Chicken Marsala with Sauteed Spinach w/ Golden Raisins

Well, it’s official…I’m on the dinner making list in our home. haha! Oh wait, I forgot to write that I am back in KY at the moment on what you could call my “1st official furlough”.  It feels wonderful to be home for awhile! It’s kind of fun to be able to bake pretty much whatever I want because there’s no question if I can acquire the ingredients that I need or not.  I can make quite a bit in Thailand, but ingredients can be quite limited.

Anyway, all that to say, I made dinner tonight for my mom and dad and I. We have been trying to come up with more ways to cook chicken, so I’ve been searching the internet like crazy lately to find some recipes. This one I found on Eat Better America. It is very good! We don’t have marsala, so I replaced it with cooking sherry (which is what was advised to use if you do not have the original ingredient. That, or chicken broth)  and it tasted just fine.  We are sauce people, so we actually came to the conclusion to double the recipe for the sauce next time. The recipe also calls for fresh mushrooms, but does not say what kind. I chose small bellas and they were wonderful.

For a side dish, I made Martha Stewart’s sauteed spinach with golden raisins. Very good as well.

Both dishes were amazingly easy to make.  I hope you try them and enjoy them as much as we did! =)

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Touchdown Taco Dip

Touchdown Taco Dip

1 can(16oz.) refried beans(Sub: 1 can fat free)

1 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, softend( Sub: fat free or low fat)

1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 small tomato, chopped

1/4 cup chopped onion

1.4 cup chopped pitted ripe olives

2 TBSP minced fresh cilantro

2 cups (8oz.) shredded cheddar cheese( Sub: Low-fat cheese)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread beans onto bottom of 9 inch pie plate. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, seasoning mix and garlic; spread over beans. Top with tomato, onion, olives, and cilantro; sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with sour cream, if desired. Serve with Tortilla chips.  Servings: 12 -16

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Eight Layer Salad

This salad is delicious! I think that it is one of my favorites. Many make it, but this particular recipe was given to my mom by, again, Amma.  It is a great summer time or really anytime kind of salad. Wonderful for parties! Thanks for the recipe Amma!

Eight Layer Salad

Arrange in layers:

1 head lettuce (or 3 c. torn spinach & 3 c. lettuce)

2 stalks celery, chopped fine

1 onion, chopped fine

1 green pepper, chopped fine

1 10oz bag frozen peas (personal note: this is a little bit more peas than I like, but if you really like them pour away!)

2 large carrots, grated

4 hard cooked eggs, sliced

Spread 2 cups mayo mixture on top of last layer. Add 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese and 6 siced, crisp, fried bacon, crumbled. Chill overnight.

Mayo Mixture

1 cup mayonaise

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

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Cheddar Potato Casserole

Very Yummy! Great for potlucks or home dinners! It tastes good freshly baked or for lunch the next day!

Cheddar Potato Casserole

2 cups milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 1/2 tsp. dried onion flakes

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 pkg. (24oz. ) frozen hash-brown potatoes, thawed

8oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients, mix well. Spread in greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Bake 1 hour or until bubbly and golden brown. Grab a spoon and start eating 🙂 .

Yield: 12-16 servings

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Strawberry – Spinach Salad

A great salad! Healthy and sweet 🙂 .

Strawberries, Baby Spinach, Almonds

Dressing:

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 tsp. onion juice

1 cup vegetable oil

2 TBSP poppyseeds

Just mix all dressing ingredients well. Easy!

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Pretzel Salad

This is a great summer recipe! It can be used as a dessert or part of a regular meal. Best to make the day before you plan on eating it. (The picture below I did not take so that is not exactly what the salad is going to look like, but it is very similar).

 

Preheat oven at 400 degrees.

2-3 cups crushed pretzels

3/4 cup butter

3 TBSP sugar

Press into 9×13 pan. Bake for 8 minutes, then cool.

Beat:

1 8oz. soft cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups cool whip

Spread over cooled pretzel layer. Refrigerate.

Mix together:

2 cups water

(2) 3oz. strawberry jello

16oz. Frozen sweetened strawberries, thawed

Set slightly. pour over pretzel & cream cheese layers. Refrigerate to set.

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Oatmeal Baked Chicken

I’m not usually a meat type of person, but this recipe is an exception. In my opinion this is the best chicken that has ever been made 🙂 . It’s another recipe that has been in our home since I could remember. I will say though that it’s not very good if you are more of a plain person who doesn’t cook much with spices.

~ Oatmeal Baked Chicken ~ 

6-8 chicken breasts

1 1/2 Cups quick-cooking oats

1 TBSP paprika

1/2 TBSP chili powder ( if hot chili powder: 1 tsp.)

1 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup butter, melted

 Mix all ingredients EXCEPT butter in a gallon sized plastic bag. One peice at a time, toss chicken in the bag to coat with oat mixture. Place on a greased baking sheet and drizzle evenly with butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 – 50 minutes. Great side dishes would be green beans, potatoes, and rolls.

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Very Easy Green Bean Casserole

My Mom has been making this dish for as long as I can remember.  This casserole really is easy to prepare and is very good!  Sorry, no picture this time. I forgot to take one! 🙂

 

* 3 14.5 oz. Cans cut green beans

* 2 10 3/4 oz. cans cream of mushroom soup

* 1 2.8oz. can French’s French Fried Onions

* 1/8 tsp. ground pepper

* milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and 2/3 of french fried onions in a 2 qt. baking dish. Add pepper and some milk until creamy. Bake for 25 minutes then top with remaining french fried onions; bake for another five minutes. Enjoy!

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