Chicken Marsala

I made this today for a family Christmas party and was a little nervous never having made it but I think it came out great and people seemed to like it.

6 chicken breasts, halved
olive oil, small amount to cook the chicken
3 eggs
water (to mix with eggs for dipping)
1.5 to 2 cups italian style bread crumbs
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 10 oz. packages baby bella mushrooms sliced
1.5 cups marsala wine
1.5 cups chicken broth
6 TBSP flour

Preheat the oven to 375. Mix the eggs and water in a large bowl and place the bread crumbs in a separate plate for dipping. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the pan and heat. Dip each chicken breast in the egg mixture, then into the bread crumbs. Cook on each side for 3-5 minutes or until browned. Place the chicken on a separate plate.

When the chicken is done, using the same pan, cook the onions for 3-5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook another 5-7 minutes. Pour in the marsala wine and chicken broth. Mix in the flour and boil approx. 5 minutes until thickened. Place the chicken in a baking dish (I used 3 for this many) and cover with the marsala sauce. Bake for 20 mins at 375.

To cook for less people, just decrease the amounts (4 chix, 1/2 cup marsala wine, 1 cup broth, 3 TBSP flour, 1/2 cup onion, 1-2 cloves garlic)

Broccoli, Bacon, and Cheese Quiche

I've never made a quiche before and I decided on this concoction for a quick weeknight dinner. It was awesome! I combined ingredients from a few different recipes so I could make a light version. No picture, as we ate it too fast, LOL!

1 premade pie crust (I used the Pillsbury refrigerated kind)
3 egg whites
3 eggs
1 Cup fat free half & half
1 bunch (about 1.5 cups) broccoli
1 Cup jarlsberg lite cheese, shredded
1 Cup, colby jack cheese, shredded
3 pieces of bacon, cooked and broken up

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the bacon first and set aside. Place the pie crust into a pie plate, then put in the dry ingredients: broccoli, bacon, and half the cheese. Whisk together the eggs and half & half and pour over the dry ingredients. Top with the rest of the cheese. Bake 40 minutes at 350. Before eating make sure to ensure it's fully cooked by putting a toothpick in the center and making sure it's dry when you pull it out.

Old Fashioned Beef Stew

Great make ahead for a meal during the week. I used a recipe out of Mable Hoffman's Crockery Cookery (great crockpot cookbook, I highly recommend it.) I didn't use the crockpot though and instead am just cooking it on low on the stove. Smells yummy!















2 lbs of beef stew meat, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 bay leaf
1 TBSP of worcestershire sauce
4 cups of beef broth
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
4-5 carrots peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8ths
15 white pearl onions, peeled
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 package of frozen peas (10 oz), thawed

Combine the beef, bay leaf, worcestershire sauce, 1 cup of the broth, pepper, salt, sugar, carrots, celery, potatoes, and pearl onions, in that order. Pour the remaining 3 cups of broth over the mixture. Cook 8 to 10 hours on low in the crockpot (or cook on low 4-5 hours on the stove). When finished, dissolve the cornstarch in water, and add it to the stew to thicken it. Remove the bay leaf, add the peas. Cook another 10 to 15 mins and serve.

Homemade Hummus

Today I made some hummus and it came out really good. I used sesame paste I had bought in the Asian aisle and it worked out perfectly. Next time I'll add some roasted red peppers in for more flavor but this is a good, classic hummus. Great for dipping!

Ingredients

4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas (garbanzo beans), undrained
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)

Preparation

Drop garlic and parsley through food chute with food processor on, and process until minced. Add the remaining ingredients, and process until smooth.

The Gouda Mac & Cheese

Here's the picture and link! http://tinyurl.com/29f443

BBQ Style Meat loaf and Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

My friend Amy and I had a dinner party for ourselves at her house Saturday night and we made yummy comfort food, meat loaf and mac & cheese, Cooking Light style and super yummy. Here's a version of the BBQ meat loaf we made. http://tinyurl.com/yuksk2 It really made a great night for us, cooking, drinking wine, and hanging out. Thanks Amy!

Layered Enchilada Bake-Light version

This recipe came from Kraftfoods.com (Mom recommended it). I was a little unsure about adding in the italian dressing from the recipe but it actually gave it a great flavor. I used light sour cream and light dressing to reduce the fat. I also used ground turkey which made it even lighter. This was a winning dinner!
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups Salsa
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
2 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning Mix

PREHEAT oven to 400ºF. Brown meat with onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add salsa, beans, dressing and seasoning mix; mix well.
ARRANGE 3 of the tortillas in single layer on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of half each of the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat all layers. Cover with foil.
BAKE, covered, 30 min. Remove foil. Bake an additional 10 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve

Healthy Living Save 70 calories and 9 grams of fat per serving by preparing with extra lean ground beef, KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Reduced Fat Dressing, BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream and KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Four Cheese Mexican Style Cheese.

Low fat Banana shake

This is a version based on my Mom's awesome banana shake growing up. I made it this morning and drank half, as the recipe is definitely two servings.

2 very ripe bananas
1/2 can of Fat Free sweetened condensed milk
2 handfuls of ice
1/4 cup milk

Blend it all together and have yourself a yummy, low fat shake!

Crockpot lasagna with a twist

Tonight I made a crock pot lasagna but used a homemade vodka sauce instead of jarred sauce and mixed in turkey sausage. IT was a hit with the family. It may be the best find ever (thank you MrsSissler) I don't have a picture but here's the original recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 lb. ground beef
* 1 large onion, finely chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
* 1 large jar spaghetti sauce (such as Ragu in the 1 lb. 10 ounce jar)
* 1 package (8 ounces) no-boil lasagna noodles
* 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 lb. ricotta cheese
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan/Romano cheese
* Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
Brown the beef, onion, and garlic in a little oil in a frying pan. Drain off any grease.

Add the spaghetti sauce into the browned meat mixture. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, milk, and egg.

Beat until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Then mix in the mozzarella cheese and the grated cheese, so that all the cheeses are combined.

Grease the slow cooker/Crock Pot with some vegetable shortening on the bottom and sides.
Put about 1/4 of the meat and sauce mixture in the bottom of the slow cooker/Crock Pot. Put a layer of noodles on top of that (break or cut them if needed). Put about 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of that. Then repeat with sauce, noodles, cheese for another 2 layers. Top with meat sauce. Cook on low for 3-3.5 hours or until noodles are tender.

Zesty Broccoli Casserole

I got this out of Cooking Light and it's a great side dish. The cheese sauce is delicious. I omitted the onions and water chestnuts this time because my family isn't a big fan of them but it's great both ways.

Clicke here for the recipe.

Pumpkin Pie

Made my first pumpkin pie today. I used the recipe on the Libby's can except I didn't have ground ginger so I used nutmeg and it came out great! And I even bought a pumpkin pie plate. Kohl's had them on sale for 60% off and I thought it was a great idea. :-)

Here's the web site for the recipe!
http://tinyurl.com/3nw84