Ranch Style Chicken

4 chicken breast
12 strips of bacon
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
juice on 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
shredded cheddar cheese
canola oil

Mix Dijon, honey, lemon juice, paprika and salt until smooth.
Pound chicken to 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Add to marinade. Cover, refrigerate at least one hour. (I do it overnight.)
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Fry bacon. Set aside on paper towels. Reserve 1/4 cup grease and clean out skillet. (I use Oscar Mayer turkey bacon - you have to add oil to the pan to fry it because it isn't very fatty, but it's really good!)
Heat 1/8 cup grease and 1/8 cup canola oil in skillet over medium heat. When hot add chicken, cook until browned and transfer to baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
Lay a few pieces of bacon over each breast and top with shredded cheese. Return to over for 5 min or until bacon is sizzling and cheese is melted. SO GOOD!

Amazing Toffee

Handful of sliced almonds
2 sticks butter (not margarine)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 bag milk chocolate chips
Handful chopped pecans

Sprinkle almonds onto pizza pan, set aside. Mix together butter, sugar, and water in heavy sauce pan on highest heat. Stir constantly until mixture thicken and turns the color of a brown paper sack. Pour candy into pan over almonds. Wait 5 minutes and sprinkle chocolate chips in top of candy. When chips have melted spread evenly and then sprinkle pecans on top. Break into pieces when cool.

Christy's Homemade Rolls

Mix Dough:
1. Sprinkle 2 yeast packages ( 1 pkg = 1 TB) in 1/2 cup warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Set aside. Stir.
2. Place 1/2 cup sugar and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large mixing bowl.
3. Heat 3/4 cup milk in microwave for 2 minutes.
4. Add 1 cube margarine to hot milk. Stir to melt.
5. pour milk/margarine mixture into sugar/salt mixture in large mixing bowl. Beat.
6. Beat 3 eggs and add to mixture in large mixing bowl.
7. Add dissolved yeast. Beat.
8. Stir in 4 1/2 cups flour. Dough is very soft.


Let Rise
Place dough in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease the surface (or spray with PAM). Cover, let rise in warm place for 2-4 hours.
(you can also put the dough in the fridge for overnight and roll the rolls out in the morning, believe it or not this really does work.)

Shape Rolls
Turn dough onto floured board. Knead slightly. Divide dough in two halves. With a floured rolling pin, roll one half of dough into a circle about 16 inches in diameter. Spread with softened butter. Using a knife or pizza wheel, cut the circle into 16 pie-shaped edges. lightly grease baking sheet. Roll each wedge from wide end to point. Place point down two inches apart on cookie sheet. Repeat with second half of dough.

Let Rise
Cover rolls with dry dishtowels and let rise i warm place 1 hour.

Bake
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Bake rolls in oven for 12 minutes.

Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

1/2 bag spinach
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 bag romaine lettuce
1/2 c. bacon, cooked & crumbled
1/2 purple onion
3/4 c. chopped tomatoes and/or mushrooms
3/4 c. swiss or parmesan cheese
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1 orange, peeled and cut up or sliced strawberries

Mix all ingredients together in a salad bowl and toss. Serve with vinaigrette.

Strawberry Vinaigrette
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. poppy seeds
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
About 3/4 c. hulled strawberries
1/8 chopped onion

Mix all ingredients together in a blender. Will keep 10 days to 2 weeks.

Braided Bread

1 tbsp yeast
1/2 c warm water
Combine and let rest.

1 1/4 c milk
4 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c sugar
Scald milk (bubbles on sides), than add butter, sugar and salt. Put 4 1/2 c flour in a bowl and add yeast & milk mixtures. Knead for 10 min in mixer or by hand.
Let rise 1 1/2 hours. Punch down. Braid into 2 loaves (fits lengthwise on a cookie sheet). Let rise 1 hour.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 min.

Baked Zitti

1 bag zitti pasta
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 jar alfredo sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese
cooked meat (cubed chicken, sausage, ground beef) - optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake pasta according to package directions. Put in 9 x 13 inch dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over noodles and stir to mix in. Stir in meat is using. Pour alfredo sauce over top. Spread evenly. Top with shredded cheese and bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling about 20 minutes.

Braided bread is super yummy with this meal...recipe coming soon!

Lasagna

12 Lasagna Noodles (boiled until soft)
Hamburger Mixture (see below)
1 lg. container cottage cheese
3-4 cups cheese (I like mozzerella or Colby Jack)

Layer in sprayed 9x13 pan:
3 noodles
1/4 of hamburger mixture (1 lb. hamburger browned, drain grease, sprinkle 1 T flour, add 1 lg. can (about 28 oz) diced tomatoes (italian seasoned or add your own spices) and 1 sm. 8oz tomato sauce.
1/4 of cottage cheese
1/4 of cheese

bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Let stand 10 min. before serving.