Baked Potato Bar

Baked Potatoes...idea number nine on my meatless meals challenge for Lent.  I did a little research (aka googling) of the best toppings for a baked potato.  Obviously not all of these are "Lent-friendly", but hey!  I may serve this for dinner some other time too!  Football season maybe?

50+ Baked Potato Toppings

Bacon

Sausage

Pepperoni

Chicken

Steak

Pork

Ham

Cheese

Tortilla Chips

Nuts

Seeds

Dried Fruit

Apples

Marshmallows

Quinoa

Scrambled Eggs

Chili

Beans

Onions

Mushrooms

Spinach

Lettuce

Broccoli

Peppers

Tomatoes

Olives

Avocado

Guacamole

Salsa

Sour Cream

Cottage Cheese

Barbecue Sauce

Spaghetti Sauce

Alfredo Sauce

Honey

Yogurt

Butter

Herbs

Cinnamon

some interesting combinations...

Pepperoni Pizza Potato

Grilled Vegetables and Sausage Potato

Sweet Potato with Cranberries, Apples, and Pecans

Sloppy Joe Potato

Breakfast Potato

Please note, these are not my images.

Christmas Wreath

Nothing says football like a Christmas Wreath.  No, not a wreath like you hang on the door in December.  A chicken Christmas Wreath!  This is my dad's absolute favorite game day appetizer. He waits all year for it...no lie.

I was in the kitchen this weekend baking for my bake sale and decided to whip this up for dinner.  A good football game was about to start, my dad had been asking for it for weeks, and the oven was already on.  It was the perfect time!

It's super simple, I really don't know why we don't make it more often.  Just crescent rolls, chicken, soup, cheese, and veggies. The hardest part is waiting for it to bake!

Start by laying the crescent rolls in a circle on a baking stone.  You want the point to be facing in, like so. And made sure you overlap the edges slightly.  

Mix the remaining ingredients and spoon around the outer edge.  

Now here's the tricky part.  One at a time, pull the tips of the crescent rolls over the mixture and off to the side.  Lightly press to the edge so it stays.  Bake bake at 325º for 30 to 45 minutes.

Christmas Wreath

Ingredients

• 2 cans crescent rolls
• 1 cup chicken, cooked and chopped
• 1 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
• 1/4 cup water chestnuts, cooked and chopped
• 1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 can cream of chicken soup

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325° F.
In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients except crescent rolls.
Lay crescent rolls around baking stone with points in the center.
Spoon mixture evenly around edges.
Pull points to the outside to form a wreath.
Bake 30 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

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Chicken Nuggets

When I was little I'd look forward to the days grandma picked me up from school.  Why?  Well of coarse anytime spent with grandma is special!  But grandma always seemed to find a Wendy's or McDonald's on the way home.  She liked to call it "her special treat." Fine by me!  What 10 year old wouldn't eat chicken nuggets everyday!?  Unfortunately they aren't the best things for you...

I still love chicken nuggets...well my homemade chicken nuggets. Yes, after I learned just how bad those "tender, juicy McNuggets" actually were (and the fact that they may not be 100% meat) I quit ordering fast food chicken nuggets. 

Then I saw Mr. Food's recipe for Buttermilk Chicken Nuggets. Yes! A homemade chicken nugget recipe!  I printed it off and gave it a try.  

It was really good...but of course I had to make some adjustments. Instead of buttermilk I like to dip the chicken in egg.  I think it sticks better.  And if you want some real breading, dip it twice!  I'm not a huge spicy person, so I left out the red pepper.  Feel free to add or leave out whatever spices you'd like. Sometimes I even add parmesan cheese. (delicious!)

Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 egg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Cut chicken into nuggets, strips, or tenders.

Dip in egg then breadcrumbs, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake 15 minutes or until no loner pink.

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S&P Chicken

Would you believe it was 75 and sunny today? September... Ohio... 75... sunny... Something definitely isn't right.  I guess mother nature is just getting ready to shock us with winter. With our luck we'll get 10 feet of snow before Thanksgiving.

Now I probably just jinxed myself saying that...shoot.  Oh well, what are you going to do.  We Ohioans are used to 40 degree changes everyday.  It's why I keep my shorts and jeans in the closet all year round.  Who knows, I could be wearing flip flops for Christmas!

Since today was such a beautiful day, I didn't feel like starting the oven to cook dinner.  Why heat up the house when it's already hot outside?  And it just sounded like a good day for a salad.  Dinner Solution: Chicken Salads

When I plan on making salads for dinner, I usually make Italian Chicken.  But today...today just wasn't an Italian Chicken day. Wasn't feeling it.  So instead I whipped up some S&P Chicken. (yes...nothing like good old salt and pepper)

Cook it on the stove in a frying pan, in the oven in a glass dish, or even on the grill.  I've done them all!  Chop into bite size pieces and throw on a salad or sandwich...wallah!  Bon appetit!

Start by sprinkling your chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Since mine were a little bigger and I wanted them to cook fast, I cut them into smaller pieces.

Here's the many ways you could cook it...

Frying Pan: Place in a lightly greased frying pan and cook on medium heat until no longer pink.  

Oven: Place in a lightly greased glass baking dish and bake in a pre-heated 350* F oven for 30 minutes or until no longer pink.  Baking times will vary depending on your oven!

Grill: Grill until no longer pink.

Chop up for a salad or leave whole for a sandwich.

S & P Chicken

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Ingredients

• Chicken breasts
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.

Choose your cooking method...

Chop into bite size pieces for a salad or leave whole for a sandwich.

Oven:

     Place in a lightly greased glass baking dish and bake at 350* F for 30 

     minutes or until no longer pink.

Frying Pan:

     Place in a lightly greased frying pan and cook over medium heat until no 

     longer pink.

Grill:

     Grill until no longer pink.

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Italian Chicken

Without a doubt, I think chicken is my favorite meat.  No matter what you do to it (besides burn it!) it tastes amazing!  Some of my favorite chicken dishes Chicken and Rice, Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Nuggets, S&P Chicken, and this Italian Chicken.

Quick and easy, it makes a perfect weeknight dinner.  Especially when I forget to set something out or I need leftovers for the rest of the week.  Usually I end up making extra for lunches!  I'll either cube it up add it to a salad, mix in a little BBQ sauce and put it on a sandwich, or throw it in a container and eat it as is.  No matter which way I reuse it, it still tastes amazing on Friday.  

It's best not to over marinate the chicken.  I've found that it becomes a little dry sitting for over an hour.  If you have to choose between 15 minutes or 1 hour and 15 minutes, do the 15 minutes.  It will still taste fine!  And this recipe is written for a conventional oven, but in the summertime we love to throw it on the grill!

Start by cutting your chicken into cubes.  I've found it's easiest (and safest!) to use scissors.  Place chunks in a small bowl.

Pour Italian dressing over the chicken.  Be generous here!  You want the chicken completely covered.

Slide the marinated chicken cubes on skewers and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

Broil on high 8-10 minutes per side or until chicken is no longer pink inside. You'll have to watch carefully.  Unfortunately the cooking time varies with every oven.

Serve with a salad or baked potato for the perfect meal!

Italian Chicken

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Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breast
• Italian dressing

Instructions

Cut chicken into chunks and place in a small bowl. Cover with Italian dressing and marinate in the refrigerator 30-60 minutes.

Slide marinated chicken chunks on skewers and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

Broil on high 8-10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Cooking time may vary depending on your oven.

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