Cream of Broccoli Soup

Recipe from A Treasury of Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur

The name of this soup may not sound appealing, but for some reason it was appealing enough for me to try it. Even looking at the ingredient list, I wasn't too optimistic, but I must say I LOVED this soup. My picky husband and 3-year old devoured it too! We will definitely be making it again.

4 c. chicken broth
3 c. broccoli, chopped (1 large bunch)
1/2 c. diced onion
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash ground pepper
1/4 c. flour
1/3 c. diced ham
1/2 c. heavy cream

Combine broth, broccoli, onion, bay leaf, salt, and pepper in saucepan over high heat. Bring to boil, turn down heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf, transfer half of mixture to a blender and blend until nearly a puree. Pour back into saucepan over medium low heat. Add flour and whisk until lumps are dissolved. Add diced ham and cream. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until soup reaches desired thickness.

Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as an entree.

Broccoli Chicken Halloween Snake

(Recipe adapted from my friend, Amy's, Broccoli Chicken Braid)

2 C. cooked chicken, chopped (about 3 cooked chicken breasts)
1 C. broccoli, chopped
1/2 C. red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 C. Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 C. mayonnaise
1 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt

1 recipe bread stick dough (or use 2 - 8 oz. pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls)

2-3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
food coloring
2 pimento-stuffed green olives or green pepper


Prepare bread dough. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease cookie sheet.

While dough is rising, mix chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, cheese, mayonnaise, and seasonings in a bowl. Use part of the red pepper to make a snake tongue.

Roll out dough into 24" X 6" rectangle (about 1/4" thick). Spread filling evenly over middle of dough, leaving 1-2" on each side. Fold both sides of the dough over the filling lengthwise. Press all sides to seal. Roll over so seam is on bottom and carefully transfer to pan, forming desired snake shape.

Mix egg yolks with desired food coloring; use pastry brush to paint and decorate the snake. Add green olives or cut green pepper for eyes and red pepper tongue to dough snake.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Vietnamese Chicken Sandwiches

Recipe from bhg.com.

We don't have a grill, so I make this on the stove top and it is still amazing!

Ingredients

4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound total)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 French-style rolls, split
1/4 cup sprouts
cucumber sticks

Directions

1. Rinse chicken; pat dry. Combine sesame oil and crushed red pepper; brush over chicken.

2. Grill chicken on the lightly greased rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until tender and no longer pink, turning once.

3. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan, stir together sugar, peanut butter, soy sauce, oil, garlic, and 2 tablespoons water. Heat on grill rack until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently. For the last 1 minute of grilling, place split rolls on the grill rack to toast.

4. To serve, place cooked chicken breasts on bottom halves of rolls; spoon on sauce and top with sprouts, cucumbers, and roll tops. Makes 4 servings.

Spicy Beef-Noodle Bowl

Recipe from bhg.com.

Fast, easy, delicious. I also like to add sliced bell peppers in with the broccoli.

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak, cut in thin strips
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
2 14-oz. cans reduced sodium beef broth
1/3 cup bottled peanut sauce
1-1/2 cups medium egg noodles (3 oz.)
2 cups broccoli florets

Directions

1. Brown beef strips in hot oil over medium-high heat. Add beef broth and peanut sauce; bring to boiling.

2. Stir in noodles; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 4 minutes, stirring occasionally to separate noodles. Add broccoli; return to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 to 4 minutes more or just until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce & Enchiladas

Canned enchilada sauce is expensive where I live, so I had to find another option. I tried this recipe and fell. in. love. I don't think I'd buy canned again even if it was practical. This stuff is that good and it really isn't hard to make. The recipe is from favfamilyrecipes.com.

Enchilada Sauce:
3 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp flour
¼ c. chili powder (yes, you really use that much)
1 Tbsp. cumin

Stir in saucepan on low heat until bubbly, then add:

2 c. beef broth
2. c. tomato sauce
½ tsp. oregano
1 clove minced garlic
salt, to taste

Simmer for 15 min over low heat stirring occasionally.

Use with your favorite enchilada recipe or you can try the one on favfamilyrecipes.com.

Personally I like this variety (I kind of just throw things in, so add or take out what you'd like):
4 cooked, cubed chicken breasts
Small can olives
1 can green chilies
1 large or 2 medium boiled and diced potatoes (love me some potatoes in my enchiladas!)
1/2 c. sour cream
Cheese
1 c. enchilada sauce

Mix all ingredients.

18 corn or flour tortilla shells

Drizzle bottom of 9x13 with enchilada sauce, add filling to tortillas and roll up like burrito, place in pan, cover with the rest of the sauce, top with cheese. Bake at 350 ° F for about 25 minutes.

Chicken Chili

I'm not sure if this is considered Mexican, but it is amazingly delicious either way! The recipe is from my friend, Rosie Pacini.

3 yellow onions, chopped
2 Tbs. olive oil, plus extra for chicken
4 cloves garlic
4 bell peppers (any color), cored, seeded, and large-diced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for chicken
2 28-oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes in puree, undrained
1/4 c. fresh basil leaves, minced
4 chicken breasts
black pepper

for serving: chopped onions, corn chips, grated cheese, sour cream

Cook the onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute.

Put the tomatoes in the food processor for a few pulses and then add them. Add the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and put on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken. Let cool slightly. Cut chicken into chunks and add to the chili. Simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes.

Potato Salad with Asparagus

This is a "grown-up" potato salad, and I make it every year for Easter so I figured this would be good timing to post this recipe now.

3 lbs small red new potatoes
1/4 c + 2T olive oil, divided
2 lb fresh asparagus
1 c chicken stock
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 c pine nuts
1/2 c chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub potatoes with 2T olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast them in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through but still firm (this is important; if you cook them too long and they get soft, you run the risk of having a potato mush as the end result). Let them sit until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, blanch your asparagus. Any time I make asparagus, I have people asking me how to prepare it. The bottom of the stalk can be really tough, chewy, or stringy, and I think it's a very underused vegetable that a lot of people don't know how to prepare. To make sure you have tender asparagus without the chewy ends, just gently bend the stalk. It will snap where it is tender, and you just discard the bottom. Some may snap over the halfway mark, and some may snap really close to the base so there's no formula, just let the asparagus snap itself!

But I digress....on to blanching the asparagus. While you're preparing your stalks, bring about 2-3 inches of salted water to a boil. Drop the asparagus in the boiling water and boil it JUST till it gets really green, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and immediately plunge the asparagus into some ice-water. Again, you cook these too long or fail to use the ice bath and you'll risk having mushy asparagus as the end result.

Drain the asparagus and pat it dry. Cut it into 2 inch segments (I think it looks prettiest cut on the bias). Cut the potatoes into quarters. Heat the 1/4 c olive oil in a large saucepan - add the potatoes. Heat them through. Add the asparagus, stock, and garlic. Simmer 3-5 minutes, until everything is thoroughly heated. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and stir in pine nuts and basil.

This is best if it's served immediately, but it also makes really great leftovers. It's also much, MUCH simpler than it sounds.

Creamy White Chili

I happened onto this recipe from americanprofile.com when I was searching for recipes using garbanzo beans. Taking a chance, I tried it and fell in love. It is so good!

1 Tbs. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans
2 15 oz. cans Great Northern Beans
1 lb. chicken, cooked and cubed
14 oz. chicken broth
1 14 oz. can corn
1 4 oz. can green chilies
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. whipping cream

In large pan heat oil, and saute onions and garlic. Add beans, chicken, broth, corn, chilies, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, uncovered.

Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

Turkey Stuffing

A traditional stuffing recipe that has been passed down four generations (and for good reason)!

1 1/2 loaves bread
2 c. onion
1 1/2 c. celery
6 eggs
1/2 c. butter
12 boullion cubes, dissolved in 1 1/2 c. water
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. sage
pepper

Saute onions in 1/2 of the butter. Cut bread into bite size pieces. Add seasoning to bread, then onion, celery, eggs, and butter. If not moist enough, add some water. Add salt to taste. This recipe is enough to stuff a 12 lb. turkey or 1 1/2 the recipe for 18 to 20 lbs, 2 times the recipe for 25 lbs. Or do like I do and cook it in a crock pot for 4 to 5 hours.

Whole wheat dinner rolls

I hesitate to post this because it is my father-in-laws recipe that has been passed down through several generations, but after some deliberation, I decided this recipe needed to be shared. I have honestly never had a better roll than this, and it just happens to be whole wheat. They are so soft and slightly gooey - something you don't really find with whole wheat rolls.

3 packages of yeast (if you're using jarred, 1 pkg = 2 1/4 t)
1 c warm (not hot, it will kill the yeast) water
1/8 c sugar
3 c warm milk
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1c sugar
4t salt
2 squares oleo, melted (or 1c other fat, like shortening or butter)
8-10 c flour

Mix yeast, water, and sugar together and let sit for 10 minutes, or until bubbly.
Mix in everything else except flour.
Add 7 c flour and mix well. Mix in as much more flour as needed to make a dough that just barely sticks to your finger. Cover and let rise, about 20 minutes. Punch down, cover and let rise again. repeat 2 more times, until it has risen for 1 hr. Roll out and use a pizza cutter or knife to cut them into square rolls. Dip them in butter in put them in a pan. Let them rise while you preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Cook for 10-15 minutes, and brush with butter when cooked.

Butternut squash soup

There are a lot of fall soups out there, and a lot of butternut squash variations. I know that many of them are a sweet and sour type, with apples or other fruit. If that's what you like, you may not like this one. I enjoy the more savory soups, so this has leeks and bacon. Just so you know what you're getting before you try to make it.

1 butternut squash
1 onion or leek (whichever you prefer) chopped
1T fresh grated ginger
3T butter
3c broth
1-2 c apple cider
salt and pepper
heavy cream
sour cream
cooked bacon, crumbled

Quarter and bake your squash for 40-45 minutes. Once cool, scoop out the pulp.
Cook onion and ginger in butter in a saucepan over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add broth and simmer for 10 minutes, covered. Remove form heat and add the squash pulp and puree till smooth. Add cider to desired consistency, and salt and pepper to taste. Return to the stove and cook till hot. When ready to serve, add a splash (or 5) of cream. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and crumbled bacon.

Green Bean Casserole

This is fresh, people. No canned veggies or condensed soup here. And it's the bomb.

3 lbs green beans, strung and snapped
2T unsalted butter
2T fresh thyme
2T fresh chives
2T olive oil
2 pounds mixed mushrooms (I use button, shitake, cremini, and portobello, but you can really use whatever you like)
2 shallots, sliced
1c heavy cream
salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add some salt and the green beans. If you like your green beans crisp, cook them for about 5 minutes, as they will cook more in the oven. If you like them more tender, cook for 8-10 minutes. Drain them and set aside.
Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the shallots are tender and the mushrooms have released all their liquid. Pour in the cream, thyme, and chives, and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the green beans and stir well. Season to taste. Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish and top with desired topping (choices listed below). Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

*Toppings*

Croutons:
1 loaf crusty Italian bread
1T fresh chives
1T fresh thyme leaves
1T fresh rosemary
2T parmesan cheese
3T olive oil

Cube bread (2" cubes). Put them in a bowl with all the ingredients and mix well. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake at 375 until it turns just golden (about 10 min). If using the croutons, sprinkle a little more parmesan cheese on top of everything before baking.

Fried onion strings:
1 large onion
1 egg plus dash of milk
1c flour
1t garlic powder
1t season salt
1t salt
1/2 t pepper
peanut oil or other frying oil

Mix egg and milk to make a batter coating.
Mix flour, garlic powder, season salt, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
Heat oil to 350 degrees. Thinly slice your onion into rings. In batches, dip in egg mixture and lift out, letting excess egg drip off. Toss in the flour mixture until coated. Shake off excess and fry in hot oil, about 3 minutes, until golden. Place on paper towels to drain and repeat with remaining onions. Use enough to coat the casserole. You don't need to add these until the last 5 or 10 minutes of baking time. Place unused onion strings in an airtight container. Will keep for about 2 weeks. Longer if stored in the fridge.

Or you can just use a can of French's fried onions if you want to cut down on your work.

*I use the homemade onion strings - they're a lot easier than they sound, and they are amazing!!!

Superman Turkey

This is my absolute favorite turkey, hands down. It got the name "superman turkey" because of a cooking method I use to have a perfectly crispy skin but a moist bird, that involves making an aluminum foil "shield" for the turkey to wear. It will make you laugh, just warning you now. Your turkey will look like a little knight or a superhero of some sort. And let's face it, it's way more fun to eat a cute turkey in a costume than it is to eat some plain, boring poultry with no sense of humor.

Moving on.....

First step: you want to brine your turkey. The high amount of salt will allow your turkey to absorb the liquid and flavor, making a juicy flavorful bird.
Brine:
1 c salt
1/2 c brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1T whole black peppercorns
1/2 T allspice berries
1/2 T candied ginger
1 gallon iced water

Combine all brine ingredients except ice water in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until completely chilled. Early on the day of cooking (or late the night before), combine the brine and the ice water in a clean (do I really need to say that?) 5 gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey breast side down in the brine. Cover and set in a cool area for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, halfway through brining.

As I've stated before, I don't stuff my turkey, I use aromatics. Here's my favorite blend:
1 red apple, sliced into wedges
1/2 onion, sliced into wedges
1 cinnamon stick
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
1c water

Okay, on to cooking:
A few minutes before roasting, heat your oven to 500 (yes, 500) degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and water in a bowl and microwave for 5 minutes. Remove turkey from the brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Place the turkey on a roasting rack inside a wide low pan, and pat dry with paper towels. Add the steeped aromatics to the cavity, along with rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings back (pull them up and out, then tuck the tips behind the shoulders like he's just lounging. He'll look super cute and relaxed). Coat liberally with canola or other neutral oil (NOT olive oil, as it has a lower temperature tolerance. It will smoke you out of your house. I recommend canola or peanut oil).

Roast your turkey on the lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover the breast with a double layer of aluminum foil (get a large square and fold it in half into a triangle. Place it on the breast, point down, flat side on the top toward neck. Pinch a section of it to make a handle to make it easier to remove). Insert a probe into the thickest part of the breast and return it to the oven, reducing oven temp to 350. Set the thermometer alarm to 161 (yes, 161) degrees. A 12 pound bird should require 2 - 2 1/2 hours. (15 - 20 min. per pound). Let the turkey rest, loosely covered, for 15 minutes before carving.

*If you want to skip the brine (some people do), I recommend mixing some softened butter and some sage leaves and slipping it between the skin and the meat of the turkey, all over the bird. That way you'll at least get some flavor in there.

Cornbread stuffing

I am from the South, and so most of my culinary creations have some sort of southern flair. This stuffing is a staple for us in my family. It's a true southern stuffing, but is sure to please even the Yankees at the table (I should know, all my in-laws are from Utah!). There are some variations you can use for this recipe, so I'll give the basic recipe, and then list the add ons below.

This recipe is for a 12 pound Turkey, and it makes about 9 c. Or if you're like me and don't stuff the turkey, it will make one 9x13 and one 8x8 casserole dish of stuffing.

1 1/2 c chopped onion
3 c chopped celery
2c butter
9 c SOFT bread cubes (do not dry them like you would for traditional stuffing)
9 c cubed corn bread (this is meant to be made with southern style corn bread - NOT sweet corn "cake" like all y'all yankees like to make! :) So reduce the sugar in your cornbread to 2 T (for a recipe originally calling for 1/4 c) to make this more authentic.)
2t salt
3t crushed sage
2t dried thyme
1 t pepper

Cook and stir onions, celery, and butter till opaque. Mix all ingredients until well coated.

If cooking inside the bird, DO NOT PACK the turkey cavity. Place loosely in the bird and use the remainder in a small casserole dish.

If you are cooking this on the side in a casserole dish, you can either wait until the turkey is completely cooked and then dump the juices into the stuffing before cooking, or you can melt some butter and mix it with some chicken broth and drizzle that on the top of your casserole. Either way, you want enough juices mixed in to your stuffing so as not to let it dry out while baking.


*variations*
Sausage stuffing:
cook some breakfast sausage, andouille sausage (for a cajun flair), or smoked sausage with the onions and celery. Reduce the bread by 1c and omit salt.


Giblet stuffing:
Reserve the neck, giblets, and liver from your turkey when you are cleaning out your bird. Boil the neck, liver and giblets for several hours until tender. Shred the meat from the neck and finely chop the giblets and liver. Add to your mixture.
This is probably the most authentically southern, but grosses most people out.

creamy chicken enchiladas

Enchiladas are not the greatest in my book- but these are. I just made them for the first time and we both loved this recipe. I found the recipe from this blog and the way she raved over them convinced me to try them. They're seriously good.

cooked chicken tenderloins, shredded or cubed
1/4 c butter
1/2 of an onion, chopped
1 can green chiles
8 oz cream cheese
2 c mexican style cheese, divide
1/4 c salsa
flour tortillas
1 can El Pato sauce (found in the mexican aisle, it is an enchilada sauce)
1/2 c heavy whipping cream

In a frying pan saute butter, onion, green chilies.
Mix in cream cheese, 1 cup of cheese and salsa.
Once cheese is melted add Shredded or cubed Chicken

Place about 3 Tb. of the chicken filling in a flour tortilla. Then roll it up like an enchilada and place in a 9x13 pan.


Mix together El Pato Sauce (mild if you don't like it too spicy) and the whipping cream. Then pour the sauce over the enchiladas. Cover with 1 cup of Mexican style cheese and bake at 350 for 20 min covered. Then bake 10 more minutes uncovered. Take it out when it's nice and bubbly!

Peachy Pork Medallions

This isn't really a fun presentation type food, but it really pleased my two-year old this week. She gobbled it up and kept asking for more. That is a rare thing. Plus it is from Parenting magazine, so I think it counts as a kid food, right?! Oh, and it is super fast to make, so that's gotta be a mommy-pleaser!


1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 8 slices, flattened to 1/4 inch thick
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
8 slices (1/2 inch thick) precooked polenta
2 tsp olive oil
2 2/3 cups sliced peaches
1/4 cup reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
6 Tbs seedless raspberry all-fruit spread
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp ground ginger

1. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and set on medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper, and sauté 2 minutes on each side; remove from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

2. Brush polenta slices with oil. Cook in skillet on medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side or until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and cook peach slices, stirring frequently, until barely tender.

3. Add broth to peaches and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly. Add preserves, vinegar, and ginger. Stir until preserves melt.

4. Serve pork, drizzled with sauce, with peaches and polenta.

Macaroni Grill Bread

1 Tbs. Dry Yeast
1 Tbs. Sugar
1 c. warm water (105 - 115 degrees)
2 1/2 c. white flour
1 t. salt
2 Tbs. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbs. canola oil, peanut oil or olive oil
nonstick cooking spray
2 T. butter

Place yeast, sugar and water in large bowl and allow mixture to become bubbly. Mix in 2 cups of flour and the salt. Add one tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary. Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add flour if necessary.

Put dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled.

Punch down dough and divide in half. Let dough rest about 5 – 10 minutes. Spray baking pan with cooking spray. Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves. Melt margarine or butter. Brush over the top of the loaves. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tablespoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly sprinkle course salt over the loaves. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until lightly browned.

I received this recipe from my dear friend, Tiffany (with whom I've eaten many, many loaves of MG bread), but it is originally from Recipe Circus.

Of course this bread is incredible on its own, but I also like to use it to make Italian-herbed chicken avocado sandwiches. A-mazing!

Instead of making two loaves, make four, as shown below.

Then slice two raw chicken breasts depth wise, to make four flat chicken breasts. A bread knife works well for this. Place them in a deep plate filled with milk.

In another deep plate, make a breading by mixing flour, grated Parmesan (you can use fresh and the Kraft powder stuff--it's best with both, but if I don't have fresh, I'll just use the powder), thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and pretty much any other Italian seasoning you like. Sorry I don't have measurements; I just put a bunch of everything in, but more of what I like best (basil, thyme, and garlic).

Heat a frying pan on low with some olive oil. Dip, and thoroughly coat, chicken breasts with breading mixture. Place in frying pan in heated oil. Cook on both sides, only once each side, for a few minutes until done all the way through.

Place on bread with mayonnaise, lettuce, avocado, and anything else you like on your chicken sandwich. Enjoy!

Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken

Honey Mustard Marinade
1/2 c. Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
1/2 c. honey
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Combine ingredients in a bowl. Whip with electric mixer for about 30 seconds.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Pour about 2/3 of marinade over chicken. Marinate, covered in refrigerator for about 2 hours. Chill the remaining marinade until later.

Topping
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 c. sliced mushrooms (10 to 12 mushrooms)
2 Tbs. butter
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
8 slices bacon, cooked
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375. Heat large frying pan over medium heat. Sear chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until olden brown. Place chicken in baking dish.

Saute sliced mushrooms in butter. Brush seared chicken with reserved honey mustard marinade (save a little extra to serve on the side of the dish). Season chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika. Stack two pieces of bacon, sauteed mushrooms, 1/4 c. Monterey Jack cheese, and 1/4 c. Cheddar cheese on each chicken breast.
Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted and starting to bubble. Sprinkle with parsley before serving. Serve extra honey mustard marinade on the side.

Compliments of A Treasury of Top Secret Recipes.

California Pizza Kitchen Chicken Club Pizza

My favorite pizza at California Pizza Kitchen* is the Chicken Club. And the Thai Peanut Chicken. And the Jerk Chicken. And the Pear and Gorgonzola. And the Vegetarian with Japanese Eggplant. But for the purpose of this post, it's the Chicken Club, so here we go.

This is not actually a copy-cat recipe. It is one that I made up because I wanted this pizza but didn't want to go get it (see the footnote). So I'm sure it doesn't taste exactly like it, but it's yummy. So let's all pretend we can't tell the difference, shall we?

Your favorite pizza crust (I like this pizza with whole wheat)

garlic butter

ranch powder

1 chicken breast

2 roma tomatoes

6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

mozzerella cheese

1 head romaine lettuce

1/4 c mayo

1/4 c sour cream

2 avocados

Rub chicken breast with oil and ranch seasoning. Bake in 375 degree oven until cooked through. Dice into bite sized pieces.

Roll out pizza crust or pat into pizza pan. Precook dough according to recipe instructions. Remove from oven and slather generously with garlic butter. Top with sliced tomato, diced chicken, and crumbled bacon. Top with slices of mozzerella cheese until the entire pizza is covered. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes, or until cheese is golden.

Yes, in this picture I used cherry tomatoes. They are also good on this pizza.

Meanwhile, cut lettuce into strips and mix with mayo, sr cream, and salt and pepper to taste.

Place on top of cooked pizza. Top the entire concoction with fresh avocado slices. Season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Done and done.

*It should be noted that I absolutely HATE, with a capitol H-A-T-E, California Pizza Kitchen. I have stepped foot into one of their establishments once in my life and I will never ever go back. It was so pretentious. And I hate that. And I also hate that frequenters of the restaurant refer to it as CPK. I don't know why, but that just really really bugs me. Like all you need is a blue tooth and some CPK to be the world's biggest D-Bag. But, I love their pizza. Sue me.

Panda Express Orange Chicken

This recipe isn't totally exact, sorry. But it's still really good. So give it a try!

2 lbs chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 egg
1 1/2 t salt
white pepper
oil (for frying) - I like peanut oil for this
1/2 c cornstarch, plus
1 T cornstarch
1/4 c flour
1 T gingerroot, minced
1 t garlic, minced
1/2 t crushed red pepper
1/4 c green onion, chopped
1 T rice wine
1/4 c water
1/2 t sesame oil

Sauce:
1 1/2 T soy sauce
1 1/2 T water
5 T sugar
5 T white vinegar
1 orange, zest of and 1/4 juice from
mix all ingredients and set aside

Place chicken pieces in a large bowl. Stir in egg, salt, pepper and 1T oil, and mix well.
Stir 1/2 c cornstarch and flour together. Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat.
Heat oil for frying in a wok or deep fryer (to 375). Add chicken (in small batches) and fry until golden (about 3-4 minutes).
Remove chicken from oil and drain on paper towels.

Clean your wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat. And 1T oil. Add ginger and garlic and stir fry until fragrant (10 seconds). Add crushed pepper and green onions. Add rice wine and stir for 3 seconds. Add orange sauce and bring to a boil. Add cooked chicken and stir to coat. Stir water into remaining 1T cornstarch until smooth and add to chicken. Heat until sauce is thickened. Stir in sesame oil, and more zest / juice if desired.

Serves 4 - 6