Mix it up a bit!

Many of you have emailed me asking for a few recipes so I thought I would mix it up and write them for you all on my blog! I love to cook but unfortunately school does not allow for me to pull out my Betty Crocker skills too often. Tonight was the perfect night though! I finished my third final and with only two left to go I figured Scott and I would celebrate with me cooking a feast. So I set out to find us a good healthy meal with less than 5 ingredients...I love simple too! I was raised in a southern home where everything was homemade, we went to Miss Manner's classes, took cotillion, and learned how to make good sweet tea. Growing up though my mom did all the cooking and I just watched. Why should I cook when she did it so well is what I thought. Well then when I got on my own I realized she wasn't there anymore and I needed to figure it out on my own...so I set out to master my skills in cooking. It definitely is never perfect but I would like to say I make my momma proud!

I figured every once in a while I will share a recipe or two so here we go:

Pecan Crusted Chicken: super easy and super yummy! It is one of Rachel Ray's so you can't go wrong!

Ingredients:

1 cup pecans. toasted
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon dried basil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1/4 cup honey mustard

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. Using a food processor, grind the pecans into fine crumbs. Transfer to a wide, shallow bowl and stir in the bread crumbs and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Rub each chicken breast with honey mustard, then coat with the pecan mixture. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake until the juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes.

The next one is a family recipe and I might get in trouble for sharing it but everyone always wants to know how I make it!

Mom's Favorite Macaroni and Cheese:
1 box of ziti (cook the noodles)
6 eggs
2 cups of Milk
1 stick of butter
2 cups of Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Mix the eggs and milk together. In a baking dish make layers starting with pasta, then egg/milk mixture, then cheese, then top with slices of butter...Continue this until dish is full.

Hope you enjoy! I will post more next week!