Nothin Say Lovin Like Chicken From The Oven

CheeZit And Ritz, Herb Encrusted Chicken

Nothin say lovin like some YUMMY chicken from the oven!

Chicken is comfort food! Whether it's backed, fried, broiled or grilled
chicken just warms my soul right up!
A friend/neighbor, back in our old neighborhood, told me about CheezIt Crusted Chicken and my heart melted at the thought of it!

Here is my take on it :)

Recipe serves 2 but can easily be doubled or tripled.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 cups cracker crumbs made from Cheezits
1 1/2 cups cracker crumbs made from Ritz crackers
1 tbsp minced fresh dill
1 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tbsp minced fresh oregano
1/2 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
1 tbsp minced fresh thyme
1 clove minced garlic
2 eggs
1 cup flour, for dusting
1 cup of shredded cheese
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400º. In large bowl add the first 8 ingredients. Stir to combine thoroughly.

Place the flour in a second plate. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper, stir to combine.

To a wide bowl add the egg and whisk until the egg is frothy.

Season all sides of the chicken breast with salt and pepper.

Dredge the breasts in the flour, shaking off all excess. Dip the lightly floured breasts, on at a time, into the egg mixture, coating both sides.

Next, press each of the breasts into the cheezit/Ritz & herb mixture, making sure all sides are thoroughly coated.

Place the breasts into backing dish.Bake at 400ºfor about 20-25 minutes or until just cooked through. Removed the cooked breasts from the oven and sprinkle shredded cheese on top of each breast. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

Baked Empanadas

The shells for this main course call for refrigerated pie crust,
two boxes, which are folded into pockets.
If you don't have refrigerated pie crust in your freezer
here is a fast and simple recipe for pie crust which I used today.

**Pie crust recipe**Double recipe**

4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk
1 1/3 cup Vegetable oil

Mix and form into ball.


***Empanadas Recipe***

Ingredients:

1 package (5.6 or 6.8 ounces) Spanish rice and pasta mix, fully cooked
1 12.5 oz can of chuck chicken breast, drained.
1 10 oz can of Rotel, drained.
1 15.25 oz can of corn, drained.
2 cups of cheddar cheese

Mix the cooked rice and everything else in bowl.

Roll out dough and cut 6 inch circle out until you run out of dough.

Place about a spoon full of chicken/rice mix in center of each pastry.
Fold over and use fork to close the edges of pastry.

Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Monte Cristo

It might be Snowing outside, the roads may be closed
but tonight I'm bringing one of my restaurant favs home!

Monte Cristo......The Davis way.

Ingredients:

1 pound package of deli sliced roast beef...YES! I said roast beef!
8 slices of American cheese
9 slices of bread....or 3 slices of bread per sandwich.
***Batter***
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup water
1 large egg --beaten
Oil --for deep frying
Powdered sugar
Red raspberry jelly

Directions:

Assemble sandwiches: Bread,cheese, roast beef,cheese, bread, cheese, roast beef,cheese, bread, cut in half diagonally.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together to blend well. Add water to the egg and add to the flour mixture mixing well. Dip each sandwich half into the batter and deep-fry in oil pre-heated to 360 degrees until golden brown.

Remove from oil to paper towels. Sprinkle with the powdered sugar. Serve with warm or room temperature jelly, if desired.

CHEERS to my good friend Brenda for making some AWESOME homemade jellies that go PERFECT with this, well done!

Spanakopita Done My Way

It's a snowy Monday and what could possible be better then a slice
of my homemade Spanakopita and a nice hot cup of coffee!

Spanakopita done my way ;)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of Olive oil
1 cup of Ricotta Cheese
1 1/2 cup of Feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tbsp pepper
1 Tbsp salt or just salt to taste ;)
1 pound of spinach, you can use the frozen bags.
1 box of Filo pastry
1 Tsp of minced garlic
1 Tbsp Dill
1/2 cup a butter melted

Preheat oven to 375º.

Sauté the spinach, garlic, dill in the Olive oil with salt and pepper until becomes limp.
Mix the spinach mixture in a bowl with both cheese.

Lay out a few sheets of filo in the baking dish (it will overlap the sides). Brush with butter as you lay the sheets down.
Once the entire baking dish is covered with Filo place the spinach mixture in baking dish. Cover with the rest of your Filo, bushing the filo with butter as you lay it over, then fold all the side of the filo under and brush again with butter.

Bake for 45 minutes or until filo in golden brown, CHEERS!

Bacon Potato Soup

WOW! I haven't posted in some time! Well, better late then never ;)

Busy busy around here lately but after a few days of my Hubby begging me, I finally made him my Homemade Bacon Potato Soup, ENJOY!

Ingredients:

5 bacon strips, diced
1/2 a yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 Tsp all-purpose flour
2 Tsp dried basil
1/2 Tsp pepper
1 Tsp salt
2 cans of chicken broth
5 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
2 chives, chopped

Directions:

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp, then remove bacon from pan, cool and cut into bacon bits. Add your onion and garlic into the bacon drippings and saute everything until tender. Stir in flour, MIX WELL. Gradually add broth and milk, keep stirring as you add the liquids a little bit at a time. Add salt, basil, chives and pepper; mix well. Bring to boil; add 1/2 cup of cheese, boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer on low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.Garnish with shredded cheese and chives...CHEERS!

Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake

For all of you who asked me to post the recipe, here it is
in all it's quick and easy glory!?!
Wait! What?
YES!
You heard me right, I said "quick and easy glory!"

One of my favorite times of the year is when Fall starts.
Fall kicks off the cooler weather and the holiday season
for me and my family!
First comes Halloween, then Thanksgiving and Christmas!
What better way to enjoy the nice weather that fall brings or to kick
off the holiday season then a nice big slice of pie.
My Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake is perfect for any time of the day.
Early in the morning, after you have taken the kids to school,
served with a cup of coffee or late night snuggled up with
your hubby and watching our favorite movie.
My Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake is the SLICE of the ball
and warms your heart, even though it's served cold. CHEERS!




Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake

1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling

1 Jell-O no bake cheese cake.....HA HA HA, this is the cheating part ;)

1 large graham cracker pie crust

1/3 cup of sugar

1 Tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

Backers Semi-Sweet backing chocolate

Crushed up Pecans for the topping

Preheat your oven to 350º

Open up your No-Bake Jell-O box and discard everything but the pie filling.
Take 3 squares of bakers chocolate and crush them up.
Follow instruction for mixing the Jell-O no bake pie filling.
Add the pumpkin pie filling, eggs, vanilla, sugar and crushed chocolate to the mix and beat until smooth.
Pour the mix into your pie crust.

Bake the pie for 40 minutes.
Cool on rack for 30 minutes.

While pie is cooling take 3 squares of the bakers chocolate and melt
with 2 Tbsp. butter in microwave.

Drizzle your pie with the chocolate, sprinkle pecans on top and let cool in refrigerator for at least 3 hours



EASY PEASY CHEERS!

Who says you have to wait for Thanksgiving to stuff a bird!?!

Well, it's Fall, the weather is starting to cool off here in Texas and it's also that lovely time of the year when EVERYONE comes down with some sort of yucky bug!

We here in the Davis house hold have a head cold and what sounds more comforting then an early Thanksgiving meal, well close enough to it that is ;)

Tonight I am making my daughter's favorite meal.A whole Roasted, Stuffed Chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, cheese and broccoli rice, baked beans, brown gravy and sweet dinner rolls.
Can you say " YUM YUM!"



I tried something a little different with the stuffing for the bird tonight.
I had a few Everything Bagels left over from the weekend so I decided to use them as my bread for the dressing. I add 1/2 a yellow onion, 3 stocks of chives, cut up, 1/3 cup of melted butter, 1/2 a cup of chicken stock and 2 and 1/2 of the bagels cut up and all mixed together then stuff a 5 bl. chicken with all of it.
I also mixed 1 stick of butter with garlic, salt and pepper and stuffed it under the skin of the chicken breast.



Cook the chicken for about 2 1/2 hours at 350º or until golden.

I can't think of a better way then this to comfort and relax a family with head colds.

YUM YUM and CHEERS!