Easy Baked Pesto Chicken

Not enough emphasis can be placed on the "easy" part of this recipe. I got this from my new Chapel Hill 1st Ward Cookbook. It was submitted by my friend Christine Blackburn. My kids even ate this willingly.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 c. pesto with basil (in the deli fridge at the supermarket)
2 to 3 plum tomatoes, sliced (I used Roma tomatoes because they were on sale, but I think plum tomatoes would be prettier.)
1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil. Place chicken and pesto in medium bowl. Toss to coat. Place chicken on baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Remove from oven. Top with tomatoes and cheese. Bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Amazing Spaghetti Sauce for Crock Pots

This recipe calls for a ton of ingredients, so if you're Katy and Allyn's family, do what it says. I cut it in half, and completely left out the hamburger. It's super chunky and full of flavor.

2 lbs. Ground Beef
3/4 lb. bulk Italian Sausage
4 medium onions (I used 1/2 an onion and it was great)
8 garlic cloves (I used 1, and again, it was great)
4 cans (14 oz each) petite diced tomatoes
4 cans (6 oz each) tomato paste
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1/4 c. minced fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil, or 2 tsp. dried
1 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano, or 1 tsp. dried
4 bay leaves
1 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1/2 tsp. pepper
Hot cooked Spaghetti

Brown the beef, sausage, onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink. Drain.
Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, oil and seasonings. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until bubbly. Discard bay leaves and serve with spaghetti. Yum!
I also didn't have any sage, bay leaves, or marjoram and it was still delicious.

Chicken Noodle Sour Cream Soup

We had this at the Williams' when we went there for lunch and she was kind enough to give me the recipe. It looks like a lot of ingredients but it really is very easy. I made it when Makenzie was here last weekend and there were no leftovers!

Chicken Noodle Sour Cream Soup
Broth:
4 c. water
4 tsp. chicken bouillon (granules)
1 tsp. parsley (dried works)
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. Accent (optional)
Add: 4 carrots, peeled and sliced. Cook 10 minutes (cover with lid)
Add: 2 large red potatoes, peeled and cubed. Cook 14 minutes
Add: noodles (crinkly or flat). Cook 6 minutes.
When soup is cooked and flavored to your liking,
Add:
2 c. cooked, cubed chicken or turkey
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can canned milk
Heat through to simmering, not rolling boil.
At the last minute add 1/2-1 c. sour cream and stir continually, being careful not to break up the noodles as you stir. This is good "left-overs" soup.