Ingredients

• 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 cup Brown Rice
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 3 stalks of Celery
• 1/2 a package of Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage (regular or mmm maple flavored. Defrost if necessary.)
• 2 medium-large Onions
• 10 Mushrooms
• 1 cup Breadcrumbs (I used unseasoned or Panko)
• 1 clove of Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tbsp Fresh or Dried Thyme

First off, measure out the 1 cup of rice…

and 2 cups water and put it in a small pot. One cup of rice seems small, but remember, rice bulks up significantly with the water! General rule of thumb- 1 part rice, 2 parts water.Sprinkle in pinch of salt and a pat of butter. I don’t use rice with a shorter cooking time (minute rice, I think it’s called?) so it takes about an hour. Cook to your package cooking instructions.

Next, chop up all the delicious veggies. I really love the flavor added by the celery and mushrooms.

You can cut the chicken before or after you prepare the stuffing, or better yet, have someone else cut it while you are sauteing the vegetables! Take a VERY sharp knife (and be very careful- watch those fingers) and cut the breasts in half lengthwise.

Next, add the vegetables to the skillet with some olive oil and the chopped garlic.

Saute until the celery is softened, but not mushy.

Add the sausage and break it up as it cooks.

Cook until the sausage is no longer pink.

Once the rice is finished (all the water is absorbed), add the rice to the veggies in the skillet and mix together. I like to melt 1/8 cup of butter and mix it in.

Spoon the stuffing onto the open chicken breast.

Fold the chicken half over and pin with toothpicks or skewers. Drizzle some more melted butter on top of the chicken and then sprinkle with breadcrumbs and thyme.

Bake in the oven on 350 until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juice runs out clear. (About 15-20 minutes depending on your oven.)

MMMM Enjoy. It’s good. I promise!

This recipe also uses some white wine. Another favorite of Mom’s. You know that saying “I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food”…Yeah that’s about my Mom.

Great dinner anytime and great as leftovers too…

Ingredients:

• 2 Fresh Broccoli Crowns
• 5-10 Fresh Mushrooms
• 1 Onion
• 1 Red (or orange) Bell Pepper
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 1/4 cup of White Wine
• 2 Boneless Chicken Breasts
• Salt
• Pepper
• Goya Adobo Seasoning
• Olive Oil
• 1 Box of Any Pasta (this dish works well with penne, bow ties and other smaller piece pastas)
• 1-2 cups Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

First things first- put water on to boil for the broccoli. We use a metal pot that has a strainer that fits inside. This way, we boil the broccoli in this water, and can save the water to then boil the pasta. If you don’t have a pot like this though, it’s alright- you can strain out the broccoli with a handled strainer, or just dump the water into a colander.

After the water is on to boil, turn on your electric grill (we have a good ol’ George Foreman). If you don’t have one of these, you can put the chicken breast in the broiler instead- or buy a grill below…

Trim the chicken breast and rinse it. Season it with Goya seasoning, salt and pepper and a little olive oil on each side. Grill the chicken for 7-10 minutes, or until it is no longer pink in the center.

Chop it up and put it to the side.

While the chicken is cooking and the water is heating up, chop up the bell pepper, onion and mushrooms. Keep them separate.

Cut the broccoli into equal sized spears and peel the stems so they are tender after cooking.

When the water comes to a rolling boil, put the broccoli in for only about 4 minutes. You just want the broccoli to cook slightly, but still remain somewhat crisp.

While that is cooking, heat up some olive oil in the skillet. Once hot, add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.

***Remember to watch the broccoli. If it is ready before it is time to add it below, just strain it out and put it to the side. Remember to keep the water on the side for the pasta. Once you take out the broccoli, you can bring the water back up to a boil, and once boiling, add the pasta (with plenty of salt) and cook to package directions.

Add the wine to the mushrooms and saute for a few minutes until mushrooms are tender but still firm.

Remove the mushrooms and put them to the side. Add some more olive oil. Once hot again, add the onions and peppers and saute until tender.

Add two cloves of garlic from the garlic press. We add this near the end so it does not burn.

Add the mushrooms, the broccoli (if it’s ready) and the chopped chicken.

Saute for under a minute just to warm everything back up. Season with salt, pepper, more olive oil, and plenty of pecorino romano cheese.

***Remember the pasta! Remove from the water whenever it’s ready…simply pour on a platter and spoon the vegetables and chicken on top.

Serve immediately on a big platter and enjoy!

You are probably asking yourself, “what is goop?” Goop is my family’s word for a stewy, ragu-like concoction. Basically, the kind of dish that you need bread or biscuits with because you have to dip the juices up. I am the butt of jokes when it comes to goop dishes because I will load my plate up, and still dip in the main dish. I like to call it a self-preservation technique…basically, I just love to eat

The great thing about goop is you can make it with anything really. For example, we altered this edition by adding our leftover potato leek soup from a couple nights ago. We are a big leftover family. Make enough for a few nights, then you always have something to munch on, or add to the next nights meal somehow!

Ingredients:

• 1-2 small Roasting Chickens
• 5 medium Potatoes
• 1 large Onion
• 1 15oz can of Sylvia’s Specially-Seasoned Field Peas with Snaps
• 1 15oz can of Sweet Peas
• 1 15oz can of or 2 cups of Baby Carrots
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika
• Olive Oil
• 2 1/2 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
• 1-2 cups Leftover Potato Leek Soup (Optional)

Preheat the oven (on bake) to 350°F.

Chop the onion(s) and potatoes. In a large roasting pan, saute the chopped onions and potatoes in some olive oil with salt and pepper on medium heat. We used the roast pan on the bridge burner of our stove.

Add the carrots, peas and seasoned Sylvia’s Beans. You don’t have to drain the liquid in the cans, add it right in!

Saute this mixture until the onions begin to soften.

While the onions etc are sauteing, season the small roasting chickens with salt, pepper and paprika.

Add the chicken broth and, if you’re using it, the leftover potato leek soup.

Once the oven reaches 350° insert a meat thermometer into the chicken and bake the chicken and goop until the inside of the chicken reaches 150°.

This recipe is great with biscuits or fresh bread! Slice some chicken and dredge it through the delicious stew with biscuits and mmmmm.

Ingredients:

• 4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
• 1 tbsp Honey Mustard
• 1 tsp Honey
• 1/2 tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard
• 2 tsp Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/4 loaf stale Italian Bread
• 3 Gala Apples
• 2 White Onions
• Salt, Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Clean the fat and skin off the chicken.

To make the mixture for the chicken, blend the honey mustard, honey, brown sugar, olive oil, ground ginger, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Take a small spatula and spread this saucy deliciousness over the tops of the chicken breast.

Take the Italian bread and cut it in half lengthwise. Toast it in the oven as it is preheating. Toast it just until its crunchy and breaks apart easily; do not burn it. Take it out of the oven, cut it into cubes, and make it into breadcrumbs in the food processor.

Take the crumbs and cover the mustard smeared side of the chicken breasts. Pat it down to make sure it sticks.

Cut up each of the apples and onions into 8 pieces. make sure you discard the apple seeds and stems.

Lay the cut apples and onions in the bottom of a shallow roasting pan.

Lay the chicken breast on top of the apples and onions.

Cook for 25-35 minutes, or until the inside of the chicken is no longer pink.

Serve each breast on its own plate on top of a generous spoonful of apples and onions.

Happy Eating!