The Lonely Baker

Italian Bread

2012-01-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

I love making homemade bread. I always make my dough in my bread maker first, then bake it in the oven. The recipe I found on Food.com was so easy! It is now my go to Italian bread recipe. The only thing I might do differently next time, is add a bit more salt.

Ingredients:

1 cup water, warmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 whole egg whites
2 tablespoons cornmeal (I didn't use)

Directions:

Add into bread machine container, warmed water, olive oil, sugar, yeast. Let yeast foam a bit.
Dump in flour (start with 2 1/2 cups); add salt on top of flour.
Turn on bread machine to dough setting. Watch for the first bit and add flour as needed to get a good dough. (elastic and not sticky).
Get cookie sheet ready by lightly oiling with olive oil and sprinkle on cornmeal.
Form dough into loaf and set on cookie sheet with tea towel to cover until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375*F.
Cut slits diagonally in loaf with sharp knife. Brush with egg white.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and when you knock the bottom of bread it sounds hollow.

Original recipe found over at Food.com.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

2011-12-26T23:09:00.000-08:00

Edited to add-"Confession...I hate taking food pictures in the fall/winter. It gets dark as early as 4pm, and I have a hard time getting a decent pic in unnatural lighting. Also, I like to eat my dinner when it's HOT! If I'm trying to capture a dinner pic, I usually snap it real fast, ,then EAT! Solution to crummy pics? Play with fun editing tools. Result? Antique taquitos...." Now back to my original post!:

These were amazing! I found the recipe on Pinterest which let me to the Pennies on a Platter blog(Check it out!). I love that these taquitos are baked and not fried! They are easy to make. We all loved them! Give them a try and enjoy!

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro(I did not use cilantro)
2 Tbsp sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese
small flour or corn tortillas(I used flour)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.
(If you decided to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.)

Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).

Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.

Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone. Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.(I didn't sprinkle with salt)

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.
Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

Thank you Pennies on a Platter!

Ice Cream Cake

2011-12-05T22:33:00.001-08:00

My daughter loves ice cream cake, so for her birthday this year, I decided to make her one. I found a really easy recipe, that ANYONE can make. It doesn't involve melting any ice cream first, because you use ice cream sandwiches. The cake was so good and my daughter LOVED it! Thank you Jamielyn from I (Heart) Naptime!
Ice cream sandwiches(about 10ish)
Tub of whipped topping(Cool Whip)
1/2 jar of chocolate fudge
1/2 jar if caramel sauce
Your favorite candies chopped up. We used Twix and Milky Way

Lay the sandwiches in a 9X13 pan. Then spread a layer of caramel and fudge. Sprinkle candy for the next layer. Cover with whipped topping and drizzle with more fudge, caramel and candy. Put cake in freezer for at least 2 hours. Enjoy!

Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate!

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Are you on Pinterest yet? Well you should be! There are so many amazing things on there like this recipe I am going to share with you. The recipe is the "Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n' Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar" by Amanda over at KevinAndAmanda.com. This bar cookie is packed with as much yumminess as the title would lead you to believe.

Edited to add-I just typed out this whole blog post and realized I never got a picture of these yummy bars! Ugh! Well, check out Amanda's site to see her pics. They are amazing!

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips(I used semi-sweet)
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos(I used regular Oreos)
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix
1/4 cup hot fudge topping(I didn't add this, but it would be awesome!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly incorporate into the mixer until the flour is just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Top with a layer of Oreos. Mix together brownie mix, adding an optional 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping to the mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

2011-11-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Usually I prefer blueberry muffins without any sugary topping. Some of the muffins I've had from the bakery are waaay too sweet for me! Not sure why, because I LOVE sweets! Well I decided to try a blueberry muffin recipe I found at allrecipes.com. Oh my! These were amazing! The perfect amount of sweetness for me. The topping was incredible! The kids loved them too. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Whole Grain Waffles

2011-11-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

In an effort to provide my kids with more healthy breakfast choices, I decided to make up a batch of waffles to freeze. I found a recipe for whole grain waffles over at allrecipes.com that were amazing! The kids loved them! Surprisingly, they do not have a very strong grain taste. Give them a try!

Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten

1 3/4 cups skim milk

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup flax seed meal

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat in whole wheat pastry flour, flax seed meal, wheat germ, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until batter is smooth. Preheat a waffle iron, and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter into waffle iron in batches, and cook until crisp and golden brown.

To freeze, I just stacked, cooled waffles into a freezer bag.

Is Making It From Scratch Any Cheaper?

2011-10-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been wondering if it is cheaper to make everyday items from scratch, or to just buy them. Now of course some things just taste better when they are made from scratch, but sometimes it may not be worth the extra time in the kitchen if the cost equals the cost to just buy it. Here's an interesting article I stumbled across, written by Jennifer Resse. It highlights a few everyday pantry items and shows us if it is more cost effective to buy them or to make them. You can check it out here.

Baked Chicken Skins

2011-10-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

Before you get all grossed out, I'll let you know ahead of time, that these were for my dog! That being said, you can certainly make them for yourself. After all, skin off a fried chicken is pretty tasty! Anyway...I always skin my chicken before I cook it(unless I'm baking it, then I skin it after because it keeps it moist). As I was skinning a pack of chicken I decided I'd try to bake it up for my dog, as a treat. All I did was lay it on a lightly sprayed, foil lined baking pan. I baked them at 400 for about 15 minutes. Your dogs will love them! Keep the rest in the fridge if you have leftovers. If you do want to make these for human consumption, I'd sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and any other seasoning of choice(before putting them in the oven).

Homemade Granola Bars

2011-09-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

I'm really trying to make more everyday items from scratch. My family loves granola bars, so I decided to try these homemade granola bars from Allrecipes.com. We all loved them! Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour(I used whole wheat pastry flour)
3/4 cup raisins (optional)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

2011-09-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

I have a new favorite recipe site. OnceaMonthMom.com . I will do once a month cooking from time to time (or my version of it anyways). Once a Month Mom has a TON of wonderful recipes and advice for anyone wanting to try once a month cooking. I made Italian sausage tortellini soup tonight and it was delicious! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

1 lb Italian sausage( I used sweet Italian sausage)
1 cup onion, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
5 cups beef stock
2 cups tomatoes, chopped(I used canned)
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 cups zucchini, sliced
1/2 cup carrot, sliced
1 1/2 cups red bell pepper, diced (I didn't use)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 Tablespoons basil, dried
1 Tablespoons oregano, dired
10 ounces tortellini, cheese, fresh
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

Saute sausage in a large pan. When the sausage is cooked almost all the way through, push to the side and add onion and garlic. Saute for a few minutes, untill onion and garlic are soft. Drain fat. Add stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, zucchini, carrot, bell pepper, wine, basil and oregano. Simmer for 40 minutes, until carrots are soft. Add tortellini to boiling soup. Follow package directions on tortellini for cook time. Serve with parmesan cheese on top.

Recipe courtesy of Kelly at onceamonthmom.com

Scalloped Potatoes

2011-08-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

Tonight was my first attempt at making homemade scalloped potatoes. The recipe I found was on Food.com. It was really simple and very tasty. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 cups thinly sliced, peeled potatoes
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons flour
1 & 1/2 cup milk
1 teasp. salt
1 dash cayenne pepper ( I used black pepper)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese ( I also threw in some grated parmesan cheese)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese for top

Directions: In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour. Let sit for a minute. Stir in cold milk with a whisk. Cook on low until smooth and boiling while stirring occasionally with a whisk. Reduce heat and stir in 1 cup cheese. Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased one quart casserole dish. Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes. Repeat. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top(I added this closer to the end). Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350.

Freezing Sandwiches

2011-08-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you can freeze sandwiches? Well, you can! I started doing just that a few months ago for my husband's lunches. I love doing this for a couple reasons. One...it's so much easier making a week's worth of sandwiches all at once instead of one every day. Also, I love using up the lunch meat, cheese and bread before it goes bad. I'm assuming I'm not the only one who finds random packages of meat and cheese in the fridge, with just a couple pieces left in them. You're left wondering how long it's been open, or if it's still good. Then you just throw it in the trash to be safe. I hate having to do that...

I've only tried this with meat and cheese sandwiches, but here are the directions:

Make up the sandwich with meat, cheese, and bread of your choice. Wrap it up in plastic wrap. Then wrap in foil. Put it in the freezer. You might want to label them also. You can either thaw them in the fridge the night before, or they might thaw out in a lunch bag in time for lunch. My husband likes to heat them in a microwave at work sometimes also. If you want to add any condiments, lettuce, tomato, etc...do this before you eat it, NOT before you freeze it. Enjoy!

My New Favorite Toy

2011-08-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting an apple peeler, corer, slicer since forever! The only ones that I've ever seen, however, are the kind that hook on to the side of your kitchen counter. I've tried those, and they just do not work on my counter... at all! I was so happy to find one that actually suctions right on to the top of your counter. I got it in the mail today, and I tried it tonight. I love it! It works perfectly and now, dare I say it, I can almost feel fall in the air....You can check it out over on Amazon.

Protein Pancakes

2011-07-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I have the hardest time getting the right amount of protein in my diet. I do drink protein shakes after my workout, but frankly I feel like I'm on an episode of Fear Factor every time I do. They're pretty gross....So while looking for some high protein recipes online, I found a recipe for protein pancakes on Food.com. They're actually really good! The flavor reminds me of french toast. Give 'em a try!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites

Directions:
Put all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour onto a hot griddle sprayed with non-stick spray. Cook like regular pancakes. Top with your favorite pancake toppings(I topped mine with butter spray and sugar-free maple syrup). Enjoy!

An "Extreme Couponer" Sharing Our Recipes

2011-07-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

Tammilee from Tammilee Tips has been featuring some of The Lonely Baker's recipes on her blog for her new "Make it Monday" posts. Tammilee posts a budget friendly recipe every Monday. She has been featured on the TLC show Extreme Couponing. Her episode was one of my favorites, because she shopped for "normal" everyday items. I had the opportunity to take one of her coupon classes. The class was awesome and it was filled with a lot of useful information.
I personally use coupons when I shop for my family and have found her site very helpful. You will find a lot of tips on her blog to help save you money! It is definitely possible to cook great meals for your family, on a budget. Go over and check it out!

Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade

2011-07-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

It's summer!!!! And I'm loving every minute of it! I love fizzy drinks, so I'm really loving my new find for this strawberry lemonade. I saw a recipe for a low calorie strawberry lemonade over at The Hungry Girl. I changed it up a bit(not that it needed changing, but I was working with what I had) and it's amazing! My new favorite drink! You can play around with the amounts listed.

1 cup diet ginger ale about 1/2 a can
about 1/2 cup of cold water
Half a packet of diet powdered little drink packet in lemonade or strawberry lemonade flavor, like Crystal Light. I like the strawberry lemonade flavor, Target brand
4 frozen unsweetened strawberries
1/3 cup crushed ice or 3 ice cubes

Put ice, strawberries and ginger ale in blender. Add drink mix and water. If using a magic bullet, just fill water to almost top. Blend until smooth. Warning!!! It's fizzy, so it will want to fizz over when you take the bottom off of the Magic bullet, so go slow. I'm not sure what happens in a regular blender.

Enjoy!

Good Old Fashioned Pancake Recipe

2011-06-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

I love pancakes and I could eat them every day for breakfast! I rarely make them anymore though because I eat way too many of them! My daughter just had a sleep over so I decided to make everyone pancakes. I didn't have enough pancake mix on hand so I used this incredibly yummy recipe from All Recipes. If you love pancakes, you have to try these!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

	In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
	Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

S'mores Brownies

2011-06-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

S'mores are good....,but am I the only one that thinks they are a total hassle??? They are a mess! I know..I'm such a grouch...! Anyways, here's a yummy recipe from Betty Crocker that's a whole lot easier to make and it's also a great way for you to get your S'more fix if you're no where near a campfire.

1

box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix

Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box

cups miniature marshmallows

graham crackers, broken into small pieces

Hershey's® milk chocolate candy bars, broken into 1-inch squares(I used semi sweet chocolate chips)

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Make brownies as directed. After removing pan from oven, set oven to broil.
Immediately sprinkle marshmallows and graham crackers over warm brownies(I put some chocolate chips under the marshmallow layer also). Broil about 4 to 5 inches from heat 30 to 60 seconds or until marshmallows are golden brown. (Watch carefully marshmallows and graham crackers will brown quickly.) Sprinkle with chocolate candy. To serve warm, cool about 30 minutes. For brownies, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Recipe Courtesy of Betty Crocker .

Easy Parmesan Herb Biscuits

2011-06-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite biscuits to have with dinner are garlic cheese biscuits. I was going to make those tonight, when I had the idea to change them up a bit. I still used garlic, but instead of cheddar cheese, I used parmesan cheese and I also added Italian herbs. They were so delicious! I didn't measure anything out, but I'll give you my best estimate. Add more or less as desired.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 biscuit mix(like Bisquick)
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
Mix biscuit mix, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and cheese together. Add milk and mix well. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with more garlic powder if desired. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, until edges start to turn golden(you might have to lift up the biscuits and check bottoms).

Tip! Don't bake things like biscuits on the bottom rack of your oven. They will most likely cook too quickly on the bottoms.

Baked Banana Blueberry Oatmeal

2011-06-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

I love oatmeal! You know, like the kind from the little packs covered in sugar....However, I know they are not the healthiest choice for breakfast, so I tried a baked oatmeal recipe that I found over on Kath Eats Real Food. Great blog by the way to find some yummy, healthy recipes. I did add a couple of ingredients, but it was such a delicious recipe and definitely healthier than some of the instant choices(which I still love and will indulge in from time to time).

Ingredients:

2 cups oats(rolled or quick cook)
1 teas. baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg
1 mashed banana
1.5 cups skim milk (I used 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup water)
1/4 cup splenda (this was my addition)
1 teaspoon of vanilla

1-2 sliced bananas
1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries (my addition)

Directions:

Mix oats, baking powder and salt together. In a separate bowl mix egg, milk, vanilla, mashed banana and splenda together. Mix wet and dry together. Stir in blueberries. Layer 1 sliced banana on the bottom of an 8X8 casserole dish(sprayed with non-stick spray). Pour oatmeal over the first layer of bananas then add the other sliced banana to the top. Bake uncovered at 375 for about 25 minutes. I skipped this next part(although it sounds amazing!), but Kath increases the oven to broil, covers the top with a tablespoon of brown sugar and broils the oatmeal for about 3 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry

2011-06-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

Both my husband and I love Chinese food. My children, however, do not. So....I try and make it on the nights they are at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Thursday I threw together a chicken stir fry. If you've never tried making a stir fry before, you should. It's super easy! We have a wok, but you could use a regular skillet.

Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut up
Garlic, minced
Carrots, sliced
Broccoli, cut up
Green beans, cut up(tips removed)
Onion, cut up
Other ideas, snap peas, baby corn, water chestnuts, asparagus
Oil(I used sesame oil and vegetable oil)
Stir Fry sauce(Stir fry sauce and sesame oil can be found in the Asian food section of your store)

Directions:
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of sesame oil in a skillet. Add minced garlic and saute for a minute. Add chicken and cook until the center is no longer pink. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in wok, 1/2 sesame 1/2 vegetable oil. Saute vegetables till they reach desired tenderness. Add cooked chicken. Mix together and add favorite stir fry sauce. Serve with white rice.

Fiesta Chicken

2011-06-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

The other day I saw a recipe posted for Fiesta Chicken on the Krazy Coupon Lady's blog. I thought it sounded really good, and also easy. I tried it and we all loved it! We even cut up the chicken the next night, mixed it in with the rice and served it in tortillas.We will definitely make this again!

Ingredients:
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can corn(I omitted the corn)
1 can black or pinto beans
1 cup water
1 cup salsa
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
10 chicken tenderloins(I used 4 chicken breasts)
I also mixed in some taco seasoning
Mix all ingredients but chicken together in a large mixing bowl. Season chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Place chicken in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. (I put the chicken on top of the rice) Pour mixture over the top. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour (mine was about an hour and thirty minutes) until rice is cooked. Sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Kielbasa Stir Fry

2011-05-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

While I was getting ready to pan fry some kielbasa, I remembered a recipe my mom use to make (or I think she use to make...)that had kielbasa, peppers and pineapple in it. I think it also had bbq sauce or some sort of sweet and sour sauce. So, I decided to try and duplicate it to the best of my memory. It was really good, super easy, and now I have another recipe to add to my list of meals! By the way, I now have all, or most of my meals on my phone using the OI shopping list android app. I love it! I just go through the list and click on the meals I want to make for the upcoming week.

Ingredients:
Kielbasa
bell pepper
pineapple chunks(canned or fresh)
1/2 cup bbq sauce(sweet and sour sauce would work also)

Directions:
Brown the kielbasa in a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Once the kielbasa starts to brown, add the bell pepper and cook until tender. Drain fat from the pan and add pineapple and bbq sauce(add amount of sauce to your liking). Heat for a few more minutes. Serve on cooked white rice(optional).

Cajun Chicken Alfredo

2011-04-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite meals ever is fettuccine alfredo. I saw this recipe for Cajun Chicken Alfredo, by Guy Fieri and had to give it a try. It was amazing! I did make a couple changes. I didn't use sun dried tomatoes and I didn't have any scallions on hand. If you're looking for a good alfredo recipe, try this!

Ingredients

4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup blackening spice (recommended: Paul Prudhomme's Chicken)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked fettuccine
1/2 cup sliced scallions

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Dredge the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slice in strips on the bias and set aside.
In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the chicken slices. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.
When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta.
Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread

2011-04-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

I can't remember if I've ever made raisin bread before, but this recipe from Betty Crocker's website was really good and extremely easy. It uses the bread machine, so basically you just dump everything in and push a button(you add the raisins at the warning beep though). I love that! My kids loved this bread!
Ingredients:

cup water

tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

cups Gold Medal® Better for Bread™ flour(I used half white, half whole wheat flour)

tablespoons sugar

1 1/2

teaspoons salt

teaspoon ground cinnamon(I used 2 teaspoons)

2 1/2

teaspoons bread machine yeast

3/4

cup raisins

Directions:

Measure carefully, placing all ingredients except raisins in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Add raisins at the Raisin/Nut signal or 5 to 10 minutes before last kneading cycle ends.
Select Sweet or Basic/White cycle. Use Medium or Light crust color. Remove baked bread from pan and cool on wire rack.