Chicken with Pesto Potatoes

I thought I would like this better than I did, this is not a keeper for me. I used a tube of concentrated pesto that I had in my cupboard for a while. I also used canned new potatoes instead of fresh because I had some leftover from the other day. My chicken breasts did not have skin, and I didn't use kosher salt. I always like pine nuts and pesto, but the raisins were a bit of a stretch for me.

Chicken with Pesto Potatoes

1 1/2 lb. small new potatoes
1 T kosher salt
4 boneless chicken breasts (about 6 oz. each), with skin
1/2 c. mayonnaise
8 T store-bought pesto
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/3 c. pine nuts, toasted
1/3 c. golden raisins

1. Place the potatoes and 1 T salt in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.
2. Heat oven to 400ºF. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels, then place it in a baking dish lined with foil.
3. Whisk together mayonnaise and 2 Tablespoons pesto in a small bowl. Spread the mixture evenly over the top of each chicken breast. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
4. Leave the chicken in the oven and turn on broiler. Broil until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, peel and cut the potatoes into large chunks. Toss them with the pepper, 1/2 t. salt, and remaining pesto.
6. Sprinkle the chicken with the pine nuts and raisins and serve over the potatoes.

Fabulous Fudge

I wonder if I am really a fudge person!! I got this recipe from the side of the marshmallow creme container. I used an old can of milk that was a bit chunky, so that may have contributed to the fact that I really didn't like this fudge. It had the taste and consistency of frosting. I will not be keeping this recipe.

Fabulous Fudge

1 t. vanilla
7 oz. marshmallow creme
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 1/2 c. sugar
5 oz. evaporated milk
1/2 c. butter

1. Place the marshmallow creme, chocolate chips, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Mix sugar, evaporated milk, and 1 Tablespoon butter in a 2 1/2 to 3 quart saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil on medium-high heat, stirring constantly to avoid scorching.
3. Continue boiling and stirring mixture until candy thermometer reaches 233ºF (approximately 5 minutes)
4. Add remaining butter to the boiling mixture and heat until melted. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly.
5. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the bowl of chips, marshmallow creme, and vanilla. Mix until well blended.
6. Pour the fudge into a 9" x 9" pan. Cool at room temperature until firm and cut into squares.

Chicken Paprika

This recipe is definitely a keeper!! It is a little bit elaborate, but worth the effort in the end. I didn't have any milk so I used half & half. I used breasts as the cut of chicken. The taste was great, and it will make a good leftover. The recipe calls for either noodles or rice, but I am glad I chose noodles. It was a perfect match!!

Chicken Paprika

4 - 4 1/2 pounds meaty chicken pieces
1 t. salt
1/3 c. flour
2 T paprika
1/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. hot water or milk
3 T flour
2-3 T sour cream
salt and pepper
hot cooked noodles or rice

1. Skin chicken if desired. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and coat with mixture of 1/3 c. flour and paprika.
2. In a 12-inch skillet brown chicken in hot butter, turning occasionally to brown evenly. Drain.
3. Return chicken to the skillet and add hot water or milk. Heat to just boiling and reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until no pink remains.
4. Transfer chicken to serving platter, keep warm.
5. Pour drippings into a large measuring cup. Skim off fat. Add water to drippings to equal 2 cups of liquid. Pour into skillet.
6. Stir together 3 Tablespoons flour, sour cream, and 2 Tablespoons water. Gradually add flour mixture to liquid in the skillet.
7. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Cook and stir one more minute. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Serve over chicken and noodles. Serves 8.

Egg Salad Sandwich

I know, this sandwich looks just like the one I posted a couple of weeks ago!! Not much you can do to make an egg salad sandwich unique!! This recipe called for radicchio or arugula on the bread, but I didn't have any and was really hungry for dinner!! This recipe does not call for meat, and uses celery, mustard powder, and curry powder. I used some amazing white bread instead of the whole grain bread in the recipe. I will keep both of the egg salad recipes.

Egg Salad Sandwich

9 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and roughly chopped
1/3 c. mayonnaise, plus more for spreading on the bread
1 medium stalk celery, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 t. dry mustard powder, or 1 t. Dijon mustard
1/4 t. mild curry powder (optional)
8-12 slices whole-grain bread
1 small head radicchio or 1 small bunch arugula, washed and spun dry

1. Place eggs, mayonnaise, celery, mustard, and curry powder in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently until all ingredients are combined.
2. Spread one side of each slice of bread with mayonnaise. Line half of the slices with radicchio, and spread with an even layer of egg salad. Top with another slice of bread. Cut sandwiches in half and serve. Serves 4-6.

Snickerdoodle Spritz

If you like Snickerdoodles, you will like this recipe. I made these for my family for Valentine's Day. On the first batch I followed the recipe and used parchment paper. But, ditched the paper for the rest of the cookies because the dough wouldn't "stick" to the parchment paper. I had to wait until the pans cooled off between batches, but the old-fashioned technique worked just fine, and I didn't need any cooking spray on the pan!! I also removed the cookies to cool on a wire rack instead of cooling them on the cookie sheet.

Snickerdoodle Spritz

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/8 t. nutmeg
1 T vanilla extract
2/3 c. powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
2 c. flour
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or coat it with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, nutmeg, vanilla, and powdered sugar until creamy and light.
3. Add the egg yolks, and beat again until combined.
4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour, then the cream, beating until just combined. The mixture should be very soft.
5. Transfer the dough to a cookie press with a large star tip. Squeeze the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between them.
6. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the cookies.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to color.
8. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to an airtight container. Makes 24 cookies.

Almond Orange Chicken

This is not a keeper recipe for me, I didn't like the taste of the sauce. I used some tangerine juice and skin because I didn't have any oranges handy. I didn't like the chunks of onion or the creamy orange-based flavor of the sauce. Also, surprisingly, I didn't like the almonds on the outside of the chicken. Someone else might like this recipe, but I didn't.

Almond Orange Chicken

1/2 c. flour
2 eggs
3/4 c. ground almonds
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 T butter
1/3 c. chopped onion
2 T butter
2 T flour
1/4 t. poultry seasoning
1 1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. orange marmalade
1/4 c. orange juice
1/2 t. grated orange peel
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
hot cooked rice, optional

1. Place 1/2 cup flour in a shallow bowl. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Place almonds in a third bowl.
2. Coat chicken with flour, then dip in eggs, and roll in almonds.
3. In a skillet, over medium-high heat, cook the chicken in 2 Tablespoons butter on both sides until juices run clear, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.
5. In the same skillet, saute the onion in remaining butter until tender.
6. Stir in poultry seasoning and remaining flour until blended.
7. Gradually stir in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and stir in the marmalade, orange juice, orange peel, salt, and pepper.
9. Pour sauce over the chicken. Serve with rice, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Extraordinary Egg Salad

This egg salad was yummy, which shouldn't surprise me because is it a recipe from Best Foods. I was so hungry that I didn't refrigerate it after I mixed it, I put too much mayonnaise in it and I forgot the pepper. I used Dijonnaise and cooked chicken rather than ham. I made this sandwich on some amazingly fresh sour dough bread and ate it (like I always do) with Cheetos!! Although I halved the recipe, there were no leftovers here ...

Extraordinary Egg Salad

4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. chopped ham
2 T. sliced green onion
2 t. Dijon mustard
dash of pepper

1. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients together.
2. Cover and chill. Makes about 2 cups.

Chicken Almendrado

This is definitely not a keeper recipe for me!! There was something wrong with the proportion of liquid in this recipe. There was almost no liquid left after I simmered down the sauce before it went into the blender. I had to add another cup of liquid so there would be something to "boil" while the chicken cooked!! The taste was also not to my liking. I used cayenne pepper because I didn't have any "ground red chilies", and it was so spicy that I had to make some chocolate milk to drink while I ate this meal. Someone else may like this taste combination, and if they try this recipe I would use the whole can of chicken broth.

Chicken Almendrado

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 T butter
1 T vegetable oil
1 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. slivered almonds
1 T ground red chilies
1 t. vinegar
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
4 chicken breast halves, boned

1. Cook onion in butter and oil in a 10-inch skillet, stirring frequently, until tender.
2. Stir in broth, almonds, ground chilies, vinegar, sugar, and cinnamon. Heat to boiling and reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
3. Spoon mixture into blender. Cover and blend on low speed about 1 minute or until smooth. Return sauce to skillet.
4. Dip chicken into sauce to coat both sides. Place chicken, skin sides up, in a single layer in the skillet. Heat to boiling and reduce heat.
5. Cover and simmer about 45 minutes or until done. Serve sauce over chicken. Makes 4 servings.

Dynamite Potato Salad

This potato salad was a bit better than the one I tried last time. I will replace it with this Best Foods recipe in my recipe file. I used grated onion instead of chopped.

Dynamite Potato Salad

1 c. mayonnaise
2 T vinegar
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
1/4 t. pepper
4 c. cooked, peeled, cubed potatoes (5-6 medium)
1 c. sliced celery
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

1. In a large bowl, stir the first 5 ingredients together until smooth.
2. Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat well.
3. Cover and chill. Makes 5 cups.