Chicken (or Pork Chops) In A Mushroom Cream Sauce

8 skinless chicken tenders (two per serving) or 4 pork chops or 4 chicken breasts
Flour
Pepper
Salt
Garlic Powder
2 cans evaporated milk
1 cup mushrooms (I don't do the mushrooms)

Preheat oven to 375º. Dredge chicken (or pork chops) in flour and sprinkle both sides with pepper and garlic powder. Brown with 1 TBSP oil in a large skillet, about 2-3 minutes (chicken) 4-5 minutes (pork chops) on each side. You do not want to cook through. Set aside pan as is, do not wash yet. Place chicken in a 9x13 pan. Top with mushrooms if you are using them. Pour over both cans of evaporated milk. Bake 30 minutes until meat is cooked through. Heat your previously used skillet for about 1 minute on medium heat. Place chicken onto plate and pour milk and mushrooms into your skillet. Add more pepper and salt to taste and whisk up bits from bottom of pan. Keep whisking until sauce thickens about 5-7 minutes. Place chicken back in pan to reheat and serve.

I like serving it with mashed potatoes and green beans. 

Calzones

1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I only use white whole wheat flour for all of it)

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Punch the dough down and divide it into four (or more) balls. Put the balls on a greased cookie sheet and let them rise for 40 minutes. Then, on a lightly floured surface, roll the balls out into circles with a rolling pin. Put two circles on an oiled cookie sheet and fill it with whatever you want. Leave a little dough bare around the edges like you would for a pizza. I recommend putting all your fillings on one side of the dough circle, then folding the other side on top. After folding it over, seal the edges with a fork.  We had mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, sausage, pepperoni, ham, green peppers, onions, spinach, etc.  One of those is big enough for an adult so you can make smaller ones for kids.

Put them in a pre-heated, 375 oven for 15 minutes or golden brown.

We took one of the leftover balls of dough and made a dessert pizza by putting cream cheese frosting and cinnamon on it.  We baked it with the frosting on it because we also tried blueberries and candied pecans (we ended up picking the blueberries off though), but next time I would brush it with butter and bake it for maybe 10 minutes or so and then add just the cream cheese icing and cinnamon.

Whipped Cream

I made strawberry shortcake yesterday (which was SO good) and I need to write this down so I will be able to easily find it next time.

2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.