Chicken Parmigiana

We tried out a new recipe for one of our favorite dishes.  We were running behind that day and the kids had to pitch in.  They had a ball.  Plus, I'd been wanting to learn to make "sauce."

Ingredients

• 4 whole (up To 6) Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Trimmed And Pounded Flat
• 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3/4 cups Wine (white Or Red Is Fine)
• 3 cans (14.5 Oz.) Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1/4 cube Chopped Fresh Parsley
• 1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 pound Thin Linguine

Preparation Instructions

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate.

Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.

Flatten chicken between saran wrap with a rolling pin.  Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.

At this time, you can start a pot of water for your pasta. Cook linguine until al dente.

Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm.

Without cleaning skillet, add onions and garlic and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in wine (I skipped this part) and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. 

Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Toward the end of cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.

Carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated Parmesan. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add more cheese to taste.

Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley. Serve immediately.

retrieved from:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/chicken-parmigiana/

Pot roast

Most of us love Ree!  Here is the best roast I've had.  Mom and Dad gave good reviews too!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/2008_the_year_of_the_pot_roast/

Ree's Butter Chicken

I’m not sure if these prewrites are worth it or a colossal waste of time, but here goes anyway:

I have already mentioned my little personal rules for this blog: I won’t post a recipe unless I have tried it myself and can attest that it’s good.  Second, I don’t post recipes straight from a mainstream online source (like foodnetwork.com, for example) unless I have made a fairly significant modification.    

That being said, since moving to France, I’ve discovered the blog of Pioneer Woman, AKA Ree Drummond.  I really like most of her recipes, and I like her wit and sass too.  I appreciate her not just because she’s entertaining, but I love the step by step instructions on her blog.  I have made several of her recipes lately, and some of them have made it into our permanent rotation.  Usually I don’t feel the need to change much on the recipes, because they are good as is.  However, the last dish I tried wasn’t flavorful enough for me, so I made some changes and tried it a second time.  Second time was the charm, and I LOVED it and so had to share it.  This recipe is a keeper for sure, especially if you like Indian food, but I hope you’ll try it even if you don’t.  I am sure this dish isn’t authentically Indian, but I still like this "Americanized" version quite a lot.  If you ever have to cook for guests that say they like Indian food, please keep this dish in mind.  You’re missing out if you don’t!

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (about one pound, I think)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. salt

½ t. black pepper

½ t. cayenne pepper

½ t. ground coriander

½ t. cumin

½ t. cardamom

1 whole lime, juiced

1 small onion, diced

¼ C. butter

1 can (about 8 oz) tomato sauce

1 can (about 14 oz) petite diced tomatoes

2 C. heavy cream (I recommend using coconut milk for half the cream content—so good)

large handful cilantro, chopped, to taste

Yeah, this recipe is NOT low fat.  Sorry.  But it’s worth some extra time on the treadmill.  Trust me.

Directions:

Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight if possible in a ziplock bag.  It would work to begin in the morning and marinate it all day as well.  In a large saucepan, sauté the onion in the butter until soft, for about 5 minutes.  Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes.  Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.  Cook, covered, for 30 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.  Add cream and cilantro at the end (just before serving) and heat through.  You could also use half-and-half instead of heavy cream.  Serve over rice.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

I got this recipe from my friend Amy Kartchner.  It is really easy and super delicious.  The only modification I have had to make in France is to use fresh chicken cooked for about 2-3 hours in a crock pot rather than Costco canned chicken.  (I can't find any canned chicken of any kind here.)  Then I have to increase the salt amount by a little and cut the chicken up finely.  It's a little more work, but it's still really good, although believe it or not, I still prefer canned chicken in this recipe for both the taste and ease of preparation.

Ingredients:
1/3 C. butter
1/3 C. flour
1/3 C. onion, diced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1-3/4 C. chicken broth (1 can)
2/3 C. milk, the creamier the better
1 bag frozen peas and carrots
2 12.5-oz. cans chicken, drained
2 premade pie crusts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F.  In a large skillet or saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour and onions.  When onions are translucent, add the salt and pepper, chicken broth, and milk over low heat.  Simmer until it thickens.  Add the peas and carrots and the chicken.  Mix well.  Spoon into a pie plate with one pie crust already on it.  Spread another crust on top.  Pinch and flute edges.  Cut 4 slits on top to vent.  Bake for 40-45 minutes.  Use foil around edges of cust to prevent overbrowning.  Delicious! Even kids like this.

Crunchy Chicken Toes

This recipe is from Rachel Ray.  I first saw it in her magazine, but I have also seen it on "30-Minute Meals."  It is one of my kids' favorites, and I think it's probably a lot healthier for them than processed chicken nuggets (which they don't eat all that well anyway).  They devour this recipe though, and Jason and I actually like it a lot too.  We eat these right along with the kids whenever I make them!  My kids also think it's funny they are called "chicken toes" rather than "chicken fingers."  I ususally serve them with flavored rice and green beans for a super simple meal.

Ingredients:

1 C. cornflakes, crunched up with fingers

1 C. plain bread crumbs

2 T. brown sugar

1 t. salt

½ t. pepper

½ t. allspice

3 T. vegetable oil

1-1/2 lbs. chicken breast tenders, cut into roughly 2” pieces (or just cut up chicken breasts)

1/3 C. flour

2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375⁰ F.  In a shallow dish pour the cornflakes, breadcrumbs, sugar, s & p, and allspice; mix well.  Drizzle the oil evenly over the breading, mixing it well.  Dunk the chicken pieces into flour, then egg, then the crunchy breading.  Arrange the chicken on a nonstick baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.  Best dipping sauce is a mix of honey mustard and barbecue sauce, but my kids like to have lots of options, including ketchup and ranch.  Serves 6.

Mexican Starter

This recipe came from the website cooks.com; however, I made a few modifications.  I have made this about 4 times, and I finally now really like the recipe (original recipe called for oregano, which was too weird in a Mexican dish, so I substituted cumin; I also changed some of the ratios, but didn’t change any other ingredients).  It is extremely versatile, and it can make several main dishes, but our favorite for taste was just simple tostadas (see picture below). I also made zucchini boats with it, stuffed bell peppers (also picture below), both of which we liked a lot.  The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. I doubled it every time I made it, and it was great left over.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

1 T. olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 T. minced garlic (2-3 cloves)

1 green bell pepper, cored and diced (could use just ½ pepper)

6 oz. can tomato paste

1 C. water (add more to thin if needed)

1 small jar salsa (mild or medium to your taste)

½ t. cumin

1 T. Taco Seasoning

1 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. brown sugar

½ t. salt

¼ t. black pepper

To increase heat, you can add 1T. minced jalapeño, or ¼ to ½ t. chili powder, or a few dashes of Tobasco, or you could even add all three if you feel really hot and spicy!

Directions:

After browning ground beef, set aside.  In a large skillet, sauté the onion and green pepper till soft, about 5 minutes, adding the garlic after about 2-3 minutes.  Add all remaining ingredients, including cooked ground beef.  Simmer for 30-45 minutes on low heat.  If using jalapeño, add it to onions and pepper while sautéing. 

Suggestions:

1.       Stuffed Peppers-combine 1:1 with cooked rice.  Fill peppers and bake at 350⁰F until peppers are tender (about 20-25 minutes).  Top with cheese.

2.       Tostada-layer on a fried corn tortilla: refried beans, cheese, meat mixture, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, avocado

3.       Serve with chips as a dip

4.       Chili-add 2 cans of beans, drained and rinsed.  (Could add corn too.)  Top with cheese. 

5.       Zucchini boats-scoop out zucchini centers and fill with meat mixture.  Top with cheese or buttered bread crumbs and bake at 350⁰F until zucchini is tender (about 25-30 minutes).

6.       Sub sandwiches-Top a sub with meat mixture and cheese and broil on high until cheese melts.  Top with thinly-sliced jalapeño if desired.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

I'm not a fan of this meat, but I know Scott is...

1 c favorite salsa
1 c brown sugar
3-4 lbs pork roast (bone in or out_

Put all in crock pot, cook and then shred (usually all day...if it looks dry add equal amounts more of salsa/brown sugar)

There's another recipe out there for this meat involving Coke, but I've never made it.

Cafe Rio Chicken

1 sm bottle zesty italian dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic-minced
4-5 lbs chicken breast

Cook all ingredients in crock pot for 4 hours, shred, then cook another hour.

Shredded Beef Enchiladas

This recipe is a two in one.  The enchiladas are really my very own creation, but it's probably not that different from other recipes you have seen for making beef enchiladas with red sauce.  The special part is the shredded beef.  It's the only way I like making a roast, whether to have with potatoes for Sunday dinner or to put in this recipe.  If you have never tried making a roast like this, trust me, try it.  The roast recipe came from my mother, and she called it "Poor Man's Roast," because even with cheaper cuts of beef, it still turns out great every time. 

Also, I used to make these enchiladas with refried beans spread in the tortillas, and I have since taken that part out.  It really doesn't need it.  I like beans better as a side dish rather than inside the enchiladas.  Watch out--these are pretty hearty.

Makes 2 9x13 pans of 6-7 each, so great for when you need to take a meal to someone, because it feeds two families.  I also will freeze one pan for later. 

12-14 flour tortillas

2 lbs. Mexican blend shredded cheese

1 large onion, diced

1 small can green chiles

4 lb. pot roast

1 T worchesershire sauce

1 can mushroom soup

1 pkg. lipton dried onion soup

1 can tomato soup

1 pkg. enchilada seasonings

1 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce

1 can water (use tomato soup can)

1 small 6 oz can tomato paste

salt and pepper

minced garlic (about 4-5 tsp.)

For Roast:

Prepare roast by rubbing with salt and pepper.  Cut 7-8 slits in roast and fill each slit with about ½ t of minced garlic.  Drizzle 1 T worchestire over roast.  Sprinkle lipton soup and spread the mushroom soup over roast.  Triple wrap with foil, but not too tightly, and seal well.  Bake on low (225°) for about 10 hours or so.  Carefully open foil, shred beef, and save all liquid.

For Enchiladas:

In a large skillet, sauté onion and green chilis.  Add shredded beef and set aside.  Strain roast gravy drippings into a large sauce pan over low heat.  Add 1 can tomato soup, 1 can water, enchilada sauce, seasonings, and tomato paste.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. 

Coat the bottom of a 9x13 pan with enchilada sauce.  Cut tortillas on each side so they fit in the pan (if necessary) without folding the sides in.  Divide the meat mixture in half and evenly distribute the meat with a generous amount of cheese onto each enchilada.  Roll each up and place in pan.  Repeat in a second 9x13 pan with 6-7 more tortillas and the rest of the meat.  Pour the red sauce evenly over both pans and top with lots of cheese.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes until bubbly.  May freeze before baking. 

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I can't take credit for this recipe. I got it from the blog of my friend, Melanie Hegewald, but it is such a keeper. I love that it uses both corn tortillas and chicken; all the recipes for enchiladas I have used in the past with chicken and green enchilada sauce use flour tortillas, so it was fun to try something different.

Best part, my family LOVED these. All three of the girls just scarfed them, and then we had some for leftovers and the whole family ate them again really well. It's a home run of a recipe--delicious for both the kids and the adults. Just adjust heat level to your taste. I used 2 t. of chili powder and mild sauce for them. I could have gone hotter for me.

1/2 C. honey
1/3 C. lime juice (about 2 large limes)
2-3 t. chili powder, depending on heat level desired
2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 t. garlic powder
1 & 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large breasts), cooked and shredded (I used all chicken off of a rotisserie chicken, including the dark meat)
3 C. Mexican cheese blend, shredded; 2C. is for the filling and 1C. is for the top
1/4 C. chopped cilantro
12 corn tortillas (the ones I used were fairly large, like the size of flour tortillas; I did not use the size used for “Pierce Tacos,” for example, and I cut them on the sides a little to fit side by side in the pan)
1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
3/4 C. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken, add 2 cups shredded cheese and the cilantro and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.

Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.

Sray or oil the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish.
Add at least 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla. Roll the tortilla up and place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.
Repeat with the remaining chicken mixture and tortillas. Pour the creamy mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve with sour cream, sliced avocado, black beans, and Spanish rice or a green salad for a great meal.

Shoyu Chicken

1 1/2 c brown sugar
3/4 c soy sauce
1 1/2 c water
2 cloves garlic-minced
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Cook above ingredients with frozen chicken until tender.  Serve over rice.

Tator Tot Casserole

Cook tator tots till soft, ground beef while it's in the oven

mix cream of chicken
3 T sour cream (we leave this out)
1 c milk

In casserole dish, layer tator tots, cheese, cooked ground beef and sauce.  Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

We like to eat it with a little hot sauce on top like Louisiana or Texas Pete.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
2/3 c saltines
1/3 c minced onion
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 c milk

Mix above ingredients and form into meatball shape.  Bake at 350 degrees till done.  While baking, mix sauce and add meatballs in when finished cooking.  Serve on rice.

Sauce:

2 T cornstarch
1 13.5 oz pineapple slices with juice
1/3 c vinegar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 T soy sauce
1/3  chopped green pepper

Cook sauce over medium heat till it thickens.  Add meat and green pepper and pineapple towards the end.  Use the pineapple juice to help thicken the sauce.  Serve over rice

Meatloaf

Also known by Mom as Beef Roll Mozzerella

hambuger
1/2 c bread crumbs or saltines
minced onion
milk to moisten
salt and pepper
egg
white cheese

Mix ingredients excluding the cheese.  Lay out flat, fill cheese in middle and roll edges up around it into meatloaf shape.  Cook 1 hr and 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Add a can of tomato sauce on top and cook for 30 additional minutes.

Porcupines

First tried these when someone brought dinner to us when Carter was born.

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c uncooked rice
1/2 c water
1/3 c onions ( I use onion powder instead)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix and make into meatballs.  They should be very wet.

Cover with sauce:  15 oz tomato sauce, 1 c water, 2 T worchestershire sauce.

Cook covered with foil at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes till rice is done.

Beef and Noodles

Given by Linda Flory.  Good for a cold day.  It's a carb-fest but really yummy.  I love the left overs of these.

2 lbs beef stew meat.
   Brown beef in greased pan, add salt and pepper,  Place in crock pot and pour water over beef slightly  over.  Cook till tender many hours.

Add to crock pot about 30 minutes before serving:

beef broth
egg noodles (any size you like)
pepper

Serve over mashed potatoes with corn bread or buttered bread on the side.

Bowtie Chicken

A favorite among the kids for a dinner idea.

Prepare mixture in large mixing bowl of:

1/2 c or more of parmesan cheese
4 T milk
1 cube softened butter/margarine
2 or 3 cloves of minced garlic
salt and pepper

Cook one or two boxes of bowtie pasta and drain

Place cooked pasta in large mixing bowl and toss with mixture.

Add precooked and diced chicken and toss and serve.  Really good the next day.

Sloppy Jo's

Mom's recipe.

1-1/2 lbs ground beef
1/4 c chopped onions
1 c celery or some celery salt to taste
1tsp chili powder
1/2 c boiling water
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp mustard
20 ounces ketchup
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
1/2 c milk


Brown ground beef in big pot.  Add other ingredients and simmer on low heat.  Serve on hamburger buns with lots of napkins nearby.