Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash

This recipe is absolutely divine!  One day after I made it I was already on my way back to the store to get the ingredients again.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the parsley, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add squash and toss to coat.
Transfer to an ungreased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or until squash is just tender.

Italian Veggie Bake

Prep Time: 20 min      Total Time: 1 hr 20 min         Makes: 14 servings, 1/2 cup each

Ingredients

1/3 cup KRAFT Tuscan House Italian Dressing and Marinade
1 large onion, chopped
1 small unpeeled eggplant, cubed
1 medium zucchini, cubed
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 pkg. (6 oz.) sliced mushrooms
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style stewed tomatoes, drained, cut up
1/3 cup KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Instructions
HEAT dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 min. or until tender. Add eggplant; cook and stir 5 min. Add zucchini, pepper and mushrooms; cook and stir 5 min.
ADD tomatoes, bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer 15 min. or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture into casserole dish; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Bake 25 to 30 min. or until heated through.

Nutritional Information

Calories 50 Total fat 3 g Saturated fat 1 g Cholesterol 5 mg Sodium 150 mg Carbohydrate 6 g Dietary fiber 2 g Sugars 3 g Protein 2 g Vitamin A 10 %DV Vitamin C 25 %DV Calcium 4 %DV Iron 0 %DV

Chicken Piccata

4 Chicken Breasts (Halves)
Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/2 Cup White Wine (plus a little extra for the chef)
2 Tbs. Capers
1/2 Fresh Lemon
1 Tbs. Butter (or Margarine)

Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry. Place each breast flat on a chopping block. With your knife parallel to the chopping block, slice the breast in half through the middle to make it half as thick. Season each breast with salt and pepper.

Heat your skillet over medium to high heat, add the olive oil and as many of the chicken breasts as will fit in the pan without overlapping. Brown for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, then set aside covered in foil to stay warm.

To make the sauce, reheat the skillet over medium heat. Add the wine and reduce for 2 minutes or so, stirring constantly to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in the capers and the lemon juice. Remove from heat and add the butter, stirring until melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with brown rice.

(From Fiddledeedee)

Spicy Rotel Chicken

The picture here is of Kraft’s italian version of the chicken, but I modified it to be mexican with ingredients we had on hand. We’ve tried both, and I like my version better than the italian one! It is pretty spicy though... To fix this, you could use the mild Rotel tomatoes.

Ingredients:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken breast halves
Medium onion, sliced into thick slices
Olive Oil
Lime Juice
Fajita Seasoning
1 can Mexican-style Rotel Tomatoes w/ lime juice & garlic
Mexican blend shredded cheese

Cover the inside of a 8x8 pyrex dish with foil. (Optional, but makes for the easiest clean-up!)
Slice onion and separate rings. Arrange on the bottom of the dish.
Season onion rings with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Trim chicken breasts of fat and sprinkle with fajita seasoning on both sides.
Arrange chicken breasts over onions and squirt the whole thing liberally with lime juice.
Dump undrained can of Rotel tomatoes evenly over chicken.
Bake uncovered at 425 for 25 minutes.
Top with cheese and bake 5 additional minutes.

Terri's Sour Cream Enchilladas

These enchiladas are my mom’s recipe, and they are SO good!!!! I swear you will love them.

Ingredients:
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper
2 T butter or margarine
2 c. chopped, cooked chicken
1 can diced green chilies
3 T butter or margarine
1/4 c. flour
1 t coriander OR cumin
3/4 t. salt
2 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
12 small or 8 large flour tortillas

In a large saucepan, saute onion and green bell pepper in butter until tender.
Remove from heat and combine that with the chicken and green chilies in large bowl.
In the first pan, melt the other butter, stir in spices, and add chicken broth. Cook until thickened and bubbly plus a couple more minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 c. cheese.
Stir 1/2 cup of the sauce mixture in with the chicken mixture.
Dip each tortilla in sauce, shaking off excess.
Fill each with 1/4 c. chicken mixture.
Arrange in a foil-lined 9x13 pan.
Cover with remaining sauce and cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 minutes.

You can make this up to an hour ahead of cooking and refrigerate until it’s ready to give you a little time to clean the kitchen before company comes!! It DOES make a mess, but it is SO worth it!

Bacon Crescent Appetizers

Note: These are dangerously good.

Prep Time: 30 min Total Time: 45 min Makes: 8 doz. or 24 servings, four crescents each

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
8 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled
1/3 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion (my change)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp. milk
2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix cream cheese, bacon, Parmesan cheese, onions, parsley and milk until well blended; set aside.
SEPARATE each can of dough into four rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal. Spread each rectangle with 2 rounded tablespoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture. Cut each rectangle into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges, starting at short ends. Place, seam-sides down, on greased baking sheet.
BAKE 12 to 15 min. or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Note: It can be kind of hard to figure out what they meant by cutting each rectangle into twelve wedges! What I did was cut the rectangles into fourths, then cut the fourths into three wedges. Also, these can be hard to roll, so I really just folded them over.

Southwestern White Chili

Prep Time:
10 min
Total Time:
20 min
Makes:
6 servings, 1 cup each

2 Tbsp. KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small onion, chopped
2 cans (15 oz. each) white beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can (4 oz.) green chilies, undrained
1 can rotel tomatoes w/ lime and cilantro, drained
1 tsp. ground cumin
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

HEAT dressing in large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add chicken and onions; cook 7 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
STIR in beans, broth, chilies, rotel, and cumin. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 min., stirring occasionally.
SERVE topped with the cheese and cilantro.

Nutritional Info: Calories: 360; Total Fat: 12g; Saturated Fat: 6g; Cholesterol: 70mg; Sodium: 520mg; Carbohydrate: 28g; Dietary Fiber: 7g; Sugars: 1g; Protein: 34g

Marvelous Mini Meatloaves

Take 1 lb. extra lean ground beef, 1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix and 1 cup water and mix & match your recipe from these options...
seasoning options
add-in choices
cheese possibilities

1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3/4 cup spaghetti sauce
3/4 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

OR

2 tsp. chili powder
3/4 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
3/4 cup KRAFT Shredded Mexican Style Cheese

OR

1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
3/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers
3/4 cup ATHENOS Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese

OR

1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 cup KRAFT or BULL'S-EYE Original Barbecue Sauce
3/4 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water and the seasoning until well blended. Press evenly into 12 medium muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray; make an indentation in center of each with back of spoon.
SPOON add-ins evenly into indentations in meatloaves.
BAKE 30 min. or until meatloaves are cooked through (160°F). Top evenly with cheese; continue baking 5 min. or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 min. before serving.

We like the Mexican version. This recipe is from the KraftFoods website.

Simple Italian Chicken

This is very tasty, and very simple!!

Ingredients:
Onion
Chicken pieces of choice
lemon pepper seasoning
Italian dressing

Procedure:
Line 8x8 pyrex dish with foil
Slice onion in thick slices and spread across bottom of pan
Sprinkle onion with lemon-pepper seasoning
Lay chicken pieces on onion slices, sprinkle with lemon-pepper seasoning
Douse it all with italian seasoning

Bake at 350 for an hour to an hour and a half, depending on the thickness of your chicken.

Source: Dining on a Dime Cookbook (Highly recommended!!!)

Slow Cooker Pork Chops

Pork Chops
1 can Chicken broth
1 pkg dry onion soup mix

Combine all in Slow cooker.
Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4.

I love this!! It's good served with mashed potatoes.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
• 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups water
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours. Serve with Tortilla chips.

From Allrecipes.com

Foil-Pack Taco Chicken Dinner

We love this simple recipe. And clean-up is a snap!! 4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

4 tsp. TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix

2 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes

1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Cheese

1/2 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

1/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Sprinkle chicken evenly with seasoning mix. Place 1/2 cup of the potatoes on center of each of four large sheets of heavy-duty foil; top each with 1 chicken breast, 1/4 cup of the cheese and 2 Tbsp. of the salsa.

BRING up foil sides. Double fold top and both ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place in single layer in 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until chicken is cooked through (170°F) and potatoes are tender. Remove packets from oven. Let stand 5 min. Place one packet on each of four dinner plates. Cut slits in foil with sharp knife to release steam before opening. Top each serving with 1 Tbsp. of the sour cream. from Kraftfoods.com

Salsa Stoup

One of my favorite, favorite, soups. And it's healthy!!

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of pan, plus some for brushing tortillas
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped with greens
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan and the jalapenos, bell pepper, onions, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper then saute veggies 5 minutes, add tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and stock and bring soup to a bubble. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in cilantro.

(From Rachael Ray)

Homemade Pizza Rolls

My husband loves these. I have a feeling they would be a hit with kids, too. :)

Homemade Pizza Rolls

Ingredients:
Crescent Rolls (the garlic ones would be good)
Pizza Sauce
Mozz. Cheese
Pepperoni

Lay out pizza toppings on the wide end of the crescent roll, then roll like usual! Bake for the time recommended on the crescent roll package. Dip in extra pizza sauce, warmed up. :)

Sour Cream & Dill Chicken

Ingredients


• 8 to 10 chicken pieces, skinned
  
• Pepper to taste
  
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
  
• 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
  
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
  
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped or 1 teaspoon dill weed
  
• 1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
  
• Paprika
  
• Cooked wide egg noodles, optional

Place chicken in a single layer in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with pepper. Combine the soup, soup mix, sour cream, lemon juice, dill and mushrooms; pour over chicken. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Serve over egg noodles if desired. Yield: 4-6 servings.


Sooooo good!

Easy Quesadillas

Easy Quesadillas

Tortillas
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Cheese
Fajita Seasoning

Clean, trim, and cube chicken breasts. Cover with fajita seasoning.
Brown chicken breasts in skillet.
On Med-low to Medium heat, toast tortilla with cheese and chicken in middle and another tortilla on top, flipping occasionally.

(I wasn't sure how much detail to put on this... maybe someone doesn't know how to make quesadillas!!)

Oven BBQ Chicken

This dish is truly a family favorite. We had it so often as kids, served with green beans and rice, that my little brother started calling the whole meal "green rice."

Oven BBQ Chicken
1 whole chicken, cut up
BBQ sauce

Put the washed & trimmed chicken in a pyrex dish.
Cover with BBQ sauce (You don't need to use the whole bottle--just enough to cover the chicken).
Cover and bake at 350 for 1:30.
If you serve with rice, spoon the juice from the pan over your rice.

We like to have this on sundays--just cook the chicken before you leave (for almost the whole time--maybe like 1:20), then turn off the oven on your way out the door (Don't open it!... I mean the oven door, not your house door!). When you get home from church, turn the oven back on to get the chicken all heated back up while you prepare your rice & green beans (or other sides... but why would you have anything else??)

Also, I like to line my baking dish with foil before I cook it, so clean-up is SO easy. Otherwise, it kind of gets baked on the pan a little. Don't say I didn't warn you!