Magnificent Marsala Penne

It's nearly payday...which means, my cupboards and fridge are in need of restocking. I pulled out chicken to thaw in the fridge over night and thought about what supplies I already had...and then I literally dreamed up this recipe. It was everything and more I could have hoped for! Magnificent! I made this for 2 adults (and a 1 year old)...and it would have been enough to feed 4 adults.


Ingredients:

• Multi Grain Penne Pasta, cooked (I used half a box and had a lot left over)
• 2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 1 cup & 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup Marsala wine
• season salt
• pepper
• garlic powder or minced garlic
• Mrs. Dash (original)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Pour 1/2 cup of chicken stock into an 8x8 baking dish. Pound chicken breasts thin. TIP: lay chicken on plastic wrap and fold plastic wrap over the top (not tightly), then pound...keeps chicken juice from going all over the place. Sprinkle the listed spices on the chicken, then put 1/4 cup of Mozzarella in the center of each breast, then 1/4 of the onions on each breast. Roll them up and place in an 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle with spices and add remaining onions on top. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Half way through baking time, baste chicken with chicken stock to keep from drying out.

Make sure to wash your hands and all surfaces where the raw chicken touched.

Boil water and cook pasta for about 10 minutes. While pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Bring 1 cup of Marsala wine to a boil and allow to reduce by half. Then add 1 cup chicken stock and whisk in flour. Boil for several minutes (this will help sauce thicken slightly). Reduce heat to low and when liquid is no longer boiling add a dash of garlic, salt, and pepper. Then add milk and butter, remove from heat when butter is melted. You do not want it to boil once the milk has been added!

Serve chicken on top of pasta, spoon on sauce then sprinkle with the remaining Mozzarella and some Parmesan cheese. I cut the breasts in half and served each of us half (portion control)...and it was plenty to make us full!

Cheers!
CC

Bacon, Cream Cheese, Egg Breakfast Muffin

Bacon....yum! Sorry this picture does not do justice to how tasty this was.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices cooked bacon (I like to use maple bacon)
• 1 egg scrambled 
• 1 English muffin (whole grain), toasted
• Schmear of cream cheese

Put it all together and eat! TIP: An easy way to make a scrambled egg...crack egg into a coffee mug, add a splash of milk and whisk with a fork. Microwave for a minute. It will be the perfect size for your English muffin. If you are feeling adventurous...add some jelly on top of the cream cheese. The best is blackberry or boysenberry (or as they call it here, black raspberry).

Cheers!
CC

Tuna Melt with Avocado

Have I mentioned how hot it is? I think I may have once or twice...So tonight I made tuna melts. They were fabulous, quick, simple, yum! Served with a nice side salad...great summer dish. This makes four sandwiches.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices sour dough bread
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• 1 Avocado, sliced
• 12 oz can tuna (in water)
• 3 tablespoons mayo
• 1 tablespoon mustard (I used honey dijon)
• 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Butter

 Toast the sourdough slices lightly. While they are toasting, mix tuna, mayo, mustard, relish, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of the toast. Place toast in skillet butter side DOWN. Place one slice of cheese, then tuna, then avocado, then cheese, then toast butter side UP. Let it cook until the cheese gets melty and then flip. Cook for a couple minutes...remove from heat and serve.

Cheers!
CC

Toaster Oven S'Mores with Nutella

I love my toaster oven. I am always trying to think of ways to use it...especially now since it has been so hot...I don't want to turn my oven on!

Ingredients:

• Gram Crackers
• Nutella
• Mini Marshmallows

Put your toaster oven on the toast setting. Place a gram cracker on the rack, then put a few mini marshmallows on top. I also put a couple butterscotch chips on mine (yum yum yum). Toast until marshmallows are golden. Spread Nutella on another gram cracker then sandwich the two crackers together! Sooooo soooo good and easy!

Cheers!
CC

Roasted Potatoes

It was way too hot to make these (it's 95 degrees here)...but I did it anyway because they sounded so good.

Ingredients:

• 2 large potatoes
• 1 medium onion (brown or sweet)
• Olive Oil spray
• Season Salt
• Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Mrs. Dash (original)

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Wash, peel and cube potatoes. Dice onion (not too small though). Place potatoes and onion in a large bowl. Spray with several sprays of olive oil (enough to coat). sprinkle in a generous amount of the spices and toss until coated. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer. Cook 10 minutes then turn. Cook 10 more minutes and turn again. Then 10 more minutes.

A few ideas to jazz them up a bit...I added Parmesan cheese the last 5 minutes of cooking time. You could use shredded cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and drizzle with sour cream (this is what I am going to do next time).

Cheers!
CC

Did you make this? Change it? Let me know your thoughts!

Brownie Bites Made in a Cake Pop Maker

Nick absolutely loves brownies with Reese's chips. But with 95 degree temperatures and 55% humidity, the last thing I want to do is run the oven. So I figured I would pull out the cake pop maker and see if making brownies would work. It did! They turned out so delicious and if you are like me and like the edges of the brownies the best, then you will love this!

Ingredients:

• 1 box of your favorite brownie mix
• 1 bag Reese's Peanut Butter Chips (you won't use the whole bag)

Plug in your cake pop maker to pre-heat it. Mix up the brownie mix as directed on the box. TIP: My favorite brownie mix is by far Dunkin Hines Milk Chocolate.  Spray Cake Pop maker with cooking spray. Fill each cup with brownie batter half way, then add in 3 or 4 Reese's chips to each and fill the rest of the way with batter. They take about 15 minutes to bake through. I suggest trying out just a few first before you fill up the whole pop maker. This gives you an idea of what you are doing and a good technique and if you run a few, its not a big deal. Make sure you also poke the middle of them with a tooth pick to make sure the center is cooked through. If the toothpick is clean, they are done. How I fill my pop maker is with a squeeze bottle (I got in the baking and candy aisle of Micheal's). But you can use a pastry bag or a sandwich bag that you cut at the corner.

If Reese's aren't your thing, you can make them plain or with other things like chopped nuts, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, caramel....

Cheers!
CC

Did you try this? How did it turn out? Let us know!

Roasted Cauliflower

I've heard people say that roasted cauliflower tastes like french fries, but it a much healthier option. So I decided to give it a try. It didn't taste anything like french fries, but it was very good.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 6 sprays of olive oil
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• Mrs. Dash (original)
• black pepper
• season salt (just a tiny bit)
• balsamic vinegar
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Chop cauliflower into chunks then wash thoroughly. Place cauliflower in a bowl and spray with olive oil and add spices...then toss until coated. Place cauliflower on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes (turn cauliflower once during baking). After 15 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle with a bit of balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese. Bake for another five minutes.

Cheers!
CC

Did you try this? Like it? Change it? Comment below and let us know how you made it!