Chicken Wellington

I'd never had this before but have always wanted to try it, so I gave it a shot by making it. So, I have nothing to compare this to, but I really enjoyed it as did the hubs. And though I enjoy the ease of using a pre-made pie crust, I think I'll make my own next time. They are just better.
Chicken Wellington

From: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 Tbs. olive oil
4 Tbs. butter, softened, divided
1 tsp. dried crushed rosemary
1/2 tsp. rubbed sage
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 pkgs. (15 oz. each) refrigerated pie crusts
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 1/4 cups hot water
3 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. white wine

Flatten chicken to 1/4".  In a skillet, cook chicken in oil and 1 Tbs. butter for 4-5 minutes on each side until juices run clear.

Meanwhile, combine rosemary, sage, salt pepper and 1 Tbs. butter.  Unroll pastry sheets; cut each into a 9" square. (I baked the scraps with some cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat!)  Place a chicken breast half on each square; spread chicken with butter mixture.  Fold pastry over chicken.  Trim off excess pastry; pinch seams to seal.  Place on a greased baking sheet; brush with egg.  Bake at 450 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Meanwhile, dissolve bouillon in hot water.  In a saucepan, melt remaining butter; stir in flour until smooth.  Gradually stir in bouillon and wine.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Serve with chicken. (I always at least double the sauce because as I've mentioned before we really like sauce.)
 

Fabulous Feta Salad

This was simple and yummy, my kind of side dish. I made it without the chicken since we were already having chicken.
Fabulous Feta Salad

From: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook

2 1/2 cups bow tie pasta
4 cups romaine lettuce, torn
1 cup cooked chicken, cubed
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water.  In a large bowl, combine pasta, romaine, chicken and feta cheese.  Drizzle with the dressing and toss to coat.

Chicken Pizza

This was amazing. I had never used a pre-baked pizza crust before and I was pleasantly surprised.
Chicken Pizza

From: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken bread, cut into 1" strips  ( I cut mine into chunks) 
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 (14 oz.) prebaked Italian bread shell crust 
1/4 cup prepared pesto
1 lg. tomato, chopped
1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded


In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until juices run clear.  Place the crust on a lightly greased pizza pan.  Spread with pesto; top with the chicken, tomato, beans and cheeses.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Lemon Pepper Vegetables

Lemon Pepper Vegetables

From: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook

1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
2 Tbs. water
1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/2" slices
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tbs. butter
3/4 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the green beans and water.  Cover and microwave on high for 5-6 minutes or until crisp tender.  Stir in squash.  Cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes.  Cover and cook for 30 seconds longer or until heated through; drain.  Gently stir in the butter, lemon pepper and Italian seasoning.

Balsamic Asparagus

Balsamic Asparagus

From: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook

1 cup water
1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. butter, melted
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large skillet, bring water to a boil.  Add asparagus; cover and cook for 2-4 minutes or until crisp tender.  In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, butter, garlic, salt and pepper.  Drain asparagus; drizzle with balsamic mixture.
 

Dolloped Sweet Potatoes

These were so sweet and mega yum.
Dolloped Sweet Potatoes

From: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook

4 small sweet potatoes
1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 Tbs. butter, softened
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Scrub and pierce sweet potatoes; place on a microwave safe plate.  Microwave, uncovered on high for 10-13 minutes or until tender, turning twice.

Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice.  Make a slice in the top of each potato; fluff the pulp with a fork.  Dollop with cream cheese mixture.

Swiss Turkey Tenderloin Strips

I loved the Swiss with this. It was a nice change in flavor. I used chicken instead of Turkey though because that is what I had.
Swiss Turkey Tenderloin Strips

From: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook

20 oz. turkey breast tenderloins, cut into thin strips (I used chicken)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbs. flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups (12 oz.) swiss cheese, shredded
1 pkg. (10 oz.) spinach, trimmed
1/4 cup water

Season Turkey (or chicken) with salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, saute turkey in oil for 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In the drippings, saute the garlic until tender.  Stir in the flour, broth and wine until blended.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is blended.  Add turkey; heat through.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, cook spinach in water for 3-5 minutes or until wilted; drain.  Serve turkey mixture over spinach.

Tomato Mac and Cheese

Tomato Mac and Cheese

From: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook

1 pkg.(12 oz.) uncooked penne pasta
3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
3 cups milk
1 lb. white cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 cup tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a dutch over, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add the milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Reduce heat to medium.  Stir in the cheese, salt, mustard and pepper.  Cook and stir until the cheese is melted.  Drain pasta; stir into cheese sauce.  Cook and stir for 3 minutes or until heated through.  Stir in tomatoes just until combined.

Cauliflower Tomato Medley

This doesn't look like much, but it sure was tasty.

Cauliflower Tomato Medley

From: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook
  
1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets
 6 strips bacon, diced
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 Tbs. green onions, sliced
1 1/2 tsp. snipped fresh dill or 1/4 tsp. dried dill weed
1/4 tsp. salt
dash pepper
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Place cauliflower in a large saucepan and add 1 inch of water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until crisp tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp.  Removed to paper towels.  Drain drippings, reserving 3 Tbs.  Toss bacon and bread crumbs with drippings and set aside.

Drain cauliflower.  Arrange the tomatoes in a greased shallow 2 quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with onions, dill, slat and pepper.  Top with cauliflower and bacon mixture.

Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  Uncover and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake for 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Saltine Cracker Toffee Bars

My mom introduced me to these almost two years ago. I had never heard of making toffee bars with saltine crackers! And I haven't stopped making them since. They only require a few simple ingredients, probably stuff you've already got on hand. You can pretty much find similar variations of this recipe just about everywhere, so I just put on my take of this delightful dessert.

Saltine Cracker Toffee Bars
From: Um, everywhere!
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
saltine crackers
1 package Hershey's milk chocolate chips (other recipes use semi-sweet, but not me!)
Chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a regular cookie sheet or jelly roll pan (being in Europe means my jelly roll pan is too big to fit in the ovens!) with parchment paper. You could use foil or eek! wax paper, but coming from experience you'll be disappointed. Just use parchment paper. Then salt side up, fill up your pan with the crackers. Melt butter in a saucepan and then add brown sugar. Boil 1-3 minutes. This part seriously depends on how you like your toffee bars. The longer it boils, the harder they will be. About 2 minutes is good for me. Pour mixture over crackers and spread until even on all crackers. Put into oven for 6 minutes. Pull out of the oven and sprinkle on chocolate chips. The reason I say Hershey's is because they are hands down 10 times better for this than Nestle. I'm not kidding. I don't know what it is, but Hershey's is SO much better. Okay, so after you've put on your chocolate chips, you can either let them sit there until completely melted and then using the back of a spoon, spread it around. Or, if you just can't find Hershey's milk chocolate chips for some reason, like you live in Belgium (grr), and you have to use Nestle's, then you can put them back in the oven for no longer than 5 minutes. That should help those little buggers. After you've spread your chocolate around, add the chopped nuts. Let cool, then cut and serve, or eat them all soft and hot, like us! Either way their delicious, and your friends won't believe you put saltines in them!