Buffalo Chicken Salad

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It's hoagy time again!

One of my favorite Italian dishes is Chicken Parmesan. I love the combination of crispy crust, salty Parmesan cheese, and tangy tomato sauce. It's only natural that I would figure out a way to put it on a hoagy roll. But in all honesty, tonight's dinner sort of came together by accident. I desperately need to do a large grocery trip but I was trying to figure out a way to make dinner with out going to the store tonight. So putting together the last 2 hoagy rolls, 1 1/2 chicken breasts, and left over sauce from the pizza I made on Sunday I came up with these Garlic Chicken Parmesan Hoagies. The best part about this dinner is that it came together in under 30 minutes!

Garlic Chicken Parmesan Hoagies

Ingredients

2 hoagy rolls
1 1/2 chicken breasts (about 1/2 pound)
1 egg, whisked
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used plain because that's all that I had but Italian work)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, enough to coat the bottom of a pan
1/2 cup marinara sauce
Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese for topping

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. When the oven is ready put the hoagy rolls in (bottom open side up top open side down) Set a timer and take them out after 8 minutes.

In the meantime, heat the oil in a pan. Cut the chicken into bite size chunks. In a bowl combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Dip the bite size chicken chunks in the egg, then the bread crumb mixture, then put in the hot skillet. Cook the chicken 2 1/2 minutes on both sides (it will cook really quickly since pieces are so small but check one to make sure it's not pink inside before taking out of skillet). While the chicken is cooking heat the marinara sauce in the microwave.

When the chicken is done, assemble the hoagies in the following order: sauce, chicken, a little more sauce, then cheese. Put back in the oven and cook for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Chicken Philly Take Two

Jesse is not a huge fan of leftovers. Usually he'll only eat left over soups and chili, anything else he turns his nose up at... that is unless I can come up with a creative way to disguise the leftovers and turn them into a new meal! That's exactly what I did tonight. I made this pasta with leftover chicken philly filling (say that 3 times fast). I love it when dinner is these is easy and TASTY! Here's what I did....

1. Heat leftover filling in skillet with 1 clove of garlic (pressed), pinch of red pepper flakes, pinch of thyme, pinch of cayenne pepper and pinch of paprika.
2. Add 1/2 cup white wine and reduce by half.
3. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and a 1/4 cup half and half (and a little parmesan cheese because I was feeling cheesy)
4. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5. Toss with pasta and serve!

Chicken Philly Hoagy

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King Ranch Chicken Casserole

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Fall favorite

It's finally my favorite season again! Some of my favorite things are at their peak in the fall, such as: cool mornings, pumpkins, leaves, candles, haunted houses, and sweatshirts. Fall is also the season for some of my favorite foods! Warm, filling, comfort foods.

My friend Christy mentioned that she had made chicken and dumplings on Monday and I couldn't stop thinking about it. So on Wednesday I took it upon myself to make some of my own. Warning, this meal is super starchy!

Chicken and Dumplings
(My own recipe)

3 chicken breast, roasted and shredded
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 celery stalk, finely diced ~1/4 cup
1/2 of a small onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 tbsp butter
2 cans low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Bisquick
1/4 cup of milk

In a large stock pot melt the butter. Then add the vegetables and garlic and cook for 5 minutes to soften, add salt and pepper to season. Next add the chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. While the broth is coming to a boil, in a small bowl, stir together the Bisquick and milk. Drop the dough one spoonful at a time into the bowling water. Cook for 5-10 minutes then add the shredded chicken and stir. By this time the broth should have thickened but if it hasn't a little trick I use is to add a 1/4 cup of potato flakes (like instant mashed potatoes)

Since I loooooooove starch, I serve with mashed potatoes :)

Garlic Herb Chicken

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Chicken Bacon Ranch Calzone

Do you ever have trouble coming up with something witty to say? I just feel at a loss for words tonight. Maybe it was the migraine that caused me to leave work early, or the 3 hour nap that finally helped the migraine go away or maybe it's the "Olympic brain" I've come down with or even better, maybe it's the start of Bengals preseason (WHO DEY!), I don't know. I just feel in the clouds. I guess all I can really say is I wanted to make home made pizza for dinner tonight but I didn't want to use red sauce. That idea evolved into the bacon ranch idea and then that idea evolved into a calzone. It turned out great. I was happy with the dough I used (a recipe I haven't used before) and I loved being able to use the fresh tomatoes from my garden.

There, did I say enough? Good. Onto the recipe.



Chicken Bacon Ranch Calzone
My own recipe

1 recipe pizza dough (see recipe below)
2 chicken breasts
3 slices of center cut bacon
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
2 tsp fresh parsley finely chopped
~1/2 cup cheese (I used monterey jack and cheddar)
Salt and pepper to taste
Ranch for dipping

Start by cooking the bacon in a skillet over medium high heat, careful not to burn it! When the bacon is crisp set aside between 2 pieces of paper towel.
Drain all but 1 tbsp bacon grease from skillet (if your super health conscious just drain it all and use cooking spray).
Brown both sides of the chicken breast in the bacon grease then cover the skillet and continue cooking until the chicken is no longer pink. When the chicken is done shred with forks and season with salt and pepper.
Then crumble the bacon and add to the chicken.
Roll out the pizza dough in 2 circles. Fill one side of each circle with chicken and bacon mixture, then diced tomatoes, then chopped parsley, and finally cheese. Fold the other half of the circle over the top of the filling and pinch to seal the edges. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve with ranch dipping sauce

**Cooks notes***

- As an after though, I think it would also be good to toss the chicken and bacon in ranch before stuffing the calzone.
- This really should make 3 large calzones. The 2 I made were monster sized. Next time I will cut the dough recipe in half or make 3 calzones.



Pizza Dough:
(Source: King Arthur Flour recipes)

* 2 teaspoons active dry yeast or instant yeast
* 7/8 to 1 1/8 cups lukewarm water*
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
* 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
* *Use the lesser amount in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled.

* 2 teaspoons active dry yeast or instant yeast
* 7 to 9 ounces lukewarm water*
* 7/8 ounce olive oil
* 12 3/4 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
* 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
* *Use the lesser amount in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled.

Directions

1) If you're using active dry yeast, dissolve it, with a pinch of sugar, in 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm water. Let the yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step.

2) Combine the dissolved yeast (or the instant yeast) with the remainder of the ingredients. Mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—till you've made a soft, smooth dough. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take 4 to 5 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. Don't over-knead the dough; it should hold together, but can still look fairly rough on the surface.

3) To make pizza up to 24 hours later, skip to step 5.

4) To make pizza now: Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow it to rise till it's very puffy. This will take about an hour using instant yeast, or 90 minutes using active dry. If it takes longer, that's OK; just give it some extra time.

5) To make pizza later: Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 45 minutes at room temperature. Refrigerate the dough for 4 hours (or for up to 24 hours); it will rise slowly as it chills. This step allows you more schedule flexibility; it also develops the crust's flavor. About 2 to 3 hours before you want to serve pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator.

6) Decide what size, shape, and thickness of pizza you want to make. This recipe will make one of the following choices:
Two 1/2"-thick 14" round pizzas (pictured);
Two 3/4"-thick 12" round pizzas;
One 3/4" to 1"-thick 13" x 18" rectangular (Sicilian-style) pizza (pictured);
One 1 1/2"-thick 9" x 13" rectangular pizza;
One 1"-thick 14" round pizza.

7) Divide the dough in half, for two pizzas; or leave it whole for one pizza.

****I did not do the following steps because I can not read directions and I was impatient. After the first I shaped my dough and filled the calzones and immediately baked****

8) If you're making a rectangular pizza, shape the dough into a rough oval. For a round pizza, shape it into a rough circle. In either case, don't pat it flat; just stretch it briefly into shape. Allow the dough to rest, covered with an overturned bowl or lightly greased plastic wrap, for 15 minutes.

9) Use vegetable oil pan spray to lightly grease the pan(s) of your choice. Drizzle olive oil into the bottom of the pan(s). The pan spray keeps the pizza from sticking; the olive oil gives the crust great flavor and crunch.

10) Place the dough in the prepared pan(s). Press it over the bottom of the pan, stretching it towards the edges. You'll probably get about two-thirds of the way there before the dough starts shrinking back; walk away for 15 minutes. Cover the dough while you're away, so it doesn't dry out.

11) When you come back, you should be able to pat the dough closer to the corners of the pan. Repeat the rest and dough-stretch one more time, if necessary; your goal is to get the dough to fill the pan as fully as possible.

12) Allow the dough to rise, covered, till it's noticeably puffy, about 90 minutes (if it hasn't been refrigerated); or 2 to 2 1/2 hours (if it's been refrigerated). Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 450°F.

13) Bake the pizza on the lower oven rack till it looks and feels set on top, and is just beginning to brown around the edge of the crust, but is still pale on top. This will take about 8 minutes for thinner crust pizza; about 10 to 12 minutes for medium thickness; and 12 to 14 minutes for thick-crust pizza. If you're baking two pizzas, reverse them in the oven (top to bottom, bottom to top) midway through the baking period.

14) To serve pizza immediately: Remove it from the oven, and arrange your toppings of choice on top. Return to the oven, and bake on the upper oven rack for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned, both top and bottom, and the cheese is melted. Check it midway through, and move it to the bottom rack if the top is browning too much, or the bottom not enough.

15) To serve pizza up to 2 days later: Remove the untopped, partially baked crust from the oven, cool completely on a rack, wrap in plastic, and store at room temperature. When ready to serve, top and bake in a preheated 450°F oven, adding a couple of minutes to the baking times noted above. Your goal is a pizza whose crust is browned, and whose toppings are hot/melted.

16) Remove the pizza from the oven, and transfer it from the pan to a rack to cool slightly before serving. For easiest serving, cut with a pair of scissors.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

I knew the moment I saw this recipe that I would love it. I really can't say no to green chilies. I love them. I also have a hard time saying no to chicken enchiladas. I am happy to report that this recipe did not disappoint me! I'm excited because the flavors are similar (but actually much better) to the chicken enchilada's I have made before, but this recipe is from scratch and uses no cream soups. I did use flour tortillas so I'm not sure if the actually "disqualifies" me from using the word enchiladas, butnext time I will try it with corn tortillas. I also think that the filling would make a great base for enchilada soup. So you'll probably see a post about that soon! Enjoy!

Green Chile Enchiladas
(Source: The Way the Cookie Crumbles food blog)

Note: To wet the tortillas before heating and rolling them, I usually hold them under running water for a second. Alternatively, you could brush water on them using a pastry brush.

1 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast (12-16 ounces)
salt and pepper
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water (I used chicken broth)
3 tablespoons butter
½ large onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk plus ¼ cup
4 ounces chopped green chiles, undrained
½ cup sour cream plus 2 tablespoons
1 cup (4 ounces) cheddar, shredded, plus ¾ cup (3 ounces)

1. For chicken: Adjust oven racks to the lower-middle and upper-middle positions; heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat oil in heavy-bottomed 9-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until oil just begins to smoke; swirl skillet to coat evenly with oil. Brown chicken breast skin side down until deep golden, 3 to 4 minutes; turn chicken breast and brown until golden on second side, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Place in oven on lower-middle rack. Roast until thickest part of breast registers about 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 18 to 25 minutes. Using potholder or oven mitt, remove skillet from oven. Transfer chicken to platter and set aside until cool enough to handle. Pour water into hot skillet and scrape with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Pour liquid into small bowl. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

2. For filling: Melt butter until foaming in medium saucepan over medium heat; add onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1½ minutes. Do not brown. Gradually whisk in milk and reserved water from deglazing. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat. Stir in green chiles, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Remove from heat, and stir in ½ cup sour cream.

3. For sauce: Set aside ¼ cup of filling mixture. Add an additional ¼ cup milk and 2 tablespoons sour cream and stir until blended.

4. Remove and discard chicken skin. Using fingers or fork, pull chicken off bones into 2-inch shreds and 1-inch chunks. Stir shredded chicken and 1 cup shredded cheddar into filling mixture. Spread ¼ of sauce in bottom of 9×13-inch pan.

5. Lightly wet both sides of four tortillas; place on baking sheet in oven for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Spread approximately ¼ cup of filling down center of each tortilla. Fold in sides and place enchilada, seam side down, in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas until all the filling has been used, wetting and warming tortillas as necessary.

6. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining ¾ cup cheese. Bake on upper-middle rack until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted, 20-25 minutes. Let rest 5-10 minutes and serve.


Black Beans

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic crushed
1/4 of an onion diced
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles)
salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan. When the oil is hot add the onions and garlic. Let the onions sweat out but do not let the garlic burn. After a few minutes add the black beans and chicken broth. Then season the beans with chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Bring the beans to a simmer then add the Rotel tomatoes. Let simmer for about 20 minutes.

Mmm, mmm, Marsala

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Penne Rustica

So I probably gained 10 pounds eating this and you'll probably gain 2 pounds reading the recipe. But oh my was it delicious! I found this recipe on a message board that I frequent and it didn't source the original recipe, if you know where it came from please let me know so I can properly source it! I will say that I don't think the recipe is very well written, I will put my changes in italics. Even so, I will absolutely make this again! If you are making this for just two people definitely cut it in half!

Penne Rustica
(Source unknown)

Sauce:
1 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Garlic (I used 4 cloves)
1/2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tspn Salt
1/2 tspn Chopped Rosemary
1/2 cup Marsala Wine
1/8 tspn Cayenne Pepper
4 cups Heavy Cream (I used half and half and it was just fine)
I also used a tsp of red pepper flakes
1/4-1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Saute butter, garlic and rosemary until garlic begins to brown (DON'T burn your garlic, it will be bitter. I added the wine as soon as the edges of the garlic turned golden). Add Marsala wine and reduce by 1/3. Add remaining ingredients and reduce by half of original volume set aside. (I added parmesan cheese now)


Penne:
1/2 oz pancetta or bacon
9 ea. Shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 oz. grilled chicken breast, sliced
16 oz. penne, pre-cooked
3 oz. butter (I used less than a tbsp)
1/2 Tbsp shallots,chopped
Pinch of Salt & pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp paprika
a sprinkle of red pepper flakes
sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Saute pancetta until it begins to brown. Add butter, shallots and shrimp. (I first melted the butter, then cooked the pancetta, then added the shallots and shrimp)Cook until shrimp are evenly pink but still translucent.(I used precooked so really I only warmed them) Add chicken, salt and pepper; mix thoroughly. Add sauce and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese (I had already added the parmesan cheese)and simmer until sauce thickens. In a large bowl(I added my cooked pasta to my skillet then just put it right in my casserole dish), combine shrimp and chicken mixture with precooked pasta. Place this mixture into single serving dishes or one large casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese (I'm not sure where the cheese was "remaining" from, but I did add little more to the top, LOL) and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 300*(400) for 10-15 minutes.

Chicken and Chilies Casserole

OK, so it's probably not the most healthy recipe I have posted on my blog. But it is delicious and super easy to prepare ahead of time. I originally found the recipe on Allrecipes.com, but because I never read through recipes properly and I always have to change things it became more of an inspiration recipe for me. Below is the recipe as I made it, if you would like the original recipe click here.

Chicken and Chilies Casserole

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cream cheese
2 tbsp dry onion flakes
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp cumin
1/2-1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes and chilies) OR 1 4 oz can diced chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 (2 pound) package frozen southern style hash brown potatoes
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup tortilla chips, crushed


In a large bowl, combine sour cream, cream cheese, onion flakes, garlic powder, cumin, Rotel, salt and pepper. Stir in potatoes, chicken and 1/2 of the cheese. Place in a casserole dish and top with tortilla chips and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Can be prepared a day ahead.

White Chicken Chili

This is one of my all time favorite meal. Don't get me wrong, I love regular chili, but there is just something about a chicken chili. Yum! This is Ava's recipe and it takes no time at all to put together.

White Chicken Chili
Recipe courtesy of Ava

4 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
1/3 cup olive oil
6 cups HOT chicken broth
2 tsp pepper
1 cup flour
7 tsp fresh cilantro (1-2 tsp dried)
1 1/2 Tbsp Cumin
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp Tabasco
1 4oz can chopped green chilies
3 cans navy beans
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

In a large pot cook onion and garlic in oil until onions start to sweat.
Add chicken and cook together for 3 minutes.
Add HOT water.
Add flour slowly, stirring constantly (a whisk works best) until thick
Add the rest of the ingredients, stir well, and simmer for 15-30 minutes.

Bourbon Chicken

I have really been craving baked garlic rice lately but I haven't been able to decide what to have with it. Just a few days ago my friend Amber posted her bourbon chicken in her blog and it looked and sounded amazing. I asked her if she thought it would go well with the baked rice and she thought it would. And boy was she right! Dinner was so good tonight. Jesse really enjoyed it. On to the recipe!

Bourbon Chicken
(Source: RecipeZaar.com, as seen on Amber's blog)

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet.
Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned.
Remove Chicken.
Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well mixed and dissolved.
Add chicken and bring to a hard boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve over hot rice and ENJOY.

These are the changes that I made-
*I tossed the chicken in about 2 tbsp of seasoned flour (salt, pepper and garlic powder) before browning in the skillet, just enough to lightly cover the chicken.
*Per Amber's suggestion I used about a 1/4 cup of slurry (cornstarch and water) to help thicken the sauce

Chicken and mushrooms in a roasted garlic cream sauce

This meal was soooooo good! I can't wait to make it again. Which is lucky because we were having company over and I was worried about trying something new, practically recipe free!

I was originally going to make this recipe "Chicken
and mushrooms in garlic white wine sauce", but after reading the reviews I was afraid it would bland. So I took the basic idea and ran with it.

Chicken and Mushrooms in a Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce
(My recipe)
1 pound of chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp dry sage
1 tsp dry parsley flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 bulb of garlic roasted (400 degree oven for 1 hour with a drizzle of EVOO)
2 tbsp butter
a drizzle of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 bag of No-Yolk egg noodles

Start by combining the flour, sage, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Toss the bite size chunks of chicken in the flour mixture to coat.
In a large skillet melt 1 tbsp of butter and a drizzle of evoo
Saute the chicken for a minute then add the mushrooms and some of the
roasted garlic (I think I squeezed in 3 cloves for this part). Continue to saute for 5 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the skillet and cover in foil. (Now is also a good time to cook your egg noodles)
To the skillet add the remaining tbsp of butter and flour.
Then add the chicken broth, white wine and remaining roasted garlic. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
Slowly add the half and half and let it reduce.
When the sauce has thickened return the chicken and mushrooms to pan and let simmer.
Serve with the egg noodles.

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken Pasta

What a great summertime dinner! This is the second time I have made this dish and we really enjoy it. The subtle lime taste is nice and refreshing and I love the spicy heat in the back ground of the dish. I made exactly like the recip the first time and this time I tweaked it just a bit. Changes are noted in bold.

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken Pasta
(Recipe Courtesy of Amber)

Ingredients:
1 cup chicken broth
1.5 tbls lime juice (adjusting amount to your liking)
1 tbls corn starch (I used more like a tbsp and a half)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I used a lot more than this, I like things spicy!)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder (I used dried onion flakes instead)
1/4 tsp dried thyme (I ommitted this)
1/4 tsp dried parsley (I ommitted this)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
1 tbls butter
Few drizzles of olive oil
8 oz pasta (I used whole campanelli)
1-2 cups broccoli florets
Optional - Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:
1) Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 5 minutes of pasta cook time add the broccoli into the boiling water. Drain.
2) Mix together all the sauce ingredients (chicken broth through parsley) and set aside. (I actually cut the chicken into pieces and then put the spices right on the chicken like a dry rub)
3) Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add bite size chicken pieces into heated pan. Cook chicken until no longer pink. Pour the sauce ingredients into the pan with the chicken and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened. (When the chicken was finished I added the cornstarch then when that was dissolved I added the lime juice and then the chicken broth)
4) Toss cooked broccoli and pasta with the chicken and sauce (I let it simmer for another 2 minutes in the sauce!). Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired and serve.

Smoky Grilled Butterflied Chicken

Wow! It didn't expect cutting up a chicken to be pleasant, but I think it was a little more gross than I thought it would be. I liked the flavor of the chicken so I will probably make this again, but next time I will just used split chicken breast that require no cutting. ;) I served this chicken with sautteed mushroom orzo (this is the second time I have made this) This time I used swiss cheese instead of the 4 italian cheese blend. Next time I will stick with the italian cheese. I love swiss cheese but you couldn't really taste the swiss. The italian cheese had much better flavor. On to the recipe!

Smoky Grilled Butterflied Chicken
(Source: Martha Stewart)

1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds), rinsed


1. Combine vinegar, oil, garlic, paprika, and salt in a nonreactive baking dish or large resealable plastic bag.

2. Remove backbone from chicken using kitchen shears. Place chicken, breast side up, on cutting board, with legs extended on both sides. Press firmly on breastbone to break it and flatten chicken. Add to marinade. Cover dish or seal bag, and refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight), turning occasionally.

3. Preheat grill to medium. (If you are using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for just 5 or 6 seconds.) Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Place chicken, skin side down, on grill. Close cover, and grill 15 minutes. Flip chicken, and close cover. Grill until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the breast registers 165 degrees, about 20 minutes more.

Happy Cooking

Chicken Stuffed Shells

This was a great dinner. It took me a little longer than I thought it would but I think it was worth it. Next time I think I will leave the chicken in bigger chunks. Other than that I will leave it all the same!

Chicken Stuffed Shells:
Recipe courtesy of Amber


Ingredients:
15 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
2 teaspoons oil
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 ounces cooked chicken (I used 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts)
1(15 ounce) container fat free ricotta cheese
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 (28 ounce) can low fat marinara sauce (I used my own sauce)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp parsley
Parmesan cheese for topping (I used fresh mozzarella instead)
I added 4 cheese italian blend and fresh basil to the ricotta mixture.

Directions:
* Heat oven to 400 degrees.
* Spray large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
* Cook pasta shells according to directions and drain.
* Boil chicken and shred. (I sauted the chicken with some seasonings and diced it into very small pieces)
* Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
* Combine chicken and garlic, cook for 3-5 minutes.
* Remove from heat and stir in ricotta, breadcrumbs, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
* Spread 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.
* Fill cooked shells with chicken mixture and place filled sides up in baking dish.
* Pour remaining sauce over shells.
* Bake covered with foil for 15-20 minutes, remove foil and continue baking until filling is lightly browned.
* Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Stuffed BBQ Chicken Calzones

This is one of our favorite dinners. We like to have these about once a month. They are just SO good!! Usually I use pre-packaged pizza dough in a can. But tonight I had extra time so I decided to make may own dough. I used the bread machine and the dough cycle took about an hour and 40 minutes. The dough was very tasty. Next time I think I will only use all-purpose flour if it is for this calzone though. The wheat taste was pretty strong. But as always, we cleaned our plates. The following recipe makes 2 big calzones. We split one and take the left over one for lunch.

Overstuffed BBQ Chicken Calzones

Ingredients:
Pizza dough - 1 can prepackaged or enough for 2 calzones
1/2 a medium onion chopped
3 slices of bacon (I use center cut, 40% less fat)
5 chicken tenders (2 small breasts)
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
Handful of cilantro chopped (Kroger didn't have any so tonight we didn't use any)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used colby jack and cheddar)

In a family size skillet prepare the bacon until crispy then set aside. From the same skillet drain most of the bacon grease (I leave just a tiny bit for flavor). To the skillet add the chopped onion, then the chicken, then half of the BBQ sauce. When the chicken is done use a fork to shred. I like to keep some chicken broth on hand just incase the chicken starts to stick, then you can just add a splash of the broth. Add remaining BBQ sauce, cilantro and crispy bacon (crumbled). Lay out the pizza dough and cut in 2. Spread the shredded chicken mixture over half of one of the dough pieces. Top with shredded cheese then fold the other half of dough over. Use a fork to seal edges. Repeat for second calzone. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes.

I cut the dough recipe in half since I was only making two calzones. Next time I will just make the whole batch and freeze the left over dough.

Bread Machine Pizza Dough With Whole Wheat Flour

From The Bread Machine Cookbook by Donna Rathwell German.

1 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons yeast

Add ingredients in the order given into the bread machine pan.
Start dough cycle.
Once the dough is done remove it from the pan onto a floured work surface.
Roll dough to fit the shape of your pan. This recipe makes 2 14 inch round pizzas.
Brush lightly with olive oil and add toppings. You can hold this dough, with just the olive oil, for a couple of hours in the fridge covered in plastic wrap.
Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.
This recipe is the large sized recipe. It also comes in small and medium.

Cajun Chicken Pasta and Paula Dean's Cheese Biscuits

This post has moved to the Sunny Side :) Click the link for the recipe, I promise it's worth it!