Chicken, Lemon and Dill with Orzo

I think the key to making this recipe delicious are the fresh lemon and dill. This dish has a nice Greek twist. I was little concerned the feta would overpower the dish, but it mellowed out and was perfect. Not only is this quick and easy, it is something nice enough to serve company.

From Everyday Food, November 2009

INGREDIENTS

4 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (I added this)
1 pound chicken tenderloins, cut into 1" pieces
1 pound orzo
2 cups crumbled feta
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (I used about 3 tablespoons)
1 cup grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a sauce-pan bring broth, 3/4 cup of water, butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper to a boil.

In a 3 quart baking dish combine chicken, orzo, feta, dill, lemon zest and juice. Pour broth mixture over orzo and stir once to incorporate.

Bake until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is creamy, 40 minutes.

Sprinkle Parmesan on top and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Monkey Bread

Can you tell it is getting colder out since most of my recent post have been sweets? Tis the season...to put on weight! Anyway, I have heard of monkey bread but have never tried it. I saw this on Pioneer Woman's blog and I figured I couldn't go wrong using her recipe. I was right...it was wonderful. And as with most things I make...it was easy. My only worry was my pan because I did not have a metal one. I have 2 bundt cake pans, one stoneware and one silicone. I went with the silicon and had no problem with anything sticking. I also submitted to the What's Cooking Ingredient Challenge.

From Pioneer Woman

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 sticks of butter (1 cup)
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cans of Buttermilk Biscuits (the non-flaky ones)
1 cup sugar
bundt cake pan

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut biscuits into quarters.

Combine the 1 cup of regular sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon. Dump these into a 1 gallon zip bag and shake to mix evenly.

Spread these nuggets out evenly in your bundt pan.

Melt two sticks of butter together with 1/2cup of brown sugar. This can be light or dark brown sugar. Stir together over a medium-high heat until the two become one. Once the brown sugar butter has become one color, you can pour it over the biscuits.

Bake this @ 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes until the crust is a deep brown on top. It should like like this.


Here is a picture of it fresh out of the oven and waiting to be turned over.

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

Honestly this is not much of a recipe...it is more of opening cans and throwing them in the slow cooker. But you know what...it sure is good! I added a few extra spices - salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes and smoked paprika. This is prefect for Sunday Football! I also submitted this recipe as part of Joelen's Tasty Tools - Slow Cooker event.

From Allrecipes

INGREDIENTS

1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.

Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Fall Exchange 2009

I participated in a gift exchanged and the lovely Joelen sent me these from my wishlist that was organized through Elfster. Thank you very much! If any of you have a great trifle recipe please let me know!

Kit Kat m&m Cake

This is such a fun cake! People will be so impressed, but it is very easy to make.

From Made by Melissa

INGREDIENTS

cake and frosting (I used boxed mix and pre-made frosting)
about 11 packs of kit kats (get extra for breakage though)
about 1 large bag of m&ms

DIRECTIONS

Use a knife to cut each 4 piece kit kat bar in 2 piece sections vertically. Gently place sections around cake and press into frosting. Secure with decorative ribbon if you would like. Fill the top with m&ms (you will not need the entire bag).

Cake Cookies

These are the easiest cookies to make, and fun way to use boxed cake mix. You can sometimes find the recipe on the side of a cake box...but here is my version.

INGREDIENTS

1 box cake mix
1 jar frosting (or homemade)
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (I use canola)
2 tablespoons vanilla instant pudding

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together cake mix, eggs, oil and pudding. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 min. Let them cool and frost them if you so desire.

Asian Inspired Roasted Broccoli

This was delicious! It has a nice sweetness to it too. I think next time I will use more chili garlic sauce though.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups broccoli, cut
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon sesame oil (mine was toasted)
½ tablespoon soy sauce
½ tablespoon chili garlic sauce
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheet with foil.

Whisk together olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, salt and pepper. Combine with broccoli in a bowl and coat it well. Transfer to baking sheet and spread out evenly.

Bake 20-25 minutes.