Crumb-Coated Ranch Chicken

This is something you could make in a last minute pinch for dinner--super easy, super fast, super tasty! I am using the leftover chicken to make a cobb salad for lunch tomorrow, too!

Crumb-Coated Ranch Chicken

(Simple & Delicious, May/June 2008)

2/3 cup ranch salad dressing
2 cups coarsely crushed cornflakes
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (8 ounces each)

Pour salad dressing into a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine the cornflake crumbs, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Dip chicken in dressing, then coat with crumb mixture. Place in a greased shallow baking pan. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until juices run clear. Yield: 4 servings.

Coconut Sandwich Cookies

I was stuck at home with no car today and had the urge to bake. I usually resort to something chocolate, but unfortunatley, that doens't seem to sit well with Soren. Bummer! So I tried out a new recipe....and was very satisfied with the result--the look and taste!


Coconut Sandwich Cookies
(Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, Dec. 2007)

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 c. sweetened shredded coconut

3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks), room temperature

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Creamy Vanilla Filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks set in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, bakind powder, and salt; set aside. Place 1/2 cup coconut into small bowl; set aside. Place remaining coconut in a food processor; pulse until coarsely ground. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter with sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and ground coconut; mix just until combined.

Drop dough by level tablespoon onto two baking sheets, 1-2 inches apart. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, 10-12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dividing evenly, spread filling on flat side of half the cookies; sandwich with remaining cookies. Roll edges in reserved coconut and chill until ready to serve.

Creamy Vanilla Filling

Using an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup room temperature butter until light and fluffy.

With mixer on medium, beat in 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down bowl as necessary.

Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla; increase speed to high and beat until filling is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Bacon-Chicken Crescent Ring

I made this for breakfast this morning and got a 10 out of 10 rating from both my dad and from Marc. Guess it's a keeper! OH, it presents VERY well and would be great for a baby shower brunch (or something like that)!

Bacon-Chicken Crescent Ring

(Simple & Delicious, Nov/Dec 2007)

2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 can (10 ounces) chunk white chicken, drained and flaked
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Italian salad dressing mix

DIRECTIONS
Grease a 14-in. pizza pan. Unroll crescent roll dough; separate into 16 triangles. Place wide end of one triangle 3 in. from edge of prepared pan with point overhanging edge of pan. Repeat with remaining triangles along outer edge of pan, overlapping the wide ends (dough will look like a sun when complete). Lightly press wide ends together.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over wide ends of dough. Fold points of triangles over filling and tuck under wide ends (filling will be visible).

Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 8 servings.

Triple Layer Carrot Cake

I made this cake for a baby shower last weekend. It is not a new recipe to me, but I have had a few requests for the recipe, so I figured it was worth posting. I got this recipe from Marc's brother, Doug. I think i t may h ave originally come from Southern Living, but I always just give credit to Doug. It is, by FAR, the best carrot cake I have ever had!

Triple Layer Carrot Cake
(thanks to Doug Leavitt, my brother-in-law)

2 C. flour
1 ½ tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Baking powder
¼ tsp. Salt
2 C. sugar
1 ¼ tsp. Cinnamon
¾ tsp. Ginger
¾ tsp. Nutmeg
**Combine all the above ingredients

1 ¼ C. vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
**Add oil & egg

2 ½ C. shredded carrots
½ C. finely chopped pecans
1 tsp. Vanilla
**Stir in above 3 ingredients

Grease & flour 3 round 9inch pans, then line with parchment paper.
Spoon batter into pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Cool in pans for 10 minutes.
Remove and continue to cool.
Prepare cake using Cream Cheese Frosting.
Dust with flaked coconut and shredded carrots. (this makes the cake look gourmet!)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (16 oz) package powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla1 to 2 tsp milk
Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, stirring to spreading consistency.

Skewered Chicken & Red Onion

This is a great fall-back recipe....when I haven't planned anything for dinner, but want more than leftovers or noodles. I always have these ingredients on hand and it doesn't take much prep work. Plus, every person in my family loves this!

Skewered Chicken and Red Onion
(thanks to Jessica Lee, I think)

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons course salt
1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large red onion, cut into 8 wedges

Preheat to 375.
Stir together vinegar, garlic, salt, honey, and oil in a large bowl; season with pepper.
Add chicken and onion to the marinade.
Let stand at room temperature, tossing occasionally, 15 minutes.
Thread pieces of chicken and onion onto skewers.
Place is baking dish; drizzle marinade on top.
Bake until chicken is cooked through, 35- 40 minutes.
Place chicken and onions on serving plate and drizzle with juices from baking dish.

I ALWAYS just throw the skewers on the BBQ (I've never done the baking method) and they are done in about 10 minutes! Easy!
Also, they are really good with fresh pineapple threaded on the skewers, too!

French Dip

This is almost embarrassing, but I had never had French Dip in my life until last night! When I had my freezer mishap a few weeks ago, one of my thawed items was a beef roast. I called my trusty neighbor for suggestions on what to do with all of my meat and she gave me this recipe for French Dip. The best part was that after I made it, I was able to freeze it! I pulled it out the night before and then warmed it on the stove last night. YUMMY!

French Dip
(thanks to Cheri Taylor, the best neighbor!)

3 lb. beef roast
2 c. water
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. garlic powder
Bay leaf
3-4 whole peppercorns

Put together in a crockpot and cook on high for about 4+ hours. Shred meat and serve on crusty rolls with sauce on the side.

I used Ciabatta rolls from Costco and topped the meat with Provolone cheese.
I served them with tator tots and a fruit salad--we all loved our dinner last night!

2 new favorite things

#1 CaraCara oranges!
I love oranges and have always been partial to good ole' California Navel oranges, but these are SO much better! They are a cross between a California Navel and a blood orange--the flesh almost looks like a dark grapefruit--and they are SO sweet! I have only found them in large bags at Costco (which is fine because I devour them!), but I am going to keep my eyes open from now on to see if they are sold in regular grocery stores, too. They are awesome!

#2 Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
A good friend and my sister-in-law both recommended this barbeque sauce to me. Again, I was quite partial to my old stand-by...a BBQ sauce from a local restaurant in Northern California, Emil Villa's. My parents would buy the sauce by the case and so I assumed it was the BEST sauce ever. But Sweet Baby Ray's is REALLY good, much better than generic Kraft BBQ sauce--a littel sweet and a little kick, but definitely NOT spicy. The best part is that it is sold at most grocery stores (some Costco's), and even our WalMart--so now I don't have to sneak a bottle of Emil Villla's sauce home in my suitcase every time I go to see my parents!