Hello Everyone!

"I think I'm ready for real food" are the sweetest 7 words spoken to me by my DH!! Since April 12th, it's been bland food city around here...

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Gravy
Corn on the Cob
Sweet Peas
Mashed Garlic Potatoes
Garlic Bread
Cherry Banana-Fo-Fana Dessert
Blackberry Lemonade

Stuffed Chicken Breasts a la Gina

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. paprika

Drizzle olive oil over breasts and sprinkle with above condiments. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

Stuffing:

1 small package of Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 c. fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c. fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 McIntosh apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup chicken broth (Superior Touch Better than Bouillon)

Saute the onion, mushrooms and celery until golden, add the garlic and parsley at the last minute and cook for 1-2 minutes. In a bowl, add the stuffing and mix with the sauteed veggies, add the chopped apples and raisins along with the melted butter and add the broth until you get the consistency you want, sort of mushy.

Make a horizontal slit in each chicken breast, stuff with stuffing. Put them in a greased 13x9 baking dish and bake at 350º for 1 hour. Check after 1/2 hour, sprinkle 1/4 c. water on bottom. With the pan drippings, make a gravy by adding 1 c. chicken bouillon and scraping up the bits. Add 1 c. water mixed with 1 T. cornstarch and stir til nice and thick. Season with salt and peper if needed.Supreme Garlic Mashed Potatoes

6-8 potatoes, washed, peeled and cubed
1 stick butter
1/2 c. sour cream
salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves
1/4 c. milk or more if needed

Boil potatoes and the garlic cloves together. When tender, mash with potato masher, add butter and mash some more, add sour cream and enough of milk to your liking for consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Garlic Bread

1 Italian or French bread loaf
1 stick butter, softened
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 T. parmesan cheese
1 t. oregano
paprika

Slice bread on the diagonal. Mix softened butter with all seasonings. Spread on both sides of bread and sprinkle each side with paprika. Layer slices on baking pan and put in 350 oven. AFter 5 min. turn each slice and continue baking for another 5 min til golden brown or desired doneness.Cherry Banana-Fo-Fana Dessert

3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 1/2 c. cinnamon roasted almonds, peanuts & pecans rolled in 1/2 c. sugar, chopped
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 envelopes Dream Whip
5 bananas, sliced & sprinkled with juice of 1 lemon
1 can cherry pie filling mixed with 1 t. almond extract

Melt butter in bottom of glass 13x9" baking pan. Add the flour mixture blending well to be ablt to spread on bottom of pan. Sprinkle with 1 c. of chopped nuts mixture. Bake at 275 for 1 hour. Let cool.
Beat the cream cheese with sugar and vanilla. Prepare the Dream Whip accord. to pkg. dir. Fold it into the cream cheese mixture. Spread this mixture over the cooled crust. Top with the banana slices and then cover with cherry filling. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 c. chopped nuts over. Cover and chill. When ready to serve, cut into squares.
Serves 8-10

Blackberry Lemonade

makes 2 quarts

3 c. fresh blackberries (or use frozen kind)
7 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
large size frozen pink lemonade, thawed & slushy

Process the berries til pureed. Pour into pitcher with water and frozen pink lemonade. Stir well with sugar and serve over ice-cubes. Decorate glass with mint sprig.