Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 slices mozzarella cheese, or more
• 1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce
• Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in the hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set chicken in a baking dish.

Slice 8 pieces of mozzarella cheese and put two on each chicken breast. Pour 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little more mozzarella and bake at 350° for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly. 

Mushroom Ragu

INGREDIENTS

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed well
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 pound portobello mushrooms (2 large), stems and gills removed and discarded, caps cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1(14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes, roughly crushed by hand
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 pound spaghetti
Grated Pecorino Romano, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place porcini and broth in small microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife. Microwave on high power 1 minute, until broth is steaming. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 10 minutes. Lift mushrooms from broth with fork and finely chop. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer lined with large coffee filter into medium bowl. Set aside mushrooms and broth.
2. Heat pancetta in 12-inch skillet over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until rendered and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Add portobellos, chopped porcini, olive oil, garlic, tomato paste, and rosemary; cook, stirring occasionally, until all liquid has evaporated and tomato paste starts to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add reserved chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, and their juices; increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. While sauce simmers, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; cook until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup cooking water, and return to pot. Add sauce to pasta and toss to combine. Adjust consistency with reserved pasta water and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing Pecorino separately.

Roasted Garlic Mushrooms

Roasted Garlic Mushrooms

1 lb Mushrooms cremini or white, halved lengthwise if large
3 T. Capers, whole
3 Large garlic cloves, minced
2 T. Olive oil
3 T. butter, cut into pieces
2 t. fresh lemon juice
¼ C. Dry White wine
¼ C. Flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil, wine and ½ teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a 1 ½ to 2-qt shallow baking dish. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden and bubbly garlic sauce forms below, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately, with crusty bread on the side.

Buffalo Chicken Enchilladas

9 tortillas
3 4-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup red enchilada sauce
1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce
1 cup 2% Mexican blend cheese, shredded
3 oz gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour enchilada sauce in a bowl and begin by whisking in 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce. Set aside.

Add shredded chicken to a bowl with 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Pour in about a 1/2 cup of enchilada/buffalo sauce mixture and mix thoroughly. Stir until mixture comes together.

Pour a drizzle of enchilada/buffalo sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Take each tortilla and fill it with a few heaping tablespoons of the chicken mixture. Roll each up and set it in the baking dish, seam side down. Pour another 1/2 cup or more of enchilada/buffalo sauce on top of tortillas and add remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Immediately after taking enchiladas out of the oven, add crumbled gorgonzola on top. Garnish with the green onions and cilantro and serve. Yield: 9 enchiladas.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 cup crushed chocolate wafer crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted

FILLING:
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan; set aside. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Add eggs beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla and melted chocolate just until blended. Pour filling over crust.

Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

For the crust and topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butterscotch chips, for topping

For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Spray a 9-x13-inch pan with Baker's Joy, or line with foil and lightly grease the foil. 

Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour and sugars for the crust/topping. Toss in the diced butter and blend it in with a pastry cutter, two knives or the tips of your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the oats and chopped pecans.

Set aside one cup of the crust/topping mixture. Press the remaining mixture evenly into the bottom of the baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling.
For the filling, in a mixing bowl, blend together the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla on medium speed until smooth.

Remove the crust from the oven and immediately pour the filling into the pan. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to smooth the filling over the crust. Sprinkle the 1 cup reserved crust/topping mixture over top, along with the butterscotch chips. Return to the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let set at room temperature to cool. Slice and serve when cooled completely.

Black Olive Tapenade

4 Tbsp Kalamata Olives, Rough Chopped 1/8”
3 Tbsp Calabrian Roasted Peppers, Finely Chopped
2 Tbsp Roasted Red Onions, Finely Chopped 1/8”
1 Clove, Roasted Garlic,
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Dash, Balsamic Vinegar

Finely chop all Kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, roasted red onions and garlic until 1/8”.
Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend thoroughly using a rubber spatula.