.balsamic glazed chicken with acorn squash.

The recipe all started with me discovering an acorn squash at the store. I thought it was so cute so I decided to buy it. I had no idea what I was going to do with it until I was looking through the cookbooks we got for our wedding and stumbled upon this recipe. It was super delicious. My only complaint was that the acorn squash was really difficult to cut. It was so firm I thought I as going to cut myself for sure, so I did not use the full amount in my recipe because I gave up on cutting the squash after about 5 mins. Good luck and enjoy!



Ingredients
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces (I used green because it was what I had)
1 acorn squash, peeled, halved, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Cheese of choice (optional- I add cheese to everything but the recipe does not call for it)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Transfer mixture to a large, oven-proof skillet (or shallow baking dish) that has been coated with non-stick spray.
Bake, uncovered, 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and squash is tender. (If adding cheese do so for last 10 minutes of cooking)

.portobello pizzas.

I discovered this recipe on rachaelray.com. I love pizza and portobello mushrooms so for me this is the best recipe EVER. I posted her original recipe with makes 6 mushroom pizzas. I usually just make 4 mushrooms and throw the leftover meat over salad. (pictured) I made this for my mom's birthday with chicken sausage from Trader Joe's and it was even better than the sweet italian. Enjoy!



Ingredients
6 large portobello mushroom tops, stems removed and gills scraped
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for liberal drizzling plus 1 tablespoon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound Italian sweet sausage
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup basil leaves, shredded or torn
1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano

Preparation
Pre-heat broiler.
Dress the mushroom caps with liberal drizzle of EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Broil the portobello mushrooms 5 minutes on each side until tender.
While caps are broiling heat 1 tablespoon EVOO in a skillet over medium high heat, add sausage and brown and crumble the meat, then add tomatoes to skillet and cook another few minutes until they burst. Add cream to skillet and reduce 2-3 minutes more. Remove the sausage from heat and fold in basil. Fill mushroom caps and top with cheese, place under broiler to brown 2-3 minutes then quarter caps and serve.

.chicken & dumplings.

This recipe was given to me a couple years ago by my friend Alisha. I know the picture looks wierd but it really is delicious and super simple. Enjoy!



Ingredients
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon butter
2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 (10 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough (i prefer flaky layers)
pepper to taste or any other seasoning you prefer

Preparation
Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 45 minutes before serving, place the biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

.twice baked mashed potatoes.

This amazing recipe was given to me by my mother-in-law. The original recipe was done with the potatoes carefully put back into the skins. I do not have the skill or patience to do this so I added my own twist and just mashed it all together, skins and all. Definitely a crowd pleaser and one thanksgiving leftover I can never get enough of. Enjoy!



Ingredients
4 to 12 potatoes
1 pint cottage cheese with chives
1 stick of margarine or butter
1/2 cup mayo
parmesan
parsley flakes

Preparation
Put potatoes, washed and pierced with a fork, in oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Take out and let cool. Mash up potatoes with skins. Add cottage cheese, margarine and mayo to potato mixture, and mix well. (if you want it to be really smooth mix with beater) Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese on top. Bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley flakes on top. Enjoy!