Chocolate Chess Pie

The next time you have an urge for chocolate pie, try your hand at making a Chocolate Chess Pie. It may be just a southern gal thing, but this pie is SO scrumptious!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix sugar and cocoa together. Beat the eggs then add to the cocoa mixture. Beat in the milk, butter and vanilla.
3. Pour mixture into 9 inch unbaked pie shell and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until set. Let cool before slicing.

Double Decker Tacos

Doesn't this taco look fabulous? My whole family raved about how delicious they were.

I got my inspiration off of Food Network's show, What Would Brian Boitano Do? He had fixed Carne Asadas and had used both a soft shell and a crunchy shell. The lightbulb went off and I knew exactly what I was going to do.

To fix these tacos, you need a few things first:

These along with your chicken are the main ingredients! The other ingredients you need to make these scrumptious tacos are:

• small round corn tortillas
• small round flour tortillas
• shredded cheese
• cilantro
• tomatoes
• sour cream
• taco sauce (if you want it on there)
• avocado
• oil for frying

Preparation:

1.  The night before, prep your chicken according to the package directions on the back of the fajita seasoning and place in the fridge. It is important to use the Wal-Mart brand. It has the best flavor so far (and I have tried several kinds).
2. When you are ready to prepare your tacos, prepare your chicken by sauteing it until it is done and no longer pink. Set aside.
3. Fry as many corn tortillas as your family will need. You will use one for each taco. Fry them until they are slightly crisp but not burnt. Cover them with aluminum foil and allow them to set.
4. Warm as many flour tortillas as your family will want. One tortilla will be used for each taco. Wrap in aluminum foil and set aside.
5. Grate your cheese if you need to.
6. Chop your tomatoes
7. Chop up a little cilantro
8. Slice an avocado
9. The last step before assembly is to heat the nacho cheese sauce in a saucepan. Do not add anything to it. Just dump it in the pan and heat--trust me. It's good!

Assembly instructions:
Take a flour tortilla and smear it with some of the nacho cheese sauce. Place one crispy corn tortilla on top of that. Top those tortillas with chicken, tomato, cheese, avocado, and whatever other ingredients you want to throw on there. Right before folding it, sprinkle cilantro on top!

You have now created a double decker taco! 

Chicken and Parmesean Noodles~Kraft Homestyle

I was chosen to host the Kraft Homestyle Dinners House Party. Can you say excited???

When my box arrived, I was jumping up and down with joy, for in it was more kitchen stuff!
 




I got tons of stuff in my box; macaroni socks (they are the coolest. Slipper slocks with noodles on the bottom), 7 or 8 bags of homestyle noodles (these feed a family of 6 people), a new pot, a pyrex dish, and a pyrex spoonula.

So here is the recipe I fixed the first night. I made the bag of pasta the main meal by adding some cooked, chunked chicken to it.

Follow the instructions on the bag, then add the chicken, place in your dish, sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and then place in the oven. When it is done, it will look like this--YUMMY!



What have you been cooking up lately?

Brownie Bites

I love making brownies! These little bites though, don't last very long. I love to take them and crumble a couple of them up and use it as a base for a brownie earthquake. Then cover the top of the brownie with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate syrup and peanuts. Serious ice cream lovers will truly cherish these little sweet chocolate morsels!

Ingredients:

• 1 package (4 oz.) HERSHEY'S Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar, broken into pieces
• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped nuts(optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a mini muffin tin.

2. Place chocolate and butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Add sugar; stir with spoon until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add flour and nuts, if desired; stir until well blended. Pour in each little tin until it is 3/4 of the way full.

3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost brownies, if desired. Cut into squares. About 24 brownies.


BROWNIE VARIATIONS:
CHIPPY CHEWY BROWNIES: Prepare brownies as directed, stirring in 1 cup REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips with flour. Bake as directed.

CAKELIKE BROWNIES: Stir in 1/2 cup milk with eggs and vanilla. Increase flour to 1-1/2 cups. Bake as directed.

CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES: Prepare brownies as directed, using 4 eggs. Spread in prepared pan. Beat 8-oz. pkg. softened cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg and 2 tablespoons flour. Soon mixture over brownie batter; swirl with knife to marble. Bake 35 to 40 minutes.

ROCKY ROAD BROWNIES: Prepare brownies as directed; bake 30 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with 2 cups miniature marshmallows, 1 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips and 1 cup chopped nuts over brownies. Bake another 3 minutes or until topping melts together.
Recipe reprinted from the Hershey Website.

Homemade Oatmeal

I learned last week how to make oatmeal from scratch (yeah I know--it's like one of the easiest things on the planet to make and I had NO clue how to make it!)

I was quite proud of the end results, so I am sharing my recipe with you--just in case you are like me and did not know how to make homemade oatmeal!

Homemade Oatmeal

Ingredients

1/2 cup of quick cooking oats

1 tbsp powdered milk 

1/8 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of sugar  

1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of brown sugar 

1 cup of extremely hot water

Directions

Combine all dry ingredients into your bowl. Add one cup of hot water and allow to sit for about five minutes. During that time mix ingredients together occasionally until desired thickness has been achieved.

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, and Kitchen Tip Tuesday.

Terriyaki Chicken

Terriyaki chicken is one of my favorite kinds of meat! I love the sweet and tangy taste of the terriyaki marinade.

There is only one marinade though that is the best and that is La Choy Terriyaki marinade. It's thickness makes it stick to the meat better and it crisps up nicely under the broiler in the oven to create a very sticky but delicious crust.

Here is my recipe:

Terriyaki Chicken

Ingredients
1 bottle of La Choy Terriyaki marinade
1 pound of chicken breast tenderloins

Directions
Pour half the marinade over the chicken and  allow it to rest in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Once the chicken has sat in the marinade you can fix it however you want. My favorite way is to grill it! Serve with a side of rice and pineapples for a wonderfully delicious supper!

This post is linked to: Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, and Toot Toot Tuesday.

Fried Apple Pies

Kayla and I started making these years ago after we visited the apple orchard one time. I think she was in Kindergarten. We had purchased one to share and immediately fell in love with the taste and texture of a fried apple pie.

I looked around and found several recipes, tried them out, and then used those to create my own version. We love these any time of the year and they are super quick to make up!

Fried Apple Pies

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 apples
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. Peel and dice apples. Add sugar and cinnamon. Cook in a saucepan on low heat. Cook until soft, then mash with fork to form a thick applesauce.
2. Sift flour and salt together. Cut in the shortening. Add water and mix with fork.
3. Roll out to about 1/8 inch thick on a floured board. Cut with a large cookie cutter (4 inches in diameter).
4. In each round, place 1 heaping tablespoon fruit. Moisten edges with cold water, fold and press edge with a fork.
5. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Fry pies, a few at a time, 2 to 3 minutes on each side; cook until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar. 

This recipe is linked to the Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I have tried different homemade versions of taco seasoning mix, but none of them tasted "just right". I couldn't figure out what it was that was making them taste so bland. But no worries! I found one the other day that is the perfect blend of seasonings. It works great for chicken, beef, pork--whatever you are trying to spice up for Mexican night!

@Google Images

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of chili powder
2 teaspoons of onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tsp cornstarch
3/4 cup water

Directions
Mix all the dry ingredients together and use with your taco meat. Pour the water in the pan and cook just like you would for tacos. The amount above is the same amount that is in one packet of taco seasoning mix at the store.

This post is linked to Tip Me Tuesday, Anti Procrastination Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Shutter Love Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesday.

Fettucine Chicken Alfredo

My family has fallen in love with Chicken Alfredo. Since eating it the last time that Kayla and I went to Olive Garden, I decided to try my hand at home.

If you don't have time to make the sauce homemade, you can just use the jarred stuff. It tastes awesome!

Here is the recipe that I have been using. It is from the Kraft website. Enjoy!

What You Need

1/2 lb. Fettuccine, uncooked

1 lb.  Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1-1/4 cups Fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

4 tsp.  Flour

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed

3 Tbsp.  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

1/4 tsp. Garlic powder

1/4 tsp.  Pepper

Make It

COOK pasta as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 7 min. or until chicken is done, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet. Mix broth and flour in same skillet. Stir in Neufchatel, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan, garlic powder and pepper; cook 2 min. or until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly with whisk. Stir in chicken.
DRAIN pasta; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Special Extra

Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley just before serving.

Substitute

Prepare as directed, using whole wheat fettuccine.

Variation

Stir in 2 cups chopped cooked broccoli before serving.

 

 

 

Reprinted from the Kraft Kitchen Website.

This post is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Dining with Debbie, and Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Chocolate Cake

The other night I was in the mood for chocolate, but did not have any cake mix on hand. However, I had flour, eggs, milk, cocoa, butter, and powdered sugar--so I was able to make this dee-licious chocolate cake, completely from scratch!

The cake recipe came from my favorite website, The Hillbilly Housewife. Her recipes are inexpensive to make and usually use what is already in your cabinets. I have made many of her recipes and there has not been one that I have not fallen in love with.

Hope you enjoy!
(recipes reprinted with permission)
 
Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup margarine, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon each vanilla and salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups buttermilk or sour milk

Get out a big bowl. Put the softened margarine (you can soften it in the microwave if you like)and the sugar into a large mixing bowl. Using electric beaters, cream them together until they are light and fluffy. Then add the eggs. Beat the eggs in, all at once. Continue beating the mixture until it is satiny smooth and emulsified. Next add the salt, vanilla, baking soda and cocoa. Beat again, until the cocoa is well mixed into the batter, making it chocolaty and fragrant. Then put the flour and the buttermilk or sour milk into the bowl. If you only have fresh milk, you can sour it with a little vinegar. Probably a tablespoon would be enough. Do it like this, put a tablespoon of vinegar into a two cup measure. Add enough milk to reach the two cup line. Allow the milk to set for a few moments, until you see it curdle. Now the milk is ready to use.

Anyway, beat the flour and milk into the batter with your electric beaters. Beat it really good, for about two full minutes, getting out all of the lumps. Turn the batter into a well oiled 9 by 13-inch rectangular pan, or two 9-inch round pans, or three 8-inch round pans. Bake the cake at 350F for 50 minutes in the large pan, and 35 to 40 minutes in the smaller pans. When the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, and the center springs back when you touch it gently, it is done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a long time. When the cake is all the way cool, you can frost it. This recipe makes a very large cake. The batter just barely fits in my 9″ cake pans, so if aren’t sure if your pans will hold it or not, then place them on a cookie sheet the first time you bake this recipe. That way, if any spills over, it will be easier to clean off of the cookie sheet than the bottom of the oven. Good cake for birthdays and fancy layer cake creations.

Chocolate Frosting

• 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 or 5 tablespoons milk
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• Good dash salt

Soften or melt the margarine first. I usually melt it in the microwave, because that is easiest for me. Add the cocoa, vanilla, and 4 tablespoons milk. Using electric beaters or a whisk, beat these ingredients together until they are good and smooth. Add the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, and continue beating the frosting. After you have added all four cups of powdered sugar, you may need a little more milk to give the frosting spreading consistency. If you think you need more milk, add it a teaspoon at a time. If too much milk is added, you will end up with runny frosting. Fix this by adding more unsweetened cocoa, or more powdered sugar, or both. If desired you may replace the milk with strong coffee and end up with a very tasty grown up mocha flavor. I don’t give this to the kids because they are wired up on the chocolate and sugar already, they don’t need caffeine on top of it. This recipe is supposed to make enough for a layer cake. Depending on one’s skill in frosting layer cakes, this may or may not be true. If you have a child who wants a chocolate layer cake with chocolate frosting for their birthday, this is the one to choose.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

This bread is SO good. It goes wonderful with coffee, or by itself, or on a plate with an extra dollop of whip cream. There is really nothing wrong you can do to this bread.

The lemony goodness just melts in your mouth as you take bite after bite--and you will. Try to eat just one little piece. It will not happen!

Here is the recipe:

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 2 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/8 cups vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease three 8x4 inch bread pans.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, poppy seeds and 2 1/2 cups white sugar. Add the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla and lemon extract; mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pans.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean. Cool loaves in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
4. Combine orange juice with remaining 3/4 cup sugar and desired flavor of extract; stir well. Pour this mixture over the loaf while it is still hot. Allow loaf to cool completely before serving. 

This yields 3 loaves.

An Egg, Some Bread, and LOTS of Butter!

This weekend, I had my very first try of the Pioneer Woman's Egg in a Hole recipe. I am usually not an egg person per-say, but this recipe was DA BOMB!

The bread was crusty and buttery, and the egg did not even taste like an egg at all. The juicy yellow was just scrumptious with each tantalizing bite!

You should try it. In fact, you should try it today! Here is the recipe link:

PW's Egg in the Hole!

Homemade Donuts

How would you like to make yummy, yummy donuts like the ones above? Paula Deen taught me and she can teach you too! Although, it is not hard at all! Very easy and only takes just a few short minutes of your time. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• Oil, for frying
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sugar

Icings:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
• 5 tablespoons milk, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cans large buttermilk biscuits
• Colored sprinkles
• Chocolate sprinkles

Directions

Heat 2 inches oil in a large pot or Dutch oven to 350 degrees F.

In a shallow bowl, stir together the ground cinnamon and sugar and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup of confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, set aside. This is the vanilla icing. In another bowl, whisk together 1 cup of confectioners' sugar, 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons of milk and set aside. This is the chocolate icing.

Lay out the biscuits on a cutting board and with a 1 1/2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out a hole from the middle of each biscuit. Fry them in the oil until golden and then flip with tongs to fry the other side. You can even fry the donut holes. Drain on paper towels and then toss in the cinnamon-sugar or ice and decorate with sprinkles, as desired.

Pretzels

I am still totally amazed that I made these and that they taste SO darn good! I love soft pretzels but hate the price. . .who doesn't?

I found this recipe from the weird dude on Food Network. . . yeah, Alton Brown. I love his show. He is so knowledgable about food!

Anyway, here is his yummy recipe for these delectable pretzels. The cheese is a packaged cheese sauce that I got from our little Amish store. Goes so good with these things, but a good mustard would too.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Pretzel salt

Directions

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Strawberry Sandwich

Doesn't this sandwich look delicious? It is SO super simple and easy to make. Everything I purchased was on sale, so that was also a plus!

Ingredients

2 slices of angel food cake
strawberry slices
whipped topping

Directions
Take your angel food cake slices and place on a plate. Top one piece with strawberries and then place the whipped cream on top of that. Add the other slice of angel food cake and you have yourself a most dee-lightful snack/light supper ever!

Basil Pesto Chicken

Last night, as I was trying to decide what to fix for supper, I moseyed on over to the All Recipes website to see what I could find. The thing that I love most about this website is the fact that I can put in ingredients and it will give me recipes based on what I have on hand.

So last night, I had pesto, rotini noodles, and chicken. This is the recipe it gave me: Pesto Pasta Chicken. This recipe kind of gave me a base for what I wanted to do. I did change it up just a bit, so here is my version below. It is SO good!

Basil Chicken Pesto

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package rotini pasta
• 2 tablespoons of  olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• crushed red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup pesto sauce

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until tender, then stir in chicken. Season with red pepper flakes. Cook until chicken is golden, and cooked through.Add tomatoes and toss.
3. In a large bowl, combine pasta, chicken and tomato mixture, and pesto. Toss to coat evenly. 

This recipe was SO good that I only had a very tiny bowl left over. Hope you enjoy! 

Roasted Pork Tacos~Cook Once, Serve Twice

What happens when you fix a huge Boston Butt? Well, for starters, you not only get one meal. . . .

Shredded BBQ Pork Sandwiches

But you get two!

Spicy Pork Tacos

Pork Tacos

Ingredients

Leftover Shredded Pork

1 can of green chiles

1 package of taco seasoning mix

taco shells or tortillas

Salsa

Shredded cheese for garnish

sour cream for garnish

Directions

Heat the pork in a skillet. When it has reheated, add in the diced green chiles and taco seasoning mix. Put meat mixture on to your shells or tortillas and prepare as you would for tacos.

Cook one, serve twice!

Bacon Wrapped Pineapple

The other day when I was snooping around the Tasty Kitchen website, I ran across this recipe. It is SUPER easy to make! The actual recipe link is HERE.

Ingredients
1 pound of bacon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 can of chunk pineapple

Directions
Open the can of pineapple. Drain all the liquid off. Take the pound of bacon and cut each piece up into thirds. Rub brown sugar on the piece of pineapple and then wrap with a piece of bacon.

Bake in the oven on 375 degrees for about 25 or 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve. Can be served either warm or cold.

This post is linked to: Tuesday Tastes,  Tuesdays at the Table, Teatime Tuesdays, and Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

Chicken Vegetable Lasagna

I found this really yummy recipe at Tasty Kitchen the other day called Chicken Vegetable Lasagna. I had to change the recipe some to suit those in my family. My recipe is below, but if you want the full, fledged version, you can find it HERE. This recipe is a little time consuming to make, but the results are just delicious!

Ingredients
12 whole Lasagna Noodles
6 cups Chicken Broth
½ cups Flour
¼ teaspoons Dried Thyme
½ teaspoons Dried Basil, Divided
½ teaspoons Dried Oregano, Divided
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 pieces Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves, Cubed
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cups Shredded Carrots
2 whole Medium Tomatoes, Chopped
3 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 dashes Salt
2 dashes Pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place lasagna noodles in a 9×13 pan. Fill pan with hot water and a drizzle of olive oil and let noodles soak while preparing the other ingredients (omit this step if using oven-ready lasagna noodles).

In a large saucepan, whisk together chicken broth, flour, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon each of basil and oregano. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and allow sauce to simmer and thicken while preparing chicken and vegetables.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cubed chicken, remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of basil and oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

In the same skillet, melt the butter, then add the chopped onion, garlic and carrots. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until heated through. Return chicken to skillet with vegetables.

Spread a scant cup of the thickened chicken broth in the bottom of a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1/3 of chicken and vegetable mixture over noodles. Top with 1/3 of the thickened broth (about 2 cups), followed by 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat twice, ending with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Top with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, until lasagna is bubbly and cheese is golden brown. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Homemade Croutons

Homemade croutons are SUPER easy to fix!

Cut up bread slices to the size you want. Grab your Italian seasoning, salt, and olive oil to season them with. In a small bowl, combine  1 teaspoon salt and  2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning together. Mix about 1/4 cup of olive oil with the seasoning and then pour over your chopped up bread cubes.

Place in a 350 degree oven in a single layer on a baking pan and bake until browned on each side (about 15 minutes).

Serve with your favorite salad.