chiles in the crockpot. Place the chicken in the mixture. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Just before serving remove chicken and shred then return to mixture. 

Use for nachos or tacos.

MARSHMALLOW POPCORN

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

9-10 marshmallows

12 cups popcorn

Pop the popcorn and sort out unpopped kernels. Microwave brown sugar and butter for 2 minutes. Add marshmallows and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Pour mixture over popcorn. 

BARILYN'S STUFFING

2 boxes Stove Top Stuffing

Chicken broth

Sausage (Jimmy Dean sage sausage)

Onion

Celery

Saute onion and celery. Add sausage and cook until done. Make stove top according to the package directions using chicken broth instead of water. Add sausage mixture to stuffing and serve.

NO BAKE CHEESECAKE

Barilyn Petersen

(Via Deanne Petersen)

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 stick butter, softened

1 tub Cool Whip

1 graham cracker crust

Blend together cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice and butter until smooth. Fold in cool whip. Put into graham cracker crust and let chill. Top with canned pie filling or fresh fruit. 

CARAMEL APPLE DIP

alisa-thesweetlife.blogspot.com

Ingredients

1 bag caramel bits or squares
1 can sweetened condense milk

Combine ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 1 minute increments until melted and smooth.

CANDY CANE DIP

the36thavenue.com
Author: Desiree Campbell

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese, softened
13 oz marshmallow crème
5-7 candy canes, crushed

Mix cream cheese and marshmallow crème until smooth. Add the crushed candy canes and stir together.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

budgetbytes.com

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 lb. carrots
1/2 bunch celery
2 split chicken breast (bone-in)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 whole bay leaf
10-15 cranks cracked pepper
1 Tablespoon salt
6 oz. egg noodles

Instructions
1. Dice the onion and mince the garlic.  Begin cooking them in a large pot over medium heat with 2 Tbsp of olive oil.

2. While the onion and garlic are sautéing, wash and slice the carrots and celery.  Add them to the pot and continue to sauté.

3. Pull the skin and any excess fat from the chicken breasts.  Add the breasts to the pot along wit the bay leaf, basil, parsley, thyme and black pepper.  Add eight cups of water.  Cover, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for one hour.  Make sure the pot continues to simmer for the whole hour.  If the heat is turned too low and it is not bubbling away, the chicken will not shred easily.

4. After one hour of simmering, remove the chicken from the pot.  Using two forks, pull the meat from the bone and shred it slightly.  Season the broth with salt.  Begin with one teaspoon and add more to your liking.  I used one tablespoon total (or three teaspoons).  The flavor of the broth will really pop once the salt is added.

5. Add the noodles to the pot, turn the heat up to high, and boil the noodles until tender (about 7 minutes).  Return the shredded chicken to the pot, add two more cups of water (to account for evaporation and absorption from the noodles).  Taste and season again with salt if needed (I didn't need to).  Serve hot!

My notes:
I used the meat from a rotisserie chicken instead of the bone in chicken.  I also added chicken broth at the end instead of plain water.  I made the noodles from scratch.  Recipe below.

Homemade egg noodles

1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon water
3/4 cup flour

beat the egg, water and salt together then add flour.  Make a ball then roll super thin and cut in to strips.  Cover with a clean dish towel and let sit to dry or add to soup immediately.  Boil the soup about 15 minutes to cook noodles.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Mom

12 oz. Chocolate chips
1 cup 1/2 and 1/2
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add chocolate chips and 1/2 and 1/2 to microwave safe bowl and heat for one minute. Stir and heat in one minute increments until melted and smooth.  Add vanilla and stir.

Mom added 2/3 cup light Karo Syrup

HOT FUDGE TOPPING

Mom
(via Cody Critzer)

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons cocoa
2 Tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk (or 1/2 and 1/2)
2 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 Tablespoon margarine
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Add all ingredients except vanilla in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minute increments until smooth.  About 6 - 8 minutes total.