OMG Chicken (or Pork!)

I love recipes. Shocker, right? I love finding new recipes, I love trying new recipes, and I really love when a new recipe is a total win. But you know what's even better than a great recipe? A great non-recipe!  What the heck is a non-recipe, you ask? You know, they're those "little of this, little of that" recipes that you've made a million times and you never have to look up the ingredients because you know them all by heart and the measurements just don't matter enough to actually bother measuring.

This is one of my favorite non-recipes because it's so darn easy and versatile. This recipe was originally created by Hellman's Mayonnaise and used mayo as the main topping ingredient, but my kiddo was making it and she despises mayo, so she wanted to substitute something else, even though I promised her that the end product would not taste that much like mayonnaise. I recommended sour cream, but, she doesn't like that either (I know, seriously picky!) She smartly suggested yogurt, and a new favorite was found. 

Since then, I've made it with mayo and with sour cream, and it was great every time. Yogurt is still my family's favorite, though. Sorry, Hellman's!  Today I had some extra pork chops thawed and I thought, why not?  Wanna guess how it turned out? That's right, it was AWESOME! So pick your own variation of this non-recipe and give it a try. I promise, it will make you say OMG!

OMG Chicken
Prep time: 5 min  Bake time: 20 min
Serves 4

1/2 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream or mayo)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated or shredded)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (or pork chops)
4 tsp Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine yogurt with cheese in medium bowl. Arrange chicken on baking sheet. Evenly top with yogurt mixture, then sprinkle with bread crumbs.
 
Bake until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes.

201 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Sweet and Sour Popcorn Chicken

I just have to laugh at my kid sometimes. Like me, she likes to go out to eat and frequently has very strong opinions about where she does and does not want to eat when we do go out. What's so funny is that, no matter where we go, she always gets the exact same thing! McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Hardee's, Bojangles...it's always chicken nuggets. Any other restaurant...nuggets by another name! It really cracks me up when she says she's in the mood for Chinese food, because all she ever orders is sweet and sour chicken which is, you guessed it, chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce on the side!

This month, she asked me to put homemade sweet and sour chicken on the menu, and I was happy to oblige because I knew I had this great recipe she would definitely like. Now this sauce does not taste exactly like that red #5 goo they serve at most Chinese restaurants, but in my opinion, it's a lot better! Plus, I know exactly what's in it, unlike that restaurant stuff which probably contains more chemicals that actual food product. Now, this does call for store-bought popcorn chicken, but you could totally make your own if you were so inclined. Like any good Asian dish, you can personalize by adding any kind of vegetable or garnish, but it's super yummy all by itself too.

Sweet and Sour Popcorn Chicken
Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 15 min
Serves 6

1 medium bell pepper, cubed (any color or a mix)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbs canola oil
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks
3 Tbs white vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce
3 Tbs ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbs cornstarch
1 pkg (12 oz) frozen popcorn chicken
3 cups hot cooked white rice
Peanuts and/or crispy chow mein noodles (optional)

In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry green pepper and onion in oil for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Drain pineapple, reserving the juice in a 2-cup measuring cup; set pineapple aside. Add enough water to the juice to measure 1-1/3 cups; stir in the vinegar, soy sauce and ketchup.

In a large bowl, combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in pineapple juice mixture until smooth. Gradually add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in pineapple and heat through.

Meanwhile, prepare chicken according to preferred package directions. (Most brands can be microwaved, baked, or deep fried. Deep frying makes them crispy and less likely to get soggy when added to the sauce, so that's what I prefer.) Stir into pineapple mixture. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with peanuts and chow mein noodles if desired.

388 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Praline Pumpkin Layer Cake

This is America, land of opportunity. We believe in the freedom to make our own choices and we perpetuate that philosophy by offering every choice under the sun! I mean, seriously, have you been to Walmart lately? There are like 50 varieties of peanut butter, for heaven's sake!

But too many choices can definitely be a bad thing. It just makes life way too complicated. Take my Pinterest dessert board for example. I love dessert, so at least half my pins are sweets. Sounds awesome, but when it comes time to actually make something, it's a nightmare! It takes me an hour just to scroll through all my pins, let alone pick one.

I had company this weekend and I promised I would make dessert, so I began the laborious process of searching through my recipes for the perfect one. Usually, I'll pick three or four that look really good then spend half an hour debating which one would be the best choice. When I finally do pick one and start making it, I second guess myself and wonder if one of the others would have been better! Quite a mind warp, for sure.

But this time was different. When I saw this recipe, I knew it was the winner. It's made from a cake mix, so it's simple; it's got pumpkin AND pecans, so it has a great fall flavor; and it looks beautiful even if you have no idea how to work a piping bag. Now that's all-American!

Praline Pumpkin Layer Cake
Prep time: 15 min  Bake time: 45 min
Serves 16 

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie mix)
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice


FROSTING:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Heat oven to 325°F. In 1-quart heavy saucepan, stir together butter, whipping cream and brown sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted. Pour into two ungreased 9- or 8-inch round cake pans; sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup pecans.

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs and the pumpkin pie spice with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Carefully spoon batter over pecan mixture in each pan.

Bake 41 to 47 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until light and creamy.  Beat in  1/4 cup whipping cream until smooth (scrape and stir with spatula as necessary). Add the rest of the cream and pumpkin pie spice and beat until it has the consistency of whipped cream (don’t overmix). Spread half of the frosting between the two cake layers then spread the rest over the top layer.  Decorate with pecan halves if desired. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

325 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list! 

Fruity Chicken Wraps

 I work in an air-conditioned office, drive an air-conditioned car, and come home every night to an air-conditioned house, but yet in the summertime I still avoid using the oven like the plague.

I love sandwiches and traditional wraps made with tortillas, but those carbs can add a lot of extra calories. This recipe is all about the filling, so a simple romaine leaf is the perfect wrapping for these fresh and fruity roll-ups. I had a little trouble rolling them up because my leaves were small and had a very stiff center vein, so I ended up just eating them taco style, but who doesn't like tacos, so that was fun too!

I precooked my chicken in the Crock-Pot with a few shakes of McCormick Chicken Seasoning, but you could easily use leftover chicken or grill some up in a flash in a George Forman grill. I think this tastes better with cooled chicken, though, so I strongly recommend letting your chicken chill for a few hours before assembling these.

The original recipe called for almond butter, which I had never used before, and it was very tasty, but not that different from peanut butter, so if you don't feel like buying an extra ingredient, feel free to substitute your favorite peanut butter instead.
 

Fruity Chicken Wraps

Total time: 10 min 
Serves 3
 
1 cup cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup Fuji apples, chopped
1/2 cup red grapes, halved
1 1/2 Tbs honey
4 Tbsp almond butter (or peanut butter)
6 romaine leaves

In a medium bowl, mix honey and almond butter until smooth. Stir in chicken, apples and grapes. Spread mixture on romaine leaves and roll up or eat taco style.

223 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

We always had a microwave at our house as far back as I can remember, but I don't recall my parents ever using it for anything other than heating up leftovers. It's a shame, really, because when the microwave was first invented there were all kinds of recipes popping up that took advantage of this technological wonder. What happened?  Why did we give up on the microwave as a versatile kitchen appliance and relegate it to nuking ramen noodles and Lean Cuisines?

I have just recently been trying more recipes that utilize the microwave, with quite satisfactory results. Sure, you have to understand a little about how it works and what it can and can't do, but it can do a lot more than you think! Plus, it is super quick, saves energy, and doesn't heat up the house like the oven does.

Make this dish in your "nuker" and I bet nobody would ever guess.  Even the cheese sauce can be made in the microwave! I am definitely going to remember that the next time I want mac and cheese. Of course, you can always bake this in the oven if you want a little crispier coating, or if you are afraid of microwaves cooking your insides like the chocolate in Percy Spencer's lab coat pocket, but if you want to expand your microwave horizons, give it a try!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Prep time: 15 min  Cook time: 20 min
Serves 4

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
8 thin slices deli ham
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
3 Tbs mayonnaise

SAUCE:
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs flour
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 Tbs white wine

Butterfly each chicken breast into 2 pieces and flatten to 1/4 inch thickness. Spread mustard on one side; sprinkle with paprika. Top each with 2 ham slices. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up tightly and secure with toothpicks.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Brush chicken with mayonnaise then roll in crumb mixture.

Place chicken in a shallow 2 quart microwave-safe dish; cover loosely. Microwave on high for 7 minutes. Turn chicken and cook 5-1/2 minutes more or until meat is no longer pink. Alternately, you could bake this in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes. Remove toothpicks and keep warm.

For sauce, place butter in a 1 quart dish and heat in the microwave on high for 20 seconds. Stir in flour until smooth. Cook for another 20 seconds. Slowly whisk in milk and salt and cook 2-3 minutes longer or until thickened. Stir in cheese until smooth then add wine. Serve over chicken.