I have came to terms that I will NEVER get a good picture of this dish, I have made it 3 or 4 times taking a picture every time because we love it, but everytime getting a mess. This time I decided to just go with it because we love this dish.

It is SOOO simple to throw together, for the most part is stuff we always have at home and is very tasty. We prefer this with rice but I think pasta would be good too, I always make a little extra sauce for the rice.

Mushroom Chicken (From: Paved with Good Intentions)

Although neither Adam nor I like spicy food we are both weirdly in love with buffalo flavor. As soon as I saw these in my google reader I knew I was going to make them, I had half a thing of sweet baby rays buffalo sauce in the fridge and this was the perfect use.

I ended up using 2 chicken breasts, and 8 shells. But kept everything else with the same amount, I omitted the green onions.

We loved these, they were simple to throw together and were very delicious, I am excited to eat them for lunch today

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas (From: Cassie Craves, Originally From: Pillsbury Annual Recipes)

• 1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup refrigerated sour cream ranch dip
• 2/3 cup chopped green onions (about 10 medium onions)
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
• 12 6-inch tortillas
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix soup, dip, and 1/3 cup of the onions. In large bowl, mix chicken and buffalo wing sauce until coated.

Spoon 2 tablespoons soup mixture down center of each tortilla; set remaining mixture aside. Reserve 1/2 cup cheese for garnish. Top each tortilla with about 1/4 cup chicken mixture and scant 1/4 cup cheese. Fold sides of tortillas over filling; place seam side down in baking dish. Spoon remaining soup mixture over filled tortillas.

Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup cheese and remaining 1/3 cup onions. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

This morning when I went to work I took out a package of chicken, with NO idea what I would be doing with them. During the day I decided I wanted some kind of cream sauce, and mushrooms were sounding excellent. And this dish was created. I am SOOO proud of myself for creating this totally from scratch. Normally I find a couple different recipes and adapt to what I want, but this was totally from scratch.

As soon as Adam finished his plate he asked me when I would be making this again, I guess he kind of liked it!

This was an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G dish, it had wonderful flavor, not to creamy, not to balsamicy and too many flavors but just the right amount. You need to try this right away it is really good!

Chicken with Balsamic, Bacon, Mushroom Cream Sauce (From: Myself)

• 3 slices of bacon
• 2 chicken breasts (we used a thick one and butterflied it)
• 2 cups of cream
• 3 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 pkg. baby bella mushrooms
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 3 T. of butter

Warm large pan with olive oil.

Salt and Pepper chicken breasts both sides, put into olive oil and brown on both sides until cooked through. Meanwhile add bacon slices to same pan and cook until desired tenderness.

Once bacon is done lay on paper plate with paper towels to get grease off. Once chicken is done set aside on a plate covering with foil to keep warm.

Drain oil from the pan, but leaving what is “stuck” to the bottom, add butter and let melt.

Once melted add garlic and mushrooms. Salt and pepper to your liking, let simmer for a 2-3 minutes then add balsamic vinegar. Cook until desired tenderness.

Pour in heavy cream and bring to a boil, boil for 3-5 minutes then add crumbled bacon.

Add chicken breasts and coat in sauce cook until desired thickness. Serve over pasta of your choice.

Neither Adam or I are sure how it happened but we ended up with 2 containers of cottage cheese in our fridge, I had needed to get one for a recipe, but not two. Someone suggested this recipe and since I love Mexican food I decided to go with it.

I love Mexican, but enchiladas are my least favorite, they have always been too spicy for me. Adam really loved these, I thought they were “mushy” compared to how I remember my mom making them.

Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas (From: Allrecipes)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – boiled and shredded
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce

To Make Meat Mixture: Heat oil in medium skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, onion and green chile peppers and saute until browned, then add taco seasoning and prepare meat mixture according to package directions.

To Make Cheese Mixture: In a medium bowl mix sour cream with cottage cheese and season with salt and pepper; stir until well blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

To Assemble Enchiladas: Heat tortillas until soft. In each tortilla place a spoonful of meat mixture, a spoonful of cheese mixture and a bit of shredded cheese. Roll tortillas and place in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with any remaining meat and cheese mixture, enchilada sauce and remaining shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

I love gyros, but am kind of picky about them and it’s not very often that we get out to a resturant and can order them. My Dad took me out to a greek resturant for my birthday back in January and thats the last time I have had a gyro. As soon as I saw this recipe on my google reader I knew I had to make them, but it seemed a little too time consuming for a weeknight so I was waiting for the perfect weekend. This weekend we spent the weekend at my dads house, since I knew he too loved gyros I made these.

The prep is a little time conusming, mostly the cucumbers and yogurt for the sauce. But I think if you did want this for a week night dinner you could prep it the night before. This was excellent, we didn’t use tomatoes as my dad and I don’t like them. The chicken has EXCELLENT flavor. I can’t wait to make these again.

Chicken Gyros (From: Elly Says Opa!)

• 1.25 lbs. chicken pieces (my dad chose thighs so that’s what we used)
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 heaping Tbsp. plain yogurt
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• Batch of tzatziki (recipe below)
• sliced tomatoes
• sliced onions (I use red as they are the only kind I like raw)
• 4 pocketlesspitas

Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yogurt, and oregano in a bowl. Add the chicken and rub the marinade in. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

Preheat the broiler (or grill, or pan on the stove).  Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and then broil until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, depending  what size/type chicken you are using. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.

Meanwhile, heat your pitas. I have a gas stove, so I just spray them with a little bit of oil and stick them right on the burner for a few seconds per side. Top the pita with the chicken, tzatziki, tomatoes, onions. Roll up and eat!

Tzatziki Sauce (From: Elly Says Opa!)

• 16oz. container of plain yogurt (I bought some greek yogurt at Trader Joes)
• 1 regular cucumber, seeded
• 1-3 cloves garlic–depending how  you like it, crushed (I used the crush garlic from Trader Joes)
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• salt and a little pepper
• squeeze of fresh lemon juice (I omitted as I threw it away on accident)
• drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Strain yogurt using a cheesecloth over a bowl (if you don’t have that, a strainer lined with a coffee filter will work) for several hours or overnight to get out as much moisture as possible.

Peel and seed the cucumber.  Shred the cucumbers and then squeeze the life out of them to get rid of as much excess moisture as possible. I used a paper towel with promply broke, then used a towel which worked better, there is LOTS of moisture in the cucumber so strain as much as possible… You don’t want a runny tzatziki

Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice (if desired). Salt to taste. It’s best to refrigerate for 30 minutes or more before serving, so flavors can meld.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the top.