Chicken Bruschetta

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 5 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
• 1 pint Red Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
• 1 pint Yellow Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• 16 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
• Salt And Black Pepper To Taste (don't Oversalt)
• 8 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut In Half To Create Two Thin Breasts
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Freshly Grated Or Shaved Parmesan

Preparation Instructions

In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir, lightly frying for about a minute, removing before the garlic gets too brown (it can be golden.) Pour into a mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.Add tomatoes, balsamic, basil, and salt and pepper to the bowl. Toss to combine, then taste and add more basil if needed, and more salt if needed (don’t oversalt, though!) Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two if you have the time.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then grill or saute them until done in the middle.

To serve, give the tomato mixture a final stir. Arrange chicken breasts on a plate (2 at a time) then spoon a generous amount of bruschetta topping over the top.

Use extra topping on slices of grilled baguette!

Grilled baguettes:

1 Whole baguette

8 T. Butter

Cut the baguette into diagonal slices to allow for the most surface area possible. Melt half the butter in a large skillet and grill half the bread on both sides, making sure they're nice and buttery. Cook till golden brown on both sides. Repeat with the other half of the butter and the other half of the bread.

To serve, give the tomato mixture a final stir, then spoon generously over the slices of bread. Serve on
a big platter as a first course or appetizer.

Blue Cheese and Bacon Broiled Tomatoes

Ingredients
1 sleeve round buttery crackers, crushed
1 (5-ounce) container crumbled blue cheese
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
3 large tomatoes, cut in half crosswise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 500 F. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, blue cheese, bacon, and green onions. Add the butter, stirring to mix well. Place the tomatoes, cut sides up, on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the tomato halves evenly with the salt and pepper. Divide the cracker mixture evenly among the tomato halves. Broil 5 inches from the heat with the oven door cracked open until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

from Paula Deen

Jalapeno Hushpuppies

1 1/2 quarts peanut oil, for frying
1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (7-ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers, drained or 3/4 cup fresh jalapenos, seeded and finely diced
1 (15-ounce) can creamed corn
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. in a deep-fryer or Dutch oven.

In a 1-quart mixing bowl, stir the cornmeal, flour, onion, jalapeno, corn, and eggs, until blended. Allow to stand 5 minutes.

Drop the batter by teaspoonfuls into the hot oil. Don't overcrowd; leave room for the hushpuppies to be turned. Cook the hushpuppies until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep the cooked hushpuppies warm in an oven while cooking the remaining batter. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste, and transfer them to a serving dish.

from Paula Deen show with Trisha Yearwood

Chocolate Pecan Cobbler

6 tablespoons butter
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1 cup self-rising flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, plus 4 tablespoons
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup toffee bits
1 1/2 cups boiling water
Caramel Whipped Cream, recipe follows
Ice cream and chopped pecans, for serving

Caramel Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons caramel syrup

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the butter in an 8 by 8-inch baking dish and put the dish in the oven until butter is melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and set aside. In a medium bowl combine 3/4 cup of the sugar, the flour, and 2 tablespoons cocoa. Add the milk and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Pour over the melted butter in the baking dish. In a separate medium bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup of sugar, remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa, the pecans, and toffee bits; sprinkle evenly over the sugar mixture. Slowly pour boiling water over top of the cobbler. Bake until top of the cobbler looks set, about 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm with Caramel Whipped Cream, ice cream and pecans, if desired.

To make the Caramel Whipped Cream:

Combine the cream and sugar in a medium bowl and beat with a whisk or beater until soft peaks form. Add the caramel syrup, and lightly fold together.


from Paula Deen

Overnight Cinnamon French Toast

Ingredients:
½ a loaf of Sourdough bread (you can adjust this so that you have the right amount for your pan)
4 eggs (or egg beaters)
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

½ cup flour
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small peices, at room temperature

Directions:
Grease your baking dish by spraying your dish with a generous amount of cooking spray. Tear bread into small pieces and place in a 2 quart baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, and sugar together. Pour the mixture evenly on the bread.

In a different bowl, combine butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together. You can combine them using either a fork, a pastry cutter or even using your hands. Combine until the butter is the size of very small rocks. Evenly distribute your topping over the bread.

Cover your dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate the entire dish overnight.

To bake, preheat your oven to 350º F. Remove plastic wrap and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the topping is done and the mixture bubbles.

another recipe/pic from Dinah's Dishes

Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin

4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Whole Milk
2 Tablespoons Flour
4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
1 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.
Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths.
In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.
Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

from Pioneer Woman

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts (you can throw them in frozen... even easier!)
1 bottle BBQ sauce (your favorite--mine is KC Masterpiece)
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix BBQ sauce with all ingredients listed under it. place chicken in crockpot. pour sauce over it and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. you pretty much don't even have to stir it...SO EASY!