Garlic & Herb Butter (for making garlic bread!)

1 cube softened butter (I like salted butter for this recipe)
2 cloves garlic
Herbs to taste- fresh is best, but dry works too i.e. parsley, basil, oregano, etc.-- I usually use about 5-7 fresh basil leaves
Pepper to taste

Put peeled garlic in food processor and chop till tiny.   Add any fresh herbs and chop.  Add softened butter and combine.

Spread generously over a split loaf of french bread.  Broil under golden and delicious!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This soup is a little different than Mom's, because it uses Velveeta cheese instead of cheddar. I make both recipes, but use different recipes to switch it up a bit. If you've ever had Jason's Deli's Broccoli Cheese soup, this tastes similar.

1/2 stick butter
1 onion, diced
3 c. half and half
1 c. milk
2 heads of fresh broccoli
1/3 c. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
16 ounces Velveeta Cheese, cubed
salt to taste

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring the onion until tender.  Wash and trim the ends of the broccoli (including the small stems because they are good in the soup). Chop into small pieces. Add broccoli, chicken broth and half and half . Cover and bring to a boil. Then simmer until broccoli is tender, about 10-15 minutes.

In a small bowl whisk together milk, cornstarch, pepper and garlic salt. Add to boiling broccoli mixture, stirring until thickened, about 3-4 minutes,

Reduce heat to low-medium and stir in cheese until melted. Add salt to taste.

(half and half can be substituted for 4 cups of chicken broth if you want)

Pesto Baked Chicken ( & Pesto Recipe)

Um, yeah, delicious.

Pesto Baked Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. + 1 T. prepared pesto*
1 1/2 t. sour cream
1 1/2 t. mayonnaise
2 T. shredded parmesan cheese
2 T. pine nuts or walnuts

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange chicken in a single layer in a shallow baking dish.  Combine pesto, sour cream and mayo in a small bowl.  Brush over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese and nuts. Bake 15-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

*Costco sells a great pesto, or I have included a good recipe for pesto below.

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Pesto

1/4 c. walnuts
1/4 c. pine nuts
5 c. basil, packed
3 T. minced garlic (about 9 cloves)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/4 c. olive oil
1 c. parmesan cheese

In blender combine nuts and garlic. Add the basil, salt and pepper. With blender still running, add the oil followed by the parmesan cheese.

This makes 4 cups. You could half the recipe if you don't want that much, but I like to make it and freeze it in ice cube trays. When frozen I pop them out and keep them in bags in the freezer, and just defrost as needed. They last quite a while since a little pesto goes a long way (thanks for the ice cube idea Lisa!).

Fried Rice

Another recipe I got from Shauna (I make this quite often just using whatever veggies I have fresh or frozen, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.)

4 cups rice, prepared
1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked (I usually use ham instead)
1 cup peas and carrots, frozen
1 small white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
2 T. sesame oil
1/4 c. soy sauce

Prepare rice according to package instructions to yield 4 cups cooked rice.  Heat sesame oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add onion, garlic, peas, and carrots (or any veggies you want). Stir fry until tender. Scramble eggs in separate pan, then add to veggie mix. Add rice, chicken (or ham) and soy sauce to pan. Mix soy sauce throughout and remove from heat.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

This is a super easy, really good recipe I got from Shauna!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. soy sauce
3 T. cider vinegar
3/4 t. minced garlic
Salt & Pepper

Whisk together sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and garlic.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in slow cooker. Pour sauce over chicken and cook on high for two hours (or I did low on 4). Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred.

This is good over rice, or would be great in tacos. Maybe with some pineapple :)

Tomatoes Caprese - AMPED!

Regular tomatoes caprese consists of thick sliced fresh tomatoes, salt and pepper, olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, topped with mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves.  This is fabulous in the summer when garden tomatoes are in abundance.  However, for the rest of the year, I prefer this recipe for tomatoes caprese-- it can make even the most bland store-bought tomatoes taste dynamite!

*The original recipe roasts the tomatoes for quite some time as you can see.  If you want to get it done a little faster, you can also roast them at 425 for about 30 minutes.  Speeding things up still gets you the same yummy caramelized tomato flavor, but it also makes them a bit mooshy.  They look prettier if you do it the original way.  I say, who cares!  You can also use them as a topping for bruschetta - aka french baguette bread cut up and toasted!

12 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeds (not cores) removed

¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 ½ T balsamic vinegar

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper

16 ounces fresh salted mozzarella - the cheap kind works great too!

12 fresh basil leaves, julienned - a fancy word for cutting things about the width of a matchstick

Preheat oven to 275 degrees

**To be honest, I do not measure out these things much anymore.  I just toss my garlic in the food processor to get it tiny, and sprinkle/drizzle my tomatoes generously with all ingredients!  But, if you want to be more precise. . .

Arrange tomato’s on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with the garlic, sugar, 1 ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper. Roast for 2 hours until the tomatoes are concentrated and begin to carmelize. Allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature.

Cut the mozzarella into slices slightly less than ½ inch think. If the slice of mozzarella are larger than the tomatoes, cut them in half. Layer the tomatoes alternately with the mozzarella on a platter and scatter the basil on top. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Serve at room temperature.

Mizithra Cheese

If you have ever been to The Old Spaghetti Factory, you may have seen this dish on their menu.  It is one of my favorites, and sooooo easy to make.  It's very rich, so I tend to use it as a side dish with some grilled chicken and broccoli.  Or if you want to go for a vegetarian night, try making it your main course with sides of tomato caprese, veggies, and bread.

1/2 lb. thin spaghetti or angel hair
1 cube butter
mizithra cheese - sometimes spelled myzithra, you can find this in the specialty cheese area of your deli, I usually have luck at Smith's

Cook your pasta to desired firmness.  While pasta is cooking, put the butter in a small saucepan and cook it until it is brown. You will know it is done when it boils down and the milk solids turn brown and sink to the bottom as they solidify.  The butter will also smell deliciously nutty.  WATCH IT CAREFULLY as the next step after brown is burnt.

Drain pasta.  With tongs, dip pasta briefly into the butter then onto your plate.  Use your smallest shredder or microplaner to shred the mizithra cheese all over your pasta-- I like it pretty snowy.

Kimbre's Pasta

1 lb. pasta (penne or rotini work best)
1 pkg. ground italian sausage (I like mild, but you can do hot if you like your food spicy!)
3  14oz cans stewed tomatoes
1 cup cream (you can also use half & half if you want to go cheaper/ less fat)
parmesan cheese (the more expensive shredded stuff is delish, but grated works too)

Start water boiling for your pasta.  In a large skillet brown your sausage.  While sausage is browning, pour the stewed tomatoes undrained into a blender or food processor.  Pulse until you get the consistency you like-- I like mine a little chunky.  Once sausage is brown, add tomatoes and cream- it will be kinda soupy.  Let it warm through while pasta cooks.

Cook pasta UNDER desired tenderness-- a little hard in the middle is just about right.

Drain pasta, but DO NOT RINSE.  Pour pasta and sauce into casserole dish.  Sprinkle generously with cheese and mix in.  Top with more cheese if desired--I like lots!

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, or until pasta has soaked up all that goodness and is tender!  This is a new favorite italian comfort food for our family!

Apricot Chicken

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c. Russian salad dressing
1 c. apricot jam
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
2 tsp. curry powder *optional
Cooked Rice

Combine dressing, jam, soup mix, and curry.  Pour over chicken in a casserole dish.  (You can marinate it in the fridge, but I usually just pop it in the oven.) Bake uncovered at 350 for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Serve over rice.

I usually halve this recipe for my family and it still makes a lot.  I also like to shred the chicken and mix with the sauce.

BBQ Ribs

Mom and Dad made these tonight. YUM!

- Boil ribs in water for about 2 hours.

- Cook for a few minutes on the BBQ (just to get a smokey flavor, meat is already cooked)

- Flip the ribs and coat the cooked side with BBQ sauce

- Cook for a few more minutes.

- Flip again, coat other side with BBQ sauce

Dad says it's easy to burn once the sauce is on the meat so be careful!

Alice Springs Chicken (Outback Steakhouse)

Source: DIY Pinterest

Ingredients

Honey Mustard Marinade:
1 c. Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
1 c. honey
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice

Chicken:
4 chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 c. sliced mushrooms (10/12 mushrooms)
2 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper
paprika
8 slices bacon, cooked
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

- Use an electric mixer to combine the mustard, honey, mayonnaise, and lemon juice in a small bowl. 
- Whip the mixture for about 30 seconds. 
- Place chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour in about 1/3 of the marinade. 
- Seal the bag and press out as much air as you can and marinate in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.  Chill the remaining marinade until later. 
- After the chicken has marinated, remove chicken from bag and discard the marinade that it has been soaking in. 
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and heat an ovenproof frying pan large enough to hold all four breasts and 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat. (If you don’t have an ovenproof frying pan, transfer the chicken to a baking dish).
- Sear the chicken in the pan for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown.
- Remove pan from heat but keep chicken in the pan. 
- As the chicken is cooking, in a small frying pan saute the mushrooms in the butter. 
- Brush each seared chicken breast with a little of the honey mustard marinade being sure to save a little extra that you can serve on the side later with the dish.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika ( I am usually pretty generous with the paprika, I love the flavor). 
- Stack two pieces of cooked bacon, crosswise on each chicken breast. 
- Spoon the sauteed mushrooms onto the bacon, being sure to coat each breast evenly. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese evenly onto each breast followed by 1/4 cup of cheddar.
- Bake the pan of prepared chicken breasts for 7-10 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted and starting to bubble. 
- Sprinkle each breast with 1/2 teaspoon parsley before serving. 
- Put extra honey mustard marinade into a small bowl to serve on the side.

Crockpot Lemon Garlic Chicken

Source: The Country Cook

Ingredients

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3rds

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter

salt & pepper

1 packet Good Seasons Italian dressing mix

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:

Cut chicken breasts into thirds.

Note: You can leave chicken breasts whole for this, just adjust cooking time accordingly.

Coat chicken breast pieces lightly in flour, shaking off excess, and place on a plate.

Heat 2 tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add in half the chicken pieces and brown on both sides (about 3 minutes per side).

Season chicken with a bit of salt and pepper while it's in the pan.

Take those pieces out, add in another 2 tbsp. butter, let it melt and brown last batch of chicken.  

Then put chicken into the crock pot.

Sprinkle chicken with dry Italian dressing mix.

Add in minced garlic. Then pour in chicken broth and lemon juice.

Cover with lid and cook on low for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

The chicken will be very tender so take care when pulling it out of the crock pot.

Drizzle a bit of the lemon sauce on top of the chicken when serving.

Enjoy!