Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

This past weekend, Dad made the absolute best pork tenderloin I've ever eaten!  I'm not a big pork fan.  I LOVE me some bacon - who doesn't, and I will eat ham on occasion, but for the most part, pork is not all that tasty to me....until now!

I'm not sure if Dad came up with this recipe on his own or if he got it from a cooking show or Internet source, but it is amazing!  Like I've mentioned before, we don't measure ingredients very often, so you'll just have to wing it, but it's totally worth it!  Ryne eat this like a little pig...ha ha!

Ingredients:
Pork Tenderloin (not a marinated one, just plain pork tenderloin)
McCormick's Pork Rub
Peanut Oil

Stuffing:
Baby Spinach
Sun dried tomatoes
Capers
Monterey Jack cheese
Parmesan cheese
minced garlic
salt

Other Stuff:
twine
meat thermometer
casserole dish (big enough for tenderloin)
skillet/pan


Basically you cut the tenderloin so that it opens up and flat - sort of like they open up a Subway sandwich.  Cut up the spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and capers.  Add the garlic, cheeses and salt to taste.  You can actually sample the stuffing to see if you like the taste.  Add the stuffing to the middle of the tenderloin (as much as you can!)  and roll it up and tie it up with the twine so the stuffing stays put.  Cover the outside of the tenderloin with pork rub - and I mean COVER it because some will come off in the sears and baking process.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put the empty casserole dish in the oven to heat up as the oven heats up.  Add peanut oil to a skillet/pan and put on high heat.  The peanut oil has a high burn temp so it's the best to use.  Sear the tenderloin in hot pan until the entire outside is seared and kinda crispy, but not burnt.  This only takes a few minutes.  Take casserole dish out of oven and add the tenderloin.  Bake tenderloin for 30 minutes or so.  Use your thermometer to check doneness.  Pork should be around 160 degrees in the middle.  After it's reach the proper temp, take it out and let it rest a few minutes before slicing.  Then enjoy...and you will enjoy!

White Bean Chicken Chili

I'm taking a break from baking a cake for a baby shower for tomorrow and taking a break from cooking dinner - I have kitchen fever!  Anywho, Adam has been wanting a white chicken chili for awhile now.  I didn't have a recipe on hand, so Adam finally found one online that he thought sounded good.  Man was he right!  Of course I had to alter it a bit because I can rarely follow a recipe, and it was probably the best white chicken chili I've ever had!

So here's the break down.  Here's the link to the original recipe.  But here is how we made it tonight:

Ingredients:

Canola Oil (eye balled about 2 TBSP)
1 chopped onion (medium to largish)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 can chicken broth
2 cans of Rotel tomatoes with green chilis (kills two birds with one stone!)
1/2 tsp dried Oregano (eyeballed it and then added a little more)
1/4 tsp cumin (eyeballed it)
frozen corn (I just dumped some in until I felt like it was proportionately enough)
2 lbs chicken breast (I have to feed a little growing boy and a big growing boy) I didn't cook it prior to like the other recipe
1 can Northern white beans
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 bay leaf

Directions:
Heat oil.  Add chopped onion, and chicken.  Cook a bit and then add the garlic.  When chicken looks thoroughly cooked, add Rotel tomatoes and spices.  Cook that down for a minute or two. Then add the can of broth and frozen corn.  Boil for about 10 minutes - it should reduce some.  Add can of white beans and salt and pepper to taste.  Add a bay leaf.  Cook about 5 minutes more.

Top with shredded cheddar cheese and Enjoy!  Then silently thank me for the best white bean chicken chili of your life!


So I didn't change this recipe much, but there are practical reason for the changes.  Adam did the grocery shopping for this meal.  We already had diced tomatoes, but he couldn't find green chilis so I told him to get Rotel (again, kills two birds with one stone).  I never measure in cooking so spices are just eyeballed or I throw in as much as I think looks good!  We completely ix-nayed the tomatillos because Adam couldn't find those either.  We never missed them!  We doubled the chicken because I didn't read the recipe well enough (oops), and also I have to make hearty meals for Adam or he has to eat again before bed.  If you've ever seen him eat, then you understand - he can put it away!  We used frozen corn because I generally use frozen - it's easier unless I'm grilling corn.  I also used left over frozen corn for Fried Corn (it's divine and maybe one day I will part with the family recipe  inherited know-how).  I added a bay leaf for good measure!  I've heard that a bay leaf can pep up just about any recipe!  Also the cheddar cheese on top is a MUST!  I mean, your mouth will say WOW!

Ryne even ate some of the white chicken chili and seemed to really like it until several mouths-full and the green chili's kick caught him off guard!  He cooled off with some juice and went back at it!

Give this recipe a try.  It's supposed to cool down slightly over the next few days, so it will be perfect timing!  Then tell me how much you love it, because I know you'll love it!

Fondue It Yourself

This weekend Adam and I have had some fun with fondue the past few nights! Jo Ann and Frank gave us a fondue set, and I started putting it to good use at some of my Mary Kay shows doing Fondue Fundraisers! So after getting my fondue set back from a very fondue-zealous hostess, I decided to give fondue a go at home. If you recall, Adam and I went to the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant, for our Anniversary this past year. I was really surprised that Adam liked the Melting Pot as much as he did because he used to make the comment that he didn't want to pay that much money to cook his own food, but we had fun. It is a fun and different dinning experience.
I basically wanted to experience the Big Night Out dinner at our house! So I borrowed a delicious cheese fondue recipe from my MK hostess and then found a broth recipe for cooking meat and a wonderful chocolate fondue recipe online. You can actually find websites that will tell you how to make the Melting Pot's recipes! Like I said, Adam and I have been fonduing for a few days now because I didn't realize that the recipes were for larger groups (about 4-6 people), but it has really been a bonding experience over dinner! All of the following recipes can be cut in half and still feed 2 people easily! It cost me roughly the same amount to buy all the food and supplies for 3 courses as the Big Night Out, but it serves two to three times the amount of people. My suggestion is to Fondue with Friends and have everyone bring something to cut down on the cost, or you can just eat fondue for 3 days like we are!

Cheese Fondue (Traditional Swiss Fondue)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb (8 oz) Emmenthaler cheese
1/2 lb (8 oz) Gruyere cheese
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Kirsch
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 clove garlic
nutmeg (optional)

Directions:
Shred cheese. Shake cornstarch and shredded cheese in a bag. Rub a 4 qrt sauce pot with clove of garlic. Mix wine and lemon juice in pot over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Gradually add cheese, stirring constantly in a zig zag pattern. DO NOT LET IT BOIL! Stir until creamy. Once smooth, add Kirsch and dry mustard. (Optional: add pinch of nutmeg).
Transfer to fondue pot.

Dippers:
Italian/French loaf
Granny Smith Apples
Veggies

Note: I used dry white cooking wine instead of the real deal, but feel free to use the good stuff! Also, Kirsch can be found in most liquor stores. It is a cherry flavored mixer, but used mostly for fondue making! Also, I did not use nutmeg, since I am very sensitive to the flavor!

Milk Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients:

12 oz chocolate (I used a 12 oz bag of Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate chips)
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp on brandy, rum or flavored liqueur (I used 1 Tbsp on the Kirsch from the cheese recipe!)

Directions:

Melt chocolate and whipping cream in a pot on low heat. When melted completely, add brandy, rum, liqueur or Kirsch. Mix in well and then transfer to fondue pot.

Dippers:
Strawberries
Bananas
Rice Crispy Treats
Cheesecake
Marshmallows
pound cake
Brownies

We used a Court Bouillon recipe found on Helium.com. It wasn't to die for but it wasn't bad! We may try the Coq Au Vin recipe next time.

Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Today, I hostessed a Bridal Brunch for some of the girls that I know who are getting married in the up coming months! We had a lot of fun playing in skin care and make up and the girls chatted about dresses, ceremonies, honeymoons, rings, and everything else to do with weddings. I had a lot of fun and I think they did too!
Anywho, for the Bridal Brunch, I wanted to have some food for the ladies to nibble on that would be very "brunchy," so I decided to make scones. My Aunt Holly has a great scone recipe that I've always loved - hence, Something Borrowed! She usually makes them around Thanksgiving, so she puts cranberries in them, but since cranberries are out of season, I decided to give blueberries a try - hence, Something Blue! The girls seemed to love them, and a few asked for the recipe, so I thought I would share with my blogger buddies as well! I had to change the directions a little, since I came across a few problems with the directions when I made the scones this morning. My changes are noted in blue!

Aunt Holly's Scones

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks of cold butter (I suggest using a little less)
1 cup chopped cranberries ( or blueberries!)
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cups buttermilk (I actually used just a splash more, just a splash!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together (I suggest in a mixer on low speed) flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut cold butter into chunks (add to mixer and mix on low speed to break up butter chunks to about pea-size). Fold in chopped blueberries, sugar and buttermilk and stir until well blended. Mix to loose dough.
On a floured surface, pat the dough into circles (I divided the dough into thirds and made three dough circles!). Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cut scone circles into 8 sections, like a pie. Then Enjoy!

Touchdown Chili

I made this chili for the Super Bowl! It seemed appropriate!
This is my uncle's recipe, the directions are kind of funny!

Ingredients:

Ground beef (1 lbs.)
Red Kidney Beans (1 average can)
Tomatoes, whole (1 average can)
Sweet Pepper ( 1 red or green)
Medium/Large yellow onion
sour cream (optional)
Flour
Chili powder
Oregano
Thyme
Dry Mustard
Cayenne Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper
Garlic, clove, crushed
Celery Seed
Ground Cumin or Coriander
Black Pepper
Salt
cheddar cheese (optional)

Basic Chili Mix:
Flour - 2 tablespoons
chili powder - 1 or mor tablespoons depending on how hot you like it!
oregano - 1 teaspoon
thyme - 1/4 teaspoon
cumin or coriander - 1/4 teaspoon
dry mustard - 2 teaspoons
cayenne pepper - 1/8 teaspoon
celery seed - 1/2 teaspoon
black pepper - lots
Crushed Red Pepper - sprinkle

This adds up to 4 1/2 tablespoons of mix

Directions:

You will need a big pot and a frying pan (or use just the big pot and adjust directions appropriately). Peel and chop onion and sweet pepper. Put the beans and tomatoes in the pot with the onion and sweet pepper over low heat. Put the ground beef in the frying pan over a moderate heat and stir it and separate it as it begins to fry. When it is well separated, and beginning to brown nicely, dump in 4 1/2 tablespoons of chili mix. Stir it into the grease from the meat at the bottom of the frying pan and then turn the meat so that the chili is well mixed. Add a clove of crushed garlic. Transfer the whole business into the pot with the beans and the tomatoes!!! Then put a little cold water into the bottom of the frying pan and heat it, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon. All of the bits of meat and chili stuck to the bottom of the pan will come loose and you can add this to the bean pot as well. Add salt to taste. Cook chili over low heat and keep it simmering until the onions and peppers are done and the sauce has thickened a little.

When you serve the chili, put a dollop of sour cream in each dish.

Mary Kay Consultants Holiday Party

Tonight I attended another holiday party with my adopted director here in Knoxville! We had a pot luck style dinner, where everyone contributes a dish and then we had a Dirty Santa style ornament exchange! I love Dirty Santa style gift giving! It's a game of strategy to get the gift you really want! It never fails though that I open a gift that everyone fights for, and I have been known to steal a gift just because so many others are after it, especially if I lose the gift I really want! Also, I think it is interesting to see which gifts are the most commonly saught after!
We play Dirty Santa every year at the holiday party with my girlfriends from highschool. And ever since I started in Mary Kay, there is usally some Mary Kay product as part of my gift, because that way I can give more for the designated price point since I get a discount on my products! Well, it never fails that every year that is one of the most saught after gifts (funny since a lot of my friends don't buy my products)!
However, at this party with all MK consultants and an ornament theme, I wanted to get a Mary Kay inspired ornament to see if it would be the most stolen gift! I picked an wooden orament that spelled "DREAM" in blue glitter (MK girls always go for glitter)! I thought it was a little flashy for the age group at first and wished it had been pink, since that is our company's color, but decided that an MK themed ornament would be nice. At first I was skeptical because it wasn't stolen immediately, but everyone remarked on how cute it was. Then the last person to either open the last gift or steal a gift finally stole it and then it went like crazy! I was so excited!
My dish went over well also. I had lots of compliments and some ladies went back for seconds and thirds, which always makes you feel good! I made these little cranberry - pineapple jello minis that Jo Ann made for Thanksgiving dinner, and I found the pamphlet for them at Kroger! I actually made a batch (24 cupcake sized minis) for myself last week and ate all of it by myself! They are really that good!

Cranberry-Pineapple Minis

1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, in juice
2 pkgs (the little ones) JELL-O Raspberry flavor gelatin (I used sugar free JELL-O )
1 can (16 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 apple chopped

Drain: pineapple, reserving juice. Add enough water to juice to measure 2 1/2 cups; pour into saucepan. Bring to boil. Pour over gelatin mixes in large bowl; stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved.

Stir: in pineapple, cranberry sauce, walnuts and apple. Spoon into 24 paper-lined muffin cups

Refrigerate: 2 1/2 hours or until firm

Please Be Kind, and Brine!

Last year was my very first time cooking Thanksgiving dinner, or at least the turkey! I have to admit that it was honestly the best turkey I've ever tasted! The best thing about my turkey is that it was moist. No one wants a dried out piece of turkey on their plate. The key to keeping the turkey moist is brining, which is basically a salt solution that you soak the turkey in before cooking.
I cannot find the exact recipe that we used last year, but the one below is very close, with the exception that our recipe had sugar in it as well. Instead of a pot we used a 10 gallon bucket (aka: The Turkey Bucket) for our turkey - he needs room to swim around a little! It is usually cold enough here in Tennessee that you can actually leave the brining turkey outside with the lid on the bucket to "refrigerate" it. Give brining a try - you won't regret it!



INGREDIENTS
1 cup salt
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 orange, cut into wedges
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 gallons cold water



DIRECTIONS
Rub salt onto your turkey, and place remaining salt, lemons, oranges, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and pepper into a large pot. Place the turkey in the pot, and fill with water. Refrigerate overnight. Discard brine after removing turkey.



P.S. Do not discard the lemons, oranges and onions after brining or buy more to stuff inside the turkey!
Also, I basted my turkey the ole Martha Stewart way:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 stick of melted butter
1 1/2 cups of dry white wine (I used a white cooking wine that had a touch of lemon in it)
Cheesecloth (big enough to cover turkey)

Directions:

Rub butter on turkey. Soak cheesecloth in melted butter and white wine mixture. Ring out excess into the bowl and cover turkey with cheesecloth. Save remaining mixture for basting. Bast every 30 minutes. If turkey is browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
Always cook turkey to temperature. The timing on the turkey package is a good reference as to how long it might take to cook completely, but it has to be cooked to the proper temperature, so get a meat thermometer!

UT vs UGA game day snack

Adam's cousin made this snack at the UT vs. Florida game. I loved it so much that I looked it up on the food network to find a similar recipe and found out that Paula Deen is the creative genius behind the snack. Adam and I are having friends over tomorrow for the game and so while making the snack again for tomorrow I realized this is the perfect snack for tomorrow's game because it's orange and white with a little red in it!

Here's the Pimiento Cheese Recipe from Paula Deen:

Ingredients:

• 1 (8-ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar
• 1 (8-ounce) package shredded white Cheddar
• 1 (4-ounce) jar pimientos, with juice
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Mix the shredded cheeses together with the pimientos. Stir in the mayonnaise. With a metal spoon (pimientos will stain plastic or wood), stir until the mixture is well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir again. Keep covered in the fridge until ready to use.

Serve with corn chips or bread.

P.S. I don't use as much mayonnaise because Adam hates mayonnaise. I use no more than 2 Tablespoons of mayo! Also we use the Townhouse cookies that taste buttery instead of corn chips or bread!

The Shroud of Tur-Hen!

I used this recipe at Thanksgiving, when I cooked my very first turkey, all by myself! Dad bought some Cornish game hens awhile ago and froze them so I decided to try the recipe, on a smaller scale, on my little hens! The recipe for the turkey included a brine solution that the turkey was soaked in overnight. I didn't have over night so I just used a lot of salt!

2 cornish game hens
1 lemon
1 orange
1 tablespoon diced onion
salt
pepper corns
ground pepper
garlic powder
white wine-the cooking kind
butter
cheesecloth

First clean the hens, I usually make them do the 'breaststroke' under the faucet while cleaning them! Ha! If there are any feathers left, you can burn them off when a lighter. Stuff a slice or two of lemon and orange, and about a tablespoon of diced onions, 1/8 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper corns and a dash of garlic powder into the hens.
Place hens in a baking dish. Soften a tab or two of butter and rub on hens. Cover lightly with salt and ground pepper. Cut two piece of cheesecloth, large enough to completely cover the top and sides of hens and set aside.
Melt about 1/2 stick of butter and add a generous amount of white wine. Add the juice from the rest of lemon and mix thoroughly. Dip the cheesecloth in the white win mixture and place over the hens - this makes the 'shroud'. (Thank you Martha Stewart for that tip!)
Bake at about 350 to 375 for about 1 hour 30 minutes. Bast about every 20 to 30 minutes.

The shrouded hen!

The hen with a little citrus coming out its backside!

When All Else Fails, Make A Trifle

Several days ago, I saw this wonderful recipe on The Food Network by Giada De Laurentiis called Strawberry and Mascarpone Filled Cupcakes. Originally I thought I would make it for Adam as a surprise because he LOVES strawberries! He suggested that I wait and make the recipe for Easter because we were going to have dinner with his family.
I always tweak recipes, so I decided to take the recipe for cupcakes and make it into a cake instead. Also, instead of mascarpone cheese, which is expensive and hard to find, I substituted cream cheese and a little whipping cream. The cream cheese/whipping cream substitution worked very well; however, my decision to make a layer cake instead of cupcakes was something short of a disaster. Strike that - it was a disaster! My cake literally looked like a 4 year-old decided to bake a cake!! I am no 'top chef', but I can make cakes better than that!
I was so upset about the cake, with mere hours before Easter dinner. Adam told me to take the cake anyway because no one would care about how it looked. He suggested saying that the cat made it! I really didn't have time to make another one, but I was seriously thinking about it. Finally I decided to not take the cake to dinner, so I cut a piece to eat, and it tasted like a little piece of Strawberry Heaven! I felt bad about not taking such a awesome tasting cake, so when all else fails - make a trifle!
I cut the cake up in pieces, made more strawberry filling and added cool whip to the top and Viola - a Trifle was born!
Here is the original recipe. I suggest sticking to the directions, except the mascarpone cheese!

Tomato Zucchini Medley

I made a new side dish. I have no recipe - just the ole noggin, so it is still a 'recipe in the making.'

2 14oz cans of diced tomatoes (or 1 big can)
2 medium sized zucchinis
Rosemary Leaf (generous amount)

Dice zucchinis into pieces about the size of the diced tomatoes! Add diced zucchinis, diced tomatoes and Rosemary leaves to a medium sized pot. Cook on medium to medium-high heat until the zucchini are squishy (that's a sophisticated cooking term!) and flaccid (that's the best term I could come up with so get your mind out of the gutter!) And Voila!

I will probably try it with fresh tomatoes when they are more in season and maybe add some squash or something like that! I'll keep you updated!

Sam's Salmon

I found this wonderful recipe while Adam and I were walking around Sam's Club in 2004. As a rule, I always going into Sam's Club hungry because they have such awesome samples to try, and on this particular visit it paid off well! Adam and I tried what we thought was chicken with some kind of cracker on it and it was so good that we asked the Sample Lady what it was and all the other ingredients. We were both shocked that it was salmon with ranch dressing mix and Ritz crackers on top. If you know Adam then you know that he hates white creamy foods like sour cream, mayonnaise, cream-based dips (blue cheese dip, etc.), and Ranch dressing! So after getting all the ingredients at Sam's Club I put them all together, and figured out how to cook it to perfection! I made this for the first time for Adam on Valentine's Day in 2004 and he LOVED it - ranch dressing and all!!!

Sam's Salmon

2 lbs of salmon fillets (if you get a big piece so salmon, cut it into portions)
1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix
15 Ritz crackers

Lightly grease the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish with Pam or butter. Wash the salmon fillets and lightly cover each fillet with the Ranch dressing mix ( I only put a little on Adam's because he still has a Ranch dressing phobia). Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. While the salmon is cooking, put the 15 Ritz crackers in a ziploc bag and crush into small pieces. After salmon has cooked about 15 minutes, pull it out and top each fillet generously with Ritz cracker pieces. Put dish back in oven for about 20 to 25 more minutes. The salmon should 'flake' when it is throughly cooked!

This is a simple, easy recipe that I hope you all will love!

Baked Parmesan Chicken

This one of my favorite recipes out of the my church's cookbook, Bethel Always!

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 pounds boneless-skinless chicken

Mix bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Melt butter in microwave. Coat chicken first in butter and then in crumb mixture. Return chicken to remaining butter in pan, top with the rest of the crumb mixture, sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, uncovered until tender. Baste chicken a time or two during baking. Cover with foil if coating starts to brown too much before chicken is tender.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

This is truly my own creation, but I'm sure there are other recipes out there just like it! After watching the "Pasta Man" in Presidential Cafe on UT's campus make different pasta dishes for me everyday, I decided to honor him and his wonderful pasta-making skills with my own pasta creation!

Ingredients (nota bene: the main ingredients stay the same but I add something new every time!)

1 lb mild sausage
1 medium yellow onion
1 lb shrimp
12 oz box of bow tie pasta
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (more or less depending on how hot you want it)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 16 oz cans of diced tomatoes
salt
pepper

Dice medium onion. Add to large frying pan. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the sausage (n.b. you do not need oil in the pain because the sausage has plenty of grease). Cook until sausage is browned and onions are clear. Start bowling water for bow tie pasta by following directions on the box. Add salt to water to hasten boiling time! Add crushed red pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, and diced tomatoes. Let that simmer while you boil the bow tie pasta for about 8 or 9 minutes. The pasta does not need to be completely done.
After pasta is done, drain the water, and add the shrimp and tomato-sausage mixture to the pasta. Mix periodically. Let that simmer until the shrimp are pink and pasta is done.
Then Enjoy!

I'm Gonna Make You a Recipe You Can't Refuse!

I take after my father when it comes to cooking- throw stuff in a pot that taste good and see what happens! No recipes. No measurements. Dad and I do borrow recipes from other chefs sometimes, but we ALWAYS change something. We are sooo critical of the food we make! I like making quick and easy recipes when I don't have a lot of time.

So here is "The Godfather".

1 lbs of chicken tenders
1 packet of dry Alfredo sauce mix
milk
butter
garlic powder
1 or 2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese
flour
salt & pepper
olive oil
oregano


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Get a large frying pan and add olive oil (this is the South, so I know you know how to fry chicken). Trim the excess fat of the chicken. Combine salt, pepper,a little garlic powder (all to taste) and flour in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Put chicken in the Ziploc and shake! When the chicken is completely coated add to frying pan. Make sure the olive oil is pretty hot (set on medium heat) - otherwise the oil will soak into the chicken and make it oily/greasy. Fry chicken until golden brown. The chicken doesn't necessarily have to be completely done because you will bake it afterwards. Cut into bite-size pieces!

Make Alfredo sauce according to directions on the packet -usually it includes milk and butter with the dry ingredients.

Combine chicken, Alfredo sauce, can of diced tomatoes and oregano (we LOVE oregano) in a deep casserole dish! Mix well! Also you can add more salt and pepper to taste and even some basil, if you are feeling adventurous.

Cover dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. Take out of oven and completely cover the top with mozzarella cheese. Put back in oven for about 5 minutes or so. I like the cheese to be a little crispy along the edges of the dish, but not burnt!

This recipe makes enough for about 4 people to enjoy!

I never make this recipe the same way twice, so if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Also, I have no pictures to post because my husband is a BIG eater!
And feel free to to whistle "The Godfather" music!