Summer & herbs

In an attempt to eat healthier and better quality calories, I've started cooking with more herbs. They add flavor without unnecessary preservatives or additional fat. Yesterday, I tried this super simple Chicken Salad Sandwich recipe from Food Network's Barefoot Contessa. I loved it! So I'm sharing it with you guys in hopes that you'll like it just as much! Now, I just need to start a second herb container to grow tarragon! Enjoy!

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin on
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup good mayonnaise, plus more for the bread
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
• 1 cup small-diced celery (2 stalks)
• 8 to 10 slices health or seven-grain bread
• 1 package mesclun salad mix

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside to cool.

When the chicken is cool, remove and discard the skin and bones and cut the chicken into 3/4-inch dice. Place the chicken in a bowl and add the mayonnaise, tarragon, celery, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and toss well.

To assemble, spread a little mayonnaise on half the bread slices, top with the chicken salad and mesclun mix, and cover with the remaining slices of bread. Cut in half and serve.

Note: I didn't have any mesclun lettuce mix. So instead, I used romaine lettuce and served it on croissants.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix in this order:

2 cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
5 cups oatmeal blended to flour
2 12-oz pkg chocolate chips
(nuts if desired)

Bake at 375 for about 9-10 minutes.
Makes about 10 dozen

Tanner's

Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter flavor Crisco shortening

1 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2) Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat until mixed. Add egg.
3) Combine dry ingredients and add to mix.
4) Drop by tsp. on sheet and press with fork.
5) Bake for 7-8 min.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 C. Butter Flavored Crisco
1 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. White Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 1/2 C. Flour
2 C. Rolled Oats (not quick oats)
2 C.  Chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars, add eggs and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Add a little bit more flour and oats if needed until the dough does not stick to the side of the mixing bowl. Add chocolate chips.

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes

Mandi Petersen

Oatmeal Surprise Cookies

2 Sticks of Butter
1 C. Firmly packed Brown Sugar
1/2 C. White Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
3 C. Uncooked Oats
1 C. Dried Cranberries
1 C. White Chocolate Chips

Cream butter and sugars, add eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda,cinnamon and stir into sugar mixture. Then mix in oats, cranberries and chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Makes about 4 Dozen.

Katy Vincent

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Butter, room temperature
1/2 C. Peanut Butter
1 Egg
1 1/4 C. Flour
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt

Beat the butter until creamy, 2 minutes. Add the sugars, beat for 2 more minutes. Mix in the peanut butter and egg. Mix together the dry ingredients and stir into the sugar and butter mixture. Wrap dough in plastic and refridgerate at least 3 hours. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place 3 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten in a crisscross pattern with a fork. Bake at 375 for 9 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 1 minute then transfer to cooking rack.

For chewier cookies bake at 300 for 15 minutes.

Cowboy Cookies

1 1/3 cup quick oats
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt

1 stick butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
coconut
craisins
chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients. Mix together butter, egg, vanilla, coconut, craisins, and chocolate chips. Add all together. If batter seems a little dry, add a small amount of water in order to form cookies. Roll into 1” balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes.

By Leanna Miller

No Bake Cookies

2 C. White Sugar
3 T. Cocoa Powder
1/2 C. Margarine
1/2 C. Milk
1 pinch of Salt
3 C. Quick Oats
1/2 Peanut Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla

In a sauce pan bring sugar, cocoa, margarine, milk and salt to a rapid boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add quick oats, peanut butter and vanilla, mix well. Drop onto wax paper and let cool.

Molasses Crinkles

1/2 C. Oil
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1/4 C. Molasses
1 C. Unbleached White Flour
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Ginger
1/2 tsp. Cloves
Sugar

Mix oil, sugar, egg and molasses until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Chill dough. Shape into walnut-sized balls. Dip tops in sugar. Place sugar-side up, 3 inches apart on a nonstick baking sheet.

Sprinkle the top of each cooking with 3 drops of water to get the crackled effect. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, just until set.
Emili Gardner

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 C. Shortening (or butter)
2 C. Sugar
4 Eggs
2 C. Pumpkin
2 tsp. Vanilla
4 C. Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 C. Chocolate Chips

Cream shortening and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time and mix really well. Mix in pumpkin and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients separately, then add to pumpkin mixture. Texture should be moist. Bake at 350 for 11-15 minutes.

Tiffeny Wait

Homemade Oreos

2 Devil's food cake mixes (Duncan Hines)

4 eggs
1 c. shortening
Mix ingredients together. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 9 minutes at 350.

Filling:

2 2/3 c. powdered sugar
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1/2 cube butter. Combine until smooth.

Misty Call

Dahlia's No Bake Cookies

*In a saucepan combine and cook over medium heat:

2 cups sugar

1/2 cube butter
1/2 cup milk

3 T cocoa

*Remove from heat and add:
3/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

dash of salt
2-3 cups oats

*Spoon onto waxed paper. Cool and Serve.

Dahlia Wright

Enchilada Casserole

4 Chicken Breast
1 Dozen Tortillas
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Cup Milk
½ Finely Chopped Onions
1 to ½ Can Green Chili Salsa
¼ lb. Grated Cheddar Cheese

Cook chicken breast in 350 degrees oven for one hour. Cool, save a little broth for bottom of pan. Cut chicken in 1 inch size pieces. Cut tortillas in 1 inch size pieces. Mix all ingredients except cheese. Pour into 9x13 inch pan. Shredded cheese on top. Let stand in refrigerator 24 hours. Bake at 350 degrees, until bubbly (about 1 hour). Serves 8 to 10.

Leanna Miller

Chicken Parmigiano

1 lb thinly sliced chicken

3 T. olive or salad oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1-lb 4-oz can tomatoes(2 ½ cups)
1 ¼ tsp. salt
1 ¼ tsp. pepper
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
¼ tsp. Dried thyme

1 egg
¼ cup packed dried bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 T. olive or salad oil
½ lb. Mozzarella or Muenster cheese

Cut chicken into 8 pieces of about 4 ½”x 2” size.

In 3 T. hot olive oil, in saucepan, saute garlic and onion until golden. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper; break up tomatoes with spoon; simmer, uncovered, 10 min. Add tomato sauce, thyme; simmer, uncovered, 20 min.

Beat egg well with fork. Combine crumbs, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Dip each chicken piece into egg, then into crumbs; saute 3 pieces in 1 T hot olive oil in skillet, tuning once, until golden brown on both sides. Repeat until all are done. Set slices, side by side, in baking dish 12”x 8”x 2”. Start heating oven to 350. Thinly slice Mozzarella. Pour two thirds of tomato mixture over chicken, straining it, if desired. Arrange Mozzarella on top; spoon on rest of tomato mixture. Sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, 30 min.

Makes 4 generous servings.

Leanna Miller

Buffy's Soft Sugar Cookies

2 C. Sugar

2 Cubes Butter

3 Eggs

1 C. Milk

6 C. Flour

3 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

3 tsp. Vanilla

Cream sugar and butter till fluffy. Add eggs. Add milk and vanilla and blend. Add 2 C. flour with baking powder and salt. Mix in the rest of the flour do not add too much flour. Roll out, cut. Bake 350 for 10 to 12 minutes.

Buttercream Frosting

1/2 c. Shortening

1/2 c. Butter

1 tsp. Vanilla

4 C. Powder Sugar

2 T Milk

Cream butter and shortening, add vanilla, sugar 1 cup at a time. Beat until fluffy and almond extract if desired.

Jessie Polson