Parmesan Crusted Chicken

This is a quick and easy chicken recipe.

It's another one of my 'Chicken for Dummies'. 

When my grandson calls at the last minute and

 wants to know what he can do with a couple of

 chicken breasts and just a few other ingredients, 

I need to be ready!

Lay the chicken breasts in a shallow pan.

(Do not crowd the chicken like the above photo.)

 Give it some room and season as desired.
These were large breasts that I cut in half.

Combine the mayonnaise and grated parmesan
cheese in a small bowl.

 Spread on the mayo-parm mixture; then sprinkle
 a little breadcrumbs on top.

Now to make a complete dinner super easy 

you can roast some cut-up potatoes and fresh

vegetables along with the chicken. Just toss them

 in olive oil with a little seasonings. 

Dinner is in the oven!

 Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes; (or
(or at 375 for 25 minutes)
until cooked through and browned.

How easy is that?!

 You can adjust the recipe to make 1 or 12.
This works on fish too; just bake
for about 10 minutes @425.

 The chicken stays moist and juicy.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts

1/2 C mayonnaise

1/4 C Parmesan cheese

4 t Italian breadcrumbs

seasonings of choice

Place the chicken breasts in a shallow pan.

Season the top with about (your choice here)

1 t seasoned salt, 1/2 t garlic powder,

and 1/4 t pepper or to taste

Combine the mayo and grated cheese in

a small bowl. Spread this on the chicken breasts.

Sprinkle a little breadcrumbs on the top;

about 1 t each. Bake for 30 minutes @375
or 20  minutes @425.

or until browned and cook through.

Enjoy!

Links: Designs By Gollum

Mustard-Parsley Sauce for Corned Beef & Cabbage

I wanted to get this posted in time for you to try.

This is a great little sauce to serve with your 

St. Patrick's Day corned beef and cabbage dinner.

You just need to scoop out a cup of broth

that the corned beef has been cooking in.

It gives it great flavor.

Mustard-Parsley Sauce

2T butter

2T flour

1 C milk

1 C reserved cooking broth

from the corned beef

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

2 T Dijon mustard

1 T cider vinegar

1/4 C chopped fresh parsley

In a saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. 

Whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring until smooth and 

bubbly. Whisk in the milk and broth. 

Bring to a boil, stirring, reduce heat to low

and whisk until thickened (about 3 minutes). 

Remove from heat and whisk in the

 salt, pepper, mustard, vinegar and fresh parsley. 

Put into a gravy boat to pass.

Serve with the corned beef and cabbage

Enjoy!

Links: Facebook, 
Between Naps On The Porch,
Designs By Gollum

Spinach Balls

Sorting through my appetizer recipe file I came 

upon this old recipe I hadn't made in decades 

 many years. So, I decided to make it for our ladies 

card group last night.

It's March and I wanted something green !

Finger food, easy to nibble on, great with a glass of

 wine or tea, and can be made ahead.

That's all I needed to bring it out again.

 Ingredients include; Stove Top mix, 

frozen spinach, eggs, onion ,butter, 

Parmesan, and seasonings.

 Cook the spinach and drain.

 Chop an onion.

 Melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave 

for 1 minute. Whisk the eggs in a smaller bowl.

 I used the empty egg bowl to press out all the 

extra moisture from the spinach. Works great.

 Combine everything.

 TIP: If you've emptied out the container of 

shredded cheese, toss the container in the 

recycle bin but keep the cap and 

toss it in the dishwasher. Why, later.

 Once the mixture is well combined,

 Put a lid on it!  Refrigerate 2 hours or longer. 

That makes it easier to handle.

 Measure out about 1-1/2" balls. 

Then roll in your hands to shape.

Freeze them on a cookie sheet, or you can bake

 them right away at 350 for about 25-30 minutes

 until slightly golden and it smells good in your kitchen.

This makes a lot of balls, so I always freeze some 

and then toss them into a  Ziploc bag. 

Thaw and bake for 30 minutes

 whenever you want a little snack. 

I've also baked them the last 30 minutes

 with a roast chicken to serve as a side,

 little spinach stuffing balls.

Now, for the caps; they fit on most mason jars.
These are Classico sauce jars filled with; cheese,
breadcrumbs and mini chocolate chips.
 Easy to store and shake out.

Spinach Balls

2 boxed frozen chopped spinach

1 box Stove Top stuffing mix-chicken flavor
 (stuffing and seasoning packet)

4 eggs

1 onion, finely chopped

 1-1/2 sticks butter, melted

1 C grated Parmesan cheese

1 t thyme

1 t garlic powder

1 t pepper

1 t salt

Microwave the spinach in a covered container

 for 8 minutes, stirring once.

 Drain well in mesh colander.

(Use the small bowl to press out extra moisture)

Microwave the butter in a large bowl for 1 minute.

Whisk the eggs in a small bowl. 

Combine all ingredients in the large bowl. 

Cover and refrigerate for two hours.

Shape into 1-/1/2" balls. Freeze some on a tray, 

then store in a plastic bag until ready to bake.

 Bake the remaining balls @375 for 20 min.

Bake frozen balls for 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Barbecued Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

This dish is something everyone will like. 

It has an unusual ingredient....barbecue sauce.

Add a salad and you have a fast, tasty and 

nutritious dinner.

 This make 4 large burritos.

 Saute cut-up chicken, onion and garlic.

 Add a can of black beans, and barbecue sauce.

 Stir well and heat through.

 Sprinkle the top with cheese and let it melt.

 Scoop unto tortillas; top with sour cream.

Roll up and enjoy! Easy!

Barbecued Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

3/4 lb boneless chicken breasts, about 3

1 small onion, about 1/2 C chopped 

1 clove garlic, about 1t minced

1 T olive oil

1 can (15oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 C barbecue sauce

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

4 large (10-inch) flour tortillas

1/4 C sour cream

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 

Add chicken, onion and garlic. Season with 

a little salt and pepper; cook for about 8

minutes or until chicken is done, stirring 

occasionally. Stir in  the barbecue sauce and

beans. Reduce heat and stir well to coat the 

chicken with the sauce. Sprinkle the cheese evenly

over the top and continue to cook until the cheese

 melts. Warm the tortillas in a dampened paper

towel in the microwave for about 45 seconds.

Scoop about 1/2 C chicken mixture down the 

center of each tortilla; top with a dollop of

sour cream and roll up.

Enjoy!

Links: Stone Gable

Easy Baked Fish

Sit down to dinner in under 30 minutes with

 this easy way to make fish in the oven.

I used catfish, but scrod or other mild fish would also work.

 Melt the butter in a shallow plate in the oven.

 Coat both sides of the fish in the butter. 

Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

 Top with the crushed Ritz crackers and a little melted butter.

 Bake for 20 minutes. Longer for thicker fillets.

A nice buttery crunchy topping.

Easy Baked Fish

1 lb fish fillets, about 4

4 T butter, 1/2 stick

1-2 T lemon juice

salt & pepper

1/2 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

Put 3 T butter in a shallow baking dish and put it in

 the oven as it's preheating to 400. 

Rinse the fish and pat dry with a paper towel.

Remove the dish with the melted butter from the 

oven and lay the fish on and turn to coat both 

sides with butter. Squeeze 1/2 lemon, about 

1-2 T juice over the fish. Sprinkle generously with 

salt & pepper.Top the fish with the crushed Ritz 

crackers and drizzle the top with a the remaining

 melted butter. Bake at 400 for about 20-30 

minutes, until fish is opaque and 

the crumbs are golden.

tip: oven fries or small new potatoes can

bake along with the fish.

Enjoy!

Links: Stone Gable, Funky Junk,
Designs By Gollum

Kreppel for Fastnacht!

I posted about this holiday tradition on my blog

 MAY DAYS.

Kreppel are a German yeast doughnut made on 

Fastnacht also called Fat Tuesday. 

We know it as Mardi Gras. 

It's always celebrated on the Tuesday 

before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.

My plateful of warm Kreppel.

 My Aunt and Uncle in Germany sent me pictures 

of their Kreppel making day.

 They make perfect Kreppel. Years of making them.

 Some are filled with jam. All are rolled in sugar.

Ready for family and friends to stop by for coffee.

Now it's my turn to make them.....here goes!

I just made half of this recipe.

German Kreppel

4-1/2 C flour

1 pkg yeast 

1 stick butter

2 T sugar 

1/2 t salt

1/4 t vanilla

2 eggs

3/4 C milk

In mixer, combine the flour, sugar and yeast. 

In a saucepan or microwave, melt the butter.  

Whisk in the milk, salt, vanilla, and eggs. 

Let cool to lukewarm, then add to the mixer.

 Mix on low speed until the flour is combined. 

Turn the speed up to medium-high and 

beat well for about 5 minutes until smooth. 

Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm area

for 30 minutes or until doubled.

Remove the dough to a floured surface 

and knead briefly.

 Roll out to about 3/4" thickness.

Cut into circles using a juice glass dipped in flour. 

Place the cut Kreppel on a parchment paper lined 

or oiled cookie sheet to keep from sticking.

 Cover again with a towel.

Let rise for another 30 minutes. 

Ready to cook.

To Cook:
Heat 2" of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan. I use 1/2 Crisco and 1/2 oil.
Test the temperature of the oil with a small scrap of dough. It should sizzle.

Gently add the Kreppel to the hot oil without

them touching each other. 

Fry both sides about 1 minute until golden.  

Remove with a slotted spoon and place on

 paper towel-lined plate to drain. 

Roll in a plate of sugar to coat. 

 Best eaten while still warm.

A great coffee break or breakfast treat.

Enjoy! 

Just don't wait for Fastnacht to make them again!

Links: Foodie Friday,
Between Naps On The Porch