Chicken Stuffing Bake

This is another recipe that I have adapted from a Taste of Home recipe.

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1 box chicken flavored stuffing mix
1 stick of butter, melted

Place the chicken breasts in a 13x9 baking dish.  Top each chicken breast with a slice of Swiss cheese.

Combine soup and chicken broth and pour over chicken.

Combine stuffing mix and melted butter, spoon over top of chicken.

Bake at 350F for 60 minutes.

Lasagna Hoagies

The original recipe for this came out of one of the small Taste of Home recipe books (Original title was Lasagna in a Bun).  I changed a couple of things, and next time I make them, I will change it up some more.  Here is the recipe with the changes I have made to make the hoagies.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 can (14 ½ oz) diced tomatoes, blended in food processor
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce, no salt added
1 envelope onion soup mix
¼ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp dried oregano
6 Hoagie buns
¾ cup 4% cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 cup (4 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, divided

• In a large skillet, brown ground beef until no longer pink.  Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, soup mix, basil and oregano.  Cook 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.
• Cut hoagie rolls in half, making the bottom half thicker than the top.  Scoop out the bread from both halves of the roll making wells on each half.
• In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg and ¼ cup mozzarella cheese.  Spoon into bottom halves of rolls.  Top with the meat mixture and sprinkle each with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Wrap each hoagie with aluminum foil, place on sheet pan, and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.

Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup
Courtesy of my Mom

Ingredients:
8 cups water
1 lb dried split peas
2 lb smoked ham cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup)
2 medium celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup)

Directions:

In large Dutch oven, heat water and peas to boiling; boil 2 minutes.  Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Stir in ham, onions, salt and pepper.  Heat until boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until peas are tender, about 1 hour.  Skim fat if necessary.

Stir in carrots and celery.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.

Taco Soup

This soup is amazing!  The ingredient list had me wondering, but the editor's note under the recipe in the book stated that this was the most popular recipe in the entire Best of the Best collection.  After tasting it, I can see why!

Taco Soup
Adapted from Best of the Best - The Recipe Hall of Fame Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 envelope (1/4 cup) Old El Paso Taco seasoning
1 (16oz) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (16oz) can kidney beans, undrained
1 (16oz) can golden hominy, undrained
1 (14.75oz) can cream-style corn
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 Envelope (3 Tbsp) dry Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
Sour cream, optional
Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, optional
Tortilla chips, optional

Directions:

In Dutch oven, brown ground beef and onion, drain.  Add taco seasoning and mix well. 

Add, without draining, all the cans of beans, hominy, corn and tomatoes.

Stir in ranch dressing mix.  Simmer over low heat until heated through and bubbly.

Serve topped with shredded cheese and sour cream.

*The original recipe says to serve the soup over tortilla chips.  We really didn't care for doing that, so we left it out the second time we ate it.  It's much better to have the chips on the side for dipping.

Unstuffed Shells

Unstuffed Shells
Adapted from Once A Month Mom

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) package medium pasta shells, uncooked (I used Tinkyada Brown Rice Flour Shells)
1 lb Italian Sausage links (about 4-5), cooked and sliced
2 (24 oz) can of Pasta Sauce (I used mushroom flavor)
1 container Italian And Herb Philadelphia Cooking Creme
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed on package.  Combine cooked sausage and pasta sauce and cook over low heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Whisk together the cooking creme, milk and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl.  Add in the pasta and basil.  Stir until pasta is completely coated.

In a 2 1/2 quart baking dish (or 9x13 dish), pour half the meat sauce.  Add all of the pasta, then top with the remaining meat sauce.  Top with Mozzarella.  Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes at 375F.  Remove foil and cook an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serves about 8-10.  Leftovers are our friend!

Tempura Battered Tilapia

I have never made anything in a tempura batter before, and I rarely fry things either.  Every once and awhile I will make some homemade fried chicken (using thin sliced chicken breast cutlets or tenders).  That's about it for me frying things.  I don't even use my deep fryer anymore, haven't in a few years.  So, I use a skillet on the stove.

Although a little messy (how can battering or breading not get messy?), it was a breeze to make and the kids went nuts over it.  In fact, my little guy kept asking for more!  But, I do agree with them, it was pretty good, and even better with a little homemade tartar sauce on the side.

Tempura Battered Tilapia

Ingredients:
1 Cup 'Hol Grain' Tempura Batter Mix
1 Egg, beaten
3/4 Cup Ice cold water (I put ice cubes in the measuring cup and fill it with water, wait for the cubes to melt)
4 Tilapia Fillets, cut in half
Salt to taste
Oil for frying


Directions:

Heat oil in deep fryer or deep skillet (you need at least an inch of oil, more is better) to about 350F.  (I don't really even measure the temperature, I test if it's ready by dropping a drop of batter into the oil, if it sizzles up, the oil is ready to go!)

Combine the batter mix, egg and water.  (Or you could even make your own Tempura batter mix, there are recipes everywhere that don't require a box mix).  The batter should have the consistency of a pancake batter.

Pat the tilapia fillets really well, you want them to be dry or the batter will just slide right off.  Dip each fillet in the batter and carefully place in the oil.  You will want to do two or three at a time, then let the oil come back up to temperature.  Fry the fish on one side for about 2-3 minutes, flip and fry again for another 2 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Drain the fillets on paper towel. Sprinkle with salt to taste.  This serves about 4.  I always figure 1 whole fillet per person.

My tartar sauce is the easiest thing on Earth.  I just combine about 2 Tbsp of Sweet Pickle relish with 2 Tbsp Mayo.  Yum!

Herbed Pork Roast

This is one of those dishes that we never have leftovers from.  The pork is so juicy and tender, it falls apart just trying to slice it up.  This is also a very often requested meal from DH and the kids.

Herbed Pork Roast

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Sea Salt (because that is all I use)
1 Tbsp minced garlic (because my press is broke, so am using the jarred stuff)
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Rosemary
1/2 cup water
Pork Roast of desired size (I used an approximately 3lb boneless pork loin)

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients (except the pork and water!) in a small bowl.  Rub the mixture over the entire pork roast.  Place the roast in a large slow cooker (the one I used is a 5qt).  Add the water to the slow cooker.  Cook on low for no more than 8 hours. 

When finished, use the juices in the crock pot to make a gravy.  You won't regret it!!!

Herbed Pork Gravy

Three Cheese Penne & Sausage

I found this recipe in an old Taste of Home mini cookbook.  I did a little tweaking and am very happy with the results.  My husband said this one is a keeper. :)

Ingredients:

1 (16oz) package GF penne pasta (I used Sam Mills Corn penne)
3 Italian sausage links (about 3/4 of a pound)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp black pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 cups (16oz) small-curd cottage cheese
1 Tbsp Parsley
1 cup (4oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and place in a bowl.
3. In a skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink in the center, drain and slice into thin slices.
4. In a saucepan, melt butter.  Stir in the flour, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper until smooth.  Gradually add milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for about 2 minutes, or until the milk starts to thicken.  Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Pour over the pasta and stir to coat.
5. In a bowl, combine the egg, cottage cheese, parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.
6. Spoon half of the pasta mixture into a deep, greased 2 1/2 qt baking dish.  (You could also use a 9x13 baking dish.)
7. Top with all of the cottage cheese mixture.
8. Add all of the sausage to the remaining pasta, spoon over the top of the cottage cheese mixture.
9. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
10. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Pizza Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 Italian sausage link, casing removed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (15oz) jar pizza sauce
1/2 of the pizza sauce jar of water
1 (6.5) can sliced mushrooms
8 oz Elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
1 pkg (3 1/2 oz, or 1/2 of a 7 oz package) sliced pepperoni, quartered
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a skillet, break up ground beef and sausage link, add onion and cook until meat is fully cooked.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients, using only 2 cups of cheese.
4. Transfer to a greased 2-qt baking dish.
5. Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes. During the last few minutes, top with remaining cheese.  Bake until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.

Cheesy Chicken Chowder

Ingredients:

5 slices of bacon, diced small
3 medium carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp cumin
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
4 cups chicken broth (or water)
5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, diced
1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and Pepper to taste
Green onions for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium high heat until crisp.
2. Add carrot, onion, cumin and garlic to the pot.  Stir fry until the onion is translucent.  Add broth to pot.  Add the potatoes, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Add chicken, bring back to a simmer and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
3. Combine flour and milk (mix well), add to the pot and stir until the chowder starts to thicken.
4. Remove from heat, add the cheeses.  Stir until cheeses are melted.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with chopped green onions if desired.


I always serve this with my Cornbread Muffins.  Since that recipe only uses a half a can of corn, I throw the other half of the corn right into the chowder.

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

*Inspired by a recipe from Saving Dinner's menu mailer from a few years ago.*

The original recipe is a bit different from my adaptation.  The original recipe is not searchable online through the Saving Dinner website, though I did find on some recipe sites the exact word for word recipe that was in the menu mailer.  So, I am not sure which came first, by my inspiration is from Saving Dinner.

2 packages Perdu Thinly sliced chicken breasts (usually 4-5 thin slices per package)

1 Tbsp Melted Butter

1/2 Cup Hot Sauce

10 or so slices of Provolone cheese (depending on how many breast slices you end up with)

Combine the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl.  Dump the sauce into a gallon size food storage bag.  Add all the sliced breasts.  Refrigerate for half an hour.

Remove the chicken from the bag one at a time.  In a baking dish, place the chicken flat, and top with one to two slices of provolone (depending on the size of the breast).  Roll from the narrow end to the wide end and secure with a tooth pick.  Place the seam side down.  Repeat with the remaining breasts and cheese.  

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake at 400F for 35 minutes.  The cheese will most likely ooze out, but that was fine with us!  After the 35 minutes, remove the foil and cook for about 5 minutes more.

We served this with celery sticks and a big tossed salad with bleu cheese dressing for dipping.  It was really good.  I will admit to being nervous because the sauce smelled so hot, but once cooked and mixed with the provolone and bleu cheese, it was delicious!

Now I am dreaming up an idea using this as an inspiration to make some sort of one dish casserole.  Yum!

Chicken Stroganoff

My own little concoction.  It was a huge hit the first time I made it, and it's only gotten better.  It makes a frequent appearance at our house.  We usually have it about twice a month.

The Ingredients:
2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small strips or chunks, however you prefer (I use Perdue thinly sliced chicken breasts, it's one breast sliced into 4-5 slices, making preparing very easy)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup water
1 16 oz container of sour cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt the butter into the olive oil in a large skillet.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and saute in the skillet.  Cook the chicken all the way through.  I like the chicken to start getting a little caramelized on a side or two, it just adds to the flavor :).

When the chicken is done, remove it from the pan (just put it in a bowl or on a plate) and set it aside.  Add the onions and mushrooms to the same skillet and saute until they are cooked down quite a bit.  When they are good and cooked, add the chicken back in.  Then add the water and the sour cream and stir it together well.  Let the stroganoff get to a slight simmer, but do not boil it! ( Boiling will cause the sour cream to separate.  It will still taste OK, but it will look like curdled milk!)

We serve our stroganoff over long grain white rice (I prefer brown, but no one else in the house likes brown rice).  You can always serve this over your favorite pasta or even mashed potatoes.  It's that good! :)