Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Baked Pesto Chicken

recipe from: Kalyn's Kitchen

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and fresh ground black pepper for seasoning chicken
1/2 cup basil pesto (I used a little bit more to cover my chicken)
2 oz. (1/2 cup) grated low-fat mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken pieces, then cut each chicken breast lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces.

Spray a 9" x 12" (or 8.5" X 12.5") baking dish with non-stick spray, then spread 1/4 cup basil pesto over the bottom of the dish. Lay chicken strips over the pesto, then spread 1/4 cup more basil pesto over the chicken.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil (or use a baking dish with a tight-fitting lid) and bake the chicken for 25-30 minutes, just until chicken is mostly cooked.

When chicken is mostly cooked through, remove foil and sprinkle chicken with 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese. Put dish back into the oven without foil and cook 5 minutes more, just until cheese is melted.

**We really enjoyed this chicken dish. It was super easy and very yummy. I served with mashed potatoes, green beans, salad and bread.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Pizza Spaghetti Casserole

{recipe from here}

Ingredients

12 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (1-lb.) package mild ground pork sausage
2 ounces turkey pepperoni slices (about 30), cut in half
1 (26-oz.) jar tomato-and-basil pasta sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (8-oz.) package shredded Italian three-cheese blend

Preparation

1. Cook spaghetti with 1/2 tsp. salt according to package directions. Drain well, and place in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

2. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and set aside. Wipe skillet clean. Add pepperoni, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes or until slightly crisp.

3. Top spaghetti in baking dish with sausage; pour pasta sauce over sausage. Arrange half of pepperoni slices evenly over pasta sauce. Sprinkle evenly with cheeses. Arrange remaining half of pepperoni slices evenly over cheese. Cover with nonstick or lightly greased aluminum foil.

4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes; remove foil, and bake 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted and just begins to brown.

**This was wonderful!! Add a little more sauce than the recipe called for to make it tastier! We will definitely have it again.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

{image and recipe from here}

Ingredients:
4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts (can still be frozen)
1 Bottle Archer Farms Hawaiian Style Barbecue Sauce (from Target)
1 20 oz. can Pineapple Chunks, drained

Directions:
1. Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray.
2. Place chicken breasts in the crock pot and cover with sauce. Empty can of drained pineapple chunks on top.
3. Cook on High for 2-3 hours or Low for 4-6 hours.
4. Shred chicken with two forks while still in the crock pot so the chicken will be well coated with sauce. Serve over rice.