Spaghetti in Garlic Gravy with Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb. spaghetti  (cooked al dente)

1 pound chicken breast fillets (sliced into 1 inch chunks)

For the chicken marinade:

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped (if using dried, use half of the amount)

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of ½ a lemon

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon coarse salt (not table salt)

½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (to sauté the marinated chicken)

-  Add all the marinade ingredients into the chicken and marinade for 20 minutes (if making this dish for immediate serving) or overnight (if making this dish the next day… much better).

-  Saute the marinated chicken in extra virgin olive oil until cooked (about 4-5 minutes) then set aside.

For the garlic gravy:

½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, finely minced

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 ½ cups chicken stock

1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup parsley, chopped (to sprinkle/finish the pasta)

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

2 cups whole cherry tomatoes

-  Place sauté pan over medium heat and add butter and olive oil.

-  Saute garlic until fragrant and soft.

-  Add the flour and cook for a minute.

-  Add chicken stock and simmer gravy until thickened then add the chopped basil.

-  Season with salt and pepper.

-  Add the sauteed chicken in the gravy then toss the cooked spaghetti into this sauce.

-  Add the cherry tomatoes and finish the dish with the chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese (serve extra on the side).

Makes 5-6 servings.

Broccoli Crunch Salad

2 heads fresh broccoli 1 red onion 1/2 pound bacon 3/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries 3/4 cup sliced almonds 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar Directions Place bacon in a deep skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Cool and crumble. Cut broccoli into bite-size pieces and cut onion into thin bite-size slices. Combine with the bacon, raisins, and almonds and mix well. To prepare the dressing, mix mayonnaise, SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad, let chill and serve.

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients
1 cup butter melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (use the boxed kind, or grind them in a food processor. Tiny granules.)
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup + 4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners’ sugar, and 

1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 inch pan. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Texas Coconut Pound Cake

2/3 C. Crisco
2 sticks butter
3 C. sugar
3 C. All purpose flour
5 large eggs
1 C. Milk
1/2 t. baking powder
1-1 1/2 C. coconut
2 t. coconut extract

 Cream butter, Crisco and sugar. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each. Add coconut flavoring. Sift flour and add baking powder. Alternate adding flour and milk to sugar mixture. Add coconut.
Spray tube pan with Crisco no stick spray with flour.
Bake @325-350 for 1 hr to 1 hr 15 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes turn on cooling rack.

Glaze, if desired.

Glaze

2 c. powdered sugar

2-3 T. milk

1/4 t. coconut extract

Chocolate Toffee Bars

1 pound refrigerated sugar cookie dough (rec. Pillsbury)
2 (1.4 oz) Heath or Skor candy bar, coarsely chopped
(or Heath bits with chocolate)
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. mascarpone cheese (8 oz.) at room temp.
1/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted


Position oven rack in middle.  Preheat oven to 350.
Spray 7 X 10 3/4 pan with cooking spray.


Using damp fingers, press cookie dough into pan.  Prick the dough all over with tines of a fork.    Bake 12-14 minutes or until dough it lightly browned.  Cool for 15 minutes.


Place the chocolate chips in a 2-cup measuring cup.  Microwave for 1 minute on high; stir; microwave again in 30 minute intervals, stirring after each until chocolate is melted.  Whisk in mascarpone cheese until the mixture is smooth.  Using a spatula, spread mixture over the cooled crust.  Sprinkle chocolate-toffee candy pieces and almonds over the chocolate mixture.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the chocolate layer is firm.  Cut into squares and serve.

Red Velvet Cake

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• Solid vegetable oil shortening, for greasing the pans
• Flour, for dusting the pans
• 1 (18.5-ounce) package plain butter recipe golden cake mix
• 2 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
• 1 (1-ounce) bottle red food coloring
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
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  1. Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease 3 9-inch round cake pans with shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out excess flour and set the pans aside.
  2. Place the cake mix, cocoa powder, buttermilk, food coloring, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, baking soda and vinegar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until ingredients are incorporated, 1 minute. Stop machine and scrape down side of bowl with rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes longer, scraping the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should look well-blended. Divide batter evenly among 3 prepared pans, about 1 ½ cups batter per pan, smoothing the tops with rubber spatula. Place pans in the oven. If your oven is not large enough to hold 3 pans on center rack, place 2 on that rack and one in the center of the rack above.
  3. Bake cake layers until they just start to pull away from the sides of the pans and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 17 to 21 minutes. The layer on the higher rack may bake faster so test it for doneness first.
  4. Transfer cake pans to wire racks and cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and give the pans a good shake to loosen cakes. Invert each layer onto a wire rack, then invert it again onto another rack so the cakes are right side up. Let the layers cool completely. Make frosting.
  5. To assemble the cake, transfer one cake layer, right side up, to a serving platter. Spread the top with some of the frosting. Place a second cake layer, right side up, on top of the first and frost the top. Repeat this process with the third layer. Frost the side of the cake with a thin coat just to set the crumbs. Use the remaining frosting to go back over this and liberally frost the side, working with smooth, clean strokes. To make slicing easier, place uncovered cake in the refrigerator until frosting sets, 20 minutes.

  ***can be baked in 13 X 9 pan--30-35minutes at 350.

  Cream Cheese Frosting:
  Place 1 (8-ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese and 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of room-temperature butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stop machine and scrape down side of bowl with rubber spatula. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 4 cups sifted powdered sugar; beat on medium speed until well combined. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat the frosting for 1 minute longer.
  
  

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

For the Crust:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
8 T. butter, melted
2 large eggs

For the Filling:
2 c. (12 oz.) chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
2 t. vanilla

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set aside an ungreased 13- by 9-inch metal pan.
2. For the crust, place the cake mix, peanut butter, butter, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The batter will be thick. Reserve 1½ cups crust mixture for the topping. Turn the remaining batter into the pan and spread it evenly with your fingertips so that it reaches slightly up the sides of the pan. Set the pan aside.
3. For the filling, place the chocolate chips and condensed milk in a large microwave-safe bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute. Remove the bowl and stir until the chocolate chips melt. Stir in the vanilla. Pour the chocolate mixture over reserved crust, and spread so that it reaches the edges of the pan. With your fingertips, crumble the reserved crust mixture over the top of the filling. Place the pan in the oven.
4. Bake the bars until they are golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool 30 minutes. Cut into 24 to 30 bars and serve.