Italian Chicken Tenders

Italian Chicken Tenders, Farmers Wife Original

As most of you know I have a son, a very silly, picky, food obsessed son. He is affectionately called my Sous Chef, and he loves this title. He will go around telling people "I'm the Sous Chef, and Mommy is the Head Chef!" He has this adorable John Deere apron that he wears when he helps me in the kitchen, and he is always full of ideas for new dishes. Well not too long ago my little Sous Chef asked me to make him some crispy chicken tenders for dinner. Now I have my go to recipe that I always make, but this particular night I was running low on ingredients to make them and was really tired. So together my little Sous Chef and I came up with this recipe, Italian Chicken Tenders.

Now I don't know if I'd really go so far as to say they are Italian... But we used Italian breadcrumbs to bread them and add flavor and my son deemed them Italian. lol! These came together pretty quickly once we decided what we wanted to do, and we all really enjoyed them that night. We made a special honey mustard sauce to go with as that is our dipping sauce of choice and sat down to a delicious meal as a family, a meal that came from the mind of my *almost* 4 year old!

Ingredients:
1 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenders (or about 4 breasts cut into tenders)
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup Milk
1 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1/2 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Oregano
Salt and Pepper
Non Stick Cooking Spray

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400F degrees, and spray a cookie sheet with non stick cooking spray. Then in a bowl combine the eggs and milk, set aside. In another deep dish combine the breadcrumbs, and spices. Dip each tender into the egg mixture making sure to evenly coat, then roll in the breadcrumb mixture until fully coated. Place on your baking sheet and repeat with remaining tenders. Once all the tenders are coated, spray them with the cooking spray (this will help seal in the crumbs). And bake for about 15 minutes, carefully flip them over and bake for another 5-10 minutes depending on your oven, until golden brown and the chicken is fully cooked. Serve warm with you favorite dipping sauce.

Review:
These came together so fast and really were full of flavor and very juicy. My son gobbled them up and so did my Hubby! I added the extra spices because my breadcrumbs seemed fairly bland and we like extra garlic, but you can leave them out if you want. 4 stars.

Happy Cooking!

Hot Fudge Pudding

Hot Fudge Pudding, Grandma's Recipe

Growing up there were certain recipes that were staples in our house. Grandma's Buttermilk Chicken was one, another was Buttermilk Pancakes with Apple Syrup, Chocolate Chip Bars, and my all time favorite Hot Fudge Pudding. Man this stuff was always gone as fast as it came out of the oven, we drooled over it, acted like hungry monkeys waiting for it to finish cooking, and were completely intoxicated with the smell of it. It really is THAT good!

This recipe is another of my Grandma's recipes that I feel so blessed to be able to share with you all. I love my Grandma's cooking, she really always was the best and I think I take after her with my love of cooking and creating recipes. This hot fudge pudding is an old fashioned recipe, it's not pudding like you buy in a box at the store. It's a cake, that is baked and creates a sauce that when you pour the hot sauce over the cake it makes this pudding like texture. And let me tell you folks it is to die for! Death by Chocolate would be another good name for this recipe, as it is full of chocolaty goodness and will make the die hard chocolate lover fall in love with chocolate all over again! I don't make this recipe very often as I really like the fast desserts that don't heat up my house, but a few weeks ago I got a craving and nothing but making this right that second would fulfill my craving. So... I made it. Sure it was hot already, probably about 90 degrees outside, yes our house was really warm by the time it was done... But man was it ever worth it! I hope y'all will give this a try sometime when you want a warm and decadent chocolate treat!

Ingredients:
1 Cup Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Milk
2 Tablespoons Melted Shortening
Topping:
1 Cup Brown Sugar
4 Tablespoons Cocoa
1 3/4 Cups HOT Water

Directions:
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and 2 tablespoons of cocoa. Then add the milk and melted shortening creating a batter. Spread in a 9" square pan. Mix together the brown sugar and 4 tablespoons of cocoa, and sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter. Pour the hot water over the top of the cake. Then bake at 350F degrees for 45 minutes. The cake will rise to the top and the sauce settles on the bottom. Let cool a few minutes, then serve by spooning cake into a bowl and topping with the sauce from the bottom, serve it warm by itself or with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Review:
This delicious dish really is quite easy to put together, but requires patience in waiting for it to cook. We just love this dessert and let me tell you it is a crowd pleaser! You can easily double this recipe and cook it in a 9x13" pan for a delicious dessert for your next dinner party! 5 stars.

Happy Baking!

Easy Chicken Quesadilla

Easy Chicken Quesadilla's, Farmers Wife Original

When my Hubby and I were married we were given a Quesadilla maker. I know sounds kinda silly right? Well to be honest it is. I have used it a few times over the years, but it never gave me that authentic perfectly browned and crispy quesadilla that I longed for. Living in the Southwest it's not hard to get real Mexican food, and one of my favorite restaurants here seriously serves the BEST quesadilla's I've ever had. And recently after meeting a friend for lunch there I ordered those fantastic quesadilla's and decided I was finally going to figure out how to make them myself. And I did!

To be honest my favorite quesadilla has steak in it, because it's just so darn good... lol! But I don't typically keep steak around my house so when I make these I usually use chicken which is still yummy. The great thing about these is you can really make them to order based on each member of your families preferences. For instance my son likes the standard chicken and cheese only, but my hubby and I like them more loaded with tomatoes and green chilies and onion... Yum! Man I'm getting hungry... lol! I hope you'll give these a try sometime soon, they are so simple for a lazy weeknight but are also so very tasty!

Ingredients: this makes 1 quesadilla
2 10 in. Flour Tortillas
2/3-3/4 cup Shredded Cheese of choice (I typically use Cheddar but you can use whatever you prefer)
1/2 Cooked Chicken Breast, chopped into pieces (for a pinch I use pre-cooked grilled chicken strips to make it easy)
*Optional*
Diced Tomatoes
Diced Green Chillies
Diced Onion, (I liked using Green Onion)
Diced Jalapeno's

Directions:
Prep all your ingredients, chop all the veggies you want and chicken and set aside. Then heat a 12+ inch skillet  on medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Once hot place one tortilla down and start adding your fillings half the cheese first, then chicken and your choice of toppings, then top with the remaining cheese and top with second tortilla. Using your spatula press the top tortilla down a bit then cover the pan with a lid or foil. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted and the bottom side is browned and crunchy. Then very carefully flip over and cook the other side another 2-3 minutes. Once your cheese is all melted (covering with a lid helps melt the cheese faster) and the top and bottom are browned and crunchy remove from pan and let sit for a minute before cutting into wedges. Serve warm with your choice of sides, sour cream, salsa, guacamole etc.

Review:
I know this isn't an overly impressive recipe, or difficult by any means. But sometimes I think the simplest recipes are the best to have in your arsenal! We love these and I make them often as they are easy to throw together and taste so very good! 4 stars.

Happy Cooking!

Dairy Free Baked French Toast

Dairy Free Baked French Toast, Farmers Wife Original

As a kid one of my favorite things to order at a restaurant for breakfast was French Toast. I loved the big giant thick slices, with the huge glob of butter and powdered sugar on top, and your choice of syrups... That was seriously one of my favorite things as a kid. Now that I'm all grown up I rarely order the french toast anymore because I can't justify letting myself eat that many calories... haha!! So I make it at home and try to make it as "healthy" as possible. But recently with my pregnancy dairy has become an issue for me, and that meant no more french toast as one of the main ingredients in the batter was Milk. Then a good friend introduced my Hubby and I to Almond Milk and all my problems were solved, I can drink it by the glass, use it in cereal, just about anything and it doesn't make me sick!! I LOVE IT!! 

I tried other kinds of "milk" before finally finding the Almond, I tried soy and that wouldn't stay down. Tried rice milk, and it worked for a few days then halfway through the carton it also made me sick. Never did try the coconut milk because honestly I am not a coconut fan. But almond worked and I have been a very happy Momma ever since. I actually really like it, probably more so than regular milk I must say. So when I finally decided to attempt making French Toast with it I was so pleasantly surprised by the results. It added such a nice flavor to my regular french toast, my son gobbled it up, and even my Hubby approved! It was a hit, and to make it even better I got to indulge in my craving! You can use whatever milk you prefer in this recipe, but I highly recommend if you haven't given almond milk a try you should. It is so very tasty!

Ingredients:
8-10 Slices of Bread
4 Eggs
1/2 cup Vanilla Almond Milk
1 teaspoon Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg

Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to 350F degrees and spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray. In a deep dish beat the eggs, and add in the remaining ingredients. Dip your bread in the batter and evenly coat both sides. Place on the cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes flip each slice over and bake another 5 minutes until both sides are golden brown. Serve warm with your choice of syrups.

Review:
We really loved this french toast, and I'm actually contemplating making this for dinner tonight! You can use your standard griddle method of cooking this but I really love baking it in the oven, it adds an extra crunch to it and then you can cook all the pieces at once which makes my life a little easier! 4 stars.

Happy Cooking!

Mango Pineapple Sorbet

Mango Pineapple Sorbet, Farmers Wife Original

Hey y'all! I know it's been weeks since I've posted, hopefully that'll be changing soon. I'm working on scheduling a post a week from now til July for y'all while I take my Maternity leave. I've been beyond exhausted lately, so finding the energy to even look at a computer screen has been difficult. But luckily I have still been cooking as we have to eat and I get cravings! haha!

I don't know about where y'all are but here in AZ it's already feeling like summer, ugh! Now don't get me wrong I love living here, but the 100+ degree days while pregnant are NOT fun! Thank goodness for a working air conditioner. Normally I'd be wolfing down the ice cream to help beat the heat but this pregnancy has rendered me lactose intolerant... :-( I miss my ice cream, really badly, like I dream about eating it again... haha! But I have found a few alternatives that I actually am really enjoying. One being this very easy "sorbet". As some of you know I don't have an ice cream maker (Mother's Day is coming though... hint hint to my Hubby!!) but I've been able to make do without it and still get some delicious cold treats that I can actually eat. This one was probably one of my favorites, and you could easily change up the fruit used to suit your personal tastes, but I happen to love the combo of mango and pineapple. It has this tangy tropical taste that I find very refreshing on a hot day. I hope you like it!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Fresh Pineapple cut into large chunks
1 Mango, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 Banana cut into large chunks
1/4-1/2 cup Water

Directions:
Slice up all the fruit, then place it in your freezer for a few hours. Once fruit is frozen, add it all and the water into your food processor (or blender but I find my food processor works better for this), and pulse about 10 times, then you will need to scrap it down. Keep processing until smooth, adding more water if needed. This will take awhile with the fruit frozen. Once it's all smooth you can serve right away for a more creamy sorbet, or you can place in a freezer safe container and freeze for another hour until more solid, then using an ice cream scoop, scoop into a bowl and eat. This will keep in the freezer for a couple weeks.

Review:
While this is a very simple recipe it does require some planning ahead of time, with the freezing of the fruit and all that. Now you could buy already frozen fruit and cut the time to almost nothing if you wanted to. The banana is a must as it helps it from being too tart, plus it provides a needed texture to hold it all together. I just loved this and already have plans to try adding some other fruits next time! 4.5 stars.

Happy Summer!

Banana Bread Pancakes

Banana Bread Pancakes, Farmers Wife Original Recipe

I love breakfast foods, it really is no big secret around here. My go to meal at the end of the day if I'm tired is typically something breakfast related, because it's easy and filling. It's not very often that my family gets to sit down to breakfast because of our schedules either, so sometimes it's a lot of fun to get in our pj's in the evening, and gather around the table for a fresh "breakfast" for dinner! I know we're silly (and yes whenever we have breakfast for dinner we do all get in our pj's first, just something fun about it!) but you would be bored with me if I didn't get silly every once in awhile!

The other day I had promised my hubby I'd make pancakes for dinner as he was craving them (I know aren't I the one who's supposed to have the pregnancy cravings?!?) but you know me, I can't just make plain pancakes all the time! So I decided to try a little of this and that, and ended up with what tasted exactly like banana bread in pancake form! Oh My Goodness Y'all!!! They were amazing! My 3 year old ate 1 whole pancake in 5 minutes flat (which NEVER happens!) and then asked for another one! I couldn't believe it, my kid eating dinner and him not taking forever. These pancakes were fluffy, and full of flavor without being overwhelming with banana. Mmmm... So I just couldn't wait, I had to share this recipe with y'all ASAP so you can share them with your family this weekend! Bon Appetite!

Ingredients: yields about 14 pancakes
1 Egg
1 Cup Buttermilk
2 Tablespoons Oil
2 Large Ripe Banana's, Mashed
1 2/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg

Directions:
Heat your griddle to 350F degrees, and grease well. In a large bowl whisk together the wet ingredients including the banana. Then add in the dry and mix until thick. Using a gravy ladle, ladle about 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot griddle for each pancake. Flip when bubbles start to form in the middle. Serve warm with your favorite syrup.

Review:
Honestly, I think I may have found my new favorite pancake. I just LOVED these! Maybe it's the pregnancy talking, I don't know, but y'all really have to give these a whirl. I give them 5 stars!

Happy Baking!

Favorite Italian Beef

Favorite Italian Beef, Family Recipe

Do you ever wish you could do very little and yet have a delicious dinner on the table that your whole family will love? I know I do, especially recently as my energy level seems to be decreasing significantly lately. The thought of throwing a few things in the crock pot, and letting it cook all day allowing me to do very little and still have a delicious meal, makes me one very happy Momma these days! This Italian Beef recipe is just such a recipe.

As most of you know I'm now in the 3rd and final trimester of my pregnancy, and I'm trying to cook meals that will freeze well so that we can still eat homecooked meals after our little girl is born, but with very little effort. I've been wanting to create a category for Freezer Meals for a long time now, and now I am! Now it has it's very own category you can search for here at The Farmers Wife! I'm really excited about this new addition, and hope y'all will enjoy this new feature too. Now back to the recipe... lol! This Italian Beef is a meal that not only tastes amazing the first day, but almost even better after being frozen and warmed back up. I love this recipe, not only for it's simplicity, but it is VERY full of flavor. And to make it even better it is kid approved! My son just LOVES this meal whenever I make it!

Ingredients:
1 2-3 lbs. Roast
1 Cup of Water
1 Package Original Good Seasons Italian Dressing
2 Packages Zesty Good Seasons Italian Dressing

Directions:
In a 6 qt. slow cooker place the roast, pour the water around it and sprinkle in the seasonings. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Once cooked shred the meat and add back into the pot with the juice from the meat. Serve warm on your favorite sandwich rolls. Optional* serve with extra juice on the side for dipping. This freezes well for up to 2-4 months in an airtight container.

Review:
Told you it was simple didn't I? Trust me it is very full of flavor, and smells absolutely tantalizing while cooking all day! Our family gives this 5 stars!

Happy Cooking!