Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• your favorite no stick cooking spray
• 8 ounces white mushrooms, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• 2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Parsley (optional, for garnish)

Instructions:

1. Heat skillet and spritz with cooking spray.
2. Saute garlic and mushroom.
3. Add and cook chicken over medium heat until no longer pink.
4. Add chicken broth, thyme, pepper and vinegar.
5. Simmer for 15 – 20 minutes.

**TIP: Be very careful not to add excess vinegar because the flavor from balsamic is very strong.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or substitute 1 tbsp fresh thyme)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 8 oz raspberry fruit spread (no sugar added)
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Season chicken with thyme and salt.
2. Heat oil in skillet. Saute onion.
3. Add chicken to skillet and cook until chicken is no longer pink.
4. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.
5. Add fruit spread, balsamic vinegar, and pepper to oil and onion in skillet. Cook until spread is melted and sauce thickens.
6. Pour over chicken and serve.

**Garnish with fresh berries and parsley for added presentation.

• 1 pound ground chicken (or turkey)
• 6 ounces crumbled feta
• 2 tablespoons ground oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients well and form into 4 – 6 individual patties. Grill or broil for about 5
to 7 minutes each side. The feta cheese adds a wonderfully unique flavor.

Please Note: If you’re using an indoor grill you might need to spray it with a bit of
nonstick spray because they to tend to stick a little.

Ingredients:
1 French baguette
6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes,
packed in oil
3 cloves minced garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven on broiler setting.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the roma tomatoes,
sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt and
pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
3. Cut the baguette into 3/4 inch slices. On a baking
sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil
for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown.
4. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette
slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese.
5. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Makes 12 servings.

Chicken Napoli

Ingredients:
4 broiler-fryer chicken breasts, halved
1 cup (8 ounces) butter or margarine
2 (5/8-ounce) envelopes dry Italian dressing mix
1/3 cup lime juice

Directions:
1. Melt butter in small saucepan. Stir in salad dressing mix and
lime juice.
2. Brush both sides of chicken pieces with mixture.
3. Place chicken skin side down on grill about 10 inches above hot
coals. Grill, turning and basting often with butter mixture for 40
minutes or until tender and richly glazed.
Makes 8 servings.

Green Bean and Basil Salad

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs green beans, topped and tailed and cut into 1 1/2
inch pieces
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vinegar (I prefer a mix of red wine and balsamic)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic, minced finely (or pressed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 scallions, chopped

Directions:
1. Steam the green beans for about 10 minutes, until tender.
2. You can also cook them in the microwave for about 4 minutes.
3. Set aside in a bowl.
4. Whisk together the oil, vinegar and seasonings.
5. Pour this over the green beans.
6. Add the scallions and toss gently.
7. Cover and place in the fridge until cold.
8. The flavor really intensifies if you let the salad chill for 24 hours.

Homemade chicken strips can make a wonderful meal. Be sure you have a deep fryer handy before checking out these recipe ideas.

1. Plan Ahead
Before you even start, you’ll need to make sure you have the following ingredients:

Boneless Chicken Breast, cut in strips
Milk
Egg
Flour

If you plan to have a different type of strips (like spicy strips, sweet strips, etc), make sure you have the additional ingredients as well.

2. Cook
Preheat your deep fryer to at least 350* before you go any further. You’ll want to be able to immediately drop your chicken in a hot fryer as soon as you bread it.

As soon as it’s hot, place an egg and milk into a bowl to drop the chicken in. Pour your flour into a zip lock bag, and shake to coat the milk/egg chicken. Cook in fryer until chicken floats and is golden brown.

3. Add Sauces
Here you get to choose what type of dipping sauce you want with your chicken strips. Some prefer ranch, others with nothing, and many with just plain ketchup. You can also make a tasty honey mustard by mixing half mustard and half honey.

Variations:

Some variations of chicken strips include adding different spices to your flour. Garlic salt, onion powder, and other spices can make a spicy chicken that’s not too hot. Sesame seeds can also make a great addition to your chicken – just be sure to bake the seeds first so they don’t “explode” and pop.

Another variation is marinating the chicken first before breading. You’ll need to plan ahead at least a day with this option.

The sky is the limit with this easy recipe – see what you can come up with that’s in your own kitchen!

About the Author: Kara Kelso is the mother of two, and owner of many websites. For more fried chicken recipes and ideas, visit: http://www.idea-queen.com/fried-chicken-recipes.html

Cooking a whole turkey is just not something we do very often so having a perfect, juicy turkey on Thanksgiving Day can be illusive. Here are a few tips, hints and things to look for when making your turkey.

Choosing a Turkey
As Thanksgiving Day gets closer shopping market shelves seem to burst with turkeys of all sizes and brands. How do you know what size turkey to get? First figure out how many people you will be serving. Perhaps you should jot this number down on top of your shopping list because it will be helpful as you buy other items. If you are only feeding a few people and plan on getting a turkey less than 12 pounds expect figure about ¾ of a pound per adult as servings. If you are feeding a lot of people and are getting a larger turkey add up each adult serving as a pound and that is the size turkey you will want to look for. So if you are feeding 15 people you will want to get a 15-pound turkey. If you want to have leftovers add about 3-4 pounds.

White or Dark Meat?
Look on the labeling of the turkey carefully. If your family prefers white meat, then you will want to get a hen turkey. If dark meat is more desirable then get a tom turkey.

Thawing a Frozen Turkey
Thawing is an important part of getting the turkey to cook right. If the turkey is not completely thawed it will cook unevenly. Plan on the turkey taking 24 hours for every 5 pounds to thaw. So if you get a 15-pound turkey it will take three days for it to thaw. You also can’t count that day you are planning on roasting the turkey. To thaw, place the turkey on a tray and put in the fridge. You can tell the turkey is thawed if you can remove the giblets easily and there is no ice on the inside of the bird.

Preparations for Roasting
When the turkey is thawed release the legs, and remove everything from the inside cavities. Rinse the turkey thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. If you want to cook the stuffing inside the turkey make sure you have a meat thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer you will want to cook the stuffing separately. Reset the legs with the leg clamp or tie with string. Put the wing tips under the back. Place a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan and put the turkey on the rack breast side up. If you have a meat thermometer insert it into a thigh or some other place where it will not touch bone. Cover the turkey loosely with foil (make sure there is space between the turkey and the foil.

Roast in a 325 degree oven. Turkeys that are 8-12 pounds need to be roasted for 2 ½ -3 hours, 12-14 pound turkey for 3-3 ¾ hours, 14-18 pound turkeys for 3 ½- 4 ¼ hours, 18-20 pound turkeys for 4 ¼-4 ½ hours, and a 20-24 pound turkey will need to cook for 4 ½ to 5 hours. If you have opted to put stuffing in your turkey then you will need to allow for an extra 15-45 minutes on all cooking times.

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