Cheesy Texas Toast

 BREAD For the best garlic cheese toast, you want to use a thickly sliced white bread, either regular or sourdough. At the supermarket, it is sometimes in the frozen section and called “Texas Toast.” Look for bread that is thick enough to hold the toppings and thick enough for dipping into soups and sauces!

BUTTER Use butter for best results. Margarine will work as well, but won’t have quite the flavor that butter does!

CHEESE I used cheddar, Monterey Jack, and parmesan cheese. Feel free to use any cheese you have on hand! Mozza, Emmental, or Swiss will all taste great!

GARLIC Fresh, minced garlic really kicks this up a notch. Add more or less depending on your love for garlic!

Ingredients

4 slices of Texas Toast or thick white bread

1/2 cup of grated cheese (cheddar, mozzarella or a blend)

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted

2 cloves of garlic, minced (optional)

How To Make Cheesy Texas Toast

Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).

Place bread slices on a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, mix together melted butter and minced garlic (if using).

Brush the mixture evenly on both sides of the bread slices.

Sprinkle grated cheese evenly on top of each slice.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown.

Serve hot.

Smothered Chicken with Creamed Spinach Bacon And Mushrooms

 Ingredients

Chicken:

1 tablespoon butter

1.5 lb chicken breast skinless, boneless (4 small chicken breast or 2 large chicken breast, halved)

salt

¼ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

¼ teaspoon paprika

Creamed spinach:

1 tablespoon  vegetable oil

10 oz spinach fresh

4 garlic cloves minced

⅔ cup half and half

⅔ cup mozzarella cheese shredded

Other Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 oz mushrooms sliced

4 slices bacon cooked, chopped

4 slices Pepper Jack cheese or Monterey Jack Cheese with Jalapenos

How To Make Smothered Chicken with Creamed Spinach, Bacon And Mushrooms

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Butter the bottom of the baking dish (I used an oval casserole dish measured 13 inches x 9 inches x 4 inches deep).

Generously season chicken breasts on both sides with salt, lemon pepper seasoning and a small amount of paprika. Place the chicken breasts, flat side down, into the greased baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 F.

How to make creamed spinach:

In the mean time, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add spinach and cook for only 1 or 2 minutes, covered, until the spinach is thoroughly heated through and start to wilt. Remove from heat. Add minced garlic and half and half. Bring to boil. Add shredded mozzarella cheese and keep stirring, on high heat, until mozzarella cheese starts to melt – about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to simmer and keep stirring until you have a nice, smooth creamed spinach – about 30 seconds or 1 more minute. Season with salt to your taste. Remove from heat.

Cook mushrooms:

In a separate pan, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add sliced mushrooms and cook on high-medium heat for 1-2 minutes until mushroom caramelize. Do not salt mushrooms or it will prevent the caramelization.

Smothered chicken assembly:

Remove the chicken breasts from the oven (you baked them for 15-20 minutes). Top each chicken breast with the creamed spinach, chopped cooked bacon, cooked mushrooms and broken slices of pepper jack cheese. Bake in the oven, uncovered for 15-20 more minutes, until chicken is cooked through, no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear. Broil for the last 2-4 minutes, if desired, being careful not to burn the cheese on top.