Chicken with Mushrooms

This isn't a good one for a large family, but it's a really good recipe for a couple of people. I love it!

Ingredients:
3 C sliced mushrooms
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I just used crackers)
2 T butter
6 oz mozzerella cheese, sliced
3/4 C chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

2. Place half of the mushrooms in a 9x13 inch pan. Dip chicken into beaten eggs, then roll in bread crumbs.

3. In skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Brown both sides of chicken in skillet. Place chicken on top of mushrooms, arrange remaining mushrooms on chicken, and top with mozzarella cheese. Add chicken broth to pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Creamy Caprese Pasta

Creamy Caprese Pasta

serves 4-6

1 pound whole wheat pasta (noodles such as penne work best)
1 cup of your favorite pasta/tomato sauce
1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for garnish
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
1 pint of grape tomatoes (I cut some in half and left some whole)
1 bunch of fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil water and cook pasta according to directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat tomato sauce over low heat in a large saucepan. Once warm, stir in heavy cream and grated parmesan. Once pasta is done cooking, drain and dump into the sauce, mixing to coat and turning off heat. Fold in mozzarella cubes and tomatoes, then chop 3-4 fresh basil leaves and add them in too. Once combined, spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and pour the entire pasta mixture into the dish. Top with fresh mozzarella rounds. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Top with additional fresh basil and grated cheese. Serve with garlic bread. You can also add in chicken, steak or seafood for some protein.

(Shelley's) Magic Cookie Bars

Magic Cookie Bars call for a graham cracker crust, and I never have graham crackers on hand when I want to make it. So. I combined this recipe with the crust of Carmelitas and VOILÀ! Shelley's Magic Cookie Bars were born. They taste delish (if I do say so myself). If you're not a fan of coconut, they actually still taste really good--you can barely taste it, and it adds a nice flavor (just try it, and you'll see what I mean).

Ingredients

Crust:
1 1/2 sticks butter (room temp)
3/4 c Brown Sugar
1 c Oatmeal
1 c Flour
1/8 t. Salt
1/2 t. Baking Soda

Mix all ingredients together (I use a pastry blender, but you can use a beater, too) until well mixed. Press into bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350.

Cookie Goodness:
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/3 c Sweetened coconut
1 c Chocolate chips
1 c Butterscotch chips

Pour sweetened condensed milk onto baked crust, then layer the coconut, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips how you want. Press into condensed milk. Put back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes at 350. You can either refrigerate, or let it sit out, but try and resist eating it until it sets (though it still tastes good as an ooey-gooey-mess).

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I made these last night and they turned out really good! Shane's mom posted it on Facebook and I had to try them, they're from six sisters stuff. They didn't look quite like the picture that they had on their site, but I thought they were perfect. They turn out nice and crispy like regular taquitos.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (4 oz) cream cheese (light works fine in this recipe)
1/3 cup green salsa
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
2 Tablespoons sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup grated Pepperjack cheese
About 20 (6 inch) flour tortillas
Salt
Cooking spray

Directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and Pepperjack cheese and combine well.
Place 2-3 Tablespoons of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges and roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet.
Lay all of the filled taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some salt on top.
Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

We didn't have a sauce for them, but they tasted just fine plain. If you want a sauce for them you could make a "salsa ranch" dip (just mix together equal parts salsa and ranch dressing), or it would also be good with guacamole or regular salsa,

This is how a few of mine looked when they were done, they were a nice golden brown:

They were very filling, I know the recipe said about 20, but ours made about 15 and we could barely finish them with just the 2 of us. I would have been perfectly fine with just a few of them.

Baked Tilapia with Tomato and Basil

I found this recipe on the food network, It's Paula Deen (gasp). It's actually pretty healthy...and is one of my go-tos for fish. Super duper easy and quick. I also don't use fresh ingredients, and I think it tastes awesome (haven't tried with fresh--you'll have to let me know if you do and how it tastes! :)). I also often forget the lemon, though it does taste good with (or without) it.

Nonstick cooking spray
2 (8-ounce) tilapia fillets
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a shallow 1-quart baking dish (I usually just use a 9x13 glass pan) with nonstick spray. Sprinkle the fish evenly with salt and pepper. Arrange the tilapia in a baking dish and sprinkle evenly with basil, oregano, onion powder and garlic. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Arrange the tomato slices evenly over the fish, and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake until fish flakes easily with fork, about 20 to 25 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice over fish and serve immediately.

I like mine with green beans and couscous. Yum!

Manna from Heaven Brownies

This is from my old roommate, Natalie. My other roommate, Emma, thought these brownies were so yummy that she dubbed them 'Manna from Heaven'. Hence the name.

These brownies are SUPER EASY to whip up when you want dessert in a fix. I've made them every weekend for the past three weeks, and have proceeded to eat at least half the pan. Don't judge.

1 (softened) stick of butter
2 c. Sugar
1/2 c. Cocoa
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
4 eggs

So easy I already have it memorized, I also pour in some chocolate chips (I don't know how much, till it looks good), just because I'm a choco-holic. My only mixing instruction is to put the eggs in last. Bake at 350 for ~25 minutes (or less if you want them more gooey) in a dark 9 x 13 pan  and ~30 minutes (or more if you want them less gooey) in a glass 9 x 13 pan.

I'll post a picture when I make them again (probably soonish).

My Favorite! Fresh Strawberry Pie

This is my very very favorite dessert EVER! It is SO SO yummy! It's also WAY easier than it looks. The first time it only took me about half an hour. I made this with a vanilla wafer crust, but it calls for a regular pie crust. Either will taste delicious, it really depends on the balance of flavors you want:

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh strawberries, sliced (you could even use a little less, a whole pound is a lot)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cupstrawberry jello
Red food coloring (optional)
1 (9-inch) piecrust, homemade, or store-bought, baked as directed (you can also use graham crackers or vanilla wafers to make a crust if you want, either will taste good with this pie)
Whipped topping or fresh whipped cream

1. In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the powdered sugar. Let sit for a few minutes, then pour off the juice.

2. While the strawberries are sitting, place the granulated sugar, water, cornstarch, and salt in the saucepan; cook, stirring until it is clear and thick (she says about 3 minutes, and she doesn't mention the heat, I would say medium high, and it's ok if it boils). 1/4 cup of the Jell-O powder, and a few drops of red food coloring (I left that out). Stir well and let cool.

3. Place the strawberries in the piecrust and pour the Jell-O mixture over the strawberries.

4. Top with whipped topping and chill to set before serving (I added the whipped topping before serving.)