Thursday, November 6, 2008

Bellinis (Lithuanian Potato Pancakes)











Bellinis (potato pancakes)


buy a 5 pound bag of russet potatoes.

peel & rinse 8 potatoes (more or less depends on how many people you are feeding. 8 potatoes can make over 20 pancakes easy).

grate 8 potatoes with a hand grater into a bowl or chop them up into cubes & put into the blender then put into a bowl.

grate a half of white onion into potatoes.

add white flour.

i don't have any measuring rules for this recipe. i just add enough to make a batter. it is usually like pancake batter. not to thick & not too runny.

add salt & pepper for taste.

fill the bottom of a frying pan with vegetable oil. add a scoop of batter, make sure the bellinis are deep in the oil. i can usually fry about 3 bellinis at one time. fry until golden brown on each side & serve. it is best to serve them as fast as possible since they do tend to get soggy, but they are still tasty.

i serve with sour cream but you can serve them with apple sauce too.

if you make too much batter just keep it in tupperware. it keeps for a good amount of time. since they are potatoes the batter will turn black on top but that is just like if a banana or apple is left out. i usually scoop off the black top & chuck it then mix the bottom white layer & fry them up.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Cornbreads

I have several recipes for good cornbread so here they all are!

My grandmother's cornbread:
1.5 cups self-rising cornmeal
3/4 cups sweet milk
1 cup water
1 egg
grease

Mix cornmeal and milk. Add water and mix well. Add egg and blend well. Put 2-3 tablespoons of shortening in a 9 or 10-inch skillet. Let grease melt and get hot. Sprinkle cornmeal over hot grease and brown lightly. Pour cornbread mixture in skillet and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes until done.

Mexican cornbread:
3 cups self-rising cornmeal
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup oil
2.5 cups milk
3 eggs
1 can Mexicorn
3/4 cup grated cheese
1/2 c chopped bell pepper
2 pods hot pepper, chopped

Mix well and pour into prepared skillet and bake for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees.

Broccoli-Cheese Cornbread:
1 pkg Mexican cornbread mix (bought)
4 eggs
1 stick margarine
1 pkg frozen chopped broccoli
2 c grated cheddar cheese
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp onion powder

Melt margarine in skillet. Beat eggs. Add onion, cheese, broccoli and melted margarine. Stir in cornbread mix. Pour into a greased black skillet and bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes.

Chicken and Dressing

With the Holidays around the corner, I thought this would be good to post. It is my grandmothers and it makes enough to serve about 50 people so unless you are feeding that many, don't forget to scale it down!

1 large package of chicken- legs and thighs
1 large package of chicken- breasts
2 boxes Stove Top stuffing, chicken flavor
4 9-inch rounds of cornbread
8 chopped onions
4 tbsp sage
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp black pepper
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of celery soup
12 eggs, beaten
2 gallons of chicken broth
6-8 c of bread crumbs (loaf bread, buns, etc)

Boil chicken in 2 large pots for about an hour. Have cornbread made ahead of time and crumbled. Remove chicken from both. Pour broth into large pan. Add soups and mix well. Add crumbled cornbread, stuffing mix and bread crumbs. Mix well. Add all other ingredients. Mix well. Pull chicken from bone, cut in bite-size pieces and mix in dressing. Pour dressing into large 12x19 pan or 2 9x13 pans. Bake at 325 degrees for about an hour or until done. Dressing is better to make ahead and freeze.

Chicken and Dumplings

4-5 large chicken breasts
5 qt water
1 can cream of chicken soup
salt and pepper to taste

Dumplings:
3 c self-rising flour
1/4 c shortening
1 c to 1-1/4 c milk

Boil chicken in water, add salt and pepper. Let boil over medium heat for about an hour. Remove chicken from broth. Let chicken cool while making dumplings. Add can of soup to the broth and mix well.

Dumplings: In large bowl, put flour and cut in shortening, resembling pie crust. Add milk. Stir to make dough. Roll out on floured surface to about 1/8-inch thick or so. Cut in strips and cut strips in about 2-inch pieces. Have broth boiling, add chicken (cut into bite-size pieces), add strips, one at a time, stirring occasionally. When all dumplings are in, place lid on and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

This recipe is my grandmothers. She has made it countless times and it is always the best!

Chicken Noodle Soup

4 chicken breasts boiled and cut into pieces
2 qt water
8 chicken bouillon cubes
5-6 cups egg noodles
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz sour cream

Bring water to boil, add bouillon cubes. Add egg noodles and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add soup and heat thoroughly. Add chicken. Just before serving stir in sour cream. This recipe is from a lady at our church, delicious!

Easy Chili

2 lb browned hamburger meat or vegetarian "meat" crumbles
4 cans chili beans
2 packs dry chili mix packets
2 cans tomato paste or tomato sauce

Combine all ingredients and simmer. Serve with crackers, sour cream and cheese! This recipe is just for a simple basic chili. Of course you can add things to make it your own!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Quick and Easy Calzone

The great thing about this recipe is that you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. There are many different variations to the Calzone. The original recipe I found was for a broccoli and cheese calzone using simply ricotta cheese, cooked broccoli, and mozzarella. I decided at the last minute not to go this route and to make the calzone my own. Traditionally, however, Italians would make calzones using leftover vegetables from the day before. So use your imagination and put your own spin on this easy to make recipe!

1 can refrigerated Pillsbury pizza dough
1/4 cup of Ricotta cheese (more or less depending on your taste)
1 cup of marinara sauce or pizza sauce
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 roma tomato sliced
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
4 thinly sliced cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of diced ham
2 tbs of melted butter

Heat oven to 425. Roll out the pizza dough onto a pizza stone or pan. Spread Ricotta cheese over the dough leaving an inch of dough around the edges. Spread pizza sauce on top of the ricotta. Add garlic. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, ham, and/or other toppings of your choice. Sprinkle liberally with mozzarella. Carefully fold over and bring the edges up and pinch together to keep sealed. brush top with melted butter and bake for 15 minutes.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Stuffed Peppers

1 lb ground beef
6 Bell Peppers (any color)
2 tbs chopped onion
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 cup rice
15 oz of marinara/spaghetti sauce
1 tsp salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Heat oven to 350. Brown beef with onion. Add garlic, salt, rice, and 1 cup of sauce. Stir over med heat until hot. Meanwhile, cut the tops off the peppers and clean them out. Add them to boiling water and cook for 5 mins. Place peppers into an ungreased pan and fill with beef mixture. Pour the rest of the sauce over the peppers and top with mozzarella. Bake for 1 hour. Enjoy!!

Note: to make this vegetarian you can substitute beef for crumbled boca burgers and firm tofu. I followed the same recipe to make 2 vegetarian peppers except I browned the crumbled tofu (half a package) with 1 crumbled boca burger. Then I added rice, garlic, and sauce. And continued to follow the rest of the recipe.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

King Ranch Chicken

I have never had a dish requested by as many people or as often as this one. I was famous for it in college and didn't divulge how easy it is to make until after I graduated and moved. :)


~Shredded cooked chicken. I have often used leftovers from any other chicken I've recently made.
~Torn up corn tortillas. White or yellow, it doesn't matter.
~Grated cheddar. The more the happier your family will be.

In a medium sized bowl, mix:
~1 can of cream of mushroom (fat free is fine)
~1 can of cream of chicken (fat free is fine)
~ 2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles OR 3 cans of Rotel


In a casserole dish, layer in the following order:
~sauce
~tortillas
~sauce
~chicken
~cheese
~tortillas
~sauce
~chicken
~cheese
~tortillas
~sauce
~cheese


Cover and bake at 375 until the cheese bubbles. Put a pan on the rack underneath to catch any cheese that bubbles out. (I've been known to microwave it in a pinch, but it always turns better in the oven.)


Serve it with a dollop of sour cream. My family eats it w/ tortilla chips instead of forks. :)

Enjoy!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Apple Dumplings

This is a dessert to die for! This is perfect for an after dinner dessert to impress your friends!

1 can 10 buttery, flaky biscuits
1 can apple pie filling
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick margarine

Roll out biscuits a little less than 1/8-inch thick. Place spoonful of apple pie filling in center and bring four corners of biscuit up over the filling and pinch shut. Place biscuit in 9x13 baking dish with pinched side down. Prepare syrup- Mix sugar, water, cinnamon and margarine. Boil for 3 minutes. Pour syrup into the dish but not over biscuits. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. When done, spoon some of the syrup over the top of the apple dumplings. Best when served warm with vanilla ice cream! Yum!

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

This is a favorite of my sisters! Hope you enjoy!

4 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup or 1 large family size can.
1 carton sour cream, 16 oz
1 roll Ritz crackers, crushed
2 Tbsp poppy seed
1 stick margarine, melted
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken with salt and pepper. When chicken is done, debone and cut into bite-size pieces. Mix soup, poppy seed and sour cream well. Pour mixture over chicken and mix. Pour crushed crackers on top of chicken mixture. Drizzle margarine over crackers. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chicken Spaghetti

This is a favorite dish of mine. It is very filling and "comfort food" at its finest! I like this dish because it is very versatile, I'm going to put the full recipe as I received it but I have made it before without the peas, pimento or bell peppers, so if you do not like these items then you can leave them out!

INGREDIENT LIST:
4 chicken breasts (I have found that you get a better flavor with the chicken if you buy the chicken on the bone)
1-2 bell peppers, chopped finely
1-2 onions, depending on your taste, chopped finely
1 large can English peas
1 small jar pimento
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes (this dish has a kick to it but it you want to kick it up even more you can add the hotter variety of Ro-Tel)
1 package spaghetti noodles, 16 oz.
One large box Velveeta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil chicken with salt and pepper. After chicken is cooked debone and cut into bite size pieces.
2. At the same time the chicken is cooking, boil spaghetti noodles, onions and bell pepper until pasta is done.
3. When pasta is almost done, melt cheese in microwave. When cheese is melted, (it is okay if cheese is a little lumpy) add Ro-Tel (with the juice), pimento and English peas to the cheese. After pasta is done, drain all water and add cheese mixture to noodles. Mix well. Add chicken.
4. Pour into large casserole dish, mix well and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Another favorite from Allrecipes.com! I made this as stated and it was absolutely delicious!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Cordon-Bleu-II/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 6 slices Swiss cheese
  • 6 slices ham
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

  1. Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
  2. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
  3. Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs

Another great recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com! Jammie can back me up on this one, it is FABULOUS! I marinated the chicken separately from the veggies, more so just so the flavor of the veggies didn't overpower the chicken while marinating. I used onion, and green and red pepper the first time that I made this dish. It would also be great with button mushrooms, grape tomatoes or pineapple added into the mix! It's a very versatile recipe when it comes to the veggies.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Yummy-Honey-Chicken-Kabobs/Detail.aspx

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • skewers - Don't forget to soak them!!!

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).
  2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
  3. Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.
  4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Fire Roasted Tomato Chipotle Salsa

Absolutely delicious! An old friend got this out of a salsa recipe book and tweaked it a bit. He always told me that the easiest way to blacken the tomatoes was to use a torch. I picked up one from Wal-Mart for really cheap, but I'm sure you can blacken them any way that you'd like. Enjoy!

¼ Cup + 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion Chopped
2 Pounds Roma Tomatoes Blackened
4 Clove Garlic Roasted & Peeled
½ Cup Cilantro
4 Chipotle Chile In Adobo Sauce (more or less depending on how hot you want it)
¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Sugar

Preheat oven to 350, wrap garlic (skin on) in foil and put in the oven until the garlic is soft.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat until
lightly smoking, add the onion, and sauté until caramelized, about 10
minutes. Transfer the onion, half of the blackened tomatoes and garlic
to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not pureed. Add
the cilantro and chipotle chilies, and pulse again to mix. Peel, and
seed remaining tomatoes. Cut into chunks. Place in food processor and
pulse a few times but not so much as to puree. You want some chunks of
tomato left. Add remaining EVOO, vinegar, salt and sugar.



Thursday, September 18, 2008

Family Recipe Hamburgers

My brother is a huge griller. He loves to grill. I think he might even be a little obsessed with grilling. I love to grill as well and will grill whenever I get the chance. I used to simply use the frozen patties that you just slap on the grill...but my brother taught me a little secret recipe. Well, not the whole secret...he keeps a secret ingredient. But since I'm grilling burgers tonight I thought I'd share the recipe! It's simple..but everytime I grill for people they beg me for the recipe.

1.5 lbs of 92% lean (or higher) ground beef
1/2 cup of salsa (eyeball it...you don't want too much)
1 tbs of McCormick's steak or hamburger seasoning (either one works)

Mix ingredients in a bowl, get your hands dirty! Form into patties (size depends on you and your choice of buns). Grill over med-med high heat or fry in a skillet. Flip only once...I flip when the tops are turning brown. But then again, I'm not the master griller like my brother. I still burn my patties once in a while. You can always break one open to check doneness.

Make sure to have fresh tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and whatever else might be your favorite dressings! I also love to mix it up by putting out shredded lettuce and guacamole to dress the burgers or whatever I feel like. :)

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole

1 can of cheddar cheese
1 can of cream of mushroom (or cream of broccoli)
2 cups cooked rice
1/2 bag of frozen chopped broccoli (cooked)
1/2 cup of milk
1 cup of cooked diced chicken or Quorn chik'n tenders
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp soy sauce (optional)
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all the ingredients except shredded cheddar together in a bowl and place in a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake for 25 mins, top with cheddar, bake another 10-15 mins until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.

*Thanks to Joyce for helping me tweak and correct this recipe!*

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Hashbrown Quiche

Hash Brown Quiche

3 cups, shredded frozen hash browns, thawed and drained 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted 3 large eggs, beaten 1 cup half-and-half 3/4 cup diced Morning Star sausage patties 1/2 cup diced green onions 1 cup shredded Cheddar Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Gently press the drained hash browns between paper towels to dry them as best as possible. In a 9-inch pie plate, toss the hash browns with the melted butter into the plate. Press them into the bottom and up the sides to form a crust. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and starting to crisp.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. When the hash brown crust is ready pour the egg mixture over it and return to the oven.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for about 30 minutes until the quiche is light golden brown on top and puffed.

Homemade Hummus

hummus recipe:

1 can of a chick peas1/2 cup of tahini sauce (i find a wide selection on the mediterranean aisle at wegmans) 1/4 cup of water1 teaspoon of sea salt or regular salt1 half of fresh squeezed lemon2 or 3 cloves of garlic (depends on how garlicky you like it!) dash of pepper or crushed red pepper (depending on how spicy you want it.)

mix all of these ingredients into a blender & puree until it is smooth. i prefer to chill mine before eating too.

to make different kinds of hummus add one red bell pepper or a handful of kalamata olives etc.

homemade guacamole

guacamole recipe:

i always squeeze my avocados to make sure they are soft but not mushy. i will buy hard ones if i am not planning on making the guacamole for a few days. the life span of an avocado is limited so you have to pick them wisely.

cut 3 (depending how much you want to make, you can add less or more avocados) avocado into fours then peel the skin back. place the pits aside & put all the halves into a bowl. mash with a hand masher to the consistency you like. i like mine a bit smooth with some lumps. you could use a blender if you want it really smooth.

dice one large tomato or 6 grape tomatoes add to the bowl.

dice a half of red (purple) onion add to the bowl.

add some salt & pepper.

mix all ingredients with a spoon.

wash off a pit or two until you get all avocado chunks off of it. dry them with a paper towel.

place the pits gently in the guac & push them down a bit. it looks nice & supposedly the pits keep the guacamole greener longer.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Amazing Mac & Cheese

By far a family favorite! I've made this with the bread crumb topping and without and either way it is delicious!

Recipe courtesy of Food Network, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-best-of/chef-joes-baked-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/index.html

Kosher salt
2 cups elbow macaroni
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2-1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
1 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook, stirring occasionally until it is almost tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, 1/4 cup melted butter, the cayenne pepper, and a teaspoon of salt.

Put half the macaroni into a buttered 2-quart casserole and top with half the cheddar cheese. Repeat. Pour the milk mixture over the macaroni and cheese.

In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs with the paprika, the remaining butter, and the Parmesan. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the macaroni and bake until brown and bubbly, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Chicken Gorgonzola

I was inspired by a meal that I saw at Trader Joe's last week and I thought to myself, "Hey, I can make that!" and my oh my I am so glad that I did and the best part...Start to table in 30 minutes!! I think the kids would love a "naked" version of this, just chicken and the cheese sauce.


Photobucket


  • 3 Chicken Breasts
  • Whole wheat flour
  • 3 Tbs Olive Oil
  • 1/3 Cup Portabella Mushrooms, cut into pieces
  • 1 Small Shallot, chopped
  • 2 Cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 Cup half and half
  • 1/2 Cup Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese
  • 1 Roma Tomato, chopped
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in large pan. Add in mushrooms, shallot, and garlic and cook until shallot is tender. Lightly dredge the chicken through the flour and add to the pan cooking until juices run clear. Meanwhile, heat half and half in a saucepan until warm, add in Gorgonzola cheese stirring until creamy. When the chicken is cooked through remove from pan and top each breast with the mushroom mixture and chopped roma tomatoes. Drizzle cheese sauce over top of chicken and top with parsley flakes if desired.

Cheesy Potato Casserole Supreme

I got this recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook and put my own spin on it. It was REALLY good. One of the household members described it as "cheesy potatoes in awesomeness". It originally calls for 1 can of cream of chicken soup but I replaced it with 1 can of cheddar cheese sauce. And I also added chopped Quorn Chik'n Tenders.

Prep: 15 min; Bake: 50 min

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cheddar cheese sauce
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (30-ounce) package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes (I used O'brien potatoes)
8 medium green onions, sliced (1/2 cup) (I omitted the green onions since I used the O'brien potatoes)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1 1/2 cup of diced cooked chicken or Quorn Chik'n Tenders (optional)

Heat oven to 350°. Grease rectangular baking dish, 13 x 9 x 2 inches. Mix soups, sour cream, milk and pepper in very large bowl. Stir in potatoes and onions. Spoon into baking dish. Bake uncovered 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on top and bubbly around edges.

Notes: You could also add chopped broccoli or carrots or other veggies to sneak veggies into your kids' dinner. I would recommend making this with frozen O'Brien potatoes since it has onions and bell peppers already added. It adds great flavor and color to the dish and saves you an extra step!

NUTRITION FACTS: 1 Serving:; Calories 325 (Calories from Fat 135); Fat 15g (Saturated 8g); Cholesterol 40mg; Sodium 1,060mg; Carbohydrate 39g (Dietary Fiber 3g); Protein 9g % DAILY VALUE:; Vitamin A 10%; Vitamin C 10%; Calcium 16%; Iron 6% DIET EXCHANGES:; 2 Starch; 2 Vegetable; 3 Fat

From "Betty Crocker's Complete Cookbook, Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, 9th Edition." Text Copyright 2000 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Cowboy Stew

2 lb. ground chuck
2 large onions
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes
2 cans cream-style corn
2 cans mixed vegetables (drained)

Brown ground chuck and onions together. Drain any excess grease. Add all other ingredients. Simmer on stove medium heat for 90 minutes or in crockpot on low for a few hours. Serve with crackers.

*Variations- You can also add two cans of Spanish rice if you like, I prefer it without the rice though. For you veggies out there you can use the ground "meat" crumbles.

My mouth is really set for this soup but it's just too hot right now! The first cold snap we have I am making this!

Friday, September 5, 2008

Baked Spaghetti & Meatballs / Baked Vegetarian Spaghetti

It's been a rough week for me this week and after eating out or ordering in way too much I decided to whip up something for dinner last night. I've been meaning to make Spaghetti and Meatballs for about a month but didn't have the ground beef and kept forgetting to pick some up. So now that I was equipped with some fresh ground beef I decided to go ahead and make it. But I didn't feel like spaghetti...I was actually more in the mood for a lasagna, of course I lacked the lasagna noodles so I compromised. Here's what I did...and remember I'm also cooking for a vegetarian so that meant I was cooking two seperate meals. However, this meal is so simple that it didn't make a difference.

Meatballs:

1 1/2 lbs of beef
2 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of dry bread crumbs
1 tbs parsley
3 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Heat oven to 400. Saute garlic in olive oil. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and roll into 1-1.5" balls and place into a lightly greased pan. For this recipe I recommend 1" balls. Place into oven for 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.

Spaghetti:

1 package spaghetti

While cooking meatballs cook the Spaghetti noodles as directed on the package.

Sauce:

1 jar of your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce (reserve 1/2 cup)
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 cup of Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 tbs Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups of your fave brand of "meatless" crumbles (optional)
2 cups grated Mozzarella

Set oven to 325. Saute garlic in olive oil. If you are going for a vegetarian dish you can add the crumbles and saute with the garlic and olive oil and omit the meatballs. Once the noodles are cooked thoroughly drain the noodles and combine with all the sauce ingredients except the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of marinara. Mix well and transfer to a baking or casserole pan. Place the meatballs onto the mixture and nestle them into the spaghetti. Pour remaining sauce over the spaghetti and meatballs and top with the mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

NOTES: Even though it's a lot of steps this actually didn't take much effort to make...and I was exhausted by the time I started. The best part is that you can make the meatballs ahead of time. This made one large pan of baked Spaghetti and meatballs and 2 small pans (bread pans) of vegetarian Spaghetti. What I did was combine the sauce with the noodles except for the meatless crumbles. I poured the mixture into the large pan then mixed in the crumbles and poured into the smaller pans. I put the extra small pan into the freezer along with a freezer bag of extra meatballs. This will help when I'm too tired to cook but too broke to order in.

Please allow me to introduce myself...

That song is stuck in my head so forgive the goofy title! I am thrilled to be a part of this blog and hope to contribute useful ideas and recipes! My name is Ashley and I am the very busy mother of 3 so my meals are usually fast! I have started making a conscious effort to make meals healthier but I am from the south soooo it's still "down home" cooking. Also, my family has been in the bakery business for years so desserts are our "speciality" so to speak. My daughter has taken to the love of cooking so I have a few kid-friendly recipes on hand already. In our homes (mine, my mom's and my grandmother's) the kitchen is always open to everyone and we try to include the kids as much as possible! Once again, thank you for having me here!

Sauce for Lasagna

As requested, a fabulous sauce for Lasagna or pasta in general (if you want to freeze some). Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Worlds-Best-Pasta-Sauce/Detail.aspx?prop31=1

Here is the sauce that I use for Lasagna.

  • 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, sliced
  • 3/4 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup minced onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
  • 2 (6.5 ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the sausage, beef, onion, and garlic until well browned; drain fat. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Mix in sugar and season with basil, fennel seed, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Parmesan Pork Chops

I decided to make pork chops for dinner one evening and I thought Marlon was crazy when he asked if there was a way to make them "cheesy" (anyone who knows Marlon knows that he has a strange fascination for any and all cheese).

I searched through the fridge and found a block of Parmesan cheese and decided to go for it. Here is what I came up with:

1/2 inch thick boneless pork chops (we had 3)
1 egg
3/4 cup italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or from the container if that's all that you have)
Olive Oil
S&P to taste

Sprinkle the chops with S&P to taste and heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Dredge the chops through the Parmesan cheese, then through the egg and finally into the bread crumbs. Add chops to the pan and cook until internal temp reads 170 for well done and outside is golden brown.

**If you're cooking this in a stainless steel pan you may want to adjust the heat down a bit or it may burn the outside**

We serve with brown rice or rice pilaf.

Thanks For Having Me!

Another Babycenter chica here who loves to cook. However, when you work full time, are a full time student and chase around a BUSY 2 year old dinner needs to be good and it needs to be done FAST! I love a great fancy meal, but those are few and far between here these days. Occasionally you'll see me post a meal that might take a bit of time, but like most mothers time is of the essence!

I look foward to sharing recipes that are a sure hit in the Young household and I hope that you enjoy them!

Nikki

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Homemade Tortillas!

The following post was taken from the listed URL. The tortillas were AMAZING although they only produced five tortillas.
And when she says cook on medium, she means medium for a cast iron skillet, so you need it much hotter than that in a non stick skillet.

(Btw, Chris was the cook this time -- bravo!!!!)

http://www.cooking-mexican-recipes.com/flour_tortilla_recipe.html


Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe

* 2 cups of white flour
* 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 1 tsp. salt
* 2 tsp. vegetable oil
* 3/4 cup warm water

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl combine the warm water and oil.

Add the water/oil mixture to the flour mixture, one tablespoon at a time and mix the dough with a fork. Once the water is mixed in, add another tablespoon of water and repeat the process until all the water is mixed into the dough.

The dough will be sticky.

Kneading The Dough

Lightly flour a wooden cutting board and knead the dough.

Kneading is done by pushing the dough with the heals and palms of both hands down onto the board. Fold the dough back onto itself, give a quarter turn and push again with the palms and heals of your hands. Just repeat the process of pressing, folding and turning for about 4 or 5 minutes. Add a dusting of flour when the dough gets sticky.

If the dough sticks to the cutting board while kneading, scrape up the dough and dust the board with a little flour and continue kneading.

Eventually the stickiness will go away and you will have a nice smooth dough.

Place the dough back into the bowl and cover it with a damp towel or damp paper towel. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into golf-ball-size balls by pinching off the dough with your thumb and fore finger. Form each ball into a nice ball shape.

Place the balls on a flat dish making sure they don't touch each other and cover with the damp cloth.

Let the dough rest again for 10 minutes.

Rolling The Tortillas

Preheat a skillet or cast iron pan on medium high heat. You really can't beat cast iron pans for even heat distribution and their ability to withstand high heat without warping.

Lightly dust your wooden cutting board with flour. Take one of the balls of dough and flatten it out on the cutting board to a 4 inch circle. Rub flour on your rolling pin and begin to roll out the dough starting from the center out. Roll the tortilla until it is 6 or 7 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick.

It's difficult to roll out a perfectly round tortilla so if that is important to you, you can always trim the tortilla with a knife.

I like their irregular homemade looking shape. No one can mistake these for store bought, especially when you taste them.

Don't be surprised if your kids take this flour tortilla recipe to new heights by making shapes out of the dough. Their creative little minds will be making homemade star shaped quesadillas!

Cooking The Tortillas

Back to the flour tortilla recipe...

Once you have rolled out the tortilla, place it on a preheated skillet. You don't need to add any oil or butter. Cook the tortilla for about 30 seconds. You will notice brown spots all over your tortilla. Flip it over and cook an additional 30 seconds.

Don't over cook it as you want the tortilla to be nice and soft.

Keep your tortillas warm by covering them in a towel on a plate or in a tortilla warmer.

Storing Tortillas

Tortillas are best eaten hot right off the griddle, but you can refrigerate and freeze them too.

If you freeze the tortillas, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and put them in a ziplock bag. When you are ready to use them, first thaw at room temperature and then wrap them in foil and place them in a 250 degree oven for a 10 to 15 minutes.

I don't recommend microwaving them as this tends to toughen them.

So try your hand at some homemade flour tortillas. It's really pretty easy and I think you will be delighted by the results.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Hearty Vegetable Stew

My plan tonight was to make vegetarian chili...but after talking to Steph she had me craving Vegetable soup. My problem was that it's the day before payday and I've already gone WAY over my budget for groceries this month. This recipe could also be called "End of the month whatever I have left over Vegetable stew". You can throw in whatever you have on hand...well almost ;). Normally I would use a broth as the base but I have a vegetarian in the house and all I had was either chicken or beef broth, no vegetable broth. So I compromised and it turned out great!


3 ribs celery
1 small onion
1/2 a poblano pepper
1 bag frozen veggies or 3 cups fresh veggies
5 cups of low sodium V8 juice or other vegetable/tomato juice
3 cups water
1 cup of barley
1 can pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen diced potatoes (I used O'brien hashbrowns)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp celery salt (optional)
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder (optional)
2 large bay leaves
2-3 cloves of garlic (crushed or chopped)
2 tbs of butter or olive oil
1 cup of morning star "meat" crumbles (optional)

Heat butter or olive oil over medium heat in a stock pot. Saute celery, onions, poblano pepper and other fresh veggies for 3 minutes. Add water and V8 juice and the rest of the ingredients except the meat crumbles. Set heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for an additional 30-40 minutes until barley and veggies are tender. During the last 10 minutes throw in the crumbles. Taste and add spices as needed. Enjoy!!

Note: I'm also cooking for a toddler so I have to watch the heat...However, the rest of us love to heat up our dishes with hot sauce. So I simply put out the hot sauce for each person to add according to their taste. If this was an adult only meal I would have added several hearty dashes of hot sauce to the stew. Also, I actually probably added a lot more salt and pepper than I mentioned in my recipe. So you might want to play around with the spices and continue to check. If you used canned veggies you'll need less salt b/c of the sodium content in canned vegetables.

Speaking of spices...I know this recipe calls for a lot of different spices..and many of my recipes might. I'm always buying new spices to stock my rack so that I'm never lacking spices. lol, in fact I bribed the movers with Pizza to allow me to pack my spices when I moved from Germany. If you don't have all the spices, that's ok...use what you have and improvise. But I do recommend stocking up here and there with different spices or at least investing in a good spice rack that comes with the spices. You can find them for $20+.

Turkey Vegetable Soup

I was in a rush to find something yummy and quick for supper. I had a package of skinless chicken thighs (and already have plans for them) and 2lbs of ground turkey. Having just a few choices mean you have to be creative. The following recipe can be followed, but really it should serve as a guideline to just help you think of things to use to help you create your own soup.

1 lb browned ground turkey
3+ cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 chopped and steamed carrots
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes w/ green chiles
1/2 red bell pepper
2 stalks of celery chopped
Leftover corn from last night
2 cans tomato sauce
3 chopped garlic cloves
chopped onion
Freshly ground pepper

Allow it to simmer for a while.

I wish I had had either potatoes or beans to throw in there. Black beans would have been fabulous. Any left over veggies that you have in your fridge that would blend well could be added.

I topped it w/ grated cheddar. YUMMY!



I know for a fact that Jammie's making her own Veggie Stew tonight, so hopefully we can get her to post it soon! :D

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Mexican Cubed Steak

Ingredients

* vegetable oil cooking spray
* 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
* 4 cubed steaks
* 1 (8 ounce) jar picante sauce
* 2 tablespoons lime juice
* 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Directions

1. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add oil.
2. Place over medium high heat until hot.
3. Add steaks; cook 2 minutes on each side Combine picante sauce, lime juice, and pepper; pour over steaks.
4. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Roast and Gravy

Cut up 2-3 potatoes and line the bottom of your crock pot.
Chop 2-4 carrots and add it.
Dice onion and garlic cloves to add.

Brown the outside of your roast on the stovetop.

Place the roast in the crockpot.

Add 2 cans of cream of mushroom (98% fat free).


Cook on high for 6-8 hours.

An Easy Lunch

I needed something quick and tasty for lunch yesterday. I did a quick survey of my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. Noodles, frozen raw meat, milk, cream soups, noodle soups, diced tomatoes, frozen browned ground beef, more noodles. Things that could become a meal, but most of them we'd had recently. Then it struck me, I had NEVER made anything with egg noodles for Kairi. And I mean NEVER. So this is what I created. If nothing else, Alex ate 2 helpings for lunch that day and two more today. Kairi eats it, not perfectly, but anymore getting 2 bites per meal down her is a miracle.



Almost Beef Stroganoff (or however you spell it)

~1 lb of browned ground beef (thawed and rinsed to help remove excess fat/grease)
16 oz of egg noodles
1/2 cup of milk (skim)
1 can of cream of mushroom (98% fat free)

Cook and drain the noodles. Mix in the other three ingredients. Add salt to taste. Serve!


Seriously, a super easy dish. I loved it, Alex loved it. Kairi's opinion doesn't count since she doesn't eat. :)

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Spinach Baked Pasta

  • 1 box of penne or other pasta
  • 1 box of Silken firm tofu...drained and crumbled
  • 3 bunches of spinach blanced, drained, and chopped
  • 1 jar of marinara (I used mushroom & ripe olive)
  • 3/4 cup of diced onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup of parmesan cheese
  • 1-2 cups of mozzarella to top

Preheat oven to 350. cook pasta as directed on box. saute onion and garlic in olive oil. blanch and chop the spinach then add to onions. add crumbled tofu and saute for a couple minutes (add salt and pepper if you want). When pasta is cooked and drained add all ingredients together and mix well. Pour into pan and top with mozzarella cheese. bake for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Notes: I threw this together tonight based on a lasagna recipe found on the box of tofu. I put my own spin on it. I didn't have 3 bunches of spinach...I had half a bag of prewashed baby spinach...and I didn't have mozzarella so I used the 4 blend Mexican cheese I did have...and I didn't have fresh garlic so I used powdered garlic. This made 1 large and 1 smaller pan. It was pretty easy to put together. Usually I would make baked pasta dishes with ricotta cheese but the tofu is perfect in it--and it makes it a healthier alternative! And if you made it with soy-based parmesan and omitted the mozzarella it would be a perfect dish for any vegans in your life.

I always say that most recipes are flexible. And this is one is no different. If you don't have spinach, oh well! You can use what vegetable you have that could be substituted based on your preferences. Squash or zucchini could be used instead of spinach, or even fresh or frozen peas. Don't be afraid to play around with recipes. You can really cut down your grocery budget by trying to use what you have on hand instead of heading to the grocery store when you see you're missing an ingredient.

Monday, August 25, 2008

No-Pain Lo Mein

Taken from www.foodnetwork.com.

No-Pain Lo Mein
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Show:
30 Minute Meals
Episode:
Last Minute Get-Together

  • 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan in a slow drizzle) vegetable or wok oil
  • 1 cup (2 handfuls) snow peas, halved on a diagonal
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into match stick size pieces
  • 1/2 pound assorted mushrooms (shiitake, straw, enoki, or oyster), coarsely chopped, if necessary
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
  • 2 cups (about 4 handfuls) fresh bean spouts
  • 2 inches fresh ginger root, minced or grated with hand grater
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound lo mein noodles or thin spaghetti, cooked to al dente and drained well
  • 1/2 cup aged tamari soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, several drops

Heat a wok-shaped skillet or large non-stick skillet over high heat. When pan is very hot, add oil, (it will smoke a bit) then, immediately add the snow peas, pepper, mushrooms, scallions, and bean sprouts. Stir fry for 1 minute to flavor the oil, then add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the cooked noodles and toss with to combine. Add the soy sauce and toss the ingredients to coat noodles evenly with sauce. Transfer the lo mein to a serving platter and garnish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.

Added Notes: The great thing about cooking is that you can usually improvise with recipes. When I made my lo mein I didn't have bean sprouts or cabbage so I just used red and green bell peppers and button mushrooms. Sesame oil of course is preferred when cooking stirfry and asian rice and noodle dishes, but in a pinch vegetable oil can be used. Don't be afraid to try your own twist on recipes you find.

When Dinner Blunders Happen

I consider myself a pretty good cook. Not as good as my mom...she's chef material. But I can hold my own in the kitchen. However, many times when I cook I throw things together without a recipe. Last night was no different. I had decided I was going to make veggie lo mein. So I cooked up a box of noodles, chopped and stirfried the veggies. Then I added the noodles (just plain spaghetti) once I dumped them in I realized that I had made way too many. You would think this would ruin the dinner. But that's when improvising comes in handy. I simply added more sesame oil and more soysauce. It certainly wasn't as good as I hoped but I'm always my worst critic. Everyone else ate them up. And there's plenty left for lunch today. I won't post my recipe but I'll post one I found from Rachel Ray on FoodNetwork.com. lol, hopefully that'll come out better than the one I made.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Chicken Fried Rice

Have I mentioned that I'm so glad to have Jammie to share recipes with? :) Once again she came to my rescue and helped me with supper. I only made half the recipe because, well frankly I accidentally made half the rice I was supposed to and could only make half, but it came out with more than enough, so that's what I'm going to post. I didn't follow an exact recipe, so this is as close as it gets. Feel free to change what you'd like. :)


Chicken Fried Rice

4 pieces of chicken, seasoned w/ garlic and ginger, broiled and then cubed (Or cube and then stirfry them w/ sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce and then add the rest)
2 cups of cooked rice
1 cup of frozen carrots
1 package of frozen broccoli (feel free to use whatever frozen veggies you'd like)
Sesame Oil
Soy Sauce
Minced Garlic (approximately 1 clove)
Ginger
Water Chestnuts (ok, so this wasn't in the recipe at all, but I had some and love them so in the pan they went)

Heat the sesame oil in your skillet. Add the rice and frozen veggies. Add the garlic and ginger (can be adjusted to taste). Throw in the chicken. Add the soy sauce until it looks right. :) I added the water chestnuts VERY last to keep crispy.
Allow it to simmer until the veggies are cooked.


Yummy! Alex ate THREE helpings! And here is what Kairi thought of it:
Photobucket

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Lasagna

I made a lasagna last night for today, just in case we didn't have power. I used Mueller's no boil noodles. I won't list the recipe b/c it's on the box. Good, but not absolutely amazing.

I say this to make the pledge. I am on a mission to find an amazing sauce for the lasagna. I usually use whatever spaghetti sauce I have on hand. This time I had an actual marinara sauce. I simmered my meat in it. Chris said that he usually adds a glass of wine and some Italian seasoning to it. I should have done that, but at midnight I was too tired to care. ;) His sauce usually comes out really nice. But I want more than nice or good, I want great, amazing, fabulous, fantastic. I want people to taste my lasagna and ask for the recipe.

Know any great sauce recipes? Do you have a secret ingredient? I want to know!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Roast Chicken

Cut 1-3 potatoes into small chunks.
Layer the bottom of your crock pot.
Slice a carrot.
Put in the crock pot.
Add in any extra frozen veggies you'd like.

Stuff a whole chicken with chopped onions and garlic cloves. Put it in the pot. Season the top w/ garlic salt, parsley, and onion powder.

Leave it on high for 6-8 hours.

Welcome Jammie!

Yay! Jammie has joined us! :D Just to give a little bit more information on her, Jammie and I met on Babycenter about 2 years ago! (Can you believe it's been that long?!?) Her daughter, Jaycie, and Kairi are just a few weeks apart in age. After discovering a shared love for Stargate SG1 and Richard Dean Anderson, we hit it off and haven't stopped talking since.

I love sharing recipes with her and am super excited about hearing more from her!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Cooking with Love

I was asked to co-author this blog today. I think it's a great idea and I love sharing my love for food. One of my favorite TV shows is The Next Food Network Star because that seems like such a dream job for me. What better job than to share your passion? I admit, I don't always cook meals for my family. By the end of the day I'm exhausted and the thought of preparing a meal and cleaning up the mess is daunting. But our budget (and waistlines) don't allow for frequent pizza deliveries or McDonald's runs. Besides, I believe establishing healthy eating habits for my toddler is incredibly important. So I decided to start cooking more...and cooking more healthy. Some days I cook simple easy meals and other days I'm inspired by Food Network and try my hand at more complex meals. Lately, however, I've been cooking more vegetarian meals since I currently have a vegetarian in the house. You might be like me and think that a vegetarian meal couldn't be satisfying, especially if you love meat as much as I do. But I was pleasantly surprised to find how much my family has enjoyed vegetarian meals. I hope you enjoy the recipes I'll be sharing and you're inspired to try your hand at different styles of cooking.

Grilled Garlic Steak Salad

http://www.bettycrocker.com/Recipes/Recipe.aspx?recipeId=8154&WidgetTracking=RecipeBox

Spicy Garlic Dressing
1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salad
1-pound beef boneless sirloin steak, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
1 large red or yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup sliced mushrooms (3 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
6 cups bite-size pieces salad greens

1. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. In tightly covered container, shake all dressing ingredients; reserve 1/4 cup.
2. Cover and grill beef over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until desired doneness. In medium bowl, toss bell pepper and mushrooms with 2 tablespoons of the dressing; place in grill basket. Cover and grill vegetables 5 minutes, shaking grill basket to turn vegetables occasionally, until bell pepper is crisp-tender.
3. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper; cut into 1/4-inch slices. Toss beef and reserved 1/4 cup dressing. In large bowl, place salad greens, vegetables and beef. Add remaining dressing; toss.

Foil Pack Taco Chicken Dinner

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
* 4 teaspoons TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix
* 2 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes
* 1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Cheese
* 1/2 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
* 1/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream



DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle chicken evenly with seasoning mix. Place 1/2 cup of the potatoes on center of each of four large sheets of heavy-duty foil; top each with 1 chicken breast, 1/4 cup of the cheese and 2 tablespoons of the salsa.
2. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and both ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place in single layer in 15x10x1-inch baking pan.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (170 degrees F) and potatoes are tender. Remove packets from oven. Let stand 5 minutes. Place one packet on each of four dinner plates. Cut slits in foil with sharp knife to release steam before opening. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon of the sour cream.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Foil-Pack-Taco-Chicken-Dinner/Detail.aspx


After tryings this, we agreed that it definitely needs to be made with chicken breasts, not thighs. And it would be DELICIOUS on the grill.
Also, serve it with a bean dip and chips. Yum.

Onion Soup Chicken

Onion Soup Chicken
1 package of onion soup
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of water
Mix together.

Cut up 2 potatoes, 3 med carrots, and another veggie. Put in oven bag. Add mixture. Shake until all veggies are well-coated.

Add chicken.

Bake at 375 for an hour.

If your carrots and potatoes are already cooked, then you can do it in the microwave for approximately 15 minutes instead (w/o the bag). Or you can combine then and throw them in the crockpot.

Spicy Black Bean Chicken Soup

Spicy Black Bean Chicken Soup

Shredded boneless skinless cooked chicken (I usually just use leftover chicken from the past night or so.)
2 drained and rinsed cans of black beans
1 can of chicken broth
1-2 cans of rotel (according to taste)
Occasionally I add corn.
Garlic salt
Onion powder
Pepper

Combine in pot and simmer for 30 minutes.

Cream Cheese Chicken

Cream Cheese Chicken

boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs -- We use thighs b/c they're just a tiny bit more tender.)
1 can of cream of mushroom (98% fat free)
1 package of cream cheese (1/3 less fat)

Put in crock pot for 4-6 hours. Top with basil. Serve with rice and broccoli.