Chicken Breast

I found this recipe in the 1/21/2015 issue of the San Antonio Express News. You may quickly pan-fry these cutlets, but the recipe calls for baking them for about 14 minutes in a 450 degree oven.







Ingredients: 
1 cup panco bread crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
Method:
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat it with cooking spray.
In a pie pan or large bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, sugar, and other spices. In a separate pan, add eggs and flour.  Set aside.

Carefully, slice each chicken breast in 1/2 horizontally to create 2 thin cutlets. To do this, place each breast on a cutting board. Hold the breast in place with the palm of one hand while using a knife to carefully slice across the length of the breast horizontally. On at a time, place each cutlet between 2 sheets of wax paper and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound each cutlet until uniformly about 1/4 inch thick.

One at a time, dredge each cutlet through the egg-flour mixture until lightly coated. Shake off any excess, then dredge in the seasoned breadcrumbs. Set the cutlet on a prepared baking sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining chicken. Mist the tops of the cutlets with cooking spray. Bake for 7 minutes, then flip the cutlets and bake for another 5-7 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.  J.M. Hirsch is food editor for The Associated Press. He blogs at www.LunchBoxBlues.com 

Did I mention that those mustard greens came from my garden?

Thin Mints

Found this recipe on Pinterest. You can find it Here.  I used chocolate bark. You can find it on the baking isle.

16 to 20 oreo cookies

7 to 10 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

1 tsp mint extract

Twist the oreos to separate them and scrape off the cream filling.

Melt  the chocolate, then stir in the mint extract well.

Dip an oreo half in the melted chocolate, turn to coat using a fork.

Use the fork to remove the oreo from the chocolate, tap it on the edge of the bowl a few times (to let excess chocolate drip off) and transfer to a lined cookie sheet.

Leave at room temperature until set.

Pulled Pork with Roasted Broccoli

This was an A+ meal. I love these kind of meals because tomorrow night we will pour barbeque sauce over the pulled pork and make sandwiches. You can find the Pioneer Woman's recipe for the pulled pork Here.  You can find the recipe for the Parmesan Roasted Broccoli by Barefoot Contessa Here  I strongly recommend both of them.




Ingredients for the pulled pork

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chile powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pork shoulder roast (also called pork butt)
• 4 onions, cut into halves
• 1 bottle good barbecue sauce
• Good-quality hamburger rolls, for serving

Directions

Stir together the brown sugar, chile powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the pork shoulder. Wrap the pork in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. I used the crock pot.
Place the pork in a large pot on a bed of the onion halves.I poured a bottle of barbeque sauce over the meat. (I guess I didn't read the directions very closely.) Roast until fork-tender and falling apart, about 7 hours. Remove the pork from the pot and set it on a cutting board. I put mine in the crock pot and cooked it on low for 5 hours and then turned it to high and cooked it an additional 2 hours. It probably would have been done cooking it on low the whole time, but I was getting a little nervous about it being ready when we wanted to eat.
Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat and add 1/2 to 1 cup of hot water. Scrape the pan to loosen up the bits and cook for 5 minutes to reduce. Pour in the barbecue sauce and stir to heat.
Shred the meat with two forks, then toss in the barbecue sauce until it's coated to your liking! Serve on hamburger rolls.

Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond

I did not use the barbeque sauce that was in the crock pot because I thought it had too much grease. I served it tonight with mashed potatoes and broccoli w/o the sauce.  Tomorrow, I will pour fresh barbecue sauce over the shredded pulled pork and make sandwiches.

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 pounds broccoli
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• Good olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.
Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.
Note: Recipe was halved for TV

2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, All Rights Reserved

Slutty Brownies

I found the recipe Here  This would be great to take to a party because a little goes a long way. And you don't want to this around too long.  It is dangerous for the waistline. I probably won't make these again. Some desserts are worth the calories, but this wasn't a hit for me.





Ingredients:
1 box of cookie mix
1 Box of brownie mix
Oreo cookies
1 stick butter, 3 eggs and 2/3 cup oil depending on your mix
Ice cream is optional
Line a baking dish with grease proof paper, or just spray your pan with nonstick cooking spray. This is what I did. Follow the instruction on the cookie mix and stir until you have a gooey cookie dough. The author usually adds a little extra water and oil, but I didn't need to do that. Press the cookie dough into the baking dish until it covers the bottom f the dish. Cover this layer with Oreos. Mix up your brownie batter. Pour over Oreos. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven to cool. When cooled, cut into servings and enjoy.

Slopppy Joe Casserole

I found this recipe from Six Sisters Stuff and you can find it Here
 The only problem I had was it says to cook it for 10- 12 minutes and my crust was not done after 15 minutes.  I would say you should cook it at least 20 minutes. 





Ingredients:
1 pound of ground turkey (I used ground beef)
1 can of Manwich
2 packages  Crescent rolls ( I think the pizza dough would work better)
4 cups mozarella cheese, shredded
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray a 9 X 13 pan with non stick spray. Set aside.
3. In frying pan, brown your meat. Once it is cooked all the way through add the manwich and let it cook until it simmers.
4. Open the first package of crescent rolls. Unroll it and place it in the bottom of your sprayed pan.
5. Spread it out with your hands until it covers the whole bottom of the pan.
6. Now take half the mozzarella cheese and toss it on the dough evenly.
7. Carefully pour all the the Manwich mixture over the top of the cheese. Spread it out evenly.
8. Spread the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top of the Manwich mixture. Spread it out evenly.
9. Now open the second package of crescent rolls and unroll it. Place it on your table top and press it together the best you can. Place this on top of the second layer of mozzarella cheese.
10. Bake for 20 minutes, depending on your oven. You might want to check it after about 15 minutes, but mine was not done even though it was golden brown on top.

Salmon with Chimichurri Sauce

My daughter told me about this sauce. It is usually made to go on steak, but it was awesome on the salmon.  This will certainly become a staple in our refrigerator.






Chimichurri Sauce  Ingredients:  Find the recipe Here
1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of thick stems
 3-4 small garlic cloves
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves (can substitute 2 teaspoons dried oregano)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
I added 1/4 teaspoon dried dill and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard.  I thought it would be a nice addition for the fish.  I was right.  I love when that happens. 
Method: Add parsley, fresh oregano, and garlic to the food processor. While food processor is going add the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add dill and mustard if desired. Serve immediately. Can refrigerate for 1-2 days. Return to room temperature to serve.

I left the salmon on the counter to get to room temperature while I made the chimichurri sauce. Then I salt and peppered both sides of the fish. Add 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to a skillet, I used my cast iron skillet. When it gets hot, medium high, cook it on each side about 3 minutes, depending on how done you like your fish.