Alfredo Sauce

I don't know where I got this recipe, but it's absolutely delicious! Don't ruin it by using too much garlic and invest in real parmesan cheese so it's not grainy. Don't skimp on the butter, either. Been there, done that and it's not good. Believe me!!

Alfredo Sauce
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INGREDIENTS
¾ cup butter
2 tablespoons cream cheese (optiona, but I use it)
1-¾ cup Parmesan cheese
1-½ cups heavy cream (go for the good stuff!)
3 cloves garlic minced (2 large cloves or 3 small cloves)
salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
In a saucepan, melt butter add heavy cream and cream cheese. Simmer
this until melted and stir until well blended. Add Parmesan and garlic
powder. Simmer for about 15 minutes on low add salt and pepper. Serve
immediately with your favorite pasta.
1 cup of chopped cooked chicken or turkey can be added. 1 small onion
finely chopped can be added when melting butter and sautéed until
transparent.

I usually serve this without meat over fettuccine noodles with Garlic Bread and a salad. Very yummy!! It's best to prepare your pasta first, drain it, then put it back in the pot with a bit of olive oil mixed in so the pasta doesn't stick together. Add the entire batch of sauce to the pasta and you're good to go.

Mexican Chicken (or turkey)

I make this whenever I have leftover chicken from cooking a whole chicken. You can also use turkey when you have leftovers at Thanksgiving or Christmas. You can use both white and dark meat. Personally, I think the dark meat tastes better in this particular recipe. This is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day, after it's had time to marinate overnight in the fridge. Serve with a nice salad and you've got a great, easy, one-pot meal.

Mexican Chicken (or Turkey)
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1 pkg corn tortillas (about 8 or 10)
4 C turkey or chicken, cut or torn
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 t garlic salt
8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
1 can (10 oz) Rotel tomatoes (any speed)
2 cans (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 t chili powder

Line an 8" square baking dish with some of the tortillas (4 or 5). In
a large bowl, mix the turkey pieces, onion, cheese, and garlic salt.
Add the remaining ingredients. Pour into baking dish on top of
tortillas. Cut several tortillas into fourths and push them down into
the mix. Top with more cheese. Bake for 30 mins at 350º.

*I always dip the corn tortillas I'm going to put on the bottom of my dish in hot oil to make them more pliable and not stick to the bottom of the dish. I don't dip in hot oil the ones I put on the top. I also have made it both with the chili powder and without. It tastes great both ways.

Daddy's Fruit Salad

My daddy used to make this for Christmas, but Mark & I make it all the time now. This is an excellent way to use up excess fruit you have on hand. It's also great to take for church pot lucks and family get-togethers. It's so easy, all-natural, and good for you to boot!

Ingredients:
1-2 Ruby Red Grapefruit (esp. the red Texas variety)
2-3 Apples (We use Gala, but any will do)
2 Oranges (seedless)
2-3 Tangerines or Clementines
Grapes (red or green)
Bananas
Fresh Pineapple chunks, optional
Chopped Nuts, optional
Coconut, optional

Rinse the fruit. Peel the oranges, tangerines, and/or clementines and remove all excess rind and that white stuff on the outside of the fruit.

The first step is the messiest but the outcome is so worth it! After peeling your grapefruit, be sure you work over a large bowl so you catch the juice as it dribbles down your hands and arms.

Peel and skin the grapefruit. You only want the flesh of the fruit, not any of the white stuff that's part of the rind. Then pull open the skin of each section and get the fruit out. (The skin and white stuff from the rind is really what makes the grapefruit bitter.) Crumble the grapefruit sections up into a large bowl.

Peel and chop up the remaining fruit. Mix it all together. Add nuts and coconut, if desired.

Cover and store in fridge. Best when left overnight or all day to marinate.

Sunday's Best Oven Fried Chicken

Lest you thought we existed on only desserts and snacks, here's a great tried & true chicken recipe for you. This chicken really isn't fried; it's baked in the oven. However, it does have that fried chicken taste. Once you get the hang of this recipe, it's fairly easy to make. The original recipe makes enough to feed a small army, so I cut the recipe in half. Feel free to use the original amounts, half it, or double it to suit your needs.

Sunday's Best Oven-Fried Chicken
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3-1/2 to 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C all purpose flour
1 t celery seeds
2 t onion powder
1 t paprika
2 T lemon pepper
1 T salt
1 T fresh chopped thyme
2 lg. eggs, room temperature
3/4 C buttermilk (I use plain skim milk w/ 1 T vinegar added)
One 16 oz. package seasoned bread stuffing mix, crushed (I put it in a large ziplock and whacked it with the rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy glass, but I think bread crumbs would work well, too)
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Adjust the baking rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 400ºF.

1. Rinse the chickens thoroughly under COLD water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, celery seeds, onion powder, paprika, lemon pepper, salt and thyme. Set aside.
3. Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together thoroughly. Pour into a shallow bowl.
4. Pour the crushed stuffing mix into a separate shallow bowl or large paper plate.
5. Pour the melted butter onto a baking sheet.
6. Dredge the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour mixture, then in the buttermilk mixture; thoroughly coat in the crushed stuffing mix.
7. Transfer chicken to the baking sheet and gently roll the pieces in the melted butter until lightly coated. (I use a 9" X 13" casserole dish)
8. Bake for 25-35 mins OR when the juices flow clear after a knife is inserted into the thickest part of the breast.
9. When the chicken is fully cooked, transfer the pieces to a platter lined with paper towels. Serve. Allow to cool to room temp before storing in fridge.



I use the Pepperidge Farm stuffing that comes in the large bag. This time I got sage and it tasted too much like turkey stuffing, so I might go with something different next time or try seasoned bread crumbs.

These taste great the next day, too!

If you use chicken tenders or smaller chicken breasts, cut your cooking time and check for doneness.

Don't skip the butter! This really does make the coating nice and crispy. Plus, who doesn't like the added taste the butter gives the finished product?!?

Chunky Monkey Muffins

This is another one of those recipes you can use if you have ripe bananas sitting on your counter. They don't taste like banana muffins, though. They are very easy to throw together and VERY good!

Chunky Monkey Muffins (Makes 12)
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3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup mashed bananas (approx. 2 or 3 bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Grease bottom of muffin pans or use paper muffin liners. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add mashed bananas, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Blend well. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Fold in chips and chopped nuts. Fill muffin cups full. Bake 20 - 25 minutes.

**I ended up with 18 muffins, but I didn't over-fill my muffin cups. I also used regular sized muffin tins and not the jumbo sized muffin tins.

Dinner Plans

In an effort to use the food in the pantry and in the fridge, I've made a dinner menu for the next week or so. In the past when I've ventured to make a menu, I never stuck to it and changed it when I wanted to. This time, I've written it down for all the world to see and am kind of looking forward to sticking with it! I just do dinner because I work and don't get up and cook breakfast and because lunch usually consists of leftovers from the night before. Also, I usually only cook every other day since it's just me and DH. Otherwise, we'd be overrun with food!

Week One: 1/11-1/17
Sunday~Sunday's Best Oven Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry fluff, cottage cheese

Monday~leftovers since I work the late shift

Tuesday 1/13~DH's making Egg in the Holes for breakfast!! Dinner will once again be leftovers from Sunday since I'm working the late shift.

Wednesday~Chalupas and salsa/chips

Thursday~DH's night to cook! (woohoo!)

Friday~Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwiches (from the PW Cooks site) and oven fries

Week Two-11/18-11/24
Sunday~Hamburgers, cottage fries, pork 'n beans

Monday~Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, salad

Wednesday~Chicken Veggie Stir Fry & rice

Thursday~DH's Night to cook!

Friday~Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken, veggies

Saturday/Sunday~Chicken soup

We'll see how it all goes down, but maybe by posting it on here I'll stick to it!

(c:

Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread

Sometimes, I end up with bananas that look like this on my kitchen counter. Not very often, but occasionally.



I know that for some of you, these bananas may be just the right speed for your tastes, but for me, they're well past their prime for eating. Not wanting them to go to waste, and having time last weekend to actually do something with them other than toss them into the freezer, I made banana bread.



This bread is always so moist and delicious! The recipe makes 2 loaves, so I usually keep one at home and take the other one to work.

Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread
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Makes 2 9"x5" loaves

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon (can try 1 t)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (or macadamia nuts)
1/2 C grated coconut (optional)
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (approx. 5-6 medium)
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
3 teaspoons vanilla (can try 2 t)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 9"x5" loaf pans.

Combine first 5 ingredients and stir in nuts. Combine wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry and combine until just moistened. Divide batter between the 2 loaf pans.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Note: Good with grated carrots substituted for the pineapple.

Enjoy!

(c: