The Woman Behind the Recipes

Who is this crazy cooking lady? Well, go to my sister blog to find out!

Click here : http://marileemarks.blogspot.com

Smothered Chicken

I did something wild and crazy and made this video for a recipe contest. I'm not sharing any more info on that until I find out if I was chosen or not... Please excuse my nervousness on tape... I'm not good at performing. I just thought you might enjoy my recipe.





Smothered Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pint of mushrooms washed and sliced
2 cloves of garlic minced
olive oil 1 pkg frozen chopped spinach
1 pkg of neufatchel cream cheese softened
salt
pepper

Heat olive oil in pan, add in garlic and place chicken in.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook 5-6 minutes on each side or all pink is gone.
In seperate pan saute mushrooms with salt and pepper and keep warm.
In another bowl cook spinach and drain. After spinach is drained mix with cream cheese.
Place chicken on plates, with a dollup of spinach mixture on top, then place a spoonful of mushrooms over the top of that.
Voila Smothered Chicken!

Cheesy Mexican Casserole

This recipe was born out of a high school Spanish assignment over 10 years ago. My teacher had assigned with plenty of advance notice to research and cook a Mexican or Spanish dish to bring to school. Having forgot entirely of the assignment until the day of, I rounded up various ingredients from my mother's pantry and Voila! Cheesy Mexican Casserole.



1 small can of diced green chilies

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup of sour cream

1 can of mushroom soup

2 pkg. of refrigerated crescent roll dough

1 pound of cooked, cubed chicken

1 can of black olives, sliced

1 cup of mexican blend shredded cheese

1/2 cup sliced green onions

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 Tb. minced garlic



1. Unroll dough, do not separate, place in bottom of casserole dish so it is a little bit up the sides of dish, smooth together any cracks until it looks like a smooth crust. Prick with fork all over and bake at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes or golden brown.



2. Next cook cubed chicken in a little bit of olive oil and minced garlic, salt and pepper



3. In mixing bowl, stir together chilies, sour cream, cream cheese, olives, and mushroom soup



4. When crust and chicken are done, mix chicken with cheese mixture and pour into casserole dish on top of crust.



5. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and green onion, bake for another 10-15 minutes until warmed through and cheese is melted on top.

Sun-Dried Tomato Sub Sandwich

It feels ridiculous to post such an idiot proof recipe, I mean come on, its really just tossing a sandwich together with some fancy dressing.... from a bottle..... But the greatness was in the details and really it turned out fantastic. I needed a meal to make for the family that would be delicious, quick and thrown together in a jiff so I could dash out the door to class. And I didn't want to just slap two pieces of bread together, toss it on their plates and call it a meal. By simply taking a little more time with it, baking it and presenting it like it was the most amazing culinary achievement, I mananged to impress my family with a.... sandwich. I am now craving just writing about it.

Sun-Dried Tomato Sub Sandwich:

1 loaf of italian bread
1 cup of sun-dried tomato italian dressing
thinly sliced turkey breast and roast beef sandwich meat
sliced cheddar
1 large tomato thinly sliced
spinach or lettuce leaves

Instructions:
*With a bread knife, slice italian loaf lengthwise
*Lay open face on a cookie sheet and brush with dressing on both sides
*Put under hot broiler for 2-3 minutes, watch it so it doesn't burn!
*Remove from oven and layer meat, then cheddar, put back under the broiler for one more minute to melt the cheese a smidge
*Take out and add the tomato and lettuce
*Put the top on, slice, savor and enjoy!

~I doubled the recipe so there was plenty for seconds and leftovers for lunch the next day!

Mini Lemon Cheesecake Tarts

*Photo and recipe courtesy of CampbellsKitchen.com

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed

1 egg, beaten

1/2 of an 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened (Don't skip the softening step or it will be lumpy)

1/2 cup prepared lemon curd (instead of lemon curd I used one 4 oz box of lemon pudding and 1 cup of milk)

1/2 cup thawed frozen whipped topping

Fresh raspberries or blueberries

Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 36 (1 1/2-inch) mini muffin-pan cups.
Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Cut into 36 (2-inch) squares. Press the pastry squares into the muffin-pan cups. Brush the top edges of the pastry squares with the egg. Prick the centers of the pastries with a fork.
Bake for 10 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Using the back of a spoon, press down the centers of the hot pastries to make an indentation. Let the pastries cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove the pastry cups from the pans and let cool completely on wire racks.
Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the lemon curd. Fold in the whipped topping.
Pipe or spoon about 1 teaspoon cheese mixture into each pastry cup. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until the set. Top each tartlet with 1 raspberry.

*Mine turned out just like the picture and were absolutely delicious!!

Chicken Tacos

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 packet taco seasoning
1 cup salsa
1 cup water
Taco Shells


Mix taxo seasoning, salsa and water in a crock pot
Put chicken in and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6

20 minutes before you serve, use forks to shred chicken and leave in crock pot to absorb yummy juices!

Top with your favorite taco additions.

I used guacamole, cheese and black olives and it made me melt into a puddle of taco love.

See "Faux Chipotle Burrito" recipe for guacamole recipe!