Stuffed Chicken...

Pepper & Cheese Stuffed Chicken

4 boneless, skinless Chicken Breast halves

1 7 ounce can of red Chipotle Chili Peppers

4 Tablespoons herb-flavored cheese spread (I use Parmesan w/Garlic & Herb)

2 eggs

seasoned bread crumbs

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 13x9x2 inch baking sheet with aluminum foil; coat with nonstick cooking spray.

Insert sharp knife into thicker side of chicken breast creating a pocket in the center of the chicken.

FOR MILD HOTTNESS: Slice the chipotle chili in halve lengthwise, scrape all seeds. Place one chili inside each chicken breast.

FOR HATTON HOTTNESS: Slice the chipotle chili in halve lengthwise, scrape some seeds, leaving some seeds. Place two chili's inside each chicken breast.

On top of chili, spread one tablespoon of cheese spread.

In a small bowl beat eggs with a fork. Brush each side of each chicken breast with egg and top both sides with breadcrumbs. Spray chicken breast tops with nonstick spray.

Bake at 375 for about thirty minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in center registers 160 degrees.

**By the way, this recipe came from one of our dedicated readers, also our Mom (or Momma) so Thank You!!

STICKY CROCK POT CHICKEN...

STICKY CROCK POT CHICKEN...

1 bottle Catalina dressing
1 small jar Apricot Preserves
1 envelope Knorr Onion soup mix
chicken
put chicken in crockpot and pour all ingridients over chicken. cook on low all day. serve with rice.

(I know it's not my picture, I stole the picture for eye appeal :-) I left my chicken whole when serving it on the plate, and poured a lot more sauce for yummy wet rice)

So, this is the recipe I used for our dinner tonight, and I felt like I cheated! :-) It was super easy!! And the best part, everybody loved it!! I left it in all day, and it was great! I used a whole bottle of Catalina dressing, and a regular jar of apricot preserves - I could have put more chicken in, we had a lot of sauce left over... but now I know I could easily make this dinner for 6 or 8 people, just by adding more chicken. Hope you try this... it's sweet, sticky, tangy, I don't know but the taste is perfect!! Plus REALLY EASY!!

HERB-CRUSTED PORK TENDERLOIN

HERB-CRUSTED PORK TENDERLOIN

1 (4 pound) boneless pork loin
1 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. store bought pre-minced garlic
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried rosemary

-Preheat oven to 350*F
-Place the pork loin on a rack in a roasting pan. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. With your fingers, massage the mixture onto the pork loin, covering all the meat. Or if you are like me and don't like to touch the meat, then use a spatula and spread into the pork.
-Cook pork in middle rack in oven for one and a half to two hours (1 hour 45 min. in my oven).
-Test for doneness using a meat thermometer. When the internal temp. reaches 155 degrees F, remove from oven. Or when there is NO pink in the meat, remove from oven.
- Allow to sit for about 15 minutes, as it will continue to cook while it rests.

I also served gravy over the top of my tenderloin. I just used one of those gravy packets. It made it DELICIOUS!

I made this dinner and it is definitely a favorite!! It was absolutely delicious!! It does have a long cook time, but it's one of those -put it in the oven and forget it- dinners!! Everybody loved it, and it was super tasty! We had never even made pork tenderloin before, but it is a favorite now! I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine did!!

Pesto Chicken

So, here is a tasty and simple favorite in our house... Enjoy!

Pesto Chicken

Need:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Jar (Classico 10 oz.) Traditional Basil Pesto
2 cups preshredded Mozzarella Cheese
2 Plum Tomatoes cut in chunks

To Make:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Defrost Chicken Breasts (if frozen).
Place Chicken Breasts in large bowl.
Puncture chicken breasts with fork 2-3 times each piece.
Spread Basil Pesto over chicken, rub with spoon generously all over chicken.
Typically, for 4 pieces of chicken I would use half the jar.
If time allows let chicken marinate in basil pesto for 15-20 minutes.
Cover cookie sheet with foil.
Place chicken breasts on cookie sheet (spoon extra basil pesto back onto chicken)
Bake for 20-22 minutes.
Remove and layer generously with mozzarella cheese and tomatoes.
Bake for additional 4-6 minutes.
Enjoy! Serves: 4

Another 1st...

I can't really claim this as a new recipe, but I did make another 1st for tonight's dinner...
I made Tri-Tip! I have NEVER made any red meat before, so I was definitely showing love to my husband through this act of service to him! (I can't stand to look at, touch, smell or taste beef) I bought the Tri-Tip pre-seasoned from Costco, and just stuck it in the oven! Sounds easy enough, but let me tell you, this was a stretch for me! But if you like red meat, I think this would be the way to go. You have to be home well before dinner time, but it takes little-to-no effort!

Crystal's Turkey Dinner...

So... this is NOT a normal thing - but last week I made a Thanksgiving Day style dinner... my 1st actually! And it went well! Of course, I had all the crystal platters and bowls out on the table with post-it notes on each so that I could make sure I had everything ready to be put out, and so that I didn't forget anything. My family got there, and had a blast making fun of me for my OCD like behavior, but it was all in love so that's ok :-) Anyway... we had
Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Sweet Potatoes
Corn
Rolls
Pickles & Olives
Cranberry Sauce
And it all went very well, except the fact that I burned my hand on the oven trying to check on the Turkey. But, I just seasoned the turkey with salt & pepper - nothing special, but very tasty! It was a very nice dinner, and a nice little practice run... I think I am ready for Thanksgiving at my house this year :-)