Last night, I tried a new combination and it worked really well. Here is the new recipe:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (these can be cut into thirds if very large, or you can use pre-cut chicken tenders instead)
3 tbps extra virgin olive oil
2 tbps honey, plus extra for drizzling
1 tbp lime juice (fresh, if possible)
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp basil
1/2 tsp minced garlic (or to taste)
dash of salt & fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375F.

Trim fat off chicken and cut if making tenders. Set aside.

Combine oil, honey, lime, thyme and basil in a small bowl. If using a measuring spoon, alternate oil/honey/oil/honey/oil so that the honey doesn’t stick to the spoon, then add lime. Stir in garlic (lime and garlic seem to go well together).

Arrange chicken in a single layer in a baking dish (do not grease). Spoon honey/lime mixture over chicken. If chicken is not completely covered in pan, add extra oil to prevent burning. Drizzle a small amount of honey over the chicken (and lime if desired). Sprinkle with salt and fresh pepper.

Bake 20-35 minutes, depending on size of chicken pieces and type of oven. Stir/rotate chicken every 10 minutes or so, adding oil if sides of dish begin to burn. Chicken is done when the insides are no longer pink.

This went well with steamed broccoli and a dish of Parmesan Herbed Noodles (recipe to be posted soon). Because the noodles have such a strong taste, the spices for the chicken were decresed to allow the honey-lime flavor to come out and mesh well with the noodles.

This is a recipe I’ve been tinkering around with, making some modifications here and there, trying to come up with a great menu. Here’s what I have so far:

Honey-Lime Chicken

In my Million Menus cookbook, this was called “Sticky Lime Chicken,” but the general consensus was that it was too much lime. I’ve reduced the amount of lime and increased the honey to strike a nice, sweet-tart balance. Beware! This recipe is “in-progress,” and might still need some adjustments.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (these can be cut into thirds if very large, or you can use pre-cut chicken tenders instead)
2 tbps extra virgin olive oil
2 tbps honey
2 tbps lime juice (fresh, if possible)
1/2 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tbsp fresh thyme)
1/2 tsp basil
garlic, to taste (optional)
dash of salt & fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375F.

Trim fat off chicken and cut if making tenders. Set aside.

Combine oil, honey, lime, thyme and basil in a small bowl. If using a measuring spoon, alternate oil/honey/oil/honey so that the honey doesn’t stick to the spoon. Stir in garlic if using (I’ve heard that lime and garlic go well together).

Arrange chicken in a single layer in a baking dish such as Corningware. Don’t overlap but try to keep dish as tightly packed as possible. Pour honey/lime mixture over chicken. If chicken is not completely covered in pan, add extra oil to prevent burning. Sprinkle with salt and fresh pepper.

Bake 20-35 minutes, depending on size of chicken pieces and type of oven. Stir/rotate chicken every 10 minutes or so, adding oil if sides begin to burn. Chicken is done when the insides are no longer pink.

From Nestle’s Best Loved Recipes:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup (5 fluid oz can) Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk (2% low-fat can be used)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups (9 oz) Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil.

Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Stir in marshmallows, morsels, nuts (if using) and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan, remove foil and cut into pieces.

Alternatives:

Milk Chocolate Fudge: Substitute 1 3/4 cups (11.5 oz package) Nestle Toll House Milk Chocolate Morsels for Semi-Sweet Morsels.

Butterscotch Fudge: Substitute 1 2/3 cups (11 oz package) Nestle Toll House Butterscotch morsels for Semi-Sweet Morsels.

From Baking: Easy-to-Make Great Home Bakes

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp fresh orange juice
grated rind of 1 large orange
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour*
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

*I substituted all-purpose flour for cake flour due to availability.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, orange juice and rind, beating until blended. Set aside.

In another bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture and stir until it forms a dough.

Wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375F and grease 2-3 cookie sheets.

Roll spoonfuls of dough into balls and place 1-2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Press down with a fork to flatten (similar to peanut butter cookies, but only one-way instead of two).

Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

These citrus flavored cookies are a great summer treat, try serving with fresh (non-citrus) berries like raspberries or blue berries and iced tea. Chocolate also makes a good complimentary flavor, but the great thing about these cookies is that those who don’t like chocolate still get a freshly baked treat.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Nestle Toll House baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 package (10.5 oz) Nestle Toll House Chocolate & White Chocolate Swirled Morsels
3 bars (6 oz) Nestle Toll House Premier White Baking Bars
1 tbps. vegetable shortening

Preheat oven to 375 F

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Break baking bars into pieces and combine with vegetable shortening in saucepan. Melt over low heat, stirring frequently. Continue until just melted and remove from heat.

Using a spoon, drizzle white mixture over cookies and let cool (white mixture will not set completely). Leftover mixture can be refrigerated.

Serve with ice cold milk.

Yum!