Chicken Cheese Delite

from my grandmother's restaurant

A classic from my grandmother's famous catering business and an entree perfect for family and guests!

 This was last night's dinner. And the centerpiece of this meal is a recipe I've known about since I was 10 years old, but hadn't made in too long. You see, my late grandmother was one of those rare people whose life force was palpable in every gesture she made. When she was 60 years old, she decided it was high time she worked for herself. And even though she suffered several major heart attacks during the decade plus she ran her successful wedding and catering business....she wasn't about to let her age keep her from a lifelong dream of being a self-made business owner. 

One of the numerous books by my grandmother. This recipe is inside!

What You Need (serves 4)

4 chicken breast cutlets

1 cup croutons, ground

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 egg

1 1/2 t minced garlic

1 1/2 T parmesan

2 T vegetable oil

How To Prepare

Beat egg. Grind croutons in a blender or by hand (we like Ranch or Cheesy Garlic flavor). Heat oil in skillet on medium high. Place croutons, garlic, parmesan and cheddar cheese in bowl and mix. Coat chicken in egg and then crouton/cheese mixture. Place in skillet and on cook each side for about 8 minutes or until done. May need to add a bit more oil when you flip chicken, as the coating will absorb oil. THE CHEESE COATING THAT STICKS TO THE PAN IS THE BEST PART. DON'T THROW IT AWAY. ADD THE CRUNCHY TOPPING TO THE ENTREE.

At Gazebo 1, we served this over rice topped with a white wine sauce and accompanied by vegetables and bread. THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ENTREES WE SERVED!

Truly, that's how good it is.

Let's Connect

Please help me reach 100 Likes on FB by visiting me here https://www.facebook.com/monicawritesblogspot?ref=aymt_homepage_panel and sharing with family and friends.

You can also still purchase my beloved grandmother's cookbooks  here http://www.amazon.com/Gazebo-Christmas-Cookbook-Rex-Barrington/dp/0933095023/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447012978&sr=8-1&keywords=rex+barrington+cookbook

Would make a great holiday gift!

Until next time...

BreakDin

Peppered Potatoes with Steak, Cheese, & Egg

aka BreakDin

Homestyle potatoes with pepper mix, topped with cheddar, NY Strip and Egg. Protein Packed and Delicious.

This recipe came about as most of mine do...from my experimental, creative mind. The thing is, I had bought a pack of Simply Potatoes' Steakhouse Seasoned Diced Potatoes (green bag) in the refrigerated section of the local store. I will sometimes buy this brand's mashed potatoes when I'm too busy or lazy to make ones from scratch..but I wanted to try something a bit healthier, so I grabbed the diced. I get tired of the same thing over and over.

Soooo easy. Literally took under 20 minutes for a gluten-free, low-carb and protein packed breakfast for dinner. Hence the name, 'BreakDin.' Kids enjoyed it too, sans steak for one and egg for the other.

Serve with toast if you want more of a breakfast flare or with salad for more of a dinner taste. Easy, simple, and yummy!

What You Need

1 bag Simply Potatoes Steakhouse Seasoned Diced Potatoes
1/2 bag frozen mixed peppers with onion (or use fresh)
Thin cut steak (normally, wouldn't use a cut like NY Strip in this kind of dish, but all I had)
Cheddar cheese, sliced
Eggs (scrambled, over-easy, sunny-side up)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil

How To Prepare

Saute peppers and onion in olive oil until mostly cooked through. Add potatoes and cook according to instructions on bag. Slice cheese. Sear steak on both sides until done to your liking. Remove steak and cook egg to your liking. Layer so the cheese melts onto the potatoes. (Told you it was easy!)

That's it! The potatoes definitely were enough for four people to have a good size portion, larger than in the photo above.

Let's Connect

Please connect with me on Google + by clicking to 'Follow' the blog or 'Like' my blog's FB page at https://www.facebook.com/monicawritesblogspot?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Let me know how you liked it or twists you made to the recipe!

Until next time...

What's for Dinner?

BBQ Pulled Pork

crock-pot, gluten-free, easy 1.2.3

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich with lettuce and avocado

I spent $9.00 for a bone in pork shoulder last week and decided to get out the ever-faithful crock-pot. After 4-6 hours, I ended up with a subtly sweet and tender barbecue. This is NOT too spicy; but I like to eat my barbecue with something cooling anyway, like avocado or homemade slaw. This gave us plenty of meat for leftovers and two distinct meals. WINNER in cost, flavor, and efficiency! Hope you give it a try.

What You Need

Bone in pork shoulder

McCormick Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Gluten-Free seasoning packet

Vinegar

Sugar

Ketchup

How To Prepare

Place pork in slow cooker. Turn dial to high for a cook time of 4 hours OR low for a cook time of 6 hours. NOTE:  I tried both ways and found that the pork was much more tender when cooked on low. The McCormick seasoning packet will ask you to mix the seasoning with ketchup, brown sugar (I used white sugar one time and honey the other because I didn't have brown) and vinegar (I used apple cider). Mix the ingredients and pour over pork. 

Let cook! THE SMELL IS SO INVITING.

Meat is done when it gently separates. Eat right away and serve on a sandwich or with sides.

TIPS: 1. Don't cut off most of the fat before cooking because the meat will end up on the dry side.
2. If you want to reduce the amount of fat, pour sauce and meat into a container and place in the refrigerator over night. The next day, skim off the top layer. Enjoy!

Finished product in crock-pot

Great recipe with multiple options to please your family. 

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Please let me hear from you!

Abstract Spinach Lasagna

Abstract Spinach Lasagna

It looks like an abstract 3D piece of art, doesn't it? I broke up the cheese slices to create this effect.

This recipe is my son's favorite meal, besides Chick-fil-A. I don't hold a chance against it. But this recipe, at least, gives him pause.

I learned this recipe from a neighbor when we lived on the outskirts of Washington DC. We had just had our son; my husband was commuting closer to our current location to begin his career with Comcast; and I was a sleep-deprived but satisfied stay-at-home mom and emerging freelance writer. 

The only difference between this and my friend's recipe is that she added  layers of portobello mushroom (YUM!) and used ricotta. I prefer the moist texture of cottage cheese and my son didn't care for the mushrooms, so this is now OUR recipe.

I only make it a few times a year because, as I've stated in many previous posts, I don't really enjoy the kitchen. But knowing that I'm making something that makes my big guy feel considered and cared for....it's all worth it. And to tell you the truth, this is easy peasy.

I decided to name it "Abstract" because I don't want you guys or y'all freaking out about the amount of sauce, whether you have enough cheese, or are a layer short. THIS IS ABSTRACT YUM, NOT PUZZLE YUM! The pieces don't have to fit perfectly together. Serve with fresh garlic bread and a crisp salad.

Make it, eat it, and enjoy it! You can't go wrong....promise.

What You Need
1 jar pasta sauce
1 small container cottage cheese (I used 1% but prefer whole)
1 T italian seasonings
1 egg
1 cup frozen spinach
1 package mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
no-boil lasagna pasta

Here are the ingredients minus the italian seasoning spice.

How To Prepare

If using frozen spinach, defrost until you can spread it apart. The small box is plenty for this recipe. Mix egg, italian seasoning and cottage cheese in a bowl. Drain spinach and take however much you want and add to cheese mixture.

Preheat oven to directions on your "oven-ready" or "no-boil" lasagna. I like San Giorgio brand because the size perfectly fits the 8x8 pyrex dish I use. This box said 350 degrees. Take a baking pan, preferably 8x8, and spread a layer of pasta sauce. Put two pieces of pasta down. Spread the spinach/cottage cheese mixture and top with slices or shredded mozarella cheese. Repeat this process until you run out. I was able to get 4 layers of pasta, with the final layer of pasta covered only in sauce, cheese and parmesan, NOT the cottage cheese/spinach mixture.

Here's a side view once baked. 

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and broil until cheese is browned. Eat right away and for leftovers the next day...YUM!

Gluten-free Suggestion

Since I'm the only one who eats Gluten-Free, I'll either boil some GF pasta and then scrape the topping and filling onto my pasta or do the same thing over brown rice. 

The finished side view. My son gobbled it down right after school. Healthy and nutritious meal before sports.

If I can make this, you can too. If you don't like spinach, substitute brocolli or remove veggies. Use a homemade sauce, try ricotta, layer with zucchini. Make it your own.

And, as always, please SHARE with friends and LET ME KNOW how you liked it!

Until next time...

Kid Friendly, Quick and Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Scratchless Chicken Pot Pie

Y'all know my favorite place to be is NOT IN THE KITCHEN! However, I have to be, often enough, so I might as well cook something that BOTH of the kids like and is relatively healthy, easy, and budget-friendly. Scratchless Chicken Pot Pie is just that. Scatchless simply means, NOT FROM SCRATCH! However, if you have a family recipe for pie crust that you want to use, please feel free.

Here it is! Hot out of the oven. My 14 year old son has already eaten 2/3 in 10 minutes. Mom success!

What You Will Need:

How To Prepare:

Open your frozen pie crusts and separate the two, letting them thaw for about 15 minutes.
Take five of the chicken breast tenderloins and boil them for about 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375.
Put your frozen vegetables (I used about 3/4 of the bag) in a bowl with water and microwave for about 8 minutes. Drain water.
Cut up chicken and add to bowl.
Add vegetables, cream of chicken soup, a dash of milk and stir together.
Pour the mix into one of the pie crusts and top with parmesan cheese.

Here's what you have so far:

Almost ready for the oven!

Take second pie crust and lie on top of this one. Cut off the excess. Put slits in top of crust.

Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

Final Step:

Let cool and settle or feed immediately to the ravenous kids. This literally is one of the few meals my kids are waiting to eat. I feel so good about myself on these days...I feel like a productive and nurturing mom. It's a nice balance to the frequent complaints and comparisons I get to moms who "supposedly" cook better. 

Enjoy with a crisp, cool salad! Let me know how it turns out. And, of course, you can adapt this hundreds of ways...but here's a yummy place to start.