Chicken Dijon and Couscous

I've never really made couscous before but I'd heard it was good so I gave this recipe a try.  This chicken dish is wonderful and it's quick and easy.  The best part is that your side dish is prepared while the chicken is cooking and requires little work.

CHICKEN DIJON AND COUSCOUS

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6-oz. each)
½ c chicken broth
½ t dried tarragon
⅛ t pepper

Couscous:
1 ½ c water
1 c uncooked couscous
1 T butter
1 t chicken bouillon granules
¼ t dried tarragon

Sauce:
1 T butter
3 T all-purpose flour
½ t salt
¾ c milk
⅓ c sour cream
2 T Dijon mustard

Place chicken in an ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Pour chicken broth over chicken; sprinkle with tarragon and pepper. Cover and bake at 400º for 15 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 170º. Remove chicken and keep warm, reserving the pan juice.

For couscous, in a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the couscous, butter, bouillon granules, and tarragon. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 5-10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.

For sauce, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and salt until smooth; gradually add milk and pan juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and mustard. Serve with chicken and couscous.

Bacon Chicken Caprese

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine a few years ago.  This chicken dish is perfect for a fancy meal but does not require a lot of time to prepare.  I've received lots of compliments on this chicken because its so delicious.

BACON CHICKEN CAPRESE

8 bacon strips

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6-oz. each)
1 T olive oil
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 T dried basil
4 slices part-skim mozzarella cheese

Place bacon in an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake at 400º for 8-10 minutes or until partially cooked, but not crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain.

Place chicken in an ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan; brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with tomatoes and basil. Wrap each in two bacon strips, arranging bacon in a crisscross.

Bake, uncovered, at 400º for 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170º. Top with cheese; bake 1 minute longer or until melted.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

I recently found this Campbells soup recipe in a magazine.  This one-dish recipe is perfect on a busy night when you don't have a lot of time to prep dinner.  The vegetables and rice in this casserole make it a complete meal.

CHEESY CHICKEN & RICE CASSEROLE

1 can (10 ¾ oz.) cream of chicken soup

1 ⅓ c water

¾ c uncooked long-grain white rice
2 c fresh or frozen mixed vegetables
½ t onion powder
¼ t ground black pepper, divided
½ t garlic salt
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Stir the soup, water, rice, vegetables, onion powder and ⅛ t pepper in a 13x9-inch pan. Top with chicken. Sprinkle with remaining pepper and garlic salt. Cover. Bake at 375º for 45 minutes. Top with cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Tooty Fruity Salad

This recipe originates from a story in a children's magazine that I read with my son. We decided to recreate the salad and this is what we came up with. Why is it called "tooty"? Because it's too good to turn down! 

TOOTY FRUITY SALAD

1 banana, sliced
½ c grapes, halved
1 can (11-oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
¾ c strawberries, hulled and halved
1 t lemon or lime juice
3 graham crackers, crushed

Combine all fruit in a large serving bowl. Add lemon juice and stir through fruit. Chill. Serve topped with graham crackers.

Gnocchi Chicken Minestrone

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine last year.  Since then I've made this hearty soup several times.  The gnocchi certainly makes this soup standout from other minestrone recipes.

GNOCCHI CHICKEN MINESTRONE

1 ¼ lbs. chicken tenderloins, cut into ½-inch pieces
¾ t dried oregano
¼ t each salt and pepper
2 T olive oil, divided
1 each small green, sweet red and yellow peppers, finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
1 c fresh baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
⅓ c chopped red onion
⅓ c bacon, crisp-cooked and chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
¾ c canned white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
½ c frozen peas
3 T tomato paste
1 pkg. (16-oz.) potato gnocchi
½ c shredded Asiago cheese

Sprinkle chicken with oregano, salt, and pepper. In a Dutch oven, sauté chicken in 1 T oil until no longer pink. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, cook the peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, and onion in remaining oil until tender. Add bacon and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, peas, tomato paste, and chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain; stir into soup. Garnish each serving with cheese and basil. Makes 8 servings.

Homemade Twix Bars

I got this recipe from my friend Janie.  She said that she makes this recipe when she has a left-over cake mix that she doesn't know what to do with.  These bar cookies are really delicious but certainly not low cal.  We didn't want to overdo it so I sent a container full with my husband to work to share with his co-workers.

HOMEMADE TWIX BARS

1 pkg. (18 – ¼ oz.) yellow cake mix

½ c butter or margarine
1 egg
½ c peanut butter chips
½ c chocolate chips
2 T cornstarch
1 jar (12-oz.) caramel ice cream topping
¼ c peanut butter
1 can (16-oz.) chocolate frosting

In a mixing bowl, combine the dry cake mix, butter and egg; beat until no longer crumbly, about 3 minutes. Stir in all chips. Press into a greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350º for 18-22 minutes or until lightly brown.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine cornstarch, caramel topping and peanut butter until smooth. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil, about 15 minutes. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Spread evenly over warm crust. Bake 6-7 minutes longer until almost set. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Spread with frosting. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting.  Store in refrigerator.

Crockpot Sweet & Sour Chicken

This recipe is a blend of recipes primarily based upon a recipe I received from my mom many years ago.  I remodeled the recipe to give it an upgrade and a thicker sauce.  I love that this meal uses the slow cooker which saves me from the dinnertime rush hassle.

CROCK POT SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips

½ c flour

¼ c oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1-8 oz. can pineapple chunks, undrained

1-8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained

3 carrots, thinly sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

1 onion, cut into wedges

2 T soy sauce

2 T cornstarch

⅓ c brown sugar

⅛ c vinegar

¼ c water

1 c sweet and sour sauce

1 t ginger

¼ t garlic powder

On a plate, coat chicken pieces with flour. In a skillet, heat oil. Add chicken in batches and brown on all sides.

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine chicken, water chestnuts, carrots, peppers, onion, and pineapple in bottom of crock pot.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, vinegar, water, sweet and sour sauce, ginger, and garlic powder. Pour over chicken and vegetables. Cover. Cook on high setting for 3-4 hours. Serve over rice.