Musings from the Kitchen

Chicken Marsala

musingsfromthekitchen — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:46:45 +0000

“Spa Chicken”

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, trimmed of fat

Salt & Pepper

1 1/2 cups water

4 cloves minced garlic

Thyme

2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

Mushroom Marsala Sauce

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

8 oz mushrooms, white or portabella

1 clove minced garlic

2 tsp minced fresh or dried thyme

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup dry marsala

1 Tbsp water

1 tsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

Chicken:

Season the chicken lightly with salt & pepper. Combine the water, garlic, thyme and soy sauce into a large skillet. Add the chicken then bring to a simmer over medium-low heat (do NOT allow the water to boil or the chicken will get tough). Allow the chicken to cook for 10-15 minutes, flip the chicken and cover. Continue to cook until chicken is done (about 10-15 minutes longer). Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil, let rest for 5 minutes. ( You will not need the broth the chicken was in for anything else.)

Sauce:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt, cook until browned (about 15 minutes). Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Whisk in the chicken broth and Marsala, bring to a simmer. Whisk the water and cornstarch together then stir into the sauce. Simmer the sauce until thickened (about 5 minutes). Remove the sauce from heat, whisk in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

musingsfromthekitchen — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:39:57 +0000

For the filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the muffins:

3 cups white-wheat/all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves

1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar ( I used less)

2 cups pumpkin puree

1¼ cups vegetable oil

Directions:
To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Refrigerate the mixture while you make the muffins to allow it to cool and thicken slightly.

For the muffins, preheat your oven to 350˚ F and line or spray your muffin pans. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda then whisk to blend. In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium-low speed combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil until blended. Add the flour and spice mixture.
Fill each muffin pan with just enough batter to cover the bottom of each well (about 1-2 tablespoons). Scoop a small amount of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well, then top each with the remaining batter, covering the cream cheese completely.
Bake for 20-25 minutes (30-35 for large muffins).

Peanut Butter Cookies

musingsfromthekitchen — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:06:27 +0000

1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar (packed)
1/2 c softened butter
1/2 c peanut butter
1 egg
1 1/4 c flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Cream together the sugars and butter until creamy. Add in the egg and peanut butter and beat thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients on top of the blended wet ingredients, then stir together. Use a large tablespoon to scoop out walnut-sized balls of cookie dough, place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Stir Fry

musingsfromthekitchen — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 03:26:01 +0000

Sweet n Sour Stir Fry

8 chicken thighs cut in pieces

2 Tbsp. butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups frozen green beans

1- 8 oz. can of water chestnuts

Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 tsp. corn starch

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. chopped pimento

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. corn syrup

1/4 tsp. pepper

Melt butter in skillet and add chicken pieces.

Sprinkle with garlic and salt. Fry uncovered until golden brown.

Remove from skillet. Add sauce ingredients and cook until thick.

Add chicken and vegetables into skillet. Cover and simmer until

the green beans are soft, but crunchy.

Serve over rice.

Honey BBQ Wings

musingsfromthekitchen — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 03:20:15 +0000

Sauce

1/4 cup hot sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup honey

1 Tbsp. dark molasses

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

2 light shakes of garlic powder

2 shakes of cayenne pepper

Mix together and set aside.

Take 5 boneless chicken thighs and cut into pieces.

Sprinkle with seasoned salt and then coat with flour.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a skillet on medium heat.

Add chicken to skillet and fry for about 4-5 minutes

turning periodically until golden brown.
Place in a 9 inch baking dish and pour sauce over chicken.
Stir to make sure chicken is coated evenly.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Breakfast Pizza

musingsfromthekitchen — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:42:21 +0000

Crust Recipe -

1 T yeast

1 C really warm water

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 T olive oil

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour

1 C white flour

Toppings

4-6 eggs, scrambled

4 strips of bacon, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

4 oz. mushrooms, diced

4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Prepare the crust by mixing warm water, sugar and yeast in a small bowl. Allow yeast mix to sit while you mix the dry ingredients together. Then add oil and salt to the yeast mixture and stir.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, and stir to combine. Knead the dough (about 5 minutes) on a lightly floured surface until firm.
Cover and set dough aside for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the veggies. Setting the dough aside for a few minutes helps make the dough easy to roll out into a pizza.
Slice the mushrooms and dice the green peppers.( You may also be interested in adding: onions, tomatoes, red or yellow peppers etc) Then, preheat the oven to 425. Press dough into your pizza pan. Top the pizza with veggies.
Bake the pizza for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix up the eggs with salt and pepper to taste, and scramble them.
Remove the pizza from the oven, and top with eggs and cheese and bacon.
Return the pizza to bake for an addition 10 minutes.

NOTE: I put a little salsa on the crust before I put the veggies on.

Granola

musingsfromthekitchen — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:16:02 +0000

16 cups regular rolled oats
3 cups coconut
2 cups wheat germ
1 cup wheat bran
3 cup brown sugar

Mix well

2 cups butter
2 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter and add the vanilla

Stir everything together and divide out on 2 large cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 35-40 min. stirring every 10 minutes.

You can add nuts, sunflower seeds, dried fruit etc.

Seven Layer Taco Dip

musingsfromthekitchen — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:06:33 +0000

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
1 large tomato, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch chopped green onions
1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and refried beans. Spread the mixture onto a large serving platter.Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the refried beans.Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, green onions and lettuce over the salsa, and top with Cheddar cheese. Garnish with black olives.

Cheesy Tortilla Casserole

musingsfromthekitchen — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:53:08 +0000

1 pound ground turkey ( or hamburger)

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup salsa

2 tablespoons water, if using thick salsa (above)

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 can (15 ounces) dark red kidney beans, drained

1 can (15 ounces) black olives, sliced

12 ounces (3 cups) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

5 medium-sized flour tortillas

Brown ground turkey with the onion and garlic. Drain fat and put meat into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Return skillet to the stovetop and heat salsa, water (if your salsa is thick), cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, sugar, and pepper over medium heat until hot. You should end up with a sauce that is thin enough to spread, like pizza sauce.

Add beans, olives, and 2 cups of the cheese to the meat mixture and toss to combine.

Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Using about 2 1/2 of the flour tortillas, arrange them in a single layer across the bottom of the pan. Tear tortillas as needed (doesn’t have to be perfect).

Spread meat mixture in a layer over the tortillas. Top with remaining tortillas, again, in a single layer, tearing as needed to cover gaps.

Spread salsa mixture over top tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

Gingersnap Cookies

musingsfromthekitchen — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:31:43 +0000

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ginger, ground

1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

Additional sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and spices in medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat shortening and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. Gradually stir in flour mixture until well mixed. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in additional sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 12 minutes. Store in airtight container