Well, Hello Dolly!

I saw these "Hello Dolly Bars" on the Homesick Texan's blog. So she gets all the credit for this recipe. I used walnuts instead of pecans and they were fabulous! I will make these again...very soon!

HOMESICK TEXAN: HELLO DOLLY BARS

Don't you love that cute plate?

Chicken Marsala

My recipe for chicken marsala is almost famous! I've given this to a few friends and it's on the top of their weekly menus quite often!

Ingredients

1 pound of skinless, boneless chicken breasts (Cut into thirds)

1 carton of baby bella mushrooms

1 cup of Marsala wine

1 1/2 cups of chicken broth

1 clove of garlic, diced

1 small shallot, diced

1 tablespoon of butter

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 eggs

1 cup of flour plus 2 tablespoons for sauce

salt/pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme

Mix 1 cup of flour with the paprika, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet.

Dredge the chicken pieces in the eggwash and then coat with the flour mixture.

Brown in the skillet on both sides (3 minutes per side)

Place the chicken pieces in a glass baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, use the same skillet as you fried the chicken and melt the butter. Sautee the shallot and garlic until transparent.

Add the mushrooms and sautee until tender.

Add the Marsala Wine and let simmer 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup of chicken broth and let simmer 5 minutes.

Add the fresh thyme.

Mix 2 tablespoons of flour with the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth and whisk until smooth.
Add the flour/broth mixture to the skillet and simmer lightly until thickened, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the marsala sauce over the chicken breasts and egg noodles.

Happy Birthday, lil' sis!

My sister described this cake as a brownie with frosting. Even the choco-phobes in my family had a big chunk! Sure, my cake decorating skills are a bit lackluster but this cake was darn good!

HERSHEYS PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE CAKE AND FROSTING RECIPE

I used the Wilton Buttercream Frosting recipe for the orange frositng.

Jambalaya

I've never been to New Orleans, so I can't really say that I've had authentic Creole food. I did, however, have some really delicious Cajun food at a Cajun restaurant in Lexintgon, Kentucky. Since it's even more difficult to find Cajun food in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, I had to figure out how to make this on my own.

I finally found a recipe that sounded really close to what I had in KY.

JAMBALAYA RECIPE

I followed this recipe, pretty much exactly, except I added frozen okra near the end and I omitted a cup of chicken broth because I like this served on top of rice instead of with the rice mixed in. I used chicken, shrimp, and andouille as the meats.

Banana-Apple-Honey Nut Muffins

I created this one on my own. Adding healthy ingredients and a combination of yummy flavors. These muffins are moist and have great texture!

1 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup Soy Garden (butter replacement)

3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of honey

1/2 cup of chunky applesauce

2 tablespoons of wheat bran

1 1/2 cups of self-rising flour

1/2 cup of whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Beat 1 cup sugar and Soy Garden at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

Add mashed bananas, honey, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla, beating well.
Combine flour and baking soda; add to banana mixture, beating until just combined. Stir in chopped walnuts.
Pour into lined muffin tins. I sprinkled mine with a little extra wheat bran.
Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack.

Chicken Cordon Ewe

Actually, I'm not sure what to call this! It's definitely Italian and not French, but my brain is not cooporating tonight and I can't come up with anything creative. Any suggestions?

So here's the recipe....

4 chicken breasts, pounded flat

4 slices of Prosciutto di Parma

1 oz. block of goat cheese (sliced)

3 eggs

1 cup of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup of frozen spinanch, thawed and drained

Lay out the chicken breast. Place a piece of prosciutto on top of the chicken. Then layer on the cheese and spinach. Roll up. Dredge in egg wash and then lightly dredge in the breadcrumbs.

Brown in a skillet, approximately 5 minutes per side. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

I served with Parsley Potatoes - which is basically 5 yukon gold potatoes cubed and boiled until fork tender and then tossed with butter and fresh, chopped parsley.

My husband put the peas on my plate...I think he over did it!

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

So, yes, I broke down and tried this one as well! It's such a "staple" on the What's Cooking board, plus it looked so easy and yummy that I had to try it. Josh is always after me to make chicken enchiladas and this seemed very similar but way easier. Plus at 157 calories per serving, it's perfect for a low-calorie diet but super-filling!

The original recipe is from http://www.sparkrecipes.com/ and can be found here...Crockpot Salsa Chicken. We had this on tortillas with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese.

Cinnamon Dolce Pumpkin Muffins

These were my own creation! I have some Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce syrup and put it to good use!

3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons of Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
Wheat bran (for sprinkling on top)

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin, butter, vanilla and syrup. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Pour into lined muffin tins and sprinkle with wheat bran. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until breads test done. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Muffins

Who knew peanut butter and pumpkin would make such a good combination! I nearly ate all the batter before I made it into the muffin tins! Allrecipes link.

3 cups sugar
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
2/3 cup peanut butter
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil, water and peanut butter; beat well. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Gradually add to pumpkin mixture; mix well. Pour into two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans (I used muffin tins). Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes (muffins bake for 40 minutes) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

I also added some chocolate chips to some of them....

Portabello and Parmesan Risotto

I made this with the balsamic chicken drummettes. I think it was a nice, complementing side. I think I'll use a more flavorful cheese next time as the parmesan didn't give it enough oomph. Although, it was still pretty darn tasty!

2 cups water
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can vegetable broth
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped cremini mushrooms (about 6 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup marsala wine
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Bring water and broth to a simmer in a saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Remove mushrooms from pan.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute 2 minutes or until tender. Add rice; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.

Add broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth mixture is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes). Stir in mushrooms, cheese, and remaining ingredients.

Giada's Balsamic Chicken Drumettes

I have made this recipe time and again and have used it on wings, drummies, thighs, and breasts. We love it! This recipe is from foodnetwork.com. I omitted the sesame seeds because hubby doesn't like them and also because I was out of them.

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

5 sprigs of rosemary

5 garlic cloves, halved

10 to 12 chicken drumsticks

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Combine the balsamic, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary sprigs, and garlic cloves, in a large, re-sealable plastic bag. Shake and squeeze the contents of the bag to dissolve the honey and the brown sugar. Add the chicken drumsticks to the bag and seal with as little air as possible in the bag. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the chicken drumsticks on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until the skin is caramelized and very dark in spots, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil (in order to kill bacteria). Reduce the heat to simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Reserve.

Use a pastry brush to brush some of the cooked marinade on the cooked chicken. Place the chicken on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and the chopped parsley.

Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

After seeing these posted on The Nest What's Cooking board multiple times, I had to try it out for myself. I followed the recipe to a "T" and was somewhat disappointed with the results.

The batter was dry and the cookies didn't spread the way I was expecting. They were chewy and moist inside, but the outside was sorta dry, like a crust. I'm not sure what I did wrong that I'm not raving about these, but this just proved to me that I should just stick with my Nestle Tollhouse recipe. It's still #1.

This is the recipe from Allrecipes.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.

Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.

Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Chicken & Dumplings

This recipe is from Southern Living. This was my first attmept at homemade chicken and dumplings and it was very good. Next time I'll use one of those dumpling makers instead of rolling/cutting the dough.

Ingredients
1 (2 1/2-pound) whole chicken, cut up

2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

3 cups self-rising flour

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/3 cup shortening

1 cup buttermilk

Cover chicken with water, and bring to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and next 3 ingredients; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Remove chicken, reserving broth in Dutch oven; cool chicken. Skim fat from broth; bring to a simmer.
Skin, bone, and coarsely chop chicken. Add chicken, bouillon, and remaining salt and pepper to broth. Return to simmer.

Combine flour and poultry seasoning in a bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Add milk, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1-inch pieces.

Bring broth mixture to a boil. Drop dumplings, a few at a time, into boiling broth, stirring gently. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring often, for 25 minutes.

Banana Hazelnut Muffins with Nutella Crown

In the never-ending quest to add Nutella to our favorite recipes, I created these. They were so yummy and the perfect balance of fruit and nutella!

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for preparing the pan

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup toasted hazelnut pieces

Nutella

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled, so don't worry), and remove the bowl from the mixer.

With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts and transfer the batter to the prepared muffin tin. Swirl a teaspoon of Nutella on the top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Wrap in plastic wrap. The banana bread is best if served the next day.

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread

This recipe is from Allrecipes.com. I had a bunch of frozen, shredded zucchini I needed to use up, so I made this bread. I added chocolate chips to half of the batch since I didn't have any nuts on hand. It turned out so good! My changes are below in red.

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup butter or margarine, melted (I used Earth Balance instead of butter)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts (I didn't have nuts so I added chocolate chips to 1 loaf)

DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin, butter and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until breads test done. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack.