Fudgy Pecan Tartlets

CRUSTS
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup flour
FILLING
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
12 pecan halves

In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light. Gradually add flour beating until blended. Roll into 1 inch balls. Press into the bottom and up the sides of 12 mini muffin cups that have been coated in cooking spray. For filling, in a bowl, combine the egg yolk, sugar, butter, milk and vanilla; gradually stir in melted chocolate. Fill shells 3/4 full. Place a pecan half on top of the filling. Bake at 375 for 18-22*** minutes or until shell is lightly browned and the filling is set. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

***The last time I made these I only cooked them for 15 minutes and I think they turned out much better. The filling was way more fudge like which everyone seemed to enjoy more.

Baked Chicken and Zucchini

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup dry bread crumbs***
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
5 medium zucchini, sliced
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 teaspoons minced fresh basil


In a shallow bowl, beat egg, water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Set aside 2 tablespoons bread crumbs. Place the remaining crumbs in a large resealable plastic bag. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then place in bag and shake to coat.
In a skillet, cook chicken in 2 tablespoons oil for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown; remove and set aside. In the same skillet, saute zucchini in remaining oil until crisp-tender; drain. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.
Sprinkle the reserved bread crumbs over the zucchini. Top with tomato slices; sprinkle with 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese, basil and remaining salt. Top with chicken. Cover and bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

***I always use Italian Seasoned Panko Crumbs. It gives it more flavor and a better crunch.

Fruit Crisp

4 Cups - Fruit (Any berries, apples, pears, peaches or any combo, my favorite winter combo is apple cranberry my favorite summer combo is raspberry blackberry)
1/2 cup to 1 1/2 cups - sugar (depends on the tartness of the fruit and how sweet you want it)
1 tablespoon - AP flour

Directions: Set oven to 375. Wash fruit. Spread in the bottom of a square Pyrex dish (double the recipe for a bigger pan). sift flour over the top of fruit (this helps to thicken the juice). Sprinkle sugar over the fruit.

1 Cup - Oatmeal
2/3 Cup - Brown Sugar
2/3 Cup - AP Flour
3/4 Cup - Softened/Melted Butter

Put Dry Ingredients in a bowl. Add Butter. Mix until crumbly. Top the fruit with the crumble. Bake in oven for 25 to 40 minutes depending on the fruit. (berries take less time than apples but just use a fork to see if the apples or pears are done)

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

I got this recipes from Allrecipes.com It's soooo good!

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
I actually just put in the freezer for about 1 1/2 hours and it was nice and cool when it was time to cut.

Baked Onion Dip

INGREDIENTS
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
Minced fresh parsley
Assorted crackers

1. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, onion, Parmesan cheese and garlic salt; stir in Swiss cheese. Spoon into a 1-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley if desired. Serve with crackers.

Apple Stuffed Chicken Breast

INGREDIENTS
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped apple
2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Italian-style dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
DIRECTIONS
Combine apple, cheese, and bread crumbs. Set aside.Flatten chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Divide apple mixture between chicken breasts, and roll up each breast. Secure with toothpicks. Melt butter or margarine in a 7 inch skillet over medium heat. Brown stuffed chicken breasts. Add wine and 1/4 cup water. Cover. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch; stir into juices in pan. Cook and stir until thickened. Pour gravy over chicken. Serve.

Taco Soup

This recipe came from allrecipes.com

1 pound ground beef
1 onion (chopped)
1 can chili beans  with liquid
1 can kidney beans with liquid
1 can whole kernel corn with liquid
1 can black beans with liquid 
1 8oz can tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 14oz cans peeled and diced tomatoes
1 4oz can diced green chile peppers
1 package taco seasoning mix

In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef until browned over medium heat. Drain, and set aside.Place the ground beef, onion, chili beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, green peppers and taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend, and cook on Low setting for 8 hours.I added a can of black beans and instead of the diced green peppers I just used a can of rotel tomatoes. I also put it on high for 2 hours then let it cook on low for 2 and it was perfect. Also a great soup to freeze and pull out when you don't have time to cook or just don't feel like it. Hope you like it as much as we did!

Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta

4 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 (12 ounce) package farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 (8 ounce) containers chive and onion cream cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place chicken in a saucepan, and add water to cover. Boil 20 minutes. Allow to cool, then pull meat into shreds.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine chicken broth, red pepper, garlic, broccoli, salt and pepper. Cover, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until broccoli is crisp-tender. Stir in cream cheese until smooth. Mix in chicken and pasta until evenly coated. Garnish with Parmesan cheese. Here is what I changed, I added mushrooms because Gray and I love them. Really it was delicious and Gray hates cream cheese with a passion (I know, what a weirdo) but he loved it and said he wants it to be regular. Hope you enjoy!

Mozzarella Mushroom Chicken

Added almost 5 years later:  So this is the first recipe every on my recipe blog, it was placed on here with no picture and I wasn't so sure how many more recipes would be posted or what would come of this little space on the internet.  Ahhhh and here we are...years later... :) The original recipe is from allrecipes.com but has been adapted.
3 tbsp olive oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 clove garlic, minced
6 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1tsp italian seasoning
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place chicken in the skillet, and season with garlic powder and garlic. Cook 12 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear. Set chicken aside, and keep warm.Stir mushrooms into the skillet, add the italian seasoning and cook until tender. Return chicken to skillet, layer with mushrooms, and top with cheese. Cover skillet, and continue cooking 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.