Bruschetta Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Originally from Kraft Food and Family Magazine

1 can (14 1/2 oz) Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained

1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 pkg (6 oz) stuffing mix for chicken

8 small boneless chicken breast halves (approx. 2 lbs)

1/3 cup Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan dressing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare stuffing:  combine tomatoes and their liquid, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, basil, and dry stuffing mix.  Stir until just moistened.

Place two chicken breasts in a large, heavy, resealable bag.  Pound the chicken with the side of a heavy can, rolling pin, or meat mallet until it is 1/4 inch thick.  Repeat process with remaining chicken breasts, two at a time.

Place pounded chicken breast, smooth-side down, on a cutting board.  Spread with 1/8 of the stuffing mixture. 

Roll chicken breast, starting at the narrow end, as tightly as possible around stuffing mix.

Place in 13x9 baking dish with seam side down, as this allows the chicken to hold together nicely.  Pour dressing evenly over chicken and bake for 40 minutes.

Spring with remaining 3/4 cup cheese and bake 5-10 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted and chicken has an internal temperature of 170 degrees.

Thoughts and Tips:

I used an Italian blend of cheeses instead of just Mozzarella.  The combination of Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago with the Mozzarella gave this a nice smoky flavor.

Kraft is the only one who makes the Roasted Red Pepper Italian.  You can definitely substitute a regular or zesty Italian dressing instead.

If you don't have fresh basil, substitute 2 Tbs dried.

You can buy thin sliced chicken breasts instead of pounding them.  I find this MUCH easier.

I found the easiest way to stuff the chicken is to lay it flat and spoon a little stuffing on, roll the breasts, then stuff a little more in the ends.

I really liked this chicken.  My husband, being not so fond of tomatoes, didn't like it quite as well.  Emily ate the chicken and picked out the stuffing.  Abigail ate the stuffing and left the chicken.  So not quite a family winner, but we'll be eating it again anyway because I liked it!

Lemonade Stand Pie

(Originally from Kraft Food and Family Magazine)

1/3 cup lemonade flavor drink mix

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened

1 tub (8 oz) whipped topping, thawed

1 graham pie crust (6 oz)

Place drink mix in a large bowl.  Add water; stir until mix is dissolved.  Add ice cream.  Beat with electric mixer on low speed until well blended.  Gently stir in whipped topping.  If mixture is too runny, freeze for about 10 minutes until thick enough to mound.

Spoon into crust.  Freeze at least 4 hours or overnight, until firm.

Allow pie to stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes prior to serving, until it can be easily cut.  Store leftovers in freezer.

8 servings

Thoughts and tips:

Make sure you use a presweetened lemonade powder (I used Countrytime) or this will be REALLY tart!

To soften the ice cream, place the carton in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before you are ready to add it to the other ingredients. 

An electric mixer is definitely helpful for this recipe to make sure everything is combined.

We all really really liked this-- the lemon was refreshing and not too overpowering.

The great recipe beginning

For years and years and years I have cut out recipes from magazines and newspapers, pulled them from the internet, and I have a collection of cookbooks that makes my husband shake his head. Finally this year, in preparation for a move (and because I was unemployed for the first time in my adult life and had the time to deal with it), I had to get organized. So I cleaned off the cookbook shelf, gathered all the recipes, and put them in a notebook. As I was going through them, I realized there was some really yummy looking food in my collection, and we'd never tried these recipes! Thus began the great recipe experiment. My goal is to try at least one new thing every week. Sometimes it's more, depending on how the week goes.

When I started posting pictures of our recipe experiment on Facebook, I got many requests from friends for the recipes. So I'm starting this blog to make it easy to share!

Our family consists of me and my husband and four children. The two of us will eat most things, although we differ on tomatoes (I like, he doesn't) and pork (he likes, I don't). Emily, age 7, is also a great eater and likes just about everything. Jonathan, age 5, likes almost nothing, and Abigail, 19 months, is like her big sister. Benjamin, our baby, isn't eating yet, but we're hoping for another non-picky eater! Along with the recipes, I'll chronicle how they were received by our family. I'll also throw in some tips for preparing meals for a busy family.

Hope you enjoy! Happy eating!