Baked (or Pan-Fried) Polenta Rounds

Yesterday I posted a good recipe for baked crispy chicken, which tastes really good and is an easy prep - but my favorite part of the meal was the baked polenta rounds I made to serve with the chicken! If you aren't familiar with polenta it is made from ground cornmeal (it's similar to grits) and comes in 2 forms (that I know of), ground meal in a box or bag, or precooked in a tube - we enjoy it both ways. 

I made this recipe using the polenta in a tube - you can make it creamy by chopping it up and put it in a saucepan, add about a cup of broth and stir frequently with a whisk to fully incorporate the broth - it ends up sort of the consistency of mashed potatoes. This time I sliced the polenta into rounds about 1/2" - 3/4" thick, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper; baked at 400' for 10 minutes and flip, continue baking until golden brown. 

Another way to make the rounds is basically the same except you can fry them in a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, once they are golden brown I finish them in the pan with a little drizzle of olive oil or melted butter. 

I like to sprinkle the finished rounds with a little parmesan, or top with marinara. Yum. 

5.2.23: TT evaporated milk in frosting

5.2.22: graduation cap jar 

5.2.21: 🔥 week 18

5.2.20: Lisa's stuffed mushrooms 

5.2.19: provencal vegetable bake
5.2.18: garbanzo bean cookie dough
5.2.17: DIY hair treatments
5.2.16: dipped candles 

Crispy Baked Chicken

I made this recipe for crispy baked chicken the other night and decided to make baked polenta rounds to go with it - unfortunately I was way more excited about the polenta than the chicken so the only picture I took has the polenta highlighted! This recipe is very easy to follow, is healthy (or at least healthier than fried chicken LOL), and comes together pretty quickly. I didn't pound the chicken and just baked the regular sized breasts until cooked thru, used regular paprika, and omitted the parsley - otherwise followed the recipe as written.

• 1.5 lbs Chicken Breasts (about 4), skinless, boneless
• ▢ 1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• ▢ 1 Large Egg
• ▢ 2 Tbsp Milk
• ▢ ¾ Cup Panko, or italian style panko
• ▢ ¼ Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
• ▢ 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
• ▢ 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
• ▢ Sea salt and pepper, to taste
• ▢ Avocado cooking oil spray
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Parsley

• To prepare the cutlets, pound each chicken breast to an even 1/4 inch thickness.


• Next, rub the chicken with Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and olive oil. If time allows, marinate it for 1h to overnight. This will give you the most tender and moist chicken.
• Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, a pinch of salt and pepper.
• In a shallow dish, combine the garlic powder, panko with parmesan and smoked paprika. Dip the chicken cutlets into the egg mixture, then dredge it into the panko mixture, lightly pressing to coat
• Place the chicken onto the prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking oil spray. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then flip the chicken cutlets and bake for 5-8
  minutes more, or until golden and cooked through.
• Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, and serve immediately.
  

  5.1.23: cinco de mayo recipes

  5.1.22: 🔥 week 18 

  5.1.21: tri-fold card

  5.1.20: testing old seeds

  
  

  5.1.19: lemon cake

  
  

  5.1.18: smoked meat 

  
  

  5.1.17: butternut squash salad

  
  

  5.1.16: breakfast frittata

  
  

Tip-sy Tuesday: Cutting Tubes

I got this tip from Maddy - she is a Mary Kay rep and shared this great hack to get the most out of your products (because it's almost impossible to get every last bit of lotion or cleanser or whatever out of the tubes!). Cut the mostly empty tube as shown, you can then access the product, put the 'cap' (top part of the cut tube) over the lower part of the tube. You can't squeeze the tube anymore, but you can get to the remaining product this way. Cool, right? 

PS: another Tip-sy Tuesday tip - my favorite MK product is the Timewise Microdermabrasion Refine. 

4.30.23: 🔥 week 18

4.30.22: dance recital '22

4.30.21: mushy-roomy rice

4.30.20: birthday 'cake' tower

4.30.19: pillbox travel container

4.30.18: Kyle's smoker

4.30.17: hasselback potatoes

4.30.16: recital

Baked Broccoli Cheese Balls

I saw this recipe and thought it seemed like something baby Georgie would like, I asked Mickey if all the ingredients were ok and if she thought it would be ok for G to eat - she said 'forget George, can I have some too HA!" and "She can eat all of them! The balls just have to be big enough that she can’t shove the entire thing in her mouth but otherwise that’s amazing!" So I rolled the balls a little bigger using my medium scoop (about 1.5") and they were done in 18 minutes. The original recipe says you can serve them with marinara as an appetizer, with a salad for a light meal, with tomato soup or a grain pilaf for a heavier meal. 

Ingredients

- 2 cups of broccoli florets, finely chopped
- 1 cup of breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cooking spray, for greasing

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly greased foil.

2. Steam the broccoli florets until they're tender-crisp, which should take about 3-5 minutes. Let them cool, then chop them up nice and fine—you can even throw them in a food processor if you're short on time!

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped broccoli with breadcrumbs, cheddar, Parmesan, eggs, flour, garlic powder, and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper, and give everything a good stir until it's well mixed.

4. Shape the mixture into small balls, about an inch in diameter, and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese balls are golden and firm to the touch.

6. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving. 

Servings: Makes about 24 (1") cheese balls (or 20 1.5" balls)

 recipe found here at cooktop cove

4.29.23: words

4.29.22: eggs florentine

4.29.21: lemon glazed chicken breast 

4.29.20: grandma's cinnamon twists

4.29.19: make a cork trivet
4.29.18: Mickey shows how to make a raised bed
4.29.17: dance recital
4.29.16: dollar store frame with clip

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 17)

Dear Campers ~ 

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

Posts ~

4/21: 🔥 week 16

4/22: sock cupcake gift

4/23: tt floor squeegee

4/24: chicken scaloppine al marsala (chicken marsala)

4/25: carrot muffins with cream cheese frosting

4/26: crispix mix

4/27: words

our seedlings are getting so big! 

Lucy trying out the leaf of a sweet pepper seedling

That's it for this week! See you next week for more projects, crafts, recipes, whatever we can think of to make at camp - bye :)

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

4.28.23: MSTI jalapeno popper grilled cheese

4.28.22: MSIH cheesy chicken and rice

4.28.21: tortilla pizza

4.28.20: TT: baking powder

4.28.19: 🔥

4.28.18: cucumber cooler

4.28.17: Brooke made slime

4.28.16: sample sale photography

  

4/27 ~ Words

 

4.27.23: Macey's chicken parmesan

4.27.22: stuffing with zucchini

4.27.21: TT stovetop splatter tip

4.27.20: t-shirt face mask

4.27.19: Brooke made a bubble maker 

4.27.18: Mickey's beersbee 

4.27.17: accessories closet 

4.27.16: decadent chocolate cake 

Crispix Mix

Mark and LeDonna were heading north the other day and I thought I'd make them a road trip snack. It's been a long time since I've made Chex mix so googled for some recipes and came across this one that had bagel chips in it that sounded good. I made a couple changes - substituted one box of Crispix cereal (rice on one side, corn on the other) for the 3 different Chex mix cereals, increased pretzels and bagel chips to make up the difference (the recipe calls for more Chex than is in one box of Crispix), and added M&M's after the mix cooled. Here's the recipe as written that I found here at half baked harvest:

• 3 cups corn chex
• 3 cups rice chex
• 2 cups whole wheat chex
• 2 cups mixed nuts
• 2 cups bite-size pretzels
• 2 cups garlic-flavor bite-size bagel chips or regular bagel chips
• 1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter, melted
• 4 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder

1. 1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

   2. In large bowl, mix the chex cereals, mixed nuts, pretzels and bagel chips. Set aside.

   3. Melt the butter in a bowl and mix in the worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder and a good pinch of pepper. Pour the butter over the cereal mixture, tossing well for 3-5 minutes or until the cereal mixture is evenly coated.

   4. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool, about 15 minutes (or just start eating!!). Store in airtight container.

   
   

   True Story ~ I intended to make this whole batch for M and L, but I forgot HOW MUCH a batch makes LOL. So they got a bag, Kyle/Mickey got a bag, Teri got a bag, Brooke got a bag...😂...and I still had more! 

   
   

   

   4.26.23: bland dog diet

   4.26.22: TT front or back 

   4.26.21: crockpot golden mushroom pork chops

   4.26.20: 🔥week 17

   4.26.19: how to design a spring planter

   
   4.26.18: Mickey's spring flowers

   
   4.26.17: double chocolate oatmeal bars

   
   4.26.16: canister vacuum wand guard

   
   

   
   

   
   

Fluffy Carrot Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

I wanted a quick little thing to take to my tap class and since I had carrots and cream cheese left over from making the bundt cake I was able to make these in under an hour. I made them in a mini muffin tin (using cupcake liners) so it made a lot more than 12 - and I told everyone they could decide if these are cupcakes, or frosted muffins hahah. Even without the frosting they are really moist - I added 1 1/2 t. cinnamon and 1/2 t. nutmeg just because it sounded good to me!   

for the muffins:

• 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated carrot

for the frosting: 

• ¼ cup cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the bottoms only of 12 muffin cups, or line with baking cups. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

   Beat eggs and sugar until frothy and lightened in color. Stir in oil, vanilla extract, and grated carrot; fold in flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove to cool on wire racks.

4. Meanwhile, prepare frosting by beating cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar together until fluffy. Frost the cooled muffins and chill until ready to serve.

   recipe found here

   
   

   4.25.23: TT medication chart

   4.25.22: chocolate caramel pretzel candy

   4.25.21: 🔥 week 17

   4.25.20: coffee filter glass cleaner

   4.25.19: topopo salad

   4.25.18: Mickey's DIY sensory boxes

   4.25.17: organizing recipes

   4.25.16: washi tape feathers

   
   

   
   

Chicken Scaloppine al Marsala

This recipe has been in my folder for a really long time and we love it - I don't follow it for the chicken prep (which is to dredge and fry the chicken) but that would make it more of a traditional Chicken Marsala, I just make the mushroom sauce and put it over grilled chicken and noodles. So good. 

PS: don't let the 'fancy' title scare you off - it's thin chicken cutlets ('scaloppine') in a mushroom wine sauce ('al marsala'). 

I'll give you the recipe as written (by the way, I have no idea what magazine I tore this out of so don't know who to credit!), then I'll tell you my changes after.

• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 6 thin-cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 4 ounces each
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 package (8 oz.) sliced brown mushrooms
• 1/2 cup marsala wine
• 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/8 t. pepper
• 1 package (10 oz.) brown rice couscous (such as Lundberg)
• 1 T. unsalted butter
• 1 T. chopped parsley

1. Place the rice flour on a large plate. Coat the chicken in the flour. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 T. of oil and sauté half the chicken for 1 to 2 minutes per side until lightly browned. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with a second tablespoon of the oil and the remaining chicken. 

2. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet and stir in the mushrooms. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until tender. Off heat, add in the marsala and cook for 1 minute, scraping any brown bits from the skillet. Add the broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Gently simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile, prepare the couscous following package directions, about 15 minutes. 

4. Stir butter and parsley into the chicken and sauce and serve with the prepared couscous. 

My notes:

• we serve the mushroom sauce over grilled chicken, so I don't use flour or sauté the chicken in the skillet. 
• I double the sliced mushrooms (brown or white) and cook them in 1 T. oil; add the wine, broth, salt and pepper, butter and parsley as directed. 
• I usually serve this over buttered noodles. 
• substitutes for marsala include madeira, sherry, vermouth, and wine. 

4.24.23: crab dip

4.24.22: 🔥 week 17

4.24.21: dance recital '21

4.24.20: parmesan fondue

4.24.19: double chocolate oatmeal bars

4.24.18: how to use an aqua painter

4.24.17: curvy keepsake lamb and bunny

4.24.16: slow cooker mongolian beef

Tip-sy Tuesday: floor squeegee

Dave asked if I'd order a floor squeegee for him - I said a what? I don't think I've ever heard of that - sure enough it's a thing! Makes cleaning the garage floor so easy - I've always hosed the floor down and then pushed the water and debris out using a big push broom, with the squeegee you can easily just slide it along the floor removing the water much quicker. And I have to say it's a little more fun than the broom!

They make different sizes, I could have ordered a wider one but this works just fine. 

4.23.23: 🔥 week 17

4.23.22: stuffed mini sweet peppers

4.23.21: gift card/cash envelope

4.23.20: beer bread

4.23.19: tipsy tuesday: makeup wipes

4.23.18: hedgehug card

4.23.17: spinach and cheese stuffed mushrooms

4.23.16: perfectly peeled hard boiled eggs