Spinach and Herb Chicken

I had a Tastefully Simple party last week and came up with a home run recipe (according to all who tasted it) for chicken. It started with a recipe from their website, but I, of course made my own modifications and it turned out wonderful and it was super easy. If you don't have these Tastefully Simple items, you can substitute for something similar you may have or you can always call me (or check out the website: www.tastefullysimple.com/web/cferguson1 ) to order ;-)

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 TBS of Tastefully Simple Spinach and Herb Dip Mix
2 TBS of Tastefully Simple Onion Onion Dip Mix
Seasoned Salt
1/2 C Olive Oil (about)
1/2 C Parmesan Cheese (about)

Place ingredients in a gallon size zip top bag. Shake to combine. Add chicken and massage in the mixture to coat. Place in a 9x13 Pyrex dish and bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches >175.

SUPER Easy....SUPER Tasty!!

New Year's Day Dinner

Are you superstitious? I am. My Dad says it's the "Gypsy Blood" I inherited from the Czechoslovakian side of the family. I also married a baseball player, so we don't open umbrellas inside, avoid breaking mirrors at all costs, and have the Christmas Decorations down before New Year's Day here at the Ferguson household.

The tradition of serving a special meal for New Year's day is said to help promote prosperity and money in the coming year. The greens, peas and copper penny salad all represent money, and serving pork is said to be good luck and will help move you forward since the Pig roots forward. If you eat Chicken or Lobster, which scratch or move backward it could bring bad fortune. We had traditional New Year's dinner with herb crusted pork tenderloin, hop n john, greens, copper penny salad, and cornbread. Shelly brought the pork, so I'll have to get the recipe from her to share later. Everything else is very easy and once you get it going you just leave it cook all day.

The black-eyed peas and collard greens are pretty similar to get started. Brown a bit of salt pork in the bottom of a big pot along with some onion and garlic. Once browned, add the greens to the pot with about 2 cups of water, salt and pepper. Do the same with the peas. I used frozen this time. Then just cook the greens and peas all day, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed. I cooked mine for about 4 1/2 hours.

The copper penny salad is something my Gramma used to make- so it's a memory dish for me. Peel 2 pounds of carrots and slice. Boil the "pennies" until tender. In a blender place 1 can of tomato soup, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of Olive oil, 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1/4 of an onion, 1 Tbs of Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp dry mustard, salt, pepper and granulated garlic. The true recipe also calls for diced green peppers, but I HATE green peppers so I leave them out. Blend dressing and pour over cooked carrots. Stir to coat and leave in the refrigerator overnight to marinate.

Here's wishing everyone a healthy, prosperous New Year!

Hangover Casserole

I don't know about you, but eggs and grease sounded pretty good New Year's morning. Luckily, I had made this casserole the night before and I could manage turning on the oven even with a pounding headache. It feeds a crowd and is quite tasty, even if you managed to burn off most of your taste buds the night before with large quantities of Maker's Mark.

6 slices of bread
2 Cups of milk
2 packages of Jimmy Dean light sausage
1 tsp. of dry mustard
1 1/2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 oz of Velveeta
5 eggs
1/2 stick of butter
salt
pepper
granulated garlic

Cook sausage thoroughly. Melt the butter and pour into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place the bread slices in the bottom of the pan to make the crust. Spoon crumbled browned sausage over the bread. Sprinkle with grated cheese and strategically place chunks of Velveeta. Beat the eggs, add milk, salt, pepper, garlic and dry mustard. Pour in egg mixture, cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cut into squares and serve hot- preferably with a Bloody Mary or Mimosa.

Quiche Even a Real Man Will Eat

Mr. F is a former Marine and he loved this quiche so I promise you can make this for any man and he will eat it too. The secret is pork - lots of pork. Ham, bacon combined with the cheese and eggs make a yummy breakfast, brunch or lunch treat.

Filling:

5 oz of 2% Milk Velveeta (come on...we all have a little redneck in us and secretly love the stuff!)
5 oz of diced ham
5 strips of bacon, cooked crispy and finely chopped
3 oz of shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tbs flour


Quiche:
3 eggs
1 1/2 Cups of milk
Salt
Pepper
Granulated garlic

Ease a refrigerated unbaked pie crust into a 9" pie pan (if you are a baker, knock yourself out and make the crust from scratch.) Trim excess and flute the edges. Line the unpricked pie crust with a double layer of aluminum foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes, remove foil and bake uncovered for another 5 minutes.

While baking off the crust, mix together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Stir in filling, minus the grated cheddar cheese. Add the flour to the shredded cheese in a separate bowl and stir to coat. Add cheddar to egg/filling mixture and stir to combine.

Pour egg mixture into the hot pie crust while still on the oven rack. Cover the edge of the pie crust with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. When it is finished a knife inserted near the center will come out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

You can also vary the fillings - one recipe I looked at suggested a Greek filling with feta, olives and spinach or a Thai filling with ginger, cilantro and red pepper. My Mom is notorious for making quiche with leftovers like broccoli and spinach. Let your creativity help you make your own special creation. Oh, and by the way- this is really easy.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding (Prairie Fire Grill recipe)

This is quite possibly the most amazing desert you will ever put in your mouth. It's Mr. F's absolute favorite. We would make a special trip just for this dessert after having dinner somewhere else. Last year we were near tears when we arrived at the door of Prairie Fire Grill to find it closed. Never fear ladies and gentlemen- Chuck's has it on the menu and it's the same delicious creation that Prairie Fire Grill did. Once a year at Christmastime I make this for Mr. F. The danger is you will have a whole pan of it, not just a single serving. This is in no way low-calorie or fat-free (that's why it's sooooo good!) I serve it with a drizzle of raspberry sauce that I make with frozen raspberries and sugar, blended. The tartness of the berries is a nice compliment. A few fresh berries on the plate make a nice presentation. This is not a creation by me, and I am not a baker- but here's the recipe I found on delish.com. Trust me- it's definitely worth the calories! Ingredients 12 large egg yolks 1/2 cup(s) sugar 1/2 quart(s) heavy cream 18 ounce(s) white chocolate chips 1 1/2 loaf(s) white bread, crust removed 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla 1 quart(s) half and half 2 cup(s) graham cracker crumbs 1/2 pound(s) brown sugar 1/2 cup(s) butter 1 teaspoon(s) cinnamon 1/4 cup(s) cocoa Directions In a greased 9x13 baking dish, layer bread into 3 layers. Cut and trim as necessary to get good coverage. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until bright yellow. Heat the cream, half and half and vanilla until it begins to boil. Add white chocolate chips to the egg mixture and stir in the hot cream until all of the chocolate is melted. Pour this pudding mixture over the bread, making sure to manipulate the bread soaking every layer with the pudding mixture. Topping: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa. Apply the topping by spreading it out evenly over the surface. Let the pudding stand OVERNIGHT before you place it into the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

Gameday Chili

Chili and football are kind of like peanut butter and jelly to me. This is a really easy recipe for chili, and I have been told that its pretty good - however before you decide to make this recipe I have to warn you of a few things. 1) I use ground turkey- so it's really healthy, and under the chili sauce it's hard for anyone to tell, although ground turkey has a "cleaner" taste than beef and some folks may not be too keen on the idea. 2) I will tell you what I put it it (including my "secret" ingredients- gasp!) but it is impossible for me to give measurements on the spices. I add as I go to taste with an extra dash of this and that. So you are on your own when it comes to the exact amounts of stuff. 3) It has a lot of beans.

Ok, disclaimer stated, so here we go!!



1 package of extra lean ground turkey (98%+ lean)

2 cans of diced tomatoes

2 cans of tomato sauce

2 cans of chili beans (I use store brand)

1 can of black beans

1 can of dark red kidney beans

1/4 of a white onion, diced

1 envelope of chili seasoning (McCormick's is my favorite)

3 cloves of garlic, pressed (or more to taste)

Olive oil



Spices:

Tony Cachere's

Fiesta Party Dip (Tastefully Simple)

Salt

Pepper

Powdered Garlic

Cumin

Chili powder

Cayenne pepper

Tabasco



***Secret ingredients***

Juice from the jalepeno jar

Heinz ketchup (about 2 Tbs)






Brown ground turkey in a skillet. Start another big pot for the finished product. Add diced onion and garlic to ground turkey to help flavor the meat, and a little olive oil to help with the process.



In the big stock pot, start emptying your cans. Tomatoes and tomato sauce first, then the beans. Add the packet of chili seasoning for a base. When turkey and onions and garlic are cooked through, add meat to the chili pot. Then the spice dance begins. Good luck! (I keep an extra can of tomato sauce handy just in case things ever get out of hand you can dilute the mistake and move on.)

The longer you let it cook the more the flavors develop, but you can eat it pretty much right away. I like to garnish it with jalepenos, tabasco, shredded cheddar and sour cream. Taco chips or crackers are a nice touch too.

Chicken Florentine with Tomatoes

Pasta can be such a quick and easy solution to a weeknight meal. Unfortunately Mr. F isn't a big fan so I don't get the chance to make pasta dishes very often. However, my Mom is a HUGE noodle fan so I whipped this one up last night in about 30 minutes and we all agreed that it is a winner!

Angel hair pasta
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package of chopped frozen spinach
Garlic cloves (about 3)
1 can of diced tomatoes
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Boil water for your pasta while you are dicing your chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add diced chicken pieces and press about 3 cloves of garlic into the chicken. Saute until brown. Microwave a package of chopped spinach according to package directions. Drain spinach in a colander lined with a paper towel to get out most of the water. Add spinach to browned chicken and one can of diced tomatoes with juices. Cook pasta according to package directions. Remove and drain pasta when "al dente" and add to the chicken/spinach/tomato mixture. You may need to add a bit more olive oil. Add Parmesan cheese (the round can stuff is fine for this part) and salt and pepper to taste. Mix to combine and to allow pasta to soak up some of the tomato juices. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Very quick and the only fat in the dish is the olive oil (good fat from a vegetable) and a bit from the chicken and Parmesan cheese.