My Favorite Recipes

I know you've seen that collection of most popular recipes on my sidebar. They are all great recipes, but they are not truly the best. The same few recipes continue to be the most viewed because they are easy to access, therefore getting the most hits. So in honor of my 1 year anniversary of the birth of this blog, I want to do this little segment on my favorite recipes from my archive. I often will go back to recipes so that I can re-make them. I probably use this blog to cook from as much as (or more than) anyone else does.

1. Possibly my favorite recipe actually came from the creative brain of my boyfriend, Tom. I'm not sure if I could ever go back to Manwich.

Homemade Sloppy Joes

2. Ok, this recipe is a contender with the Sloppy Joes. Because it involves bacon.

Chicken Wrapped in Bacon

3. This one has changed how I will make burgers forever. Onion juice is a magical ingredient.

Onion Burgers with Avocado Dressing








4. Another one credited to Tom--I use this recipe all the time when I'm especially broke or not feeling creative.

Easy Pasta Alfredo








5. When the veggies in the garden are ready, I am going to make this all the time. This one has even been published.


Ratatoullie








6. I have finally found the cole slaw recipe that is no-fail perfection.


Cole Slaw
















7. I haven't made this one a second time yet, but I really really want to.

Five Layer Dip








8. Stir fry is a gift from God for poor college students. I don't like the stir fry in the dining commons, but when it's homemade you can make it any way you like.

Sweet and Sour Stir Fry







9. My cousin Jessi's recipe for guacamole is THE BEST.

Jessi's Guac









10. Aaaand for dessert we have these mini cherry cheesecakes.

Cherry Cheesecake Tarts

Strawberry Glazed Chicken Breasts

It is beginning to be that awkward time of year, when you aren't quite sure if you should put away your warm clothes for good or not. I am also discovering that this is the awkward time when you realize that all the food I have bought over the past year needs to either get eaten or thrown out by move out time. I'm leaving this apartment (good riddance) in a few weeks, so new recipes need to come out of terrible ingredient choices.


Today I was looking at this collection of recipes on a Word document that my dad sent me. He told me he hasn't tried this one yet. I'm really glad I found it, because it was delicious and I already had the ingredients (sort of).

1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (I only had apple cider vinegar)
1/4 cup strawberry jam
2 tbsp cooking oil
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 clove minced garlic
salt and pepper


In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, mustard, vinegar, and jam. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then in a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the chicken breasts in oil for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the skillet, and pour in the broth mix to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic. Return the chicken to the pan, cover and cook for about 5 more minutes, until it is cooked through. Once the chicken is done, set aside and wrap in tin foil. Bring the liquid to a boil for about 3 minutes, until the mixture has reduced to a thick glaze. Pour over the chicken and serve with rice. 

Chicken with Prosciutto

My cousin Jessi, the one with the famous guacamole recipe, sent me a couple of new recipes to try out. I finally got around to her simple chicken breast and prosciutto dish, which sounded delicious, and came out even better than I imagined. The recipe only calls for a couple of ingredients so it's great to make when you don't have a lot on hand.

2 thin sliced chicken cutlets
4 thin slices prosciutto
1 tbsp pesto sauce
1 tsp garlic, chopped
ground pepper
oregano

makes 2 servings

Roll up the individual pieces of prosciutto and place 2 on one half of each chicken cutlet. Spread pesto on prosciutto. Fold over the other half of the chicken and use toothpicks to hold in place. Sprinkle pepper and oregano generously on the outside of the chicken. Cook in oil and garlic over medium to medium-high head until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove toothpicks and enjoy!

As you can see, I didn't have thinly cut chicken, so it's not as pretty or as easy to cook as I would have liked. The recipe called for fresh basil, which I did not have. But I did have some of my dad's homemade pesto sauce in the freezer, so I substituted and think that it gave an even better flavor than the basil alone would have. It also called for thyme, which my spice self seems to be lacking. I poked around on the internet and looked at other chicken and prosciutto recipes, and oregano seemed common in many other ones. 

Sweet and Sour Stir Fry

The other day I just decided that I wanted to make stir fry. I wanted to really tough it out and make my own sauce too (aka save money). One of my favorite dishes when I order Chinese food is the sweet and sour chicken. I found a list of different stir fry sauces at AllRecipes and adapted the sweet and sour sauce. My favorite part of this dish was that it tastes a whole lot like good Chinese takeout without the stomachache afterwards and guess what? It's actually good for you!

16 oz package frozen vegetables (oriental style)
2 chicken breasts
2 cups white rice
1 tsp garlic

Sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce (I actually just used two of those little packets they give with takeout)
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp corn starch

Cut the chicken into 1 inch squares and cook with dashes of ground pepper (I cooked mine on the stove top), along with the garlic. Meanwhile, cook the white rice according to directions on the package. When the chicken is mostly cooked, add the frozen vegetables and cook covered for 5-8 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together all ingredients of the sauce. Stir the rice and the sauce into the pan with the cooked chicken and vegetables and cook for a few more minutes.

This is such a cheap meal! Rice and frozen veggies are ridiculously cheap. And plus, it tastes great.

Chicken Supreme

Today I sat down to a nice home-cooked dinner (ah the joys of being on break!) and was surprised at how great this very plain looking chicken tasted.

It really is the perfect meal for poor kids like me. All you need is the chicken, some sour cream, packaged stuffing, and some spices. My dad said he got this recipe from a former co-worker of his. 

4 boneless chicken breasts or pieces

1 cup sour cream (for all those working on their New Year's resolutions, get a low-fat brand and you've got a  lower calorie meal)

2 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 stick butter

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp celery salt

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper and salt

makes about 6 servings

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stir together sour cream, sauce, lemon juice, and spices. On a separate plate, dump out the stuffing (you don't need to use exactly 2 cups, just use whatever amount will cover your chicken). Crumble up the stuffing into smaller pieces. Dip the chicken into the sour cream mixture and then roll it in the stuffing so it is completely covered in crumbs. Place in a baking dish and bake for one hour. 

My dad's suggestion: Out of stuffing? He says you could probably easily use some toasted bread and crumble it up. 

P.S. I don't get paid to endorse certain brands or anything. The reason I have links sometimes is because if I link it to Amazon and someone buys it from the link, I get part of the profit! 

Caesar Chicken Breast

I got my inspiration for this recipe from a reader, Lauren, who left a comment with her favorite creation. I used the basic instructions and then added a little bit of my own twist. I was a little worried when I took my first bite that it came out too bland, but the more I ate the more I realized what a great flavor I had concocted.  Thanks Lauren, I never would have thought to marinate chicken in Caesar dressing, but it's a really simple ingredient that makes it taste like you put a lot of work into it.

1 lb chicken breast
2/3 cup Caesar dressing
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 onion
1/2 cup bread crumbs
oil

Mix together the dressing and the spices in a small bowl. Dip the chicken in the dressing, then coat it in the bread crumbs. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add oil. Place the chicken breasts in the pan and cook for about 20-30 minutes, until the inside of the chicken is no longer pink. Top with Parmesan cheese before serving.

If you have extra time, try putting the spiced dressing in a Ziploc bag with the chicken and letting in marinate for a while in the fridge. This will hopefully make your chicken softer and the flavor stronger. Enjoy!

Sweet and Spicy Steak Marinade

This recipe is mine and Tom's own creation. We originally made it for chicken drumsticks, but we would much rather try it on steak. Chicken just doesn't soak up marinade like steak does. It was good on the chicken, but the best was when we tasted the sauce right after we made it. The chicken lost a lot of the flavor. Still a good marinade to use on anything really, I'm just suggesting steak to get the full effect.

2/3 cup BBQ sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
2 beers
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vinegar (we used white wine vinegar)
1 lime, juiced
1 clove garlic, minced

In a small bowl, crush the chipotle pepper with the back of a spoon until it is somewhat of a paste. Then, in a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until mixed. Then place the steak (or meat of choice) in the bowl and let soak for a few hours before cooking.

This is the perfect blend of spicy and sweet to make your taste buds go crazy!

Balsamic Orange Chicken

I apologize that nothing new has been posted in a while. A week ago I ate some bad Subway, which caused me only to be able to eat plain pasta for a few days while my stomach recovered. (Funny story, Subway was calling my frantically after I sent them an email informing them that their food had made me sick...they believed that I was suing them!) As I was recovering from the stomach thing, a cold hit me hard and I was in and out of commission for the week. But when I finally began to feel better, I went over Tom's and we cooked a really simple and really yummy dinner. I believe we found the recipe in his mom's Everyday Food: Great Food Fast magazine, but we modified it a lot.

1 1/2 lb chicken thighs

1 whole orange, sliced

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

olive oil 

the spices we added without measuring:

chili powder

red pepper flakes

brown sugar

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. After rubbing all desired spices on the chicken thighs, place them on the pan and cook until the cooked side is brown, about 5 minutes. (If you are using chicken thighs with bones and skin, cook them skin side down. Also, depending on whether or not your chicken has bone will affect the speed at which it cooks. Boneless will cook faster.) Transfer the chicken to a bake pan and put in the over for about 5 more minutes, until the chicken has cooked all the way through. Meanwhile, add the balsamic vinegar and orange to the original pan, scraping the bottom of the pan for crusty leftovers and mix together. Cook until the oranges begin to soften. Then return the chicken to the pan, and stir the sauce with the chicken until spread even.    

I'd just like to say, I love chicken thighs. They are my favorite part of a chicken. I feel like chicken thighs aren't really advertised that much, but the meat is always so soft! The reason I really wanted to try this recipe is that I remember my dad cooking chicken thighs on the grill when I was a kid and absolutely loving them, and this was a time in my life where it was difficult to get me to eat anything, let alone meat. I was surprised that with so few ingredients how well the recipe came out. I squeezed my oranges onto my chicken because I didn't think the orange flavor got into the sauce that well. Also, don't be shy on the spices, because without them this recipe is relatively bland. A lot of the balsamic taste gets cooked away. Hope you enjoy!