This is a yummy healthier alternative to fried chicken and has pretty much become a staple in our dinner line-up. It’s super easy and quick to whip up.

What you need:

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

French Fried Onions

Honey Mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400*.

I like to slice the chicken breasts into strips…but it isn’t necessary.

I just find that it is easier to work with… and you’ll see why in just a second.

But for now, set the chicken aside.

Because… it’s time for the crunchies!!

If you are going to be making two chicken breasts, then you will use half of the container of the french fried onions.

If you are going to be making four chicken breasts…then use the whole cotton pickin’ thing.

Pour the french fried onions into a plastic bag.

…and take out your aggression on them.

Give them a good punch.

And Squish! Squeeze! Squash!

…give them the people’s elbow. Do what you gotta do…

…until they are broken into little itsy bitsy pieces.

Holy bits and pieces, Batman! If the crunchies look like this, you’ve done well.

Pour them into a bowl.

Now take a deep breath, and set them aside.

You have other business to tend to now.

Honey mustard business.

Pour some of the honey mustard into a bowl for dipping.

And start dipping!

First, into the honey mustard. Make sure you coat it well.

Then, into the crunchies.

Roll the chicken around, covering it completely with crunchies.

And finally into a baking dish.

Now toss it in the oven for 20 minutes at 400*.

Nice and crunchy!

Yummy! This is perfect with a few dunks of BBQ sauce!!

Enjoy!

As mentioned in my Life on the Prairie post, Jon had his last flight today and I wanted to make him something fun to celebrate. I purchased an airplane cookie cutter and new exactly what I was going to do with it.

I wanted to make something other than sugar cookies… something with zing. What cookie has better zing than lemon??

Ingredients:

2 cups butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

4 eggs

3 tbsp lemon juice

3 tsp lemon extract

3 tbsp half and half

6 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Icing:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 cups powder sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and powder sugar.

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Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.

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Add lemon juice, half and half and lemon extract.

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In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt.

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Gradually add in to cream mixture, 1/2 cup at a time.

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Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or so.

Roll dough out on a floured surface and use cookie cutter.

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Set on an ungreased cookie sheet, approximately 1 inch apart.

Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes, until the edges slightly brown. (Do not wait until the cookie browns… it will turn out crunchy)

Cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing:

Mix butter, lemon juice, vanilla and sugar.

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Scoop into a piping bag to drizzle over… or spread icing across cookie with a butter knife.

Hint… these disposable plastic cake decorating bags are great!

A trick of the trade is to fold the opening downwards before you scoop the icing in. Then fold it back up when you are ready to use it. This keeps everything neat. Things can get messy really quickly with icing.

Drizzle icing over warm cookies.

It doesn’t need to be perfect.

You can spread the icing around (icing will harden slightly)…

…or decorate up a storm.

Ok, I know I lost my marbles with the heart and XO sprinkles… but it was for my hubby. It would only be appropriate to express my love via decorative sprinkle.

And it doesn’t hurt that Valentine’s is right around the corner.

I think these cookies have just the right amount of zing. The cookie itself tastes like a sugar cookie with a hint of lemon. The icing has a more zingy, zesty lemony taste… which perfectly compliments the cookie without overpowering it.

Airplanes + Lemon= a hit.

Happy Baking!

Chinese pie.

Or, as it was called around my house growing up, Chinese dish.

Yeah. I know. It doesn’t make sense.

It certainly doesn’t look like Chinese food.

It certainly doesn’t taste like Chinese food.

It is a recipe that was passed down from my grandmother, whose parents were French Canadian.

After years of wondering… I did a little research and found out that “Chinese pie” (or otherwise known as Pâté Chinois) is actually a very popular French Canadian dish. And, according to Wikipedia (my trusted source for all vitally important information haha):

Pâté Chinois is not a Chinese recipe. One possible explanation for the ‘Chinese’ reference is that it was introduced to French Canadian railway workers by Chinese cooks during the building of the North American railroads in the late 19th century. These cooks made it under instruction from the railway bosses (of English extraction) as an easily-prepared, inexpensive version of the popular cottage pie, with the sauce in the tinned creamed-corn serving as a substitute for the gravy. The French Canadian railway workers became fond of it and brought the recipe back with them to their home communities. From there it was brought to the textile mill communities of Maine (Lewiston, Maine), New Hampshire (Manchester, New Hampshire), Massachusetts (e.g. Lowell and Lawrence) and Rhode Island (Woonsocket, Rhode Island) where many French Canadians immigrated to work in the mills during the early 20th century.

Which completely explained everything as my Grandma was raised in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

Hence, Chinese dish.

That is your history lesson for the day…now let’s make some Chinese pie!

Here is what you will need:

1 lb of lean ground beef

Peas (frozen or canned)

Corn (frozen or canned) whole kernel or cream corn…whichever your prefer.

Mashed Potatoes. (Milk, butter, paprika, salt, pepper. that sort of thing.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*.

Peel and cut three large potatoes.

Boil the potatoes until tender… 25 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, brown the meat.

Once meat is browned, fill the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Next, layer the corn.

And then the peas.

Set aside.

Time to make some mashed potatoes.

Drain and start mashing.

Add your butter and milk. I added around 2 tbsp of butter and a half cup of milk with salt and pepper to taste. But I’m not going to tell you how to make your mashed potatoes. That’s personal.

Layer the mashed potatoes and sprinkle a little paprika on top.

Pop it in the oven for 25 minutes.

Set the oven to broil for the last 1-2 minutes to crisp the outer layer.

It is ready! Cut up into squares…and don’t be afraid to scoop it out.

But Chinese dish would not be complete without a squirt of ketchup.

Don’t argue with me.

Just try it.

They don’t sound like they go together…but they do. Beautifully.

Simple but tasty.

And oh so easy-PEASy.

I apologize. I had to.

Bon appétit!