Baked Chicken Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions

One of my husband's favorite all-time meals is chicken sandwiches with french fries. In all honestly, it's been great to have something so simple and quick to rely on that I know he'll always like. I love this particular recipe because it has all the goodness and flavor of a fried chicken sandwich, but with the healthy and juicy benefits of a baked dish! I used a simple "shake-and-bake" seasoning packet that I bought at the store for mine, but seasoned breadcrumbs would work just as well. I also love the addition of the caramelized onions. They add just a hint of sweetness without overpowering the spices of the chicken, and make for a very delicious and healthy meal! We had this last night on toasted dinner rolls with a side of baked fries and freshly cut pineapple. (Photo courtesy of Anne Strawberry)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into medium pieces
• 1/2 package shake-and-bake seasonings
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 4 slices cheddar cheese
• 1 cup onions, cut into long strips
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 5-6 small sandwich buns/rolls
• fresh lettuce leaves
• freshly cut tomatoes

Pour the chicken, shake-and-bake seasoning and garlic powder into a large ziploc bag and shake thoroughly until all pieces are coated. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cooked through and crispy on the outside. While the chicken is baking, place the onions and butter into a medium skillet and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Onions will become soft and will have a light caramel color to them. After chicken is cooked, place cheese slices on top of the chicken. Place back in the oven for 1-2 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Layer chicken, onions, lettuce tomatoes, and other condiments onto sandwiches and eat warm.

Tip: For toasted bread, simply slice open the buns and lay them cut-side down onto the greased cookie sheet. Place under broiler for 1-2 minutes or until warm and slightly toasted. Remove from oven and top with butter or mayonnaise before adding the sandwich ingredients.

Sausage Quiche Lorraine

I'm one of those girls who loves breakfast for dinner: waffles, pancakes, omelettes, biscuits and gravy... I'm game for any of these on any given night. This quiche fits right in with my breakfast cravings and makes for a delicious and easy meal. I always make my pie crust from scratch using the basic Taste of Home recipe. It is very light and flaky and has a wonderful flavor. But if you are short on time, a pre-made pie crust from the store will work just fine. This recipe is extremely versatile because you can put any ingredients in that you have at home to make a variety of quiche flavors. This particular version is my favorite (and my husband's favorite) because it is hearty and comforting. (Picture courtesy of The Perfect Pantry)

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup shortening (I use softened butter)
• 5-6 Tbsp. water

Mix the flour and salt together. Cut in the shortening or butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water in one tablespoon at a time and toss with a fork until it begins to stick together. (I usually use around 7-8 tablespoons before it starts to stick together. The dough will not be sticky like a bread dough. As soon as you can pick it up and mold it into a slightly-crumbly ball, stop adding water.) Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes so it is easier to handle. Roll out with a floured rolling pin until wide enough to easily fit inside a pie pan. Spray pie pan with cooking spray and lay the dough inside, fluting the edges around the edge of the pan.

Tip: Spray your rolling pin with cooking spray to reduce the stickiness of the dough. It makes a huge different and allows the dough to spread a lot easier!

Quiche:

• 1/2 lb. sausage
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• handful spinach (optional)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• dash of pepper

Cook the sausage in a large saucepan until cooked through. Reserve 1 tsp. of the grease and lightly saute the onion over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until slightly softened. Layer the sauge, onion, mushrooms, spinach and cheese on the bottom of the pie crust. In a separate bowl mix together the eggs, cream, salt, nutmeg and pepper until combined. Pour over the top of the quiche. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until eggs are set. Serve with salsa and ketchup on the side.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

This is by-far my favorite base recipe for ice cream. It came in a small Cuisinart recipe book I got when I purchased my ice cream maker. It is so simple and easy to put together, but I always add different ingredients to it at the end to make a whole new flavor of ice cream! This particular recipe is extremely smooth and creamy (my favorite way to eat ice cream) and has a mouth-watering delicious vanilla flavor that definitely tastes homemade. I love store-bought ice cream, but for me there is nothing better than the classic taste of the homemade kind.




Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk (I use whatever is in the fridge - usually 1%)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• pinch sale
• 2 cups heavy craem
• 1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight. Freeze according to ice cream maker directions.

For my particular ice cream maker, I add in the additional ingredients about 5 minutes before the ice cream is done mixing. My favorite varieties are are:

• crushed oreos
• pecans lightly sauteed in butter and brown sugar
• S'mores (crushed graham crackers, melted chocolate at room temperature, 3/4 cup marshmallow cream)
• 1 cup peanut butter and chopped peanut butter cups
• chopped peppermints

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken

This recipe is pretty similar to my Mexican Chicken Casserole Recipe, except it contains a few different ingredients and it's done in my favorite kitchen appliance: the crock pot. It literally took me less than 10 minutes to throw this dish together. I diced up the vegetables and chicken, poured everything into the crock pot, turned it on high and walked away. 4 hours later I came back, turned it to warm, made up some rice and served it up. Honestly people, it can't get any easier than that! This meal is another one of those one-pot-wonder dishes I love to cook. It can be served by itself or with a small side such as a green salad or fresh fruit. The three main reasons I love this recipe are: 1) It is extremely easy and fast. 2) It is loaded with flavor and it tastes heavenly. And 3) It's a very healthy meal that allows me to get all of my vegetables in one simple dish. (Picture and recipe courtesy of Kraft Recipes.)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 package reduced-sodium taco seasoning
• 1 green or red pepper, diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 1/2 cups medium salsa (medium gives it a lot more flavor than mild)
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Toss chicken with taco seasoning in slow cooker. Add in everything but the cheese and stir to combine. Cook on low 6-8 hours, or on high 3-4 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve topped with shredded cheese, cilantro and sour cream. Tastes great by itself, but my favorite way is to serve it over hot cooked rice.

Winger's Sticky Fingers

I have a problem with going to restaurants: I love the food and I begin to crave it. It especially becomes a problem when I move across the country and no longer have specific restaurants available to me such as Cafe Rio, Rumbi or Winger's. So I have made it a goal to find copy-cat recipes of some of my favorite foods. This particular recipe is a copy-cat of Winger's infamous sticky fingers. I crave their amazing sauce and I often find my mouth watering just thinking about it. Lucky for me, I stumbled across a recipe that tastes almost exactly like Winger's original sticky fingers! It's extremely easy to throw together with only 3 common ingredients. I also made my own chicken fingers rather than buying them and baked them in the oven for a healthier dish. (Picture and recipe courtesy of Favorite Family Recipes.)

Ingredients:

Sauce Recipe:

• 3 Tbsp. Frank's Hot Sauce
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. water

Chicken Recipe:

• 1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp. garlic powder

Preset oven to 375 degrees. Pour milk in a small bowl. Mix bread crumbs, flour and garlic powder in a separate small bowl. Coat chicken breasts in milk and then in bread crumb mixture. Lay chicken pieces flat on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. While cooking, mix together the hot sauce, brown sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Toss cooked chicken strips in sauce until coated. Serve with a side of ranch dressing for dipping.

Southwest Chicken Quesadillas

These are definitely my go-to meal when it comes to a quick, easy and delicious dinner. These quesadillas have a perfectly crunchy shell and are stuffed with chicken, rice, black beans, tomatoes, onions, cheese, cilantro and a creamy sour cream sauce that holds everything together. They are also very healthy so I don't feel quite as guilty when I eat 2 or 3.. okay, so maybe 4 - but only on bad days! (Picture and recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)




Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked rice (I usually cook my rice in chicken broth rather than water to give it more flavor)
• 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tsp. hot sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 4 burrito-size flour tortillas

Mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, hot sauce, chili powder, cumin and garlic powder in a small bowl. Spread in a thin layer over tortillas. Arrange the chicken, rice, beans, onion, tomato, and cilantro on half of the tortilla. Sprinkle with the cheese. Fold tortillas in half and spray each side with cooking spray. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat for 1-minute. Cook each quesadilla 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and crisp. Be careful not to over-cook or over-heat as tortillas will burn quickly.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

This meal definitely falls into the "comfort food" category. It is a one-pot-wonder meal that is quick to throw together and very filling. It's also very healthy which is a huge bonus when it comes to comfort foods. The chicken is seared in taco seasoning and combined with onions, green peppers, tomatoes, black beans and salsa. Then it's layered with cheese and tortillas and baked to perfection. Honestly, it is simply delicious and deliciously simple. (Picture and recipe courtesty of Kraft Foods)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp. taco seasoning (about 1/2 of a taco-seasoning packet)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup medium-spicy salsa (medium gives it a lot more flavor)
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 tortillas (6-inch)
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook and stir chicken, cumin, taco seasoning and water in a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Add peppers and onions, stirring for 2 minutes. Stir in salsa, beans and tomato and stir until all ingredients are coated in salsa. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray and spoon 1/3 of the chicken mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Cover with one tortilla and half of the remaining chicken mixture. Top with the remaining tortilla and chicken mixture and sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover and bake 20 minutes, or until heated through. Serve warm with extra salsa, cilantro and sour cream.

Homemade Buffalo Macaroni and Cheese

About a year ago I was determined to make a classic macaroni and cheese recipe from scratch. I found a recipe online, bought all of the ingredients and set off to make that kind of macaroni and cheese that you crave - you know, the homemade kind? Well, unfortunately, it didn't turn out so good. It was very thick, had an odd texture and not much flavor. My husband was sweet enough to eat some of it, but most of the pot went into the garbage that evening. One year later I was finally brave enough to try again, this time with different ingredients and spices. What started out as a regular macaroni and cheese dish turned into more of a southwest buffalo-flavored meal and with ham and broccoli. It's creamy and extra cheesy with a bit of a kick that makes for a great flavor. It's also less fattening and more nutritious than regular mac and cheese recipes because the base mainly consists of milk instead of heavy cream, and it includes broccoli, which, surprisingly, adds a great flavor to the dish. (Picture courtesy of Real Simple)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. shell pasta, uncooked



• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced



• 3 Tbsp. butter



• 3 Tbsp. flour



• 1 cup milk



• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated



• 1/8 tsp. pepper



• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg



• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt



• 1 tsp. cajun seasoning



• 1/2 cup half-and-half



• 1 cup chopped broccoli



• 1 cup diced ham



• 4-5 Tbsp. Frank's Buffalo sauce

Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain. While the past is cooking, steam the broccoli for 4-5 minutes or until tender-crisp. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and saute the garlic over medium heat until light brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the flour and stir until a thick roux (dough-like texture) forms. Slowly add in the milk and stir over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until it thickens and begins to bubble, and the roux is dissolved. Add in the cheese and stir until melted and thoroughly combined. Stir in the pepper, nutmeg, garlic salt and cajun seasoning. Turn heat to low and add in the cooked pasta, broccoli, ham and half-and-half. Mix together until all ingredients are coated in the cheese sauce. Stir in the hot sauce, one tablespoon at a time, until completely incorporated. Serve warm with extra cheese sprinkled on top.

Homemade Croutons

I have never been a big fan of croutons. They're always too crunchy and way too salty for my tastes, so I usually end up giving them to my husband while he gives he his tomatoes and cucumbers. Overall, it's a good swap! However, a few weeks ago I was making an Italian meal for dinner with a side salad. I realized I was out of the regular salad toppings such as onions, tomatoes and sunflower seeds (personal preference), so I had to come up with something that made for an actual salad rather than a bowl of lettuce. This is what I came up with. And, believe it or not, I loved them and I will I never go back to the store-bought kind. The beautiful thing about croutons is that you can put whatever seasonings you want on them and they always turn out great. I used whole grain wheat bread that I usually use for sandwiches, and it gave them a wonderful flavor and texture. However, any kind of bread will work great. (Picture courtesy of Serious Eats)

Ingredients:

• 3-4 slices bread (any variety will work great)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• Seasonings (suggestions: garlic salt, pepper, sage, parsley, italian seasoning, thyme and rosemary)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dice bread up into 1-inch cubes. Drizzle the cubes with olive oil and toss to evenly coat. Sprinkle seasonings on to your taste and toss to coat. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet so all the cubes are laying flat. Bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until cubes are crunchy and a light brown. Cool and serve. Store leftover croutons in an airtight container to maintain crunch and freshness.

Lemon Berry Trifle

Honestly, who doesn't love a beautiful, simple and delicious trifle? They serve a large amount of people, they are a cinch to throw together, and they look like you spent hours and hours putting it all together. This is, by far, the best trifle I have ever had. Okay, so I'm a bit partial since I'm kind of obsessed with anything that has the word "lemon" in it, but this one is delicious and oh so pretty! Lemon pound cake, sweet lemon-whipped cream, and a bright slightly tart berry syrup sauce to balance out the sweetness in the cake. You can even make it easy if you're short on time by buying a lot of the ingredients from the store rather than making them from scratch. Most of the steps can be done ahead of time which makes it a snap to throw together and serve right when you need it. This particular recipe does take a little more time to throw together, but some of the ingredients can be bought at the store to make the recipe quicker and easier. However, if you're feeling adventurous, I've included all of the recipes below so you can make the entire dessert from scratch. (Picture and recipe courtesy of Mels Kitchen Cafe)

Ingredients:

Berries (can be cooked up to a day in advance and refrigerated)

• 4 cups berries (any combination such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.), fresh or frozen (thawed and drained)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. cornstarch

Lemon Cream

• 3 cups whipping cream
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 recipe lemon curd (see recipe below) or one 11-oz. jar lemon curd

Lemon Curd* (can be made up to 3 days in advance)

• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 large whole egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1 stick butter, cut into small pieces

Pound Cake* (can be made a day in advance)

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tbsp. lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (1-2 lemons)

Berries: Combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook just until the berries start to break down, about 3-4 minutes. Take the berries off the heat and let the mixture cool. Cover and refrigerate berry syrup until ready to use.

Cream: In a clean bowl, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Put the lemon curd into a second bowl and mix with about 1/4 cup of whipped cream to loosen up. Gradually fold in the rest of the cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Lemon Curd: Strain the yolks and whole egg through a fine-meshed strainer into a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and lemon juice, whisk to combine. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon, about 12-14 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in butter, one piece at a time, until melted and fully incorporated. Stir in the lemon zest. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Pound Cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Place the butter in a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer until soft. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add in flour alternatively with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Invert onto a wire wrack and let cool completely.

To assemble the trifle: spoon a layer of the cream onto the bottom of the trifle bowl. Add a layer of pound cake, breaking up as necessary to fit. Drizzle on about 1/3 of the berry mixture. Don't worry if it doesn't completely cover the cake, just let it fall where it wants. Spoon a layer of lemon cream over, smoothing to the sides. Repeat all the layers, 2 or 3 more times depending on the size of the bowl, finishing with a layer of lemon cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. It is best to make this several hours ahead and let it sit in the refrigerator so all of the flavors can meld together.

*Lemon curd and pound cake can be bought at the store for easier and faster assembly.