Feta Topped Chicken

Sometimes it is crazy here. Since I like for us to eat dinner as a family, sometimes I need to make something quick. I saw this chicken recipe and I thought maybe the cooking time was off. If the time was correct, then maybe the chicken would be dried out. I will say I liked how the chicken turned out.

The best thing about this recipe is how easy you can adapt it to your preferences. For an example, my husband does not like tomatoes. I topped his chicken with only the cheese. My oldest daughter likes olives so next time hers will be Greek style. My youngest children did not like the cheese but did like the tomato. I liked the original recipe. I prefer to buy the feta cheese in a block and then crumble it. If you need a quick recipe, this is the one I would recommend.

Feta Topped Chicken
4 chicken breast, boneless and skinless
2 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp pepper
1 large roma tomato, cut into 8 slices
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Slice your chicken breast in half like butterfly style.
3. Brush each side of the chicken breasts with the balsamic vinaigrette.
4. Sprinkle the chicken with the oregano, rosemary, thyme, and pepper.
5. Place the chicken in an oven proof dish. (I used a Pyrex casserole dish.)
6. Broil the chicken about 4 inches from the top of the oven for 5 minutes.
7. Turn the chicken over and allow the chicken to cook for 5 more minutes.
8. Remove the chicken from the oven and top each piece of chicken with a tomato slice.
9. Sprinkle some feta cheese on each piece of chicken.
10. Broil the chicken for another 3 minutes or until the center of  the chicken internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F.

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker website.

Did you already know...
-Feta is a brined cheese normally made from sheep or goat's milk.
-The word feta means slice in Greek.
-It is believed the cyclopes in Homer’s Odyssey made feta cheese in his cave.

Mahogany Cake

Have you ever watched the Food Network Challenge cakes? After the contestants complete these elaborate cakes, they have to move it to the judging table. They have to be so careful not to break their creation. I would have failed the contest. When I made this cake, it came out perfect. Then I decided to move the cake to the cake stand. It cracked. I tried to fill in the crack with additional icing but it didn't disguise it. This Project Pastry Queen recipe was picked by Amanda of Homekeeping Adventures. Please check out the other members posting of the recipe at The Project Pastry Queen and for the icing recipe.

 The cake is really good. My oldest daughter said it tastes similar to the KFC chocolate cake. I did not add any espresso. My children are crazy already! I just added chocolate chips.

Cracked in transport

Cake
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 oz. chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease the Bundt pan with cooking spray.
3. Dust with cocoa powder and tap the excess powder from the pan.
4. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl for about 2 minutes or fluffy.
5. Add the eggs one at a time and beat for 20 seconds after adding each egg.
6. In a medium bowl, combine the boiling water with the cocoa powder. Stir until smooth.
7. Stir in the sour cream and vanilla.
8. In another medium bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
9. Alternating, add the flour mixture and cocoa powder to the butter mixture. Beat until incorporated.
10. Fold in the chocolate chips.
11. Spoon the batter into the Bundt pan.
12. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
13. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes and invert onto a rack.
14. Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes before icing.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen cookbook.

Did you already know...
-The Food Network Challenge cakes is a show about professional chefs competing for a $10,000 prize in front of a live audience.
-The contestants are assigned different themes they have to compete within 8 hours.
-The cakes have a minimum height requirement.

Stuffed Burgers

Now I wanted to post an inside out burger. I wanted to show you photos of what a burger looks like with the cheese and bacon stuffed in the middle of the burger. Since my goal was not to scare you, I decided not to show you a photo of it. It isn't Halloween yet.

When I make inside out burgers, it is normally just cheese but my oldest daughter talked me into added bacon. When I am forming the patty, I add cheese or bacon to the center of the meat. Then I just cook the burger. When you take a bite, you have the wonder melted cheese in the middle. Also, I top the burger with cheese since I do not ever have the cheese overload syndrome. My husband does and that is why we can't order pizza with extra cheese.

Magic sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp pickles, diced finely
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.
2. Adjust seasonings as necessary.

Recipe adapted from the Sandwich King.

Did you already know...
-In 1967, the Big Mac was sold at McDonald's in Uniontown, PA.
-The first Big Mac was sold for 45 cents.
-Not only did Jim Delligatti invent the Big Mac, he also help found the Ronald McDonald house charities.

Pickles

I think I just might be doing a decent job in raising my son. He recently said to me that he was going to take over the world. I looked at him strangely. So, he replied, "I already know your answer-no."

My son loves pickles. If we are eating out, he will kindly offer to eat everyone's pickles. So, I figured I would try this recipe since it was a quick pickle. My son says these are not pickles but spicy cucumbers. I do not like cucumbers but I liked these "pickles". Now, I will admit I was hesitant to purchase dill. Once, I attempted to grow a garden outside my kitchen window. The only thing that grew was dill. I could smell dill all summer long. I was brave and decided I would go ahead and do it. I know I will never grow dill again. Why couldn't it have been lilacs? Why?

Pickles
2 cups champagne vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp ground mustard
1 Tbsp salt
3 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
1 bay leaf
1 English cucumber, cut into 1/8 inch slices
1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, add the vinegar, water, sugar, mustard, salt, garlic, and bay leaf.
2. Bring the mixture to a simmer until the sugar dissolves. 
3. Add the cucumbers and dill to a heat proof container like a Mason jar.
4. Pour the hot pickling liquid into the container.
5. Allow the pickles to sit at least 1 hour or overnight.

Recipe adapted from Sandwich King.

Did you already know...
-Pickles were on Christopher Columbus's ships to help prevent scurvy.
-This week is International Pickle Week.
-Americans prefer dill pickles over sweet.

How about you? Do you like sweet or dill better?

Olive Garden Salad

If you ask my youngest daughter what her favorite restaurant is, she will reply the Olive Garden. Sometimes when I make an Italian meal, she will pretend to be the waitress. I will tell her the menu and she will take everyone's order. She even carries around a pen and paper. The only person to give her a hard time is my husband. He will tell her he doesn't want what is on the menu and ask for crazy items. She will inform him that she is going to go talk to the chef about this. At first, he will reply that he doesn't care. When she starts to walk away, he calls her back and tells her he is afraid of the chef. 

 I have made this salad dressing a lot of times. It is suppose to be a copy cat recipe for the Olive Garden Salad dressing. I think it actually taste better and my family likes it a lot. When I first made this recipe, I misread the amount for the parsley. It should have been 1/2 tsp but I added a lot more. I like the looks of the dressing with the additional parsley so I have kept it.

Copy Cat Olive Garden Salad Dressing
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp agave syrup
4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup parsley flakes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp of salt
pinch of pepper

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients in a bowl or a mason jar.
2. Mix the ingredients well until all incorporated.
3. Serve the dressing over salad.

Recipe adapted from Jamie Cooks It Up!.

Our salad included Romaine lettuce, cup of baby spinach leaves, plum tomatoes, croutons, and mushrooms.

Did you already know...
-Parsley belongs to the same family as dill, celery, and carrots.
-Italian parsley is flat leaf parsley.
-Parsley is rich in Vitamin A, C, and K.
-Parsley is a natural breath freshener.