Cream Cheese Chicken

Simple, tasty, and bacon included… what is not to love about that???  Dinner turned out to be a hit with the family and friends.  My girls devoured their food and there was not one bite left on the plates.  So what was this great meal?  Cream Cheese Chicken.  Do you have chicken, cream cheese, bacon, and jalapenos in your house?  Then you are ready for your meal!  This idea came to me from a package of chicken I saw at the grocery store.  I thought, “That looks delicious, but there is no way I am paying that much for two pieces of chicken!”  My results were definitely cheaper and probably tasted a lot better!

Preheat the oven at 400*.  Take a softened package of cream cheese in a bowl and add garlic powder to your taste (I personally like a lot added).  Next, add diced jalapenos. I didn’t have any fresh, so I used about a tablespoon of jalapenos from a jar.  Don’t worry; it is not a spicy dish with the jalapenos…. Add more if you want it to be a little spicier.  Stir up the mixture and set aside. 

Next, have six chicken breasts, twelve toothpicks and twelve pieces of bacon sitting out so you are ready!  Take a chicken breast and slightly fold it over.  Take a large spoonful of the cream cheese mixture and place in the middle. Then, wrap two pieces of bacon around the chicken and secure each piece with toothpick.  Repeat with all of the chicken breasts.  Place all of the chicken breasts in a cake pan.  Across the top of the chicken, season with:  garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and basil.  Bake for 45 minutes.   Once the chicken is done, there is a nice broth from the cheese and chicken that can be used on each piece. 

Happy Cooking!

Finally back- Parmesan Halibut

It has been a year since I last posted a recipe…. Sorry to those who kept requesting more!  Life has been insane with jobs, twists, and turns.  I am back to cooking more and have a great recipe to share with you!  Last night I made Parmesan Halibut.  I made it for some friends who do not eat “fish”, yet all three of them loved the dish!  My two year old even loved it and kept asking for more from my plate!

First, I preheated the oven at 360*.  I sprayed a cake pan with Pam and then put in two large halibut filets.  I squeezed a lemon over both of the filets and then flipped them.  I then squeezed another lemon on the other side of the filets.  In a bowl, I mixed: ½ stick of soft butter, 4 T fat free mayo, ¾ cup of parmesan cheese, and a few dashes of hot sauce (add to your liking).  I creamed it all together.  Then, I added a dash of each of the following: Tarragon, Chives, Garlic Powder, and Italian seasoning.  I then mixed it all together.  I put half of the mixture on each of the halibut filets and spread it out.  Next, I covered the dish with aluminum foil and baked for 40 minutes.  I then pulled it out and sprinkled a ½ cup of parmesan cheese over the top of the filets.  Broil the filets for about five more minutes so it is a browned crust on the top.   

We ate the fish with a baked potato and vegetables.  It was a delicious meal!!! 

Happy cooking!!

Eggplant Lasagna

Eggplant lasagna is a household favorite after making it one time.  It was delicous!!! My girls devoured it and asked for more even with eggplant and spinach in it if you can believe that!  It is super easy to make, but you do need to start about two hours before you are ready eat supper.  You will need:  two eggplants, marinara sauce, 10 oz box frozen spinach (thawed), ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, pepper, and salt. 

The reason you need so much time is because you need to make the eggplant “sweat” and then when it is done cooking it needs to cool off to set before eating. 

First, cut the ends off of the eggplants.  Cut the eggplants into slices (circles, not length).  Try and cut them about centimeter thick… all about the same size.  It is important to try and keep them the same size so they bake evenly. Spread out all of the slices on a paper towel.  Lightly sprinkle salt over the pieces.  Let them set for a half hour.  Brown juice will come out of the eggplant.  With a paper towel, dry off the eggplants.  

While the eggplants are “sweating”, take a container of ricotta cheese, two cups mozzarella cheese, and  ½ cup (or more) Parmesan cheese mix together in a bowl.  Take the spinach and dry with a towel.  Add spinach to the cheese mixture.  Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and egg to the mixture.  Stir until mixed up completely. 

Turn on the oven to 400* degrees.

Grease (I used Pam spray) a cake pan.  Lightly spread marinara sauce all over the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle a little garlic powder and Italian seasoning into the sauce. Next, spread out half of the eggplant pieces on the sauce.  Use a spatula and spread the cheese mixture across the eggplant.  Complete another layer the same way.  At this point, the mixture and eggplant should be gone.  Do one more light layer of sauce.  Spread about two cups of mozzarella cheese out on top.  Cover and bake for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes or until a little crispy on top.  Let cool off for about 15 minutes before serving so the cheese and sauce sets. 

Happy cooking! 

Greek Tuna

Greek Tuna was for dinner this evening and in my eyes it was a homerun!  It was really easy to make, light, and tasty.  The recipe came from a few different recipes I found and then combined.  It starts off with a marinade.  Put two small containers of Greek Yogurt into a bowl.  Use the zest and juice from two lemons and two limes.  Add about 2 or 3 T of honey.  Finally, season with a little garlic powder and quite a bit of dill weed. 

Take four Ahi Tuna Steaks and season with salt and pepper (to your taste) and place in a container (or ziplock bag).  To marinate the tuna, only use half of the marinade.  Pour all over the tuna and make sure the sides are coated.  Let the tuna set in the refrigerator for about a half hour. 

To cook the tuna, I heated a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet.  Do not put the extra marinade into the pan.  Let the oil start to smoke before you put the tuna into the pan.  Cook each side for about four or five minutes. 

At this point, there is half of the marinade left.  On each plate, put a tablespoon of the marinade.  Place the cooked tuna on top of the marinade and then drizzle more of the marinade on top. 

Happy cooking!

Apple Quesadilla

Today’s recipe is a spin-off from a recipe I read from Eat Healthy America. The recipe I read didn’t quite work or sound right to me… so here is my version of a delicious apple dessert or snack.  If you have children at all, you have to try this out!  The things you need are probably already in your kitchen or pantry, so you do not even need to go out and shop. 

Yesterday, I made Apple Quesadillas with my daughter and she had a lot of fun helping.  Afterwards, even my husband enjoyed eating it!  First, take about ½ cup of cream cheese (fat free to make it healthier).  Sprinkle it with a good amount of sugar and cinnamon.  Make the mixture to your taste buds…. Not everyone likes as much of one or the other.  Use a fork to mash it all together.  Next, chop up about ½ an apple into small pieces.  At this point, put a pan on the stove to start get hot over high.  Take a large tortilla (you can use a whole wheat tortilla if you want) and spread the cream cheese mixture all over one side of the tortilla. Then put the apple chunks on half of the mixture and close.  Press down to get it to stick together.  Spray one side of the outside with Pam (or whatever you have).  Sprinkle with sugar (or Splenda) and cinnamon.  Place that side down on the pan.  Finally, spray the other side of the tortilla and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Flip after a few minutes to cook both sides.  Cut in pieces and serve.  It is a great treat to eat.  Have fun with this one.

Happy cooking. 

Thai PB Chicken

Have you have had Thai food?  I have not but I recently saw a recipe that sounded good.  It is Thai Peanut Butter Chicken.  It sounded yummy, but I was definitely a little unsure of how it would taste or if I would like it. I tweaked it to ingredients I had in my house and tried it out. Well, it was a success.  My husband loves Thai food and he said it was right on the mark for taste!  It was a simple, delicious crock pot recipe that anyone could make. 

So what do you do?  Put four or five chicken breasts in a crock pot.  In a bowl, pour in a can of Rotels diced tomatoes hot and a can of Rotels diced tomatoes mild.  Add about 1 ½ cups of Smooth Peanut Butter.  Mix it together. Then add a tablespoon of ginger powder, a tablespoon of Chili Sauce, and a couple dashes of garlic powder.  Mix together and pour over the chicken.  Let it cook on low all day (8 or 9 hours).  An hour before you are ready to eat, cut the chicken into chunks. At this point taste the sauce.  If it is too spicy for you, add more peanut butter and a dash of milk to cream it up. If you do add more, turn the crock pot on high for the last hour.  Serve the dish over rice or pasta.  My husband is a rice eater, but I am not!  So which ever you prefer, it was great both ways. 

Happy Cooking!!!!

Potato Chili- DELICIOUS and EASY!

Potato Chili… yep, that is what was for supper.  I can’t even explain to you how much my younger daughter enjoyed it!  She had it all over her face and was LICKING her plate when she was done!  What is even better is the fact it was very EASY to make! So what does potato chili include?  You need:  1 lb. ground beef, small white onion, 5 baking potatoes, 1 can zesty diced tomatoes, 3 cans tomato soup, 1 can Red Kidney beans, mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, cumin, basil, seasoning salt, and Italian seasonings. 

First, dice up ½ of a small white onion.  Brown the ground beef and diced onion together and season the meat with garlic powder and cumin.  .  As the meat is cooking , peel and cut the potatoes into small, even chunks (you don’t want some to cook faster than others).   Add the can of zesty diced tomatoes to the meat when it is almost done cooking.  Spray the bottom of a cake pan and add the potatoes.  Season them with seasoning salt. Rinse a can of kidney beans and add to the potatoes. Next, add the meat mixture on top.  Pour the three cans of tomato soup over it and stir. Add basil, Italian seasoning, cumin and garlic powder.  Cover and bake at 400 for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes (or until potatoes are done).  Add the mozzarella cheese and bake until the cheese is crunchy on top. 

This dish came out great this way!  Some ideas for you to make it easier- you can always use frozen potatoes/ hashbrowns instead.  If you would like it spicy, add jalapenos.  Sour cream is could give it a different twist as well. 

Happy cooking!