Crispy Parmesan Chicken Strips

There is nothing I despise more than coming home from school, slaving over five hours of homework, and having to cook for two hours. I have been searching relentlessly for quick but delicious recipes that I can have made and eaten in under an hour. These yummy chicken strips hit the nail on the head. If you have pre-thawed chicken breasts, the prep time should be no more than 10 minutes (about the time it takes to heat the oven up!) I have made these twice: once with homemade Alfredo noodles, and this time with garlic mashed potatoes, which take the same time to prepare as the chicken!

Crispy Parmesan Chicken Strips

1.5 cups season croutons, crushed

1.5 oz. (1/3 c) fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tsp. dried parsley, optional

1/4 tsp garlic salt

2 egg whites

1 T. water

1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1'' pieces

1/4 c. prepared Ranch dressing, can be lite

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Crush croutons into resealable bag. Grate Parmesan cheese. In large bowl, combine crushed croutons, cheese, parsley, and garlic salt. Whisk egg and water in a separate bowl. Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture, then into crumb mixtures to coat evenly. Arrange on 13" round baking dish. Bake 14-16 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

What You Need:

crouton mixture^

egg and water mixture^

1st, dip chicken in egg mixture...

then evenly coat chicken in crumb mixture

YUM!

Cajun Chicken + Rice Stirfry

Hey readers! Thursday night was my nanny's last night, so I decided to cook something extra yummy! I started off following a recipe, but lack of needed ingredients called for me to give it my own touch! The black font is the original, the red are my changes! Hope you enjoy!!

Cajun Chicken with Dirty Rice

Ingredients

1 teaspoon dried Cajun seasoning

4 ounces chicken breast- two, medium sized chicken breast

2 teaspoons olive oil- enough to drizzle across bottom of pan

2 garlic cloves, minced- few dashes of garlic salt

1 cup chopped onion- 1/2 a regular onion chopped & half a red onion chopped

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Few dashes Tabasco sauce, to taste- did not have, did not add. 

3/4 cup precooked brown rice- enough for two people

* I did not have recooked brown rice. So I boiled water, cooked the brown rice I had for 10 minutes, and set aside until time to add to veggie mixture!!

Make It

Sprinkle Cajun seasoning on chicken and bake or grill. Add oil to skillet; saute garlic, onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, and Tabasco for 2 to 3 minutes. Add precooked rice and saute for 5 more minutes. Serve chicken on rice.

Brands I Used:

McCormick 'Perfect Pinch' Cajun

Great Value chicken breasts 

Great Value 100% extra virgin olive oil

5th Season garlic salt (substitute for garlic cloves)

onion & green pepper from produce section

Hunt's tomato paste

Minute- Instant Whole Grain- brown rice

This made for a truly scrumptious meal! The plate photographed was mine, and I scraped it clean! Maybe because I hadn't eaten hardly anything all day, or maybe it was really freaking good! I'll make it next time on a full belly and get back to ya ;) Enjoy! This took probably 25 minutes to prepare and cook! Very quick, and fun! Be creative!!

PS: Today is the boy friend and I's fifteen month anniversary! Love you, sweetheart!♥

Sugar & Spice

Sundrop Pound Cake 

& 

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

Today, I will offer you two very unique recipes which are originated down here below the Mason Dixon Line! Hope you enjoy! :) 

*Sundrop Pound cake is a pound cake whom's secret ingredient is Sundrop! Sundrop is a soda which was thrown together in Missouri, but marketed in Southern States.

*Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken is a recipe for baked chicken that I stumbled across on Pinterest. It's unique flavor owes itself to the garlic/chili powder, brown sugar, and bacon! 

May this post expose the inner Paula Dean in all of us!!

...Or should I say Rachael Ray?? ;)

I apologize in advance for the poor quality photos... they are captured through my iPhone!

Sundrop Pound Cake 

3 cups sugar 

1/2 cup of shortening 

5 eggs

1 tsp lemon extract 

2 sticks margarine 

3 cups of plain all-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla 

6 oz of Sundrop 

1. Cream sugar, margarine & shortening together 

2. Add flour & eggs- beat until blended 

3. Add vanilla & lemon flavoring 

4. Add sundrop last 

5. Bake in tube pan for 1 hour & 15 minutes @ 325 degrees 

DO NOT: Open your oven UNTIL timer has went off! Doing so may result in your cake falling!!!

Make sure you spray your pan very well, especially the tube part, before putting the batter in! Also, don't remove your baked cake until you're sure it is cool!

**Please note: the taller tube pan you use, the shorter your pound cake will be... So if you wish to have a taller cake, use a shorter tube pan. 

I'm making two of these Sundrop pound cakes, using my Aunt Alicia's recipe, for a school club I participate in, FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America). They are working at Habitat for Humanity tomorrow afternoon. I am unable to attend tomorrow's event, so this was my way of helping out in the only way I could! 

Enjoy!! 

*BTW: There is an icing recipe that goes along with this cake. My instructions were to make in an icing-less desert so I did not include the icing recipe in this blog entry. Although, if you plan on making this recipe & would like the icing recipe that accommodates this cake, please email me at rbell4unc@yahoo.com !!

Black is the original recipe... Red is my changes, based on ingredients I had handy & only cooking for myself tonight. 

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces) 

 *2 chicken breast, cut in half

Bacon slices 

*Turkey bacon slices

salt and pepper to taste

garlic powder 

*I think it's garlic powder, the label has been removed

chili powder N/A ... there goes the spicy, I think? 

brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 (2) pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish....make sure you have some olive oil in the dish too, like 2 or 3 tablespoons is fine {I skipped this since I grilled them.  I honestly think you could coat your dish with nonstick cooking spray instead to save a few calories}.  

I am grilling mine, because my oven is occupied by my pound cake(s)!!!

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown and crispy.  Delicious served with mashed potatoes with some of the gravy from the chicken drizzled on top.

**Also great on the grill!  No juices to drizzle on anything, but still delicious! 

15 minutes on one side.. flip, 10 on the other side.

Idahoan Instant Mashed Potatoes are amazing... which is what I am using!

I have never made this particular twist of chicken, although I have baked chicken quite frequently!  Fingers crossed...

Recipe from; http://diaryofarecipeaddict.blogspot.com

Looks delicious...!

OMG! Delicious is an understatement!!!

Recipe for chicken comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

I hope you love these opposite yet mouthwatering dishes as I did!! Let me know how yours turned out!