From one of my new favorite magazines: Food Network Magazine. This is from the January/February 2013 issue (Volume 6, Number 1).
Cooking spray
1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 C. 1% milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Hot sauce, to taste
3 C. cornflakes, crushed
1-1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, divided
1/2 tsp. garlic powder, divided
4 cube steaks (4 ounces each)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 C. low-sodium beef broth
1/4 C. fat-free (or low-fat) half-and-half
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Pour the flour onto a dinner plate. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and a few dashes of hot sauce. Place the cornflakes, seasoned with 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper, and 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, on a second dinner plate.
3. Season the steaks with the remaining salt, freshly ground pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge them in the flour, patting off any excess, then dip into the egg mixture, letting any excess drip off. Finally, dredge them in the crushed cornflakes, pressing lightly to help the flakes adhere.
4. Place the steaks on the prepared baking sheet. Spray the tops of the steaks lightly with extra cooking spray. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a small cup, mix the cornstarch with 1 Tbsp. of the beef broth and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. In a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch mixture with the remaining beef broth and the half-and-half. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Let the gravy boil, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Season generously with pepper and serve the steaks smothered in the gravy.
Notes: If I made this again, I would put the steaks on a rack while cooking so the bottoms would be crisp rather than getting soggy from the steak juices. Also, if the gravy becomes too thick (or lumpy), thin with additional beef broth.
Orange Chicken
From Life as a Lofthouse. Easy to make and delicious!
1-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken (either chicken breast or chicken tenders)
3/4 C. orange marmalade or jam
1/2 C. rice vinegar
1/3 C. soy sauce
1/2 C. water
1 tsp. ground ginger (fresh is best)
1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes (depends on how spicy you want the chicken)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
5 cloves minced garlic, divided
Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Put scant 1/4 C. flour into Ziploc bag and add chicken. Shake to coat. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour oil in hot skillet and then add 3 cloves garlic. Add dredged chicken cubes and cook chicken until it is no longer pink (about 10-15 minutes). Remove chicken from pan and place on a plate. Set aside.
Deglaze pan with a splash of vinegar. Saute remaining garlic, and then add marmalade, soy sauce, water, ginger, red pepper flakes, and vinegar. Stir. Cook sauce on medium-high heat until sauce begins to thicken slightly. The sauce will seem very watery, but it will thicken. However, don't be afraid to add 1/4 C. cornstarch to help thicken the sauce if needed.
Reduce the heat to low and then add chicken back to sauce. Sauce will continue to thicken with the chicken in it. Continue to cook another 5 minutes or so until everything is heated through and sauce is at desired thickness. Serve with rice and stir-fry vegetables.
1-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken (either chicken breast or chicken tenders)
3/4 C. orange marmalade or jam
1/2 C. rice vinegar
1/3 C. soy sauce
1/2 C. water
1 tsp. ground ginger (fresh is best)
1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes (depends on how spicy you want the chicken)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
5 cloves minced garlic, divided
Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Put scant 1/4 C. flour into Ziploc bag and add chicken. Shake to coat. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour oil in hot skillet and then add 3 cloves garlic. Add dredged chicken cubes and cook chicken until it is no longer pink (about 10-15 minutes). Remove chicken from pan and place on a plate. Set aside.
Deglaze pan with a splash of vinegar. Saute remaining garlic, and then add marmalade, soy sauce, water, ginger, red pepper flakes, and vinegar. Stir. Cook sauce on medium-high heat until sauce begins to thicken slightly. The sauce will seem very watery, but it will thicken. However, don't be afraid to add 1/4 C. cornstarch to help thicken the sauce if needed.
Reduce the heat to low and then add chicken back to sauce. Sauce will continue to thicken with the chicken in it. Continue to cook another 5 minutes or so until everything is heated through and sauce is at desired thickness. Serve with rice and stir-fry vegetables.
Coca-Cola Cake
From The Country Cook. This is very reminiscent of the 7-Up Bundt cake. The cake is not dry and the frosting is almost fudge-like. I'm not a fan of nuts in my desserts, but I didn't mind the chopped pecans so much.
Cake:
1 box (15.25 oz.) chocolate fudge cake mix
1 small box (4 oz.) instant chocolate pudding
Number of eggs listed on back of cake mix box
Amount of oil listed on back of cake mix box
Coca-Cola (use amount listed for water on back of cake mix box)
Frosting:
1 stick (1/2 C.) butter
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
4-6 Tbsp. heavy cream, or 3-4 Tbsp. milk
2 C. packed powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
chopped pecans, optional
For cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, add cake mix, pudding mix, and eggs, oil, and Coca-Cola as listed on the back of the cake mix box. For example, if the cake mix called for 3 eggs, 1/3 C. oil, and 1 C. water you would add 3 eggs, 1/3 C. oil, and 1 C. Coca-Cola, but no water. Mix ingredients according to package directions. Pour batter into baking dish and bake according to package directions.
For frosting: Approximately five minutes before cake is ready to come out of the oven, start making frosting. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, start melting butter. Add in cocoa and 4 Tbsp. cream (or 3 Tbsp. milk) and stir. Stir in powdered sugar. Use a whisk and stir briskly to get all the lumps out. Add additional cream or milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Take mixture off heat and add vanilla extract. Once the cake comes out of the oven, pour frosting over the warm cake. Spread the frosting as evenly as possible. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of frosting, if desired. Yummy served with vanilla ice cream.
Notes: I used Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix. My cake started to get a little burned on the edges even though the middle was not done. I lowered the temperature to 325 degrees. Next time I would probably cook the cake at 325 degrees the whole time.
Cake:
1 box (15.25 oz.) chocolate fudge cake mix
1 small box (4 oz.) instant chocolate pudding
Number of eggs listed on back of cake mix box
Amount of oil listed on back of cake mix box
Coca-Cola (use amount listed for water on back of cake mix box)
Frosting:
1 stick (1/2 C.) butter
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
4-6 Tbsp. heavy cream, or 3-4 Tbsp. milk
2 C. packed powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
chopped pecans, optional
For cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, add cake mix, pudding mix, and eggs, oil, and Coca-Cola as listed on the back of the cake mix box. For example, if the cake mix called for 3 eggs, 1/3 C. oil, and 1 C. water you would add 3 eggs, 1/3 C. oil, and 1 C. Coca-Cola, but no water. Mix ingredients according to package directions. Pour batter into baking dish and bake according to package directions.
For frosting: Approximately five minutes before cake is ready to come out of the oven, start making frosting. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, start melting butter. Add in cocoa and 4 Tbsp. cream (or 3 Tbsp. milk) and stir. Stir in powdered sugar. Use a whisk and stir briskly to get all the lumps out. Add additional cream or milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Take mixture off heat and add vanilla extract. Once the cake comes out of the oven, pour frosting over the warm cake. Spread the frosting as evenly as possible. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of frosting, if desired. Yummy served with vanilla ice cream.
Notes: I used Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix. My cake started to get a little burned on the edges even though the middle was not done. I lowered the temperature to 325 degrees. Next time I would probably cook the cake at 325 degrees the whole time.
Cheesy Chicken Chowder
I was looking for a good chicken noodle soup recipe. I came across this creamy one from The Girl Who Ate Everything. I liked the soup very much, but it didn't seem like a traditional chicken noodle soup because it does not end up with the clear broth I am used to. Since the soup is thick and creamy and has potatoes, I have renamed this to Cheesy Chicken Chowder. The measurements listed here are halved from the original recipe. Even with the half measurements, this recipe still makes a lot of soup!
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 C. water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2-1 C. shredded chicken
1 stick butter
1/2 C. flour
4 oz. Cheez Whiz
1 C. egg noodles, cooked
Over medium heat in large pan, bring water and bouillon to boil. Add vegetables and partially cook them. In separate pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour to melted butter and cook for one minute until mixture is bubbly. When butter/flour mixture is smooth, add to vegetables. Turn heat to medium-low. Add Cheez Whiz and chicken. Simmer 30 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked. Add egg noodles and serve.
Notes: I used Yukon gold potatoes. I used shredded chicken from three boneless, skinless chicken breasts (not sure how many cups of chicken that is). I had a 15-oz. jar of Cheez Whiz and meant to only use 4 oz. in the soup but miscalculated and used 8 oz. The soup still tasted fine, so adjust the amount of Cheez Whiz as desired. I also used 2 C. egg noodles. The soup was very thick when it was done so I added about 1 C. hot water to the soup at the end to make it less thick and to also cut down on the saltiness (the soup is very salty from the bouillon and Cheez Whiz). Add more or less water as needed until the soup is the desired consistency. I also seasoned the soup with pepper. The recipe didn't specify the size of the bouillon cubes, but they are the small cubes. I picked up a box of Knorr chicken bouillon which contains extra-large cubes. Luckily I noticed before I added all six cubes to the soup. Since the cubes were extra-large cubes, I only used three. When I make the soup again, I will probably only use five regular-sized bouillon cubes or two extra-large cubes to minimize the sodium content.
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 C. water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2-1 C. shredded chicken
1 stick butter
1/2 C. flour
4 oz. Cheez Whiz
1 C. egg noodles, cooked
Over medium heat in large pan, bring water and bouillon to boil. Add vegetables and partially cook them. In separate pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour to melted butter and cook for one minute until mixture is bubbly. When butter/flour mixture is smooth, add to vegetables. Turn heat to medium-low. Add Cheez Whiz and chicken. Simmer 30 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked. Add egg noodles and serve.
Notes: I used Yukon gold potatoes. I used shredded chicken from three boneless, skinless chicken breasts (not sure how many cups of chicken that is). I had a 15-oz. jar of Cheez Whiz and meant to only use 4 oz. in the soup but miscalculated and used 8 oz. The soup still tasted fine, so adjust the amount of Cheez Whiz as desired. I also used 2 C. egg noodles. The soup was very thick when it was done so I added about 1 C. hot water to the soup at the end to make it less thick and to also cut down on the saltiness (the soup is very salty from the bouillon and Cheez Whiz). Add more or less water as needed until the soup is the desired consistency. I also seasoned the soup with pepper. The recipe didn't specify the size of the bouillon cubes, but they are the small cubes. I picked up a box of Knorr chicken bouillon which contains extra-large cubes. Luckily I noticed before I added all six cubes to the soup. Since the cubes were extra-large cubes, I only used three. When I make the soup again, I will probably only use five regular-sized bouillon cubes or two extra-large cubes to minimize the sodium content.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Slightly adapted from Cooking Classy.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 qt. (64 oz.) low-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 C. carrots, diced (about 3 medium carrots)
1 C. celery, diced (about 3 stalks celery)
1/2 C. yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 medium onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1-1/2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice from about one lemon)
2 C. rotini noodles
Salt and pepper
Finely grated parmesan or Romano cheese, optional
Place chicken and 2 cups chicken broth in a slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker; set aside. Strain broth from slow cooker through a fine strainer into bowl; set aside. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Saute 3-4 minutes until vegetables are slightly tender. Add remaining broth and reserved chicken broth that was set aside. Stir in parsley, thyme, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Bring soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Once soup reaches a boil, reduce heat slightly and stir in rotini noodles. Cook until noodles reach desired tenderness, about 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, shred chicken then add to soup once noodles are cooked through. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with cheese.
Notes: The original recipe called for fresh parsley; I substituted parsley flakes. The original recipe also called for 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg. The nutmeg scared me, so I used half that amount. I might be adventurous next time and try the full amount. Next time I make this recipe I will probably cook the noodles separately. By the time the noodles were done cooking the vegetables weren't quite soft enough but I was worried to cook the noodles any longer for fear they would become too mushy. Even though it requires an extra pan, I recommend cooking the noodles separately and then adding the noodles to the soup once the vegetables reach the desired texture.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 qt. (64 oz.) low-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 C. carrots, diced (about 3 medium carrots)
1 C. celery, diced (about 3 stalks celery)
1/2 C. yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 medium onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1-1/2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice from about one lemon)
2 C. rotini noodles
Salt and pepper
Finely grated parmesan or Romano cheese, optional
Place chicken and 2 cups chicken broth in a slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker; set aside. Strain broth from slow cooker through a fine strainer into bowl; set aside. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Saute 3-4 minutes until vegetables are slightly tender. Add remaining broth and reserved chicken broth that was set aside. Stir in parsley, thyme, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Bring soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Once soup reaches a boil, reduce heat slightly and stir in rotini noodles. Cook until noodles reach desired tenderness, about 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, shred chicken then add to soup once noodles are cooked through. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with cheese.
Notes: The original recipe called for fresh parsley; I substituted parsley flakes. The original recipe also called for 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg. The nutmeg scared me, so I used half that amount. I might be adventurous next time and try the full amount. Next time I make this recipe I will probably cook the noodles separately. By the time the noodles were done cooking the vegetables weren't quite soft enough but I was worried to cook the noodles any longer for fear they would become too mushy. Even though it requires an extra pan, I recommend cooking the noodles separately and then adding the noodles to the soup once the vegetables reach the desired texture.
Shredded Chicken
From the Cooking Classy blog. This recipe is part of the instructions for making Chicken Noodle soup, but I wanted to give it its own post because I think it would be helpful to cook chicken in this manner for lots of different recipes.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 C. low-sodium chicken broth
Place chicken and broth in a slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker. When cool, shred chicken with two forks.
Note: To double recipe, place 2-5 chicken breasts in 4 C. low-sodium chicken broth. Make sure the chicken is covered with liquid or it will dry out.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 C. low-sodium chicken broth
Place chicken and broth in a slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker. When cool, shred chicken with two forks.
Note: To double recipe, place 2-5 chicken breasts in 4 C. low-sodium chicken broth. Make sure the chicken is covered with liquid or it will dry out.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
This recipe is from Cook's Country. We had this for dinner on Christmas Eve. I was surprised the Ritz crackers stayed crunchy. There is no sauce with this recipe.
25 Ritz crackers (about 3/4 sleeve)
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
8 thin slices deli ham
2 C. shredded Swiss cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz. each)
salt and pepper
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard (like Grey Poupon)
1 C. all-purpose flour
1. Make Crumbs: Adjust the oven racks to the lowest and middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pulse crackers and bread in food processor until coarsely ground. Drizzle in butter; pulse to incorporate. Bake crumbs on rimmed baking sheet on middle rack, stirring occasionally, until light brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow dish. Leave oven on.
2. Stuff Chicken: Top each ham slice with 1/4 cup cheese and roll tightly; set aside. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Cut pocket in thickest part of chicken, and stuff each breast with two ham/cheese rolls. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to plate and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes.
3. Coat and Bake: Beat eggs and mustard in second shallow dish. Place flour in third shallow dish. One at a time, coat stuffed chicken lightly with flour, dip into egg mixture, and dredge in crumbs, pressing to adhere. Transfer chicken to clean baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees on lowest rack until bottom of chicken is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Move baking sheet to middle rack and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake until chicken is golden brown and chicken registers 160 degrees, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer chicken to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.
Notes: I found that the ham/cheese rolls were sometimes too big to fit into the chicken. When that happened, I just cut the rolls in half. After the chicken is stuffed use your hands to try to close the pocket. The refrigeration helps the chicken stay closed. To save time, I prepared the chicken ahead and refrigerated it overnight. The next day I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper and then followed the instructions in Step 3. The recipe recommends Black Forest ham, but any variety will probably work.
25 Ritz crackers (about 3/4 sleeve)
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
8 thin slices deli ham
2 C. shredded Swiss cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz. each)
salt and pepper
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard (like Grey Poupon)
1 C. all-purpose flour
1. Make Crumbs: Adjust the oven racks to the lowest and middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pulse crackers and bread in food processor until coarsely ground. Drizzle in butter; pulse to incorporate. Bake crumbs on rimmed baking sheet on middle rack, stirring occasionally, until light brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow dish. Leave oven on.
2. Stuff Chicken: Top each ham slice with 1/4 cup cheese and roll tightly; set aside. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Cut pocket in thickest part of chicken, and stuff each breast with two ham/cheese rolls. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to plate and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes.
3. Coat and Bake: Beat eggs and mustard in second shallow dish. Place flour in third shallow dish. One at a time, coat stuffed chicken lightly with flour, dip into egg mixture, and dredge in crumbs, pressing to adhere. Transfer chicken to clean baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees on lowest rack until bottom of chicken is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Move baking sheet to middle rack and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake until chicken is golden brown and chicken registers 160 degrees, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer chicken to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.
Notes: I found that the ham/cheese rolls were sometimes too big to fit into the chicken. When that happened, I just cut the rolls in half. After the chicken is stuffed use your hands to try to close the pocket. The refrigeration helps the chicken stay closed. To save time, I prepared the chicken ahead and refrigerated it overnight. The next day I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper and then followed the instructions in Step 3. The recipe recommends Black Forest ham, but any variety will probably work.