The Latest

I am all about breakfast. It’s probably my favorite meal of the day as it gets you going, fueling your body for the day ahead. I’m also very much a morning person, which I suppose would explain my love of breakfast. Brunch is fun too, and when you can combine a gathering toward lunch time with the foods normally reserved for breakfast, I’m in!
Rating: 5
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Mexican Quiche Bites - EGG RECIPE & mexican food,
Mexican Quiche Bites - EGG RECIPE
Yield: 2 dozen
Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 cups (6 oz.) Sargento® Shredded Reduced Fat 4 Cheese Mexican
  • 1 cup Egg Beaters® (or 4 eggs)
  • 3/4 cup crushed seasoned croutons
  • 1/3 cup chunky-style salsa
  • 1/4 cup skim milk
  • 1/4 tsp. cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. dried cilantro (optional)

Instructions
  1. Combine cheese, Egg Beaters, croutons, salsa, milk, garlic powder, cumin and, if desired, cilantro in large bowl; mix until thoroughly combined.
  2. Spray mini muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each cup with quiche mixture; do not overfill. Bake in preheated 375°F oven 25 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Serve warm.
Growing up I wasn’t one for fruit pies, but once I hit my thirties I had a new found love for warm apple, pear and cherry desserts with a dollop of melting ice cream. The holidays wouldn’t be the same without some warm apple desserts, and when you can skip the fuss and whip something out in less than thirty minutes, it’s certainly worth trying don’t you think? These little pocket sized pies are made with fresh apples, dried cranberries and crescent rolls. Perfect for a quick after dinner treat or great as a sweet appetizer!
Rating: 5
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Yield: 8 pockets
Serving Size: 1 pocket
Calories per serving: 173 (without glaze)
Fat per serving: 8.9g
Apple Cranberry Pocket Pies Recipe
CAKES AND BUN RECIPES
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 small apple, peeled, cored and diced
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls
    • Glaze (optional)
  • 1/2 cup gently packed powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line insulated baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  3. Toss diced apple with ONE tablespoon of the melted butter. Set remaining butter aside.
  4. Combine the buttered apples, brown sugar mixture and the dried cranberries and toss until apples and cranberries are coated well.
  5. Working on the baking sheet, separate crescents into triangles. Place one heaping tablespoon of apple mixture at the wide end of each triangle. Starting at the wide end, roll the crescent up. Tuck in any filling that may have fallen out and seal the edges at both ends. Brush each pocket with remaining butter.
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until pockets are golden brown.
  7. Combine glaze ingredients until smooth. Remove pockets from oven and cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Drizzle with cinnamon glaze, if desired. Serve warm.
Notes 
See nutritional analysis for number with and without glaze.
I wanted to try something different that included pasta, but where pasta wasn’t the main part of the dish. Seems to me that far too often we make the pasta noodles the center of attention, when truly they don’t contribute any flavor at all! Something that does add flavor though are colorful sweet peppers and tender chicken. So I put this dish together, inspired by a favorite of mine, Sausage and Peppers.
Rating: 5
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings

Chicken with Peppers and Pasta

chicken pasta recipes -Chicken with Peppers and Pasta
chicken pasta recipes
Ingredients
  • 24 ounces (1 1/2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cubed
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 10ounces small sweet peppers, sliced
  • 1 medium yellow or white onion, slivered
  • 2 teaspoons (about 4 cloves) minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 cup dry Vermouth
  • 14-ounce can Hunt's diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon of Kraft Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
  • 1/2 pound (8 ounces) dried Rotini pasta

Instructions
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the cubed chicken and brown it until no longer pink. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside. Do not rinse or wash the skillet.
  2. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and sauté the peppers and onions for several minutes, until tender. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds more.
  3. Add the chicken back to the skillet and stir to combine.
  4. Sprinkle in the dried herbs and red pepper flakes and toss to coat. Let it cook for just a couple of minutes, just until the herbs are fragrant.
  5. Add in the Vermouth, Hunt's diced tomatoes and chicken broth.
  6. Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta.
  7. Give everything in the skillet a stir and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer. Stir every once in a while to mingle the flavors. You will simmer this until your pasta is cooked in the boiling water.
  8. Drain the pasta and put it into a bowl. Measure out a tablespoon of Kraft Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the drained pasta with the Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat the pasta with the cheese. This will help the sauce grab the pasta and it adds flavor.
  9. Add the pasta to the skillet and stir and toss everything together. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese on the side.
By  

 I love finding new recipes to try for dinner. It gets so boring making the same thing week after week. But new dishes have to be fairly easy and not too extravagant otherwise it’s just not fit for a weeknight. Chicken is my all time favorite protein, so any time I can find a new and tasty way to prepare it, I’m all over it.

Rating: 5
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Pretzel Chicken with Honey Mustard Dressing

Pretzel Chicken with Honey Mustard Dressing
Pretzel Chicken with Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
  • 2 1/2 cups pretzels
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup brown spicy mustard
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup flour

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. In a large skillet over medium heat toast the panko crumbs until lightly golden, stirring constantly. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
  4. In a food processor pulse the pretzels and walnuts until coarsely ground. Place in a medium bowl and mix with the panko crumbs.
  5. Add the olive oil, mustard, honey, and water to the food processor and pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness (about 1/2") between two sheets of waxed paper using a meat mallet.
  7. Pour half of the dressing into a large shallow dish. Place the flour and half of the pretzel mixture in two more separate shallow dishes. Add additional pretzel crumb mixture as needed.
  8. Dredge the chicken in the flour then dip into the dressing, allowing excess to drip off, and finally into the pretzel crumbs. Press gently on breasts to help the coating adhere. Place on prepared baking sheet.
  9. Bake 20 - 25 minutes depending on their thickness/size or until cooked through (internal temperature 165 - 174 degrees F.).
  10. Let the chicken sit 5 minutes before serving with the remaining honey mustard dressing