Chicken Kiev

     If you are wanting to impress your guests or impress your significant other, chicken kiev is definitely something you should try. I didn't cook this to impress Michael, because he already knows I'm an amazing cook. (; I did want to try something different and extremely tasty; this is what i came up with! I'm sure the rest of you are with me when I say this: "Where is spring?!" The Saturday before the first day of spring was BEA-U-TI-FUL! Ever since then, it's been frigid; anyone want to explain this? I'll sit here and ponder this as I sip on my warm and tasty coffee.

Here you go!

Chicken Kiev

Yield: 2 servings

1 1/2 tbsp. butter, unsalted, softened

1 tsp. parsley, dried

1/4 tsp. basil, dried

1/4 tsp. rosemary, dried, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried onion flakes

1 sleeve saltines, crushed

2 (6 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4" thick

1/2 c. flour

Preheat oven to 425D.

Spray 8"x8" baking dish with cooking spray.

In a small dish, combine the parsley, basil, rosemary, garlic powder, and dried onion with the softened butter.

 

Reshape into a rectangle and form with cling wrap. Allow to chill in refrigerator until hardened.

Meanwhile, pound two chicken breasts out to 1/4" thickness.

Once the butter has chilled, slice in half and put in center of pounded chicken breast. Fold in the edges and begin to roll the chicken and secure with a toothpick. Next, carefully roll the breast in flour, then egg, then crushed crackers and place in prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, turn and bake 10 minutes more. Remove toothpicks and enjoy!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 2
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 314.0

• Total Fat: 12.7 g
• Cholesterol: 213.8 mg
• Sodium: 412.6 mg
• Total Carbs: 11.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
• Protein: 39.2 g

Creamy Holiday Potatoes

Around Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only two times in a year that I will forgive myself for all the unhealthy foods I've eaten. Throughout the year, I make my mashed potatoes using skim milk and very little butter or other fats. These mashed potatoes are rich, indulgent, and delicious, however fattening it may be, and I will ONLY make it around the holidays! Make sure you have a potato masher because if you use a handheld mixer it will overwork the starch and will make your creamy mashed potatoes turn into gummy mashed potatoes- not palatable.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Yields: 3-4 servings


1½ pounds Idaho potatoes, cubed
5½ tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature
2½ ounces cream cheese, cubed, room temperature
2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
½ tsp. Lawry's seasoning (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Once boiling, place potatoes in the water and cook until fork tender. Depending on the size you cut the potatoes, they may take anywhere from 20-45 minutes; mine took about 25 minutes. Once cooked, drain in a colander and put the potatoes back in the hot pot and over a very low heat. Putting the potatoes back into the same pot over a low heat allows for excess water to evaporate. I found that cubing the butter and cream cheese before bringing them to room temperature will allow quicker meting, but cubing is not necessary. Once melted, add in the heavy whipping cream. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust your seasoning. If you choose to add the Lawry's seasoning, go a little lighter on salt.

Enjoy!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 380.7

• Total Fat: 25.6 g
• Cholesterol: 75.0 mg
• Sodium: 92.1 mg
• Total Carbs: 34.6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5.1 g
• Protein: 5.3 g

Pasta problems.

     For lunch, sometimes I don't eat meat. Instead, I'll get my protein in other ways (peanut butter, yogurt, etc.). I decided on making some pasta! I am okay with eating any kind of pasta with a tomato or meat sauce ANYTIME! I was already about 4 minutes into the process of boiling the rotini when I grabbed my jarred (shh!) spaghetti sauce from the refrigerator. That's when my lunch idea took a turn for the worst.
     The spaghetti sauce was bad! I had a mini panic attack as I tried to figure out what to do next. Olive oil and garlic? No, I have that pretty often. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar? I was out of tomatoes and really prefer the tomatoes with the vinegar and oil. What do I do?! I opened the refrigerator and saw butter and parmesan cheese- gulp. I know that isn't the smartest meal option, but it was a quick fix for my pasta predicament! It was so good, that I decided to make it the next day for Michael and I for dinner, but I added meat! As always, you're the boss of your recipes, so feel free to change up the pasta, type of cheese, etc. This was fabulous!

Garlic Butter Chicken Rotini
Yields: 3-4 servings

2 8oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups uncooked rotini, cooked and drained
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, cook rotini in well-salted water. Drain and set aside. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil and brown/cook chicken. Set aside in a bowl. In a skillet that has not been heated, add 2 tbsp. olive oil and minced garlic. Heat the two together over low heat and stir frequently. This will infuse the olive oil with the flavor of the garlic. Be careful not to burn any of the pieces of garlic as they will become bitter. Remove from heat and place butter in pan. Swirl the pan to encourage melting. Once the butter is melted, add parmesan cheese and gently stir until melted. In large pot, add rotini, chicken breast, and parmesan mixture. Stir well to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.