Strawberry - Goat Cheese Crostini

Strawberries had been on sale, so I decided to whip these up for my book club.  They were a huge hit!  This is a great springtime recipe.  It also went great with all our wine!

Strawberry - Goat Cheese Crostini

Ingredients:
1 French bread baguette
Fresh, sliced strawberries
8 ounces goat cheese
Whipped cream cheese (whipped is much easier to mix in with the goat cheese)
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil


Directions:
1. Put balsamic in a small saucepan over medium heat, and let it reduce over a few minutes until syrupy.  I started out with about 1 to 1 1/2 cup of balsamic, and I got about 3-4 tablespoons of reduction.
2. Slice the baguette and brush both sides with olive oil.  Place on baking sheet and bake at 450F until nice and toasty.
3. Mix goat cheese and cream cheese to taste.  (I used 8 ounces of goat cheese and about 1/3 cup cream cheese)
4.  Stir the basil into cheese mixture. (Again you can use more or less basil according to you tastes.)
5.  Spread cheese mixture on toasts and top with strawberries.
6.  Drizzle balsamic reduction over strawberries.

Bruschetta Chicken Casserole

Hi everyone!  I am sorry for my long absence!  But we were very busy getting ready for, and then enjoying our vacation!  We spent two weeks in Italy, and in honor I have an Italian inspired dish!  This is a very easy and tasty weeknight meal. 

Bruschetta Chicken Casserole
* adapted from Kraft.com

 Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into bite side pieces (I used 3 large breasts)
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package Stove Top stuffing, chicken flavor
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
Shredded mozzarella cheese


Directions:
1.  Heat oven to 400F. 
2.  Place chicken in a layer at the bottom of casserole dish.
3.  Sprinkle chicken with basil and then cheese.  (The recipe originally called for 1 cup of cheese, I didn't use nearly that much!  Use your judgement and taste.)
4.  Mix together Stove Top, water and tomatoes.  Top chicken with stuffing mixture. Sprinkle a little cheese over stuffing.
5.  Bake uncovered for approximately 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.