Basil Pesto Chicken

After taking December off, I am happy to share this month's Secret Recipe Club post with you.  For those of you who don't know Secret Recipe Club works like this, you're assigned a blog, you choose a recipe and keep it a secret till reveal day.

For the month of January, I was assigned The Bitchin' Kitchin'.  My favorite part of SRC is browsing the blogs and trying to decide what recipe to choose.  It's never an easy decision but I have vowed to try to always make a savory recipe since I never have ANY trouble finding new sweet recipes.  We love all things basil at our house.  During the summer, it is plentiful!  We harvest springs for caprese salad, make mojitos or use in recipes.  As the weather cools and we say goodbye to our basil plants, I often pick up a jar of Kirkland's pesto at Costco.  It's every bit as good as homemade and easy to use in recipes.

When I saw Ellie's recipe for Basil Pesto Chicken, I decided it would be a wonderful reminder of summer, despite the snow covered ground.  This is a tasty chicken dish!  Easy to prepare and healthy for you too!

Basil Pesto Chicken

Recipe Courtesy of The Bitchin Kitchin slightly adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

makes ~4 servings

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (~1 lb chicken)
• Salt, fresh ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper for seasoning chicken
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup basil pesto
• 1/2 - 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Trim the chicken so any visible fat and tendons are removed.  Cut the chicken breasts lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces, depending on how thick or thin you would like them.

3) Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper as desired.  Don't use too much salt, as cheese will be added later on to the chicken.

4) Spray a 9" x 12" (or 8.5" X 12.5") baking dish with non-stick spray, then spread 1/4 cup basil pesto over the bottom of the dish.

5) Lay the chicken strips over the pesto, then spread the remaining 1/4 cup basil pesto over the chicken.

6) Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake the chicken for 15-20 minutes, or just until chicken is barely firm and cooked through. (Don't cook too much at this point, or the chicken will be overcooked by the time the cheese is melted and browned.)

7) When the chicken is barely cooked through, remove the foil and sprinkle the chicken with the grated mozzarella cheese. Put dish back into the oven without foil and cook 5 minutes more, just until the cheese is melted.  Serve hot.

I am linking this to Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday!

A Little R & R

Tim and I along with our best friends Larry and Karen are enjoying a week of fun and sun in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.

No Knead Bread

Have you tried No Knead Bread? I've been eyeing the No Knead Bread recipes for a year or more. Finally, for Christmas Day, I gave one a try. It's so easy, too easy really! You mix the flour, yeast and water and let it sit for 12 - 18 hours. Mine was on the counter for closer to 20 hours. When I first checked the dough, after about 10 hours, it didn't appear to have done anything. I used a pretty large bowl, so I think I just couldn't tell. Also, it was a little chilly in my kitchen so I think that may have had something to do with it as well.

This makes a delicious, crusty bread.  I can't wait to try making it and adding rosemary!!  Wonder if my rosemary is still good under the snow cover?  Have you tried No Knead bread?

No Knead Crusty Bread

Recipe Courtesy of Simply So Good

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours.  Overnight works great.  Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.  Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.  Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.  

I am linking this to On the Menu Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.

Wildlife At It's Finest

Tim took this picture of these beautiful creatures above the river, just across from our house. I love living in the country!

Happy New Year!!!

As we say goodbye to 2012 and welcome in 2013, I am reminded of what a great year 2012 was.  With the exception of the passing of my step mother, 2012 was full of happy times!!

As far as my corner of the blogging world, Little Bit of Everything, this year I posted less than any year since I began my blog in 2009.  Interestingly enough, though, my readership was the largest it's ever been.  Thanks to all of you who read my blog, leave me comments and have become my blogging friends, you all make blogging fun!

I've never done a post on the top recipes of the year before.  Curious to see what my top five recipes were, I am sharing them with you today.

Happy New Year everyone!  Here's to health, happiness and good food in 2013.  Cheers!!!

5.  Hotel Cookies - These are the best cookies!

4.  Candy Cane Kiss Cookies - A fun take on the traditional holiday thumbprints!

3.  Baked Chicken with Herbs - A beautiful and delicious dinner party dish!!!

2.  Cake Batter Muddy Buddies - Cake batter flavor, need I say more?  Addictive!!!

1.  Pastisio - A hearty and savory pasta dish!!

I am linking this post to Finding Joy in My Kitchen's favorites of 2012 and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday!

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Whenever we have roast chicken, I freeze the leftover chicken.  It's perfect for soup, enchiladas or other casseroles.  I find chicken cooked in the crockpot tends to dry out but using already cooked chicken in a soup or casserole works perfectly.  This recipe would also be great made with leftover turkey!

Crock  Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 package frozen corn (about 14 oz)
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• corn tortillas
• cooking spray

Directions:

1.     Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, black beans, onion, green chiles, corn and garlic into your crock pot. Pour in chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.

2.     When fully cooked, pull chicken out and shred. Place back inside crock pot. 

3.     Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray both sides of tortillas with cooking spray. Cut tortillas into strips using a pizza cutter, then spread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle some Lawry's seasoning salt or just plain salt and pepper if desired.

4.     Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve soup, top with cheese, avocado, green onions or any other add-in you like and then sprinkle tortilla strips on top.

 I am linking this to On the Menu Monday,  Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.

The Best Roast and Gravy EVER!!!

 Check out my giveaway for a digital magazine subscription here!

I love my Crock Pot, especially this time of year.  Dinner is ready when I come home from work, leaving plenty of time for baking or present wrapping!  Pinterest has become my new vehicle for storing the recipes I want to try!  Sometimes the challenge with Pinterest is to find the link to the original post, which makes it hard for a blogger to credit that source.  I am going to link to my original pin which was from a site called Repinly!

Crock Pot's were made for cuts of meat like roasts.  I almost always cook mine in the slow cooker.  Traditionally, I use an envelope of onion soup and some beef broth or water.  After cooking all day, the roasts are always tender and delicious.  Curious about this recipe, I decided to give it a try.  I am not a Dr. Pepper fan but have made other recipes using soda.  The original poster said this was the best roast and gravy ever and they were so right.  Usually I can take or leave beef gravy.  With this recipe, however, I could have just eaten the gravy by the spoonful. 

Dr Pepper Roast

1 beef chuck roast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 package onion soup mix
2 cups Dr. Pepper

Cook on low in a slow cooker 6 - 8 hours and you'll have the best roast and gravy you have ever had. 

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday!