Chicken Dijon!

I pretty much conditioned my roommate to became Pavlov's dog. Whenever I say "Dijon", she now thinks of this recipe and I have to run and get some Bounty towels to wipe up her excessive salivation. Sheesh. :) I adapted this recipe from one of my personal favorite's of Mom's kitchen. The spicy and tangy flavors of the chicken meld perfectly with Garlic-Parmesan Mashed Potatoes.

4 chicken breasts
2 TBSP butter
Lemon pepper (or 1 TBSP lime juice and black pepper)
1 TBSP flour
1 cup chicken broth
3 TBSP Dijon mustard, divided

Melt butter in frying pan. Set in chicken breasts after cutting off fat. Sprinkle lemon pepper (or if you're a college student and can't afford spices, lime juice and a generous black pepper crust) over the raw chicken in the pan. Squirt about 2 TBSP Dijon mustard over the tops as well (if desired) but don't use a knife to smooth it over. Cook until VERY VERY brown on both sides (10 minutes on each side.) Sprinkle the other side with pepper and lime, but not Dijon. Take meat out of pan and leave drippings. You'll probably need more butter. Add an equal amount of flour (1 TBSP); you can add more butter and flour to make more gravy. Whisk in chicken broth until thickened. Take off heat and add 1 TBSP Dijon mustard. Put meat in gravy and serve over Garlic-Parmesan Mashed Potatoes or rice.

Garlic-Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Normal mashed potatoes are so boring. I usually hate them and only partake if they're smothered in creamy, fatty gravy. But these, oh these. They'll make you rethink mashed potatoes. I've wanted to make these for a long time. So, to accompany the Chicken Dijon (above), these were born. You wouldn't think garlic, Parmesan, lime, and Dijon would go together, but the flavors melded in delicious complexity.

4 medium potatoes
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 TBSP butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Cut potatoes into equal 1/2 inch cubes and place in a pot of water. Make sure the water covers the potatoes. Boil until very fork-tender (about 30 minutes.) Drain. Mash up potatoes and whip in remaining ingredients with a hand mixer. Adjust texture with chicken broth or extra milk.

Soft Dinner Rolls

I have a confession. When these came out of the oven, I ate 4 in a row smothered in melted butter. Ok, I feel better about my gluttony. These are SO soft. Soft beyond the downiest pillow but also moist. Like no dinner roll you've ever tasted.

1 cup warm milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 TBSP yeast
4 cups flour (approx.)

Mix milk, water, salt, sugar, and oil. Sprinkle yeast on top, stir slightly and let rest several minutes until bubbly. Add flour 1 cup at a time until thick pudding stage (aka DON'T add all the flour.) Knead with mixer 5 minutes. Continue adding flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (not cleaning the sides.) The dough will still be slightly sticky. Continue kneading for another 5 minutes with mixer. Let rise until double (about 30 minutes.

Lightly grease counter with shortening and sprinkle with flour. Punch down. Place dough on counter and sprinkle flour on top. Roll out to 3/4 in. Cut into circles (doesn't have to be perfect because you're going to roll them out.) Don't leave any "cookie cutter holes". Roll into a 10 inch rope and tie in a knot. On a greased cookie sheet, let rest 13 minutes. Bake at 350' for 18 minutes in a sided pan.

YIELD: About 15 large rolls

Fresh Basil Pasta

Ever since childhood, running outside to collect herbs at my mother's bidding, I've wanted to grow an herb garden. Unfortunately, I now live in an apartment, so I am forced to resort to a single pot of basil. In this recipe, I used my very own homegrown basil I've been babying from a seed 4 months ago! I'm so proud of myself! This recipe tastes extremely fresh and summery and just makes you want to ride around in a gondola for a while. Serve with lemonade for full effect!

1/4 cup minced basil
3 medium tomatoes
4 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 box of pasta (pene!)

Mix basil, tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and oil. Let the mixture marinate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta. Drain water, but keep about 1/4 cup of the pasta-water. Combine pasta and tomato mixture, and add water to desired consistency.

Pasta, Potato and Broccoli

Carbohydrates UNITE! My roommate was pretty skeptical of this dish, since pasta and potatoes aren't usually served together. After she tasted it's unique and spicy taste however, all 3 leftover servings were gone the next day. The cook triumphs over her palate again.6 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed, dried red pepper
1 small garlic clove, cut into thin slices
2 cup raditore (I used small pene)
3 cups cubed (1/2 inch) unprepared new potatoes
3 cups broccoli florets and stems cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in medium skillet; add red pepper and garlic, saute 1 minute. Meanwhile, cook pasta in plenty of boiling water for 6 minutes. Stir in potatoes and broccoli. Cook until pasta is al dente and potatoes and broccoli are tender (about 8 minutes) and drain.

Toss with red pepper oil and plenty of grated cheese! Serve at once with additional cheese on the side.

Taco Casserole

If you already have the rice cooked, this goes SO fast. My mom made this recipe up from leftovers. She's incredible.
2 cups cooked rice (preferably brown)
1 can white or pinto beans
1 small can corn (7oz) or 1 cup frozen
1 large can diced tomatoes pureed in blender (24 oz)
1 large can olives
1 can green beans (optional)
1 can hominy (optional)
1/2 TBSP chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
Flour tortillas
Grated cheese (Monteray Jack)

Mix and simmer rice, beans, corn, tomatoes, olives, hominy, and spices in a shallow large pan on stove for 5 minutes. Put a scoop of mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish. Spread a layer of ripped pieces of tortilla on top of mixture. Mixture, cheese, tortillas, end with mixture and top with grated cheese. Bake at 350' for 20 minutes (or until cheese is bubbly.)

Polka-Dot Cookies (Andes Mint Cookies)

I Stumbled upon this recipe late one night and it looked so cute I just had to try it. It was from another Blogger who discovered these yummy brownie-consistency cookies. I've never made a cookie like this before. There is more chocolate than flour and sugar combined. 4 cups of chocolate chips. WOW. If that doesn't satisfy your chocolate fix I don't know what will. I couldn't find the right color of chocolate chips at my grocery store, but found little chunks of Andes Mints that tasted quite delectable. If you want the pretty picture, make sure to get the green ones. Click on other recipe's link to see the perfect polka-dot cookies.
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups green mint chips

Preheat oven to 350'. In the top of a double broiler over low heat, melt semisweet chips and butter, stirring constantly until smooth. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl combine flour, soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until light. blend in melted chocolate and then dry ingredients. Stir in green chips and chill for 10-15 minutes or until stiff. Roll about a teaspoon in your hands to make a well-formed ball and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cookies will be soft in the center but will firm up as they cool (so don't worry.)

Cake-Mix Cookies (AKA Lazy-Man Cookies)

You can't get lazier (or cheaper) than this! I get cake mix solely for the purpose of making cookies. How twisted is that? Carrot cake cookies, devil's food cake cookies, German chocolate cake cookies, cherry chip cookies, rainbow sprinkle cookies; any flavor of cake will work! Any box cake flavor (Cherry Chip is the one in the pic)
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1-2 TBSP water

Mix all ingredients together. Depending on consistency of the dough, mix in more water. If you want really crunchy cookies, mix in more water. For softer cookies, leave it stiff. Bake at 350' for 10 minutes.

Crock Pot Chicken and Mushroom

This is gourmet over rice! The chicken is SO tender and flavorful! The absence of a lot of strange spices is refreshing. This has SO much flavor, even though it only has salt, pepper, and paprika.

6 chicken breast halves
2 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 3/4 tsp chicken bouillon cubes/granules
1 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 can (5 oz) evaporated milk
5 tsp cornstarch
Garnish: minced fresh parsley

Remove chicken skin, rinse and pat dry. Mix salt, pepper, and paprika. Rub into chicken using all the mixture. In a slow cooker, put chicken on the bottom, then sprinkle granules, mushrooms, and onions on top. Pour broth on top of it all. DO NOT STIR. This is important. DO NOT STIR! Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender.

In a small saucepan, stir evaporated milk and cornstarch until smooth. Gradually stir in 2 cups of the cooking liquid the chicken is boiling in. Stir over medium heat and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Pour thick mixture over chicken and garnish with parsley.