Crispy Pecan Chicken // Baked Ziti

I never seem to be able to find enough ways to make chicken. This week I found a pretty easy weeknight chicken recipe that turned out to be delicious! It's called Crunchy Pecan Chicken. The crunch of the pecans added some nice texture to the chicken, which was good since the chicken itself turned out super tender and soft.

Crunchy Pecan Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

1 cup Bisquick

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (I used the pecan bits they sell in the baking aisle)

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Creole seasoning
2 lbs chicken tenders
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir well. 

3. Dip chicken in buttermilk, dredge in pecan mixture.  Place chicken in an ungreased 9x13-inch pan.  Drizzle butter over chicken.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until chicken is done.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I had off from work yesterday, and when I have more time on my hands, I love to use it to cook or bake, so yesterday I decided to make a nice dinner for DJ. I was in the mood for Italian and so I asked what kind of pasta he would like me to make and he chose ziti. I went online to try and find a good recipe and I landed on one from the Food Network's site. It involved making my own marinara sauce which seemed a little intimidating to me at first, but it actually ended up being very easy. The whole recipe called for a lot of fresh ingredients which made all the difference in how the ziti tasted. It was also the first time that I shopped around in the "fancy cheese section" of the grocery store. I have no Italian in my blood that I know of, but buying fresh mozzarella and romano cheese and making my own pasta sauce made me feel just about as close as I ever could be to an Italian. I'm going to share the simple marinara sauce recipe first and then the baked ziti recipe that I used it with...

Baked Ziti

[ Simple Marinara Sauce ]

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 medium onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 1/2 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes in puree, (one 28-ounce can), roughly chopped

Sprig of fresh thyme

Sprig of fresh basil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

3. Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use now, or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Yield: about 3 1/2 cups.


[ Baked Ziti ]

Ingredients:

1 pound dried ziti pasta

Kosher salt

3 1/2 cups Simple Marinara Sauce, recipe above

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided

1/4 cup grated pecorino romano

1 pound fresh mozzarella, half cut into 1/2-inch cubes and half thinly sliced

Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of crushed red pepper, or to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously, and boil the pasta until al dente, tender but still slightly firm. Drain.

2. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta with the marinara sauce, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the pecorino, and the cubed mozzarella pieces. Season with the black pepper and red pepper to taste, and mix until well combined.

3. Transfer the pasta to an oiled 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Cover the top of the pasta with the sliced mozzarella, and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Bake until lightly browned and hot, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course, after making DJ a yummy dinner, I knew that it wouldn't be complete without a yummy dessert. I found this recipe for "Sopapilla Cheesecake" which was easy enough that I knew I would have time to make it even after slaving over the pasta dish. I have a weakness for cinnamon and sugar put together, so this recipe did not disappoint me! We ate some right after it came out of the oven so it was a little gooey and messy but still yummy. I'm going to try it chilled today at some point, whenever it decides to call my name from the fridge.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

Ingredients:
Ingredients:
2 cans pillsbury flaky butter crescent rolls
2  8oz packages cream cheese (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup butter (melted)
Cinnamon & sugar

Directions:
1. Unroll and spread 1 can crescent rolls on bottom of un-greased pan. (I used a casserole dish a little smaller than a 9x13 pan).
2. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Spread mixture over crescent rolls.
3. Unroll and spread remaining crescent rolls over mixture. Spread melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.