Category Archives: Main Dish

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Posted on by

2

Yup – I’m using this again 😉 As we were eating this dinner, I started thinking of ways to use the rest of the pesto. It’s not a stretch as far as recipes go, but I already know the flavors will work together.

Verdict: Yum! This sandwich was so good! It’s so full of flavor and it’s a new favorite in this house. The sun dried tomato pesto is so worth making. I still have an 8 ounce jar of this left, so I’m sure I will be posting a new recipe with it soon. I don’t want it to go to waste after all. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto –

For Marinating the Chicken:

  • 1 pound chicken breast cutlets
  • zest of one lemon
  • juice of half a lemon
  • Italian seasoning
  • Kosher salt and pepper
For Assembling the Sandwiches:
  • Ciabatta rolls, split and brushed with olive oil
  • sun dried tomato pesto
  • goat cheese
  • garlic and herb cream cheese spread
  • organic spring mix
  • sliced tomatoes
Directions:
1. Place the chicken cutlets in a sealable container or a zip top bag. Mix all the ingredients and pour over top of chicken. Marinade for at least 30 minutes, but no more than a few hours (*depending on how thick your pieces are – or the acid will start to “cook” the meat).
2. Preheat your grill to medium-high and grill the chicken for about 4 minutes a side or until done. Place the bun halves oil side down to toast.
3. To assemble:  On one half of the roll, slather on a good amount of the garlic and herb cheese spread and pile salad greens on top and then the grilled chicken on top of that and then tomato slices. Spread the sun dried tomato pesto on the top bun and place it on top of the sandwich – enjoy!

Homemade Hot Pockets

Posted on by

6

Yum! These are worlds better than store bought Hot Pockets:) I made several different combinations for these and they all turned out to be really flavorful, cheesy and satisfying. I made a chicken, broccoli and cheese pocket, a pepperoni, sausage and cheese, and ham and cheddar cheese. Next time I think I’ll use a garlic and herb flavored dough to take the flavor up a few notches. We enjoyed the pizza pockets with what else – pizza sauce, drops of Frank’s Red Hot or green Tobasco. I had to stop myself from eating more of these – cheese and bread in combination are my weakness! The recipe below is really just a rough guideline for making these. They’re pretty fool-proof and don’t require any real measurements. I just made sure that I didn’t over-fill the dough. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Homemade Hot Pockets –

  • 4 ounce balls of pizza dough (*I made 9)
  • cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, Parmesan cheeses – odds and ends are great for these
  • pepperoni, ham, chicken sausage, and shredded chicken breast – cut into small pieces
  • steamed broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes – or whatever leftover cooked veggies you have

Directions –

Take one ball of dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface so that the long side is perpendicular to your body. It should have a rectangular shape and be only slightly thicker than paper thin. Add about about 1/4 cup of your filling over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the edges of the dough.

Pull the shorter ends toward each other and then pull the longer ends toward the middle. Seal the roll by pinching this last portion of dough against the roll. Smooth out with your fingers by gently pressing the seam. Place the pocket into onto the prepared baking sheet seam side down. If you’d like a crisper crust you can brush the tops with olive oil or egg wash. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 – 25 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Goat Cheese (aka looks gross, but tastes good)

Posted on by

0

Quick Post: I assure you this tastes much better than it looks! I could not get a decent picture of this because it was raining the night I made it, so no natural light! I’m also not fond of my flash mode – blah! I’m a little embarrassed to show the picture because pictures “sell” recipes – but this one has  great flavor and I would make it again. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Stuffed Chicken Breast with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Goat Cheese –
  1. Preheat oven to 400. Spray an oven-safe saute pan with olive oil or cooking spray and heat over medium-high.
  2. Using a pairing knife, cut a pocket in each chicken breast, cutting as close as possible to the edges but taking care not to puncture all the way through.
  3. Mix the sun dried tomato pesto and goat cheese together in a small bowl then stuff each chicken breast generously with the mixture. I used toothpicks to secure the opening as much as possible.
  4. Season the tops with salt and pepper. Place top down in the skillet and cook for 3 minutes, until nicely seared.
  5. Flip chicken, remove from heat, and pop into the oven for 15 – 18 minutes to finish cooking through. Chicken is done when it reaches 160 degrees (*155 is good because of the carry over cooking*)

Roasted Garlic Bread

Posted on by

9

Quick Post: This is so darn good – it’s dangerous! The last time I mentioned it, I didn’t get a chance to photograph it cause it disappeared before I was able to. I figured that I would make this again really soon so I could share it with you 😉 I saved up carbs so I was able to eat this pasta with Italian chicken sausage and at least two pieces of the garlic bread. This dinner is definitely a carb overload, but totally worth it! Thanks for reading, enjoy 🙂

Roasted Garlic Bread –

  • 1 loaf of french bread
  • 1 bulb of garlic
  • 6 TBSP of butter
  • 2 – 3 TBSP of olive oil
  • kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper (to taste, optional)
  • dried herbs – I used parsley (optional)
  • Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheeses
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the bulb of garlic in half and place it on a square of foil, large enough that you can make a little package for roasting. Place the cut garlic into the center of the foil and drizzle with a little olive oil. Close the package up and roast for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.
2. Squeeze the cloves into a small bowl to smash up with the butter, olive oil and seasonings. Blend well and set aside. Cut your french bread in half and then take the two halves and split those down the middle lengthwise. Spread the butter mixture generously over each piece. Place your bread on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes – take the bread out and sprinkle your grated cheese over top each piece. Place back in the oven until the cheese melts and is nicely browned – about 3-5 minutes. Cut into slices and enjoy!

Twice Baked Potatoes

Posted on by

0

I was inspired to make these while watching The Pioneer Woman’s show on Food Network yesterday. Now, I wouldn’t mind trying her recipe, but I’d rather stay away from all those extra goodies and try to make these a little more healthy for my family. I’m adding broccoli and cooked chicken to mine, while my husband will have lots of cheese, butter and sour cream on his to go along with his rib eye steak tonight. I’m serving mine with a green salad. The kids aren’t fans of mashed or baked potatoes (cause they’re a little weird – I still love them, though) so hopefully the leftovers will heat up nicely for a quick dinner later on this week.
Verdict: These were so tasty and well worth the wait. I have all kinds of add in ideas now that I will have to try soon. My favorite thing about this is the skin on the bottom of the potato. It became crisp almost like a chip because of the olive oil – it was perfect!  Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Twice Baked Potatoes – adapted from Natalie’s Killer Cuisine
  • 4 large Russet Potatoes
  • Olive Oil to coat (*and kosher salt if you’d like)
  • 4 TBSP Butter
  • a splash of half and half
  • Heaping spoon of Sour Cream
  • Paprika to taste
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded – plus more for top
  • 2 cups cooked Broccoli Florets
  • 1 cup cooked chicken
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, scrub the potatoes well and poke a several holes in the potato with a fork. Coat in olive oil and bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Let cool at least 30 minutes before handling.
2. Slice off top quarter of potato. Scoop out as much of the potato as you can without breaking the skin and place in a bowl.
3. Add the butter, sour cream, half and half, broccoli, chicken, and cheese to the mashed potato, and mash until everything is melted, and smooth. Add the paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Spoon your mashed potato mixture into the potato skin – be really generous here. Sprinkle the tops with extra cheese if desired.
4. Bake for 3o minutes at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.  I turned on my broiler for a few minutes after they were finished baking, just to brown the tops a little – keep a close eye on them. Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Posted on by

8

It’s officially Fall which means I get to make pot roast, chicken pot pie and other belly warming dinners again. It hasn’t exactly started cooling down here yet, but I was craving a rich chicken noodle soup. This wasn’t quick by any means, but the flavor that the three hour simmering  created was well worth it. I also have three quarts of flavorful chicken stock stashed in the freezer! Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Cooking the Chicken – 
  • 1  4 – 5 pound whole chicken (rinsed and dried)
  • 1 box of chicken stock
  • 2 – 4 carrots cut in half
  • 2 – 4 stalk celery, roughly chopped *make sure you put lots of leafy tops in too*
  • 1 large onion, quartered
  • 5 – 6 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 TBSP peppercorns
  • 3 -4 bay leaves
  • 1/2 tsp dried sage
  • 1 TBSP dried parsley
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 3 sprigs lemon thyme
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • enough cold water to cover the chicken
Directions:
1. Place all the ingredients in a large stock pot, bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Carefully pull the chicken out of the pot and set it aside to cool – about 40 minutes. Once it’s cooled, shred – place pulled chicken in a container and place the carcass back into the stock pot.
Chicken Stock –
  • two chicken carcasses (* I had one in the freezer from this)
  • reserved cooking water
Directions:
1. Simmer the contents of the stock pot for at least three hours. Carefully strain the finished stock over a fine mesh strainer into a large container. Discard the bones and vegetables. Set the stock aside to cool. Skim as much fat off the top or place in the refrigerator for the fat to solidify. Store in air tight containers and place in the freezer.
Chicken Noodle Soup –
  • 2 quarts chicken stock (*more or less depending on how “soupy” you like it)
  • 2 cups shredded chicken
  • 4 cups total of chopped carrots, celery and onion
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 cups egg noodles (*I used No Yolks)
  • lemon thyme
  • lemon zest
  • kosher salt and pepper
Directions –
1. Heat a large soup pot to medium and add olive oil. Once the oil is warmed, add all your diced veggies to the pan. Saute for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, place a soup pot with the chicken stock to simmer and add the cooked vegetables and shredded chicken to the soup pot. Bring to boil, season to taste and add the egg noodles and peas. Cook until the egg noodles are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Taste again, season if needed – enjoy the soup with a crusty loaf of bread…yum!

Kid Friendly Dinner – Baked Chicken Strips

Posted on by

3

This is a perfect meal for our busy Wednesday nights and the kids love foods like these, and I doubled the recipe so we would have plenty of leftovers. I used three chicken breasts that were 9 ounces each, which I pounded and cut into roughly 3 ounce strips. You could buy chicken tenders, but those are so expensive. The other day my buttermilk expired so I substituted by taking one cup of milk and adding one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. It curdles and thickens really quickly – it’s pretty cool how it looks so much like the real thing. I’ll keep this in mind if I don’t feel like spending the extra money for the buttermilk later.

The kids loved these and my daughter even said she’d eat these for breakfast – I’m pretty sure she meant she’d eat the leftovers. Hubby M reminded me “Well, there are Corn Flakes on them.” 😉 The faux buttermilk tenderized the chicken so well we could cut the meat with a fork – no knife necessary! Next time I’ll season the crumbs and maybe try some other seasonings in the marinade. Hot sauce in the buttermilk would be a good addition, but Little Girl wouldn’t be too happy if I did that. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Baked Chicken Strips – adapted from Simple Bites

  • 1 lb chicken tenders
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk (* I substituted 1 cup milk + 1 TBSP lemon juice)
  • salt & pepper
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 cup corn flakes, crushed into fine crumbs
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • salt & pepper

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix buttermilk, salt, pepper and paprika. Add in fillets and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F.
3. Mix corn flakes and panko together on a plate, season with salt & pepper.
4. Place one or two pieces of chicken at a time on plate, thoroughly coating each piece in crumbs.
5. For best results, bake on a greased metal cooling rack set atop a baking sheet. This allows the hot air to crisp all sides of the strips, instead of just one side. If you cannot get this set up, simply spray a baking sheet with baking spray and place strips directly on sheet.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. (*Mine were finished in 20 minutes because I didn’t use chicken tenders*)

Quinoa and Veggie Egg Bake

Posted on by

5

This is so good and I’m glad I found another use for my cooked quinoa. It’s a simple dish and a great way to clean out your fridge of all the little bits and pieces that would otherwise go to waste. Baked egg dishes are so easy and versatile and this one is a great example of that. The quinoa adds a pleasing texture and flavor to this and ups the protein and fiber content of this tasty breakfast. I will make these again, and again. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Quinoa and Veggie Egg Bake – adapted from Edible Perspective
    • 5 TBSP cup cooked quinoa
    • 1/8t salt
    • black pepper
    • 1 egg + 1 egg white
    • baby spinach, chopped
    • 2 pieces roasted portobello caps (*leftover from this)
    • 4 grape tomatoes, quartered
    • 1 or 2 mini bell peppers, chopped fine
    • crumbled feta (optional, but yummy)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400* and lightly butter an 8 ounce ramekin. In a small bowl, whisk your egg and egg white. Mix in quinoa. Stir in salt, pepper, spinach, peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes until just combined. Pour into your ramekin and bake, uncovered for 20 – 25 minutes or until set. Serve with fresh fruit, enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Pesto Pizza

Posted on by

1

This pizza was garlicky, oily and so tasty. It wasn’t “swimming” in oil, but it seeped through to the bottom crust which made it even more crispy, reminiscent of my favorite garlic bread. I meant to add grilled chicken to this, but last night was crazy and this morning my mind was somewhere else; so I completely forgot. Thankfully my disappointment only lasted a for a minute. I made up for the lack of chicken and added another layer of flavor by using sun dried tomatoes to the top of this which ended up being a perfect addition to this pizza. I had to stop myself from eating too much! I’m looking forward to these leftovers 😉 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Pesto Pizza – Sugar Cooking

  • 1 – 10 ball of pizza dough 
  • 1/2 cup prepared pesto
  • 1 bulb of garlic
  • 5 sun dried tomatoes, sliced
  • 5 ounces Mozzarella cheese
  • Pecorino Romano cheese (grated over top)
  • Parmesan cheese (grated over top)
  • Red chili flakes

Directions:

1. To roast the garlic: Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic. Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed. Remove garlic gloves and smash with a fork.

2. Spread roasted garlic over pizza dough, then top with your pesto, mozzarella and the grated cheeses. Add your sun dried tomatoes and chili flakes then bake for 8 to 10 minutes in a 475 degree oven. I love using my pizza stone which always sits on the lowest level of my oven.

Citrus Salmon

Posted on by

3

Quick Post: Coho salmon was on sale at Publix so I had to pick some up. Wild salmon is a healthy treat for us – all except my daughter – she has an aversion to fish (she’s my picky eater). I baked the salmon in foil again – it is a fool proof method. Maybe one day I’ll try something new, but when it comes to using an expensive food like this, I go with what I am most comfortable with. This time I used orange and lemon slices to season my fish along with some cilantro that I had leftover from making this to give it an herby kick. We enjoyed this with this garlic rice pilaf and a green salad. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Citrus Salmon –

  • 1 – 6 ounce piece of Coho salmon
  • 2 slices lemon
  • 2 slices orange
  • cilantro leaves
  • kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
  • 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Ready a piece of foil on a baking sheet.
2. Place the salmon on the foil, season with salt and pepper and lay the citrus slices across the top of the fish. Place dots of butter on top and lay the cilantro leaves over all. Gather the sides of the foil to create a package – don’t seal too tightly or you may tear the foil. Place on top of a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes (depending on the size and thickness).