Chicken Parmesan

This is a super easy recipe. The chicken always turns out moist and tender. This recipe is originally from Kraft.

Chicken Parmesan

6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

1 jar or can (26 oz) of prepared spaghetti sauce

parmesan cheese

1.5 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour 1 cup of spaghetti sauce into 9x13 pan and spread evenly over bottom of pan.

Place chicken in pan. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 - 60 minutes. Check for doneness by slicing into the middle of the largest piece of chicken. There should be no pink remaining. Remove cover and sprinkle with mozzarella. Place pan back in the oven (uncovered) until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

This is a very dense moist muffin. Even though you can buy pumpkin in a can all year long, pumpkin recipes seem like fall.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1.5 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

One 6 oz. container vanilla yogurt

1/3 cup milk

2 Tbl. canola oil

1 small can (15 oz.) solid pack pumpkin

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Combine dry ingredients. Add yogurt, milk, oil, and pumpkin. Add nuts. Stir until well blended but do not over beat. Spoon into 12 greased or paper-lined muffin tins. Tins will be very full. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Brownies

Often when I am baking I think "I'd like Grandma to help me with this" and I get out her wooden spoon.  The above photo features her spoon AND her apron.

This recipe was in Prevention magazine. It has healthy ingredients, so don't expect a super rich brownie from this one. They are tasty, though. Just don't go overboard because you think they are healthy; they still have enough calories to be dangerous. It's just that the calories come from good ingredients, such as walnuts and canola oil. As usual, I can't leave well enough alone so I cut the sugar in 1/2 from the original recipe, with good results. Oh, and I switched out the white flour for whole wheat.

Brownies

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking powder

dash salt

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup no-sugar-added applesauce

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Break up any lumps in the cocoa.

Put sugar, oil, applesauce, egg and egg white, and vanilla in small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Pour into flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts (batter will be stiff).

Spread batter in prepared pan. Put in oven and bake 20 to 22 minutes or until firm at edges and wooden pick inserted off center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Place pan on rack and cool completely. Cut into bars to serve.