Baked Chicken and Mushrooms

 My family loves chicken.  I often buy frozen skinless, boneless chicken in large quantities when it is on sale, making great use of the deep freeze. Things have been crazy with the arrival of spring and spring activities; I had no chicken in my freezer for the first time in, honestly, three years. The Legendary Sale saved me so I stocked up.

Many of my chicken dishes rely on the crock pot so I was excited when my mother-in-law brought me a shared recipe.  My husband is not the world's biggest fan of mushrooms, but I quickly informed him that the recipe was from his mom, and she raved about it.  He answered, "She made this, and she ate the mushrooms?"

It was really good!  I modified this recipe a bit by using a bag for my bread crumbs, shaking to cover all the pieces  instead of rolling each piece of chicken.  Also, I didn't grate Muenster cheese; I just chopped it up quickly. I think this would be a perfect dish if you were having guests for dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound boneless chicken breast cut into 1 inch squares
• 2 T butter
• 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup mushrooms, drained (also could use fresh mushrooms)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 8 ounces Muenster cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS:

1. Soak chicken squares in egg mixture one hour or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
3. Roll chicken in bread crumbs and lightly brown in butter on skillet.
4. Place in single layer in casserole dish.  Cover with mushrooms and broth.  Cover casserole dish with aluminum foil.
5. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes; cover with cheese and bake 10 minutes more without foil.

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 1 hour or overnight prep, 30 minute bake time

Source: my mother-in-law

Marshmallow Crispy Treats

Every time I have a rice crispy treat, I am taken right back to my childhood.  We don't make them often, but they are always a quick and easy (and fool-proof and yummy) treat.  It is fun to get the kids involved in measuring and stirring, and in this case, sculpting.  I remember doing the same with my mom when I was little.  Since we are coming up on Easter, we decided to change up the traditional pan for some egg-shaped treats, complete with sprinkles.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 5 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 5 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt butter over low heat in a 3 quart saucepan.
2. Add marshmallows and stir until melted and fluid.  Remove from heat.
3. Stir in rice cereal until evenly coated.
4. Press mixture into a 9x13" pan.  Cool and cut into squares.  OR Press into plastic eggs that have been lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and decorate.

Time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Source: Baker's Corner Marshmallow bag (and countless other sources)