Italian Chicken Fingers

Of all the recipes I have tried I have never made chicken fingers. Mine usually come from the freezer but I may have to give this easy Betty Crocker recipe a shot. Once you get the hang of it you could probably even change up the recipe a little for different flavors.

Italian Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

1 package (14 oz) uncooked chicken breast tenders (not breaded)

1 egg, beaten

1 1/4 cups Original Bisquick mix

1 teaspoons Italian seasoning

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1 cup tomato pasta sauce, heated

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray 15x10x1 inch pan with cooking spray. In medium bowl, toss chicken and egg. In resealable food storage plastic bag, place Bisquick mix and Italian seasoning; seal bag and shake to mix. Add chicken; seal bag and shake to coat chicken with Bisquick mixture. Place chicken in single layer in pan. Drizzle with butter. Bake uncovered 14 to 16 minutes, turning chicken after 6 minutes, until chicken is brown and crisp on the outside and no longer pink in center. Serve with pasta sauce for dipping.

White Hot Chocolate Mix

If you are looking for an easy last minute gift idea you should try making your own mixes in a jar. The website is listed on right side under resources. You can create mixes for beverages, deserts, soups, dips, and more.

White Hot Chocolate Mix

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vanilla powder

1 teaspoon dried orange peel

1/2 cup grated white chocolate or white chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine and blend the ingredients in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.

Attach To Jar:

White Hot Chocolate

Serves 2

1 and 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup White Hot Chocolate Mix

In a small saucepan, heat the milk until bubbles form around the outside. Add the White Hot Chocolate Mix and whisk until the chocolate is melted. Continue to whisk until the mixture is hot.

Fettuccine Alfredo

We all know Betty Crocker can bake but many people don't know about the fast and easy meal ideas. How about classic fettuccine alfredo in less than thirty minutes? It sounds great by itself or along with chicken and peas.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

8 oz uncooked fettuccine

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black or white pepper

chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Cook fettuccine as directed on package. While fettuccine is cooking, in 2-quart saucepan, heat butter and whipping cream over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Drain fettuccine; return to pot. Pour sauce over warm fettuccine; stir until fettuccine is well coated. Sprinkle with parsley.

Gingerbread Boys and Girls

This is the recipe I used tonight to make these cookies with Sarabeth (it is from Paula Deen's Christmas Cookbook Favorites.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup molasses
3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
2 large eggs
1 stick butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the sugar and butter until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and molasses and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine with a spoon or spatula.

Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap; place in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, until pliable. Take about 1/2 cup of dough at a time and roll onto a floured board until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out with gingerbread boy and girl cookie cutters. You can reroll the scraps. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies from the board to the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, until just beginning to brown at the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool. To make the icing, combine the confectioners’ sugar and milk. Divide the mixture into thirds; leave one-third white, and color one-third green and the final third red. Decorate piping eyes, mouths, buttons, and bow ties. Servings: 18 to 24 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutters
Prep Time: 1 hour 50 min
Cook Time: 10 min

Cinnamon-Spiced Hot Chocolate Cookies

I got this recipe from Food Network's 12 Days of Cookies and I can not wait to try it. I usually do not consider myself much of a baker but the holiday season has a way of putting everyone in a baking mood. How can you not love a chocolate cookie with a pinch of cayenne pepper?

Cinnamon-Spiced Hot Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Mexican cocoa powder (substitute by adding 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon to unsweetened cocoa powder)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoons sweet butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons margarine
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Generous pinch of ground black pepper
Generous pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white
1/2 cup dulce de leche, optional
1/4 cup almonds, finely chopped, optional

Directions:
Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix thoroughly with a whisk ans set aside. Combine the sugars in a small bowl and mix well with your fingers pressing out any lumps. (Combine in a food processor if lumps are stubborn.) In a medium mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the butter and margarine until creamy. Add sugar mixture, cinnamon, peppers, and vanilla. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute. Beat in the egg white and until the mixture is smooth. Stop the mixer. Add the flour mixture, beating on the lowest speed, just until incorporated. Gather the dough together with your hands and form it into a neat log, 9 to 10 inches long by 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Fold or twist ends of the paper without pinching or flattening the log. Refrigerate at least 45 minutes, or until needed. Put the oven racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Use a sharp knife to slice rounds of chilled dough, a scant 1/4 inch thick. Arrange the cookies, 1 inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Bake 12 to 14 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through. Cookies will puff and crackle on top, and then begin to settle down slightly when done. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing or stacking. Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 2 months. To spice things up, after the cookies are basked, let them cool on a wire rack, drizzle with dulce de leche and sprinkle chopped almonds on top.

Crunch Top Spice Cake

If you haven't tried one of Leigh Ehrhardt's recipes you definitely need to! Here is another scrumptious recipe she sent me.

Crunch Top Spice Cake

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter or margarine melted

15 oz can solid pack pumpkin

1 box (18 1/4 oz) spice cake mix

1 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, divided

1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

Combine eggs, butter, and pumpkin. Add cake mix and beat at medium speed of electric mixer for two minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup of the walnuts. Pour into a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with butterscotch chips and remaining walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 - 40 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.