So on Christmas morning I really wanted some kind of Cinnamon Roll type thing to eat. Cinnamon is such a great spice to smell around the holidays, I whipped this up in a few minutes and it was GREAT!
Ingredients:
1 roll crescent rolls (POP)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter, melted
3-4 Tbsp pecans, chopped, pretty fine
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and pecans until it is the consistency of moist sand. (I guess thats the best way to describe it, just mix them up well)
Unroll the crescent dough and put a bit on the big end of the roll and then roll it up. Continue until you've done all the rolls in the package.
Cook according to the directions on the packaging. 375ºF for 11-13 minutes. Take out and allow to cool for a couple minutes.
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Chicken Marsala
When I go out to an Italian Restaurant I love to get Chicken Marsala... so yummy! I decided to experiment a few years ago to see if I could come up with something that is similar to the dish I love. Nothing ever tastes just like a restaurant but this is pretty darn good.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
2 (6-8oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half, lengthwise, and pounded thin.
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
3 cups sliced crimini mushrooms (I love mushrooms, less is ok too!)
3/4 cup marsala wine
1 cup chicken stock
Salt & pepper
Chopped chives for garnish
In a shallow bowl combine flour and salt & pepper (tsp or so of each) and stir to combine. Dredge the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour mixture and shake of the excess.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 Tbsp butter to the heated oil. Cook the chicken breasts until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side for thin chicken breast. Put the cooked chicken on a dish and set aside.
Add another Tbsp of butter to the pan and cook the mushrooms until they become brown also. Add the marsala wine and bring to a boil. Stir with a wooden spoon and scrape the yummy bits of flavor off the bottom of the pan.
When the wine has reduced by about half add the chicken stock and cook another 3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened some.
Lower the heat to medium and add the chicken breasts to finish cooking thoroughly. Again they should be 165ºF. The sauce should also thicken up nicely due to the flour on the chicken breasts.
Swirl in the remaining Tbsp of butter, also add a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper to taste.
Garnish with a bit of chopped chive and serve along side some pasta and lightly steamed green beans.
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
2 (6-8oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half, lengthwise, and pounded thin.
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
3 cups sliced crimini mushrooms (I love mushrooms, less is ok too!)
3/4 cup marsala wine
1 cup chicken stock
Salt & pepper
Chopped chives for garnish
In a shallow bowl combine flour and salt & pepper (tsp or so of each) and stir to combine. Dredge the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour mixture and shake of the excess.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 Tbsp butter to the heated oil. Cook the chicken breasts until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side for thin chicken breast. Put the cooked chicken on a dish and set aside.
Add another Tbsp of butter to the pan and cook the mushrooms until they become brown also. Add the marsala wine and bring to a boil. Stir with a wooden spoon and scrape the yummy bits of flavor off the bottom of the pan.
When the wine has reduced by about half add the chicken stock and cook another 3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened some.
Lower the heat to medium and add the chicken breasts to finish cooking thoroughly. Again they should be 165ºF. The sauce should also thicken up nicely due to the flour on the chicken breasts.
Swirl in the remaining Tbsp of butter, also add a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper to taste.
Garnish with a bit of chopped chive and serve along side some pasta and lightly steamed green beans.
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Chicken and Stuffing Bake
This is a great recipe that my mom used to make and I have tweaked it a little bit to make it better. (Sorry Mom) I don't yet have a picture of this one. Next time I make this I will take a picture to add to the post.
Ingredients:
4 cups Stovetop Brand Stuffing
1 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp butter
6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Mix the stuffing with the boiling water and butter. Place the stuffing into a 13x9 baking dish. Season both sides of the chicken with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and italian seasoning. Place chicken on top of the stuffing. Cover lightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 10-15 until the chicken is cooked through to 165ºF.
This dish is great served along side a steamed vegetable like broccoli, green beans, or asparagus Really what ever you want to eat with it.
Variations:
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Ingredients:
4 cups Stovetop Brand Stuffing
1 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp butter
6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Mix the stuffing with the boiling water and butter. Place the stuffing into a 13x9 baking dish. Season both sides of the chicken with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and italian seasoning. Place chicken on top of the stuffing. Cover lightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 10-15 until the chicken is cooked through to 165ºF.
This dish is great served along side a steamed vegetable like broccoli, green beans, or asparagus Really what ever you want to eat with it.
Variations:
- Add a few Tbsp of butter to the top of the stuffing before you bake it. This will melt down and add buttery goodness to the stuffing and the chicken, and butter makes everything better!
- Combine 1 can cream of mushroom soup with 1/2 cup of milk and pour over the top. This adds a nice gravy type sauce to the bake.
- Combine 1 can cream of chicken soup with 1/2 cup of milk and pour over the top. This also adds a nice gravy type sauce to the bake.
If you try this and do a different variation comment below so I can try it out! Again this is a super easy recipe great for entertaining or just dinner.
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Greek Inspired Egg Casserole
Every month at school, a grade level team takes on making breakfast for the staff on the first Friday. I always make a casserole for our January breakfast and this year decided to make something a bit unheard of (at least to me).
Unfortunately I don't have a picture, I completely forgot to take one and it was all gone when I remembered, thats how yummy it was!
Ingredients:
9x13 casserole dish (aluminum works great, and easy cleanup!)
6 large eggs
2/3 cup milk (any kind will do)
8 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 cup tomatoes, diced (I used Strawberry Tomatoes, cherry and grape are good subs)
1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
4 oz frozen spinach (I used half of an 8oz bag I found in the freezer section)
20 sheets of phyllo dough
1 stick melted butter
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, you want to break them up and get them going before adding the milk, it is a pain to beat eggs with milk in them if they aren't broken up. Add milk and beat again to combine. Add tomatoes, spinach, and olives to the egg mixture.
Now for the tricky part, using a pastry brush, brush butter on the bottom and sides of the casserole dish. Lay down one sheet of phyllo dough in the bottom of the dish. Brush butter all over the top of that sheet. Keep adding one sheet at a time and brushing butter on the top of each sheet until you have 20 layers. This is a little time consuming but it helps make the casserole super special! ;0)
After you have 20 layers gently pour the egg, tomato, olive, and spinach mixture into the casserole. Top it off with the feta cheese and cover with foil, lightly not too tight.
Put into the preheated oven to bake. Mine took around 40 minutes to cook completely, but I checked it at 20 minutes and 30 minutes so opening the oven probably prolonged the whole cooking time. Look for the egg to be firm and cheese to be melted.
When it is done serve it up with a little drizzle of olive oil on the top. If your crowd does not like olives those can be left out and served on the side!
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Unfortunately I don't have a picture, I completely forgot to take one and it was all gone when I remembered, thats how yummy it was!
Ingredients:
9x13 casserole dish (aluminum works great, and easy cleanup!)
6 large eggs
2/3 cup milk (any kind will do)
8 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 cup tomatoes, diced (I used Strawberry Tomatoes, cherry and grape are good subs)
1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
4 oz frozen spinach (I used half of an 8oz bag I found in the freezer section)
20 sheets of phyllo dough
1 stick melted butter
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, you want to break them up and get them going before adding the milk, it is a pain to beat eggs with milk in them if they aren't broken up. Add milk and beat again to combine. Add tomatoes, spinach, and olives to the egg mixture.
Now for the tricky part, using a pastry brush, brush butter on the bottom and sides of the casserole dish. Lay down one sheet of phyllo dough in the bottom of the dish. Brush butter all over the top of that sheet. Keep adding one sheet at a time and brushing butter on the top of each sheet until you have 20 layers. This is a little time consuming but it helps make the casserole super special! ;0)
After you have 20 layers gently pour the egg, tomato, olive, and spinach mixture into the casserole. Top it off with the feta cheese and cover with foil, lightly not too tight.
Put into the preheated oven to bake. Mine took around 40 minutes to cook completely, but I checked it at 20 minutes and 30 minutes so opening the oven probably prolonged the whole cooking time. Look for the egg to be firm and cheese to be melted.
When it is done serve it up with a little drizzle of olive oil on the top. If your crowd does not like olives those can be left out and served on the side!
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
AMAZING Turkey Chili
So I am on this kick to make some low calorie, meals. So I was cooking one day and came up with this great big pot of turkey chili. It was pretty yummy if I say so myself. You need a very large pot, as this makes about 9-10 servings! You also need to either have 9-10 hungry mouths OR alot of room to store leftovers, they are great for lunch!
Looks delicious huh?
It only took me about an hour and a half to make, you can choose to cook longer though if you want the flavors to develop even more.
Ingredients:
2.5 Lbs ground turkey (can sub with beef)
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 jalapeño,diced (can sub canned if you don't want to cut it yourself)
1-32 oz carton of chicken stock (can use water, or another type of stock)
2-14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
2-6 oz cans of tomato paste
1-15 oz can of black beans (I used low sodium)
3 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flake
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
On medium high heat brown the turkey. At this point you may choose to drain the fat depending on the % meat you got. I use the 85% Meat 15% Fat so I drain off a portion of the fat. Once the meat is browned add the diced onion and cook for 3-5 minutes until they begin to become translucent. Add the jalapeño and add all of the canned foods at this point along with the chicken stock, and spices. Stir to combine all ingredients. Bring up to boil and then reduce and simmer on a low heat for about 45-60 minutes. Literally it is THAT easy!
At this point serve it up! And hold the nothing! Serve this up with a dollop of sour cream, or some crispy tortilla strips or chips, add some sharp cheddar cheese and green onions, what ever your favorite chili toppings may be!
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
It only took me about an hour and a half to make, you can choose to cook longer though if you want the flavors to develop even more.
Ingredients:
2.5 Lbs ground turkey (can sub with beef)
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 jalapeño,diced (can sub canned if you don't want to cut it yourself)
1-32 oz carton of chicken stock (can use water, or another type of stock)
2-14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
2-6 oz cans of tomato paste
1-15 oz can of black beans (I used low sodium)
3 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flake
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
On medium high heat brown the turkey. At this point you may choose to drain the fat depending on the % meat you got. I use the 85% Meat 15% Fat so I drain off a portion of the fat. Once the meat is browned add the diced onion and cook for 3-5 minutes until they begin to become translucent. Add the jalapeño and add all of the canned foods at this point along with the chicken stock, and spices. Stir to combine all ingredients. Bring up to boil and then reduce and simmer on a low heat for about 45-60 minutes. Literally it is THAT easy!
At this point serve it up! And hold the nothing! Serve this up with a dollop of sour cream, or some crispy tortilla strips or chips, add some sharp cheddar cheese and green onions, what ever your favorite chili toppings may be!
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
This recipe is easy and versatile. I chose to do chicken thighs because they taste amazing and I have a freezer full but feel free to play with the meat, choose breasts, or pork, or beef whichever you like it will work. Also you can use boneless/skinless or any combination.
Ingredients:
4 Chicken Thighs- Bone in Skin on
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper (I love pepper you can cut back if you don't)
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Teriyaki Sauce (you can purchase this but why? It's so easy!)
8 oz soy sauce (low sodium is what I use)
4 oz water
1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark, I can't tell a big difference)
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place the chicken thighs in a dish large enough to hold them, they don't need too much room but also don't want to sit on top of one another. Drizzle with the olive oil and season both sides with the salt, pepper, and garlic. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through. An instant read thermometer should read 165ºF when it is done. (Cooking times/temps of the meat will vary depending on the meat you have chosen, pork should be 150ºF, beef around 135ºF, and all poultry 165ºF)
While the chicken is cooking combine ingredients for the sauce in a small sauce pan. Cook on medium high heat stirring occasionally, you don't want this to burn or boil over, you'll have a big mess. (No one wants to clean up a big mess!)
When the chicken is finished pour the sauce over top. And that's it! There will be sauce left in the pan so go ahead and spoon it over top of your serving to add some more sweet/salty goodness.
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Ingredients:
4 Chicken Thighs- Bone in Skin on
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper (I love pepper you can cut back if you don't)
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Teriyaki Sauce (you can purchase this but why? It's so easy!)
8 oz soy sauce (low sodium is what I use)
4 oz water
1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark, I can't tell a big difference)
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place the chicken thighs in a dish large enough to hold them, they don't need too much room but also don't want to sit on top of one another. Drizzle with the olive oil and season both sides with the salt, pepper, and garlic. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through. An instant read thermometer should read 165ºF when it is done. (Cooking times/temps of the meat will vary depending on the meat you have chosen, pork should be 150ºF, beef around 135ºF, and all poultry 165ºF)
While the chicken is cooking combine ingredients for the sauce in a small sauce pan. Cook on medium high heat stirring occasionally, you don't want this to burn or boil over, you'll have a big mess. (No one wants to clean up a big mess!)
When the chicken is finished pour the sauce over top. And that's it! There will be sauce left in the pan so go ahead and spoon it over top of your serving to add some more sweet/salty goodness.
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Welcome to my blog!
Hello everyone!
Luckily you've stumbled upon the best blog in the world! I am going to be sharing recipes that I have created, or recipes that are common to my family. I have always wanted to share my recipes and I thought this would be the best venue for such an adventure.
Please leave comments if you try and of my recipes, good or bad! I hope to compile the recipes in the future into a book. So give me any pointers that you may have or comment if any of you have ideas for recipes for the future of my blog! Tell me what you'd like to see, smell, and taste!
Enjoy and please, hold the nothing!
-Johnny
Luckily you've stumbled upon the best blog in the world! I am going to be sharing recipes that I have created, or recipes that are common to my family. I have always wanted to share my recipes and I thought this would be the best venue for such an adventure.
Please leave comments if you try and of my recipes, good or bad! I hope to compile the recipes in the future into a book. So give me any pointers that you may have or comment if any of you have ideas for recipes for the future of my blog! Tell me what you'd like to see, smell, and taste!
Enjoy and please, hold the nothing!
-Johnny
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