Chicken with Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce

This is a recipe I found on Pinterest. Some recipes on Pinterest can say "BEST RECIPE EVER" and then be nasty, but this one passed the test and was really good! It was also fairly easy, quick, and did not make a huge mess. Hope you enjoy!

Look how pretty it is!

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs with bone and skin

salt and pepper to season

3 Tbs butter, divided

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 pieces of chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides for 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining 4 pieces of chicken. Set cooked chicken in a 9x13 oven-proof casserole pan; set aside.
• Melt remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes; stirring frequently.
• Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, thyme, and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
• Pour sauce over chicken and place casserole pan in oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
• Garnish with fresh basil and serve with rice or pasta.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Last night Christian texted me "So how difficult would it be for you to make a banana bread?" I replied with "Right now?" He texted back a few minutes later saying "For tomorrow- we are doing a breakfast potluck thing and several people asked if you could make it." I had made this recipe for the first time a few months ago for my husband and he loved it! He took some to work with him and his coworkers were asking for a bite. Shortly after, he asked me to make one for his coworkers, and they ate it up within minutes. So this morning I got up REALLY EARLY (8:15am) and made two loaves of this delicious, unhealthy bread.

The ingredients. I had already peeled the bananas.

Two batches.

Before baking.

Freshly baked.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

4 Tbs milk

3 ripe bananas

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Crisco or butter

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In a large bowl, cream vanilla, sugar, and butter. Add egg, and milk and beat until mixed. Slowly add in sifted ingredients. Once combined, and bananas and mix until bananas are well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. 
• Spread Crisco or butter in a 9x5" loaf pan and fill pan with batter.
• Bake for 65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Serves: 8 (one loaf)

Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Susie's Sizzling Salsa

Today I made one of my favorite things ever- salsa! Mexican food is my favorite cuisine and I love to cook it as well. I made my aunt's salsa recipe which is the best salsa I have ever had. She taught me how to make it when I was probably around 10 years old. I loved riding my bike to her house and doing crafty things with her. Here are a few photos of the ingredients and process. The recipe is at the bottom.

6 basic ingredients.

All added together in the blender.

The finished product.

My favorite chips for dipping.

My first cookbook and original recipe I copied by hand.

Ingredients:

6-8 ripe roma tomatoes with ends cut off

1-2 jalapeños with seeds and ribs removed

2-3 garlic cloves, peeled

1/3 vidalia or sweet onion, peeled  

1/2 bunch or about a cup of fresh cilantro with stems trimmed

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Slice tomatoes in half and cute onion into slices. Mince garlic or cut into fine pieces with knife. Add all ingredients to blender and mince until desired consistency. Serve immediately with chips or store in refrigerator for later.

Serves: 6-8

Total time: 15 minutes