Greek Chicken

One of mine and Tim's favorites. It takes a little bit of prep work but is so worth it!

GREEK CHICKEN

Marinade: Coats about 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cubed (4-5 breast)

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp garlic cloves minced

2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Mix all the ingredients and then add chicken cubes. Coat well and then cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours and a max of 6 hours ( any more and the yogurt will break the protein in the chicken down too much and make it mushy)

Remove chicken from marinade and thread onto skewers. You can also skewer bell peppers and red onion (or sweet onion) on a separate skewer to go alongside the chicken. I also like to do mushroom and little tomatoes. The veggies will cook faster or longer, depending on the vegetable, then the chicken, so don't skewer them together.

Grill over high heat until chicken is cooked through, roughly 8-10 minutes total. Grill veggies too.

Whisk a 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp fresh garlic minced, 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil and 3 Tbsp lemon juice in a small bowl. Brush over chicken and veggies when they come off the grill. I like to make a recipe and a half of this because it's so good and I like to put lots of it on.

Serve with Yogurt-herb dipping sauce, or purchased tzatziki

Yogurt-Herb dipping sauce

1 cup plain yogurt

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove minced

1 Tbsp minced fresh basil

1 Tbsp minced fresh mint

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and chopped fine

Whisk yogurt, oil ,lemon juice, garlic, basil, mint, salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir in cucumber, cover and refrigerate until flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

Rice pilaf.

I make a simple rice pilaf with half a cup of orzo ( you can find at the grocery store in the pasta section or at Trader Joes) and half a cup of rice. Pour about 2 cups of chicken stock or broth over the rice and add a pat of butter, some salt and pepper. You can make it stove top or in a rice cooker. You don't have to use the butter.

To Serve put the rice pilaf in a bowl, then unskewer all the veggies and chicken  on top of the rice family style. Serve with Pita bread.
We like to put the rice/chicken mix into the pita and top it the yogurt sauce almost like a taco.

Enjoy this meal is delicious!!!!!

Disney Cornbread Muffins!

It's here! The long awaited, ever so delicious, best cornbread you ever had recipe is here!
Theresa managed to talk the Storyteller Cafe in downtown Disney into giving her their cornbread muffin recipe. However when she got the recipe it made 120 muffins and was all measured out in pounds! So I took the recipe scaled it down and converted into cups for your everyday use! Enjoy, these are seriously the best cornbread muffins I have had!
For Taber and Theresa! =D

This recipe makes 24 cornbread muffins.

1 cup Water
1cup Vegetable or Canola oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup Milk
1 1/2 cups Cornmeal
1 1/3 cup Sugar
2 1/2 cups of All-Purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
2 1/2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)

Note: If you are using fresh corn kernels, soak the 1 cup corn kernels in the 1/2 cup of milk for 1 hour before adding it to the recipe. If you are using frozen corn, just add it straight to the batter with the milk when you add the wet ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

In a mixing bowl combine the cornmeal, sugar, flour, salt, baking powder and cheese. Mix it all together using a whisk or wooden spoon.

Add the water, oil and eggs, plus the corn kernels and the milk they were soaking in, to the dry mixture. Mix together really well, making sure there are no dry clumps of cornmeal or flour. This is not a very thick batter, so it will be a bit soupy.

Lightly spray 2 - 12 slot cupcake or muffin tins. Scoop the batter into the muffin tins, filling about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 15 minutes

Eat warm cornbread muffins with butter or honey butter Yum!

Hershey Cream De Cacoa

I made this for the 4th of July. My first attempt at making a 4 layer cake. It didn't turn bad a little lopsided but it tasted wonderful.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1-2/3 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1-1/3 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons creme de cacao (chocolate-flavored liqueur)(optional)
• CREME DE CACAO FILLING (recipe follows)
• CHOCOLATE GANACHE GLAZE (recipe follows)

Directions

1. 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
   
   
2. 2 Beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl until blended. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, blending just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
   
   
3. 3 Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Sprinkle each layer with 1 tablespoon creme de cacao; cool completely.
   
   
4. 4 Meanwhile, prepare CREME DE CACAO FILLING. Split each cake layer horizontally into 2 layers. Place one layer on serving plate; spread with one-third of FILLING. Repeat layering with remaining cake and FILLING, ending with cake layer. Cover tightly; refrigerate at least 8 hours.
   
   
5. 5 Prepare CHOCOLATE GANACHE GLAZE; spoon on top of chilled cake, allowing glaze to drizzle down side of cake. Refrigerate. 10 to 12 servings.
   
   CREME DE CACAO FILLING: Beat 1 cup (1/2 pt.) cold whipping cream, 2 tablespoons creme de cacao (optional) and 1 tablespoon HERSHEY'S Cocoa in small bowl until stiff. Cover; refrigerate. About 2 cups.
   
   CHOCOLATE GANACHE GLAZE
   1 HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Bar (7 oz.), broken
   into pieces
   1/4 cup whipping cream
   1 tablespoon butter
   1-1/2 teaspoons creme de cacao (chocolate-flavored liqueur) or
   water
   
   Combine chocolate bar pieces, whipping cream and butter in medium saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in creme de cacao. Cool to lukewarm (glaze will be slightly thickened). About 1 cup.

Mrs. Thomas Jambalaya

This recipe was given to me by Anna Reese, her Mom Laura Thomas makes the best Jambalaya! This is one of my go to recipes for a yummy easy dinner!

Momma Laura's Jambalaya

1 onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped (if you don't like bell peppers you can leave this out)
4 celery stalks chopped
1 small can of diced tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1/2# shrimp
1/2# sausage (Louisiana hot links or similar)
2 chicken breast (boneless,skinless)
1 cup white rice
2 cups chicken stock or broth

1. Boil the chicken in enough water to cover the chicken, when cooked through pull out and let cool a bit. After chicken is completely cooked cut into chunks or shredd.
2. In a 3-5 qt pot with a lid, Sauté the chopped veggies in olive oil, adding the chopped garlic toward the end.
3. Add sausage to veggies pot
4. Add rice and tomatoes with juice to veggies pot
5. Add 2 cups chicken broth and chicken to veggie pot and bring to a boil
6. Turn down heat, put the lid on the pot and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Stir the mixture every once in a while so that the rice doesn't stick or burn to the hottest part of the pot.
7. If using short grain rice, only use 1 1/2 cups chicken stock.
NOTE: if you use shrimp add it to the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time. You don't want to over cook the shrimp.
If you don't use shrimp just add a little more sausage.
The dish will be kinda wet, not dry like when you normally make rice.
Enjoy!

Chicken with Mustard, Mascarpone, Marsala Sauce

I wanted to try making a chicken Marsala dish for dinner and found this recipe from Giada on the Food Network. It's Chicken Marsala with a twist and is delicious! Tim said I could add it to the recipe rotation. I made a few alterations from the original and will give you my version of it =D

Chicken Marsala, with Mascarpone and Mustard
Serves 2-4 depending on portion size

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup of flour
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
5 Tablespoons Butter, divided
1 Shallot, chopped
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 cups Marsala wine
1 cup (8ounces) mascarpone cheese (comes in a little tub)
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 bag (about 6 ounces) fettuccine or whatever pasta shape you feel like

Mix the 1/2 cup of flour with salt and pepper. Cut the chicken breast in half, lengthwise(butterflied), so you end up with 4 thinner breast pieces. Coat the chicken breast with the flour. Heat the oil and 1Tablespoon of butter in a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown on both side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Once the chicken is removed from the pan, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the mushrooms. When the mushrooms are about half-way done add the shallots. Saute until the mushrooms are tenders and the juices evaporate, then add the garlic and saute for another minute more. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced to about half. Stir in the Mascarpone and mustard. Now you can either put the chicken breast in whole or slice each breast crosswise and then add them to the sauce. I put mine in whole. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the past and cook, stirring occasionally. Drain. Toss the pasta with remaining butter(I forgot to do this part and it was fine, if you want to cut down on the butter). Swirl the fettuccine or place the pasta onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken and sauce mixture over the top. Voila!

Thunder Cake

Thunder Cake!
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together one at a time:
1 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs, separated
( blend yolks in. Beat whites until they are stiff, then fold in.)

1 cup cold water
1/3 cup pureed tomatoes
Sift together:
21/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup dry cocoa
11/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Mix dry mixture into creamy mixture. Bake in two greased and floured 8
1/2 inch pans at 350 degree for 35 to 40 minutes. I do recommend checking at the 15 mark, if over cook it does become dry.

Quick Chocolate ButterCream Frosting From William Sonoma

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 6 Tbs. milk, plus more, if needed
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Put the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, the 6 Tbs. milk, the vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce the speed to low. Add the chocolate and beat until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more.

If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

ENJOY!!! It is a Russia cake recipe.

Beer Bread

Ingredients:

Servings:
6 6

6-8

Servings Size

• 3 cups flour (sifted)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
• 1 teaspoon salt (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 (12 ounce) can beer
• 1/2 cup melted butter (1/4 cup will do just fine)
Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:

Prep Time: 3 mins
Total Time: 1 hr

1. 1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. 2 Mix dry ingredients and beer.
3. 3 Pour into a greased loaf pan.
4. 4 Pour melted butter over mixture.
5. 5 Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.
6. 6 UPDATED NOTES: This recipe makes a very hearty bread with a crunchy, buttery crust. If you prefer a softer crust (like a traditional bread) mix the butter into the batter instead of pouring it over the top.
7. 7 Sifting flour for bread recipes is a must-do. Most people just scoop the 1 cup measure in the flour canister and level it off. That compacts the flour and will turn your bread into a "hard biscuit" as some have described. That's because they aren't sifting their flour! If you do not have a sifter, use a spoon to spoon the flour into the 1 cup measure. Try it once the "correct" way and you will see an amazing difference in the end product.
8. 8 I have had many email from you kind folks about using non-alcoholic beverages instead of beer. That is fine to do but I highly recommend adding a packet of Dry Active Yeast or 2 teaspoons of Bread (Machine) Yeast so that you get a proper rise.
9. 9 The final result should be a thick, hearty and very tasteful bread, NOT A BRICK! ;).
10. 10 Thank you all for the incredibly nice comments and those of you who left a bad review - learn to sift sift SIFT! You will be amazed at the results you get.