Tasty Garlic Parmesan Chicken

I want to thank my friend Angie for this awesome recipe from her blog. We really liked this for an easy dinner idea!

Ingredients:
4 boneless-skinless chicken breasts
1 c. Italian breadcrumbs
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt plus extra for tasting
Pepper (to taste)
1/4 c. fresh basil, minced
1/4 c. mayo

Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix basil and mayo in a small bowl.

Combine bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

Lightly salt and pepper chicken to taste.

Pour basil & mayo over each piece of chicken.

Then dip each piece of chicken in the breadcrumb mixture and place in a baking dish.

Bake chicken uncovered for 20 minutes, or until bread crumbs are brown and chicken is cooked through. Enjoy!

And thank you to Angie for her awesome recipe : )

Healthy Mediterranean Tuna Salad

All of a sudden, I'm obsessed with tuna. I just discovered how yummy tuna melts can be and I feel like I've been missing out on delicious food for 27 years! So this is my first of many tuna recipes I plan to try...

Mediterranean Tuna Salad

Ingredients
12 oz. tuna in a can
3 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 teaspoon capers
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
splash of lemon juice
1 boiled egg, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Drain tuna and pour into a large bowl

Add all the ingredients and mix

Serve cold as a salad or as a sandwich on bread

SO simple and really good!

Say hello to my little friends

I'd like to introduce you to some of my new friends that I've been spending a LOT of time with lately.

The Dremel

The nail gun

The shop vac

I am proud to say that our crown molding and baseboards are finally up! A successful week! New family room pics are coming soon as the room is ALMOST done!

Something small can make you happy

One of the things that was really annoying with this new house was having to turn the outdoor lights on and off every day. We could be the rude neighbors that never use outdoor lights or the ones that keep them on all day and night because we're lazy...But I don't wanna be! So after 4 months of hitting that light switch twice a day, I'm DONE forever!

Our new timer is right next to the front door and I can smile every time I walk by and remember that I never have to touch it again!

Now we just need to change one of the lightbulbs outside...

Warming up a cold house

It's January and all the holiday decorations came down. The house looks kind of empty and sad...can you relate? So I wanted to do a little winter decorating to cheer up the sad, cold house.

Front door hanger

Scented pinecones in the living room

I'm also looking for a new warm afghan for the family room once it's done. Leather couches are too cold to sit on in the winter, so I need a new blanket to keep me warm.

I still have a few more ideas...now I just need some time!

What did you do to decorate for winter?

Fun & cheesy fondue

For New Years Eve, we decided to have our own little fondue party at home. I wanted to share two of our cheese fondue recipes that would be great for a party or fun night at home.

See below for our cheesy beer fondue, swiss cheese fondue, and ideas for dippers!

Cheesy Beer Fondue (adapted from Sandra Lee's recipe)

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle lager beer
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 cups shredded Cheddar

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes while stirring constantly to make a roux. What's a roux? Click here.


Add beer and bring to slow boil. We bought a 6-pack of this lager and it was really good!


Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until mixture thickens to the consistency of heavy cream. (Doesn't look too good right now, but it gets better.)Add Worcestershire, mustard and cayenne and stir.

Add cheese 1 cup at a time, melting cheese after each addition. Stir fondue until it is smooth. Pour into fondue pot and it's done and ready for dipping! Scroll down for dipper ideas.
Swiss Cheese Fondue

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound Emmentaller cheese, grated
• 1/2 pound Le Gruyere cheese, grated
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon warer
• Freshly ground black pepper

Grate your cheese. There's a lot more cheese than I thought!

Rub the inside of a large saucepan with garlic and place the pan on low or medium heat. Add the wine, heat until warm, but not boiling. Add the cheese by handfuls, stirring constantly until melted and mixture has the consistency of a creamy sauce. (Beer cheese is in the top pot and swiss cheese in the bottom one.)

Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and then stir into the cheese. As the mixture thickens, let the mixture come to a boil once. Then remove and pour into a fondue pot.The final product...cheesy and delicious!

Some of our dippers included:

Boiled potatoes and broccoli
Cubed grilled chicken

Turkey Weenies

French bread & pretzels

Enjoy!

EASY Crockpot Chicken & Stuffing

I took out the crockpot over the weekend for another attempt...and it came out great! This chicken & stuffing recipe is SO simple and only uses a few ingredients. It was a big hit in our house!

Ingredients
• 4 thawed chicken breasts
• 6oz. package of Stove Top stuffing mix
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup

Only 4 ingredients! Awesome!


First put your chicken in the crock pot.

Pour the package of stuffing on top.

Mix sour cream, soup, and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl.
Pour the mixture over the top of the chicken and stuffing.
Cook on LOW for 4 hours.
Fluff and serve! Yum!