Chicken Baked Ziti

This recipe is a new creation of sorts & I have to say, it is one of the tastiest dishes I've cooked in a while.  I wanted to use up some food I had in the fridge & pantry, so I typed my ingredients into Supercook, and while I didn't find an exact recipe for what I wanted to eat, I got some ideas and fell into cooking.  I had 2 chicken breasts, so I decided to make just enough for me & Stephen to eat that night.  However, this recipe ended up being plenty for leftovers as well.

CHICKEN BAKED ZITI

2 chicken breasts, cooked & sliced

1/2 box of penne pasta, cooked & drained

1/2 jar of pasta sauce

1 package mozzarella cheese (I had slices, so I cut all but 4 slices into small pieces- you could obviously use shredded cheese too)

*parmesan- I didn't end up using this ingredient, but you could easily put it on top before baking

Combine chicken, pasta, sauce & pieces of mozzarella in a baking dish.

Top mixture with slices of mozzarella

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Mint Oreos

In the winter, my dad told me about this chocolate treat & I made them with Hershey's chocolate.  Then I saw them at a Super Bowl party & they were made with Andes Mints.  Stephen loves chocolate & mint, so I thought this would be a fun anniversary treat for him.

CHOCOLATE MINT OREOS

1 package Andes Mints

1 package Oreo Cookies

Unwrap mints (this is the only slightly time-consuming thing in the whole recipe)

Put mints in a double boiler to melt.

Once mints have melted, use a spoon to dip an Oreo in the chocolate.

Move Oreo around so that it is covered with the chocolate

Put on wax paper (on a plate or container) and repeat with other Oreos

Put plate or container in fridge (or freezer) to cool

This recipe makes about 14 covered Oreos

Tilapia Veracruz

I found the recipe for this meal on the back of a Kraft cheese package!  I thought it sounded yummy, so I gave it a try.  It really was easy to make, tasted good, and it gave me lots of ideas for future dishes I could  make based on this one.  While this recipe calls for sun-dried tomato dressing, I'd love to try a lemon-based vinegairette next time and see how that goes.  This dish was definitely a winner!

TILAPIA VERACRUZ

1/2 cup sun-dried tomato dressing

2 T. fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

2 tilapia fillets

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup pimento stuffed olives, halved

1/2 cup cheddar/monterey jack cheese

Mix dressing and lime juice

Place fish in a baking dish and drizzle with 1/2 the mixture

Toss the tomatoes and olives with remaining dressing mixture

Bake fish at 400 for 20 minutes

Take out and top with remaining dressing mixture and cheese

Bake 5 minutes or until cheese has melted

Mediterranean Chicken

I tasted this scrumptious dish last weekend at the beach while celebrating my friend, Gretchen's upcoming nuptials.  Gretchen's friend Blythe created this herself and it is so yummy.

 MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used strips)

1/2 bottle Annie's Natural Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette (I accidentally used the whole bottle & it was fine)

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

feta (about 3/4 cup)

Marinate chicken in dressing for at least 30 minutes (I put it in a Ziploc bag to marinate in fridge for a few hours)

Add onion, pepper and feta to marinated chicken and mix ingredients (I added ingredients to the bag & "smushed" it all around in the bag.)

Pour into baking dish and cover with aluminum foil

Cook at 400 for 15 minutes.

Uncover dish and cook for another 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly

Chicken Parmesan

I've had this recipe for a while...not sure where I found it.  It is absolutely one of the best and easiest recipes I make.  

CHICKEN PARMESAN

1 c. Italian breadcrumbs

2 T. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. ground red pepper

2-3 skinned, boneless chicken breasts

2 eggs whites, lightly beaten

1 T. EVOO

1 jar pasta sauce

1 c. shredded mozzarella

1/4 c. grated parmesan

Combine breadcrumbs, flour and pepper

Dip each chicken breast in egg whites

Coat each breast with bread crumbs

Cook chicken in hot oil over medium heat (2-3 minutes on each side)

Place chicken in lightly greased baking dish

Top with sauce & cheese

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes

Granola

This granola recipe was given to me by my dear friend Cara's mom, Paula.  During Cara's wedding festivities, her mother treated us to delicious yogurt parfaits that included this homemade granola.  Due to my peanut allergies, good granola is hard for me to come by, so this has been a regular staple in my breakfast (and snacks) for 4 years now.  Paula's recipe includes 1/3 cup toasted almonds, but I make mine without the almonds & sometimes add other goodies like raisins or dried apples.

GRANOLA

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/4 cup honey, warmed to liquid

4 T butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and any other ingredients (almonds, raisins, etc.)

In a glass measure, warm honey until it is no longer viscous (about 20 seconds in microwave)

Add melted butter to honey and stir

Drizzle the honey-butter over the dry ingredients and mix to combine

Spread the mixture on a baking sheet

Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes until granola is golden and crunchy, stirring once

Cook time will depend on your pan and oven

Don't over cook, it will still be gooey, but will dry crunchy (this is the key and takes a little trial & error)

This time I made two batches- one with dried apples & one without

Blueberry-Banana Pie

This is my mom's recipe.  I have no idea where she got it, and I'm not sure she knows either!  As a child I was not a fan of bananas or blueberries, but I've always loved this pie!  It's an easy, summery pie that is a little bit messy, but well worth the tastiness!

BLUEBERRY-BANANA PIE

1 deep-dish frozen pie shell (or a pre-made shell is fine too)

2-3 bananas, sliced

1 c. pecans, chopped

8 oz. cream cheese

2/3 c. sugar (or Splenda)

1 small container Cool Whip

1/2 can blueberry pie filling

Bake pie crust and let cool

Line with sliced bananas

Sprinkle with pecan pieces

Cream together cream cheese and sugar until fluffy

Fold in Cool Whip

Pour mixture into crust

Top with blueberry filling