Chicken Hash Success

Ok so I know this is not the most appealing name - "hash..." but trust me, it's delish. It's Ina's.

Here's the recipe to serve 2+ leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on


• 8 basil leaves
  
• Olive Oil
  
• Salt and pepper
  
• 3 tablespoons butter


• 1 pound potatoes, peeled and large diced (I used 3 small/medium ones)


• 1 yellow onion, chopped


• 1-2 red bell peppers, large diced


• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves


• 1/2 teaspoon paprika


• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  
• 2 minced scallions


• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 450.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers, leaving one side attached. Place 4 basil leaves under the skin of each chicken breast. Pull the skin over as much of the meat as possible so the chicken won't dry out. (I always buy boneless/skinless chicken breast...this was actually my first time to cook with the bones and skin...wow what a difference! It was sooo juicy and flavorful!) So go for the bones and skins on this recipe.

With your hands, rub each piece with lots of olive oil and sprinkle very generously with salt and pepper.

Bake the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until the skin is lightly browned and the chicken is just cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones. Remove the basil leaves and skin too. Cut the chicken in large dice pieces and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saute pan. Add the potatoes and onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Saute over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, until evenly browned and cooked through.
In a separate saute pan, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Add the red peppers, garlic, thyme, paprika, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and saute over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes, until the edges of the peppers are seared.

Add the chicken and the pepper mixture to the potatoes and heat through. Here at the end I added a tad more salt and garlic to taste. Add the scallions and parsley, toss together and place on a serving platter. Serve and enjoy!

Jalapeno Blue Cheese Wedge

This is the absolute best salad ever!! I first had it at my parent's friends dinner party...I'm sitting there...eating this salad...thinking - how in the world am I going to get this recipe for this dressing?!? I don't even know this lady! I can't just immediately ask for her recipe...can I?


Thank goodness for my mom. She was there, and apparently eating her salad with the same thoughts...she however asked for the recipe. Sooo...I now have the super delicious recipe to share with you here...

Yes! It's in a jar!! It's Jalapeno Ranch dressing, and you find it in grocery stores in the refrigerated section of the produce section...you know, where they have the salads in the bags and all that other good stuff. Believe me, this does not taste like any store bought salad dressing...

So, cut a wedge of iceberg lettuce, drizzle this dressing over it, sprinkle some blue cheese and good bacon bits on top and you're all done. Enjoy.

Pear & Apple Crisp

This is absolutely delicious! It's great for entertaining as you can put it in individual dishes which is super fun and feels a little extra special! I've tweeked this recipe just a tad and made it for four servings...

Ingredients:

• 2 pears
  
• 3 apples (make sure to get a type that's crispy and firm)


• grated orage zest (I never measure zest...just zest an orange and have fun!)


• grated lemon zest (see above)


• freshly squeezed orange juice...again don't worry about measuring...just squeeze the orange you zested


• freshly squeezed lemon zest (see above)


• 1/4 cup sugar


• 1/8 cup flour


• 1 teaspoon cinnamon


• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Peel and core the pears and apples and cut them into large chunks. Place the fruit in a bowl and toss with the zests, juices, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Now, either put it all in a large baking dish, or individual ramekins.

Now here's what you need for the best part -- the TOPPING!!

• 3/4 cup flour
  
• 1/4 cup sugar


• lil over a 1/4 cup brown sugar


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 cup oatmeal
  
• 6 tablespoons butter - diced
  

Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in an electric mixer. Mix on low speed for a couple minutes, or until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle over the fruit, covering the it completely. Try not to get it all over the counter like I did... :) Oh one more little tip...this topping is delicious...go ahead...taste it...or eat it by the spoonfuls like my husband and I did...no one will ever know...

You're all set. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes - 1 hour, until all brown and bubbly. Serve warm and enjoy!

Best-ever Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Ok, so we came across this recipe that claimed to be the "best ever" Fettuccine Alfredo. My sister was the first one to try it out, she said it was incredible, so I thought I'd give it a shot myself. Let me tell you - this is in fact the absolute best chicken fettuccine alfredo I've EVER had. Try it for yourself.

First you'll need to make your marinade for your chicken breasts. Mix the following ingredients in a plastic bag and put your chicken in for a while and stick in the fridge.

• 1 egg beaten


• cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice


• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  

I did this about an hour or so before I started cooking.

Now, make your bread mix to coat the chicken. Mix the following ingredients together:

• 1 cup flour


• 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1 teaspoon baking powder


• 1 tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning

Now remove your chicken from the marinade and coat both sides in the mixture you just stirred up.

Before you start cooking the chicken, you'll want to get your pasta going. I cook about half a box for my husband and I. Boil your water, throw in some salt, and then cook your noodles according to the package instructions.

Now on to the sauce...here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup chicken broth (or white wine...that's what I used)


• 2 cups heavy whipping cream


• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese


• 2-3 cloves minced garlic


• 2 tbsp cornstarch


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1/2 tsp pepper


• 8 basil leaves, chopped (if you don't have fresh, just do a couple tbsp of dry)


• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

In a medium saucepan, heat chicken broth (or wine) over medium high heat, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and whisk in heavy cream, cornstarch, and garlic. Bring to a soft boil and whisk for one minute. Reduce heat to low, whisk in parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 10 mins to melt cheese and thicken.

Now, on a different burner, heat 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on med-high heat. After it gets pretty hot and starts to sizzle, add your chicken breasts. The cook time is going to vary depending on how big/thick your chicken breasts are...anywhere from 5-8 minutes on each side should do it. You want them to be nice and golden brown.

While the chicken is cooking, stir in your herbs (basil & parsley) to the alfredo sauce.

You're all done! Just need to assemble your delicious dinner. Here's how I do it...pasta, sauce, chicken, and more sauce on top! YUM!

Mac & Cheese

Ok so Mac & Cheese is probably my all time favorite food to eat. I'll try a new recipe for this any day. This recipe takes no time to prepare and is deee-lish! I loved it...hubby loved it...you'll love it too!

Ok so boil about 2 cups of pasta...I typically use penne, but use whatever you have on hand. 2 cups makes about 2-3 servings. Now spay a baking dish with Pam and put in half your cooked pasta, about 2 tablespoons of butter cut up, and a generous sprinkle of salt. Top with 1 cup of shredded cheese. Now, do the exact same thing - your remaining pasta, 2 tbsp butter, salt, and then top with 1 cup cheese.


Last step before baking - pour in 3/4 cup of milk until your baking dish is about 1/3 or so full of milk.
Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Enjoy!

Espresso-licious Ice Cream

If you're a coffee lover like myself, you will LOVE this Ice Cream. Another Food Network recipe I saw and knew I had to try it for myself.

Ingredients:

3 cups half-and-half
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch salt
2 1/2 tablespoons ground espresso coffee beans
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur (Kahlua)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces (1/2 cup) chocolate-covered espresso beans, chopped

Heat the half-and-half until it forms bubbles around the edge of the pan and steam starts to rise. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until mixed. Slowly add the hot half-and-half until combined. Wipe out the pan and pour the mixture back into the clean pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 5 to 10 minutes, until it's thickened and the cream coats the back of the spoon.
Add the ground espresso beans, coffee liqueur, and vanilla and refrigerate until completely chilled.
Pour the espresso cream into an ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Mix in the chopped espresso beans and grab a bowl!

Witch-Cakes

These are the cutest cupcakes ever to make for Halloween! They're super easy; here's all it is:

Bake and ice the cupcakes of your choice. I'm a fan of vanilla, so that's what I chose. Ohh great tip to make any cake batter 10x better....add a cap or two of Almond Extract. Trust Me. You'll love it. Ok now back to the witches. Get the Fudge Striped cookies and place one on each cupcake. Now, add some icing to the bottom of a Hersheys Kiss and place on top of the cookie.

Happy Halloween!