This Mommy Cooks: February 2010

Sunday, February 28, 2010

March Menu Plan

Wow! Is it March already! There are a lot of recipes that I didn't get around to making in February, mainly because I went out of town for a week, so you'll see a lot of the same things from last month. I also like to make a lot of the same things, and incorporate a few new ones each month. I don't have it listed, but we will be making cookies, cakes, and breads this month too. We are celebrating 2 half birthdays and having our 2nd Annual Easter Egg hunt so we'll be baking a lot around here! Stay tuned for some sweet treat recipes! You'll also notice crab legs are on our menu this month. We always have them on St. Patrick's Day. My husband and I started the tradition our first year of marriage. So from my home to yours, here's our plan for March!

March Menu Plan

*Disclaimer- If I choose to add a recipe that isn't on here this month, I have the right to do so!

Sweet and Sour Chicken, Steamed Broccoli, and Easy Fried Rice

Homemade Chicken Strips, Mac and Cheese, and Green Beans

Pecan Crusted Tilapia in Rum Butter Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, and Veggies

Baked Spaghetti and Garlic Bread

Homemade Pizza

Tender Grilled Salmon, Pasta/Rice, and Veggies

Spicy Oven Fried Chicken, Potato Wedges, and Green Beans

Alice Springs Chicken, Potatoes, and Veggies

Marinated Steak, Hot Crash Potatoes, and Broccoli

Chicken and Corn Chowder with Homemade Bread

Homemade Pizza

Jambalaya with chicken and sausage

Chicken Enchiladas with PW's enchilada sauce (or Trader Joe's) with yellow rice

Crab cakes with veggies and macaroni and cheese

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Tacos with Homemade Seasoning

Dirty Rice and Green Beans

Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Chicken

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with homemade bread

Sticky Coconutty Chicken

Honey Lime Grilled Chicken (from Mommy's Kitchen) with vegetables and potatoes

No Peek Beef Tips from Mommy's Kitchen, potatoes, and veggies

Homemade Pizza

Cajun Chicken Pasta with fresh bread

Crock Pot BBQ, baked beans, cole slaw and corn bread cakes

salmon (recipe yet to be decided)

Chicken Fajitas

chili with fresh bread

Easy Mexican Casserole

Crab Legs, shrimp and Red Lobster's Cheddar Garlic Biscuits (St.Patrick's Day dinner tradition)

Friday, February 26, 2010

Honey Rosemary Chicken

As I was flipping through the TV channels the other day, Rachael Ray was on and she was just about to begin her "What's for dinner" segment. It sounded delicious, so I decided to make it for dinner that night. I've changed a couple of things from her original recipe. She uses a shallot and I use green onions, and I used dry rosemary. I originally used 1 full TBSP of rosemary, but it was over powering. So I recommend using half that much. I also put my chopped pecans into the sauce, instead of garnishing them on top. I served this with rice and green beans. It was a hit!

Honey Rosemary Chicken

adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 6-ounce pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped, or 1/2 TBSP dried rosemary
1/2 cup honey
1-2 rounded tablespoons Dijon mustard, I used Dijon and spicy brown
Juice of 1 lemon, or 3 TBSP lemon juice
A handful of pine nuts, sliced almonds, or pecans, toasted (optional)

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper on one side. When oil smokes, add chicken to the pan, seasoned side down and cook 6 minutes on each side. Season other side when you place chicken in the pan. Remove from pan and set aside.

Reduce heat under pan to medium and add another tablespoon olive oil. Add green onions, garlic and rosemary to pan and cook 2-3 minutes. Add honey, stir in mustard and lemon juice. You can add the nuts here or at the end. Add chicken back to the pan and coat on all sides with the bubbling glaze. Turn off heat.

Garnish with toasted nuts, if using.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Orange Danish Rolls

Recently I posted a recipe for Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls. And boy are they good. She has another option for those rolls, which uses orange marmalade and orange juice and turns them into orange danish rolls. I tried that option today and I was definitely pleased. So were my boys! I actually made half cinnamon rolls and half orange danish rolls. I now have 10 tins of breakfast rolls in my freezer for many weekends to come! These are a definite make!!

Orange Danish Rolls
slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients:

Dough:

4 cups whole milk

1 cup oil

1 cup sugar

2 packages active dry yeast (or 2 TBSP jarred yeast)

9 cups all purpose flour

1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

1 scant teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon salt

Filling:

3 sticks melted butter, plus more as needed

8 tablespoons orange marmalade

1 cup brown sugar

Icing:

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup orange juice, plus more if needed

dash of salt

Directions:

Dough:

For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat; do not allow the mixture to boil. Set aside and cool to lukewarm.

Once lukewarm, sprinkle yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.

Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour.

Remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1 cup of flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl.

Filling:

To assemble the rolls, remove half of the dough from the bowl. On a floured baking surface (I used my counter top), roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30x10 inches.

To make the filling, pour half of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly.

Generously spread half of the orange marmalade and brown sugar over the butter.

Now, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly toward you. use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. This is the tough part. Butter and sugar start oozing out of the sides, but keep rolling.

When you reach the end, pinch the seam together. When you're finished, you will have a long dough "log."

Transfer to a cutting board and with a sharp knife, make 1 1/2 inch slices. One log will produce 20 to 25 rolls.

Pour a couple of tablespoons of melted butter into the desired pie pans or baking dishes and swirl to coat.

Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd. I made the full recipe today and it yielded 10 pans of rolls! Repeat filling instructions for other half of dough. You might even want to do half orange danish and half cinnamon.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the counter top for at least 20 minutes before baking. Remove the towel and bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until golden brown. Don't allow the rolls to become overly brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the icing.

Icing:

In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, orange juice, and salt. Splash in extra orange juice if needed to thin icing. Whisk until very smooth. Taste and add in more sugar, butter, or other ingredients as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency. The icing should be thick, but still pourable.

While the rolls are still warm, generously drizzle icing over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top.

As they sit, the rolls with absorb some of the icing's moisture and flavor.

*Freezing Tip- I suggest baking the rolls, icing them, letting them cool, wrapping them tightly with foil, and then freezing. PW suggests that once ready to eat them, pull them out of the freezer and warm them in a preheated 250 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Shrimp and Grits

I love shrimp, pretty much cooked any way. I had never tried shrimp and grits until my husband ordered it one night when we were out to dinner. He made me try it, and it was oh so good! You could also add some sausage to this, double the sauce and even add some hot sauce if you fancy it. But I think it's just perfect the way it is. I actually made this at a freezer meal prep gathering with some friends. We made a bunch of meals to place in the freezer. All we had to do was pop them in the oven or in sauce pans as this recipe calls for. If you want the directions for freezing this dish prior to cooking it, comment and I'll give them to you. I forgot to take a picture, so next time I will. So easy and so delicious!

Shrimp and Grits

slightly adapted from a friend

Ingredients:
Shrimp Sauce
¼ cup diced Celery
¼ cup diced Green Onions
¼ cup diced Green Peppers
1 ¼ cup cream of Chicken Soup (don't let this scare you, it's great!) Clicke here for a substitute.
Dash Cayenne pepper
Dash Paprika
1 pound shrimp, peeled and tails removed

Cheese Grits
1 cup Grits
4 cups water

½ tsp Salt
½ stick Butter
1 ¼ cup Cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp Garlic powder

Directions:

Pour all cheese grits ingredients into sauce pan, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Rinse shrimp and drain. Pour sauce ingredients into saute pan or skillet, bring to a boil, add shrimp, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Serve shrimp over grits.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Louisiana King Cake

I had never heard of King Cake until my freshman year of college. My roommate was from Louisiana and her dad sent us a King Cake to celebrate Mardi Gras. Oh how delicious it was! I remember especially loving the pieces that had icing on them. YUM! I have craved one of those King Cakes about this time every year at least for the last 6 years. This year, I decided to look for a recipe and try to make one myself. And let me tell you, it was delicious! I think it is actually pretty darn close to the ones I had with my roommate. We celebrated Fat Tuesday last night with our yummy King Cake, not that we have any New Orleans roots, I just like to cook! I hope you enjoy it!!

Louisiana King Cake
adapted from About.com

Ingredients:
Brioche:
1/2 cup warm water
2 envelopes active dry yeast (or 2 TBSP if using jarred yeast)
4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups sifted flour (I used closer to 5 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
3 eggs
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
with 1 tablespoon milk
a tiny doll or coin

Filling (optional):
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 TBSP cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Icing:
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice, strained
3 to 5 tablespoons water

Sugar Topping:
Paste food coloring: purple, green, and yellow
3/4 cup sugar
or prepared colored sugar

Preparation:
Brioche:
Combine yeast and the warm water. Combine flour, sugar, nutmeg and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in lemon peel. Make a well in center and add yeast and water mixture, along with milk. Lightly beat the 3 eggs and 4 egg yolks; add to liquid mixture. With a large wooden spoon, gradually incorporate dry ingredients into liquids in the center well. Beat in 1/2 cup of the butter and continue beating until dough forms ball. Use a food processor or dough hook for beating, if desired. Place ball on floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, incorporating more flour as necessary, a little at a time. Butter the inside of a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Place dough in bowl and turn so the entire surface will be buttered Cover bowl and set aside for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. Brush a large baking sheet with remaining butter. Punch dough down on lightly floured surface. Knead, then roll dough out into a rectangle if going to use filling. In small bowl mix together filling ingredients until it resembles small crumbles, no bigger than the size of peas. I used a pastry cutter and it helped to this pretty quickly. Spread filling mixture onto rolled out dough evenly. Roll dough up like a jelly roll. Place on baking sheet and form into a ring. Press bean or doll well into dough so that it doesn't show. I used a small car because I didn't have a baby. Set aside again to rise for about 45 to 60 minutes. When ready to bake, brush the top and sides of the ring with the egg-milk mixture. Bake the King's Cake in middle of oven at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Slide cake onto wire rack to cool.

Icing:
Combine the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of water in a deep bowl; stir until the icing smooth. If too stiff to spread, beat in 1 teaspoon water at a time, until desired consistency is reached. It should be thin enough to run slowly down the sides of the cake. Spread the icing over the top of the cake, letting it to run down the sides. If you don't like lemon, I would use half lemon juice, half milk for the icing.

Prepare the colored sugar using paste coloring or liquid coloring and set aside.

Sprinkle the colored sugars over the icing immediately, forming a row of purple, yellow, and green strips, each about 2 inches wide, on both sides of the ring.

Homemade Lasagna

Ah...lasagna. How I love lasagna, and I'm not talking about the stuff bought in the frozen section of the grocery store. When I was growing up, lasagna was only made for special occasions. I guess because it takes it little bit extra time and ingredients to prepare. I love the lasagna I grew up having, although I have made a couple of changes as I've started preparing it myself. This was actually the first thing I ever made for my husband. I had only known him for two weeks! It is so yummy and it's really not that hard to prepare. You just need make sure you allow time to bake it, because it does take almost an hour to bake. This dish also freezes great. Just cover tightly with foil and freeze. When ready to prepare it, thaw it in the fridge and bake as directed. Enjoy!

Homemade Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or beef
1/2 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 TBSP onion, diced (could use minced onion)
1 TBSP cornstarch
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce (or crushed tomatoes)
1/4 cup water

16 ounces Ricotta Cheese
1 egg, beaten
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
6 whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked

Directions:
Brown meat, drain excess fat and return to pan. In a small bowl, mix first 14 ingredients together. Add tomato sauce and water to pan with meat, and then dry ingredients. Stir until combined well. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. (This is my basic recipe for homemade spaghetti.)

Cook noodles as directed on box and cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix ricotta cheese and egg in small bowl.

Layer half of the meat mixture on the bottom of 9x13 casserole dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top. Spread half of ricotta cheese mixture on top of the noodles and then sprinkle 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese on top of that. Repeat those layers one more time; meat, noodles, ricotta cheese, mozzarella. Finish with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 30 minutes without foil, until cheese starts to brown slightly and is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with a salad and some hot bread. Delicious! And be prepared for leftovers, this makes a ton! You can make two small lasagnas if you choose, but this lasagna leftover is soooo good!

Monday, February 15, 2010

French Bread Rolls

Today has been a baking day at our house. There is snow on the ground and we are staying indoors, so we have had the oven on all morning! I've been wanting to try and make some rolls lately, and took an opportunity to try some today. I have recently discovered that bread making isn't as hard as I thought it was. There is nothing like making your own bread. I think that if you can make your own bread, you can make anything! It doesn't hurt that my husband is really impressed that I can make bread now! Hopefully our waistlines won't suffer!

These rolls are delicious! They are a soft french bread roll. If you prefer a more crusty roll, you can brush an egg wash on top before baking, or spray water into the over during the beginning minutes of baking. Either way, you won't be disappointed with these rolls. I put that butter is optional, but trust me you will want it. And you will want more for the inside of the rolls. You won't want to miss out on this delicious, yummy goodness of these rolls!

French Bread Rolls
adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1-2 TBSP if needed

3 TBSP butter, melted for topping (optional)

Directions:
In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. You may have to add a couple of tablespoons of additional flour to get the dough to start pulling away from the side of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. If you have a dough hook on your mixer, you can use this. Just let it knead on the lowest setting for 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12-14 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth (or greased saran wrap), and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake for 11-12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

*Can freeze the rolls after baking - microwave on high for 2 minutes before serving.

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Add 2 cups of flour, salt, and oil. After combined, add the remaining 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time until dough starts to pull from the sides of the bowl. Add 1-2 TBSP additional flour it dough is not pulling from the side. Cover dough with a damp cloth and place in a warm place for an hour.

After dough has doubled, turn out onto a floured surface, and make into 12-14 balls. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Cover with greased saran wrap and place in warm place for 40 minutes until doubled in size.

Here they are doubled in size. Place in preheated 400 degree oven and bake 11-12 minutes until golden brown.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and brush on tops of the hot rolls. Eat immediately, reheat later, or freeze for the future. Whatever you do, don't eat all 14 rolls like I am tempted to do right now!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Valentine's Day Cookies

This year for Valentine's Day, my boys made cookies as their Valentines for a few friends. You can go here for The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe for instructions. Below are pictures of the two different versions we made. One is on a stick and one is in a bag with heart candies.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

In lieu of Valentine's Day, I thought I would post how to make chocolate covered strawberries. It is very simple and delicious. Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Ingredients:
Strawberries
16 oz chocolate chips
2 TBSP oil

Directions:
Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler. I don't have one of these, so place a glass bowl on top of a sauce pan with water in it. Place just enough water in the sauce pan to where when the water boils, it won't touch the glass bowl. Place chocolate and oil in bowl. Heat over medium low heat until chocolate is completely melted. Make sure that the water does not mix with the chocolate. Dip each strawberry into the chocolate, covering as much as you desire and then place the strawberry on wax paper or in my case in the steamer rack holes. I did this so I wouldn't have a flat edge, but it really doesn't matter. Place strawberries in fridge for 15 minutes until chocolate is hardened. If you desire, repeat this process with more chocolate. Store in container, in fridge until ready to serve. This is an easy and inexpensive treat.

Melt chocolate.

I used a steamer basket to hold my strawberries. You could also use a colander.

I dipped my strawberries a second time in white chocolate, then colored the white chocolate pink and tried to make them look artsy. Yum!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Stir Fry Vegetables

How do you prefer to cook your vegetables? I have a couple of different ways I like to prepare my vegetables. Steaming, oven roasting, and stir frying. I've been asked how exactly I prepare my vegetables, so here's how I do it!

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen vegetables (fresh if you prefer)
3-4 TBSP Olive Oil
Seasonings, optional

Directions:
Place frozen vegetables in skillet. Drizzle olive oil over vegetables and stir until all are somewhat coated. Heat skillet over Medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes if vegetables are frozen until tender. I don't usually season mine, but sometimes I will add some Mrs. Dash or Salt and Pepper. Enjoy!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Pecan Crusted Tilapia with Rum Butter Sauce

I was reminded of how good this recipe is last night when I made it. It was really good! It was simple to prepare and my kids ate it. The good thing about tilapia is that it doesn't taste very "fishy." So if you're scared of fish, this might be one for you to try. Also, don't let the rum title scare you away, I substituted juice for the rum. Enjoy!

picture from Southern Living

Pecan Crusted Tilapia
adapted from Southern Living January 2009

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pecans

4 tilapia fillets

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

3 Tbsp butter

Golden Rum-Butter Sauce (recipe below)

Directions:

1. Process pecans in a food processor until finely chopped. *I just used chopped pecans because I like hunks of pecans in dishes as opposed to chips. Sprinkle fillets with salt, garlic powder, and pepper. (I actually did not measure the amounts of seasonings, I just sprinkled over the fish.) Dredge fish in finely chopped pecans.

2. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add fish, and cook 3-4 minutes on each side until well browned and fish flakes easily with fork. Serve with Golden Butter Rum Sauce (below).

Golden Butter Rum Sauce

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp butter

1 shallot, minced ( I didn't have this so I used the white part of 2 green onions.)

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp rum (I substituted 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp orange juice for this)

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp orange juice

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

*I also added the left over pecans from the fish to this sauce.

Directions:

Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat; add shallot (or green onion) and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until shallot or onion are tender. Reduce heat to low, and slowly whisk in the rum (or juice) and next 4 ingredients and remaining 2 Tbsp butter. *Add pecans at this point if you're going to add them to the sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute; serve warm over the fish. YUM!!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I made this last night and was reminded how delicious it was. And yes, I know it wasn't on my February Menu Plan, but as I said, I have the right to make something not ont he list! It is a good twist on the traditional meatball that I think you'll enjoy. Both of my boys enjoyed this. Wil ended up dipping his in ketchup, but I'll take what I can get sometimes! I served it over brown rice with green beans.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

slightly adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

*Serves 4-6 (Makes approx 20 meatballs)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey or beef (I almost always cook with turkey, unless it's burgers.)
3/4-1 cup quick oats
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions for Meatballs:
Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Form into about 20 balls, each about 2 inches in diameter. Place in a casserole dish. Cover with sauce (below). Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (I used Kraft Hot BBQ sauce, it gave it a little kick that was awesome!)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Combine ingredients and blend thoroughly. Heat in a small saucepan until combined and sugar is dissolved and pour over meatballs. *I recommend doubling the sauce. It makes this much better. The first time I made this I didn't double it, and I wished I had. So take it from me, double it!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Stove Top Chicken Casserole

I love chicken casserole, and it is usually a hit at our house. I'm always looking for different ways to fix it and came up with a variation that we really like. The Stove Top Stuffing really adds to this dish and makes it just a little bit crunchy, which is always good to me! Serve this with a veggie and you're ready to go!

Stove Top Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
8 ounces sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup (Click here for a substitute.)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (or more)
1 box Stove Top Stuffing (I used whole wheat chicken flavored)
salt and pepper to taste
4 TBSP butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread chicken on bottom of baking dish, season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese on top of chicken. In separate bowl, mix sour cream and cream of chicken soup. Spread sour cream mixture on top of cheese. Sprinkle entire box of Stove Top on top of sour cream and soup mixture. Finally, drizzle melted butter on top of entire casserole. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes covered, until bubbly. Serve with vegetable of choice. I serve it with green beans.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Baked Spaghetti

Since spaghetti is loved by all at my house, I'm always trying to do something a little different with it so it doesn't get boring for me. Baked Spaghetti is one of those variations. It takes my standby recipe for spaghetti and adds cheese, which is one of my favorite things to eat.

Baked Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 TBSP onion, diced (could use minced onion)
1 TBSP cornstarch
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce (or crushed tomatoes)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or beef
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling
whole wheat spaghetti noodles, cooked (I use 1/3-1/2 of a box)

Directions:
Brown meat, drain excess fat and return to pan. In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients, onion, and garlic together. Add tomato sauce and water to pan with meat, and then dry ingredients. Stir until combined well. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cooked spaghetti noodles in small baking dish. Top with spaghetti mixture. Next, top with shredded cheese, and then sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
Bake for 10 minutes, until cheese is melted, and then place on broil for 1-2 minutes until top starts to brown slightly.
Serve with french bread. YUM!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Homemade Spaghetti

Spaghetti is definitely a staple meal in our house. I must admit though, I usually use McCormick's seasoning packet, some tomato sauce, water, and some Italian seasoning to make it, and it is so good. It is what my mom made when I was growing up, so I just continued to make my spaghetti like that as I became an adult. Recently, I've been trying to make my own mixes instead of buying the "McCormick's Packets" like I often do. I've come across a couple of recipes for mixes, and after reading the back of the McCormick's package I came up with this recipe below. My husband raved about this spaghetti, even before he know it wasn't my normal recipe. I think it's a keeper. I also use this recipe for my baked spaghetti which I will post tomorrow.

Homemade Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 TBSP onion, diced (could use minced onion)
1 TBSP cornstarch
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce (or crushed tomatoes)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or beef
whole wheat spaghetti noodles

Directions:

Brown meat, drain excess fat and return to pan. In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients, onion, and garlic together. Add tomato sauce and water to pan with meat, and then dry ingredients. Stir until combined well. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Have you ever made a chicken pot pie? They are divine. So creamy, warm, and perfect for dinner. They can be as easy, or difficult as you want. I have a pretty easy one posted here on my site already. It is delicious, but I wanted to try and make one from scratch, including the pie crust. It is very similar to the other recipe, but I'm hoping to adapt this one even farther when I try to avoid the cream of chicken soup next time. This time, I just didn't have the time to omit it. My kids love chicken pot pie. Even though they aren't fans of food all mixed together, I kind of separate it for them and give them a big hunk of crust, their favorite part, on the side. Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

2 cups cubed, cooked chicken (I cooked mine in the crock pot.)

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen broccoli

1/4 cup frozen green beans

1/4 cup corn, I used frozen

2-3 carrots, cut (could use frozen here too, I just didn't have them)
1/4-1/2 onion, diced

3-4 TBSP butter

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup (Click here for a substitute.)

1/2 cup, or more, shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 pie crusts (recipe here)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt butter in skillet. Saute onions and carrots in butter until tender. Add cream of chicken soup and chicken broth. Simmer 1-2 minutes. Add cheese, stir until melted. Add frozen vegetables and chicken, stir and set aside.

Place pie plate on a cookie sheet. Press one of pie crusts into pie plate. Fill with chicken mixture. Top with second crust and pinch sides to form a seal.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, until crust is golden. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Melt butter in skillet. Saute onions and carrots until tender in butter.

Add broth and cream of chicken soup. Then add vegetables and chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir and set aside.

Spray pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Place pie plate on cookie sheet. Press pie crust into pie plate. Note that my crust isn't very pretty, but it's the taste that counts, right?

Fill with chicken mixture and cover with second pie crust. Pinch the sides to form a seam. This crust was worse than the first!

Bake for 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven until golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

YUM!

Homemade Pie Crust

I love pie crust! Oh, the yummy goodness of a good flaky, crusty pie crust. YUM! I usually buy the store-bought kind. You know the kind that is rolled up and all you have to do is roll them out, press, fill, and bake? I do have to say, they are pretty delicious, and easy. But lately, I've been on the "I'm going to make it from scratch" kick. So yesterday, I tried my hand at making my very first pie crust. It really wasn't that difficult to make, but it definitely wasn't as pretty as the store bought kind. Maybe I'll get better as I make more. I will say, it was very yummy. I even added some whole wheat flour to it so it would be healthier! I got the original recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook, but changed a couple of things. Below is what I ended up doing. This recipe makes 3 thin crusts, or two thick crusts. The trick to this crust is that it is frozen prior to baking, so you'll need to make it ahead of time. I did however do all of this in the same day. It doesn't take long for the crust to freeze, and defrost for use. Happy crust making!

Homemade Pie Crust

adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cups butter, cut into chunks

1 TBSP distilled vinegar

5 TBSP cold water

2-3 gallon sized Ziploc bags

Directions:

Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut butter with two knives or pastry cutter into flour mixture until it resembles small peas. This process should take 3-4 minutes. Add egg, vinegar, and water to mixture, and stir until just combined. Separate the mixture into 2 or 3 sections and place each section into a Ziploc bag, do not seal. Slightly roll the crust flat and seal the Ziploc bag. Repeat for each bag. Place crust in freezer until ready to use.

When ready to use crust, take out of the freezer, and place on counter top for 20 minutes. Once slightly thawed, remove from bag and place on a lightly floured surface. (I used parchment paper.) Roll from the middle out until it gets to the desired thickness you prefer. I had a hard time keeping my crust from cracking. I just kept pushing it back together, after all, it is only for my family, and they could care less what it looked like. I then put my pie plate over the dough, picked up my parchment paper and pie plate and flipped them over so the crust was now in the pie plate. Press the crust into the dish and then fill with what your baking, or with beans wrapped in foil. If you're doing a 2 crust pie, such as a pot pie, roll out your second crust and place on top of your crust and filling, pinching the sides to prevent oozing.

Bake according to pie recipe's directions, or for unfilled crust bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, or until golden.

Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut butter with two knives or pastry cutter into flour mixture until it resembles small peas. This process should take 3-4 minutes.

Add egg, vinegar, and water to mixture.

Stir until just combined.

Separate the mixture into 2 or 3 sections and place each section into a Ziploc bag, do not seal. Slightly roll the crust flat and seal the Ziploc bag. Repeat for each bag.

Place crust in freezer until ready to use.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

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