Move Over Olive Garden...

Why do so many of my favorite foods have to be carbs!!  Pasta...I just can't get enough of it!  Anything with pasta I like.  I will even have it left over for breakfast sometimes.   But alfredo is my all time favorite!  I had my neighbors over last night and made Chicken Alfredo and served it over fettucini.  It was so yummy.  Every family has their own family recipe, but this is the one I use for my family and after all these years I haven't gotten any complaints.  I'm so glad to get to share it with you and hope your family will like as much as we do.

It's very simple and doesn't have a lot of ingredients.  Those are my favorite kind...simple and good!  I will post how to do the chicken, too, below the alfredo recipe.  Gee, maybe, I will name my next dog Alfredo...

Brenda's Alfredo Sauce

1 quart of heavy whipping cream
2 TBSP flour
2 TBSP butter
1 level TBSP parsley flakes
1 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp  black pepper

Pour cream into pot and begin to heat on low.  Add flour, butter, parsley and garlic powder and whisk until flour is well blended and no lumps remain.  Heat until cream starts to sizzle around the end of the pan.  Do Not Boil!  When hot add the parmesan cheese and stir until well blended.  Allow to heat up again for about 5 minutes stirring constantly.  When done remove from heat.  Serve over fettucini noodles that have been drizzled lightly with olive oil (prevents them form sticking together).

Breaded Chicken Cutlet

2 chicken breasts (boneless & skinless)
2 eggs (beaten)
Panko bread crumbs

Place chicken breasts into large gallon size baggie and pound with mallet until very thin, but not falling apart.  Remove from baggie and place on plate and season with salt and pepper on both sides.  Prepare frying pan with oil for frying.  When grease is hot take the seasoned chicken breast and coat with the raw egg and then place into Panko crumbs.  Coat both sides very well.  Place the chicken breast into the hot oil and allow to cook until golden brown one side and then flip to brown the other side.  Chicken will not be cooked all the way through, but will finish off in the oven.  When browned remove and place chicken on a wire rack that has been placed in a larger pan for the juices and the oil to run off into.  Continue until all chicken has been browned.  Place chicken breasts in a preheated 350 degree oven.  Allow chicken to cook for about 15 minutes.  Remove and allow to rest about 5 minutes before slicing to place on top of fettucini alfredo.  Enjoy...

Dippity doo-dah...

Saturday afternoon and what a gorgeous day outside!  Hubby's out mowing the grass, laundry is in the machine, house is clean...so I figured I'd post a couple of things.  I had left over macaroni and cheese for lunch today along with a dip I made yesterday.  It's a simple ranch dip, but, goodness it is so very tasty!  It is probably my favorite next to dill dip.

I really like homemade dips over the ones from the store in those tubs.  They are great in a pinch, but if you are having a special event,  football party or game night do yourself and your company a huge favor and make one from scratch!! I am not a fan of anything that says, Reduced Fat, Lite, Fat Free or Tastes Just Like Homemade!  It is what's in there that makes it fat free or tastes like homemade that has me bothered!!  I would rather have the calories than put that junk in my body.  I feel the same way about soft drinks that are sugar free.  Not me...

This dip can easily be doubled or tripled.  If you want a soft dip, after making it, allow to only sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving or if made the day ahead allow to sit out about an hour before you plan on eating it. It gets stiff because of the cheese, but at room temp it is creamy.  I prefer to eat mine with Frito Scoops, but any chip will work fine.  I had it the other with those small pretzels.

I sure hope you like this one...

Ranch Dip

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dip mix
1 pt. sour cream
1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Bacon Bits

Place in bowl in the given order and stir until well blended.  Refrigerate and serve with chips, carrot sticks or celery sticks...

Pee-Can or Puh-Cahn...

I am from the south and we say Puh-Cahn!  I know the northerners pronounce it Pee-Can.  It is truly my favorite nut to cook with anyways.  I like all nuts except pistachios.  They happen to be my husbands favorite, though.  They just lack so much flavor and leave a funny taste in my mouth after eating them.  Now I loooove walnuts I can eat them by the handfuls!  They are great in cookies, pies, etc.  I never could figure out why at Christmas time they have those big 'ol bins filled with mixed nuts that you by buy the pound.  Why only at Christmas?  We eat nuts all year long.  I love buying them and setting them out in my pretty bowls with the nutcracker beside the dish.  I have three bowls that have become my favorite for the holiday season they were given to me by my sweet friend, Sabrina.  They grace my table every year!!

These Pecan Muffins are pretty good.  Just be very careful and do not over bake them as they will get hard on the edges real easy.  I like that part, but you may not.  They are kinda crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  I only make these in my mini muffin pan, but you could probably bake them in a regular muffin tin as well.  I, personally, have never tried it though.  They hold up really well, too.  If you decided you needed something different to send someone in the mail I would recommend these muffins.  I place a piece of bread in the storage container to help keep them soft.

Pecan Muffins

2 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2 eggs
2 sticks of butter (melted)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray your muffin tins with Pam.  Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well blended using an electric mixer.  Fill the tins half full using a teaspoon.  Bake for approximately 18 minutes or until golden on the edges and when touched in the center feels done.  Remove and place on cooling rack to cool.  After letting them sit for about 5 minutes flip over and remove muffins.  They should fall right out of tin.  Grab your coffee or your milk and get to eatin'!!

Let's Talk Turkey...

I love meatballs!  Any kind I love 'em all.  Even those swedish meatballs that sometimes people make a little too sweet for my taste I will eat them and smile.  This dish can be made with beef or turkey.  I like turkey it's alot leaner and healthier for you and you really can't taste the difference!  It's four ingredients and it makes the best gravy once again!!  Just like the Golden Chicken these meatballs can be served over taters, noodles or like tonight we had it over white rice.  I know all the hype about brown rice, but sorry I have tried it and just like it at all:(

When you have the meat and the onions all mixed up I will try to explain this step the best way I can.  Pinch off whatever size you want the meatballs to be.  Pretend you have a ball glove in your left hand and toss pretty hard the meatball into the left hand just like you were catching a ball.  Do this three times, I know this sounds silly, BUT, I have yet to have any meatballs fall apart during cooking!  It like packs it down or something, plus I just like doing it, ha!

Anyways, onto the recipe...

Meatballs and Gravy

2 lbs. ground turkey
1 large onion or two medium size onions diced
2 cans Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup (do not dilute)
2 soup cans of milk

Place meat in large bowl and dump in a lot of diced onions.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  Mix with your bare hands until all of the onions are mixed into the meat.  Prepare your gravy by taking the soups and mixing it with the milk.  Whisk until all lumps have been removed.  Set aside.  Place large dutch oven or large skillet on burner and heat on about medium.  After a couple of minutes pour in 3 to 4 TBSP. of olive oil.  Swirl around pan to coat it.  Make the meatballs using the step I mentioned above and then place in hot skillet.  Continue until pan is full, but you still have room to flip them when one side is done.  You will not cook these all the way through at this point you are just browning them on two sides.

When they are golden brown on both sides gently remove them setting them on a plate to collect all the drippings while the remaining meatballs cook.  When browned remove from pan placing them with the other meatballs.  Do not drain or scrape any of the goodies from the bottom!!  Add your soup mixture and gently stir from the bottom and all those tiny pieces of delectable goodness will loosen and can be easily stirred into the gravy.  Now we're really cookin'!  When gravy is well blended add the meatballs one by one and place into the gravy.  Be sure to scrape the plate they were resting on right into the skillet.  Turn fire down and cook on low for the remainder of the time.

Cook for about 90 minutes slightly covered.  About every 20 minutes or so just give the meatballs a jiggle to make sure they are not stuck to the bottom.  About the last 30 minutes stir more frequently as the gravy will begin to thicken up and they might begin to stick to the bottom, just stir from the bottom.  You can tell when it is done because the gravy will be golden in color.  Bon Appetit...

No Excuses...

I bet you've heard that one before, huh?  I have just been so busy that I have forgotten all about doing the updates on my blog.  Me bad.  It just seems like lately when it rains it pours.  Every time I thought abut getting on here something happened. Gosh, I truly think there should be more hours in a day!

Last night for supper I made my Golden Chicken.  As usual it was delicious!  The gravy is so yummy and served over white rice or mashed potatoes (which is what we had) and served with a vegetable you can't ask for an easier meal to prepare.  So very simple and I bet once you try it you'll be making it quite often.  It really impresses people:)  You will always have the gravy left over and I use it up the very next day with leftovers or you could even freeze it for use later when you just need some tasty gravy.

Golden Chicken

1 whole cut up chicken or chicken quarters (1 per person)
1 can Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup (do not dilute)
1 can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup (do not dilute)
1 1/2 soup can of milk (empty cans)
1 jar sliced mushrooms (drained)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place chicken in 13 x 9 pan and season both sides with salt and pepper.  Cook chicken skin side up.  In a bowl combine the soups, milk and mushrooms and stir until lumps are removed and it is well blended.  Pour the mixture over the chicken and place in oven.  Bake for 90 minutes or until chicken is golden brown (see picture).  When done remove from oven and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

As you can see it is pretty simple.  You could even have it over noodles which my husband loves!  I'm sure the recipe can be doubled very easily, too, if you were cooking a large Sunday dinner.

If any of you try this please let me know what you thought of it:)...