Ranch Chicken

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used Italian seasoned)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I omitted since my breadcrumbs were seasoned)
4 pounds chicken pieces (legs, thighs, whatever you like)
1/2 cup ranch dressing

In a large bowl put the chicken and ranch dressing, toss with your hands to get chicken coated. Let marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour. In a bowl mix together breadcrumbs, cheese, cornmeal, and seasonings. When chicken in finished marinating coat with breadcrumb mixture and put in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

The Verdict? I was hoping for more ranch flavor, there was lots of crunch and the chicken stayed very moist. Jason loved it, he thought you could definitely taste the ranch and it was delicious. I'll make this again!

Matzo Ball Soup- all for yum, and yum for all!

Whether it's Passover or not, and whether you're Jewish or not, you'll want to savor the Matzo Ball Soup experience. My family is Jewish, and since Passover was this past week, I was up for the challenge (*cough* I mean, happy to honor the celebration) of eating unleavened bread (matzo), fruit, veggies, meat and dairy (keeping the last 2 separate, of course) for 8 days. No bread, cake, cookies, crackers, etc. The good thing is, when the Jewish holidays come around, our brains automatically pull up mouth-watering recollections of past holiday meals, all of which are full of delicious-ness: tender, juicy brisket (recipe coming); strawberries and chocolate over meringue cookies (made by the amazing Martha Hochman); and of course, matzo ball soup.
Jenn and I were both planning to make some MB soup last week, so we decided to have a party and make it together. We threw carrots, celery, onions, chicken, a bay leaf (and soup mix) into a pot, let it boil while we mixed, chilled, rolled and dropped the little balls in with a splash, and waited with bated breath. When all was said and done, we had some awesome soup. Sadly, in my excitement and anticipation, I put two batches together (and added some more water, thinking the soup was a little too salty and we could use some more broth for all these matzo balls)...and between some of the matzo balls being forced to stay under water and not being able to fluff up, and the change in water temp while boiling, a number of my little friends couldn't show us their full potential. Thus, I had another matzo ball party of 1 (me) a few days later while making brisket and all was well with the world. So enough talk, let's get to the recipe.
As you've learned vicariously through my antics (and so you have no reason to repeat them), you should only make one batch of matzo balls at a time, even if you have a big pot. Also, you should follow the directions EXACTLY. If you don't, you can end up with toughy (as opposed to fluffy) matzo balls, which won't taste nearly as good. I'll also say now that while these matzo balls will be good, they are made from a mix which means they:

1) probably aren't as good as a Jewish grandmother's homemade matzo balls would be.
2) probably aren't as good FOR you...We like them salty, but I'm sure we had more than our share of sodium this Passover.

You can always try out a homemade recipe when you're feeling bold, but for now, all you need is...(yes, I'm really getting to the recipe)

a box of Matzo Ball Mix
eggs
vegetable oil
stuff for chicken soup

You can find the MB mix in the ethnic section of the store (look for the Jewish stuff- matzo, gefilte fish, and anything that says 'Manischewitz'. You can buy a matzo ball mix, or (as I did this year), you can get a Matzo Ball AND SOUP mix in one with a little packet of salty, flavorful goodness to add into your soup.

Then bring everything home and follow the directions. Mix the matzo ball packet with 2 tbsp. vegetable oil and 2 eggs, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, form into little balls (It helps if your hands are wet, but not TOO wet, and be sure to form the balls fast. You don't want to mess with them too much). I'm not trying to be dirty, btw- there are only so many ways to say 'don't over-handle the balls'.

Drop them in the boiling soup, cover tightly, and lower the heat to simmer for 20 minutes. Do not open it, do not add more water (that was dumb, I admit it), do not pass go, do not collect $200. Just wait and relax. After 20 minutes, the matzo balls should be nice and fluffy. I usually make a bunch, so I'll store matzo balls in one container and soup in another. If I'm really organized, I might make a couple little on-the-go bowls/containers for lunches right away. This year, we also shared some with Kyle's co-workers and a family I babysit, as well as our roommate Julie- all of whom were trying it for the first time and loved it. YAY!

So that's matzo ball soup. Enjoy it and please post any comments or questions you may have. Thanks for reading!!

White Bean Chicken Chili

We recently borrowed a crock pot from friends of ours (they have 2 and were so sweet to lend us one) and I was so excited to make my first crock pot recipe- white bean chicken chili! I found the recipe online at http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotchicken/r/bl118c19.htm and changed it a little bit- it turned out AMAZINGLY delicious. I will definitely make this again, and it was pretty easy. Here's how I made it:

Ingredients:
* 1 lb chicken, cut up into small chunks (I actually baked the chicken first and broke it into smaller pieces. It ended up pulling apart and being so flavorful by the end- just an option).
* 1 cup chopped onion (I used a whole onion and stuck it in my Tupperware Quick Chef to chop it up)
* 1 can chicken broth (I used a 15 oz. box of broth)
* 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely (I used 2 tbsp. from a jar of minced garlic)
* 2 tsp Cumin seed- ground will not withstand long cooking as well (I didn't have any, so I skipped this)
* 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
* 3 -15oz cans white beans (great northern or cannellini), drained and rinsed (I used great northern beans)
* 1 or 2 chopped red, green or yellow bell peppers, or combination (Kyle and I aren't big pepper eaters, so I chopped up one yellow pepper)
* jalapeno chili peppers, fresh, jarred or canned, optional or 'to taste' (we used some chile peppers- not too hot- from a can. Didn't do a whole lot, but did add another flavor.

Prep:
In a 4 or 6 quart crock pot, combine the chicken, onions, broth, garlic, (cumin) and oregano.

Let cook awhile on low (approx. 3-5 hours, depending on your schedule)
Then add drained beans.

Add the bell peppers and jalapeno peppers no earlier than the last hour or hour and a half before serving or it'll get mushy.

Top each serving with shredded Monterey jack cheese and or broken tortilla chips if desired (we also put some sour cream on top).

Thanks to 'boathoff' for sharing online so that we could try out this awesome meal. Mmm mmm we'll be making this one again and hopefully you'll be able to try it, too!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

I failed on this one, as I found the recipe online, made it about a month ago, and didn't post it right away. Tonight, I went to find the recipe online again and couldn't find it...I do remember that we used about a pound of chicken, shredded/cut into smaller pieces. We also used chicken broth, water, noodles (we actually found chicken pot pie square noodles), veggies (potatoes, peas, green beans and carrots), and a little salt. It turned out yummy- a little more noodle-y than soupy, but still good :) Yum Yum

Creamy Italian Chicken

I got this recipe from Shayna who got it from someone she babysits for (Mary) who said it was one of their favorite crock pot recipes. Had to try it out and was not disappointed!

2 large chicken breasts (thats what we had in the freezer, the recipe called for 4 chicken breasts so use that if you can)
1 envelope Italian Salad Dressing mix
¼ cup water
8oz cream cheese softened
1 can condensed chicken soup (don't add the water)
2 cups mushrooms sliced thin

Put the chicken, water, and Italian seasonings into the crock pot and let it cook for 3-4 hours on low. Top with the sliced mushrooms and then place the cream cheese/soup mixture on top of the mushrooms and chicken (this looked gross... but don't worry!) Let it cook for another hour and then mix everything around. If you're hungry serve now or keep it on low till you're ready. Serve over rice or noodles (we used elbow macaroni). This meal was amazing! So many flavors, the chicken was super moist and could be cut with a fork, yumm yumm yumm! Thank you Shayna and Mary!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Two Ways

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole (the way I have always made it)- This recipe is super easy and great for warm ups all week. Got me through many weeks in college/student teaching :)

6-8 Chicken Breasts, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
2 cans cream of chicken soup (mix it with the required water)
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups sliced ham (you can use less if you like less ham)
2 cups of bread crumbs
1 stick of butter

In a 9x13 inch pan spread out the chicken, top with the soup, then top with ham and the cheese. Melt the butter and mix with the breadcrumbs, put this mixture on top of the cheese layer. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees uncovered.

You can eat this as is or serve it on top of rice or pasta.

Chicken Cordon Bleu (a more grown up way)- Just tried this recipe this week and it was great and not as hard as I would have thought.

4 Chicken breasts “butterflied” (cut horizontally but not all the way through to make a bigger thinner piece of chicken)-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqjfQP3Mp2k if you're confused
6 slices of swiss cheese
4 slices of ham
1 egg scrambled with a fork
1 ½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Start with the butterflied chicken, place it in between two pieces of wax paper and use a heavy bottomed frying pan to pound it so the chicken pieces are pretty thin and even. Top each piece of chicken with 1 and a half slices of swiss cheese and a piece of ham. Tightly roll up the chicken and dip it in the egg and then roll it in the breadcrumbs. Place it seam side in a lightly greased baking ban and cook at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Honey Baked Chicken

Looking for a new chicken recipe with a flavorful kick? Honey Baked Chicken is easy and different, and especially tasty with herbed chicken cous cous. Bon appetit!

Chicken (we used boneless chicken breasts, 2-3 lbs., cut into pieces)
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp margarine/butter, melted
1/4 tsp ground black pepper (we used paprika)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
2. Rub chicken pieces with garlic powder, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, beat egg yolk with honey and butter or margarine, then brush this mixture over chicken pieces. Place chicken pieces, skin side down, in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 to 60 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear, basting with remaining butter or margarine. Just before serving, turn chicken over and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes to cook the skin on the other side.

Note: We cut the chicken breasts in half (to make them thinner), bumped the temp up to 350, and baked for 30-35 minutes. We turned it about halfway through and it turned out great. Flavorful, juicy, and best of all, easy! Inspired by recipe at http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/honey-baked-chicken-i/Detail.aspx We'll definitely make this one again :) P.S. I'm loving this blog! Can't wait to keep reading everyone's recipes and try some of them out myself.