Baked Chicken Tenders

Last week was definitely 'one of those' weeks, where I was so busy I felt like I couldn't even find time to sleep. I desperately needed to go grocery shopping, but I just couldn't bring myself to go back out after getting home from work. I decided it would be a week of leftovers for dinner - until Friday rolled around and I had absolutely nothing left to serve Jake and myself. 

I remembered a recipe for quick and easy chicken tenders I had experimented with in the past. This recipe for Baked Chicken Tenders is from a recipe book my mom's hair salon sold as a fundraiser a few years ago. The best part about this dish is that you likely already have the ingredients on hand, so it's a perfect dish to throw together if you're running low on meal ideas (or are too lazy to go to the grocery store sometimes, like me). Another great thing about this recipe is you can totally customize it to your liking.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch strips
• About 1 cup of mayonnaise
• garlic powder
• Italian seasoning to your taste
• dried basil to your taste
• 1-2 stacks finely crushed Ritz crackers

How to:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with Parchment paper.
• Combine mayonnaise, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and basil in a small bowl.
• Coat each chicken strip with mayonnaise mixture, then roll in cracker crumbs.
• Place tenders on lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
• Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

 Substitutions & Suggestions:

1. Try different seasoning combinations to change the whole flavor of the tenders.
2. Substitute mayo for greek yogurt for a healthier alternative.
3. Replace the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and basil with Dijon mustard, and the crushed Ritz crackers with pretzels or Flip Sides pretzel-crackers for a different flavor.
4. Garlic-butter flavored Ritz crackers add an extra boost of flavor to these tenders.

The first time I made these, I couldn't believe how much flavor these chicken tenders packed in, considering the small number of ingredients. Needless to say, I'm glad I rediscovered this recipe! It's perfect for those crazy nights where you need a fast meal that tastes great.

Enjoy!

Turkey Meatballs with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

A few years back, my parents were telling me about one of their first dates. My mom was cooking for my dad, and she decided to make him spaghetti and meatballs. Apparently my dad hates raisins, and my mom's best meatball recipe contains raisins - dilemma. I'm told my dad still ate those raisin-containing meatballs and didn't tell her he hated them until years later to spare her feelings. True love?

A few weeks ago, Jake and I were hanging out with our good friends Jason and Sherri, who have been married for about 5 years. Sherri informed us that she had made dinner for the two of them one night - spaghetti and meatballs. This dish had apparently been a staple in their dinner menu since they had been married. Sherri also said that, as she and him sat down to eat, out of nowhere, Jason just blurted out "I hate spaghetti and meatballs." She was shocked that he had been eating something he hated for so long and didn't say anything! Is this a common trend in marriages, particularly with spaghetti and meatballs? I'm beginning to think so.

Anyway, back to this recipe. Jake has always been very honest with me (sometimes too honest) as to whether or not he likes the particular dish I make. After hearing Jason and Sherri's meatball story, I was determined to see what Jake would think of my meatballs (which I never make). I found this recipe for turkey meatballs and decided to give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used seasoned)
• 1 Tbs butter
• 3 Tbs chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 3 Tbs fresh chopped flat-leaf parsely
• 2 big cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 Tbs whole milk
• 3/4 lb ground turkey

How to:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a sauce pan over low-medium heat, melt butter and toast breadcrumbs until golden, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
• Once cooled, combine breadcrumbs with tomatoes, parsley, garlic, cheese, and salt in a large bowl.
• Add beaten egg and milk, and mix to incorporate.
• Add ground turkey and combine by hand.
• Form mixture into medium-sized balls. Take care to not overwork the turkey mixture.
• Arrange balls on a baking sheet.
• Bake for 22-25 minutes or until cooked through, turning meatballs halfway through.
• Remove from heat and serve with your favorite sauce.

Jake gave these meatballs two thumbs up. I think the sun-dried tomatoes contributed a savory aspect to these meatballs without adding an overwhelming flavor. If you're looking for a sauce to serve these with, try my recipe for Spicy Marinara Sauce.

Find the original recipe here. Yield: ~16 meatballs.

Crockpot Pulled Pork

With the NFL playoffs in full swing, I'm sure some of you are looking for a great football party dish to serve over the upcoming weeks. I spontaneously decided I was craving pulled pork yesterday and wanted to find a crockpot recipe that I could throw together in no time. My recipe for Crockpot Pulled Pork is slightly different than the one I worked from, and it turned out amazing!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 (4 1/2 -5 lb) bone-in pork shoulder (also called pork butt), twine or netting removed
• 1 Tbs packed dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbs kosher salt
• 1 Tbs chili powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup BBQ sauce plus extra for topping sandwiches (optional)

How to:

• Lay onions and garlic evenly in the bottom of your Crockpot.
• Pour chicken broth over the onions and garlic.
• Combine the sugar, salt, chili powder, coriander, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Pat dry pork shoulder with a paper towel.
• Rub combined spices all over the pork, covering it as completely as possible.
• Add pork to Crockpot.
• Cover and cook on high for 6-8 hours (8-10 hours on low).
• Turn off Crockpot, and transfer pork to cutting board. Discard bone, and shred pork with two forks. Discard any fat pieces. Set shredded pork aside.
• Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium sized heat proof bowl and pour onion mixture from the Crockpot over the strainer. Return solids to the Crockpot, and set liquid aside. 
• Return the shredded meat to the Crockpot with the onion mixture.
• Add BBQ sauce, if desired and mix to coat pork. 
• If you don't want to use BBQ sauce: Use a spoon to skim and discard the fat from your reserved liquid. Add 1/4 cup of the strained liquid at a time to the Crockpot, until the meat is just moistened. Taste and season with salt as needed.
• Serve on a hamburger bun.

I used a full 5-lb bone-in pork shoulder for this recipe, and it just BARELY fit in my Crockpot. I suggest going with a 4 1/2 pound sucker (unless you have a large Crockpot). The original recipe I worked from uses 2 cups of BBQ sauce, but I thought the pork tasted great after adding only 1 cup. I used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue Sauce - a personal fave.

Enjoy!

Two Sauce Lasagna

Happy 2013! Can you believe it's 2013? Crazy. If your resolution for this year is to eat healthy, this recipe probably isn't the best - you might want to try my lighter 'lasagna' recipes for Lasagna Cupcakes or Spinach Lasagna Rolls. If you're looking for some serious comfort food, however, then this is the perfect recipe. Also, it just occurred to me that I have 3 different recipes that are lasagna-related. Each of them offer something a little different, so pick your poison!

Jake and I had his family over for the Ravens playoff game on Sunday, and I decided I should make this Two Sauce Lasagna. The things I love about lasagna are that it's delicious and there are always plenty of leftovers. It's a win-win. This recipe is a little different (read: delicious), in that it uses both white and red sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
• 1 package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and well drained)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese (divided)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 lb sweet Italian-style bulk sausage
• 1 jar (24 oz) of your favorite red pasta sauce (plus some extra for serving)
• 12 oven-ready lasagna noodles
• 1 jar (15 oz) of your favorite Alfredo sauce

How to:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, 2 Tbs Parmesan cheese, and eggs. Set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage until cooked through, stirring until small crumbles form - about 4-6 minutes. Drain fat if needed.
• Spread ~1 cup of the red sauce evenly in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Layer 4 noodles over the sauce, followed by half of the ricotta mixture, then 1 cup of red sauce, and half of the cooked sausage.
• Repeat layers, and top with the remaining 4 lasagna noodles.
• Spread the Alfredo sauce over the noodles and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbs of Parmesan cheese.
• Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
• Allow lasagna to rest for 5-10 minutes.

I'm a huge fan of Classico pasta sauces, so that's what I used to make this lasagna. In fact, this dish is actually a Classico recipe that came from one of the jars of pasta sauce I had purchased a while back. I love Alfredo sauce, but rarely eat it because of how fattening it is. It's a perfect complement to the red sauce in this recipe. 

Enjoy!

Pasta with Chicken & Tomatoes

Chicken was on sale this week. Like, ridiculously on sale - only $1.69 a pound. Naturally, I bought as many packages as I could without looking like a crazy chicken-hoarding lady.

This recipe for Pasta with Chicken & Tomatoes is a staple in this household. It uses frozen veggies for convenience, although fresh vegetables would work excellently here. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked penne pasta
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 bag frozen bell pepper and onion stir fry (from a 1-lb bag)
• 1 chicken breast
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, seasoned with garlic, basil, and oregano
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

How to:

• Cook and drain pasta as directed on the package.
• Cook the chicken breast in boiling water until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Shred cooked chicken with two forks, or in a food processor.
• Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. 
• Cook bell pepper mixture in oil until thawed, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Stir in chicken, tomatoes, garlic salt, and pepper. 
• Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot. 
• Stir in pasta until pasta is well coated and hot.
• Serve.

 Suggestions:

• If you have leftover cold pasta from another dish, this dish becomes even faster - no need to reheat the pasta beforehand, just throw it in at the end and cook the dish an extra minute or two.
• The original recipe I was working from uses 1 lb beef strips for stir fry or thinly sliced flank steak. Instead of using shredded chicken, throw the beef into the skillet after heating the bell pepper mixture, cook for 5-6 minutes until beef is no longer pink, and then continue by stirring in the tomatoes, garlic salt, and pepper. 

Enjoy!