Oven Fried Chicken

butter, room temperature and cold
2 large eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoons milk or water
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons paprika
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 - 3 lbs large chicken breasts, cut in thirds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  With room temperature butter, generously grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Combine eggs and milk in medium bowl.  Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl.  Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture, coating both sides, then into corn meal mixture.  Place in prepared baking dish.  Place two very thin slices of cold butter on each piece of chicken.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, basting once (but I never remember to do that and its fine).  Serve with fry sauce or Chick-fil-a Sauce.

Note:  If using a family pack of chicken, use two 8 x 11 baking dishes, and increase the ingredients as follows:

3 large eggs, beaten
3 Tablespoons milk or water
3/4 cup corn meal
3/4 cup flour
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1+ teaspoon garlic powder
1+ teaspoon black pepper

For Oven Fried Fish:
Substitute 2 lbs fresh or frozen (thawed) fish fillets for chicken.  Prepare as above.  Place skin side down in baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Tomato Jambalaya

Rice Cooker Coconut Rice (or regular cooked rice)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium green pepper, diced

4 medium tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lb), cut into wedges*

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon basil

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon flour

3/4 lb cooked, diced ham or smoked sausage

Prepare rice.  In large skillet over low heat, saute onion and pepper in oil until onion is translucent (about 10-15 minutes).  Add tomatoes and next 4 ingredients.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Whisk flour into water, gradually stir into mixture until thickened.  Stir in ham or sausage.  Serve over rice.

*If you don't have garden tomatoes, 2 14 oz cans of Italian Stewed Tomatoes, pulsed a few times in the food processor, make a DELICIOUS jambalaya! But you could use any canned tomatoes.

Pizza Dough

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons warm water

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

corn meal (to sprinkle on the cookie sheet before laying down the dough)

tomato sauce

toppings of your choice (see our favorites below)

Parmesan cheese (and red pepper flakes if you like 'em)

Place all ingredients in the bread pan in the order listed.  Run it on the dough cycle.  When complete, move oven rack to lowest position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly sprinkle corn meal over two cookie sheets.  Divide dough in half and on a floured surface roll the dough to your desired thickness (or divide more to make individual pizzas).  Spread about 3 Tablespoons of tomato sauce all over the dough and cover with your favorite toppings.  Bake 12 minutes or until crust is light brown.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Preferred toppings: 

Dad:  Roll the crust really thin, add everything you can plus jalapeños!

Mom:  chicken, artichoke hearts, olives, cheese

Kathryn:  cheese, olives, pepperoni, sausage

Sarah:  cheese - and sometimes sausage

Pork Chops with Cream Sauce

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon butter

4 center-cut pork chops, boneless, about 1 1/4 inch thick

salt

pepper

2 Tablespoons grated onion

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup heavy cream

Season pork chops with salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, over medium high heat, add olive oil and butter.  When the butter has melted, add pork chops and sear (there should be a good amount of color), about 3 minutes each side. 

Remove the pork chops from the pan, reduce heat to medium and add the onion.  Cook until softened, about 1 minute.  Deglaze the pan by adding 1/2 cup water, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan.  Stir in stock and return chops to pan.  Bring sauce to a simmer, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook until chops are cooked through - 15-20 minutes (I like 15, Mat likes 20).

Remove pork chops to a warm platter and cover with tin foil to keep warm.  Over high heat, boil the pan juices to reduce by half, 3-4 minutes.  Add the heavy cream and continue to boil, stirring continually, until the sauce reduces and thickens, about 5 minutes.  Pour sauce into a gravy boat.  Serve.

This recipe is a simplified version of Pork Chops with Dijon Sauce by Simple Recipes.  I found that I needed longer cooking times than they did--maybe it's an elevation thing.  They have some great step-by-step pictures that may be helpful if you're going to try this recipe.

If you need to double this recipe, use two pans (I use my big skillet and my stockpot), then pour the drippings from one pan to the other to make the sauce.

Easy Veracruz-Style Tilapia

2 1/2 cups salsa

1/2 cup green olives, chopped

2 heaping Tablespoons capers, drained, chopped

6 tilapia fillets, thawed, seasoned with salt and pepper

butter, olive oil, coconut oil (take your pick or combine them)

Turn your oven on warm.  In a liquid measuring cup, combine salsa, olives, and capers.  Stir well.

Melt the butter/olive oil/coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook the tilapia about 2-3 minutes per side until done (2-3 fillets at a time usually fit in the pan).  Remove to a glass baking dish in the warm oven, tent with foil.  Cook remaining fillets and keep warm in oven.  Pour the salsa mixture into the skillet you cooked the fish in, scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a simmer.

Remove baking dish from oven, pour salsa mixture over all (or if you have family members who won't eat the sauce, just serve fish [with a little lemon would be nice] and sauce separately).  Enjoy!

Note:  You could use halibut, red snapper--if there is leftover sauce, it would even be good on scrambled eggs!

Beefy Tortellini Soup

This delicious soup makes a TON! Feed the masses, or make it one night during the week, and then heat up the left-overs for an easy Sabbath Day dinner--talk about a satisfying day of rest!

In a large stock pot, cook 15 minutes on medium low:

1 lb hamburger, 85/15 (any leaner and you'll have to add fat to cook the veg)

1 onion, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

2 small carrots, 1/4 inch rounds

salt and pepper

Add and cook 1 minute:

3 cloves minced garlic

Add, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes:

3 14.5 oz cans Italian Stewed Tomatoes, blended*

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 6 oz can tomato paste

2 boxes beef stock in a box (about 8 cups)

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 Tablespoon sugar

Add and simmer 3 minutes:

20 oz Buitoni cheese tortellini

Add and simmer 3 minutes:

1 can cannellini beans 

10 oz bag spinach (chopped, if you want, or you could use 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed)

Serve with:

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Big ol' slice of bread

*The easiest and cleanest way I've found to do this is to dump the tomatoes into a quart jar (one can at a time) and use a stick blender until smooth.

Burgers with the Works

Of course you've got the burger and the bun.  Then add  the following:

bun

burger

bacon

cheese

fried egg
mushrooms (sauteed)

lettuce

onion

pickled beets

tomato

pickles
mustard
ketchup
bbq sauce

Nothing too out of the ordinary, except for the fried egg and pickled beets!  Ohhhhh, they are so worth it. :)  But messy--have plenty of napkins.

Chicken Pot Pie

Makes 5 pies, doubles easily.

Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

4 Tablespoons cold lard, diced (don't have lard?  just use butter)

4 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced

1/4 - 1/3 cup ice water

In a food processor, mix the first three ingredients.  Add lard and butter and pulse until all the fat is smaller than pea size.  While the processor is running, drizzle in the water until the dough just comes together.  Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the chicken mixture is ready.

Chicken Mixture

6 Tablespoons butter

1 large onion, small dice

2-3 ribs celery, small dice

2-3 carrots, small dice

1/4 cup flour

2 1/4 cups chicken stock (stock in a box is fine)

1/2 cup frozen peas

cooked chicken (2-3 cups)

splash of cream or milk (1-2 Tablespoons)

salt and pepper, all along the way, to taste

1 egg

In a large skillet, melt the butter on low heat.  Add onion, celery, carrots, pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until soft, about 15 minutes.  Add the flour and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring continually.  Heat up the chicken broth (in the microwave or on the stovetop).  Pour broth into the skillet, bring to a simmer (that means raise the heat--to medium will get you there), cook for a minute, stirring continually.  Add the peas and chicken, stir until warmed through.  Remove from heat and stir in the milk.  Taste and decide if you need more salt and pepper.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Ladle chicken mixture into 5 oven-proof bowls.  In a small bowl, beat egg and a splash of milk or water to make an egg wash.  On a floured surface, roll out the dough.  Cut circles large enough to generously cover each bowl.  Using a pastry brush, paint the edges of the bowls.  Place the circles of dough on each bowl, pressing lightly around the edge.*  Brush dough entirely with egg wash, sprinkle with salt (kosher if you've got it) and pepper.  Place the bowls on a cookie sheet and cook for 1 hour.  They're pretty hot right out of the oven.  I'd let 'em sit for a good 10-15 minutes before diggin' in.  :)

With the leftover dough

On a cookie sheet with a silpat or parchment paper, roll out the dough scraps, brush with egg wash (or melted butter, if you prefer), and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Bake for about 12 minutes.  Yum!

Update: Save time by pouring all the filling into a casserole dish, roll out the dough and place over the whole thing. Bake the same, but still remember to put a pan underneath to catch anything that drips!

Shepherd's Pie

1 lb ground beef

1/3 - 1/2 onion, small dice or mince - grated if kids object to onion

1 can tomato soup

1 can green beans, drained

left-over smashed potatoes

In a large skillet on medium to medium-high heat, cook the beef (it shouldn't need any additional fat, unless you bought super lean beef--if you did that, add some oil or butter or bacon grease) and onions.  When done, tip the pan.  If any grease pools, spoon it out.  Stir in the tomato soup and green beans.  Pour into a casserole dish (mine was 7x11x2).  Cover with smashed potatoes.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes, until the potatoes are warmed through and the base is bubbly.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Man, there's so much description around those ingredients it's hard to tell what you need! Just make sure you have:

3 chicken breasts
garlic
ginger root (1 inch)
1 orange
red bell pepper
water chestnuts
green onions
Hoisin Sauce
Iceburg Lettuce

Okay, on to the recipe! :)

2 cups, (4 handfuls) fresh shiitake mushrooms (Kathleen didn't use these and neither did I, but they would be good in here if you like mushrooms)
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds thin cut chicken breast or chicken tenders (cut them into a large dice)
2 TB lightly colored oil, such as vegetable oil or peanut oil (LouAnn's Coconut Oil)
coarse salt and coarse black pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped (minced garlic from the fridge)
1 inch ginger root, finely chopped or grated, optional (first cut off the skin, then grate using a microplane grater)
1 orange zested (using a microplane grater)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
small tin, 6-8 ounces, sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
2 scallions, chopped (green onions, white and green part)
3 TB hoisin, Chinese barbecue sauce (available on Asian foods aisle)
1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered
wedges of navel orange--platter garnish (Here are good instructions on how to do this. You could just use mandarin oranges if you want to, but if you're going to zest an orange, you might as well section the orange.)

Remove tough stems from mushrooms and brush with damp towel to clean. Slice mushrooms. Chop chicken in small pieces. Preheat a large skillet or wok to high. (Okay, this cooks so fast, unless you are super fast at chopping and grating and don't have any children/pets/husband/phone/wandering mind to distract you, you'd better do all the chopping and grating before heating up the pan.)

Add oil to hot pan.

Add chicken to the pan and sear meat by stir frying a minute or two.

Add mushrooms and cook another minute or two.

Add salt and pepper to season, then add garlic and ginger. Cook a minute more.

Grate zest into pan (Since I did all the grating before the cooking began, my ginger and orange zest were all mixed together and I added them with the garlic. It was all good.), add bell pepper bits, chopped water chestnuts and scallions. Cook another minute, continuing to stir fry mixture.

Add hoisin sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly.

Transfer the hot chopped barbecued chicken (that's what this dish is really called, but I'll never remember that name, hence, Asian Lettuce Wraps) to serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce along side. (Believe it or not, both Mat and I ate almost an entire wedge of lettuce with dinner--we thought for sure a whole quarter wedge would be too much, but it wasn't--and it was delish!)

Add wedged oranges to platter to garnish.

To eat, pile spoonfuls into lettuce leaves, wrapping lettuce around fillings and squeeze an orange wedge over. (There's juice that drips as you wedge your orange so catch that into a bowl and squeeze the leftover orange into the bowl as well. During the demonstration, the chicken browned a little too much and Kathleen used some orange juice to deglaze the pan which I thought was a fabulous idea.)

Lasagna Florentine

1/4 cup minced dried onion (or grated fresh)
1 clove minced garlic (I probably use about 3 cloves)
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (not just drained, squeeze all the water out--yes, with your hands)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (plus more to sprinkle on top)
2 cups ricotta cheese (full fat version, please)

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce (I used a 24 oz jar and everything seemed fine)
3/4 cup water

1 8 oz package wide lasagna noodles, uncooked

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine onion, garlic, spinach, nutmeg, parmesan, and ricotta. In another bowl (a 1 quart measuring cup with a pour spout works great here), combine spaghetti sauce and water. In a 13x9-inch glass baking dish, layer 1/3 of sauce mixture, 1/2 of the uncooked lasagna noodles (I use three length-wise and break one more to fit cross-wise), 1/2 of ricotta mixture (fingers are the best tool here), and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers, ending with sauce mixture. Cover tightly with foil. Bake 1 hour. Uncover, sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Sloppy Joes

from The Essential Mormon Cookbook by Julie Badger Bensen

3 pounds ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup ketchup
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can tomato soup
2 tablespoons vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
12 hamburger buns

In a large skillet brown ground beef. Drain fat. Sprinkle with salt. Add chopped onion and cook until tender. Stir in ketchup, tomato soup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Spoon into hamburger buns and serve. Makes 12 servings.

This is delicious and every single member of the family liked it. The only thing I did differently was cook the ground beef in smaller batches, pouring off the fat each time, so it would really brown instead of just boil in the fat. I like the flavor of browned beef better. I cooked the onion low and slow in a stock pot using the fat from the first batch of browned beef. By the time all the batches of beef were done the onions were done, so I added everything to the stock pot and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Frankly, the sauce is so flavorful I'm not sure the browning was necessary.

9/6/10 Update: This is how Grandma Carlene served Sloppy Joes while I was growing up! Take a hard roll, slice the top off, pull out the bread inside (Grandpa says use the bread the next day in meatloaf!), and fill with Sloppy Joe mixture! Kind of takes the sloppiness out of the Sloppy Joe! :)

Cobb Salad with Chive Dressing

from A Pinch of Salt Lake

1 medium-size head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 large tomato, chopped
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 large avocado, peeled, diced and sprinkled with lemon juice
1 pound sliced bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Chive Dressing:
6 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons chives
1/2 cup olive oil

Place shredded lettuce in a large salad bowl. Prepare dressing by combining salt, garlic powder, pepper, chives and the oil in a jar and shake well. Pour the dressing over the lettuce and toss. Arrange the tomato, chicken, avocado, bacon and eggs on top of the lettuce. Place crumbled cheese in the center of the salad. Toss at the table.

Okay, first of all, that amount of dressing is huge. We've never even used half of it. Second, don't take the amounts of the salad ingredients too literally. Just chop up what you think you will use. And only toss at the table if you're interested in getting lots of polite "oooo"s and "aaaaaah"s. Frankly, not many people I've served this to want everything on that list (which technically means they are not getting a Cobb Salad, but, oh well). So I chop up what I think will be good and let people assemble their own salads as if at a salad bar. If you've got little kids, often they just want things separate anyway.

Remember, if you don't want to heat up the kitchen, cook the bacon and eggs earlier in the day! While they are cooking you can chop (when it comes to the lettuce, tear) everything but the avocado (the lemon is supposed to keep it nice--which it does--but I often don't have a lemon, so--but if you have a lemon, it adds nice flavor), and when it's dinner time--simply assemble!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Here's the original recipe--you'll notice it's easily halved for a smaller version and very food storage friendly.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

2 cups macaroni
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
2 cans tuna, drained
1-2 cups frozen peas (optional)
grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain. Mix in soup, milk, tuna, and peas. Pour into a large casserole dish (9x13). Grate cheese and sprinkle over top of casserole. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

There you have it! Easy peasy and very kid friendly. This was Jeff's favorite dinner. But after cooking it for twenty years I got a bee under my bonnet and decided I wanted to avoid some of the ingredients in commercially canned soups. So I tried to create a roux version. I looked here for guidance. I think it taste's better than the original, but it takes a whole lot longer to make, and there are more dishes to clean. But if I keep practicing I'll eventually be able to have the roux done by the time the noodles are cooked, and maybe I'll be able say this one's easy peasy too!

Tuna Noodle Casserole with a Roux

5 Tablespoons butter, divided
2 cups macaroni
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (to make it more kid friendly, grate the onion) 1 stalk celery, finely chopped (to make it more kid friendly, you could leave it out)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped crimini mushrooms (I like crimini better than button)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup frozen peas
cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat and cook onion and celery until translucent. Increase heat to medium-high and mix in mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan, and whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk, and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in tuna, peas, mushroom mixture and cooked macaroni. Pour the entire mixture into a 9x13 pan (I've always used glass pans and never had a problem with the casserole sticking. If you do, try buttering it first.). Sprinkle generously with cheddar cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Chicken Curry in a hurry!

"What's for dinner?" + "Chicken Curry." = Smiles

I found this recipe in one of Mark Bittman's books. He writes "The Minimalist", a column for the New York Times. As the column title implies, he pares a recipe down to the bare bones. That's especially nice when dinner's gotta be done now! Mr. Bittman cooks this dish in one skillet, a really big skillet, and you can find a really good visual demonstration of how to do that here. My pan isn't that big and I like to cook the onions low and slow, so I mess with the recipe. For instance, today I used chicken that I had cooked the previous day. But however you do it, the end result will be big smiles!





Chicken Curry in a Hurry

1 T Canola Oil (Extra Light Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, or even Bacon Fat leftover from cooking bacon this morning)
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
salt and pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder (sometimes I use this curry paste--about 3 Tablespoons)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, in 4 pieces (uh, read my comments below)
1 cup sour cream

Optional Add-ins
slivered almonds (toast them in a dry skillet on medium high heat until they become fragrant)
raisins (I plump mine by soaking them in warm water while I cook everything else, then draining them just before I add them.)

Place the oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. A minute later, add the onion. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to medium, sprinkle with about half the curry powder, and continue to cook for a minute or two.

Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle it with the remaining curry powder. Move the onion to one side of the skillet and ad the chicken in one layer. Cook for about 2 minutes per side, remove to a plate.

Add the sour cream and stir constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture is nice and thick. Return the chicken to the skillet and cook for 2 more minutes. Turning once. Garnish and serve with plenty of white rice.

Holy cow, I don't follow those instructions at all anymore. It's been awhile since I've looked at the recipe. Now, you've got to remember that I at least double and sometimes triple this recipe. To not have enough for left-overs for the next day would be a crime.

First thing you've got to remember to do is cook the rice, or you won't have anything to put your curry on! Actually, it's so good it doesn't need rice. But most people want it anyway.

So, I slice up two large onions and put them in a skillet with some oil and salt and pepper, and cook them on medium low for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While that's cooking, if I'm working with raw meat, I put oil in a skillet (okay, I only have one skillet large enough to cook this kind of stuff, so I use my giant stock pot--but that's good, because then there's plenty of room to mix a triple batch together) and cook the chicken in batches--there has to be room between the pieces of chicken or it steams instead of browns. I don't really like how the chicken cooks up if it's in large pieces, so I cut it into bite size pieces. And if you're cooking in bacon fat--my, oh my--you'll be in heaven. (Unless of course you're Jewish. And I have no idea what people from India who really know what a curry is supposed to taste like would think of using bacon fat. :) Ignorance is bliss.)

Look! I have a picture of how I cooked the chicken! Hmmm, should have spread apart that chicken more. And of course I'm not doing it in my giant stock pot. But you can see my handy dandy spider there to scoop out the chicken. And in that white mug--bacon fat!

So now I've got a skillet of yummy onion and a giant pot that has all the delicious brown bits that come from cooking the chicken (the chicken has all been scooped out). Over medium low heat I dump the onions in the big pot, add the sour cream and more salt and pepper, stirring constantly until it thickens, and then add the almonds, raisins, and cooked chicken. Check for seasoning. If you're concerned that the cooked chicken won't warm all the way through adding it at the end (you know, if you're using leftover chicken you just took out of the fridge), let it warm up with the onions before you add the sour cream.

Note: This is only Low Carb if you don't eat it with the rice. :)
MM Recipe Card

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Believe it or not, I don't have this written down anywhere so it's coming straight out of my head. I think I got it from Laura Worley in Tracy, CA.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 1/2 bags frozen broccoli (enough to cover a 9x13 inch pan - if using fresh broccoli, blanch it first)
cooked chicken (again, enough to cover a 9x13 inch pan)
grated cheese (holy cow, enough to cover a freakin' 9x13 inch pan--what do you want from me? :D Just kiddin'!)

Layer these three ingredients in your 9x13 inch pan.











(I must say, that is one beautiful picture of goodness!)








2 cans cream of chicken soup
mayo (a little less than the amount of soup)
juice of half a lemon (I am a fresh lemon juice nazi. Bottled juice is nasty, but I do keep this on hand if I don't have any fresh lemons. It's a pretty good substitute.)

Combine these three ingredients and spread over the other three.








Sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Cook in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until heated through and golden. Serve over rice. (That means don't forget to start making the rice right after you put in the casserole!)

And take a picture of the finished product, because I forgot!

Chicken, Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Spezzatino

This recipe was on Giada at Home, a great source for family friendly food. The episode was called Comfort Food and I'd have to agree this recipe fits that description. Perfect for those days late in May when you wake up and see SNOW on the ground! I really liked this soup and was surprised by how much I enjoyed biting into the bits of artichoke. You feel nourished after eating this soup. Serve this with Bruschetta with Fontina and Greens.


Chicken, Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Spezzatino

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 (4-ounce) piece pancetta, diced into 1/4-inch pieces (I didn't have any pancetta, so I used bacon)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, halved
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
2 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 packed cup fresh basil leaves, chopped (if all you've got is dried basil, it'll still be yummy)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 skinless chicken breasts with rib meat(about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds total)
12 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

In a heavy 5 or 6 quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until brown and crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and drain on paper towels. Set aside. (If you're using bacon, just chop it up--or, don't and crumble it later--and you will probably have plenty of fat in the pan after that and won't need any olive oil. Oh, and I always cook bacon on low or I end up burning it.) Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. (Here again, I cook these things on low--I just like how the onions turn out better--so it probably takes about 15 minutes.) Stir in the chicken stock, basil, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf. Add the chicken and press down to submerge. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, turning the chicken over and stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add the artichokes and the cannellini beans and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has reduced slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes. (I don't add the artichokes and canellini beans until I return the meat to the saucepan because really all you're doing is heating those up and canellini beans are already really soft and I don't like them falling apart it the soup.)

Remove the chicken and let cool for 5 minutes. Discard the bones and cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Return the meat to the saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes until warmed through. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Season the spezzatino with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the spezzatino into bowls and garnish with the cooked pancetta. (or in my case, bacon and some of the cheese from the bruschetta)

Salmon Salad

If you see this salad at my house it usually means warm weather has finally arrived! While everyone in the family loves it (okay, except Sarah, but she'll grow out of that!), I wonder if they'll ever tackle making it on their own. Why? Because everyone grosses out when they see me getting the salmon ready to put in the salad. Come on people, don't fear the salmon! It's worth it. :)

Oh, and if you're taking this somewhere for something like a pot luck dinner, garnishing with a sprig of parsley and three cherry tomatoes makes for a lovely presentation.


Salmon Salad

1 1/2 cups seashell pasta
1 large can salmon
1 cup chopped celery (I chop these really small--a fine dice.)
1 small, carrot, shredded (Use a grater.)
1/2 cup sliced olives
1 Tablespoon parsley (I usually use dried parsley.)

Dressing Ingredients
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (Use a fresh lemon! Bottled stuff is icky!)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (See, you've got to use a fresh lemon anyway or you'll have no zest!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup mayonnaise (In the picture you'll notice the blender--that's my homemade mayo.)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water.
(I also rinse out the big pot I cooked the pasta in with cold water to cool it enough so I can put the cold pasta back in it to mix the salad. Makes for one less dish to wash. The serving dish I put it into is too small to stir everything in.)

(And here they should say DRAIN THE SALMON!)
Remove skin and bones from salmon.
(This is not necessary, as the can of salmon will tell you that everything is edible--full of calcium and such--but the skin and bones [and I even get rid of the really dark colored meat] just isn't very pretty. Sometimes my desire for the added calcium trumps my desire for prettiness, so I make sure I really crush the bones--just using my fingers--they crush easily. To remove the skin and bones, I dump the salmon into the same colander I used to drain the pasta [but I've put the pasta back in the big pan, remember?], then gently break apart the salmon--the bones will easily come right out, and if you gently rub your thumb along the skin and dark meat, it will come off easily too. It's a little messy, but since everyone in my family is happy happy when I make this salad, it's worth it.)

Toss pasta, salmon, celery, carrot, olives, and parsley. Combine dressing ingredients. Toss with pasta mixture. Refrigerate for at last one hour.
(This is to let the flavors blend. Letting it sit overnight is even better--which makes this a great Sabbath Day meal, because all the work is done on Saturday!)

Empanadas

Jeff arrived in Argentina on Tuesday, so we had Empanadas! I got the recipe from my dear friend Barbara, who served in the Buenos Aires Argentina Mission. They're like homemade hot pockets--but they're good! Everybody loved them--even the next day for lunch! Since this was the first time I had made them, I used boxed rice and canned beans to make things easier. Someday I'll have to put up a homemade version of the rice, but I'll tell ya, Bush's Seasoned Black Beans were a hit. I'll be keeping some of those on hand for easy dinners.

Empanadas
Barbara Barrow

Filling:
1/2 cup shortening (I don't think so! Lard, baby. Use the lard. It's good for you!)
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup raisins
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

In a saute pan, melt the shortening (lard) and add the chopped onions and green peppers. Cook until the onions and pepper are tender (Whenever I cook onions, I do it low and slow--heat on low, usually about 15 minutes, they are translucent and wonderful, but not at all brown. Oh, and I salt and pepper them. I can't help myself.). Add the paprika, red pepper, cumin, vinegar and ground beef. Cook until the beef is brown (Now, generally when you want browned meat, you cook on a medium high heat looking for brown bits of fabulous flavor. But I just kept the heat low and let it cook completely. At this point I looked at all that fat in the pan and called Barbara to see if she drained the fat. Nope. Nope, nope, nope. And I had to remind myself of 2 Nephi 9:51, and allow myself to "delight in fatness". And I'm glad I did. Oh, and I salted and peppered the meat. I can't help myself.). Stir in raisins and hard boiled egg. For me, the raisins make these great! Be sure to add them, unless you hate raisins. I have had them with chopped green olives also, which are good it you like green olives. (I have three girlies that were much more likely to try these if I left the raisins out. Silly girlies. So I made three empanadas without raisins--marked with an "X". Then I made one with raisins to give to Barbara--marked with an "R". Then I made the rest with raisins and green olives--with random markings.)

Tapas (dough) (This dough was easy to make, easy to roll, and delicious!)
4 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening (What am I going to say? Lard. That's right.)
1 1/4 cup water, as needed

I use my food processor to make this dough. Just follow instructions for a pie crust. Mix the flour and salt together, cut in the shortening (I did all this by hand using a pastry cutter.) and add water until you have a good consistency for the dough (I find it best if it's still a little crumbly. While the dough sits for thirty minutes, the flour will absorb the water more.). It will be the consistency of a pie crust. You may have to tweak the measurements a little. Chill the dough for 30 minutes. (So really you want to make this before you start the filling.)

Roll out the dough and cut into small round shells (I only did half the dough at a time. My counter was crowded.). I use a small saucer plate to cut mine out (6 inches in diameter). Fold over and press the edges together with your fingers or a fork. I always poke some holes with a fork to allow it to vent during cooking (did this with the aforementioned "X" ,"R", and "random". I also tried salt and pepper on the top of some because I like that with my pot pies. But Mat said either way was fine.). Place on a greased cookie sheet (I used parchment paper.). Brush with egg white (I used a wash of 1 whole egg and 1 tablespoon water.). Bake for 20-30 (30) minutes (until golden brown) at 350 degrees.

Marco Polo Spaghetti

This dish always gets strange looks. But those who bravely try it are usually pleasantly surprised. I found this recipe by watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood--which is remarkable, because, as a kid, Mr. Rogers always gave me the creeps (which I now feel guilty for, because it turns out he was a sincere Christian guy). Anyway, he had on Julia Roberts, and she made this dish. She dumped it all into a big bowl and tossed it all together. We let people pick and choose the toppings they want. While googling to see if I could find the show, I found this more grown-up version of Marco Polo by Julia Child. Check out this part of the instructions: "With flourish and confidence, begin by elegantly folding into the spaghetti the chopped nuts and vegetables, along with the parsley and basil." Ha! You've got to love Julie Child! Did you know she was 6 feet 2 inches tall! Too tall to enlist in the WACs and the WAVES during WWII, she joined the OSS in the Secret Intelligence division--practically a spy! Anyway, we love this dish--be brave and try it!

Marco Polo Spaghetti

Spaghetti (we prefer Vermicelli)
tuna, drained
swiss cheese, grated
olives, sliced
walnuts, chopped,
pimento, chopped (once we discovered roasted red peppers, we converted and NEVER looked back!)

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. (I always generously salt the water and then after draining the pasta, toss it in olive oil.) Put on the toppings that you like (with flourish and confidence mind you! Oh, and elegance!). Enjoy! (Since the toppings are all cold or room temperature, I find zapping your final plate in the microwave for about 30 seconds will greatly enhance your dining pleasure!) :)