Spicy Roast Chicken

Always looking for new things to do with a chicken breast-- Justin liked this a lot. I changed a few things from another recipe.

Spicy Roast Chicken

• 24 ounces whole cherry tomatoes (about 4 cups), stemmed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 4 bone-in chicken breasts (10 to 12 ounces each)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 can of diced tomatotes
  

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, and rosemary. Add diced tomatoes.

2. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken, arranging the tomatoes in a single layer on the sheet around the chicken. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the tomatoes are blistered, about 35 minutes.

3. Transfer the chicken to plates. Spoon the tomatoes and juices over the chicken. Serve.

Note: I added the diced tomatoes to make it more saucy. I would like this without as well.

Chick-Fil-A Carrot and Raisin Salad

Tried this for the first time on a road trip. Delicious!

Chick-Fil-A Carrot and Raisin Salad

• 4 cups finely shredded carrots
• 1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, with juice
• 1 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Chill all ingredients except sugar at least 30 minutes. Dissolve the sugar in the pineapple, then combine everything gently in a large bowl. May be refrigerated up to 72 hours. Serves 8.

NOTE: Fresh carrots are the secret, according to Chick-Fil-A.

Sugar Cookies

A friend made these for me and Justin said they were the best cookies he's ever eaten. So I got the recipe:

Sugar Cookies
by Lethe Bradshaw

• 2- 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup butter softened
• 1-1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. They will bake on the pan when you take them out. She overcooked them by two minutes when she made them for us. :)

Smothered Chicken n Bacon

I made this tonight when I didn't think about dinner until after 6pm. I just threw this together with what I had on hand and Justin really liked it. Not the healthiest, but yummy. I used chicken that had already been grilled and then frozen tonight, but I'm writing the recipe as if I started with fresh chicken.

Smothered Chicken N Bacon
by Brooke Cheesman Hochstein

• Chicken Breast
  
• Sriracha Chili Sauce (or other favorite hot sauce)
  
• Ranch Dressing
  
• Bacon
• Cheese of choice

Preheat oven to 375. Grill chicken breast. Lay grilled chicken on pan (I cover my pans with aluminum foil to reduce cleanup.) Put small amount of hot sauce on chicken. Squirt quarter-size amount of ranch dressing on top of that. Tear one strip of bacon in half and lay the halves side-by-side over the chicken. Cover chicken with cheese. I used shredded mozzarella tonight. Cook for about 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and bacon is cooked.
Notes: Bacon bits can be substituted for bacon for more color on top of the cheese. I added a strip of bacon on the side of the pan to help me know when the bacon was fully cooked since I couldn't see it under the cheese.