Bruschetta Chicken

We love Bruschetta! It's so fresh and flavorful and even better when you have home-grown tomatoes. I have seen recipes for topping chicken with the tomato topping and even ordered it before in a restaurant, but hadn't attempted it at home until now. All I can say is WOW! You have to try this one!

What you will need:

Grilled chicken Breast 

Chicken Breast or breast tenders, boneless, how ever many you need
Zesty Italian salad dressing, enough to really soak the chicken
Minced garlic, optional
ground black pepper, optional
I think the garlic and black pepper just give this recipe a little something extra for the taste buds!

Make a marinade with dressing, garlic and ground black pepper, place chicken breast in marinade and turn to coat both sides. Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes...more if you have time.

While chicken marinates, make the topping.


Bruschetta topping:
2 cups diced tomaotes, romas work well
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 dashes balsamic vinegar
12-16 whole basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all Bruschetta ingredients, taste to ensure you have enough salt and pepper. I like to let it sit in the refrigerator for up to an hour or so to really develop the flavors, but if you don't have time, it will still taste wonderful.

Heat grill to medium-high and grill chicken about 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness (more if it's thicker, less if it's thin-cut).

Serve grilled chicken with bruschetta topping and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese.

This is so fresh and wonderful, I just can't get enough of it!

PW's Meatloaf

This is a real man-pleaser. I mean, just look at it...and anything wrapped in bacon makes my guys look forward to dinner! My dad, who is 70, says it's the best meatloaf he has ever eaten. And he isn't biased one bit by his only daughter's cooking. :)
It's another Pioneer Woman recipe. Yes, I check out her site almost daily, and if I didn't have to worry about gaining weight, I would cook even more of her recipe. And please, go look at her photos...so much more appetizing than mine.

Here's what you need to make this delish dish:

1 cup milk
6 slices white bread
2 lbs ground chuck
1 heaping cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
3/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, minced
4 eggs, beaten
10 slices bacon, thin or regular sliced
Sauce:
1 1/2  cups ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Heat oven to 350*

Pour milk over bread in large bowl and allow to soak for several minutes.

To the bread mixture, add ground chuck, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, parsley and  beaten eggs.

With clean hands, mix all ingredients together.

Shape mixture into a large loaf and place on a large broiler pan, this will allow the fat to drain while cooking. I like to line the pan with foil to avoid a big clean up.

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking ends under the bottom of the meatloaf.

Make the sauce by combining all ingredients and mixing well. Using 1/3 of the sauce cover the top of the meatloaf with  your spoon.

Bake for 45 minutes, remove from oven, add another 1/3 of the sauce and return to oven for 15 minutes.

Slice meatloaf and serve with remaining sauce.

This recipe makes a ton of meatloaf, so I usually cut it in half and have plenty for 4-5 people. 

I made a couple small changes from PW's original recipe, be sure to check her's out to see the differences.


Source: Pioneer Woman

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

This is an easy, quick way to have a healthy breakfast or late afternoon snack with minimal effort.

Here's what you need:

1 vanilla yogurt, individual serving size
1-2 tablespoons granola, I like Special K
2 tablespoons frozen strawberries w/ sugar, thawed
blueberries

Layer thawed strawberries, yogurt, granola and top with blueberries.

You can change up the fruit and/or yogurt flavors to make your people happy...

Easy, Peasy!