Laughing Cow Chicken

I have been wanting to try this recipe for awhile now but have kept forgetting to get the cheese. I saw thing awhile back on Mollys blog, who got if from Monica's blog who originally got if from Lindsay. .. I did modify the recipe a bit and I loved how it turned out. My husband loved it.

I doubled the recipe I for 4 chicken breast.

Ingredients

* 4 chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally 3/4 of the way through (so you can stuff the inside)

* 4 wedges Laughing Cow light cheese (one per breast)

* Italian seasoning to taste

* 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs (we used seasoned)

* Handful grated parmesan cheese

* Cooking spray

(I added the last 3 ingredients they're not called for in original recipe )
* 3 slices cooked bacon diced
* salt pepper to taste
* Garlic powder

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Open each chicken breast up and spread one wedge of Laughing Cow inside the middle I used 1 1/2 per chicken breast, Then topped with the diced bacon, Sprinkle Italian seasoning and garlic powder inside to taste. Fold chicken back over to original shape.

3. Mix together bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Spray each chicken breast with cooking spray and then dip in bread crumb mixture to coat. Place on baking sheet.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through

*I also added a little Garlic powder to the Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese mix before i coated the chicken. Was sooooo good I served it with mashed potatoes and spinach :-)

Earthquake Cake

My sister made this for my dads birthday its his favorite cake so just wanted to share this awesome recipe. We have been making this in our family for years.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spread 1 cup chopped pecans on the bottom of a buttered 13x9 cake pan. On top of nuts put 1 cup coconut, then pour the following batter over the nuts and coconut mixture without stirring.

Mix 1 box German chocolate cake mix (Betty Crocker) according to package directions.

Pour the batter gently over the coconut and set aside.

In a saucepan, melt one stick of butter (1/4 lb) and one (8 ounce) package of Phildadelphia cream cheese. Stir in one box of confectioners sugar (1 lb).

Pay very close attention to the mixture in the pan as it will scorch easily. For this reason, it's best to use a heavy bottom pan.

Pour the cream cheese, sugar and butter mixture over the top of the cake batter without stirring.

Bake in a preheated 350°F for 45 minutes.

The cake will crack in the middle. That's why it is called Earthquake cake

Slow cooker Beef Stroganoff

It was another scorching day as usual in Va. I decided I did not want to slave over a hot stove for hours and needed to put my crock pot to good use. I found this recipe online at of course allrecipes.com . With a little tweaks this came out great. The original recipe for this is kinda bland , but after reading some of the reviews I decided to make a few adjustments. This turned out delicious made this with some greens and biscuits my husband loved it. Defiantly some good summer comfort food.

• 1 pound cubed beef stew meat
• 2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teas. salt
• 1/2 teas. pepper
  
• 1/2 pack french onion soup mix
• beef bouillon cube

1. In a slow cooker, combine the meat, soup, onion, Worcestershire sauce and water.
2. Cook on Low setting for 8 hours, or on High setting for about 5 hours. Stir in cream cheese just before serving.

World's Best Lasagna...you be the judge

So the hubbie's favorite dish is lasagna. Being the nice wonderful wifey I decide to make some. Also I wanted to make something we could have leftovers with its much to hot too cook everyday. So I scoured the internet looking for the best authentic recipe. LOL well not really, just googled a bit and found this one from allrecipes.com. This recipe has 2,785 reviews and five stars so the rumor on the steet is it must be pretty tasty. Well after making this, i must say this was the best lasagna I have ever had. The combination of th fresh basil, parsley and fennel seeds defianly do the trick. I made this with beef sausage and ground beef also I added more basil than the recipe called for. Yumm. Five stars.

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving ( I baked mine for 35mins uncovered was delish)
   

Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction

Wow , I have really been slacking on updating this oh so fabulous blog of mine. Well here I go. I made this dish awhile back using a recipe from allrecipes.com . The lamb chops turned out delicious so tender and juicy with so much flavor. To complete the meal I made fresh steamed broccoli, cornbread muffins and mashed potatoes yummy comfort food and about a billion calories oh well . The hubbie loved these lamb chops so I will probably keep this recipe in rotation in our kitchen.

• 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 lamb chops (3/4 inch thick)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• In a small bowl or cup, mix together the rosemary, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture onto the lamb chops on both sides. Place them on a plate, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb chops in the skillet, and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare, or continue to cook to your desired doneness. Remove from the skillet, and keep warm on a serving platter.
• Add shallots to the skillet, and cook for a few minutes, just until browned. Stir in vinegar, scraping any bits of lamb from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the chicken broth. Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half. If you don't, the sauce will be runny and not good. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Pour over the lamb chops, and serve.

Pineapple Upside down cake

I wanted to try this cake. Actually it was requested for me to make this . But this was my first time making Pineapple upside down cake so was a bit nervous about the whole process lol. Well I used a recipe from allrecipes.com and it turned out great. The original recipe calls for a cast iron skillet to bake it in, I do not have one. So I used 9x 11 pan instead. It came out great, moist and delicious. Will defiantly make again but will try it next time with the cast iron skillet.

The Good Stuff....who knew

Its always a good idea to keep healthy snacks on hand. Most days I end up running late for work and stop by 7-11 or Wawa to buy some over priced protein bar that taste like cardboard. I was beginning to get tired of this routine so I decided to try out these protein bars from Beachbody. Wow , seriously this doesn't even taste healthy . Taste like a candy bar, and the best part is that its so good for you. Its packed with 20grams of protein and 0 trans fat. This is the best tasting protein bar I have ever tired. I was really surprised .I ordered the new flavor chocolate peanut butter and love it. I defiantly plan to keep this in heavy rotation . Great Stuff right here.