Chicken Parmesan

5-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 block grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 jar marinara sauce

Lay the thawed chicken out in a 9x13 pan.  Cover with grated mozzarella then tomato sauce.  Sprinkle grated Parmesan over the top.  Bake at 375 for 30 to 40 minutes.

From whence it came:  A wonderful gal named Rowena gets the credit for this recipe.  And she deserves a lot of credit, because it's so so good!  Rowena served this recipe at her daughter's wedding reception a year or so ago and we all just loved it.  Because Rowena is so generous, she shared it with us and now I'm sharing it with you.  Thanks for the super simple and super yum-e recipe, Rowena!

Why it's blogable:  When an entire gang of wedding guests is in love with a recipe, it's certainly blogable.  And, look how super simple this recipe is, and it's pretty healthy, too!  What's not to love?  It's truly love at first bite.  I promise!

A few tips from Janice:  Because Rowena was very busy fulfilling her role as mother of the bride on that special day, she had our great friend and super amazing cook, Janice, prepare and bake the chicken for her.  Here are a few tips in Janice's words:  "Rowena gave me boneless chicken breast halves which I skinned and cut into thirds. There was enough mozzarella to completely cover the chicken in the pan. The tomato sauce was Marinara sauce and the Parmesan was fresh. The ingredients she gave me filled two half sheet pans. I had 15 lbs of frozen boneless chicken breasts, 2 big blocks of mozzarella, four jars of organic Marinara sauce, and a sandwich size baggie full of the freshly grated Parmesan (her kids took care of that part). I cooked it about 50 minutes because I had so much of it in the oven. It was about 30 minutes from my oven to the reception table which I think helped "set" everything."

Click here to get the printable:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/34086750/Parmesan-Chicken

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Quick Italian Soup

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package Lasagna Hamburger Helper
5 cups hot water
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 oz. can whole kernel corn, undrained, or 1 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 small zucchini, chopped

Cook beef and onion in large pot until beef is browned, drain.

Stir in hot water, sauce mix, tomatoes, corn and cheese. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in uncooked pasta and zucchini. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer. Sprinkle each serving with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

From whence it came: This recipe was given to me by another really great friend, Shannon Hall. Not only did Shannon give this soup to me, she has made this soup for me! The day after my dad died, after a very long day of making burial arrangements, I came home to a delicious, hot dinner made by my amazing friends, Shannon and Kerinda. Now, every time I make this soup, I think of them, and how they were there for me during a very difficult time. Shannon is what I call a true cook. She cooks almost every single night of the week. But more importantly, she shares my love for Tim McGraw (although I love him more and I am his biggest fan, she is his second). We attended his concert together a couple of summers ago and much to our surprise and delight, he filmed a video that night and we ended up being the stars. I'm not kidding! You go ahead and watch his video Suspicion and you will see Shannon's wrist and half of my forehead. Stars I tell you, stars! Shannon is a giving person, and I'm so happy she gave me this recipe!

Why it's blogable: This soup is really yum-e! Now you might stick your nose up at Hamburger Helper, and to tell you the truth, I only buy it for this recipe, but trust me on this one. It makes a great base for this soup. And when the soup is done, just hide the box in the bottom of the trashcan and I promise you that no one will ever know you used the mix. Don't be a snob, give it a try!

If you want to: You can add more veggies if you'd like. Yellow squash looks really pretty in this, too, and tastes great! You can also top it with a little bit of mozzarella cheese if you're in the mood for stringy goodness! Serve it with a salad and warm French bread and your family will smile!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Yummiest Chicken Ever

1 c. Italian bread crumbs
1 c. Parmesan cheese
1 package dry Italian salad dressing mix

Mix all three dry ingredients together

Melt 1/2 c. butter

Dip six chicken breasts in butter then roll in dry mixture. Place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle remaining breadcrumb mixture over chicken. Bake at 35o degrees for 1 hour.

From whence it came: This is my very own recipe. Yep, I made this one up myself, and just let me tell you that I am pretty stinkin' proud of me. It's the only recipe I've really every created. Darn, I have such a guilty conscience, I have to confess something now or I won't be able to sleep tonight. Janice Luncford (you might remember me mentioning her in my original post as one of the very best cooks I know) well, Janice gave me a really great recipe called Chicken Pesto that was a bit complicated and a bit more expensive to make. It was so good, but I wanted to find a way to simplify it, so I took some of the ideas from her recipe and made my own. So Janice does get a tiny shout out on this one.

Why it's blogable: Because it's just what the title says, the yummiest chicken ever. My kids love it! And people, any recipe that has five ingredients and takes five minutes to put together is a good thing.

A tip for ya: I really like to make it with chicken tenders rather than whole breasts. It cooks faster, and you get more breading in each bite. I'm a big fan of chicken tenders!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!