Katharine Hepburn Brownies

Posted on by Helene Wallace

After years of making brownies from a box mix, I found this recipe and never looked back. So good and really don’t take much longer to make than the boxes.

1 cup salted butter (plus more for greasing)

4 oz unsweetened bakers chocolate (broken up)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup-1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan with butter. Grease a sheet of parchment paper and line pan with it.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a 2 qt saucepan over low heat. stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir to make a smooth batter. Add the flour, mix well, then add chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the baking pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Let cool (at least 30 minutes), cut and serve.

This is adapted from a recipe I found on tastyeatsathome.com which is no longer active. The original does include walnuts but I never liked nuts in my brownies and my son is allergic to most tree nuts so I leave them out

Chicken with Pasta, Prosciutto & Asparagus in Parmesan Cream Sauce

Posted on by Helene Wallace

I adapted this from a cookbook from Magnolia’s restaurant in Charleston. Mine is more of an alfredo, theirs was more soupy.  This is one of my husband’s favorites.

1 lb farfalle
4-5 slices of prosciutto cut into small pieces
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 cup asparagus, cut into 1/2 in slices
1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast, diced
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
Cracked pepper 

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta cooks, saute the garlic in oil add the diced chicken and cook til almost done.  Remove chicken, add a little oil and more garlic if needed, add the prosciutto and the asparagus.  Once the asparagus is tender, add the heavy cream and Parmesan.  Cook, stirring occasionally until the cheese is melted and sauce thickens.  Add the chicken back in and cook til done. Add the cooked pasta to the pan. Add cracked pepper to taste.  Stir and let cook a little more til sauce thickens.  Serve with more Parmesan.

Malibu Chicken

Posted on by Helene Wallace

DIRECTIONS

  • Dip chicken into beaten egg and then coat with breadcrumbs.
  • Place chicken in a casserole dish.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, remove from oven and top each piece with a slice of ham and slice of cheese, bake for another 5 minutes
  • For the dipping sauce combine mustard and mayonnaise.
  • Serve with rice.

Adapted from Food.com

Creamy Avocado and Spinach Pasta

Posted on by Helene Wallace

This recipe is based on one from Jo Cooks I started making when my daughter had a vegetarian phase. She is since back to eating meat so I now include chicken.

1 box pasta

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cubed

1 clove minced garlic

1 avocado

1 cup fresh spinach

1/2 cup almonds (original recipe uses pecans but my son is allergic to them)

1/4 cup basil

1/4 cup grated parmesan

3/4 to 1 cup pasta water

garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package instructions

Season chicken with pepper and garlic powder to taste. Sauté til done.

While the chicken is cooking, add the rest of the ingredients to a blender and blend until it turns into a smooth sauce. Start with 1/2 cup of pasta water and add more as needed to get the consistency you want.

Toss the pasta with the sauce and chicken and serve immediately. Top with shredded parmesan

Cajun Chicken with Pasta

Posted on by Helene Wallace

Have you ever had one of the recipes where you know it has the potential to be really good, but you just can’t get it right?  For me that was Cajun chicken.  A friend had posted her recipe on Facebook and no matter what I did it didn’t turn out like I wanted.  I loved the idea of the spice with the creamy sauce but her recipe called for sour cream and mine always curdled.  Then I stumbled upon this recipe from Comfortably Domestic  I combined the two and finally got what I was going for.

  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
  • 1 ½ Tbs. Cajun blackening spice (you can buy it in the spice aisle but I make my own using this recipe)
  • 2 Tbs. butter, divided
  • 1 Tbs. olive oil (or more if needed)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 C. (1/2 pint) thinly sliced red bell peppers
  • ¼ C. dry white wine (or chicken broth)
  • 1 ½ C. heavy cream
  • 1 ½ C. freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese 
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (or more, to taste)
  • 1 pound cooked pasta

1 Cook pasta according to package directions

2.  Season the chicken with the Cajun seasoning.  Add some EVOO to a warm skillet and start to brown the chicken.  Don’t cook it completely as it will be cooking more in the sauce later.  

3.  If the skillet looks dry, add a bit more olive oil. Re-heat the skillet over medium heat.

4.  Pour in the dry white wine (or chicken broth) into the skillet to deglaze the pan. (1-2 minutes)

5.  Add the garlic and peppers to the pan and sauté to soften and lightly caramelize, stirring occasionally. (1-2 minutes)

6.  Reduce heat to medium-low and pour the heavy cream to the pan with the pepper mixture, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

7.  Add the salt, pepper, and the remaining tablespoon of butter.

8.  Continue to stir the cream mixture while it simmers for 3-4 minutes. The cream will reduce slightly.

9.  Remove the peppers from the pan. Add the Monterey Jack to the cream sauce. Stir constantly until all the cheese has melted, and sauce is smooth.

10.  Add the chicken and peppers back into the sauce and cook until done (another minute or two).  Serve over pasta.

Shaved Parmesan Chicken & Lemon Creme Sauce

Posted on by Helene Wallace

This recipe is one I found back in 2011 from a blog called Jules Diner that is no longer available. This includes a couple of minor modifications

  • 2 lbs skinless boneless chicken breasts
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
  • fresh mushrooms sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, divided
  • 2 lemons juiced
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • shredded parmesan to taste
  • 2 oz tbsp olive oil
  • 6 tbsp butter divided

Preheat oven to 350

Slice the mushrooms and set aside

Add a tbsp of butter toasted warmed skillet, add 1 clove of the minced garlic stirring occasionally til fragrant. Add the mushrooms and sauté until browned and remove.

Pound the chicken breasts flat. Shave a generous amount of parmesan into the breadcrumbs and toss.

Dredge chicken in egg, then breadcrumb mixtures

Gently place coated chicken breasts in preheated skillet with olive oil and butter. Brown 2-3 minutes on each side but don’t cook completely. Remove from skillet and place in casserole dish. Baked in warmed oven for 20 minutes

Add 2 more tbsp butter to skillet, add garlic to the pan, and sauté til fragrant

Deglaze the skillet with chicken stock and lemon juice. scraping the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes

Add 2 more tbsp butter and the heavy cream. Blend well and turn to low. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.

Remove the chicken from the oven. Pour the sauce over the top and serve with pasta and crusty bread to sop up the sauce.

Crockpot Cheesy Meatballs

Posted on by Helene Wallace

Recipe and photo from Tasty.co with minor modifications

Cut low moisture mozzarella cheese into 3/4 inch cubes.

In a large mixing bowl combine: 

1 pound ground beef

1 pound hot Italian sausage

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 eggs

Roll golf ball sized balls with the meat mixture. Squish mozzarella cube into the center and pull the edges of the meat ball around it until it’s a new ball again.

Arrange meatballs in slow cooker and cover in tomato sauce. 

Cook on high for 3 hours. Serve over spaghetti and with crusty bread

No photo description available.

Greek Chickpea Salad

Posted on by Helene Wallace

Ingredients

  • 1 (10.5 oz) containers red grape tomatoes halved
  • 1 (10.5 oz) containers yellow grape tomatoes halved
  • 1 orange or red bell pepper diced
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can chick peas,drained and rinsed
  • 1 cucumbers peeled and sliced into quarters
  • 1 Hass avocados, peeled, cored and diced (ripe but semi-firm)
  • 3 oz feta or goat cheese crumbled
  • Balsamic dressing (I use Kraft)

Instructions

In a salad bowl toss together tomatoes, peppers, chick peas and cucumber. Add avocado and gently toss. Add desire amount of dressing and gently toss to evenly coat. Serve within an hour for best results.

Source and photo credit: Cooking Classy

Balsamic Chicken

Posted on by Helene Wallace

This is a family favorite and what my oldest daughter always requests as her first meal when she gets home. While the chicken could be prepared in the oven, grilling definitely is the best. We always serve it with the a Greek Chickpea salad served with feta and goat cheese crumbles on the side so we can each add the one we prefer.

Marinade chicken breasts for at least 3 hours in this mixture (then save the marinade):

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

4 cloves minced garlic

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons grey poupon mustard

4 tablespoons sugar

Grill chicken and cube.

Toss grilled chicken with 1 pound of cooked penne pasta.

Boil marinade to thicken for 1 minute, then mix in with penne.  

Add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese to pasta and serve. 

Original recipe from Making it Feel Like Home

My Recipe Box

Posted on by Helene Wallace

I have a binder full of recipes printed from a variety of sources including bloggers. Some of these are from sites that are no longer active. I’m creating this site to preserve the family favorites. I will always give credit to the original blogger and provide a link if their site is still active. I do have a few recipes of my own or from unknown sources but most will be attributed to others.

A couple of notes on my recipes.

  • My headings will use the name we call the meal by in our house. If it’s different than what the original source called it, I will include the name they gave it in the body of the post.
  • Recipes are guidelines not set in stone. . I almost always follow a recipe exactly the first time, but over time adjust it to my/my family’s tastes. Baked goods are an exception for most ingredients, but in case most cases adding more chocolate is always a good idea. 😂. If you make any changes to these recipes let me know. Would love to know of any improvements I hadn’t thought of
  • I always use real parmesan when called for. Freshly shredded is so much better than that sawdust (as my mom used to call it) that comes in the canister. Not only does it taste better, but if you are adding parmesan to a sauce it melts much better.
  • I will use store bought shredded cheddar when needed as I feel like that melts fine and is a great time saver.
  • I only use real butter, sugar and eggs when called for. I once gave my Swedish Apple Pie recipe to a health conscious friend who substituted the butter, eggs and sugar with her usual subs. It did not turn out well, no surprise to me. If she had only subbed one ingredient it may have been fine.

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