The Best Stinking Chicken You'll Ever Eat

This recipe came from sheer laziness, I'm going admit that from the beginning. It's going to take a lot for me to not be lazy in the future, because this chicken is seriously the best chicken I've ever made. Three words can describe it--- easy, juicy, and easy. (Sorry for no pictures! I'll do better next time!) 

Ingredients: 
-Chicken
-Salad Dressing ( I used this super yummy Bruschetta Italian dressing, but any Italian type dressing will work)
-Breadcrumbs

How to:
1) Preheat oven to 425.
2)First, I cut the butterflied the chicken breast. If you don't know how to do that, Google it. I'm sure there are great videos out there :) 
3) Put the chicken in a dish and pour enough dressing in it to coat it nicely. I let it sit for a like 10 minutes, I'm sure if you marinated it longer it would be really yummy. I was just super hungry and had no patience.
4) Pour the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.
5)Take the chicken out of the marinade and let the excess drip off but not too much so the breadcrumbs have something to stick to. 
5) Put chicken in the breadcrumbs and use your fingers to push the chicken into the breadcrumbs to properly coat. Flip and do it on both sides. 
6) Put chicken on baking pan and into the oven for 25 minutes. No more, no less. 
7) After 25 minutes, take chicken out and rest 10 minutes so all of those yummy juices don't leak out. 

Now, eat! I poured red sauce on top of ours but it could go with anything-- as a salad, sandwich, with a little honey mustard or barbecue sauce. 

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

(6 to 8 servings)


3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice

4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (I used only about 1 ½ cups)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 quart chicken stock or water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.


In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

Turkey Meatballs

We were craving Meatball subs so we made our own! Fantastic recipe- I almost feel Italian :)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh ground turkey
• 1 small dice sweet onion
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 to 3 cloves minced garlic
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups bread crumbs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, for dusting the meat balls before browning

Directions

Mix turkey meat, onion, fresh herbs, garlic, and salt and pepper. Add eggs, bread crumbs, and heavycream. Roll meatballs to desired size. See Chef's Note 1.

Heat a large saute pan. Add oil and butter and cook over medium heat until the butter turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Browning the butter adds great flavor.

See Chef's Note 2. Dust meatballs in a little flour and brown. The meatballs should be cooked on a medium-high heat. They can be finished in the oven by roasting or placed in pre-made tomato sauce. Remember this is only for browning the meatballs.

Chef's Note 1:

We recommend you taste and test as you go by make a small patty before you begin to assemble the meatballs.

Chef's Note 2:

Rub a little water in the palm of your hands. It makes the job easier.

* Restaurant Recipe

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. Food Network Kitchens have not tested this recipe in the proportions indicated and therefore cannot make representation as to the results.

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

In case you're tired of the canned variety.... Make it and freeze it!

Ingredients

• 5 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  

Directions

1. In a large heavy saucepan, cook mushrooms in the broth with onion and thyme until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. In blender or food processor, puree the mixture , leaving some chunks of vegetable in it. Set aside.
3. In the saucepan, melt the butter, whisk in the flour until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, half and half and vegetable puree. Stirring constantly, bring soup to a boil and cook until thickened. Adjust seasonings to taste, and add Worcestershire Sauce.

Homemade Crushed Tomatoes

Step 1 - Removing the tomato skins

Here's a trick you may not know: put the tomatoes, a few at a time in a large pot of boiling water for no more than 1 minute (30 - 45 seconds is usually enough)

then....

Plunge them into a waiting bowl of ice water.

This makes the skins slide right off of the tomatoes! If you leave the skins in, they become tough and chewy in the sauce, not very pleasant.

Step 2 - Removing the skins, bruises and tough parts

The skins should practically slide off the tomatoes. Then you can cut the tomatoes in quarters and remove the tough part around the stem and any bruised or soft parts.

Why remove the skins? They become tough when you cook them! Some people use a juicer and then cook the resultant juice down. It takes more time, but there's nothing wrong with that approach.

Step 3 - Removing seeds and water

After you have peeled the skins off the tomatoes, cut the tomatoes in half. Now we need to remove the seeds and excess water.

Step 4 - Squeeze of the seeds and water

Just like it sounds: wash your hands then squeeze each tomato and use your finger or a spoon to scoop and shake out most of the seeds. You don't need to get fanatical about it; removing just most will do. Another way to do it is to cut each tomato in half, across it, instead of lengthwise. Then just shake the seeds and juice out.

Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jars, if desired. Fill jars immediately with hot tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace.

Adjust lids and process

Step 5 - Combine 1/6 of the tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer

Combine one-sixth of the tomatoes in a big pot, crushing them with a wooden mallet or spoon as they are added to the pot. This will exude juice. There's generally no need to add liquid, most types of tomatoes have so much water.

Continue heating the tomatoes, stirring to prevent burning.

Once the tomatoes are boiling, gradually add remaining quartered tomatoes, stirring constantly These remaining tomatoes do not need to be crushed. They will soften with heating and stirring. As they cook, the tomatoes will fall apart into sauce with out much need of crushing or mushing!

Step 6 - Continue to add the rest of the tomatoes

Continue until all tomatoes are added. Then boil gently for 5 minutes.

Step 7 - Add 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and liquid to each empty jar

Before you fill each jar with tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. This helps to reduce the odds of spoilage and to retain color and flavor. T

Step 8 - Fill the jars with heated tomatoes

Let the tomatoes cool to room temperature, then fill your freezer containers (I like Ziploc freezer bags in the quart size), fill them completely, eliminate air pockets, seal them and pop them in the freezer. You're done!

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup (Panera Style)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken stock or bouillon
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar

Turn this recipe into a puzzle! [click]

I love Panera's Broccoli and Cheddar Soup. I found this recipe online.

Directions:

Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree. Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.

This recipe from CDKitchen for Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup serves/makes 4

Baked Potato Soup

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Not exactly healthy, but it tastes so good!

Ingredients

• 4 baking potatoes
• 2/3 cup butter (I thought this was WAY too much, so I put in 1/2 c.)
  
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour ( to balance the butter, I put in 1/2 c. of flour)
  
• 6 cups milk ( I used 3 c. half/half and 3 c. milk)
  
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 12 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
• 5 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Directions

1. Bake potatoes 1 hour in a 400 degree F (200 degree C) oven. Scoop out the inside of the potatoes and set aside. Reserve the skins for another recipe or discard.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually pour in the milk while stirring until all the milk has been added. Bring heat to medium and keep stirring until the soup mixture starts to get thick.
3. Add the potatoes, green onions, salt, ground black pepper, bacon and cheese. Stir well and continue to heat for about 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to blend. Stirring well, mix in the sour cream until well blended with the soup. Serve immediately.