My first Blog!!

My beautiful daughters all blog, and so I decided to give it a try.  I am playing with the idea of writing a cookbook for newly-weds, since I know there will be more weddings in my future soon. My middle daughter got married a little over a year ago, and we have a great time talking about recipes since we are both cooking for two now.  I have had a bit of a difficult time adjusting to feeding a family of six, back to just the two of us since we are empty-nesters now.  But as I am trying to cut back some of my favorite recipes, I am having a good time trying a few new recipes as well. 

What to do with a family-size package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts?  That is the question this morning, as I am staring at a package telling me I MUST take care of it soon, or it will spoil.  Well, the freezer will be my best friend today.  I have packaged a few breasts individually to freeze, added either teriyaki sauce or italian salad dressing and into the freezer.  These are great because they are marinating as they thaw out, making it great and so easy for the grill.  The rest of the chicken has gone into a 9 X 13 pan, sprinkled with garlic salt, topped with a sliced onion and into the oven to bake for an hour.  They smell delicious and will be used for many recipes.  How to use it??

Chicken Canapes

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Chicken Ceasar Salad

Chicken Bowtie Pasta

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Corn Chowder

Chicken Casserole

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Alfredo

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

Greek Orzo Pasta

White Chili

Chinese Chicken Salad

I am getting hungry just thinking about it.  I will let the chicken cool, shred or chop it and freeze it in 1 and 2 cup portions.  Makes dinner time so much easier with the chicken already pre-cooked.  I am going to share the recipe for the chicken canapes today.  I recieved this recipe from a dear friend in Maine.  My twins absolutely love this recipe, and was one of the items that was requested when they returned home from school.  It is actually a great recipe to have in the fridge for a fast lunch or dinner option.  The original recipe was made as an appetizer, but we use it as a meal.  The smell of it cooking is divine and so comforting.  Please leave me a comment if you have tried the recipe and let me know what you think. 

Chicken Canapes

2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup finely minced onion

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (or romano/cheese blend)

1/2 cup grated swiss cheese

1/2 tsp garlic salt

3/4 tsp basil

1/4 tsp thyme

pepper to taste

Mix together, spread approximately 2 tablespoons mixture on each halve of sliced english muffin.  Toast in 400 degree oven for about 13 minutes, until topping starts to brown.  Remove from oven,  cut into quarters for appetizers or serve entire muffin round as sandwich.

I will try to post pictures when I figure out how to do it.  Please leave me comments to help me improve my blog, thanks for looking.

Heidi