Really Good Chicken and Noodles

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 T. fresh rosemary, minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 T. honey
8 ounces thin spaghetti (I prefer Barilla Plus)
2 T. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup real bacon bits
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
3 roma tomatoes, seeds and core removed, diced
2 T. capers (optional)

Start a pot of water boiling to cook the pasta. Spray your BBQ grill rack with nonstick spray and fire it up. Sprinkle salt, pepper and rosemary on each chicken breast and grill for 7-8 minutes on the first side. In a small bowl, mix 2 T. of freshly squeezed lemon juice and the honey together, then brush it on the tops of the chicken breasts before flipping them over. Brush the underside as well, and grill for a few more minutes until they are cooked through (actual cooking time will depend on how thick the breast is, and you could certainly pound them thinner to start with to make it go faster). Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Toss your noodles into the boiling salted water if you haven’t already. Once they are nearly done cooking, begin making the sauce. It comes together quickly. In a large skillet, melt 2 T. butter then add the garlic. Saute and stir for 2-3 minutes, then add the bacon bits and cook for another minute. Stir in the remaining lemon juice and all of the zest, then the cream. Stir in the cooked and drained noodles, adding a tablespoon or two of the pasta water if needed to thin the sauce. Slice the chicken breasts thinly. Stir in the roma tomatoes and parmesan cheese (and capers if you so desire – I’m the only one that likes them around here, so I tossed a few on my own plate), and serve immediately with a portion of chicken breast strips on top of the pile of pasta.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

1/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a small bowl, mix together 1/3 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon; set aside.
In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 1 cup sugar. Combine egg, milk, and oil; add to flour mixture. Stir until just moistened.
Pour half of the batter into pan. Sprinkle with half the reserved cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining batter and cinnamon/sugar mixture. Draw a knife through batter to marble.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap in foil and let sit overnight before slicing.

Swedish Meatballs With Sour Cream Sauce

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
1/4 c. egg substitute
2/3 c. skim milk
1 tsp. minced onion
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. sugar

Sour Cream Sauce:
1 can low fat cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms with liquid
1/2 pt. nonfat sour cream

Combine all ingredients for meatballs and mix. Let it set for 3 to 4 minutes. Make into small balls. Brown meatballs in electric frying pan at 300 degrees. Reduce heat to 220 degrees and simmer for 20 minutes. Combine ingredients for sour cream sauce in a pan and heat through. Pour sauce over meatballs and serve.

Easy (and yummy) Honey Curry Chicken

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup prepared mustard

1 tsp curry powder

2 Tbsp soy sauce (optional)

Split Chicken breasts and place in a 9" by 13" baking pan. Combine remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour over the chicken and bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until tests done.

Broccoli and Noodle Parmesan

- serves 8

1 1/2 pounds broccoli
2 tbsp margarine
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
10 3/4 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup sour cream

8 ounces noodles cooked and drained

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces. In a covered 4-quart saucepan, over medium heat, cook broccoli in 1-inch of boiling water. Cook for 6 minutes or until tender. Drain in colander and set aside. In the same saucepan, melt the margarine and cook the onion and garlic until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the soup and cayenne pepper; mixing well. Add the Cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in the sour cream, broccoli and cooked noodles. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish and bake, covered, for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Oreo Truffles

1 package of chocolate oreo cookies
1 package of cream cheese (8 oz).

Chocolate Almond Bark
White Chocolate Almond Bark

Crush up oreos in a food processor, mix with cream cheese until they become a smooth mixture. Spoon into small 1" balls onto a cookie sheet and place in the fridge for about an hour or until firm.

Melt Chocolate Almond Bark according to the directions on the package. Roll oreo balls in chocolate and place on wax paper to harden. Top with white chocolate drizzle for prettiness. Delicious!

Thai Chicken Fettucini

1 cup salsa
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon soy sauce
8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

For sauce, in a microwave-safe bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Cover and microwave on high for 1 minute; stir. Set aside.

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Add red pepper; cook and
stir until crisp-tender.

Drain fettuccine; top with chicken mixture and sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro. Yield: 4 servings.