Alice Springs Chicken

In our house we eat chicken for dinner at least once a week.  While I could eat chicken every 

night, the boys get tired of it easily.  So I am constantly on the hunt for new chicken recipes. 

Months ago I saw a recipe for Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken.  It sounded yummy,

but I put off making it because it's not exactly a low-calorie meal!  This week however, I was out

of ideas so I decided to give it a try.  I read over several versions of it, and put together my 

own.  Man oh man, is this yuuuuummmmy!  I mean really, how can you go wrong with bacon,

mushrooms and cheese????  So bad for you, but oh so good!  I served it with salad so I 

could justify this as a "healthy" well rounded meal in my head.  Whatever you serve it with 

though, you gotta try this dish.  My son loved it, and my husband and I gobbled it up.  Next time

I make it I might add some caramelized onions......I think that might send it over the top for me! 

Definitely adding this one to my ever growing recipe book! 

Alice Springs Chicken (knockoff from Outback Steakhouse)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Garlic salt & pepper blend

¼ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup honey

1 tbsp regular yellow mustard

1 tbsp spicy brown mustard

¼ tsp onion powder

6 slices bacon

1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Season the chicken with the garlic salt & pepper blend on both sides and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Place the bacon in a medium sized skillet and cook until crisp, then remove from heat and set aside.  While the bacon is cooking, place your chicken on the grill and cook for about 4 minutes on each side (you can of course skip the grill & just cook it in a pan on the stove top, I just like the flavor the grill gives it).  Remove the chicken from the heat and set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 and spray an 11x9 baking dish with cooking spray. 

In a small bowl mix together the Dijon, honey, yellow mustard, brown mustard and onion powder until well blended.  Spoon about 1/3 of the honey mustard mixture over the bottom of your baking dish.  Place the chicken in the baking dish, then spoon the rest of the honey mustard mixture on top of the chicken.  Layer on top of the chicken the mushrooms, the bacon (I tore each slice of bacon up then divided it evenly), and the cheese (1/4 cup of each cheese on top of each piece of chicken). 

Cover baking dish with tin foil, but give it a little “tent” in the middle.  Place in oven and bake for about 30-45 minutes (depends on how thick your chicken is).  Make sure chicken is cooked completely and cheese is melted. 

Orange Cranberry Bread

You'll have to bear with me because I'm on a little bit of a cranberry kick lately.  I'll try not to post too many recipes with cranberries though!☺

One of my favorite combinations is cranberry and orange, and so this bread fits the bill whenever I am craving cranberry anything.  As with all breads that I make, I tend to divide the batter out into mini loaf tins and freeze one or two of them.  This time of year it is especially important for me to stock up a little on the mini breads in the freezer because hunting season will start soon, and the mini breads are an easy snack for the boys to take with them.

I'm eating a piece of this bread right now and it's making me think of Christmas.  Uh-oh.....I feel a stress headache coming on!  OK, don't think about Christmas - just think about cranberries and how delicious this bread will taste with a little butter slathered on a big thick slice.  

Orange Cranberry Bread

1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup cranberries, whole or chopped in half
1/2 cup walnut, chopped
2/3 cup orange juice
2 tbsp hot water
2 tbsp butter, melted
Zest of one orange, grated
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg, slightly beaten
Sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 325, and spray your loaf pan (or pans) with cooking spray.  In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and set aside.  In smaller bowl add the melted butter, hot water, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, egg and whisk together to combine.  Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.  Fold in the cranberries and walnuts, then pour batter into loaf pan (or divide evenly into mini loaf pans).  Sprinkle the top with a little sugar, then place pan in oven - for one regular loaf pan, bake for about an hour and if using the mini loaf pans, bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Make one regular size loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans. 

Turkey Pesto Sandwiches

This sandwich is amazing.  There really isn't a whole lot more I can say about it.  I crave this sandwich.  I look forward to this sandwich.  I love this sandwich.

It's all about the perfect combination of quality ingredients.  The perfectly soft, yet chewy sandwich roll.  The homemade pesto.  The gobs of melted cheese.  The moist turkey breast....when they all come together they form the perfect sandwich.  You just have to try it.  It could change your life!

Turkey Pesto Sandwich

1 Torta Roll, or any other soft yet chewy roll
Turkey breast, either roasted or from the deli & cut 1/4" thick
2 slices Provolone cheese
1 tbsp pesto, homemade is best - Click here for the recipe
1 tbsp good mayonnaise

In a small bowl mix together the pesto and mayonnaise.  Cut the roll in half and slather the pesto mayonnaise on both sides of the roll evenly.  On the bottom half of the roll place your turkey, then top it with both slices of Provolone cheese.  Place the just the bottom half of the sandwich (without the top) into the oven and broil on low just until the cheese melts then remove from oven.  Place the top of the roll onto the the sandwich and cut in half.  Enjoy!

Spinach & Broccoli Stuffing

It's that time of year when I start thinking about the holidays and what I'm going to cook, and planning out the Christmas shopping.  I like to get a head start.  Although last year was the first time I didn't have everything done by December 1st, and boy was that stressful for me!  There's a lot of people to buy for in this family, so planning and organizing is essential (for me anyway).

Since I've been thinking about holiday cooking, I've come across a few recipes that I usually only make at that time of year, like this one for Spinach Broccoli Stuffing.  My mother starting making this side dish back when I was a teenager and I liked it back then and I still do.  It's a simple recipe, which makes it convenient when having lots of people over for a holiday meal.  It also seems to go nicely with almost anything, which is an added bonus.  

I don't know why, but I only make it as a holiday side dish and it never makes an appearance again for the rest of the year.  Since this year my son will be at his father's for Thanksgiving, I decided to do up a little semi-holiday meal so he wouldn't have to miss out on dinner with us completely.  I know I'm a little early, but I figured I'd do it now because hunting starts soon up here and the weekends are already starting to get filled up with plans for the coming months.  So much to do, so little time!  Anyway, hopefully you'll give this a try and like it as much as we do.

Spinach & Broccoli Stuffing

6oz box of stuffing mix
1 package frozen chopped broccoli
1 package frozen chopped spinach
10oz can cream of mushroom soup

Preheat oven to 350 and spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.  Prepare stuffing according to directions.  Place the broccoli & spinach in a large microwave safe bowl and cook on high in the microwave for 8 minutes.  Drain off the excess water from the spinach and broccoli, then add the stuffing and cream of mushroom soup to the bowl and mix well to combine.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until hot. 

Apple Crisp

Apple crisp.....such an all-American classic dessert.  Who doesn't love apple crisp?  I've never met anyone (actually, maybe one person) who doesn't love it.  It's definitely a favorite in our house.  I've probably made it a thousand times, and each time I feel like it gets better and better.   I mean, just look at this apple yumminess!  Nothing screams fall more than apple crisp.....well, except maybe apple pie.

My husband and I both prefer a thick, crunchy oat topping and I think I have finally perfected it.  We both also like the apples to be well done, if not slightly mushy.  I personally like putting a few cranberries in it, but I am alone on that one.  The boys both said they don't like it with cranberries, but yet they have no problem eating it!  This time when my husband finished his first bowl, he said it was delicious.  I said "Even with the cranberries?" to which he responded that he didn't even notice them.  Enough said! ☺

Little B's Favorite Apple Crisp

1 stick of butter, room temp is fine & works better
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
7 medium apples, cored & peeled & sliced
1/4 cup apple cider
pinch of nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
1/4 cup cranberries, if using dried cranberries soak them in apple cider to cover for 1-2 hrs

Preheat oven to 350 and spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl stir together the brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, cinnamon and salt.  Add the butter and with a fork, or using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it forms crumbs (about the size of peas, a little larger is fine). 

Place the sliced apples in your baking dish, along with the drained cranberries, then add a dash of nutmeg.  Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of apple cider evenly over top of the apples, then do the same with the topping.  Place in oven and cook for about 45 minutes, or until your apples reach your desired doneness (is that a word?).  If you like your apples to be a little more firm, I'd cook it for about 30 minutes. 

Mushroom Soup

This week, since fall has set in, I decided to try a new soup recipe.  Since the boys in my house love mushrooms I thought I'd try a mushroom soup.  I've come across many different recipes for mushroom soup, so after going over several of them I came up with my own version based on our tastes and preferences.  Although, I was a little concerned that a soup with just mushrooms in it wouldn't be substantial enough to pass as dinner but I figured I'd give it a try. 

No need to worry though.  This soup is so rich and full of flavor that it didn't matter at all that the only thing in it is mushrooms!  I was surprised at how good this came out, and I think the boys were too.  I served it with some homemade rolls and we were all satisfied after one bowl.  This is soup has amazing flavor!  Definitely worthy of serving to dinner guests, but in that scenario I would probably serve it as the first course. Either way, this recipe is a keeper!

Mushroom Soup (serves 6)

1/2 cup onion, chopped
6 tsp garlic, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
5 oz button mushrooms, chopped
5 oz shiitake mushrooms, chopped
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 bay leafs
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 1/2 tsp dried)
3 cups chicken stock 
1/2 cup beer
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp water
Dash of nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
Salt & Pepper

Add the olive oil & butter to a large saucepan and heat on medium.  Add the onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf, beer and Worcestershire sauce and cook until moisture from the mushrooms cooks off, about 10 minutes.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour and water until it's smooth, then add it to the saucepan.  Stir constantly, until the mixture thickens.  Add the nutmeg and season with salt & pepper to taste.  Add the heavy cream and milk and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Orange Cranberry Butter

I love making flavored butters.  There are so many variations, and it's so easy to do.  A flavored butter can make something ordinary taste exceptionally delicious.  

This orange cranberry butter is so good.  Put it on toast, on muffins, on biscuits, on pancakes and you'll be amazed at how yummy it makes everything.  This is also fun to whip up and give as a gift, either during the holidays or as a gift to someone who's hosting a get together.  Put it in a fun decorative jar and print up a fun label - anyone would enjoy receiving this amazing butter. Today is October 1st, and the holidays are fast approaching.....

Orange Cranberry Butter

1 stick of butter, softened
1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp grated orange rind
pinch of salt

Place all ingredients into a medium bowl and mix well to combine.  Serves 12.