New Year's Resolution...

This year's New Year's Resolution for me is to eat more fruits and veggies! So I cracked open my trusty Cooking Light Superfast Suppers Cookbook, which has very speedy, easy, and healthy recipes, and picked this one.

You could definitely kick it up by using pesto instead of the chopped basil, or maybe just adding some garlic or hot pepper flakes. I liked it just fine the was it was, and I think it will be great cold tomorrow for lunch!

Quick and Easy Stir Fry

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Trader Joe's? If not, well...I do. A few weeks ago while shopping at TJ's, I bought a pack of fresh Asian Stir Fry veggies in the produce department. Unfortunately, my week got crazy and I didn't get to use them right away. I tossed them in a freezer bag and into the freezer they went... until tonight! I pulled them out and rinsed them off and they were good as new. I also found a frozen chicken breast, frozen beef filet, and frozen fried rice. My freezer is a magical place! I thawed and sliced the beef and chicken and stir fried them first, separately.





Quick and Easy Stir Fry


Trader Joe's Asian Stir Fry Vegetables
Beef or Chicken (about 12 oz. total)
Salt & Pepper
Soy Sauce
Oil


Stir fry meat in a small amount of oil over high heat in a large skillet or wok until done. (Season with salt and pepper to taste.) Remove meat from skillet. Next stir fry veggies until crisp tender and add soy sauce while cooking. Serve with rice if desired.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

It was a cold and rainy day, perfect for some stew! I made a big pot of this stew to pack for lunch the rest of the week.

Beef & Vegetable Stew

1 lb lean beef for stew
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 (15 ounce) cans beef broth
8 ounces fresh green beans
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium zucchini, peeled and diced
1/4 cup frozen corn
bay leaf
salt and pepper, to taste
Italian seasoning to taste
2 Tablespoons corn starch

In a medium to large pot, heat 1/2 tsp olive oil; brown beef, onion and garlic. Add broth, tomatoes, veggies and seasonings. Bring to a boil; simmer, cover and cook on low for 15 minutes to 30 minutes. Mix corn starch with small amount of cold water and add to pot. Let boil for a few minutes until thickened. Discard bay leaf, serve.

A Supreme Dinner

I saw this recipe on another food blog I like, Taste and Tell. It tasted as good as it looked and although it looks like it calls for a lot of ingredients, the only things I needed were chicken and mushrooms. Everything else was in the pantry. I also had a large bag of baby spinach to use up, so I tried a creamed spinach recipe that called for things I had on hand and it was also great, but I'd probably use more spinach next time, as it was very creamy!

Chicken Supreme

6 bone-in chicken thighs

3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

dash of paprika

1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup diced onion

1/4 teaspoon curry powder

dash of pepper

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cold water
1 cup sliced mushrooms

olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Sprinkle the chicken thighs with the seasoned salt and paprika. Place chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. Combine the chicken broth, wine, onions, curry powder and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 45 minutes or until chicken is done.When chicken is almost done cooking, heat a small amount of olive oil in a pan. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender. Remove from heat.When chicken is done, remove from oven. Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm. Strain the pan juices, and reserve for the sauce. In a small pan, blend the flour and the cold water. Slowly stir in the pan juices. Cook and stir over low heat until sauce thickens, the boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and heat through. Serve chicken with the sauce.

Source: Better Home And Gardens New Cookbook

Creamed Spinach

5 Tbls. butter - divided

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 dash ground nutmeg

1 cup half and half cream

4 oz. cream cheese - low-fat okay

1 sm. onion - minced

3 cloves garlic - minced

(2) 10 oz. pkgs. frozen chopped spinach - thawed (I used fresh baby spinach)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 3 Tbls. butter; stir in flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; slowly whisk in cream; stir in cream cheese. Increase heat to medium; whisk mixture constantly until thick and smooth; remove from heat and set aside. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook onions and garlic in remaining 2 Tbls. butter until transparent; stir spinach and water into pan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Stir spinach mixture into creamy mixture; return to medium heat; heat, stirring often, until warmed throughout. Remove from heat; fold in Parmesan.

Source: Robbies Recipes Collection

Monday Night TV!

While I'm bummed for all the Brighthouse customers in my area, because they no longer get CBS (due to lots of corporate greed on both sides, but that is another blog), I'm happy because it means that Ali comes over for The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. It also gives me a good excuse to try new recipes!

Tonight I made a recipe from Mary Ellen's blog, she always has amazing recipes, so I knew this would be great!

I made a second recipe from Blogging...It's Whats for Dinner, and it was very good as well.

Chicken Florentine Style

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Red Pepper flakes
Paprika
6 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
20 oz fresh baby spinach

Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika red pepper flakes. Dredge the chicken in the flour to coat lightly. Shake off any excess flour. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep it warm. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until the shallots are translucent, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, about 1 minute. Add the wine. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the cream and boil until the sauce reduces by half, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices to the sauce, and turn the chicken to coat in the sauce. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in another large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and saute until heated through. Season the spinach, to taste, with salt and pepper. Arrange the spinach over a platter. Place the chicken atop the spinach. Pour the sauce over and serve.

Cheesy Broiled Tomatoes

4 large tomatoes
8 oz mozzarella, sliced
8 oz shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
garlic salt
fresh cracked pepper
paprika

Slice tomatoes into thick rings, about 1 inch thick. Place them on a greased broiling pan. Sprinkle tomatoes with garlic salt and pepper. Place a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of each tomato. Then sprinkle the tops with shredded cheese. Sprinkle the tops with paprika. Broil for about 5-6 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and browned.

Veggie "No Mac" and Cheese

So this pretty much defeats the healthiness of the veggies, but boy is it good! Plus it satisfies the macaroni & cheese cravings with little carbs!

Veggie "Mac" and Cheese Casserole

Kosher salt, as needed, plus 1/2 teaspoon
2 cups cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 cups broccoli, cut into small florets
Vegetable oil spray 1 cup heavy cream
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar, plus 1/2 cup for topping the casserole
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with salt.
Spray the baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
Cook the cauliflower in the boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well and pat between several layers of paper towels to dry. Transfer the cauliflower to an 8x8 baking dish and set aside.
Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan, and whisk in the cream cheese and mustard until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese, salt, pepper and garlic and whisk just until the cheese melts, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, pour over the cauliflower, and stir to combine. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake until browned and bubbly hot, about 15 minutes. Serve.

Source: Adapted from foodtv.com

Fun at the Farmers' Market

For the first time since I've lived in Indy (7 years in August), I ventured to the Broad Ripple Farmers' Market. There are tons of booths with all kinds of fruits, veggies, and baked goods, not to mention a ton of other neat stuff. To get my energy up to fight the crowds on the hunt for the best deals, I stopped by the Rene's Bakery stand to get a chocolate croissant. If you've never been to Rene's I highly recommend it, everything I've ever tried has been delicious.

After doing a lap to see what all the vendors were selling, I managed to do all of my shopping at one booth, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, which I used in the very fresh and yummy recipes below.

Green Beans & Potatoes

2 pounds fresh green beans (rinsed & trimmed)

5 red potatoes (cleaned & quartered, not peeled)

1/4 lb bacon, chopped

1/2 large onion, chopped fine

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onion and bacon in a dutch oven until desired crispness. Place green beans and potatoes in the dutch oven with just enough water to almost cover. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium and let beans cook slowly for 1 1/2 to 2 hours depending on how tender you want them.

Creamy Corn

4 cups fresh sweet corn cut from the cob or equivalent amount of frozen corn
1/2 of an 8oz tub chive and onion-flavored cream cheese
1/2 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of celery soup
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 cup red pepper, diced
1/3 cup milk

Blanch corn in large saucepan of boiling water and drain. Add chive cream cheese, soup and green and red pepper. Stir in milk to thin the mixture and make it creamy. Warm over medium heat until the diced peppers are medium crisp.

Source: Indianapolis Woman Magazine

Double Take

As promised, I've re-vamped last nights leftovers into a tasty and healthy dinner! I need to try and do this more often, as it only took me 15 min to have dinner ready! Perhaps I'll have to try some of Robin Miller's menu plans in the near future, as she is always coming up with good ideas.




Fast Fajitas

Left over grilled chicken, sliced into strips
1 onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
olive oil
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
salt & pepper to taste
tortillas
sour cream
salsa

Heat oil in a pan over high heat. Add onion, peppers, and seasonings and saute until veggies are tender. Add chicken and allow to heat through. Serve with tortillas and desired toppings.

Sauteed Corn & Green Beans

1 cup left over green beans
1 cup left over corn on the cob, taken off the cob :)
olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat, saute garlic for a minute or so. Add veggies and heat through.

Summertime!

Nothing screams summer like grilled sweet corn! (If you live in Indiana anyway) Even though the best corn is yet to be harvested, the current crop available at the grocery is pretty decent.

Tonight I grilled some chicken and corn, and tomorrow night I have a whole meal planned with the left overs, so be sure to stay tuned for those.

Sweet N' Spicy Roasted Corn

Shuck and clean the corn, then add to boiling water for 10 minutes. Wrap each cob into foil and grill over medium-high heat for 15 minutes, turning frequently.

Serve with the following butter sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat and mix in other ingredients.

Grilled Chicken Marinade

2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, liquid smoke, mustard, pepper, and garlic powder. Place chicken in the bowl, and coat with the marinade. Cover, and allow chicken to marinate a maximum of 4 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the grill for high heat.

Oil grill grate. Discard marinade, and place chicken on grate. Cook 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until juices run clear.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Grilled Chicken in No Time

Part of my problem with grilling chicken is that I don't decide to make it until the last minute, and all of the really good recipes seem to call for overnight refrigeration in a marinade. This recipe was great, and you only put the seasonings on it as you grill. It also came a long with a really good sauteed spinach & mushroom dish. I'm sure I'll be making this again soon!

Grilled Chicken Over Spinach

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
4 (4 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Sauteed Spinach:
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach, torn

In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients; mix well. Spoon over chicken. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.
In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil for 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms; saute for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; saute for 2 minutes or until wilted. Transfer to a serving platter; top with chicken.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Salad Du Jour

Since I'm still on my salad kick, and get excited everytime I see a farmer's market, I threw this together for dinner tonight. It also incorperates a new find from Trader Joe's, shredded pre-cooked BBQ chicken. It was of course awesome, as is everthing I buy there.

BBQ Chicken Salad

(The following makes 2 very large salads)
1 bag salad mix
1 vine ripe tomato
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped English cucumber
1/2 cup sweet corn
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded BBQ chicken

Assemble as shown and serve with your favorite dressing.

Source: Me

Green Beans a'la Aunt Verlena

I've been eating green beans this way since I was little. Mainly cooked by my Grandmother, or her sister Aunt Verlena. Now it wouldn't be a holiday without Aunt V's down home cooked beans. They aren't necessarily the healthiest, but dang they are good!

Aunt Verlena's Green Beans

2 lbs fresh green beans, snapped and cut
1/2 lb bacon
1 small onion, diced

Clean & prepare green beans. Chop bacon and cook in a large pot on medium high heat until crisp. Add diced onion and cook until transparent. Add green beans and add water until they are just covered. Bring pot to a boil and then simmer for a couple hours, or until desired tenderness is reached. Salt to taste.

Source: Mom

It's All Greek to Me!

I love salad, but get kinda tired of your run of the mill lettuce based salad. This recipe had gotten rave reviews, had a ton of vegetables, and no lettuce what so ever. It was so good, I could eat it every day!

Greek Salad

3 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 European seedless cucumber, cut into bite-size chunks
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chunked
1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and chunked
1 cup Kalamata black olives
Several sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, about 1/2 cup
1/4 pound light Greek feta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and black pepper

Combine vegetables, olives, parsley, and feta in a large bowl. Combine oil, vinegar, and oregano in a small plastic container with a lid. Shake vigorously to combine oil and vinegar and pour over salad and cheese. Season with salt and pepper and let the salad marinate until ready to serve.

Source: Adapted from Rachel Ray

Popeye says to Eat Your Spinach!

I love veggies, and am always looking for recipes to make them more exciting than your typical bag of frozen green beans. This recipe was great!

Creamed-Spinach Gratin

1 (10-ounce) bag fresh spinach

Cooking spray

2/3 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup tub-style light cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) sliced tomato

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese

PreparationPreheat oven to 375°.

Remove large stems from spinach. Tear spinach into 1-inch pieces; place in a colander. Rinse spinach under cold water; drain. Set aside.

Place a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium heat until hot. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add spinach; cover and cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Add cream cheese, oregano, salt, and pepper. Uncover and cook an additional minute or until cream cheese melts. Spoon spinach mixture into a 1-quart gratin dish or shallow casserole coated with cooking spray. Arrange tomato slices in a single layer on top of spinach,and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Source: Cooking Light

Fruits & Veggies!

The other night I decided to try a Deen Brother's recipe, because they seem to have good taste in food, and lets face it, they are very cute! I roasted some veggies to go with our grilled chicken, it was a great dinner!

Lime Marinated Chicken

Marinade:

1½ limes
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, trimmed and sliced
2 teaspoons tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Pinch salt

For marinade, finely grate the zest and squeeze the juice from limes. In a blender, combine zest and juice with remaining marinade ingredients; puree until smooth. Pour marinade over the chicken and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight.

Source: The Deen Brothers Cookbook: Recipes from the Road

Roasted Veggies

1/2 lb.whole button or crimini mushrooms 1/2 lb.baby carrots
1 medium onion, peeled, cut into
1/2-inch-thick wedges
1 large red, green or yellow bell pepper, cut into 8 strips
1/3 cup Italian Reduced Fat Dressing
1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 450°F. Line 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil; spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Toss vegetables with dressing and 1/4 cup of the cheese; spread into prepared pan.

Bake 28 to 30 min. or until vegetables are tender, stirring after 15 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Source: Kraftfoods.com

Bustin' My Chops

On to a grill that is... We are trying to enjoy being outside more, so we utilize the grill as much as possible. We seem to eat a lot of chicken, so tonight I thought I'd mix it up a bit and grill some pork chops. These were very juicy and flavorful. I did a foil packet of veggies on the side, and they were pretty good. I think I'll add some garlic to them next time, to kick it up a little.

Pork Chop Willy's Grilling Rub

3 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
Six to eight 10- to 11-ounce bone-in pork rib chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick
Vegetable oil spray

At least 1 and up to 8 hours before you plan to grill the pork chops, prepare the dry rub, combining the ingredients in a small bowl. Coat the chops with the spice mixture, place them in a large plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate.

Fire up the grill, bringing the heat to medium.

Remove the chops from the refrigerator and let them sit covered at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Spray the chops with oil and transfer them to the grill. Grill for 18 to 20 minutes total. Turn onto each side twice, rotating the chops a half turn each time to get criss-cross grill marks. The chops are done when just a hint of pink remains at the center. Serve hot.

Source: Epicurious.com

Yellow Squash, Tomato, & Onion Packets

1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 large plum tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place onions in center of (24x18-inch) sheet of foil; top with squash and tomatoes. Sprinkle with basil.

Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal, leaving room for heat circulation inside.

Grill 15 min. or until vegetables are tender. Open top of packet; sprinkle vegetables with cheese. Let stand 3 min. or until cheese is melted.

Source: Kraftfoods.com

Freaky Friday

Today has been a long, but very interesting day. It started this morning when I was awakened by an earthquake at 5:38am. I was completely dazed and startled when I woke from my slumber and immediately started questioning why the bed was swaying and the windows were rattling loudly. Without missing a beat, or even opening and eyelid, Scott said, "its just an earthquake, go back to sleep." Now maybe if I lived in California, that would have been the case, but here in Indiana, it is exciting! The rest of the day was absolutely gorgeous with perfect weather, so we couldn't resist using the grill and eating outside on the deck.

Alongside steak for myself, and chicken for Scott, I grilled veggies and potato packets.

Zesty Grilled Veggies

2 medium zucchini, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 red pepper, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
1 yellow pepper, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
2 Tablespoons Kraft Fat Free Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat grill to medium heat. Place vegetables in a greased grill basket.
Grill 10 min. or until crisp-tender, turning occasionally. Place in large bowl.
Add dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

Source: Adapted from Kraftfoods.com

Grilled Potato & Mushroom Packets

2 baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large white onion, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried parsley
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Sour cream

Preheat grill for high heat.

Toss potato slices, onion slices, and mushrooms in olive oil and salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic.
Fold up into 2 large and liberally greased foil sheets, sealing tighly.

Place on the preheated grill, and cook 25 minutes, turning once, or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle potatoes with Cheddar cheese, reseal foil packets, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Easiest Indian Food You'll Ever Make

Since Mondays are usually my busiest and most exhausting day at work, I love little help in the kitchen. Today, my cooking parter was Joe. Trader Joe that is. If you don't have a Trader Joe's Grocery Store near you, then my only suggestion for you would be moving near one. I love shopping there, and especially love the great sauces and frozen items they carry to make dinner a breeze!

Chicken Tikka Masala

8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 in. pieces
1 jar of Trader Joe's Masala Simmer Sauce
Basmati rice (prepared as directed on package)

Simmer uncooked chicken in sauce over medium heat for 15-20 min. (as directed on sauce jar)

Serve over cooked Basmati rice.

I recommend serving with Tandori Naan (like a flat bread) found in the Trader Joe's frozen foods section.

Sauteed Spinach

1 6 oz. bag of fresh baby spinach
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste

Sauté the minced garlic in oil over medium heat for 2 min. in a saucepan or skillet. Add spinach and allow to wilt. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste.

Stormy Weather

Tonight my friend Ali came over for dinner, and luckily she blew in just before the storm! This is crazy Indiana, so if you don't like the weather, just wait 10 minutes. At 7pm when we started eating dinner it was dry and 50 degrees. Before we even got to dessert we had a tornado warning, it was pouring, and the temperature was plummeting! Luckily we never lost power and we had a fun dinner, including 3 recipes below.





Brushetta n' Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 servings

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1-1/4 cups Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/3 cup Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the basil and dry stuffing mix; stir just until moistened.
Place 2 chicken breast halves in large freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Pound chicken with meat mallet or side of heavy can until chicken is 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding two at a time to bag. Place chicken, top-sides down, on cutting board; spread evenly with stuffing mixture. Starting at one of the narrow ends, tightly roll up chicken. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Drizzle evenly with dressing. Bake any remaining stuffing mixture on the sides of the chicken if desired.

Calories 280 Total fat 8 g Saturated fat 3 g Cholesterol 80 mg Sodium 880 mg Carbohydrate 20 g Dietary fiber 1 g Sugars 5 g Protein 32 g Vitamin A 10 %DV Vitamin C 15 %DV Calcium 15 %DV Iron 10 %DV

recipe adapted from Kraftfoods.com

Sauteed Spinach with Garlic and Bacon

4 servings

1/4 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups packed baby spinach leaves
2 Tbsp. Real Bacon Bits

Heat dressing in large deep skillet or Dutch oven on medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute or until tender.
Add spinach; cover. Cook an additional 4 to 6 minutes or until spinach is wilted, stirring after 3 minutes.
Sprinkle with bacon bits.

Calories 80 Total fat 5 g Saturated fat 1 g Cholesterol 5 mg Sodium 480 mg Carbohydrate 6 g Dietary fiber 3 g Sugars 1 g Protein 5 g Vitamin A 150 %DV Vitamin C 25 %DV Calcium 10 %DV Iron 20 %DV

recipe adapted from Kraftfoods.com

Crista's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 2 dozen large cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup Crisco baking stick
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Beat crisco, sugars, and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy, adding eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in the dry mixture. Stir in morsels by hand. Use a standard size ice cream scoop to measure out the cookies on to ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes until sides become golden brown.