Macademia Crusted Chicken

This was so nice for a change in flavor to our chicken dishes! I absolutely love macadamia nuts, and they had just enough flavor from them, not too much that Cody wouldn't eat it! He actually approved this 'different' meal for the future! Woo-hoo! The recipe says to deep fat fry the chicken, but I couldn't bring myself to do that! (And, we just don't have the pan necessary for that!) So, we baked our chicken. I think that it turned out wonderful!

From: Melanie Gunnell

12 chicken tenderloins (14 oz.), larger ones cut in half (chicken breasts cut into thin slices would work great, too)
1 cup flour, seasoned generously with salt and pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
8 oz. macadamia nuts, finely chopped
2 cups breadcrumbs
Salt for seasoning

Cut the chicken into strips, Dust the chicken strips with the flour, then dip them in the egg and, finally, coat them generously in the combined nuts and breadcrumbs. Chill for at least 30 minutes to firm up.

To bake: Place chilled, coated chicken on a cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 min. at 350.

To deep fat fry: Fill a large, heavy-based saucepan (I used my electric frypan) one-third full of oil and heat to 350 degrees, or until a cube of bread dropped in the oil browns in 15 seconds. Cook the chicken strips in batches for 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown all over, taking care not to burn the nuts. Drain on crumpled paper towels. 

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yummy, yummy, YUMMY! This literally took me 5 minutes to prepare...and the crock pot did the rest! It's not exactly an "eat and prepare in 30 minutes", but I still labeled this as a 30-minute meal because it is so easy! The chicken is so tender, it literally falls apart when you put a fork in it. Our favorite thing about this was the tortillas. We bought uncooked tortillas, cut them into strips, and baked them at 350 for a couple of minutes. They stayed crispy for just long enough once you put them in the soup, and added a great taste to it. Even if you don't have uncooked tortillas, just using chips, etc. this soup is so flavorful and yummy!

From: The Winterholler Sisters

4 Large Chicken Breasts (frozen)

1 clove garlic (or 2 tsp. garlic powder)

1/2 onion

2 Tbs. Butter

2 14 oz. cans chicken broth

1 pkg. chicken gravy

1 14 oz. can tomatoes

1 cup salsa

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

To serve:

sour cream

cheese

tortilla strips

Combine all ingredients and cook in crock pot for 7-10 hours on low, or 4 hours on high. Take chicken out and shred, then put back into soup prior to serving. Serve with sour cream, tortilla strips, and cheese.

Oreo Cookie Truffles

These are the easiest dessert ever invented! (o, and yummy, too!)

From: Melanie Gunnell

1 package (18 oz.) Oreo cookies, crushed into fairly small pieces
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 package Almond Bark (white candy coating found in baking aisle)
Chocolate chips or chocolate bark for drizzling

Mix ground Oreos and cream cheese until well-combined. Warning: you will have to use your hands and it will be messy. Don't be alarmed. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet or tray. Refrigerate until firm, 3-4 hours (or pop in the freezer for about an hour).

Melt white almond bark according to package directions. Using 2 forks (forks are KEY here because they let the extra coating slip through the tines instead of pooling like it does if you use spoons), dip Oreo balls into white coating and place onto waxed paper to harden. Once dry, melt chocolate bark (or if using chocolate chips, melt chocolate chips with a bit of shortening) and scoop melted chocolate into a ziploc baggie. Snip a very small corner off the bag and drizzle back and forth over the truffles. Let dry. Chill them and serve later or eat them right away and don't look back.

Makes about 30 truffles each recipe.

Savory Crepes

These are just sweet crepes, which, of course, are the best! But, crepes are great to eat as a real meal, too. Add chicken, etc and remove the sugar from the recipe to eat crepes for more than just a dessert!

From The Joy of Cooking

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1/2 cup lukewarm water

4 large eggs

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/8 tsp. salt

3 Tablespoons sugar

Combine the above in a bowl and mix until smooth. Heat your pan over medium heat and add 1/2 tsp. butter. Slowly pour batter into pan. Quickly tilt and rotate the pan to spread batter in a very thin coating covering the entire bottom. Cook until the bottom is lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the crepe with a spatula or fingers and cook the second side until browned. 

Serve with...well, whatever you would like! My favorites are:

Lemon juice and powdered sugar

cinnamon and sugar

bananas and chocolate syrup

Peanut butter and maple syrup