Baked Pesto Chicken

http://myownpersonaltastes.blogspot.com/2012/04/basil-pesto.html

(Makes 4 servings, recipe adapted slightly from The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook.)

4 boneless, skinless chickenn breasts
salt and fresh ground black pepper for seasoning chicken
1/2 cup basil pesto (I used my homemade Basil Pesto with Lemon, but you can use purchased pesto.)
2 oz. (1/2 cup) grated low-fat mozzarella cheese (leave cheese out for paleo, whole 30 diets)

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken pieces, then cut each chicken breast lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces. (I cut the larger ones into 3 strips and the smaller ones into 2 strips.)

Spray a 9" x 12" (or 8.5" X 12.5") baking dish with non-stick spray, then spread 1/4 cup basil pesto over the bottom of the dish. Lay chicken strips over the pesto, then spread 1/4 cup more basil pesto over the chicken.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil (or use a baking dish with a tight-fitting lid) and bake the chicken for 25-30 minutes, just until chicken is barely firm and cooked through. (Don't cook too much at this point, or the chicken will be overcooked by the time the cheese is melted and browned.)

When chicken is barely cooked through, remove foil and sprinkle chicken with 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese. Put dish back into the oven without foil and cook 5 minutes more, just until cheese is melted. (If your broiler is separate from the oven, start preheating it when you take the chicken out.) After I melted the cheese for 5 minutes I switched my oven to broil and broiled for 5 minutes more, just long enough to get the cheese lightly browned.

Serve hot. There will be some flavorful juice in the bottom of the dish when this is done, so you may want to serve with rice, couscous, or quinoa to soak up the juice, but if you're eating this for phase one, just spoon the juice over the chicken.

Buckeye Brownies

19-1/2 oz. pkg. brownie mix

2 c. powdered sugar 1/2 c. plus 6 T. butter, softened and divided

8-oz. jar creamy peanut butter

6-oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Prepare and bake brownie mix in a greased 13"x9"baking pan according to package directions. Let cool. Mix powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter and peanut butter. Mix well and spread over cooled brownies. Chill for one hour. Melt together chocolate chips and remaining butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Spread over brownies. Let cool; cut into squares. Makes 2 to 3 dozen.

Frozen Chocolate Peanut butter Pie

Serves 8

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

• 1 3/4 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (from about 36 cookies)
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• Pinch of salt
• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 ounce dark chocolate, melted, for decorating
• 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter, melted, for decorating

1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine wafer crumbs, butter, and salt. Press mixture firmly into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or springform pan. Bake until set, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
2. Make the filling: Beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and salt with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in peanut butter and vanilla.
3. Beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. Whisk 1/3 of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture, then gently fold in remaining whipped cream. Spoon filling into cooled crust. Freeze, uncovered, at least 4 hours (or overnight, covered with plastic wrap).
4. Place melted chocolate in a resealable plastic bag. Snip tip from one corner of bag to make a very small opening. Holding bag about 5 inches above pie, drizzle melted chocolate over top. Repeat with melted peanut butter. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Poppy Seed Chicken

from www.thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com

5 cups chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 cup sour cream

2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup

2 cups crushed Ritz crackers (about 1 1/2 rolls of crackers)

1/2 cup melted butter

1 T poppy seeds

Additional Ingredients to add flavor:

1 tsp Worchestire sauce

tsp celery salt

1 tsp minced garlic

1 T lemon juice

1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil raw chicken breasts with salt and pepper until done. I like to boil it with half an onion cut into large chunks to give it more flavor. Let chicken cool slightly and cut into one inch cubes. Place cubed chicken in a 9X13 casserole dish.

Stir together the condensed soup and sour cream. If you wish to add the additional flavorings stir in the worchestire, celery salt, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper to the soup and sour cream mixture. Pour over the chicken.

In a separate bowl, stir together the crushed crackers, poppy seeds and melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken and sauce.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the casserole is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Serve plain or over rice. We like to eat it with steamed broccoli and we mix it all together.

Crash Hot Potatoes

Prep Time: 30 Minutes | Cook Time: 25 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/

Less Mess Bacon

This spatter-free technique puts the "bake" back in bacon. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, then lay the bacon strips flat, making sure pieces do not overlap. Bake until crisp and browned, 15 to 18 minutes, or desired doneness, rotating the sheets once. Transfer strips to a paper towel to drain.

The Beast Banana Bread

1/2 c. butter (softened to room temperature)

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. sour cream (I often use light)

3 medium bananas, mashed (should equal about 1 c. worth)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, using a mixer, whip sugar and butter together until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir into the butter mixture until smooth. Finally, fold in the sour cream and mashed bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.