No-Pain Lo Mein

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 chicken breasts cut into thin strips
1/2 cup snow peas
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into match stick size pieces
1 can of water chestnuts, drained
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 pound mushrooms
4 green onion, thinly sliced on a diagonal
2 T ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
red pepper flakes
1 pound lo mein noodles or thin spaghetti, cooked to al dente and drained well
1/2 soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
sesame seeds
salt to taste


While the pasta is cooking, brown meat in wok or large skillet over high heat in 1 T sesame oil. Remove from pan. Add vegetable oil and crushed red pepper. Stir fry snow peas, onion, mushrooms, red pepper, mushrooms, and water chestnuts for one minute. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and add to meat. Dump drained, cooled pasta into wok. Add green onions and half your cooked veggies and meat. Toss and fry the mixture until noodles and veggies are combined. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons soy sauce and 1 T sesame oil. Combine well. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Dump into serving dish and top with remaining meat and veggies.
Adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe

Pan Seared Chicken with rice

This is very easy !
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning (I used fresh thyme, basil, oregano and rosemary and chopped it all up together instead of Italian seasonin)
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2/3 cup chicken broth
Preparation
Stir together Italian seasoning and next 4 ingredients. Sprinkle evenly on both sides of chicken.
Cook 3 chicken breasts in 1 Tbsp. hot oil over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan. Repeat with remaining 3 chicken breasts and 1 Tbsp. oil.
Sauté garlic in hot skillet 1 minute. Add chicken broth, and cook 2 minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Serve sauce over chicken. Serve with rice.
Southern Living, SEPTEMBER 2007

Jello Cake

INGREDIENTS
Yellow Cake Mix
Strawberry Jello (6 oz) (just the powder)
2/3 c oil
2/3 c water
4 eggs
1 tsp strawberry extract
*small box of vanilla pudding optional*

DIRECTIONS
1. Grease and flour a bunt cake pan
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees
3. Mix together the cake mix, jello powder, oil and water
4. Add eggs one at a time
5. Add strawberry extract
4. *optional to then add pudding powder*
5. Pour cake batter into bunt cake pan and cook 35-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let cake cool and then remove from bunt cake pan
6. *Optional to add a little water to a 1/2 cup or so of powdered sugar (just to consistency that powdered sugar is just a little runny) and drizzle on top*

(This was a family favorite in my family when I was growing up. It was always a moist cake, but the last time I cooked it I added the box of pudding mix to it and it make it even more moist - Delicious!)

Chicken Florentine Casserole

INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup butter
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 (13.5 ounce) cans spinach, drained
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2/3 cup bacon bits
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the chicken breast halves on a baking sheet; bake 20 to 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat, and set aside. (I decided to cut the chicken into cubes to make it easier to serve more people)
2.Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3.Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, mix in the garlic, lemon juice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, half-and-half, and Parmesan cheese.
4.Arrange the spinach over the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking dish. Cover the spinach with the mushrooms. Pour half the mixture from the saucepan over the mushrooms. Arrange chicken breasts in the dish (again, I cubed the chicken), and cover with the remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with bacon bits, and top with mozzarella cheese.
5.Bake 20 to 25 minutes in the 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.

(Found this recipe at www.allrecipes.com. We had it tonight with guests and loved it. We don't like mushrooms so I left those out. Also, I, being somewhat cooking challenged, have no idea what Italian Seasoning is, so I used Creole seasoning instead. It all turned out great and it served 4 adults and 4 children and we still had a serving left over.)

Brie and Sausage Breakfast Casserole

8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:
1 (8-ounce) round Brie*
1 pound ground hot pork sausage
6 white sandwich bread slices
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
7 large eggs, divided
3 cups whipping cream, divided
2 cups fat-free milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Garnishes: chopped green onions, shaved Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Trim rind from Brie, and discard; cut cheese into cubes, and set aside.
Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well.
Cut crusts from bread slices, and place crusts evenly in bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Layer evenly with bread slices, sausage, Brie, and Parmesan cheese.
Whisk together 5 eggs, 2 cups whipping cream, and next 4 ingredients; pour evenly over cheeses. Cover and chill mixture for 8 hours.
Whisk together remaining 2 eggs and remaining 1 cup whipping cream; pour evenly over chilled mixture.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until casserole is set. Garnish, if desired.
* 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese may be substituted.
Southern Living. myrecipes.com

Croissant French Toast with Strawberry Syrup

Prep: 15 min., Cook: 4 min. per batch

Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
4 large day-old croissants
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Slice croissants in half lengthwise.
Whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into a shallow dish. Dip croissant halves into egg mixture, coating well.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add four croissant halves, and cook about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat procedure with remaining butter and croissant halves. Sprinkle with powdered sugar; top with Sweetened Whipped Cream, if desired, and Fresh Strawberry Syrup.

Fresh Strawberry Syrup
Prep: 10 min., Stand: 30 min., Cook: 5 min.
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange liqueur or orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, and let stand 30 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until warm.
myrecipes.com