Parmesan Crusted Chicken served with Sweet Pea and Cucumber Salad

This recipe is as old as the hills. Some people will scoff at using mayonnaise, but it really helps to keep the chicken moist and tender. This is also a recipe that I think you have to be willing to get a little messy in the kitchen. I've never been able to do the "wet hand, dry hand" method of breading chicken, and believe me, when you've worked in a kitchen frying chicken by the 5 gallon bucket loads... you'll try every method available... So get in there and get your hands dirty! :-)

Served here with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

and Sweet Pea and Cucumber Salad! (bonus recipe below)

8 chicken breasts tenders
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking pan or large casserole dish with oil. In a flat dish, combine bread crumbs, cheese and seasonings. Place mayo on a plate. Coat the tenders with mayonnaise (I actually used my fingers), and then roll in the bread crumb mixture. Bake tenders for 25 minutes or until no longer pink inside.

Can you tell the Hubby likes pepper??? Good Grief! LOL

Sweet Pea and Cucumber Salad

1 can small sweet peas, drained

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1/2 mayonnaise

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp bacon bits (or more for more bacon flavor)

1 tbsp red onion, diced (optional)

Mix ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Toss to combine well. Chill until ready to serve.

Chicken n Dressin' Casserole

I wanted to share a very simple, but tasty Chicken and Dressing Casserole recipe. It is Thanksgiving in a dish! When mixing you may think that the mixture is too wet, but it cooks perfectly! This is a dressing casserole that is so moist it doesn't even need gravy... but I love gravy, so I fix some on the side anyway! 

Chicken -n- Dressin' Casserole

4 chicken breasts cooked and cubed
1 8x8 pan prepared cornbread, cooled and crumbled 
4 eggs, boiled, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups chicken broth
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (I use cream of mushroom if I don't have chicken.) 

Combine all ingredients and place in a 13x9 baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes or until set.

Add sage if you like, but my family cannot have it because of Crohn's and reflux triggers. 

Fried Okra !!!

I can make a meal off of okra... cooked anyway! Fried, Sauteed, Okra and Tomatoes, Succotash over Cornbread... anyway! Okra made like this recipe, to me, is like eating potato chips or even popcorn! No one can eat just one!!!

16 oz bag of cut, frozen okra, thawed
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
Oil for frying

Heat oil to 350 degrees.
Mix the corn meal, flour and seasonings in a plastic bag. Place the okra in the bag, in batches. Seal the bag and shake to coat. Only coat as much as you are frying in one batch. Otherwise the coating will get soggy. Make sure the oil is up to temp before adding okra, or the coating/breading will fall off. Gently place the okra in the oil with a slotted spoon or spider strainer. Cook until golden brown. (This only takes a couple of minutes, so watch closely) Remove from oil and place on paper towels or butcher paper. Don't pile the okra up to much or it will get greasy on the bottom.

I added a cheeseburger as a side for my okra meal!

LOLOLOLOL

Creamy Cheesy Potatoes

This recipe is basically taking a bechamel sauce and adding cheese and potatoes. You can use your favorite type of cheese or even add some sour cream and bacon to make a loaded cheesy potato casserole!

4 potatoes, scrubbed clean and thinly sliced
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder, to taste

Bechamel Sauce:

¼ cup Butter or Margarine

¼ cup All-Purpose Flour

2 cups Milk

3 eggs, beaten

In a sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in flour and salt & pepper to taste. Add milk; cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Temper the eggs, then slowly stir mixture into eggs. Add cheese and stir. Add seasonings and potatoes. Simmer, covered, on the stove top or cover and place in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Good down home cooking... just about every household has it's own meatloaf recipes. The possibilities are endless. This is a good basic recipe with a twist at the end. Yeah, I know I can never leave well enough alone!

Meatloaf mixture...

2 pounds ground chuck

2 eggs

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon mustard

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix

1 cups Italian-style dried bread crumbs

salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Place in the center...

1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup bacon pieces
Add a sprinkle of basil, garlic powder and pepper

On top...

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Mix meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl. Place half in a loaf pan or bread pan. Make a trench in the center and place cheddar cheese and bacon inside. Cover with the other half of the meat mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

Remove meatloaf from oven at 40 minutes... drain off an oil/juice standing in pan and top with 1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese. Return to oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Bacon Parmesan Puffs

These yummy little bites are so easy to make

and only take about 10 minutes from start to finish!

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Bacon Pieces
1/2 t dried Basil
4 slices Bread

Mix mayonnaise, Parmesan, cheddar, bacon and basil in a large bowl. Cut rounds out of the bread with a small cookie cutter. Toast on one side under the broiler. Remove from oven. (You can do this step ahead of time and freeze in zip loc freezer bags.) Using a small scoop (cookie size scoop) place one scoop of cheese mixture on the un-toasted side of each round. Place under the broiler for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Quick and Easy Smothered Chicken

We love smothered chicken that we find in restaurants, but don't love the price or the fact that we live 30 minutes from any restaurants around. For years, I've made sauteed mushrooms for my family as a side dish that they absolutely love! I decided to come up with a smothered chicken using the mushrooms, and this is what I came up with... done in the time it would take us to drive to town, and tastes much better than anything you could order in a restaurant. When I make it for friends, they always ask for the recipe!

4 chicken breasts, pounded out to even thickness
1 large onion, sliced
1 - 8oz pkg mushrooms, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
Salt, Black Pepper and Garlic Powder
3 oz pkg Real Bacon Bits
4 thick slices of Monterrey Jack Cheese or Pepper-Jack for a nice kick

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat about a tablespoon of oil (or spray with cooking spray) in a large sauce pan. Sprinkle Chicken Breasts with salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Add Chicken to the pan and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes per side or until done and no pink left in the center.

Caramelized a sliced onion in about a tablespoon of butter, 2 garlic cloves, minced and a tablespoon of soy sauce. Saute until the onions are golden brown.

Saute the mushrooms in a tablespoon of butter, 2 garlic cloves, minced and a tablespoon of soy sauce. Saute until the mushrooms have cooked off their juices and get a little color on them. (about 10 minutes)

When the chicken is done, place them in a casserole dish or baking pan and top with onions, mushrooms, bacon and cheese. Put the chicken in the oven for about 2 to 3 minutes or just long enough to melt the cheese.

Serve with a garden salad and some zesty garlic bread for a quick and easy supper!

Recipe submitted to: Mr. Food's Search for the Ultimate Weeknight Meal Blogger Contest

http://www.mrfood.com/Editors-Picks/Search-for-Ultimate-Weeknight-Meal-Blogger-Contest#



Shared on Meal Plan Monday 

Homemade Mini Corn Dogs

Mama used to make these when I was little. She used to make some with the cocktail wieners or cut the hot dogs into chunks and made little bite size corn dogs. Notice Mama's note at the bottom. She wrote many notes for me on all her recipes... valuable info there! :-)


1 package Hot Dogs *
2/3 cup self-rising Corn Meal 
1 cup self-rising Flour 
2 T sugar 
2 T Wesson Oil 
1 Egg, beaten 
¾ cup Milk 

Oil for frying

Mix dry ingredients, add milk and oil. Dip wieners into mixture. Coat well and drop into hot oil until golden brown. 

*Mama's Note: Use the cocktail wieners… use a toothpick and a fork to drop them in the oil. They’re great for parties or kid’s snacks or sleepovers…