Lasagna Chicken

This is my current favorite chicken dish.  The prep takes a little time, but is worth it!  Serve with steamed vegetables and a great roll or breadstick - my kids love it!  My recipe is very low fat and so I can have it whenever I want!

Lasagna Chicken

10 chicken breasts

1 15 oz. carton non-fat ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese

1/2 cup mozarella cheese

Frozen, chopped spinach that is thawed 

(I buy a 10 oz. box and only use 1/4 of it - you can add more)

Classico Tomato and Basil spaghetti sauce

Mix the three cheeses and egg together in a bowl.  Squeeze spinach in hand to drain 

excess liquid before adding to cheese mixture.  Set aside.

Pound chicken breasts with tenderizer mallot or bottom of a glass until about 1/2 inch thick.  I put the meat in between 2 pieces of Press and Seal Saran Wrap to keep the mess at bay.

Add a heaping spoonful (flatware tablespoon) of cheese mixture to middle of breast.  Fold in each side and secure with a wooden toothpick.

Place in glass or stone casserole dish.  Spoon spaghetti sauce onto top of each chicken roll.

Bake at 350^oF for 60 minutes.  Drain juice from dish before serving.

Snickerdoodles

I love this recipe!  I am starting to make these every Sunday with Marti's Chocolate Chip Cookies...

Snickerdoodles

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

cream together, then add:

1 tsp. baking soda

2 t. Cream of Tartar

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix, then add:

2 3/4 c. flour

Refrigerate for 30 minutes, roll into 1 inch balls, dip in a mixture of 

cinammon and sugar (I only dip the top), place on parchment lined 

cookie sheet and bake at 375^oF for 8 - 10 minutes.

Three Bites of Sugary Goodness

It's Marti's fault.

She is my sister and she taught me 

how to make them.
I have made my girls memorize and perfect
the recipe starting at age 10.

It took years to perfect them.

Jeff calls them "Crisco Disks", yet he still eats them.

We make them every Sunday and invite any and all to join in the feast

starting at 7:00p.m.

Marti's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

blend well then add:

1tsp. salt

1tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. water

blend well then add:

2 1/4 cups flour

add more flour until the dough is just past sticky and shiny.

Mix in 1 cup chocolate chips.

Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.

Bake on parchment paper 

(I use the medium Pampered Chef Cookie Scoop) 

at 350^oF for about 10 minutes.

Chalkboard Platter

You might say I'm a little obsessed with chalkboards right now.
It's true.

I bought a silver platter on eBay for $9.
I bought a pint of chalkboard paint

at OSH and painted several coats on the flat part of the platter.  

It sits on my kitchen counter on an easel and I use my favorite chalk pen

to write whatever I want.
Messages of encouragement, announcements,

menus, etc.  It's a pretty message center.

I've seen the center of porcelain trays painted too and the trays also

look great hung on the wall.

On Sunday I remind the family what is coming....

Stay tuned for another chalkboard post tomorrow!

OOPS!

I have just been informed that I left out the most important ingredient in Grandma Van Doren's bread recipe - SUGAR!!!  Please know that the recipe has been fixed and I'm so sorry if you have already made it.
Julie

Pizza Dough

Probably once a week I make pizza for dinner.

I can make it faster than it can be delivered

and it costs cents to make.  

Pizza Crust

Make a single batch for thin crust or

double batch for thick...

1 cup warm water

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 425^oF.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Add more flour if needed

until dough pulls cleanly away from the side of the bowl.

Turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth.

Press onto greased round pizza pan.

If making thick crust, bake crust without toppings for 

10 minutes.  Remove from oven, top with favorite toppings

and return to oven for another 8 - 10 minutes.

For thin crust, there is no need to pre-bake.  Just top uncooked
crust and bake for about 15 minutes.

Grandma VanDoren's White Bread

Grandma VanDoren's White Bread

I don't have a Grandma VanDoren, but I love her for this recipe!

It never fails me!

Makes 4 loaves:

4 cups warm water

4 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar

4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup oil

About 11 cups flour

Combine water, yeast, salt, oil, sugar and 4 cups flour.

Mix thoroughly, stop and let sponge rise until doubled in size.

Gradually add more flour until dough pulls cleanly from side of bowl.

Turn out onto floured surface or let mixer knead for 

5-6 more minutes until dough is smooth.

Form dough into ball and place dough in a greased bowl,

 turning once to grease both side.  

Cover loosely and let rise until doubled in size.

Punch dough down and divide into 4 equal balls.

While forming loaves, heat oven to lowest temperature and when it 

has reached that temperature, turn the oven off.

For each ball/loaf, roll dough out into a flat rectangle.  

fold each end in, overlapping like a letter.

Roll folded dough out into another rectangle that is not 

wider than your bread pan and about 3/4 inch thick.  

Roll dough into a log starting with the short side.  

Pinch end along roll to seal, turn over to make that the bottom and tuck ends of roll under. 

 Place in a greased bread pan. 

 Let rise in warmed oven with door partially opened until doubled in size
or let rise on the counter until doubled in size.

Carefully remove pans, heat oven to 350^oF and 

then bake about 35 minutes until golden brown on top.  

Take bread out of pans after 5 minutes and let cool on a wire rack.