Fabulous Fajitas

I don't know why but when the weather turns cold and everything is brown and gray outside, I loose the desire to cook. I think it is probably due to the fact going to the grocery store is like a trip to the artic. Last Saturday when I went grocery shopping it was actually warmer outside than in the store. The poor cashiers and stockers were bundled up in coats and scarfs and gloves. Geesshhh. I don't know about you but I can't think when I'm cold. Hubbie and I made it thru half the store when he finally said, I'm freezing. So I knew it was cold if he was cold. I did manage to grab a package of skinless chicken breasts while in the store. Not wanting to brave the elements and the cold store again, I decided to try to find a recipe for chicken that I could make with what was in the pantry.
What a great idea that turned out to be. Liquid Smoke is a MUST!

(Recipe adapted from www.ourbestbites.com)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 green or red bell peppers, julienned
1 large onion, sliced thin

Marinade
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Place meat in a zip-lock bag, place veggies in another. In a medium bowl, combine all marinade ingredients and whisk well. Reserve 3-4 Tablespoons of marinade for later use. With remaining marinade add a splash to the vegetables (enough for a light coating) and the remaining to the meat. Marinate for a couple hours.

Preheat skillet (Highly recommend a cast iron skillet and I added a little canola oil) Cook chicken for a few minutes on each side until cooked through and remove from pan. Cover with foil and keep warm. Add vegetables and cook until crisp tender. (You may need to add a little oil to keep from sticking). Add chicken to vegetables and continue to cook for a couple minutes. Add reserved marinade. Serve in warm tortillas with your favorite fixings.

Winnie's Chicken Cacciatore

Billy Head helped a friend move some furniture last week and they thanked him by fixing dinner for him. He came home and said "You're Italian, right"? I said, "yeah....so" and he said..."then you know how to fix Chicken Cacciatore, right"? "Huh" I uttered. Well, Italian blood is in my veins but I must confess that during my 48 years I have never made Chicken Cacciatore. Thanks to Winnie Schamerhorn and her family recipe.... I have now scored brownie points with my husband and have made him Chicken Cacciatore. Here's the recipe plus my notes:

6 lbs chicken, cut up ( I used a package of breast tenderloins)
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 medium onions, chopped (I used 1 onion- only b/c that's all I had, but 2 would be great)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup oil
2 cups water
1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce
6 tablespoons vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar (this sounded like a lot of sugar for me, so I started with approx 2 and I would add from there, if you like things sweet, keep adding until you get it the way you like it)
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons oregano
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

Dredge chicken in flour, salt and pepper and paprika. Saute onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil, remove and set aside. Brown chicken in the remaining oil, using as little as possible, until all pieces are browned. Remove and set aside.

Place tomato sauce and remaining ingredients in pan and blend well. Bring to a boil and add onions and chicken. Simmer 40 minutes to 1 hour covered. Serve over pasta. (I used linguine).

Note: Use red wine vinegar instead of cider for a better taste.

Chicken Pockets

A couple of weeks ago a co-worker shared with me a Church Cookbook from her sister's church in Idaho. In it was this recipe for Chicken Pockets. I copied it down and put it aside with my kazillion others I have at home. This past weekend I was in dire need of something new for dinner and decided to give these a try.... of course I had to play around with it and as it turned out... they were pretty darn good.

3 to 4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced or shredded
4 oz. Cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. chopped onion (Or grate it if you wish)
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
2 cans Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls
¼ cup butter, melted

Soften cream cheese in a medium bowl, combine with cooked chicken, onion, cheese and seasoning. Open cans of crescents, pinch perforated edges together to seal the dough. In the center of each rectangle, spoon about 1/8 of chicken mixture. Fold over each side of the dough rectangle to form a pillow shape. Pinch both ends closed. Brush melted butter over each chicken pocket. Place on baking sheet. Bake 375 for 11 to 13 minutes.

Chicken with Champagne Sauce

I had almost forgotten about this recipe cause I haven't made it in years and I have no idea where this came from. It is a good dish to make for company or for date night with your Billy Head.




2 tablespoons butter
4 chicken breasts, halved
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup champagne
1/3 cup sour cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Heat butter in skillet, brown chicken on both sides. Remove chicken to baking dish. Reserve drippings in skillet, add mushrooms and sauté. Remove mushrooms and set aside. Stir champagne into drippings, simmer until heated. Stir. Pour over chicken, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 min. Remove chicken to platter, reserve liquid. Add sour cream, salt and pepper to liquid. Whisk till smooth. Pour over chicken and top with mushrooms.

Stuffed Chicken Bundles

This recipe came out of a kids cookbook my daughter had when she was younger. Since both my kids were picky eaters I had to find picky eater food. This actually fit the bill for them and for me too. Easy, cheap and kid friendly. What else could you ask?

1 8 oz. pkg. sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped pimiento
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
4 boned skinless chicken breasts, pounded slightly to flatten
3 tablespoon butter
Grated Parmesan cheese

Saute mushrooms in 2 tablespoon butter.
In mixing bowl stir together mushrooms, cheese, yogurt, pimiento and parsley.
Spread 2 rounded tablespoons of mixture on each piece of chicken.
Fold 1 side over to meet other. Fasten with tooth-pick.
Place chicken in baking dish.
In a saucepan melt 1 tablespoon butter.
Brush tops of chicken with butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes

Spicy Dijon Marinated Chicken

I found this recipe from a local grocery store and modified it by adding horseradish. My all time favorite spice, or food, or vegetable or whatever the heck it is. Anyway, it's really good and worth trying.

4 boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. horseradish

Make a marinade with the last seven ingredients. Mix well. Place chicken breast in a bowl and pour marinade over it and refrigerate for 2 hour. Heat grill to medium-high heat and cook until nicely browned and until internal temp is 170.

Turkey Tettrazini

This was a recipe my mom used to make when I was growing up. When I asked her for the recipe she said "I don't know, you just add some milk, flour and butter". That was pretty much all I got from her. Sorry mom but I need amounts. I finally got the written recipe from an aunt and here it is.


1 cup mushrooms (chopped)
3 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 cup turkey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1 cup spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Sauté mushrooms in butter, add flour and stir. Add cream till thick. Fold in other ingredients. Mix well and transfer to a large baking dish. Top with grated cheese and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.