Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

I want to start off by saying I've just started reading The Pioneer Woman blog, and her cooking section makes me feel like a slob in the kitchen!! However, what makes me feel better is: I don't have 4 children and a "cowboy" to feed...nor do I live on a farm...and I'm only in my 20s, so I have a little bit more time to practice and get that GOOD! Her pictures are incredible, too, so that in itself is worth checking the blog out!

I love chicken. And in all honesty, I love fish, pork, veal, and steak as well... but chicken has my heart. I am constantly looking for new ways to cook it. A couple years ago, my roommate moved across the country, but she left me this incredible cookbook in her place: "Great Recipes Collection: Chicken Dinners." There are 500 chicken recipes in this book!! A CHICKEN GOLDMINE!!! I cooked another yummy dish from this recipe that I'd like to share with you. Hope you try it and enjoy it as much as I did!

Mediterranean-Style Chicken
Servings: 4

Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 - 2 lbs chicken pieces (I used skinless, boneless chicken breasts - 3 to be exact)
1 14.5 ounce can tomatoes, cut up to bite-sized pieces if they already aren't (mine were)
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 TBS snipped fresh basil, or 1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 TBS cold water
2 tsp cornstarch
Hot cooked spaghetti (optional)
1/4 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives or pitted ripe olives

1. Coat an unheated skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 10-15 mins, or until browned, turning to brown evenly.
2. Add undrained tomatoes, wine, basil, sugar, garlic, and bay leaf. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 30-35 mins or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.
3. In a small bowl stir together cold water and cornstarch . Stir into tomato mixture in skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 mins more. Discard bay leaf.
4. If desired, serve chicken and tomato mixture over hot cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with olives.

In the words of Rachel Ray.....YUM-O!!!

The pics are of my fabulous dinner tonight, and I wanted to add another random one. The gorgeous little girl is my cousin, Kendall's, child. Kendall emailed me this picture, and I decided to play with it a little. She's the most beautiful baby, and I am completely smitten with her! (And if you watch any of Tori Spelling's reality shows, my nickname for her is "Buggy.") :)