Today's Words of Wisdom

Wednesday Red Plate Special: "Melt in Your Mouth" Chicken

I came across this incredibly simple recipe on Pinterest and knew I had to try it for our very first "Red Plate Special". It is absolutely amazing and the smell throughout the cafe' while it was baking was incredible. I chose shells & cheese, butter & herb mashed potatoes, and biscuits to go with this delicious chicken to make the ultimate comfort food meal. Enjoy!

"Melt in Your Mouth" Chicken

4 boneless chicken breast halves (or 8 chicken breast tenderloins)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder


Mix mayonnaise, cheese and seasonings.
Spread mixture over chicken breast and place in baking dish.
Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes.


(Original recipe can be found at: http://www.food.com/recipe/melt-in-your-mouth-chicken-breast-37336 )

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Today we are serving these wonderful Pepperoni Pizza Puffs. These delicious puffs can be served as appetizers or a light main dish. Enjoy!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs


3 cans (10 count) Grands Jr. Homestyle Buttermilk biscuits (NOT flaky layers)
1 jar Ragu Garlic Parmesan cheese sauce
1 pkg. Kraft Pizza shredded cheese
1 pkg. Hormel sliced pepperoni
1 egg, beaten
Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
Marinara or Pizza sauce for dipping


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Separate biscuits and flatten each one with your fingers. Brush each flattened biscuit with Garlic Parmesan cheese sauce. Layer two pepperoni slices (slightly offset) in the center of each biscuit. Place a pinch of shredded cheese on top of pepperoni slices. Layer two more pepperoni slices (slightly offset) on top of shredded cheese. Fold up the edges of the biscuit and pinch to seal. Place the biscuits in 2 greased 9X13 baking pans (seam side down). Brush the top and sides of each biscuit with beaten egg. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with Marinara or Pizza sauce for dipping.

YIELD: 30 puffs

Quote of the Day: April 22, 2012 "Happy Earth Day!"

"And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." ~ William Shakespeare

Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies

Today, we are serving one of our most popular desserts: Blueberry Cheesecake cookies!

***PLEASE NOTE***While we have made these cookies for quite a while and never had an issue with the quality of the finished product, we have received a few comments from people who have tried the recipe and ended up with "flat-as-pancake" cookies. We plan to take the recipe back to the Test Kitchen in the near future and try a couple of tweaks to see if we can figure out how to help resolve this issue. These cookies are too good to have people disappointed in the quality of the finished product. We will post the results of the Tests as soon as possible. In the meantime, we would suggest baking a small batch at first...if they come out flat, try to chill the batter for a while longer. This really seems to be a key step with this recipe. Thank you so much for the input and we apologize to those who have been disappointed with the results of this recipe. ~ the Inspiration Cafe'

Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies

2 boxes Jiffy Blueberry Muffin mix
4 oz. cream cheese
1 stick “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”
½ C. light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 ½ C. white chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream together butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time until blended. Combine muffin mix with the butter mixture and mix well. Fold in white chocolate chips. Chill for at least one hour. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 14-15 minutes or until just turning brown around the edges. Cool on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to wire rack until completely cooled.

Strawberry Cobbler

On the menu today, we have a simple and delicious Strawberry Cobbler.


Strawberry Cobbler

1 large tub of frozen sliced strawberries
2 C. sugar, divided
½ C. water
1 stick of butter or margarine
1½ C. self-rising flour
1½ C. milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the strawberries, 1 cup of sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 9x13 glass baking dish and place in the oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup of sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Bake 35 minutes. (Batter will rise to the top while baking.)

Stuffed-Crust Pizza

The Inspiration Cafe has re-opened and on the menu today is a delicious Stuffed-Crust Pizza! The recipe below is for a Pepperoni & Beef pizza, but you can use the basic crust and add whatever toppings you prefer. Enjoy!


Stuffed-Crust Pizza

2 tubes (13.8 ounces each) refrigerated pizza crust
10 pieces string cheese
1 ½ - 2 lbs. of ground beef
Pepperoni slices
1 small jar of marinara or pizza sauce
2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) shredded mozzarella or Italian Blend cheese


Unroll both pizza crusts and place in a greased 15x10x1 inch jellyroll baking pan, letting dough drape 1 in. over the edges. Pinch center seam to seal.
Place string cheese around edges of pan. Fold dough over cheese; pinch to seal. Bake at 425° for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown ground beef until no longer pink, seasoning to taste.
Spread a layer of sauce over crust with ladle. Sprinkle with a handful of shredded cheese to cover sauce. Layer pepperoni slices on top of cheese. Layer ground beef on top of pepperoni. Repeat layers of sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and ground beef. Cover top with a layer of cheese.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.