Baked Parmesan Chicken

Chicken Breasts

1 stick of butter

¾ cup bread crumbs

¾ cup parmesan cheese

½ tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix bread crumbs, cheese and garlic powder together. Melt butter in separate dish. Dip chicken breast in melted butter, then coat in breadcrumb mixture.  Place chicken in greased baking dish (I use a foil-covered cookie sheet for easy clean-up).  Pour remainder butter over chicken and sprinkle additional bread crumbs on top.  Bake for 1 hour.

Savory Tuscan Vegetable Soup

I got this recipe off of Campbell's Kitchen. It took about 30 minutes to make, and I used a mix of carrots, green beans, corn and peas instead of the cauliflower/broccoli mix the recipe suggests.

What You'll Need:
4 cups Swanson® Natural Goodness® Chicken Broth
3 cups Campbell's® Tomato Juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves or Italian seasoning, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bag (16 ounces) frozen vegetable combination (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
1 can (about 15 ounces) red kidney beans or white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained

Directions:
1. Heat the broth, tomato juice, garlic powder, oregano, black pepper and vegetables in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the beans and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

Biscuit Dough Powdered Donuts

This recipe comes with a warning: You will find yourself dreaming of ways to somehow make and eat these, a whole recipe of them, without your family members finding out.  I haven't figured out how yet, let me know if you have any ideas.

A can, or 2, 5, 8, of those tiny baby biscuits (usually 10 per can).
oil
powdered sugar or icing


Flatten a biscuit on your hand and tear a small hole in the center.

Place in hot oil (between 4 and 6 on my burner).  When you can tell the oil side is becoming toasty (around the edges) flip the donut.  You do not want them to be dark-at all!

Place yummy donuts on paper towels.

Variation of colors: the middle one on the left column is way too brown.  I think the perfect one is the bottom right corner :)

 Cover in powdered sugar or your favorite icings.

Incandescently perfect.

Mexican Chicken Alfredo

The alfredo sauce is what makes this pasta!  I've tried many mexican pastas hoping they would be delicious but they usually aren't creamy enough-this one is perfect!

1-16 oz. package of spiral pasta
2-3 pieces of cubed chicken breast
1/2 a medium, chopped onion
1 Tbsp. canola oil
2 jars (15 oz. each) alfredo sauce
1 C grated Parmesean cheese
1 C medium salsa
1/4 C milk
2 tsp. taco seasoning

Cook pasta.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken and onion in oil.  When chicken is no longer pink stir in alfredo sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in cheese, salsa, milk and taco seasoning.

Drain pasta and toss with chicken mixture.

You can divide the recipe into 2-8 in. square dishes and freeze one up to 3 months.  Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.  For the frozen casserole, thaw overnight then let it thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Cover and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

I combined the whole recipe and cooked it in a 9x13 for 35 minutes and I thought it was fine since the chicken was completely cooked.  YUM!

Now this doesn't look very good, my yellow plates and the dish wash everything out-don't go by the picture!!!

Homemade Funnel Cakes

These taste just like the delicious treats you'll find overpriced at the fair!

oil
3 eggs
1/4 C sugar
2 C whole milk
3 2/3 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
powdered sugar

On low heat, cook your oil.  It is best to start out with a lower temp oil (I set my burner between 4 and 6) and figure out how quickly you can work with your cakes.  The oil will continue to heat up no matter what temp you leave it on, you will have to gain speed as you go.

Beat your eggs and sugar, then slowly add milk.  Throw in your dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Unless you're fancy, use a gallon ziploc bag to squeeze out your batter.  Clip your corner fairly small and widen it as needed.  You want the batter to come out more slow than quick so you're able to get "streams" more thin than thick.  Make sense?  You'll learn as you go...

This is waaay too thick.  The hole in my bag corner was too big.

I think it is best to make smaller cakes, don't try to attempt the size you buy at the fair; otherwise, you'll end up splashing hot oil all over yourself and breaking your cakes!

When you see the toasty brown color creeping up the edges of your streams you can flip your cakes.  They cook quickly!

Once a light, toasty brown, set on some paper towels, add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

I found this original recipe on food.com, recipe number 8445.

Pecan Caramels

2 tsp. plus 1 C butter, divided
1 1/4 C sugar
1 1/4 C packed brown sugar
1 C dark corn syrup
2 C heavy whipping cream, divided
1 bag of chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla

Line a 9x13 in. pan with foil, grease foil with 2 tsp of butter and set aside.

In a large, heavy saucepan, combine sugars, corn syrup, 1 C cream and the remaining butter.

Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.  Bring to a boil.  Slowly stir in the remaining cream.  Cook without stirring until a candy thermometer reads 245.

It is best to have a thermometer that will hang off the side of your pan without touching the pan (you can adjust the depth of your thermometer as well).  

Remove from ehat and stir in pecans and vanilla.  Pour into your prepared pan and let stand until firm.  Lift the candy out with the foil then discard foil.  You can go ahead and cut it or, I found it easier to chill in the refrigerator then cut with a butcher's knife when the candy is harder.  You can then wrap with wax paper and either devour yourself or give away as a gift :)