Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce

Mom, Dad and Chelsea joined me this morning for church and Sunday dinner in Riverside. It was delightful introducing them to my new friends and enjoying their company. We savored this for dinner along with green beans and rice pilaf; however, we once again forgot to break open the celebratory Martinelli's Sparkling Cider.

Here's the recipe from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two

Cooker: 1 1/2 to 3 quart crock pot
Setting and cook time: High for 2 1/2 to 3 hours

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of fat
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup plain Alfredo sauce
3 to 4 tablespoons Pesto Sauce

Spray the inside of the crock with nonstick cooking spray, and arrange the chicken breasts in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the Alfredo sauce and the pesto sauce; stir to combine, then pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through. The chicken will make its own juice and thin the sauce. Serve hot.

Variations:
In place of pesto you could try:

Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce and Olives: Add 6 to 8 whole black olives (canned or kalamata in brine) and the zest of 1 lemon to the Alfredo sauce.

Chicken with Chipotle Cream Sauce: Add 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons chipotle paste or 1/2 mashed chipotle chile and 2 teaspoons of adobe sauce to the Alfredo sauce.

Chicken with Artichoke Cream Sauce: Add 2/3 cup of drained canned or thawed frozen artichoke hearts to the Alfredo sauce.

Chicken with Curry Cream Sauce: Add 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite mild or hot curry powder and 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger to the Alfredo sauce.

Cheesecake

This is Dad's favorite kind of cheesecake. I got this recipe from Nancy Morelock when I was in Young Women.

4 egg whites - beat until stiff

Beat the following together then fold into egg whites

• 3 - 8oz pkg cream cheese (softened)
• 1 c sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla (I usually double the vanilla)

Pour cream cheese mixture into graham cracker crust. Bake 30 min at 350 degrees. Always make the day before and refrigerate when cool.

Sparkling Dessert

1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 large package Lemon Jell-o
2 1/2 cups cold club soda or seltzer
2 cups sliced strawberries

Divide strawberries into individual glasses.
Stir boiling water into Jell-o until dissolved.
Stir in Soda.
Poor Jell-o over strwaberries in glasses.
Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.
Top with whipped cream.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a no fail recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies ever.

Mix well:
1 cup soft butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 pkg pudding (vanilla, instant -I use the smaller size)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Add:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes

Enjoy!

Milk Chocolate Cheesecake

My friends, Taylor and Dustin, gave me Mary Crownover's I Love Cheesecake recipe book for my birthday. This is the first recipe that I've tried from the collection of decadent and creative cheesecakes. I'm thinking of trying Lime Yogurt Cheesecake or Peachy Orange Cheesecake next.

I hesitate to add this recipe to our collection as I have found the resulting cheesecake to have a mind of its own. Be sure to make this for a large crowd and to send the leftovers home with others, or you may find that you've managed to eat half a cheesecake all by yourself in less than 5 days: not recommended for anyone's waistline.

Chocolate cookie crust
18 Oreos
5 Tb butter or margarine, melted

Crush cookies to make crumbs. Place crumbs in a mixing bowl and add butter, mix well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom of greased 9-inch cheesecake pan. Set aside.

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Milk chocolate filling
32 oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3 Tb cornstarch
3/4 cup sour cream
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
12 oz milk chocolate chips, melted

Ina large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, and sour cream with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract and melted chocolate, mix well. Pour filling onto crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

REDUCE HEAT TO 200 DEGREES and bake for 2 hours, or until center is firm and no longer looks wet or shiny. Remove cake from oven and carefully run a knife around inside edge of pan. Turn oven off and return cake to it for an additional 2 hours. Chill overnight.

Chocolate glaze
5 oz milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tb chopped pecans, almonds, or walnuts

In a small heavy saucepan, combine chocolate and sour cream. Stir constantly while melting chocolate over low heat. Spread warm topping on the cake. Sprinkle nuts over top. Keep chilled.

Tortilla De Patatas

When made correctly, the Spanish tortilla is a delicious half-inch thick "cake" of fried potatoes mixed with fried eggs and onions. After cooking, the tortilla can be cut into pizza-like triangles to serve 4-6 people, or cut into squares to give a whole group a bite-sized toothpick sample.

1 cup olive oil
four large potatoes

salt to taste
one large onion, thinly sliced
four large eggs.

Some people add thin slices of red pepper together with the onion.


Peel the onions and potatoes.
Cut the onions into about 1/2 inch pieces. Add plenty of olive oil to a frying pan and let them fry until they turn brown.
Dice the potatoes while the onions are cooking. Season them as desired and add them to the frying pan.
Fry everything together over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until everything turns slightly brown.
Remove the pan from the heat and drain the oil.
Beat 4 eggs in a large bowl, and add the potatoes and onions.
Add a little bit of olive oil in the frying pan and add the mixture. Cook the egg until it sets up, first on high heat, and then over low heat.
Turn the tortilla over so that it browns on both sides.

You can serve hot or cold. Most Places in Spain serve it cold.

I fell in love with this while I was in Spain and just found the recipe online and it is delicious. Mom and I had it for lunch today

Zero Calorie Slushy

Ice
Water

Add ice and water in blender and blend until desired consistency.