Easy Ramen Stir Fry

This dish will definitely never be labeled as gourmet, but for a super quick, use what you got kind of night this is your dish. If you don't already have some Mr. Yoshida cooking marinade I totally recommend you get some, there are so many things you can make with it and it's really yummy.

Adapted from foodilovetoeat.com

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces or precooked and shredded (I precooked it)
3 packages Top Ramen without seasoning
vegetables of your choice- I used onion, red pepper, and broccoli
1/2 c. Mr. Yoshida marinade

Cook noodles according to package. Meanwhile, in large skillet cook chicken until no longer pink (unless you precooked it, in which you can just add it after cooking your veggies.) Add veggies and cook until tender crisp. Add sauce and drained noodles and heat until warmed.

Ultimate Chicken Strips

So I have a new obsession called PINTEREST!!! I am obsessed with it, hence I've totally slacked posting anything on this because anytime I'm on the computer I'm on pinterest..ok maybe not all the time but most of it. Ok really the reason for not posting is usually if I have any spare time I'm trying to take a nap to catch up on sleep. Anyway I found my new favorite food blog on there called plainchicken.com. She has so many awesome recipes which is where I got this one (it's also on the back of the Bisquick box.) Most of you if you've been on pinterest at all have seen the post for "crack potatoes" which is how I found her blog. Anyways you'll have to check it out she has a ton of simple great looking recipes including this one. These really are probably the best chicken strips I've ever made and literally only took me a few minutes to put together and best of all the whole family loved them.

Recipe slightly adapted from Bisquick

3 chicken breasts, cut into strips lengthwise
2/3 c. Bisquick
1/2 t. seasoning salt
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 c. shredded parmesan
garlic salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 T. melted butter

Preheat oven to 450.
Combine Bisquick, seasoning salt, paprika, and cheese in a shallow dish or large ziploc bag. Put egg in bowl. Dip chicken in egg, then dredge in Bisquick mixture. Place on cookie sheet and drizzle butter over chicken. Bake for 12-14 minutes

Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken Tenders

Wow so I've been a real slacker with this blog lately. Between getting my house in order for the arrival of a new one, and just the lack of energy to care I haven't really posted much. I've made several good things, but by the time they're done I'm too lazy to take a picture, but this chicken was so good I had to post, that and it was my own creation and I'm pretty proud of it:) Seriously though, like I've mentioned before there aren't many meals I make more than once, but this one will definitely be made again and soon. Anyways hope you get the chance to give it a try!


2 chicken breasts cut into strips, or 6-7 chicken tenders
2 c. crushed pretzels
1/2 T. dried parsley
2/3 c. honey mustard dressing or dipping sauce


In a shallow dish combine pretzels and parsley. Pour your honey mustard into another shallow dish. Pat your chicken dry, and then dip in honey mustard and then coat with pretzel mixture
( I find it easiest to lay the chicken in pretzel mixture and with my hands sprinkle the pretzels on top, if that makes sense.) Place on baking sheet and cook at 400 for 12-20 minutes depending on the size of chicken pieces you use. If you make them too big the pretzels will start to burn so be careful, I was able to cut my chicken breasts into 3-4 pieces and cooked it for about 17-18 minutes. Serve with extra honey mustard to dip, yum!

If you want another recipe to use up your pretzels try this salad, it is probably one of my favorites!

Sun Dried Tomato and Bacon Chicken

Finally a new recipe worth posting! Actually I've made a few desserts that have turned out really good I just either forgot to take pictures or have been too lazy to post..sorry. Hopefully this will make up for it. This is a super easy and quick dish that's full of flavor so don't procrastinate like me and try it!

Recipe found at thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com

2 slices of bacon
4 chicken breast (I used 2 and cut them in half just to speed the cooking time)
1/4 c. sun-dried tomato vinaigrette dressing
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 T fresh basil, or 1 t. dried basil (just realized I totally forgot this)
2 T. parmesan cheese

If you can allow chicken to marinade in some of the vinaigrette dressing for 4-6 hours.

Cook bacon until crisp, remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Add chicken to pan and brown on each side for about 2 minutes on medium heat. Pour dressing and basil over chicken and allow to cook until done, about 5- 8 minutes (try to keep lid on, it'll cook quicker and keep from spitting grease.) Remove chicken and keep warm. Add tomatoes to remaining dressing and cook until warmed and slightly cooked. Stir in bacon and serve over chicken. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Orange Chicken

I almost hesitated to post this one because it uses another random ingredient, but I couldn't resist, it's way too good to not share! I was really impressed with how well this turned out. I just didn't expect it to be so good and it really wasn't as labor intensive as I had thought either. Anyway this was totally a five star meal to me and I will definitely make this one again.

Recipe found at favfamilyrecipes.com

Chicken:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2 in cubes (I used 2 chicken breasts which was enough for 4 servings.
1 ½ c. flour
1 eggs (beaten)
¼ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
Oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce:
1 c. water
2 Tb. FRESH orange juice
¼ c. FRESH lemon juice
1/3 c. rice vinegar
2 ½ Tb. soy sauce
1 Tb. orange zest
1 c. packed brown sugar
½ t. ginger root, minced (I just used a little powder)
½ t. minced garlic
2 Tb. green onion, chopped
¼ t. red pepper flakes (this doesn't make it hot at all, so if you want more spice add more)
3 Tb. cornstarch
1/4 c. water

Add flour, salt, and pepper and place in shallow dish. In separate bowl add egg. Dip chicken into egg and then roll in flour, repeat until all chicken is coated. Deep fry chicken in fryer or I just used a deep skillet. Cook until no longer pink and golden brown. Remove and set aside. Meanwhile add water, vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, and soy sauce to small saucepan. Heat through for a few minutes then add brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic, green onion, and red pepper and cook until boiling. In a separate bowl mix water and cornstarch and slowly pour into orange sauce and cook until thickened. Serve sauce over chicken and ENJOY!

Rumbi Rice Bowls

These turned out so awesome! I've never used Yoshida's Sauce Marinade until now, but I'm pretty sure it's my new favorite product. I have to laugh because my friend literally just made a post on her blog about this stuff, seriously it's that good! You can use it as just a marinade, in your hamburgers, or just as a simple teriyaki chicken bowl. Anyway, if I haven't convinced you enough just to try this stuff, hopefully this recipe will push you over the edge to just go buy some. The other ingredient in this recipe that might not be something you have on hand is the chili garlic sauce, but I have no doubt you'll use it up just making this recipe over and over. It's also used in a lot of Asian dishes such as lettuce wraps. Seriously, considering how many vegetables are in this and the fact that my husband still said it was good, tells you how good this really was. Don't wait..just do it!

Recipe found at whatsonmymenu.blogspot.com and originally from favfamilyrecipes.com

1-2 T. vegetable oil
1 zucchini, cut into small chunks
4 carrots, peeled and grated, or cut into small pieces
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 1/2 c. chopped broccoli
2 c. grilled chicken, cut into bite size pieces (I just used precooked since it's not really grilling weather here)
3 c. cooked rice or Rumbi rice

Saute vegetables until crisp tender (or desired doneness.) I chose to add my chicken and sauce all into the pan and just serve over the rice, but your really suppose to let the sauce cool and just serve over top rice and veggies.

Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce
3/4 c. Yoshida's marinade
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. chili garlic sauce (this can be found in the Asian section)
1 tsp. fresh ginger (I just sprinkled a little ground ginger)
pinch of salt
pinch of brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cold water

In a small saucepan add Yoshida's marinade through brown sugar and cook until boiling. Meanwhile, in a separate container mix cornstarch and water and slowly add to sauce stirring constantly. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about a minute or until slightly thickened. Allow to cool and serve over veggies and rice (or like me just make it one big stir with sauce, chicken, and veggies.)

Serving Size 347 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 554 Calories from fat 44

Total Fat 5.0g 8%

Saturated Fat 1.2g 6%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 40mg 13%

Sodium 556mg 23%

Dietary Fiber 4.7g 19%

Sugars 19.2g

Protein 23.1g

Vitamin A 152% • Vitamin C 49% Calcium 11% • Iron 30%

Nutrition Grade A-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Rosemary Ranch Chicken

I have to admit I was a little concerned about the ranch dressing in this, but it turned out so yummy! This is definitely a new favorite chicken recipe of mine and the best part is it's so easy. I love when the weather changes and we can barbecue, no clean up, and better yet my husband cooks it! Anyway here's the slightly altered recipe from Allrecipes.com.


1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (I used 1 t. dried rosemary)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white sugar
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves cut into large chunks, or pounded out to 1/4 inch thickness

Combine first 9 ingredients and then add in chicken. Allow to marinade at least 6-8 hours. Grill 4-5 minutes on each side or until done.

Grilled or Broiled Chicken Salad

This is an old favorite of mine that I haven't made in a long long long time!!! My husband is not a fan of salads so I have never made it for us, hence there are no green salad recipes on my blog, until today!! This is a favorite of mine. We (my parents and I) use to make it all the time, so much so that I had the marinade memorized. There are so few ingredients in this and nothing out of the norm, but for some reason when they all come together..yum! Anyway I hope you enjoy!

5 T. lemon juice, you can sub any citrus juice but lemon is my favorite
3 T. soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced (just use the preminced)
1/8 t. pepper
1 t. basil
2 chicken breasts
1 red onion, sliced into rings
1 lb. mixed greens

Combine first 5 ingredients and set aside. Tenderize chicken with a mallet (I stick it in a ziploc bag and use the flat side to pound the chicken) Add chicken to marinade and marinade at least 30 minutes if not longer. Grill of broil chicken with red onions on top for 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken and let set for a few minutes. Thinly slice and serve over mixed greens with ranch dressing.

Easy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

Wow I'm on a roll posting 2 recipes in a row. Yes, I've still been cooking, just nothing really worth posting. This recipe is kind of a stand by, use whatever I got kind of recipe. You can change it for whatever you have, peas instead of broccoli, add bacon, leave out the chicken soup and keep it healthy, whatever you like! Also just as an FYI I've told you before I only use chicken bouillon, but I took a picture of the specific kind I use. I find it at Walmart in the Mexican food section. I think it has the best flavor and it's also the cheapest. You can also use the chicken bouillon granules which are also good, but personally I don't love the chicken broth you buy in a can it just kind of lacks flavor to me and is really expensive and most recipes don't use a full can so your left with a half a can that usually ends up in the trash. Anyway that's just my opinion but use what works for you.



10-15 oz. dry pasta, any kind works
2 T. olive oil-just eye it
2 T. butter-again just eye it you can't ruin this
couple shakes red pepper flakes (this won't make it spicy, Parker ate it and was just fine)
2-3 t. minced garlic (I use preminced from the produce section)
Sea Salt or Kosher salt to your tasting ( I avoided buying this for a long time and subbed it for table salt, but I finally gave in and it was totally worth it, you don't have to use as much and table salt seems to cook out and you can't taste it)
2 c. chopped broccoli
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2-2 c. chicken broth
2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

Cook pasta as directed. Meanwhile in a large skillet add your olive oil, butter, garlic, and red pepper. Heat until fragrant, stirring just so it doesn't burn, this only takes a minute or so. Add broccoli and sprinkle with salt. Cook until broccoli is soft, you may have to add 1/4 c. water just to get it soft enough. At this point if you were keeping it healthy you would just add the pasta, but if your not afraid of a little cream of chicken soup, and I am not, add in your soup and chicken broth and stir until completely mixed in. Add in your chicken and heat until simmering, then stir in pasta and enjoy!!!

Hot and Sweet Drumsticks...and so much more!!

I loved this recipe! At first I thought it was going to be really similar to the Russian Chicken I make, but it was even better. I'm not the most creative person. Only a few years ago I could honestly say I didn't have a creative bone in me, but after years of attempting many different projects I have gotten a little more creative. When it comes to cooking it's kind of the same story. I've tried so many different recipes over the past 6 years I've gotten better about substituting, changing, or combining recipes to fit my family's taste buds. Ok..so to make a long story short even though I loved this recipe, I started thinking of all the different ways I could use this sauce, but the one that stands out the most is stir fry. I think this would be amazing as a stir fry. Red peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, sugar snap peas..mmm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Anyway, either way you decide to do it, the only suggestion I give is be careful to not over cook the chicken (although if you were to use this as a stir fry I would just cut the chicken into bite size pieces and cook it in a skillet pouring the sauce over after at the end) The original recipe was for drumsticks with the skin still on, but I'm just not a fan so I used chicken breasts which don't take as long to cook and was a little dry. Anyway this is super easy and quick recipe and you should have most of the ingredients on hand so don't wait to make this one!! Don't shy away because of the use of hot in the title because it totally isn't, I may have cut back on the hot sauce just a little and it wasn't hot at all.


1 cup Apricot Preserves
½ cups Ketchup
¼ cups Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons Minced Garlic
2 teaspoons Hot Pepper Sauce
3 pounds Drumsticks (about 12)

In a small sauce pan heat the first 4 ingredients until the preserves are completely melted stirring to combine. Now this is the only part I would change, the recipe said to cook uncovered, but I think since I used only 2 chicken breasts, cut in half, it would have been better if I had covered it. If cooking the full 3 lbs cook in a 9x13 pan, if you cut the recipe in half like me use an 8x8 pan and cook at 350 for 25-30 minutes otherwise cook closer to 45 minutes.

This recipe came from the Tasty Kitchen over at the Pioneerwoman's blog. If you ever get the chance the Pioneer Woman and the Tasty Kitchen have some seriously good recipes!

UPDATE: ok so I tried this again, and again used chicken breast and decided that it get's way tough..so I'm going to assume that drumsticks really are the way to go..but I'm still going to try it as a stir fry.. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Special Delivery Chicken

Better known as Poppy Seed Chicken, this is another easy recipe with very few ingredients. This is great served over noodles, rice, or like we do baked or boiled potatoes. I know not every one has poppy seeds in their seasoning drawer, but trust me once you have them you'll use them more than you would think, and hopefully you'll make this recipe more than once as well.

2 cans cream of chicken
1 c. sour cream
2 t. poppy seed
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/4 c. melted butter
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a greased 9x13 casserole dish. In a separate bowl combine crackers and butter, sprinkle over casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 minutes. Serve over noodles, rice, or potato.

Russian Chicken

So I know I already gave you the recipe to this one, but it's one of those recipes that sounds too strange, and too easy to be good, but I promise it is! I saw this recipe in I don't know how many ward cook books before I finally decided I would give it a try, I figured if that many people submitted it, it must be good. So this is my extra nudge for you to give this one a try, if you haven't already:)


1 8 oz Russian dressing
1 c. apricot preserves (I've used peach, apricot-pineapple, all of which are good)
1 envelope onion soup mix
4-5 chicken breasts

Chicken Rolls

Ok so I know a lot of people have had these or something similar, but I've tried a few different recipes and this one still holds my heart as the best. My mom made these all the time growing up, and now my nephew frequently requests them whenever he's over. These are always a crowd pleaser, young or old they're loved by all! They take a little time to throw together so they're maybe best for a Sunday meal, but like anything else the more you do them the quicker you get. I can usually have them ready to cook in 20 minutes or so, but they are well worth the time. Sorry this is another a little of this a little of that recipe, but it's one that you really can't ruin so don't over think it.

8 oz. block cream cheese
3-4 T. milk
1/4 t. poultry seasoning (don't worry if you don't have this, really just kind of season to taste)
salt and pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded ( I throw them in the crock pot season with a little s&p, dried onion flake, and pretty much whatever I'm feeling like:)
about a 1/2 16 oz. bag of frozen petite peas (even if you don't love peas you really don't notice them and it's a great way to sneak in a vegetable, and I use the rest of the bag to serve on the side)
2 pkgs. pillsbury crescent rolls- I usually end up making about 10 rolls
1-2 c. crushed corn flakes (great way to include the kids, throw them into a ziploc bag and squish away, I always keep some left over for another time, or to top of casseroles, also you really can't substitute the cornflakes they really work the best)
4 T. melted butter

In a medium bowl combine cream cheese and milk with a mixer, add just enough milk to make it creamy, don't worry you can't mess it up as long as it's not runny your good. Add chicken and peas and mix together with a spoon. Put your crushed corn flakes in a bowl and your melted butter in another. On a greased cookie sheet start by taking one crescent roll and slightly stretching it out. Put a large spoonful of chicken mixture in the middle. Pull up corners of crescent and pinch all edges together. Dip roll in butter and then roll in corn flakes. Repeat until all of chicken is used. Cook in oven at 375 for 20 minutes.

Heaping spoonful, you want enough that you kind of have to stretch the roll to pinch all the sides together :)

Fold up all sides

And voila!

Cranberry Marinated Chicken

Finally a new meal idea! I've posted several desserts lately but have had no new meals that I've really liked lately until this one. This one comes from one of those 5 Ingredients or less cook books. This is similar to the Russian chicken that a lot of people do (If you don't know what that is I'll post the recipe to that one as well and you can try both of them.) I wasn't totally sure if I'd like this one or not, too be honest I've never really tried cranberry sauce before it's just never appealed to me, but I love this and I hope you will too!


1 8 oz. Russian Dressing (I saw another one that used Catalina which is probably good as well)
1 16 oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce (definitely go for the whole berry, I was tempted not to but it was definitely necessary)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
4-5 chicken breasts

Mix dressing, cranberry sauce, and soup mix together. Pour over chicken and marinate at least 1 hour. Cover and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, uncover and cook another 20-25 minutes (I just realized I forgot that step but it still turned out great, serve over rice and enjoy!

Russian Chicken

1 8 oz Russian dressing
1 c. apricot preserves (I've used peach, apricot-pineapple, all of which are good)
1 envelope onion soup mix
4-5 chicken breasts

Combine dressing, preserves, soup mix, and pour over chicken. Cover and cook at 350 for about 40-45 minutes.

FYI- I cut my chicken breasts in half you can also use chicken tenders just adjust cooking time for maybe 25-30 minutes.

MY Hawaiian Haystack

So this is just my version of Hawaiian haystacks, nothing fancy but I like it for a quick last minute meal. The only change really from the typical Hawaiian haystacks is that I've added carrots and celery just for a little added flavor and veggies. We don't really add any of the extras that you usually do with haystacks other then occasionally tomato, but you definitely can go for the chow mein noodles, pineapple, green onion, or whatever other things your family likes on their haystacks. Hopefully if anything this is just another idea of something to make for dinner.


2 cooked chicken breasts (I throw mine in the crock pot usually, but I've even just cut it up and cooked it in the pan before and that works just as well)
2 T. butter
1 c. minced carrot- I just use my chop chop for all the veggies
1 c. celery minced
1 onion minced
1-1 1/2 c. chicken broth (I use the chicken bouillon granules)
1 t. chicken bouillon granules
2 cans cream of chicken or 1 can cream of chicken and 1 can cream of celery
4 c. cooked rice

In a 10-in. skillet saute vegetables in butter on medium high until almost tender 7-8 minutes (you can also cook your chicken with your vegetables.) Add broth and continue cooking until vegetables are cooked to your liking- personally I keep mine slightly crisp otherwise it takes forever to cook the carrot. Add extra bouillon, cream soups, and cooked chicken. Cook until completely heated through.

Tex Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole

This recipe was simple and good, but beware because it makes a lot! I think if I were to make it again I would only use the rice vermicelli and keep out the extra rice or at least cut it in half. Also when I make it again I will use a can of tomatoes with green chilies instead of fresh tomatoes and canned green chillies I wasn't a fan of the fresh tomatoes in this, maybe because they were store bought tomatoes with not much flavor but it just wasn't my favorite, and if your family is sensitive to spicy food just cut back on the chili powder to maybe 1/2-3/4 Tablespoon. Other then that this is a super easy delicious casserole. Sorry I forgot to take a picture, we were so hungry and it looked so good we just kind of dove in, hopefully if I'm good I'll take a picture of the leftovers.

1 medium onion chopped
2 T. butter
1 pkg. chicken vermicelli
1 c. long grain white rice
28 oz. chicken broth
2 1/2 c. water
4 c. cooked chicken
4 medium tomatoes chopped, or 1 can tomatoes with green chilis
4 oz. can green chilies
2 t. basil
1 T. chili powder- or according to your family's taste
1/4 t. cumin
1/4 t. pepper
1 c. cheese- We didn't put this on, I think in order for this to be good it would have to be mixed into the casserole, but the recipe says to melt it on top at the end, so whatever sounds good to you

Saute onion in butter. Add rice and chicken vermicelli and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add broth and water (if your not adding extra rice I would cut out the 2 1/2 c. water.) Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover with lid. Allow to simmer on low for 20 minutes. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Mix in remaining ingredients. Bake covered at 425 for 20 minutes. Depending on when you add cheese the recipe says to remove the tin foil and add cheese and cook another 5 minutes, but again I think it would be better to mix in with the rest of the casserole.

Panko and Chili Encrusted Chicken Fingers

So I found this recipe on thehungrymouse.com. Most of her recipes are a bit fancy for me, I'm not big into gourmet cooking mostly because I can't afford to buy so many new ingredients and most of the time I use it once and then throw the rest away. This recipe on the other hand is super easy and uses things that most of us keep on hand, except for maybe the Panko bread crumbs. I have to admit this is the first time ever using them, not because of not wanting to but I've never been able to find them at Walmart until yesterday I was at Kohler's and just happen to see them there so I grabbed a box. You can find them in the Oriental section and I've heard sometimes with the other bread crumbs, but I've never seen them at Walmart. These bread crumbs worked just as good as I had hoped, part of which I think was because of the recipe. There's a couple of steps with this recipe, but still really easy and where you cook them at 425 you can easily roast your favorite vegetables at the same time. Anyway without further babbling here's the recipe.



Chicken
2 lbs chicken tenders or chicken breasts cut into thick strips
1 T. chili powder
1 t. kosher salt or sea salt or I'm sure regular salt works well too
1/4 c. flour

Batter
1 c. sour cream
2 eggs

Bread Crumbs
8 oz Panko bread crumbs
1 t. chili powder
1 T. parsley

First thing I have to say is I only used 2 chicken breasts and cut everything else in half and this was plenty for us with even a little left overs, after cutting my chicken I was worried it wouldn't be enough, but after they're battered and breaded they're very filling.
Preheat oven to 425. Mix together bread crumb ingredients in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl whisk eggs and whisk in sour cream. Add chicken to a large ziploc bag. Sprinkle chili powder and salt over chicken. Close bag and squish bag to cover chicken in seasonings. Add flour and shake bag until chicken is completely covered. Remove chicken shaking off excess flour. Dip chicken into batter and then roll in bread crumbs until completely covered, lay chicken on greased cookie sheet. Repeat until all chicken is coated. Cook chicken for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of chicken.
On thehungrymouse.com she had a bluecheese dipping sauce which I didn't make, these had plenty of flavor to eat plain, but if you need a dipper they would probably be good in ranch or try her blue cheese dip. If you want to roast vegetables with the chicken, toss the vegetables of your choice in olive oil and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt and any other seasonings you like, I chose chili powder since that's what the chicken was in but season salt works good as well in place of kosher salt. Spread on another cookie sheet and cook according to vegetables. I did potatoes and I threw them in 15 minutes before the chicken, when I put the chicken in I added broccoli to the potatoes and put them on the rack below and cooked another 15-20 minutes.

Chicken Fajita Melt

This is another super easy and super quick recipe ready in minutes. I found this recipe awhile ago on recipezaar, my favorite website for finding recipes. I have to admit I've tried a lot of recipes lately from several different recipe blogs and have only liked a few, so I'm always quick to go back to recipezaar since they're all rated. Anyway I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.



2-3 T. oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 small onion cut into slices
1 red bell pepper cut into strips
1/2 c. tomato juice, or v8
2 T. taco seasoning
1 c. salsa- I used Herdez
1 c. cheese
1 loaf Ciabotta bread

Heat oil in pan on medium high heat. Add Chicken and cook until completely done (my chicken was still slightly frozen and therefore let off a lot of juice, if this is the case drain leftover juice) Add onion and bell pepper and cook until starting to get tender. Stir in tomato juice and taco seasoning and cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes. While that is cooking turn your oven on to broil, if your oven is like mine is has a high and low, put it on high. On a cookie sheet slice your ciabotta bread down the middle lengthwise. It's probably easier if you cut in half and then cut each half through the middle (does that even make sense? hopefully my picture will help) Otherwise your likely to get one thin side and one really thick side, like me:). Spread your salsa on your bread (I know this sounds strange but trust me it works.) Once your chicken is done cooking scoop it up and spread evenly over your bread. Sprinkle with cheese and throw into your oven for about 3-4 minutes just until cheese is melted.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

So this one is definitely not rocket science, and it's probably not new to most of you, but if anything it's an idea of something to try. I've tried this a few different ways and so far this has been my favorite combination, so give it a try!

Not the prettiest, but it taste better then it looks

1 can refrigerated pizza dough-such as Pillsbury
1 green bell pepper chopped
1/2 medium onion chopped
3-4 pieces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite size pieces (the best way to cook this is in the crock pot, or brown in oil on your stove-anyway really that will keep it moist because after you put it on the pizza and cook it more it tends to dry a little)
1 c. barbecue sauce- I use Sweet Baby Ray's
1 1/2-2 c. cheese

Preheat oven to 400. I chose to use Pillsbury's pizza crust which had me precook the crust for 5 minutes, but follow whatever directions your pizza dough says. Meanwhile, fry bacon until it starts to brown. Add green pepper and onion and cook for another couple minutes until tender. Drain any excess grease, then add chicken and about 1/2 c. barbecue sauce. Mix until fully covered in barbecue sauce. Pour remaining barbecue sauce on crust and evenly spread over crust. Add chicken mixture and top with cheese. Cook for another 6-8 minutes, again following whatever your crust instructions say.

Grilled Chicken Tostadas.. or Tacos

So I've been kind of slacking lately on the posts. Not that I haven't been cooking, just nothing worth posting sadly. I'm kind of in a funk lately with recipes. Every so often I get where nothing sounds good and I feel like I've tried just about every recipe possible. I don't know if it's a Spring thing, or just I'm just stuck in a rut. Either way this recipe is a tried and true recipe that I've used many times since I discovered it a couple summers back. It's great for a quick and easy dinner. I usually serve it taco style, but I actually prefer it as a tostada it can be a little messier to eat, plus I choose to make the tostadas using corn tortillas which is an extra step I usually choose to skip. As much as I enjoy cooking if I can cut corners and get the same results I'm all about it. Either way you choose to serve these they are super delicious so I hope you enjoy!

2-4 chicken breasts
1/2 c. lime juice (I ran out and tried to use lemon juice and it just wasn't the same, if you don't have any lime juice and don't want to buy a whole bottle, limes are in season and are super cheap)
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 T. honey
2 t. minced garlic
1 1/2 t. chili powder

Combine all ingredients and marinate for 4-5 hours. Grill chicken on medium to high heat until completely cooked through, abound 6-7 minutes on each side. Slice chicken and serve either as taco or tostada.