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Sunday, March 23, 2014

Oven Chicken & Vegetables Parmesan

When you don't want to cook, but you still want
 to eat, you need a few easy, no fuss, one-dish 
dinners. We all need a few of those. 
Just toss the ingredients together and
 pop it into the oven. Dinner in 45 minutes! 
 For the two of us, I used about 4-6 red potatoes, 
quartered, and 1-1/2 C baby carrots...no peeling 
needed. You could also use small new potatoes,
cut in half. Toss it with a little olive oil and
 salt & pepper. 
 Spread the vegetables along the edge and add 
2 boneless breasts to the center. Rub these with 
olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 
 Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and 
garlic powder. Sprinkle that on top of the chicken. 
Top each breast with a sprig of rosemary 
and drizzle with a little olive oil.
 Bake @ 350º for 45 minutes until the crumbs
 are golden and the chicken is cooked through.
 If you are cooking for more, double the recipe and
use a 9x13 baking dish or a larger rimmed pan. 

Oven Chicken & Vegetables Parmesan
to serve 2
2 boneless chicken breasts
4-6 red potatoes, quartered
1-1/2 C baby carrots
olive oil ~ salt ~ pepper
1/4 C breadcrumbs
2 T parmesan cheese
1/4 t garlic powder
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Toss potatoes and carrots in olive oil
and season with salt & pepper. Put onto
a large skillet or baking dish and push to the
sides of the pan. Add the chicken breasts to 
the center; rub with olive oil and sprinkle 
with salt & pepper. In a small bowl combine;  
breadcrumbs, parmesan and garlic powder.  
Sprinkle on top of the chicken. Top each 
breast with a rosemary sprig and drizzle
 with olive oil. Bake @ 350º for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!
recipe adapted from One Sutton Place.
Links: Facebook,
Between Naps On The Porch, Stone Gable, The Comforts of Home,
Savvy Southern Style, Designs By Gollum

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my favorite way to eat oatmeal. In a cookie!
Warm cookies and cold milk, what a perfect combination!
 A favorite after school welcome home treat. I bake up one cookie sheet at a time.
After the batter is mixed, I roll them into little balls. I store them in a container in the refrigerator. That way I can then bake up as many as we want at a time. Fresh baked warm cookies, anytime!
 It's extra easy if you have a stand mixer. If not, a hand mixer works for most of the steps.
Adding the oatmeal, chocolate chips and chopped pecans last.
You will have a stiff batter. You can also do this part by hand with a good spatula or wooden spoon.
I use a meatball scoop to get even size balls.
Flatten them slightly and bake. Reserve the rest to bake later if you like. Sometimes I like to have them with coffee for breakfast!

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1 C (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
3/4 C light brown sugar
3/4 C white sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
1-1/2 C flour
1 t baking soda
pinch salt
1 t cinnamon
3 C oatmeal (quick cook)
2 C (12-oz bag) chocolate chips
1 C chopped pecans

Beat together butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, soda and cinnamon on low speed. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and nuts. Drop heaping T onto baking sheet. Use a meatball scoop if you have one. Flatten slightly. Bake @350º for about 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest on cookie sheet for 2 minutes them remove. Enjoy them warm!

Links: Facebook,
 Sumos Sweet Stuff, Designs By Gollum, The Charm Of Home, Common Ground,

Thursday, March 13, 2014

The BEST, Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes

We love pancakes and these are delicious!
You can make them with blueberries or 
even sliced bananas with toasted pecans.
Start by sifting the dry ingredients together
in a large bowl.
  Separate the eggs.
 Whisk the egg yolks with milk, melted butter
 and vanilla.
 Combine with the dry ingredients
 just barely with a whisk. Do not over-mix.
 Beat the egg whites until stiff and add half of
them to the batter.
 Fold in gently with the whisk.
Add the remaining egg whites and fold in
with a rubber spatula. There will still be streaks
of beaten egg whites. That's good.
 Grease a preheated griddle and use 1/4C
scoop per pancake.
 Sprinkle on the blueberries. Do not add the
blueberries to the batter. They will turn
the batter blue or grey.
 Cook until bubbles appear on top and peek on the
underside to see if it's golden brown.
Flip and cook the second side another 1 minute or
until golden brown.
 Serve on warm plates with butter and maple syrup
Light and fluffy!
This recipe is adapted from this cookbook.
  Clinton St. Baking Company is a restaurant in
New York City and it's famous for
 great breakfasts and blueberry pancakes.
Now you don't have to wait in line!
This recipe makes a lot! I froze the rest on a 
cookie sheet until firm and then stacked them
 in an empty plastic bread bag in my freezer. 
Just heat them in the microwave whenever
 you want a good breakfast...fast. 

Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes
2 C flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 C sugar
1/2 t salt
3 eggs, separated
1-1/2 C whole milk
6 T butter, melted
1/2 t vanilla extract
fresh blueberries
#1. In a large bowl sift the dry ingredients:
flour, BP, sugar, and salt.
#2. In another bowl, whisk the 3 egg yolks, 
milk, melted butter and vanilla.
#3. In another bowl beat the 3 egg whites
until medium peaks form. 
Using the whisk, gently fold in  half of
 the beaten egg whites. Add the remaining 
egg whites and fold in using  a rubber spatula
just until barely combined. Preheat a grill
to 350º-375º. Grease with a little butter. Drop
1/4 C batter on griddle. Add about 1 T 
blueberries on top. When bubbles start to 
form on top, lift the edge with a spatula
to check the underside and see if it's golden
 brown. If ready, flip and cook until golden on
the other side. Serve on heated plates.
Top with a pat of soft butter and sprinkle 
with powdered sugar. Pass the maple syrup.
Makes 22-24 pancakes.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

How to Make A Perfect Omelet

Being able to cook an omelet is something
everyone needs in their repertoire'.
 Learn to cook one from memory so you are always
ready to make a great breakfast, lunch, and
 sometimes a quick and easy dinner.
For each omelet always use the same proportions;
2 XL eggs and 2 T water.
Water produces a fluffier omelet than milk does.
Whisk the eggs, water, salt and pepper,
 or your choice of seasonings depending on your 
fillings.  (Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, 
curry powder, or soy sauce). I love to use leftovers, 
like salmon or even Chinese food. 
You can choose your favorite fillings using about 
the same amounts as I've used. A favorite is 
fresh spinach, tomatoes and Swiss cheese
I'll show that one here. I use whatever I have 
in the fridge; try mushrooms, onions, peppers,
 ham, shrimp, or any cheese.  
Heat 1 T butter in an 8"-10" non-stick skillet.
Use medium-medium high heat.
I like that in this method you saute your fresh
 vegetables first. You can season a bit here too. 
After sauteing the vegetables about one minute
 keep them in the skillet and add the eggs.
Let them cook for 1 minute;
then use a spatula to lift the edges so that
 the uncooked portion flows underneath. 
Tilt the pan. Cook until almost set, about 1 minute
then cover the pan for another 1 minute. 
Sprinkle with cheese.
Fold in half.
Use the spatula and tilt the pan. 
The filling and cheese are nicely distributed in the 
omelet so every bite is full of all the flavors.
Flip over onto a heated plate.

Spinach~Tomato~Cheese Omelet
2 XL eggs plus 2 T water
1/8t salt and 1/8 t pepper
1 T butter
1 C coarsely chopped spinach
1/3 C chopped tomato
1/3 C shredded Swiss cheese
In a small bowl whisk eggs, water, salt & pepper. 
Melt butter in an 8" skillet over MH heat; 
add spinach and tomatoes, saute 1 minute until
 spinach is wilted. Add egg mixture to skillet, 
let cook 1 minute then gently lift edges with
 a spatula so that uncooked egg mixture flows 
underneath. Cook until almost set, about
 1 minute. Cover skillet and cook another 1 minute. 
Sprinkle omelet with cheese and fold in half,
 allowing cheese to melt. Slide or flip onto a 
heated plate. Serve with buttered toast.
Enjoy!