Crisp and Creamy Baked Chicken!

The other night was one of those nights where shockingly enough I didn't have a plan of what I was going to make for dinner. So I thought about what I had in the pantry and went from there. I have made this meal a handful of times and its great every time! Its fast, easy and like I said it can be made with stuff you can just keep in your pantry for those nights you just don't feel like being Julia Child or Martha Stewart in the kitchen!! :)

Crisp-and-Creamy Baked Chicken

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breast

1 pouch Shake 'N Bake Extra Crispy Seasoned Coating Mix

1/2 can (10 3/4oz) of condensed cream of celery soup

1/4 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar & monterey jack cheese

Directions

1. Coat chicken with coating mix as directed on package; place in greased 13x9 baking dish. Discard any remaining coating mix.

2. Bake 20 min. or until chicken is done.

3. Mix soup and milk until well blended; pour over chicken. Top with cheese. Bake 5 min or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

I usually serve this meal with Velvetta Shells cause Danny LOVES them and a green vegetable! :)

Banana-Nut Bread!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile! Between going to Gainesville for a check up (it went GREAT!) and still dealing with major lower back pain I haven't done much of anything lately! Last week I did start physical therapy so hopefully with time that will help!

I have TONS of dinner recipes/photos to blog about I just have to actually sit down and do them...the one problem I have had the last couple times I have cooked dinner is that I either forget to take a picture of my ingredients OR I am so hungry I start eating before I take a picture of my final plate so when I finally get to those blogs they might be a few pictures short...opps! :)

Anywho....Danny had a few bananas that were a little on the dark side so he decided that he wanted me to make banana bread for him. Well I don't eat bananas. I find them repulsive, the smell, the taste, the texture...they all just make me want to gag! LOL BUT...being the good wife that I am I powered on through and baked my man some bread!

I found a basic recipe online and then added a few things that I thought would make it better. I did try a piece and it wasn't horrible but I could definitely taste the banana so one bite was enough for me but Danny enjoyed it and that's all that matters!

Banana-Nut Bread

Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour one 9x5 inch pan.

2. Cream margarine and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, then bananas. Add flour and soda, stirring just until combined.

3. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour (or until toothpick comes out clean). Remove from pan and let cool, store in refrigerator or freeze!

**What I changed** Instead of 1 cup white sugar, I used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. I also added 1 tsp of vanilla extract and a couple shakes of cinnamon. Plus 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts mixed in.

The smell of the cinnamon baking in the oven was so good!! If you are a fan of bananas or banana bread I say give this recipe a try its fast and very simple to make. Next there is a recipe I found for cinnamon raisin bread that I think has my name ALL over it!!

Classic Pot Roast

I have been making Pot Roast in my crock-pot for years and while I love a good roast, I haven't been able to find that ONE recipe that surpasses anyone that I have tried before. It seems almost every recipe I have ever found/tried has one of the following ingredients: cream of mushroom soup, french onion soup packet or beef stock or water with some herbs. That's it!

So when I was flipping through a new magazine I just got in the mail last week and came across this recipe for classic pot roast I knew I had to try it. I mean between the pictures and the list of ingredients it just sounded/looked delicious! I thought...hmm....could I have possibly found my recipe?? So here it is....

Classic Pot Roast

Ingredients

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 boneless chuck roast, trimmed, seasoned with S&P (3-4lbs.)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

2 cups sliced onions

6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2 to 3 inch pieces

6 cloves garlic, chopped

3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

Directions

1) Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high. Sear roast on all sides, 10 minutes total. Transfer roast to a 4 to 6 qt slow cooker.

2) Stir flour into saute pan; cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute more.

3) Deglaze saute pan with wine, cooking until liquid evaporates. Stir in broth and worcestershire; bring mixture to a simmer, scraping up any brown bits.

4) Transfer broth mixture to the slow cooker; add onions, carrots, celery, and cook until meat is fork tender, on high heat setting for 4-5 hours or on low heat for 8-9 hours. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves before serving.

Now generally when I make a pot roast I throw potatoes in the crock pot with the roast but this recipe had mashed potatoes along side the roast so I went with that suggestion for something different....

Mashed Potatoes & Peas

Ingredients

2lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

1/2 cup milk, warmed

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Salt and white pepper to taste

minced fresh chives

Directions

1) Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water until tender, 12-15 minutes; drain. Return potatoes to pot; cook, stirring, over low heat for 1 minute to remove moisture. Mash potatoes until smooth.

2) Stir in milk, butter, peas, salt and pepper; serve immediately topped with chives!

And here is my plate! I served it with some biscuits and honey...YUM! This roast was very flavorful and a nice change of pace from the old cream of mushroom soup roast. I will definitely be making this roast again but I am still on my journey to find the PERFECT roast recipe so if you have one I would love to hear it!! :)

P.S. In case you were wondering the potato and roast recipes both serve 6 people!! I do have another recipe from Saturday I am going to try and get up tomorrow but I am going to Gainesville for a couple of days for a check up so I am not sure if I can post it before I leave. If I don't I will do it when I get home and update you all on how my appointment went as well!!

Good Night!!

XoxoX

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops!

Last night we had pork chops for dinner and this recipe is by far our FAVORITE way to have them! They aren't dry at all and are so yummy and really easy to make. That Giada really knows what she is doing! :)

I forgot to put my EVOO bottle in the picture of ingredients and I usually don't use the lemon wedges and to be honest it doesn't really make that big of difference in the meal its still delicious!

Also, when I bread them instead of having three separate plates I just use two. One for the eggs and one for the parmesan cheese and italian breadcrumbs~I just mix them together. I used to do it separate but somewhere along the way I decided to mix it and it turns out the same so its one less dish that needs to be washed!

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
• 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
• 4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle thepork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve with lemon wedges.

I almost always make this meal with Velvetta Shells and Green Beans. Try it. Trust me you will LOVE it!

Southwest Pasta Skillet

Here is last nights dinner. Its made with the new Philadelphia Cooking Creme (Santa Fe Blend) thats out now and I have to say its pretty good!

I have made this dish once before and the last time I made it I didn't have a green pepper like the recipe called for so I used green onions instead and it turned out great so this time when I went to the store to get the ingredients I just used green onions again! If you try this recipe and use the peppers let me know what you think....

Southwest Pasta Skillet

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 cup chopped green peppers

1 can (14.5oz) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained

1 pkg (10oz) frozen corn

1 tub (10oz) Philadelphia Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme

2 cups hot cooked rotini pasta

1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Directions

1. Cook and stir chicken and peppers in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat for 6 to 7 minutes or until chicken is done. Add tomatoes, corn and cooking creme; cook and stir 3 minutes.

2. Add pasta and 1/2 cup shredded cheese; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

3. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand until cheese is melted!

**because I used green onions instead of peppers I didn't stick them directly in the pot with the chicken, I cooked the chicken until it was almost done then I put in the onions. I also served this dinner with some texas toast...we love bread in this family if you couldn't tell! :)