Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
½ c. flour
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Dried oregano to taste
4 T. oil
4 T. butter or margarine
2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 c. Marsala wine

Directions:

1. Pound chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap (or in a plastic zipper bag) until about ¼" thickness.
2. Combine flour, salt, pepper and oregano in a mixing bowl. Dredge chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off any excess.
3. Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat.
4. Cook chicken breasts on medium heat for about 2 minutes on the first side, until lightly browned.
5. Turn breasts over to cook other side, then add mushrooms to skillet.
6. Cook breasts about 2 more minutes, until both sides are lightly browned.
7. Continue to stir mushrooms.
8. Add Marsala wine around chicken pieces.
9. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
10. Transfer to serving plate.

Serves 4
Prep Time:  30 minutes
Cooking Time:  30 minutes

One Pot Pasta

Ingredients:

12 oz. pasta
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes with liquid
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ t. red pepper flakes (optional)
2 t. dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4½ c. vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:

1. Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. 
2. Pour in vegetable broth. 
3. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano.
4. Drizzle top with oil.
5. Cover pot and bring to a boil. 
6. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. 
7. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated.
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. 
9. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

Chicken and Dumplins

This recipe is very similar to Cracker Barrel's Chicken n' Dumplins.

Ingredients:

2 c. Flour

½ t. Baking Powder

1 pinch Salt

2 T. Butter

1 C. buttermilk, A Bit Less Than A Full Cup (you can use regular milk if needed)

2 qt. Chicken Broth

3 c. Cooked Chicken

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. 
2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry blender. 
3. Stir in the milk, mixing with a fork until the dough forms a ball.
4. Heavily flour a work surface. You’ll need a rolling pin and something to cut the dumplings with. I like to use a pizza cutter. I also like to use a small spatula to lift the dumplings off the cutting surface.
5. Roll the dough out thin with a heavily floured rolling pin. Dip your cutter in flour and cut the dumplings in squares about 1"x1". They do not have to be uniform or exact.
6. Use the floured spatula to put them on a heavily floured plate. Just keep flouring between the layers of dumplings.
7. To cook them, bring the broth to a boil. Drop the dumplings in one at a time, stirring while you add them. The extra flour on them will help thicken the broth. Cook them for about 15-20 minutes or until they are not doughy tasting. 
8. Add the cooked chicken to the pot, stir and you are done!

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs. chicken tenders or 4 large chicken breasts
2 sleeves Ritz crackers
¼ t. salt
⅛ t. pepper
½ c. whole milk
3 c. cheddar cheese, grated
1 t. dried parsley

Sauce:

1 - 10 oz. can cream of chicken soup
2 T. sour cream
2 T. butter

Directions:

1. Crush 1½ sleeves of crackers.
2. If using chicken breasts and not tenders, cut each chicken breast into 3 large pieces.
3. Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans.
4. Toss the salt and pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine.
5. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk and then the cheese.
6. Press the cheese into the chicken with your fingers.
7. Then press the cheesy coated chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in.
8. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan.
9. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.
10. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400°F for 35 minutes.
11. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.
12. In a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk.
13. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot.
14. Serve over the chicken.

Cook Time:  45-50 minutes

Crockpot Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

1 lb. of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (can substitute Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs)
2 T. Butter
2 cans (10.5 oz.) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
14 oz. water
1 medium Onion, diced
Hot Cooked Rice

Directions:

1. Place thawed chicken in crock pot. 
2. Add butter, cream of chicken soup, water and onions.  Stir until soup is mixed well with water. 
3. Cook on high 4-6 hours or on low for 8 hours.
4. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Broccoli and Shrimp Chowder

Ingredients:

1 medium uncooked Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced   
2 c. uncooked broccoli, florets   
1 medium uncooked shallot, minced   
2 c. fat free chicken broth   
¼ t. dried thyme   
½ lbs. cooked shrimp, peeled (medium size)   
½ c. fat free sour cream   
½ c. fat free skim milk   
¼ t. table salt   
¼ t. black pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium-size pot, combine potato, broccoli, shallot, broth and thyme; bring to a boil, partially cover pot and cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Pour soup into blender and purée in batches careful not to splatter hot liquid; return soup to pot. (Or puree soup in pot using an immersion blender.)
3. Add remaining ingredients to pot; reduce heat to low and simmer until hot, about 3 minutes. (Do not allow to boil.)

Prep Time:  10 Minutes
Cook Time:  18 Minutes
Serves 4 - Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Rick's Salsa

Ingredients:

2 bunches of green onions
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
2 large cans of diced cooked tomatoes (32 oz. cans, be sure not to pick up the stewed tomatoes)
1 large can of diced green chilies (or two small cans)
½ can El Pato hot tomato sauce (yellow can with a duck on it in the international foods aisle)
1 tsp. black pepper
garlic salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Combine the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl:  diced tomatoes, green chilies, half a can of El Pato hot tomato sauce (add more if you like it hot), black pepper (more or less to taste), garlic salt also to taste.
2. Finely dice the green onion using mostly the light green & white part of the onions (not too much of the dark greens) finely chop two or three tablespoons of cilantro or more to taste).  Try to use only the leafy parts.
3. Combine this with the rest of the ingredients and put it in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight) to let the flavors blend.

Enjoy!