Cooking . . . It's a Family Thing!

I know I haven't posted any new recipes in a while! It isn't because I haven't been cooking (I cook every day). I just really haven't had time to take pictures and post my recipes. I did just post a new one today, however, for Chicken Cacciatore. It is a delicious dish so you should try it. I baked 3 cakes last night (with the help of my daughter, Lindsey, who by the way is so creative)! I will try to have those recipes and pictures posted in a week or so.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6-8 whole Chicken Thighs, Skin On (can use any whole chicken pieces)
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 T Olive Oil
• 2 T Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, halved & sliced
• 2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
• 2 whole Red Bell Peppers, cored and sliced (not too thin)
• 2 whole Green Bell Peppers, cored and sliced (not too thin)
• 12 ounces Mushrooms, sliced (white or Crimini)
• 1/2 t ground Thyme
• 1/2 t Turmeric
• 1/2 t Kosher Salt
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 can (28 oz) Whole or Diced Tomatoes, with juice
• 1 lb Egg Noodles
• Chopped, flat leaf parsley (if you have some)
• Parmesan Cheese, for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cook noodles according to pkg. directions. Do not overcook! Drain and set aside.
Salt & pepper both sides of chicken and dredge in flour. Heat olive oil & butter in a heavy skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place chicken skin side down in pan, four pieces at a time. Brown chicken on both sides then remove to a clean plate. Repeat with remaining chicken. Pour off half the fat in the pan & discard. Add sliced onions, peppers & garlic to pan. Stir around for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and stir around for 1 minute. Add thyme, turmeric & salt and extra black pepper to taste. Stir in chicken broth & allow to bubble. Pour in canned tomatoes and stir to combine. Add chicken to pan, skin side up, without totally submerging the chicken as you want the skin to retain its crispness. Place lid o the pot and place in oven. Cook for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and increase heat to 375. Cook for an additional 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Remove chicken from pan and place it on a plate. Remove vegetables from pan and place them on a plate. Return pot to burner and turn heat to medium high. Cook and reduce sauce for a couple of minutes. Pour cooked, drained noodles on a large platter or in a big serving bowl. Add vegetables all over the top, then place chicken pieces on top of the vegetables. Spoon reduced sauce over the chicken and pasta. Before serving, sprinkle on chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hr. 15 min.
Servings: 6

I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website (thepioneerwoman.com). Ree provides pictures for you on this site so if you're a visual person just go to this site, open the "cooking" tab and search for Chicken Cacciatore. This is a delicious dish and even though the list of ingredients might make you think it's complicated, believe me when I say it is not. You could even prepare your veggies a day ahead if you wanted to save a little time.

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CHICKEN PARMESAN
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 37 min

Ingredients:

• 4 Slices Whole Wheat Bread
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 4 heaping teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup skim milk (or whatever you use)
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 4 (6 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2" thickness
• Cooking spray
• 1 jar good quality marinara sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 T (1/2 ounce) shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the bread in food processor and process until fine crumbs are formed. Put the crumbs on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until golden. Let cool. In a medium bowl, toss crumbs with oregano, garlic powder, paprika, 1/4 t salt & 1/4 t pepper. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and milk together. In a third bowl stir together the flour and remaining 1/4 t salt and 1/4 pepper. Dip each chicken piece, 1 piece at a time, in the flour, shaking off excess, then egg, then bread crumbs, shaking off excess. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Place breaded chicken on baking sheet and spray each side with cooking spray, about 5 seconds total per side. Bake breasts until cooked through and crumbs are browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer chicken to a baking dish with sides. Top with marinara sauce, mozzarealla and parmesan cheeses and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.

CAESAR SALAD

Ingredients:

• Romaine Lettuce
• Caesar Salad Dressing (I used a bottled dressing, Kraft)
• Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• Croutons (make your own or use store bought)

Directions:

Wash & dry your lettuce and tear into pieces. Place into a bowl and refrigerate until lettuce is chilled. Once it has chilled, remove from fridge and add dressing, cheese and croutons. Add as much or as little as you like (no measurements here). Toss to combine and serve. Now I know this isn't a true Caesar Salad as I didn't use anchovies and did not make my own dressing but it was good and I had all these ingredients at home!

I prepared the brown rice according to the directions on the bag. However, instead of water I used chicken stock that I had made earlier from the carcass of a rotisserie chicken I bought last week from Food Lion. This made a huge difference in the taste of the rice!

• 8 whole Thin Sliced Boneless Pork Chops (I used 4 & mine were thick so I just put them in a zip lock bag and pounded them to a thickness of about 1/4")
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 T Fresh Parsley, chopped (I used dried)
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour (I used about 1/8 cup for 4 chops)
• 2 whole eggs (I used 1)
• 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs (I used 1/2 cup for 4 chops)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Lemon

Directions:

Place boneless pork chops in a large zip lock bag or between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound to tenderize or thin your chops. Remove from plastic and salt & pepper both sides of the meat; set aside. Finely chop your fresh parsley or use dried. Next you want to prepare your dredging/breading assembly line. Use 3 shallow dishes (I used pie plates). The first should be your flour. Plate 2 should have your eggs, beaten. Plate 3 should have your panko bread crumbs. Mix the Parmesan & parsley with the bread crumbs.Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Start your dredging process. First coat the pork chop in flour on both sides. Then dip in the egg. Then finally in the panko mixture. Make sure you fully coat both sides. Set on a platter and continue dredging 3 more chops. (It's easier to do 4 at the time and get them into your pan, then you can dredge the other 4 while the first batch is cooking). Place the first 4 chops into the pan (you should get a good sizzle). They will only need to cook about 3-4 minutes per side. Turn them over when they are nice and golden brown. Remove the first batch and place on a plate lined with a paper towel. Add more oil, if needed, to cook the 2nd batch. Slice lemon into wedges and squeeze over pork chops. I am the only one who likes lemon on my food so I only did this for my chop! I also sprinkled a little chopped, fresh parsley over chops before serving.

Prep Time 15 Min Cook Time 15 Min; Serves 8

SWISS CHARD

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch Swiss Chard, any color (what I have in my garden is a rainbow of colors)
• 1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion, halved & sliced into half moons
• 1/2 t crushed Red Pepper Flakes (you can omit this or decrease if you don't like heat)
• 1/2 cups Chicken Broth, vegetable broth or water
• 2 T Toasted Pine Nuts (I love these)
• 1/4 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled (I didn't have any so I just left out)
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Cut the stems off the Swiss Chard leaves (I just lay down the leaf, start at the top of the stem closest to the leaf and cut down on each side of stem). Thinly slice the leaves into long ribbons & cut the stems (if they are large) into thin slices. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the Swiss Chard stems, onion and red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Cook until the stems & onions have softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the broth or water and the Swiss Chard leaves. Partially cover and cook until the leaves have wilted but still have some body to them, about 5 minutes. (You don't want to overcook the leaves or they will be mushy). Using a slotted spoon, scoop the Swiss Chard and onions into a serving bowl, draining off most of the liquid. Top with toasted pine nuts and feta cheese (I left off the feta). Serve hot or warm.

Prep Time: 10 min, Cook Time 15 Min; Serves 4

PASTOR RYAN'S MEXICAN LASAGNA

The original recipe would make enough for a small army so I just halved everything so that I could use a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. This is so good and really not very time consuming. I put this all together Sunday morning before I went to church and then just baked it when I got home. When you begin to layer this dish you can do it anyway you want, just start with the salsa verde on bottom and then your tortillas. All the other ingredients add like you want!

Ingredients:
2 cups Unprepared Rice
3 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth/Stock
2-3 Whole Tomatoes (I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes which I drained but saved the liquid)
1 Whole Onion, chopped
4 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
Taco Seasoning, to taste (I made mine using 1 1/2 T of chili powder and 3/4 T of both paprika & cumin)
1 Can Black Beans
1 1/2 lbs Lean Ground Beef
1 Jar Salsa Verde (16 ounce)
Flour Tortillas
2 Packages Mexican Cheese Blend
1/2 can of Enchilada Sauce
1 1/2 Cans Corn, Drained (I just thawed some I had in the freezer)
Cilantro, to taste
Butter

Directions:
Begin by preparing rice using chicken stock instead of water (follow package directions.) Once prepared, salt to taste. Chop up tomates (or use canned diced tomatoes), onion and garlic as small as you prefer. Saute in pan with a tablespoon or so of butter. Since I used canned tomatoes I sauteed my onion & garlic till the onion was translucent then I added my diced, drained tomatoes. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes. Add about half of your taco seasoning, to taste. Stir until nicely combined. Add the beans here, if you like them, or leave them out . . . no need to drain. Mix rice together with the tomato/onion/garlic mixture.

Brown the ground beef adding the rest of the taco seasoning and salt to taste and about 4-6 ounces of water to create the taco beef. Since I used diced, canned tomatoes, I just added the liquid I had reserved when I drained my tomatoes instead of using water!

Spread about half the jar of salsa verde in the bottom of your casserole dish. I used a 9 x 13 dish. Then just start layering like you would lasagna; tortillas to cover the salsa verde, rice mixture to cover tortillas, ground beef, corn & cheese. Then begin again with another layer of tortillas but next pour enchilada sauce over tortillas and spread it out evenly. Now more rice mixture, ground beef, corn & cheese and contine layering until you've used everything then add the rest of the salsa verde on top and cover with any remaining cheese. Sprinkle the top with some taco seasoning or cayenne pepper.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-35 minutes until the cheese has melted and begins to brown a bit.

Serve this up topped with a dollop of sour cream and chopped cilantro (if you like it)

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Serves 6-8

Whenever I make chicken pot pie I always use the Pampered Chef recipe. However, I didn't have pie shells and didn't want to go to the grocery store today so I searched for chicken pot pie recipes using ingredients I had at home. This will replace the Pampered Chef recipe in my household! When Katie says a new recipe for something is better than the old one . . . well that just never happens! We all agreed, this is definitely better!


Ingredients:
1 Chicken or 5 chicken breasts, cooked & chopped (I used a leftover rotisserie chicken)
16 oz (1 can) Mixed Vegetables (don't drain)
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

Topping:
1 cup Bisquick, baking mix
1/8 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1. Lay chicken in bottom of 8x8 baking pan (I used an 8 x 11 1/2 Pyrex dish)
2. Mix vegetables and cream of chicken soup in microwave bowl; heat until warm
3. Spread vegetable mixture on top of chicken
4. Combine bisquick butter, mayonnaise & chicken broth & stir until just combined
5. Pour over chicken and spread to evenly distribute.
6. Bake at 350 degrees till the topping is golden brown, about 45 min.

Recipe says this serves 6. Probably would if no one wanted seconds!
If you use rotisserie chicken prep time is about 20 min.

Yall, I can't tell you how good this tastes. You will just have to prepare this dish sometime soon! The last time Harris Teeter or Food Lion put chicken legs & thighs on sale I bought a family size bag and froze 3 legs & 3 thighs to each bag. These chicken pieces are usually pretty inexpensive making this a very cost friendly meal!

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time 1 hr
Servings 6

INGREDIENTS

• 8 pieces Chicken Legs or Thighs (I used a combination and only 6 pcs)
• Salt & Pepper to taste (I didn't add any)
• 3 T Olive Oil
• 1 T Butter
• 1 (28 oz) can Diced Tomatoes
• 1 (14 oz) can Whole Tomatoes (I just used 3 cans (14 oz ea) of diced
• 2 T (heaping) Tomato Paste
• Fresh Herbs: Basil, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary (I grow all these & used all but parsley). Just chunked them in the pot whole.
• 8 Cloves Garlic (just peel it)
• 16 ounces, weight Pasta, your choice (I used 3/4 bag of Whole Wheat Wide Egg Noodles)
• Grated Parmesan Cheese, for serving
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

I know I haven't posted a new recipe in a while and I'm sorry! My grand kids were here last week and, well, they are top priority when they are here! My dinner tonight was delicious! I hope you will give it a try.

PANERA BREAD BLACK BEAN SOUP
25 Min/5 Min Prep

INGREDIENTS:
1 Onion
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Celery Ribs, finely chopped
1/4 large Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped
2 small Chicken Bouillon Cubes
2 1/2 cups Boiling Water
(I just used 2 1/2 cups chicken stock that I had in my freezer)
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, undrained
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cumin
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 T cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a pot, combine the first six ingredients; simmer for 10 minutes
2. Add half a can of beans, salt and cumin; cook for 5 minutes.
3. Puree soup (I used an immersion blender which makes it easy to do right in the pot).
4. Add the rest of the beans to the soup.
5. Combine the cornstarch with 1 1/2 T of water.
6. Add the lemon juice and cornstarch to the soup; cook until thickened.

I served this with a dollop of sour cream and a little cilantro I got from my garden. I also had a loaf of Rosemary Bread I bought from Harris Teeter. It was so good!

SPINACH SALAD WITH WARM BACON DRESSING
Prep Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
3 Whole Eggs
7 Slices Thick Cut Bacon
1/2 Red Onion
1 Pkg. White Button Mushrooms
8 Ounces Baby Spinach, washed, dried and stems removed (I just used some from my garden)
3 T Red Wine Vinegar (any vinegar will do except Balsamic)
2 t Sugar
1/2 t Dijon Mustard
1 dash Salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cooks eggs; cover with water, bring to a boil, then turn off heat and allow to sit in water for 20 minutes. Drain off water and add ice on top of eggs.
2. Fry bacon until crispy/chewy. Remove to a paper towel.
3. Remove 3 T bacon grease and set aside.
4. Add 2 add'l T of bacon grease to a separate skillet over medium heat.
5. Slice red onion very thinly, then add to skillet. Cook slowly until caramelized and brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
6. Chop bacon
7. Peel and slice eggs (I used my Pampered Chef egg slicer; it worked great)
8. Make hot bacon dressing; Add 3T reserved bacon grease, vinegar, sugar and Dijon to a small skillet over medium-low heat. Whisk mixture together and heat thoroughly.
9. Add spinach to a large bowl. Arrange onions, mushrooms and bacon on top. Pour hot dressing over the top; toss to combine.
10. Arrange eggs over the top and serve.

Katie & I ate before Richard. I guarantee there will be no leftovers for me to take to lunch tomorrow once he eats! I hope you will make this soon. It is so, so good.

Katie made these and they are delicious! She's the "baker" in the house. Here's the recipe, just in case you get a sweet tooth! Oh, I almost forgot, prep time is about 15 minutes.


Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, 2 sticks, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground nutmeg
• 2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant)
• 1/2 cups raisins
• Hot fudge sauce, as needed
• Marshmallow creme, as needed (recommended: Fluff)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 or 3 baking sheets or line with parchment paper (that's what we did).

In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the egg and the milk and beat until combined.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating until incorporated. Stir in the oats and raisins. Form cookies by dropping 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of the batter onto the baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet, spacing evenly. (These are supposed to be large).

Bake until the cookies are lightly browned, about 11 to 13 minutes. Let them cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Spread a small dollop of the fudge on the inside of 6 cookies (or more if you like chocolate). Spread a large dollop of the marshmallow fluff on the inside of another 6 cookies. Sandwich the cookies together and transfer to a platter.

Make sure you let the cookies get good and cool. Katie was in a hurry so the top was kinda sliding around as the inside goodness was being melted by the slightly warm cookies!

RED BEANS & RICE

This is what we had for lunch today. I am not going to post the recipe because it's too long. If you want to make this just let me know, send me your email and I'll copy and paste into a document and send to you. I actually started on this Saturday. I soaked the red kidney beans, cut all the veggies and cooked all this in a dutch oven with the ham hocks. This morning before church I added the smoked sausage and prepared the rice.The rice is actually cooked in a loaf pan in the oven and calls for stock, chopped onion, celery, green peppers, melted butter, salt, garlic powder and a pinch of cayenne. You just mix it all together, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees about an hour.

So if you get a taste for "Red Beans & Rice" let me know. Thanks so much to my good friend and fellow "cook" Phil M. for lending me his Louisiana Kitchen cookbook.

First of all let me warn you, no part of this dinner was low fat or low calorie, except the steamed veggies! But once in a while you just have to "go for it" and this was worth every calorie and fat gram! I got this recipe from the "Tasty Kitchen" site. The Pioneer Woman posted it on her site and she made it look so good (as happens with most every recipe she posts) I just had to make.






MURPHY'S HOT HAMBURGER

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 T onion powder
• 1 t seasoned salt
• 5 T flour (all purpose)
• 2 cans beef broth which is about 2 cups maybe a little more
• 5 whole potatoes (next time I'm gonna use the frozen, crinkle cut; that's the consensus of my family and it will be a lot easier)
• 1 T oil, or as needed (I used Canola)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to425 degrees
2. If you use whole potatoes, wash, dry and slice into fries. Place them on a large baking sheet and pour about a tablespoon of oil over them and toss with fingers to coat evenly. Sprinkle fries with seasoning of choice. I used seasoning salt. Place in the oven & bake for approx. 45 minutes or until golden and crispy. Just be careful not to over cook them. That's what I did. I turned the oven off after 45 min but just left them in the oven; they got too done.
3. If you decide to use frozen, crinkled french fries, just follow the directions on the package.
4. In a mixing bowl, mix hamburger, garlic, seasoned salt, onion powder, pepper and a little more salt if you want to (I didn't add anymore salt). Mix this well with your hands and divide in for portions.
5. Form 4 large patties. They really don't need to be uniform in shape. Make them look kinda rustic!
6. Place patties in a large preheated skillet over medium heat. Brown burgers on each side until they are done.
7. Remove burgers from the skillet and place on a plate covered in paper towels. Do not drain the grease from your pan. Place the plate of burgers in a warming drawer, if you have one, or cover with foil or another plate to keep them warm. I started cooking my hamburger patties when the fries had about 15 min. left to cook.
   
8. Now, add the flour a tablespoon at a time to your skillet, stirring with a whisk. You know you have added enough flour when the grease is all absorbed and the flour mixture gets thick and bubbly. Slowly add the broth, a little at a time, whisking constantly (you're making a gravy here).
   
9. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken. If it seems to thick just add a little water.
10. To serve, place an ample amount of fries on the plate. Place a hamburger patty on top of the fries and cover it good with the gravy.

I served with a bag of those vegetables that you steam in the microwave. To be honest you really don't need anything else. Also, Katie added a slice of cheddar cheese to her hamburger before we put on the gravy. She said it was really good that way!

Total Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 min if you make your own fries; less if you bake frozen ones.