Oven Fried Parmesan Chicken Drumsticks

 Lately, I have been baking a lot of my food (to avoid frying it in grease), but I wanted something with a fried texture without using grease.  So, last night, I made some really tasty oven fried chicken with a twist.  With some grated Parmesan cheese and some bread crumbs, we had a great meal last night.  Happy cooking and eating everyone!

Recipe: Oven Fried Parmesan Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients:

• 12-15 Chicken drumsticks
• 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup of bread crumbs (original or Italian style)
• 2 egg
• 3 Tbsp of Milk
• Seasoning: Garlic Powder, Season All, black pepper
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• Directions:
• 1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Wash your chicken and then season it with the seasonings listed above.  In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk together.  In another bowl add bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Mix together well.

2. Dip chicken in egg/milk mixture.  Make sure you coat it well. Then roll the chicken through the cheese/bread crumb mixture (again coat it well). 

• 3. Spray a large pan (I used the Pampered Chef large bar pan) with cooking spray.  Place chicken on the pan.  Bake on 400 degrees for about 45 minutes.  After 45 minutes, turn the chicken over and let it cook for about 3-5 more minutes.  

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• The chicken was served with corn on the cob and scalloped potatoes!  Enjoy!
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February: The Month of Black History and Love

Throughout the month of February (until February 15th), I will be posting at least two Valentine's Day recipe.  Not everyone likes to go out to eat on Valentine's Day.  Some people actually like to prepare a nice cooked meal for their significant other.  I will also be posting a little fact about an African American who has influenced our country in some way or another.  So, lets get things started with our first Valentine's Day recipe (I am going to attempt this with my honey).  Happy cooking and eating everyone!

Recipe: Heavenly Lemon Angel Cake (Courtesy of Pampered Chef)

Ingredients:

5 drops of red food coloring

1 package of angel food cake mix (16oz)

3 Lemons

2 cups of powdered sugar

2 cups of thawed frozen fat-free whipped topping

1 package of frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed

**Items in BOLD are Pampered Chef tools that are used for this recipe (please contact me if you are interested in purchasing any Pampered Chef)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). For cake, add food coloring to amount of water specified on package. Prepare cake according to package directions. Pour batter into Rectangular Baker. Bake on center rack 35-40 minutes or until top is golden brown, cracked and center is slightly sunken. (Do not under bake.) Remove baker from oven; invert ontoStackable Cooling Rack. Without removing baker, let stand until completely cool (about 1 1/2 hours).
2. Poke holes in cake about 1 1/2 in. (4 cm) deep and 1/2 in. (1 cm) apart with large fork. Zest lemons using Zester/Scorer to measure 1 tbsp (15 mL) zest. Juice lemons usingJuicer to measure 1/3 cup (75 mL) juice. In Small Batter Bowl, combine sugar, juice and zest; whisk until smooth. Pour glaze over cake, spreading evenly. Let stand 30 minutes or until glaze is set.
3. Attach open star tip to Easy Accent® Decorator; fill with whipped topping. Garnish each serving with whipped topping; top with raspberries.

Black History Month: Sojourner Truth

When I was in middle school, I had to do a project on an African American who made a difference in our country.  Almost all of the girls were doing their project on Harriet Tubman or Maya Angelou (who are all very important), but I wanted to research someone we didn't commonly hear about.  I found a book about Sojourner Truth and knew she was the person I wanted to learn more about.  I even dressed like her for my presentation.  Here is a little information about her:

"Sojourner Truth was a prominent abolitionist and women's rights activist. Born a slave in New York State, she had at least three of her children sold away from her. After escaping slavery, Truth embraced evangelical religion and became involved in moral reform and abolitionist work. She collected supplies for black regiments during the Civil War and immersed herself in advocating for freed people during the Reconstruction period. Truth was a powerful and impassioned speaker whose legacy of feminism and racial equality still resonates today. She is perhaps best known for her stirring "Ain't I a Woman?" speech, delivered at a women's convention in Ohio in 1851."

Santa Fe Chicken Casserole

As I was trying to decide what to cook today, I saw this recipe online.  I am going to try this recipe sometime this week.  I am beyond excited!  Happy cooking and eating everyone!

Recipe: Santa Fe Chicken Casserole (Courtesy of Kraft.com

Ingredients:
3 cups of shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 can of black beans rinsed
1 can of no salt added diced tomatoes (drained)
1 tub of Philadelphia Santa Fe Blended Cooking Cream (divided)
2 green onions sliced
3 flour tortillas
3/4 cups of Kraft Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese divided

Directions:

1. HEAT oven to 375ºF.

2. COMBINE first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add 3/4 cup cooking creme; mix lightly.

3. SPOON 1/3 of the chicken mixture into 9-inch pie plate; top with 1 tortilla, half the remaining chicken mixture and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Cover with second tortilla, remaining chicken mixture, 1/4 cup shredded cheese and remaining tortilla. Top with remaining cooking creme and shredded cheese; cover.

4. BAKE 20 min. or until heated through; uncover. Bake 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

**If you like this recipe, please look at the recipe below: 

Recipe: Santa Fe Enchilada Soup (Courtesy of Kraft.com)

Ingredients:

4

 corn tortillas (6 inch), cut into strips

1

tsp. oil

1

lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1

tub (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme

1

cup milk

1

can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed

1

can (11 oz.) corn with red and green bell peppers, drained

1

can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

1/4

cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions: 

1. HEAT oven to 400°F.

2. TOSS tortilla strips with oil; spread into single layer on baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 min. or until crisp, stirring occasionally.

3. MEANWHILE, cook chicken in large nonstick saucepan sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 8 to 10 min. or until chicken is done, stirring frequently. Stir in cooking creme, milk, beans, corn and tomatoes; simmer on medium-low heat 6 to 8 min. or until heated through, stirring frequently.

4. SERVE soup topped with tortilla strips and cilantro.