The Porter Method

Last night I mixed up this recipe for stuffed chicken breasts. This is a recipe that was submitted to the allrecipes.com site by Maria Fontana. It was fabulous and extremely easy to make. It did result in lots of left over stuffing though, so tonight I made some manicotti with the leftover cheese stuffing. I served these chicken breasts with some penne pasta, brussels sprouts and a side salad.

Maria’s Stuffed Chicken Breasts

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 1 (15 ounce) container Ricotta cheese
* 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
* 1 clove minced garlic
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place chicken breasts between pieces of plastic wrap and pound until uniform and flat
3. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In medium bowl, combine Ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic, eggs and 6 ounces of the mozzarella cheese.
5. Mix well and stuff chicken breasts (I did this by adding the stuffing to the top of the breast, folding the breast in half and then securing with toothpicks)
6. Place breasts into 9×13 lightly greased baking dish.
7. Pour spaghetti sauce over breasts and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear
9. Remove toothpicks before serving (the chicken will retain its shape after cooking)

Yield: 4 servings

A nice little recipe that I fixed up for the GF the other weekend. It was greatly enjoyed by both of us and very easy to make. I served it with a side of sweet potatoes and lima beans.

Baked Boneless Pork Chops In Mushroom Sauce

* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons paprika
* 1.5 teaspoons salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 2 lbs. boneless pork chops
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 minced small onion
* 1 cup minced green pepper
* 1.5 cups diced mushrooms
* 2 cups milk
* juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Mix 1/4 cup flour, paprika, salt, and pepper together in bowl
2. Dredge pork chops lightly in mixture
3. Brown pork chops on both sides in a skillet with butter
4. Transfer to shallow baking dish
6. Add onions, green peppers, and mushrooms to skillet and sauté until onion is soft and golden
7. Stir remaining 1/4 cups flour into skillet along with milk
8. Stir constantly cooking until sauce is smooth and thickened
9. Stir in lemon juice and pour sauce over pork chops in baking dish
10. Bake uncovered in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour

Yield: 4-6 servings

Happy Valentine’s Day. Tonight I tried this recipe out on Casey (since she is a feta fanatic), and it turned out to be quite tasty. So, I thought I would share it with my adoring public.

Chicken Breasts with Feta Cheese Sauce

* Vegetable cooking spray
* 6 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
* 1 tablespoon margarine
* 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
* 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated skimmed milk
* 1 tablespoon freeze-dried chives
* 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot.
2. Add chicken, and cook 7 minutes on each side or until done then set aside, and keep warm.
3. Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat.
4. Add flour to margarine and gradually add evaporated milk to flour mixture while stirring constantly with a wire whisk.
5. Stir in chives and cook 1 minute.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 3 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.
7. Add feta cheese, and stir until cheese melts.
8. Spoon cheese sauce over chicken and serve.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 1/4 cup sauce).

A longtime favorite at the Porter family Thanksgiving dinners. This dressing is a wonderful holiday treat. I highly recommend it. The recipe can also be doubled if you need more than 16 servings.

Hot Crockpot Dressing

* 8-inch pan corn bread (6 cups)
* 8 slices of day-old bread (you can also use toasted bread)
* 4 eggs
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1/2 cup celery, chopped
* 1 1/2 tablespoons Sage
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 2 cans cream of chicken soup
* 2 cans chicken broth
* 1 stick margarine

Directions

1. Crumble cornbread and white bread.
2. Add all other ingredients except margarine.
3. Spray crockpot with Pam
4. Pour dressing into crockpot
5. Dot with margarine
6. Cover and cook on high for 2 - 2 1/2 hours or on low for 4 hours.

16 servings.

Awhile back I found a great recipe for a hot 7 layer dip that I’ll post here for posterity. It disappears very quickly at work (which doesn’t actually indicate it is good, since those guys will eat anything), but everyone raves about it when I bring it in.

Hot 7 Layer Dip

* 1 (16 oz.) can Refried Beans
* 1 (15.5 oz.) can Black Beans, drained
* 1 (1.25 oz.) package Taco Seasoning Mix
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1 cup Salsa
* 1 (4 oz.) can Diced Green Chiles
* 2 to 3 tablespoons Diced Jalepeños
* 1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
* 2 large green onions, sliced
* 1 package tortilla chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Combine refried beans, black beans, and seasoning mix in medium bowl. Spread bean mixture in ungreased 8-inch-square baking dish
3. Spread sour cream over bean mixture. Top with salsa, chiles, jalapeños, and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil
4. Bake for 20 minutes at 375° F. Remove aluminum foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the dip is bubbly. Garnish with green onions. Serve with chips.

Makes 10 servings.

The GF, Casey, asked me to make her some of my famous Chicken Tortilla Soup passed down from generation to generation in my family over the years. So first I had to find the recipe (which really came in the newsletter that comes with my power bill, not from Grandma’s kitchen).

I always have a bit of a problem tracking down the recipe, so I thought I would post it here so I can find it later. The recipe is posted on the Alabama Power website here, but the details are as follows.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

* 4 cups fat-free chicken broth
* 4 cups water
* 3 boneless chicken breasts
* 1 can 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup
* 1 can Rotel tomatoes
* 1 cup skim milk
* 12 oz. Velveeta Light cheese
* 1/4 cup sauteed onions
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 3 low-fat flour tortillas, torn into small pieces

Directions
Boil chicken in water and broth until tender. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and return to boil. Add remaining ingredients, except tortillas. Boil 10 minutes and then add tortillas. Boil until tortillas are soft - about 10-15 minutes, stirring often to keep from sticking.

Now I don’t add the tortillas anymore because they get very soggy (kind of like a dumpling), but you may like them. Also go easy on the chili powder because that stuff packs a pretty good kick, and this recipe already turns out quite spicy. It is also good with turkey substituted for the chicken in case that is more your style.