Frugal Food Fast: Chi-candy

Every once in a blue, you find a recipe that is easy and tasty to whip up and allows you to have versatility as well.

Chi-candy is one of these recipes.  It's fast, adheres to the Frugal Writer Project Management Criteria, which also applies for recipes.  The original recipe can be traced to Hellman's Mayonnaise, but I've modified it to suit our family's taste.

My friends from a former playgroup called this Chi-candy because our kids would eat up this chicken like it was candy.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 lbs.)
• 4 tsp. Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

(The Puerto Rican in me may add Adobo/Sazon to the chicken beforehand, but it's not really necessary.  The chicken comes out that good.)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine Ranch Dressing with cheese in medium bowl. 
3. Arrange chicken in baking dish. Evenly top with ranch mixture, then sprinkle with bread crumbs.
4. Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.  (If you use more chicken, it may take longer).

For a lower calorie version, you can skip the bread crumbs or use low-fat ranch dressing.  I've also stretched the dressing for 2-3 lbs of chicken.  You cannot burn this thing and the chicken comes out moist and tasty.  This recipe definitely gets two thumbs up because you can cook a lot of chicken fast and dice it up for use in other recipes. 

!Buen provecho!

Fake Thin Mints

This is the easiest Christmas cookie recipe that I know of.  Many thanks to my sister for sharing it with me.  One Christmas a few years ago, she had me close my eyes and open my mouth.  When I bit into this delightful confection, I thought she had placed an order with the Girl Scouts.  When she told me that she made these herself, I started to drool.  The recipe is so easy, it's a crime.  I'm pleased to share it here with you. 

This cookie has since become a staple in our house for spreading Christmas cheer at cookie swaps, gift giving and just noshing right out of the freezer.  If I can make these while carrying a baby and having two young assistants help me out, anyone can make them.

Ingredients:
2-3 sleeves of Ritz Crackers (or the off-brand of butter crackers)
1 bag of Andes Candy Mints (or the Baking Chips)

Directions:

1. If using the individually wrapped candies, unwrap and roughly chop them.
2. Using a double boiler (or a metal bowl over a saucepan with simmering water), melt the chocolate slowly, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the chocolate has melted, dip the cracker and shake off excess chocolate.
4. Place chocolate covered crackers on a baking sheet covered with wax paper to cool.
5. For faster cooling, place baking sheet in the refrigerator to set chocolate.

This will make about 6 dozen cookies.

These knock offs don't look exactly like Thin Mints, but they taste pretty close and are a cinch to make!  Store a bunch in the freezer and you have a delectable treat ready in a pinch.

This year is the first year I tried the cookies using the Andes Candies and they worked great.  Previously, I used the Wilton mint chocolate melting wafers.  While you can use a Michael's coupon and get a bag at a discount during the holidays, the Andes candies are more readily available and less expensive.  ALDI has a great knock-off of Ritz crackers and carries the Andes baking chips on seasonal clearance during Christmas.