Italian Chicken, Broccoli, Onions with Pesto Pasta

One of Mr. Bear's Favorite Easy Dinners (inspired by the H's chicken, brocc, and pasta dinner)

2 heads broccoli - chopped

1/2 white onion - chopped

spray Pam

olive oil

Jan's crazy salt

4 chicken breast tenderloins

1/2 cup Italian dressing

1 box thin spaghetti

1/4 cup store bought pesto

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

1. Marinate chicken in Italian dressing for at least 1 hour in the fridge.  

2. Drizzle olive oil on a cold skillet. Turn on medium heat and add onions. Cook for 3 minutes and add broccoli. Spray broccoli and onions with Pam. Season with crazy salt (I use lots - use however much you like). Cook over medium heat until onions and broccoli are softened (15 minutes). 

3. While broccoli and onions are cooking, spray a skillet with Pam and place over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook 6 minutes on each side. I like to cut my chicken while it is cooking into bite sized pieces. Drizzle with Italian dressing and season with salt and pepper. 

4. Boil salted water in saucepan. Add spaghetti. Cook until soft. Drain and place back into saucepan. Add pesto and parmesan cheese, stir until pasta is coated. If pasta is dry, add olive oil.  

5. Assemble veggies, pasta, and chicken on a plate. Top with crazy salt and more grated cheese. ENJOY!

Mexi-Rice ChickenBake

Poor Mr. Bear hasn't been eating very well since I became sick last week. Migraines do not allow a person to do much of anything - so he's been fending for himself in the kitchen. After my trip to the doctors office and the pharmacy, I was feeling MUCH better and the need to whip up something different for dinner. I searched through our almost bare cabinets and came up with some rice, corn, and chicken. From those ingredients I came up with a Mexi-Rice Chicken Bake that received many hugs and kisses from the Hubs.

1 bag Mexican Rice (Knoll's is a great brand)

1 can Mexican corn, drained

1 can 97% fat free cream of chicken soup

4 chicken thighs OR 2 cups shredded precooked chicken **

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook rice according to directions on package, but for less time than instructed (3-4min). You do not want your rice to turn mushy while baking, so only cook the rice until it is partially soft and there is still liquid in the pan.

**2. If you are cooking the chicken thighs, place them in a deep skillet with 2 cups of water and simmer over medium heat until the meat begins to fall off the bone.

Take the thighs out of the stock and remove the skin. Then use a fork to shred the chicken from the bone. Strain the stock to remove any fat or skin that has fallen off of the chicken.

Add the chicken back to the stock and sprinkle in the cumin, chili pepper, and garlic powder. Set aside over low heat for 5 minutes.

3. In a casserole dish combine the rice, corn, soup, and chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.

4. Bake 20 minutes. Enjoy with a spoonful of your favorite salsa!

Note: I have no association with Knoll's - it's just my personal opinion!

Shredded Chicken Burritos

Combine the following in a large bowl:

1 Rotisserie Chicken shredded (3 cups shredded chicken)

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon garlic salt

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon lime juice

Large Flour Tortillas

Use the following in amounts of your personal liking:

 Mrs. Bear's guacamole

Mexican Rice - this one is pretty tasty:

Vegetarian Refried Beans (warmed in pan over stove top)

Shredded Cheese (used Mexican blend) 

Shredded Lettuce

Fresh Salsa

Lite Sour Cream

Black Olives

Assembly

Warm tortilla between dampened paper towels in microwave for 20 seconds.

Layer beans, rice, chicken, cheese - cover with dampened paper towel. Heat in microwave for 20 seconds.

Top with lettuce, sour scream, salsa, olives.

Fold right and left sides in first. Roll from top to bottom.

Cover and microwave again for 20 seconds.

Cut diagonally and ENJOY!

Other add-ins: jalapenos, diced onion, hot sauce, green chiles, etc.

Kelly's Spicy Chicken Dip

Everytime we go to Ohio to visit Mr. Bear's family, his cousin Kelly makes her famous might fine spicy chicken dip. The first time I met her (five years ago!), she kindly handed over her recipe and now I shall share it with you. It is so easy and SO yummy. Let me know if you make it!

Kelly's Spicy Chicken Dip

2 lg cans chunk chicken, drained

2 8oz pkg cream cheese

12 oz Frank's Red Hot

3/4 cup celery, diced

1 cup Ranch dressing

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer to a baking dish coated with non stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Serve with assorted crackers, tortilla chips, celery, and carrots.

Sweet Lime Chicken

I came up with this recipe about three years ago when I saw something similiar in my Cooking Light magazine. I've only made it, and it was for an old friend - we ate it on top of a salad (romaine lettuce, corn, tomatoes). Even though this dish is very sweet, I think the chicken would taste good over rice, or inside of a tortilla with a little bit of lettuce and mexican cheese. I also wonder how it would taste if one added a bit of chipolte seasoning or hot sauce...

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 TBSP brown sugar

2 TBSP lime juice

2 TSP dijon mustard

1 TSP honey mustard

2 TBSP water

1 TSP cornstarch

2 1/2 TBSP butter

1 TBSP lime juice

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 TSP cajun or southwestern seasoning

1. Combine first four ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch. Add slowly to saucepan. Turn heat to medium and whisk until mixture is thick.

3. Whisk in butter and lime juice. Cook for 3 minutes. Add shredded chicken and seasoning.

4. Cook for 5 minutes. Serve over rice or as the innards of a burrito.

I'd love to hear your comments if anyone decides to make this - or what kinds of variations you may have for my recipe!

Crispy Wasa Chicken Fingers

Need an easy low-fat oven fried chicken recipe??

Run to the store and pick up the following ingredients...

Chicken Cutlets (you'll need atleast 6 chicken finger sized cutlets)

1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon Cayenne Pepper

2 tablespoons Egg Beaters Egg Whites

1 teaspoon water

8 Crisp N Light Wasa Crackers - crumbled

1 tablespoon minced fresh Parsley

Salt & Pepper

Garlic Salt

Here's what you do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Season both sides of the chicken cutlets with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Stack a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet and set aside. 

2. In a small flat dish (mini pie plate works), mix together the flour and cayenne. In another small dish, whisk together the egg whites, water, and cayenne pepper. In a large pie plate, crumble the Wasa crackers into a mixture of crumbs and dust and mix in the fresh parsley.   

3. Take a cutlet and dredge both sides in the flour. Next put it in the egg whites, making sure both sides are wet. Finally, press it into the Wasa crackers. You will have to press hard to make sure the Wasa sticks to both sides. Place the cutlet on the cooling rack. 

Note: You can also cook the chicken on a tinfoil lined cookie sheet, but you will have to flip the chicken fingers halfway through the cooking time so that both sides are crispy.

4. Repeat step 3 with the rest of the chicken cutlets. Bake for 30 minutes and serve alongside your favorite dipping sauce or drizzle a little Tobasco on top. 

P.S. My Zucchini Red Pepper Gratin makes a great side.

Chicken with Crab Stuffing

Mr. Bear told me he wanted something with crab for dinner... however I have yet to master anything that involves crab except for my dip. I know that he likes chicken pretty much any and every way it can be cooked, so crab stuffed chicken popped into my head. I researched recipes that included canned crab, chicken, and stuffing, and discovered more recipes than I could handle. I combined about five, plus some of my own ideas, and came up with something incredible!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

4 chicken breasts - flattened and a deep pocket cut into the side

1/2 cup herb stuffing mix

1 can crabmeat - drained

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon each salt and pepper

8 toothpicks

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon paprika

2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions
1. Melt butter over med-low heat in a skillet. Add onions and celery, cook until tender (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together onions, celery, stuffing mix, crab, Old Bay, garlic salt, parmesan cheese, salt & pepper.
3. Coat a baking dish with a thin layer of non-stick spray. Stuff a chicken breast with the crab stuffing. Secure stuffing inside of the chicken breast with two toothpicks. Place in baking dish seam side to the left. Repeat for the other three chicken breasts.
4. Combine the flour and paprika in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture over the chicken breasts. Drizzle melted butter over the flour. If it seems too dry - add more melted butter.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Serve alongside rice and veggies!
(sadly this is the best picture I could take on my iphone)

Mrs. Bear's Famous Chicken Pesto Pizza

**Note: This is my first chicken pesto pizza recipe I ever created. There are a few varations on my website**

I am not going to lie... Mr. Bear says that my pizza is the best pizza on this planet and he thinks I should open up a restaurant sells my creations. I hope you all enjoy this recipe, for I made it up one night to impress my then 'future hubs,' and I think that is what kept him around during wedding planning when bridezilla would show her face! I cook this pizza atleast once a week!

Ingredients:

Premade Pizza Dough (I always use Trader Joe's white pizza dough)

Homemade Basil Pesto

Chicken Breast - boneless skinless

Fontina Cheese - cut up into small pieces

Olive Oil - evoo

Black Olives - sliced

Diced vidalia onions (this is only an option - I don't always use them)

Balsamic Vinegar (or your fav balsamic dressing)

Salt + Pepper

Garlic Salt (or raw garlic if you are watching the sodium, hehe)

Flour

Pizza Stone - or cookie sheet

1. First take the pizza dough out of its packaging, form it into a big ball, put it in a deep bowl, drizzle olive oil over the top, and cover the bowl with a dish towel. The dough needs to rise and it should take about 20 mins. At the same time - preheat your oven for 400-500 degrees F. The bestest pizza is cooked in a HOT oven.

2. While the dough is rising you can cook your chicken in a skillet over medium heat. Coat the bottom of the skillet with olive oil - not too thick though or you will end up with oily fried chicken! If you are using the onions you can add them now. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic salt, and any other seasoning you like.

3. As the chicken begins to cook I start to cut it up, right in the skillet, into bite sized pieces. (I hate cutting raw chicken so I always wait until the outside is tough and white.) Drizzle a bit of balsamic oil over the cooking chicken (I use a capful). It should reduce and become syrupy and sweet. I usually don't overcook my chicken because it is going to bake in the oven. Once I do the cut test and see the inside is no longer pink I take it off of the burner and allow it to cool.

4. When the dough has risen, sprinkle some flour over the top of the dough ball and onto some counter space. You can roll your dough out - but I HIGHLY advise just using your hands to work it into whatever shape pan you plan on cooking the pizza on. I usually don't put anything on my pizza stone, but if you are using a cookie sheet you need to cover it with olive oil.

5. After you have shaped your dough and put it on its baking sheet, spoon on the basil pesto. This is another time when you can use as much or as little as you wish. If you go with a little bit of pesto, make sure to add some olive oil so the pizza remains moist.

6. Bake your pizza for 5-10 min so that the crust begins to form.

7. Remove the pizza and while it is still boiling hot arrange the toppings in this order: chicken, olives, cheese. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the crust if it is looking dry.

6. Put your pizza in the oven and cook it for 20 minutes. If you have never made pizza in your oven I recommend that you constantly check on it to make sure nothing is burning.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina ala Giada

I made a version of this recipe last winter for Mr. Bear and I one cold windy night. Pastina has been a favorite comfort food of mine since I was a little girl - definitely ate a lot of it whenever I was home sick from school (think lots of butter and plain pastina). I used to call it the Tiny Pasta With the Stars.

I still eat Pastina quite often, however I like to jazz it up with different kinds of veggies, spices, and sauces. Here is Giada De Laurentiis's Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina - looks perfect for a chilly January night!

Ingredients
1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

First Visit Menu Part 2

Cucumber Tomato Salad
(Serves 4)
My sister's best friend's dad used to make a version of this salad for us as a healthy snack when we were younger. It's light, simple, and even better when served with a piece of crusty bread!

1 diced Cucumber
3 diced Tomotoes
1 can medium Black pitted Olives
8oz crumbled Feta Cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Salt

1. Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl.
2. Coat the salad with olive oil and 2 capfuls of balsamic. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt to your liking.
3. Chill in the fridge for atleast 30 minutes before serving. It tastes best when cold!

PTP Stuffed Chicken
(serves 4)
4 Chicken Breasts
4 pieces of thinly sliced Prosciutto
4 teaspoons Thyme (fresh or dried)
4 pieces of sliced Provolone
1/2 small Shallot - diced
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8 toothpicks
1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat.
2. Cut a pocket into the side of one chicken breast. Sprinkle one teaspoon of thyme in pocket. Add one piece of prosciutto and one piece of provolone. Close the 'pocket' of the chicken and secure with two toothpicks.
3. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook for 2 minutes on each side.
4. Place the chicken a shallow baking dish and repeat steps 2-3 for the other three chicken breasts. Pour the leftover oil and shallots over the chicken breasts and bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside.
5. Serve with roasted asparagus (see quick recipe below)

Roasted Asparagus
1 bunch Asparagus - stems cut off
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1. Cover a baking sheet with tinfoil. Spread out the asparagus, drizzle olive oil over the asparagus, sprinkle with salt and pepper, bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.