Chicken & Wild Rice

This is part of a Sunday cook-a-thon where I prep and freeze multiple dishes for use over the next couple weeks.  

1 (4.3 oz) box of wild rice with seasoning packet.
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can water
1 small can mushroom stems & pieces, drained
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs  (or 4 chicken breasts)
optional: 1 C. slivered almonds

(c) Keytee2 2012

1. Mix together rice, seasoning packet, both soups and water.  Stir in mushrooms.
2. Pour into 8x8 freezer dish (I use foil pans). Top with chicken, sprinkle with almonds.
3. Double wrap with heavy duty foil, label & freeze.
Thaw, bake uncovered 350 * for 1 hour.


Here's my twists:   I save a bit of the soup mix and pout it on top of the chicken instead of using almonds.  I bake it for 30 mins, let cool, then wrap and freeze.  This way I can take it out the night before to thaw in fridge and hubby can throw it in the oven half hour before I get home and we don't end up eating too late.  I also use pre-cooked chicken because I boil a large batch when I make multiple dishes in one day.  It cuts back on reheat times as well.

Oh My! So yummy!  And 4 year old approved! (c)Keytee2 2012

Chicken & Barley soup

This is part of a Sunday cook-a-thon where I prep and freeze multiple dishes for use over the next couple weeks.  I'll post both regular and freezer instructions.

2-3 chicken breasts, cubed
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 C (10 oz) chicken broth
3 C. water
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1/2 C. pearl barley
Optional:  1/4 C. green onion, chopped
                1 T. dry parsley
                4 medium potatoes, peeled & cubed

(c) Keytee2 2012

1. In skillet, over medium heat, saute chicken in oil until white (about 5 minutes).  Stir in salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Place seasoned meat in crock pot.

2.  Add broth, water, celery, carrots, and barley (and any other optional ingredients). Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or until vegetables and barley are soft.


Alternately you can dump it all in a soup pot and let it simmer, covered, on the stove for a few hours  1/2 hour - 45 minutes.

For freezer:  I put all the veggies, barley, chicken and seasonings in a freezer ziplock bag and toss in the freezer.  Then just remove it, dump it in a pot (whether on the stove or crock pot) and add the liquids!

Chili

This is a recipe I got from my mom. And every single time I make it I forget to adjust the spices!  This is not "oh my god my guts on fire!" chili, but it's got more kick to it than I prefer. So, if you don't like the after tingle in your mouth and a running nose  I suggest cutting the spices in half.

1-2 pounds ground beef, turkey or pork
1 medium onion, chopped     (I actually used dried onion and just shake a bunch on)
2 T. butter

1 T. chili powder
1 T. cayenne pepper
1 (28 oz) can dice tomatoes in juice
1 (15.5 oz) can kidney beans
salt

My personal tweak:  1/4 C. barbecue sauce

(c) Keytee2 2013

You can do this all in one stew pot:
1.  Brown meat with onions & butter.
2.  Add all other ingredients and simmer 30-60 mins

Or,
1. Brown meat with onions & butter in skillet.
2. Dump all ingredients in crockpot.
Prepping early in the day?  Set it on a low setting.
Short on time?  Set it on high.
It really just has to heat everything up.

Enjoy with saltines, butter crackers or corn bread!

Chicken stuffed shells

Another Pinterest find and a keeper too!  Next time I make it though I will use half the amount of spinach.  And run it through the food chopper too.

What you need:

12 jumbo shells - I used nearly an entire box of Barilla jumbo shells, had maybe 8 left over
1 1/2 C. pasta sauce (12 oz) - I used Hunt's Garlic & Herb pasta sauce
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
4 0z  diced, cooked chicken - two chicken breasts hand shredded worked really well
1 C. frozen spinach.  thawed, drained, chopped
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. oregano
1 T. chopped basil
3/4 C. shredded mozzarella
1 1/2 C. cottage cheese  - I used large curd1/3 C. grated Parmesan cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350*

1.  Cook shells in boiling water according to package, rinse in cold water and set aside.

2  Lightly spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray, spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce evenly over bottom of pan, set aside.

3.  Stir together egg, cottage cheese, chicken, spinach, spices, 1/4 cup mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

4.  Fill each shell with mixture, place in pan.

5.  Spread remaining sauce on top.  Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and bake.

*The picture is left overs paired with broccoli cheddar rice.  Would be great to have some garlic toast to go with it too!   Husband AND four year old approved!

Cheesy Taters & Sausage Casserole

On this one I ended up improvising and tweaking a bit.  I couldn't find Velveeta cheese anywhere in my local Kroger and I already had sausage I could use.  Still, it turned out yummy!

Original Recipe:

1 pound (3 cups) potatoes; peeled, boiled, cubed

4 T. butter

4 T. flour

2 C. milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 pound (8 oz) Velveeta cheese, cubed.

1/2 C. (4oz) sharp Cheddar, shredded

1 pound (3 cups) smoked sausage

Directions: Preheat oven 350* F

- Cut sausage in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2 inch "half moons".  Cook in fry pan 15 minutes.

- Meanwhile, put cooked & diced potatoes in 2 quart casserole dish.  Add cooked meat & gently toss.

- Mix all remaining ingredients (except shredded cheddar) in saucepan over medium heat until warm, melted & smooth, stirring constantly.

- Pour sauce over meat & potatoes. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and bake 30-35 minutes.

My Way!

2  large potatoes, peeled & diced

4 T butter

4 T flour

2 C. milk

8 oz  shredded cheese

6  stadium brats, sliced.

I preheated the oven to 350*

-I threw the taters in a pot of water to boil them, threw the brats in a fry pan to sizzle for about 15 minutes.

-Meanwhile, I melted the butter in a sauce pan, mixed in the flour, slowly added the milk until nice and smooth (stirring constantly).  Then I dumped in 1/4 bag of mexican blend, shredded cheese, 1/4 bag of sharp cheddar shredded cheese, stirred until melted. (because I had those two cheeses that needed to be used up)

- Drained the taters and spread half on bottom of my casserole dish, layered on the brats and topped with remaining taters.

- Poured sauce over entire thing and tossed it in the oven for 30 minutes.

We seasoned to taste after dishing it into individual bowls.  Taters came out firm enough for hubby to stab with a fork, and soft enough for me to mash.  

Breakfast Pie

The title is a lie for our family.  We have never eaten this for breakfast, but it's a favorite for dinner!
Okay, hubby & I really like it, our 4 year old picks all the meat out and leaves the crust.

What you'll need:
1 tube crescent rolls
2 eggs
8 oz shredded cheese (any will do, I use left over mozzarella, monterrey-jack or mexican blend)
salt & pepper to taste
1 T. grated parmesan cheese
1 C. meat (again, left overs are great for this. I generally use cubed ham or chopped up sausage. Steak works well took, haven't tried chicken though)

Preheat oven to 350* F

1.  Use crescent rolls to form crust in pie pan. Save extra (usually 1-2) to make lattice on top.
2.  Mix everything together in medium bowl and pour onto crust.
3.  Cut remaining crescent rolls into thin strips and create the lattice.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes to cool a little, serve warm.

More Monkey Bread

I love, love, love monkey bread.  Here are three more ways of making it! I have tried each one of them and devoured the results. Since I got my new oven I haven't made any in the microwave.(method I)


Method II:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cans refrigerated biscuits
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350* F, lightly grease bundt pan with cooking spray.
2. Mix sugar & cinnamon together in bowl or bag.
3. Cut/Tear each biscuit into fourths. Toss/Shake in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Layer in pan.
4. In small bowl combine brown sugar & melted butter; pour over biscuits.
5. Bake 28-32 minutes.  Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto serving plate.

I also drizzled a little sweetened condensed cream over it while it's cooling.

Method III (yeast free - dough from scratch)
*Dough:                                      **Coating                            
2 1/2 cups flour                                1 cup brown sugar                
1 1/2 tsp baking powder                   2 tsp cinnamon                      
1/2 tsp coarse salt                             4-8 T. butter
4 T. melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup milk

***Glaze
 1 cup powdered sugar
 2 T milk

Preheat 425* F      grease or spray bundt pan
*1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda & salt
  2. In small bowl, whisk milk &  melted butter. Pour over dry ingredients and mix until scraggly.
  3. Knead a few times until smooth.
  4. Press out on floured surface to form 8 x 8 square  Using sharp knife or pizza cutter cut dough into small squares. Roll each square into a ball.

**Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt butter in a separate bowl.
- Dip dough in butter, let excess drip off, then dip in brown sugar mix.  Layer in pan, staggering seams.

Bake 20 mins.  Cool 5 minutes then turn out on plate.

*** Whisk powdered sugar & milk until smooth, drizzle over warm bread.

Method IIII (using yeast dough from scratch)
*Dough                                   **Coating                              
2 T softened butter                       1 cup brown sugar                  
2 T melted butter                          2 tsp cinnamon                      
1 cup warm milk                           8 T butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 pkg rapid rise yeast
3 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp salt

***Glaze
  1 cup powder sugar
  2 T milk


*Oven rack med-low position, heat to 20* & turn off.  Using 2 T butter, coat pan & set aside.
1. Mix milk, water, melted butter, sugar and yeast in bowl.  In mixer with dough hook; combine flour & salt on low, slowly add milk mixture. When it comes together increase speed to medium until shiny & smooth.
2. Turn onto lightly floured surface, knead to form smooth ball.  Coat large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in warm oven for 50-60 minutes until it doubles in size.
**Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in bowl. Place melted butter in second bowl.

Gently remove dough from bowl, pat into rough 8 inch square.  Cut into 64 pieces and roll each into a ball. Dip in butter then cinnamon-sugar mix. Layer in bundt pan staggering seams. Cover with plaster wrap and put in oven 50-70 minutes.

Remove & heat oven to 350* F.  Unwrap pan and bake 30-35 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes before turning out on plate.

*** Whisk powdered sugar and milk until smooth, drizzle over warm bread.