Country Club Chicken

Need something quick for dinner tonight? This dish comes together in under an hour but it tastes like it took hours to prepare. I’m not usually one to notice the subtleties in a dish but the apple and the wine and the bacon flavors really seem to shine through.

I have no idea why this is called Country Club Chicken. I came across it online while looking for chicken recipes. I altered it a bit (Of course, I can’t help it) without really changing the original recipe from Kayotic Kitchen (For some reason I can't link you to that site. Just google Kayotic Kitchen Country Club Chicken and it will take you there.) . If you want to see truly amazing photos of this dish then please check out the Kayotic Kitchen blog. It will have you wanting to lick your screen. Seriously. One look and you will understand why I had to make this.

Country Club Chicken

Ingredients

6 - 8 slices bacon, chopped

5 chicken breasts

Salt & pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cups mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 apple, peeled, cored, finely chopped

1 can (10 oz) cream of mushroom soup

¼ cup white wine

1 cup aged cheddar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a medium sized casserole dish (or 9 X 13 pan)  with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large skillet, over medium – high heat, cook the bacon until it is just starting to get crispy. Remove and drain on paper towel.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In the same pan (DON’T clean it!! You want all those delicious bacon drippings), quickly brown the chicken on both sides and then transfer to the prepared casserole dish.

Now, cook the onion for a minute or two. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for another minute or two. Add the apple and cook for another 3 – 4 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle the bacon back in there. Pour in the white wine. Now add the cream of mushroom soup and the aged cheddar. Stir until it is well combined and smooth.

Pour over the chicken breasts.

Place the casserole in the 350 oven and cook for 25 – 30 minutes. Until the chicken is super tender and the sauce is bubbling.

This is great served with spaghetti or with rice. You want something that will soak up all that delicious sauce.

 This is a great dish if you are having company and want them to think you spent hours trying to impress them. My photos don’t really do it justice (seriously, go look at Kayotic Kitchen) but it tastes amazing and the smell in the house while it is cooking will have you drooling.

Literally.

You may want a bib.

All you need is a little veggie side dish – maybe some steamed broccoli or green beans – and you have a fancy schmancy meal that is as easy to make as Kraft dinner and Shake & Bake.

Honest.

Try it.

You’ll see what I mean.

Here - I copied the photo from Kayotic Kitchen in case you can't get to their site either. Now you can see how awesome it looks when someone with fantabulous camera skills takes a photo.

Drooling yet?

Tropical Quinoa Parfait

With all of the treats I have been having lately I figured I better try to slip something healthy into my repertoire. Don't get me wrong though.... I still want treats.

I came up with this parfait which, I think, is a perfect combination of healthy and treat.

Okay...maybe not perfect but it was really good and, according to Fitday , it is about 230 calories, 8 gr fat, 30 carbs, and 8 gr protein. I'd say that's fairly healthy for breakfast or afternoon snack.

Plus.... it contains vitamin C, B12, iron, fibre, and calcium.

I've made this several times already and substituted mashed banana for the pineapple and also mashed strawberries. They were equally as tasty but, of course, the nutritional values would change with the different fruit. I've also made 2 and let one sit, covered, in the fridge overnight and it was good to take to work for breakfast the next day.

This recipe makes 1 parfait, by the way, but can easily be doubled.

Tropical Quinoa Parfait

Ingredients

Coconut Oat Crumble

2 Tbsp rolled oats

1 Tbsp coconut

1 tsp butter

1/2 tsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp pecans, chopped

3 Tbsp quinoa, not cooked

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp brown sugar

4 Tbsp Fat Free French Vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together Coconut Oat Crumble ingredients and sprinkle into a pie pan. Bake at 350 for 5 - 10 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Cook quinoa according to package directions. (For 3 Tbsp quinoa you want to cook it in a small saucepan with 6 Tbsp water) When it is cooked, remove from heat, add cinnamon and brown sugar, set aside to cool.

When your crumble and quinoa have completely cooled, (place in fridge to speed process) you can assemble your parfait.

1.) Spoon 2 Tbsp yogurt into bottom of glass.

2.) Spoon 2 Tbsp quinoa onto yogurt.

3.) Spoon 1/2 of the crushed pineapple (or whichever fruit you are using)

4.) Spoon 1/2 of the Coconut Oat crumble

Repeat layers one more time.

You may have a little quinoa left over if you measure out the 4 Tbsp for your parfait. You can throw that into a soup or salad, or pretty much anything - or you can use it up in your parfait but it will change the nutritional count.

There you have it.

Healthy but still feels like a treat.

That's something I could get used to.

5 Minute Fudgy Brownie

Okay.

This whole microwave treat thing is just getting out of hand.

First, there was cake in a mug.

Then, there was cookie in a mug.

And now....

*sigh*

Brownie in a mug.

I am in some serious trouble here.

I blame Pinterest.

I mean, if I didn't spend so much time on Pinterest looking at all of those amazing recipes and incredibly creative ideas I would never stumble across all of these things that I keep making and eating because they are so delicious. 

This brownie in a mug recipe, for example, is crazy good. So fudgy and chewy and chocolatey that you will not even believe it came out of the microwave.

The original posting is from Instructables - Mug Brownie . I only changed it ever so slightly to suit my tastes.

5 Minute Fudgy Brownie

Ingredients

4 Tbsp flour

4 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp unsweetened baking cocoa

2 Tbsp melted butter

2 Tbsp water

splash vanilla

tiny pinch salt

Directions

In a microwave safe bowl or mug, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa with a fork.

Stir in butter, water, vanilla, and salt.

Make sure you mix well and incorporate all the dry ingredients.

Microwave for about 1 minute. (It will depend on the power of your microwave but it could take between 50 seconds to 1 minute 15 seconds. Start checking at 50 seconds for doneness. My first one took 1 min 10 seconds. the second one took 1 min 5 seconds.)

 I may have mentioned this before but...I am kind of fond of chocolate.

Just a little...

Now that I can have a moist, fudgy brownie in like 2 seconds I am pretty sure I will be eating chocolate every day.

I am scared to see what else Pinterest will lead me to. What other "in a mug" inventions wait to be discovered. I already have a recipe for banana bread/cake in a mug in the line up...and a cinnamon bun-type thingy as well.

My diet and weight loss goals are in serious jeopardy here.

Not cool Pinterest.....not cool.

Steak and Bacon Cheddar Balls

Just a quick blog today about these delicious meatballs.

Now, I have made a fair amount of meatball recipes in my day. This one may be my new number one choice.

They were so moist and delicious and cheesey and bacony that my brain exploded.

I'm not making that up.

*Boom*

Exploded....just like that...

Brain explosions aside....these truly are the yummiest meatballs I have eaten.

Steak and Bacon Cheddar Balls

Ingredients

1 small onion, diced fine

1/2 lb bacon, finely chopped (about 5 - 6 strips)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 cup shredded, aged cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

3 large eggs

 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used Panko)

1/2 Tbsp Oh! So Garlic (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a 9 X 13 dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, cook onion and bacon and garlic, stirring frequently, until bacon has browned and onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and chill in fridge until cool enough to handle.

In a large mixing bowl, combine beef, cheeses, eggs, breadcrumbs, Oh! So Garlic (if using) and cooled bacon & onions & garlic.

Roll into golf ball sized balls using a small cookie scoop or just pinch off a bit and roll it in your hands.

Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly. They should be touching each other.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until meatballs are firm and cooked through. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Our dad found a recipe in one of the newspapers that he reads and cut it out for me to try. I tweaked it a bit and this was the result.

So. Good.

In fact, it was so good that the next day for lunch we had Meatball Paninis on Roasted Beet Bread buns. (Click HERE for that recipe!)

*Boom*

My brain exploded AGAIN.

You look me in the eye and tell me that doesn't look amazing!

We split the beet buns and used some spicy mustard on some and some smoky BBQ on others and then sprinkled on some cheese and sliced onion and panini'd them.

Mmmm.... panini'd to perfection.

What more can you ask out of meat dish?

Dinner one night, lunch the next night...

Brain exploding perfection whatever the meal is what I say.

Guinness Chocolate Cake with Bailey's Frosting

Depending on how you look at it, I am either late posting this recipe for St. Patrick's Day or really early for next year. I prefer to think I am early.

I found this recipe years ago whilst I was looking for St. Patrick’s Day treats. I don’t remember where….I own a LOT of cooking magazines and books….and I look on the computer way too much. I do try to keep track better now that Sue and I have the blog so I can give credit where it is due. That being said, this is a great recipe that I have made a few times and always gets rave reviews.

However, this is not the BEST chocolate cake recipe out there.

That credit would have to go to our secret family recipe.. I have never found a moister, better cake than that one. This cake is definitely in the top 5 though. The Guinness adds a certain unique flavor and the Bailey’s buttercream…well….I love Bailey’s so I am biased…is delicious.

It is perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day dessert or a family get together when you want to impress your guests or…..you know…..Tuesdays.

Guinness and Bailey’s Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

1 cup Irish stout beer (such as Guinness®)

1 cup butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

Bailey's Frosting

 3 cups icing sugar, or as needed

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

3 Tbsp Irish cream liqueur (such as Baileys®), or as needed

Ganache

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp butter at room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line 3 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.

Pour the beer into a saucepan, add the butter, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.

Ooooh....Beer and butter!

Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the cocoa powder until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.

In a bowl, beat the eggs and sour cream together until smooth with an electric mixer. Gradually whisk in the stout mixture to make a smooth, thick liquid.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pour the stout mixture into the flour mixture, and gently combine with a spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove and let cool in pans for 5 minutes before gently inverting the cakes onto wire racks to finish cooling.

Prepare Bailey's Frosting - Mix together the icing sugar, butter, and Irish cream liqueur until the mixture forms a smooth and spreadable frosting (add more sugar or liqueur as needed to create the desired consistency). Spread half the frosting on top of each cake.

Prepare ganache - Place the chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Bring cream to almost boiling in a small saucepan, and pour over the chocolate. Stir in the butter, and stir the mixture until the chocolate melts and the mixture is very smooth. Allow to cool until the mixture is pourable but not thin or overly runny, 10 to 15 minutes.

Assemble cake - Place one cake on a serving tray and frost the top of it.

(First layer.)

Stack a cake gently on top of the other, again frosting the top.

(Second layer.)

Place the last layer of cake on top and frost the top f the cake.

(Third layer.)

You can, if you have enough frosting leftover, frost the sides of the cake, if desired.
Carefully drizzle the chocolate mixture over the cake, allowing decorative drips to run down the sides.
(FYI - I usually don't have enough icing to frost the sides of the cake as I am pretty generous with the layers. You can either thin the layers OR make more frosting...your call!)
As you can see by the photo below, I need to work on my artistic drizzling skills... 

This is a sweet cake. I posted this recipe on Allrecipes a couple of years ago and one of the reviewers said it was too sweet. Really? Too sweet? I would have to disagree with that statement BUT, yes, it is sweet. It is a chocolate cake with frosting and ganache after all.

You can also make this into cupcakes if you prefer. You can hollow out a little hole in the cupcake after it has cooled and fill it with the Bailey's frosting and then drizzle with ganache. You will just have to adjust your cooking time accordingly.

FYI - You can also tint the icing green and make a shamrock like so....

We decorated it with our super easy, 3 ingredient, no bake Lime and Coconut Candies. (Recipe HERE) 

However you decorate it, it is still super yummy! 

Smoky Chicken Spread

This is Sue's recipe from way, way back. She makes it quite often, especially around the holidays.

You know how it kills me to give her credit but **sigh** she is sometimes a genius.

Sometimes.

Like, for instance, with this smoky chicken spread. It is really good. She originally developed it as a dip with crackers (Soooo good with Triscuits!) but then we decided to give it a try as a sandwich filler in puff pastry shells.

My idea, by the way.

She's not the only genius in the family.

Smoky Chicken Spread

Ingredients

3 - 4 cups of chicken, cooked & diced

1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

good dash of seasoning salt

good dash of garlic powder

1 Tbsp honey

1/2 cup coarsely chopped, smoked almonds

3/4 cup mayo (Miracle Whip)

Directions

Mix all ingredients together. Let chill for at least an hour before serving.

You can serve it as a dip with crackers, or use it as a filler for sandwiches. (It was delicious in the puff pastry shells.)

You can throw this together in a pinch. We use the Blue Diamond brand almonds and they taste so smoky. We've made it with different flavors ie: BOLD Maui Onion and Garlic, Smokehouse, Jalapeno Smokehouse, etc... and they are all very yummy.

My favorite is still the original Smokehouse.

If you are looking for something crunchy and smoky and still creamy and delicious...this is the recipe for you.

I've said it before and I will say it again....Sue has some good ideas sometimes....but don't tell her I said that.