Chicken Madeira Cottage Pie

Makes 4 to 6 servings

1 T olive oil

1 8 oz. pkg. sliced baby bella mushrooms

1/4 c chopped leeks

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 pieces

1/3 c all purpose flour

1 3/4 t salt, divided

1/2 t ground black pepper

2 c Madeira wine

3/4 c chicken broth

1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into l inch pieces

5 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 c butter

1/4 c sour cream

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat; add mushrooms and leeks, and cook 6 to 8 minutes, or until tender.

Place chicken in a zip lock plastic bag; add flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Seal bag, shaking well to coat. Add chicken to skillet; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until chicken is lightly browned. Stir in madeira, broth, and asparagus; bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer uncovered, 20 minutes or until sauce is thickened and reduced by half. Stir in 1/4 t salt. Spoon chicken mixture into 4 individual (2 cup) oven safe baking dishes.

In a large saucepan, combine potatoes and water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, and simmer, 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain well. Stir in cheese, butter, sour cream, and 1 teaspoon salt. Spread potatoes evenly over chicken mixture.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake casseroles 20 minutes, or until potatoes are lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Note: This adjusts very well to heart healthy diet.

Vegetable Gratin

1/4 c French's Creamy Spread mustard

2 T olive oil

1/2 t each Italian seasoning and garlic powder

1/4 c plain dry bread crumbs

3 small (12 ounces) zucchini, thinly sliced

3 medium (12 ounces) tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 (2 ounces) shredded low fat mozzarella cheese

(I used different veggies)

In small bowl, combine French's Creamy Spread mustard, oil and spices. Mix 1 tablespoon mustard mixture with bread crumbs; set aside. In lightly greased 9 inch pie plate, layer half the zucchini, slightly overlapping slices. Dot zucchini with some of mustard mixture. Layer half the tomatoes over zucchini in pie plate; dot with some of mustard mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Repeat with remaining zucchini, tomatoes and mustard mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 400F for 30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with reserved bread crumb mixture. Bake, uncovered, for five minutes or until crumbs are golden brown. Garnish as desired.

Chicken with Apples, Raisins and Olives

2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1 large apple, cut into 1/3 inch cubes
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup large green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 box (5.8oz) garlic and olive oil couscous
1/2 lemon, cut into wedges

In a large skillet, melt butter in the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until golden brown and just firm to the touch (8 minutes).  Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.  Add the apple, raisins, and cinnamon to the skillet with 1/3 cup of water and scrape up the brown bits; season with salt and pepper.  Cover and cook over medium heat until the apple is tender, about 5 minutes.  Cut the chicken into chunks and stir into the skillet.  Add olives and remove from the heat.  Meanwhile, cook couscous according to package directions.  Spoon coucous onto plates and top with the chicken mixture.  Serve with the lemon.  Serves four.

*** We just had this tonight for the first time and it was WONDERFUL.  I only used about 3/4 lb of chicken, and we served it over rice rather than the boxed couscous. 

Oatmeal Gren

Onion Muffins

1 3/4 C all purpose flour

3/4 C old fashioned oats

2 T sugar

1 T baking powder

1/2 t salt

3/4 C milk

1/2 C cottage cheese

1/3 C vegetable oil

1/4 C chopped green onions

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease or paper-line 12 (2 1/2 inch) muffin cups.

Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Combine milk, cottage cheese, oil, green onions and egg in small bowl until blended; stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon evenly into prepared muffin cups.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Sarah's ravioli primavera

2 cans Chef Boyardee cheese ravioli and rinse off the sauce

1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables, thawed

1/4 C olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 C chicken broth

2 T minced fresh parsley

1/4 t salt1/4 t pepper

Prepare ravioli by rinsing off the sauce. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute vegetables in oil for three minutes or until tender. Add garlic, saute for one minute longer or until garlic is tender.

Stir in broth, simmer, uncovered, for two minutes. Stir in the parsley, salt, and pepper; cook two minutes longer or until vegetables are tender. Drain pasta. Add to vegetable mixture and toss to coat.

Serves Four

Greek Pasta

1 lb penne pasta
1 15oz can cannellini or great northern beans, rinsed
1 15oz can diced Italian tomatoes
1 9 oz pkg fresh spinach
4 oz crumbled feta cheese

In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions.  In a large skillet over medium heat, bring tomatoes and beans to a bubble.  Add spinach and cover until wilted.  Stir in the pasta.  Crumble feta over the dish before serving.  Serves four.

Judy's stuffed strawberries

1-2 lbs. fresh strawberries

8 oz. cream cheese

1/4 c. confectioner's sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

For each strawberry, cut thin slice from bottom so it will stand flat on plate. Make way through.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla thoroughly using small cake decorating tip.

Golden Chicken with Noodles

This recipe is super easy because it's a slow-cooker meal, and it's from Campbell's. It's a favorite.

2 cans Campbell's Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 T. Dijon-style mustard
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
8 large carrots, thickly sliced (about 6 cups)
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Hot cooked egg noodles
Chopped fresh parsley


1. Stir the soup, water, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder, and carrots in a 3 1/2 quart slow-cooker. Add the chicken and turn to coat with the soup mixture.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours (or on HIGH for 4-5 hours) or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with the noodles. Sprinkle with parsley.


(Since this produces plenty of leftovers, when cooking for two, I use the remaining sauce and chicken for a soup: shred remaining chicken, mix noodles with chicken and sauce, and serve in bowls. Delicious!)

Fruit Spiced Rice

5 C water

2 C uncooked brown rice

3/4 t cinnamon

3/4 t nutmeg

1/2 t salt

1/2 C raisins

1/2 C dried apricots, chopped

2 T margarine

1/2 C blanched almonds

2 T sugar

Combine water and next six ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir once and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 45 minutes. Melt margarine in a skillet. Add almonds and saute until golden. Sprinkle with sugar. Pour over rice and serve. Yield: 10 servings

Crepe Expectations

2 cups milk

1 cup flour

3 eggs

1 T sugar

1 t vanilla extract

1/4 c melted, unsalted butter

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixer or blender and blend until smooth.

2. In a medium-size skillet over medium-low heat, melt 1/2 t butter; ladle in 1/4 cup crepe batter. Swirl in the skillet until you have a thin layer of batter covering the entire bottom.

3. cook until the underside is golden brown, about 2 minutes; flip. cook until the other side is golden brown, about 1 minute.

4. Add a filling, if desired, right after flipping. Place ingredients down the center of the crepe so you can fold in the sides like an envelope. If you aren't using a filling, cook all the crepes, then put them on a plate in the middle of the table alongside bowls of various fillings--jams, Nutella, whipped cream, sauteed fruit, etc.,--so everyone can choose their own.

5. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Makes 12 crepes

Fried Grits Copied at Home

Prepared grits according to pkg. directions

Six ounce cleaned, used yogurt cups

Graham crackers, crumbled fine

One egg

Portions can vary according to need, but I use a serving of two from the grits pkg. directions. I use two yogurt cups to hold the cooked grits. After the grits have simmered enough I immediately pour them into the two cups. I let them cool on the counter for a little bit, and then put them in the refrigerator for a while.

After cooled well in the refrigerator, I let the molded grits fall from the cups to the cutting board, cut into four pieces, and dip in the beaten egg. That is followed by carefully shaking the cut grits patty in the graham cracker crumbs in a plastic bag. Sometimes I have the crumbs on a plate and simply rotate and turn over the grits patty that way. Put patties in the skillet with some oil. Remove when crispy. Eat.

This is my guess/experiment copy of the fried grits I ate from our Ocala restaurant called Harry's.

Taco Salad

l lb. ground beef

1 pkg. taco seasoning

Fritos

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Green onion tops

Grated cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Cook the ground beef and drain it. Add the pkg. of taco seasoning with about half the water instructed. Stir.

Put the Fritos on a plate and top with the beef mixture. Layer the remaining ingredients on top of the Fritos and beef.

Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups elbow or other macaroni pasta
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Cook macaroni according to package instructions. In a small bowl, beat egg with a fork. Add milk and combine. Add sour cream, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Set aside. Drain macaroni and place in 2 quart baking dish (9" X 9" square pan) with butter. Stir until butter is melted. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of the cheese and mix together. Pour in the egg mixture and stir just until incorporated. Top with remaining cheese and bake (uncovered) at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Fruit Parfait

mix plain yogurt, a few spoonfuls of cool whip, some vanilla sugar (or vanilla and sugar), fruit of your choice, and top with granola. tastes almost as good as the McDonald's version!

Best.Burritos.Ever

This is a recipe I created myself; as such, the measurements aren't exact.

1 can re-fried beans
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg flour tortillas
toppings: lettuce (shredded), cheese (grated), salsa, sour cream, etc

In a small saucepan, mix re-fried beans and most of the taco seasoning, to taste. Heat until warm. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Place a small amount of re-fried beans down the center of each tortilla and top with desired condiments. Makes about 12 small burritos.

Quaker Oats Pancakes

1 c all purpose flour

1/2 c Quaker Oats, quick or old fashioned, uncooked

1 T baking powder

1 c nonfat milk

1 egg

2 T canola/olive oil

Spray a non stick griddle or electric fry pan with vegetable cooking spray. Preheat griddle. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats and baking powder. Add milk, egg, and oil. Pour about 1/4 c batter for each pancake. When bubbles appear and edges look dry, burn and cook other side. Serve with syrup and fruit. Makes 12 pancakes.

spinach stuffed chicken

6 c. torn fresh spinach
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped fresh mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T. olive or canola oil
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. paprika
1 egg
1 T. water
1 T. butter or margarine, melted

Saute onion, mushrooms and garlic in olil until tender. Add spinach until just wilted. Stir in seasonings.

Flatten chicken to 1/4 inch thickness. Spread spinach mixture down the center of each chicken breast. Fold one side over filling and roll up tightly; secure with a toothpick. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and paprika. In another bowl, combine egg and water. Dip each roll-up in egg mixture, then roll in crumb mixture.
\
Place, seam side down, in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Drizzle with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until juices run clear. Discard toothpicks.

Moma recipes and comment

July 4th cake:

Golden vanilla cake mix
l pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
3/4 c. warm water
1/2 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/4 c. poppy seeds

Combine cake and pudding mixes. Add water, oil and beat for 30 seconds; add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in poppy seeds. Pour into a greased bundt pan; bake 350 for 50-60- minutes.

Note: I used only a 1/4 portion of poppy seeds

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

1.25 lbs ground beef
15 oz can tomato sauce
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
8 oz egg noodles (half a pound)
½ cup sour cream
1.25 cups cottage cheese
¼ to 1/2 cup sliced green onions (depending upon how onion-y you like your food)
1 cup shredded cheddar

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook egg noodles according to package directions.  Meanwhile, brown beef in a large skillet; drain fat.  Add tomato sauce, salt and pepper.  Stir, and let simmer while you assemble the rest of the casserole.  In a large bowl, combine sour cream, cottage cheese, and some freshly ground black pepper.  Mix in the noodles and onions.  To assemble, place half of the noodles in a 2.5 qt baking dish.  Top with half the meat mixture, then half the cheddar.  Repeat with noodles, meat and cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes @ 350 until cheese is melted.

Cheesy Corn Spoon Bread

This is a PERFECT side dish to a grilled/barbequed main dish! 

1 onion, chopped
1/4 c butter
2 eggs
2 cups sour cream
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can cream corn
1 pkg corn bread mix (Jiffy)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese*
1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)

Saute onion in butter until tender.

In a large bowl, beat eggs; add sour cream, both cans of corn, salt and pepper. Add corn bread mix and stir until blended.  Fold in onions and half the cheese.  Pour into greased 3 qt. baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.  Bake uncovered @ 375 for 35-40 minutes.

*Being the cheese lover that I am, I usually put more cheese.. maybe twice as much. *sheepish*

I'm telling you, it's good...

Why would I lie about this? Peanut butter, jelly, and pickle sandwiches are delicious. What's more, it's a great way to take a dirt cheap lunch option and make it a little more exciting.

The peanut butter and jelly part is pretty straightforward; I would recommend crunchy peanut butter for the texture, but it doesn't really matter I don't think.

For the pickles, you do want to make sure you get the right kind. You're not looking for garlic dills here. Your standard bread and butter pickles should give you an tart complement to the saltiness of the PB and the sweetness of the J.

So, yeah, I admit I was totally making it up when I said acorns taste just like cheese, Sarah. But this is for real. Try it, it's not like it'll wreck your budget or take all afternoon to make (or make all the saliva in you mouth disappear instantly).

Welcome!

My first post will be to share my favorite recipe with you all, the very best chocolate chip cookies ever! (some of you already have this recipe!)

2 ½ c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ c. butter, melted and cooled
1 ½ c. brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350. Combine flour and baking soda and set aside. In a large bowl, mix melted butter and brown sugar; stir in egg and vanilla until well blended. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. On un-greased cookie sheet, drop a scant ¼ cup of dough for each cookie, leaving 2 ½ in. between each. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until edges harden and centers are still soft. Makes about 2 dozen.

If you love soft, chewy cookies, these are the best! Just make sure you don't over cook. They will look under-cooked when you pull them out. Delicious!