Pineapple Mango Grilled Chicken

from the kitchen of Dee & Denise Kaufman

4 chicken breasts
1/2 onion
1/2 tomato
1/2 can pineapple chunks
1/3 cup of pineapple juice
1 mango (if at all possible)
1 tsp cornstarch
salt, black pepper, basil (to taste)
Mashed potatoes or rice

Dice onion, chop tomato and mango. Sauté onion, add in mango, pineapple chunks and tomato. Add desired amount of spices. Coat mixture with cornstarch and slowly stir in pineaple juice. Cook until bubby. Remove sauce from pan. Spray pam on the same pan and grill the chicken. Pour sauce over the chicken to serve. Great with potatoes or rice.

Prep: 20 min
Serves: 4

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

from the kitchen of Dee & Denise

2 cups sugar
4 tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter or margerine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together and boil in a frying pan for 1 1/2 min.
Remove from heat and add 2 1/2-4 cups of oats.

Olive Garden's Alfredo Sauce

1 1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup imported Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup imported Romano cheese, grated

6 egg yolks from fresh jumbo eggs

Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat milk and cream in a heavy bottom saucepan until it begins to simmer. Turn off heat. Slowly whip in cheese, then remove from heat. Place egg yolks in a separate bowl and slowly whip in a portion of the hot milk and cream mixture. Slowly add egg yolk mixture back into remaining cream mixture. Place back on very low heat and continually stir until simmering. Take sauce off heat so it thickens. (This will increase temperature of egg yolks, known as tempering). Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Serves: 4

Okay, so it's not exactly healthy, but man it's good! Especially with chicken and broccoli. Everything in moderation.

Creamy White Sauce

from the kitchen of Dee & Denise Kaufman

1 lb pasta or 3 cups of rice (uncooked)
4 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
garlic, basil, bouillon, etc. to taste
2 cups of milk
1 can of tuna or 1/2 lb of chicken

Optional: grilled onions, brocholi, bell peppers, roasted red peppers, corn, mushrooms, carrots, cheese, hardboiled eggs

Cook pasta or rice. In a separate pan, melt butter or margarine and add flour and salt. Cook until bubbly. Add milk slowly and cook until thick and smooth. Add tuna or chicken and any other desired ingredients (makes 3 cups of white sauce). Serve over pasta or rice.

This also makes a great gravy. Smooth and creamy.

Preparation time: 20 min
Serves: 6-8

We usually make this with grilled onions, brocholi and corn, and the boys love it and always ask for more! Feel free to experiment.

Speedy Chicken Stir-Fry

from the kitchen of Jenn Graves


This is my family's favorite meal. Becca loves it! We put it on our menu every month.

Prep Time:10 min
Total Time:25 min
Makes:4 servings, 2 cups each

8 oz. angel hair pasta, uncooked
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. each: ground ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper
1/3 cup chopped Dry Roasted Peanuts

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 min. of the pasta cooking time.

Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 to 8 min. or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper; cook 1 min., stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly; sprinkle with the peanuts.

Substitute whatever vegetables you have on hand, such as snow peas, sliced bell peppers, sliced carrots or chopped red onions, for the broccoli. Our favorite is green beans. Cabbage is good too.

Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Salad Wrap

from the kitchen of Jenn Graves

We tried this recipe out the other night. It was fast, easy, a hit, and pretty healthy too; especially if you use whole wheat tortillas and low fat dressing.

4 C torn romaine lettuce
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Southwestern Seasoned or Grilled Chicken Breast Strips
1 large tomato, chopped
1 can (11 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 C Mexican Style Shredded Cheese
1/4 C Ranch Dressing
1/4 C Salsa
8 Flour Tortillas

Toss romaine, chicken breast strips, tomatoes and corn in a large bowl; sprinkle with cheese.
Combine dressing and salsa. Pour over romaine mixture; toss to coat. Spoon evenly onto tortillas; roll up.

Makes 4 servings, 2 wraps each.

Chicken Breasts with Apple Stuffing

from the kitchen of Rebecca Nelson

4 4oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 slices whole grain bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper, plus more for seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a shallow baking pan with cooking spray. Using a sharp knife, slice horizontally through the middle of each piece of chicken (like you're slicing a bagel), stopping before you cut all the way through. Spread open chicken pieces, press down gently with the palm of your hand and place on prepared pan. Set aside.

Mix remaining ingredients well in a a large bowl. It works better to mix the dry stuff before you add the apples or chicken broth. Spoon onto one half of each piece of chicken, then fold other half over. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Bake 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Serves 4

This is one of my favorite recipes (especially in the fall) for good eats and for a low-fat healthful chicken dish. I got this from a magazine and unfortunately cut off all the info as to who submitted it. Maybe next time I cook it, I'll come back and add a picture!

Hello!

Hello! Dee and Denise -
Thanks for the invitation to join in your blog! This will be a fun way to keep in touch. Thanks again.

Tomato Basil Soup

from the kitchen of Dee & Denise Kaufman

2 Tbsp butter or margerine

1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp. basil

1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste)

1 can diced peeled tomatos (14.5 oz)

2 cans of tomato soup (10.75oz each)

1 can of milk (10.75oz)

grated cheese (optional)

Dice onions and garlic cloves. Melt butter in sauce pan. Sautee onions and garlic in butter until softened. Chop diced tomatos to desired consistancy (a hand chopper works well; we like small pieces). Add basil, salt, black pepper to onions and stir for 1 min. Add diced tomatos to onion mixture and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in cans of tomato soup. Slowly stir in milk. Cook until hot. Sprkinle grated cheese on top if desired when serving.

Preparation Time: 15-20
Serves: 4-6

This is the recipe that everyone has been asking me for, and I finally got it out there!!

Sausage Penne Pasta

from the kitchen of Dee & Denise Kaufman

1/2 lb. penne pasta
1/3 cup olive oil (as needed)
2 large sausages
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 onion
1 Tbsp beef bullion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 can diced tomatoes (8oz)
1 can pineapple chunks (optional or is it?)

Bring water to boil in a large pot. Slice sausages, dice bell peppers and onion into large chunks. Once water is brought to a boil, cook pasta until done al dente. In a separate large sauce pan, heat oil and sautee sausage, onion and bell peppers until tender. Mix in beef bullion, salt, black pepper, garlic, basil and chili powder. Add diced tomatoes (and pineapple chunks) and heat. Drain pasta and add to vegetable mix.

Preperation time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4

To kick things off... here is a favorite that's sure to please! ENJOY!