Parmesan Herb Baked Chicken

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 cup fine Bread Crumbs

2 tbsp. chopped parsley

1 tbsp. oregano

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and herbs.

Wash and dry chicken pieces.

Dip in beaten egg, then roll in bread crumb mixture.

Melt butter in baking dish. 

Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer.

Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes,

or until juices run clear.

A Baked Potato and Green Salad

complete this meal.

Tuesday Tip of the Day!

If your recipe calls for melting chocolate in a double boiler and you don't own one, find a heat proof bowl that fits nicely in a saucepan. Add some water in the saucepan (be careful not to add too much - your bowl could overflow the pot), place your bowl with the chocolate on top of the pot, turn up the heat stirring frequently.

Once the chocolate melts you can remove the pan from the heat and remove the bowl from the pan. Just be very careful since there will be steam built up underneath the bowl that can cause a burn.

You can melt your chocolate in the microwave but I find this is not as good as using a double boiler or your own hand designed double boiler :-)

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

Your Favorite Pizza Crust

(scroll down to find my favorite recipe)

Ranch Dressing

Provolone Cheese Slices

Alfredo Sauce

Your Favorite Pizza Seasonings~

such as Fennel & Red Pepper Flakes

Canadian Bacon

Cooked Chicken Breast 

Shredded Mozzerella

Pizza Crust

2 1/2 to 3 cups all purpose Flour

1 package Quick Rise Yeast

1 tsp. Salt

1 c. warm water (115 to 120 degrees)

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

In large mixer bowl, combine 1 1/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, and salt. Add warm water and oil. Beat at low speed with electric mixer for 1/2 minute, scraping bowl. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. Stir in as much remaining flour as you can mix in with a spoon. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. (6-8 minutes)

Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Press dough onto a greased pizza pan.

Pierce the surface with a fork.

Prebake "naked" crust at 425 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove from oven. Brush on just enough Ranch dressing to moisten the surface of the dough.

Place slices of Provolone Cheese on the Pizza Crust.

Spread Alfredo Sauce over the cheese and sprinkle desired seasonings.

Arrange Canadian Bacon and cooked Chicken Breast.

Cover with Shredded Mozzarella Cheese.

Return to 425 degree oven and bake 10 to 12 minutes longer,

or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Enjoy!

Tuesday Tip of the Day!

Today's tip is not necessarily a cooking tip but rather an easy way to clean up. I always find that cleaning a blender and/or a food processor to be a pain that there are times I avoid creating from a recipe if they are used. I found a great tip for cleaning both of those small appliances. (Here's one of those tips that has me saying "Why didn't I think of that?" You all know what I mean!)

To clean your blender and/or your food processor, squirt a few drops of liquid dish washing soap into it, fill halfway with warm water, cover and blend. Rinse thoroughly. If necessary, repeat the process. (You do want to rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of dish liquid.)

Now that was easy!!!!

Tuesday Tip of the Day!

We are coming into the height of cookie baking season!!! Here’s a great tip for today:

When baking cookies, be sure your dough is thoroughly chilled when it goes on your baking pan. Chilling the dough has great benefits for a number of reasons.

1.      If you use butter in your recipe and it goes into a warm oven, you will wind up with cookies that have flattened and become a crisp, crunchy mess. The cooler the dough, the less it will spread.

2.      Flour has gluten. This is why you don’t want to overmix your cookie dough. Refrigerating your dough allows time for the gluten to relax resulting in a soft or crunchy cookie, not a tough, rubbery cookie.

3.      Chilling the dough allows for the liquid to be absorbed more fully into the flour which gives you a drier, firmer dough. This will produce a cookie that has a better consistency and taste.

Feel free to chill your dough up to 36 hours.

Cheeseburger Casserole

8 slices day-old bread

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, minced

1 tbsp. prepared mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cup milk

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

dash of pepper

This is a layered casserole.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease your casserole dish.

Brown hamburger and drain off the grease.

Chop the onion and celery and saute with the browned hamburger.

Mix in the prepared mustard and salt, if desired.

(My hubby doesn't like mustard, so I serve it on the side)

Prepare the toast and cut the slices diagonally.

Buttering them is optional...I usually don't.

(There's enough calories already!)

Arrange toast, hamburger, and cheese in alternate layers...

ending with cheese as the top layer.

Mix eggs, milk, dry mustard and pepper.

Pour over layers in pan.

Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Create your own variations...

just think

"Cheeseburger"

mushrooms... Swiss cheese...bacon...pickles...

The options are endless!

Have fun!!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds & a Farmhouse Celebration

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds ~

An excellent snack that is rich in fiber as well as vitamins B and E.

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds

2 tsp. melted butter or olive oil

kosher salt

garlic powder

cayenne pepper

seasoning salt

cajun seasoning

With the end of November approaching,

we will all be replacing our pumpkin decor with Santas and Snowmen.

Before you toss that pumpkin out...

save the pumpkin flesh for baking and the seeds for roasting.

 

Scoop out the seeds and place in a strainer.

Wash your pumpkin seeds. 

It's ok to leave some strings and pulp, as it adds flavor.

Toss seeds in a bowl with the melted butter or oil and the seasonings of your choice.

Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake for at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally,

or until golden brown.

Purists will want only salt as a seasoning,

but if you're feeling adventurous,

experiment and have fun with seasoning blends. 

Announcing...

It is the Grand Opening Day of our Spirit of Christmas Celebration in the Old Farmhouse.

The artists have been busy preparing new items for our Etsy shops.

Click here to see all of the Christmas goodies...

perfect for gift giving or to decorate your own home.

Chili Cook Off Contest Winner!!!

Our contest winner is Ashley of Wooly World!!! She has the most unique chili recipe. She uses Goose breast but says that it is similar to steak! To visit Ashley and to check out the winning recipe, just click on the photo above.

You can also check out Ashley's wonderful Etsy shop below:



Congratulations Ashley!!!

Chili Cooking Contest ends Sunday ...

This is the perfect weekend to prepare your family's favorite chili recipe...

snap a photo and post a link to this Old Farmhouse Cooking blog post.

This Turkey Chili was prepared by our team captain, Lucy.

You can find her recipe here.

A winner will be chosen by random.org

and announced on Monday...

...and the prize?

This beautiful Farmhouse Kitchen cookbook, donated by Lucy.

Thank you!

Tuesday Tip of the Day!

When making soups, stews or stroganoffs that require you to add pasta or noodles, cook your pasta or noodles separately. However, cook for 1-2 minutes less than what the directions call for. The pasta or noodles will be firm when you add to your soup, etc. Cook for a few minutes longer in your dish until they are fully cooked. You will find that your noodles or pasta will not be mushy when pre-cooked and will not add extra starch to your stew. They will still taste wonderful having absorbed some of your delicious broth. You will also be able to better control how much you are actually adding to your dish.

Chili Cook Off Cooking Contest