Crispy Baked Chicken Breasts ~ page 140

Carissa blogged about this wonderful chicken a few months ago..but I thought I would add my two bits, plus a few more pictures. Remember that you can look at the archives or the search box on the blog to find recipes that have been blogged about to get all the tips and pictures that aren't in the cookbook!

I made this for my grandsons, thinking that anything with rice crispy's would be loved by kids--and this was, although it is really a very sophisticated tasting chicken dish. Your are supposed to slightly crush the cereal, but I forgot to..I spread the crispy's along with the flour and seasonings on a tray to mix and coat my raw chicken it.

I only made half the recipe because my chicken breasts were quite large. The combination of the rice crispy's and butter make for a luscious crunchy coating. Don't overcook the chicken, so that when you cut into them they are juicy and moist. These were perfect!

I served this chicken with the Cheesy Scalloped Potato Sticks (pg. 93), and some steamed broccoli. The combination made for an outstanding and fast meal for kids and adults.

Leftovers from Black Bean Salsa (pg 15) and BBQ Meatballs (pg 151)

This dinner was the result of various "gatherings" over the weekend and what was left once the guests left.
I had three meatballs and a couple of cups of the salsa left and that spelled "soup" to me. I sliced the meatballs and added a can of crushed tomatoes with chipolte and mixed that with the left over salsa. Add some cornbread muffins and dinner is complete! ~ Lorrie

Healthy Peanut Butter Pancakes ~ page 319

These healthy pancakes were eaten so fast this morning, I barely got a picture of them! Here is Elias and Evelyn eating their pancakes and dipping them into applesauce.

When mixing up the dry ingredients, I used ground flax seed instead of the wheat germ called for.  The peanut butter is kind of lumpy to mix into the batter, but the taste is hearty and kids love it.

And why am I feeding breakfast to 4 grandchildren? Because Carissa had her third baby girl in the middle of the night! Little Sylvia Ann made a fast entrance into the world (or as Lillian says, she finally came down to earth!) and is happily hanging out with her mommy in the hospital, while Grandmother and Grandpops are taking care of a boatload of kids on the home-front!

Cheesy Scalloped Potato Sticks ~ page 93

I fixed this cheesy potato side dish tonight for my two little grandsons, Gabe and Elias (I am taking care of them for a week while their parents are on a trip). Let me tell you--this is a VERY kid friendly dish. They loved it! Both boys gobbled it up and asked for seconds. (I did make them eat their steamed broccoli before they got more of this yummy dish though.)

The raw potatoes are cut into French fry-size pieces.

Just barely cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer just 3 minutes.

I like to drain the potatoes in a colander and shake them to dry--this will help the creamy sauce to cling to them.

A white sauce flavored with dry mustard is poured over the blanched potatoes, then a sprinkling of sharp cheddar cheese...and just 30 minutes in the oven, and this dish is ready for the dinner table. ~Janice

Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips ~ page 207

These are so yummy with a glass of milk! Even people that don't like the whole peanut butter and chocolate combo have got to like these! When I had my cookie business I made 700 of these for a Law Firm's Christmas Party one year. They were a huge hit. They are great with white chocolate chips and even with dark chocolate chips, so if you can't find peanut butter chips you can still make these yummy morsels.
Above is how I have always stored my raw dough whether in the fridge or freezer, it makes it easy for stacking, and fast for thawing out. Just wrap in plastic wrap until you are ready. Chilling dough before baking just helps keep the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
Here are the before and after baking pics so you can see how they spread. For those bakers out there that like to weigh your flour, I used 365 grams of flour and I thought it was perfect. I know weighing flour sounds a bit on the perfectionist side, but it really does help you produce uniform results when making multiple batches. I can weigh a cup of flour, then dump it out and weigh another cup of flour and get 2 different weights. Every time you scoop your flour it comes out a little different...it all depends on how hard you scoop or pack the flour in. So if you need something to add to your birthday wish list I strongly recommend a baking scale! :) ~Carissa

Chicken Cacciatore ~ page 111

This sounds complicated, but it really comes together fast! I should have taken a picture before I added the parm cheese so you could see how pretty all the olives and mushrooms were in the sauce. My 5 year old gobbled it up...now the 2 year old didn't so much like it, but she is just weird sometimes! The leftovers were even better the next day for lunch.

Even though Evelyn wouldn't eat it for dinner she sure loved helping make it.

Orange Glazed Poppy Seed Loaf ~ page 257

This was so good that I ate half of the loaf myself! I added orange zest to my glaze because I was juicing oranges anyway. It added even more orange flavor.
I wanted 3 loaves so I used one large loaf pan and 2 medium pans...the smaller ones are antique baking dishes that I used to collect from flea markets and such.
Above is the glaze with the orange zest that was so yummy! The only thing differently I would do next time is to grease AND flour the pans. The recipe just says greased pans, I had to shake a bit to get the loaves out. I think the original recipe mentions flouring the pans. I have to go stick the other two loaves in the freezer before I eat them too! --Carissa

Chicken Tikka Masala ~ page 138

I know this recipe has already been blogged about, but I made it again today and had a change that I made that I think made it better. In the recipe it says to cook the chicken and discard the marinade...well, it is quite difficult to separate the marinade from the chicken since it is thick yogurt. Most of the marinade gets sautéed in with the chicken. The recipe has you taking out the chicken after it is cooked so you can make the sauce then add the chicken back in. When you are ready to dump the chicken back in the sauce try draining the juices off first... it is all the marinade that turned watery while cooking. Check out the photo below...there was alot of juice to pour off. This reduces your simmering time since the sauce is thicker without the juicy marinade.
I tried out a new brand of coconut milk today ...GOYA, I really liked it. I am having an Indian Dinner Party tomorrow night and wanted to get a head start on cooking, so I made this today and put it in the fridge...I think the flavors are gonna be even better tomorrow!

Biscotti: Chocolate Chip ~ page 199

This was sure a yummy treat on a rainy afternoon today. It is a little sweeter than the average biscotti, and a touch softer, just because I don't like mine too hard. The only change I made was to add an extra egg white, but that was only because I had small eggs. They were farm fresh straight from under the chickens, so they weren't the large size that you normally get in the store. Other than that I followed the recipe perfectly.
Above are the logs before they went in the oven, and below is a cute way to package them up for gift giving. This baggie was going to some friends at church that were having us over for dinner.

Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup

This simple soup feels rich and comforting on a rainy day. If you want to use only broccoli, that is fine, or pump it up with even more vegetables than the carrots, celery, and onions that are listed. A small diced potato can be a hearty addition, or frozen or fresh corn will work well also.

I simmered my fresh broccoli along with the carrots and celery. When vegetables are just tender, stir into the creamy sauce.

Add the American cheese and stir until smooth.

Try serving this soup with the Italian Chicken Sandwiches on page 69 (you can omit the cheese slices on the sandwiches since the soup is so cheesy)--these two recipes pair up nicely--Oh, and if you want a great bread for you sandwiches, try the Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread on page 288. Now you have a total What We Cook meal!

Marinera Pasta Sauce ~ page 23

This is still on my stove right now simmering away...so my house smells like an Italian restaurant! The only thing I might change is to cut the black peper down. The cookbook calls for 1 teaspoon, I think that might be a typo...1/2 teaspoon would be better. Unless you like your sauce with a kick, then just leave it.

Below is a picture to show how chunky I leave my veggies since they go into a food processor.

Then saute' them up before adding everything else..I process mine pretty fine so the kids and the husband don't detect the carrots!

I buy the cheapest wine to cook with...I know on Food Network they always say to buy nicer stuff since you are concentrating the flavors, but I thought this $2.98 bottle from Wal-mart fit into my budget very nicely! :) It adds a nice depth of flavor.

I don't have a picture of the sauce on pasta because first of all, it is still simmering, but I am about to cool it and stick it in the freezer for an emergency meal after the baby is born. (just a couple weeks to go!!)

Adam needs all the help he can get when it comes to cooking dinner for me! :) This way all he has to do is thaw it out and boil pasta and a healthy dinner is ready! --Carissa

No-Knead Harvest Bread ~ page 284

What a terrific bread this is! This was the first time I have made this recipe of my mom's. It couldn't be easier! You make the dough in the evening and leave it on the counter while you sleep, then in the morning put it in a pan and leave it another 2 hours, then bake it in a cold oven! (the oven starts off cold) How much easier can you get?
I know if sounds weird, but you cook it in a 2 qt. glass casserole dish with a lid. I didn't feel like splurging on golden raisins at the store, so I just used regular raisins with the cranberries and walnuts. YUM!
Above is the finished product in the pan...
The girls and I literally ate half the loaf in one sitting! It had amazing texture and chewiness! I will definitely be making this again soon. I can't wait to try it as toast in the morning. --Carissa

Easy Sneezy Peaches ~ page 253

I made Easy Sneezy Peaches about a week ago...they were fabulous! But 16 peach halves is alot for 2 people to eat in a weeks time. This morning I was making pancakes and noticed I was about out of syrup. Then a great idea hit me....those peaches in the fridge would make a great topping! So I sliced them, added a sprinkle of cinnamon and then simmered them on the stove to thicken the sauce. Oh my! The topping took the pancakes to the next level. I think I will always do this when I make those peaches. You really do have to try it! I just had to share! --Carissa

Italian Chicken Sandwiches ~ page 69

This isn't your typical chicken salad. The food processor makes this so fast to make, all you do is marinate the chicken, saute', then process with bacon...how much easier do you want? The meat has so much flavor you don't have to chop onions, or celery, or anything else you would normally put into a chicken salad.

Don't skip the bacon, it is important for the overall flavor!

I almost bought croissants like the recipe called for, but I was after a lower fat sandwich. This was actually made on my Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread from page 288, but any sandwich bread will do. Give this recipe a try, it makes alot, so it feeds a crowd. --Carissa

Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread ~ page 288

This bread is not kneaded, so it is fast to make. You can make any size loaf you like. I made loaves suited for slicing for sandwiches.

The interesting thing about this recipe is the large amount of fresh garlic in it. If you don't have a garlic press, just mince the garlic with a knife. I used a new gadget on the fresh rosemary: an herb cutter. The multiple blades makes chopping herbs--my rosemary in this case--super fast!

After rising, brush the loaves with olive oil and sprinkle with more of the fresh rosemary and some garlic salt.

We like this bread with the Italian Chicken Sandwich spread on page 69.  Believe me, this is a wonderful, marvelous sandwich, tasty from the inside to the flavorful bread on the outside.