"It's the company, not the cooking, that makes the meal!" ~Perilee 
(Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson)



Sunday, July 17, 2011

Chicken with Mushrooms and White Sauce


This recipe has been in our "GOOD Recipe!" file for several years. When I got mushrooms in my BB basket last week this recipe popped into my mind. It never disappoints our tastebuds.

Chicken with Wine Sauce is the title on the recipe card 7:7 from my Easy Everyday Cooking file.
*This recipe calls for white wine but chicken broth can be used, hence the reason I changed my title of the recipe. This recipe is so rich and delicious, enjoy it!

Chicken with Mushrooms and White Sauce

4 Skinless, boneless, chicken breast (4 oz ) each
1/3 cup All-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter or margarine
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 Tablespoons dried parsley
3/4 cup whipping cream

Pound each chicken breast to a 1/4-inch thickness. Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on waxed paper. Coat chicken with flour mixture. Shake off excess.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, cook chicken over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside; cover to keep warm.
Add mushrooms and white wine/chicken broth to skillet. Cook stirring continually, for about 2 minutes. (I like to add so minced garlic or garlic salt and 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions with the mushrooms for added flavor. Its great without it too.) Add parsley and whipping cream to skillet. Cook over low heat stirring continually, until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Serve sauce over chicken.

We like to serve this with a fresh salad or steamed seasonal vegetable side and a slice of nice bread. The perfect partner for it is angel hair pasta, but as you can see from our picture we like it with rice too.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Easy S'more Brownies

I got this idea from a Betty Crocker e-newsletter. I didn't follow their recipe exactly, but I am sure you could find it on their website. I simply made our favorite brownies from a box. I used the new flat and square marshmallows (the original recipe used mini marshmallows and covered the entire pan) I thought it would be easier to cut if the marshmallow was seperated. These square marshmallows worked great each brownie had its own and it worked great. Chop or break up some graham crackers and chocolate, then sprinkle on top of the toasted marshmallows while still warm.

To toast the marshmallows I simply turned the oven to broil after the brownies were completely cooked to insure that I wouldn't over bake the brownies and still end up with a tasty toasted marshmallow. I will say that I did not put enough chopped chocolate on the top, so next time I will be adding more. Can you ever have to much smooth and creamy chocolate?

Monday, June 20, 2011

Teriyaki Chicken and Noodles


It has been a while since I posted anything! I finally cooked something that got rave reviews from my kids and my nieces and nephews. My sister-in-law and her kids all gave this 5 stars and so did we. I snagged this recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up blog; almost everything I have cooked from her blog has gotten rave reviews. She is an excellent cook. I will say that I always CUT BACK the ingredients sometimes its been to cut back on the amount of cream of mushroom soup cans or the sugar for my health as well as the wallet. For this recipe I cut the sugar back by 1/4 cup. If I am going to eat that much sugar I want it to be in my treats not my main course. I think no matter how you may modify this recipe for your liking that you will find it a quick and easy meal that pleases those who like a little Japanese meal occasionally.

Teriyaki Chicken and Noodle Bowl (for the original recipe see www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com)

4 Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
salt and pepper
3 Large Carrots
1 Red Pepper (I used several small sweet peppers from my Bountiful Basket)
8 Mushrooms
1/2 Sweet Onion (original calls for red)
1 16 oz pkg. Angel Hair Pasta or Thin spaghetti noodles

Teriyaki Saucea
1 1/2 cups COLD water
1/2 cup packed Brown sugar (Original recipe calls for 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
3 Tablespoons Corn Starch
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil

Cut chicken thighs into strips or bite size pieces. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add your chicken. Salt and Pepper to taste. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently; chicken should be golden brown on all sides.

While chicken is cooking, chop your vegetables-chopping them small, but not finely. When the chicken is cooked through, remove from pan, keeping it warm and letting it rest. Add remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil to your hot pan and cook veggies until crispy tender.

Meanwhile mix all Teriyaki Sauce ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Once the veggies are cooked remove from the pan and keep warm with the chicken. Pour your Teriyaki Sauce into the hot pan. Cook whisking frequently until mixture thickens; roughly 3-5 minutes. When sauce is thick remove from heat.

To serve**, place noodles with chicken and vegetables , and top with desired amount of Teriyaki Sauce.

** We served it up in individual portions which worked great. Where we doubled the recipe for company, everyone was able to eat their fill, and the left over noodles could be used for butter noodles or spaghetti noodles the next day because they weren't covered in sauce.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Green Tomatillo Chicken

My mom called me today wanting to know what I do with Tomatillo's so I am posting this recipe for her. We have had this recipe in our keeper pile since 2005. It won't have a picture because I haven't cooked it recently, but Jack loves the sauce. You can make it as mild or as hot as you wish by the salsa ingredients. We have used homemade salsa (recipe included below) or by it at the store when we don't have the fresh ingredients on hand. We love crockpot recipes that please our tastebuds. Mom I hope you enjoy this recipe! Good Luck


Green Tomatillo Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup green tomatillo salsa (a.k.a Salsa Verde on the store shelf)
1 1/2 cups sour cream (now you know why it taste so rich and creamy!)

Place the chicken breast in the crockpot. In a small mixing bowl, combine the onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and salsa. Pour this sauce over the chicken breast. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours or high 3 to 4 hours. Remove the chicken from the crockpot, stir the sour cream into the juices in the stoneware and blend well. Pour this sauce over each piece of chicken.

Makes 6 servings

WE LOVE TO SERVE THIS CHICKEN AND SAUCE OVER RICE!


We also make the Tomatillo Salsa Fresh whenever we can

Fresh Tomatillo Salsa (From Southernfood.about.com)

A tomatillo salsa recipe, made with fresh tomatillos and lime juice, along with chile peppers and seasonings.


2 Anaheim chile peppers, roasted, peeled, and chopped **

1 pound fresh tomatillos, peeled, stems removed, about 10 to 12 **

2 fresh Serrano chiles, cut in half **

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1/4 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt



Pulse tomatillos in food processor until coarsely chopped. Add peppers and next 3 ingredients; pulse until small dice, but do not over process. Pour into a serving bowl. Stir in the olive oil, lime juice, and salt until well blended. Cover and chill.


** I always remove the husks and wash the stickiness off the tomtillos as best I can, then I cut them in half and place them as well as my peppers on a cookie sheet and roast them under the oven broiler for about 7 minutes. Then puree all the tomatillo salsa ingredients together in a blender.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Ground Beef Roast


This recipe comes out of a cookbook my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas two years ago. She made this dish for dinner. I honestly don't care for meat loaf that much so I wasn't that excited about it, but I was SO HAPPY that someone else was the brainpower behind dinner (always a nice break ;-}). I was so surprise that I loved this dish! I don't know if it was because I was pregnant (no knowing it yet) and just need the extra protein, but I am banking on it just being a taste that suites me. I made it the other night when Cameron requested noodles and meatballs. I didn't feel like rolling individual meatballs, nor did I have the time, so this recipe came to mind. It was as good on my taste buds as it was two years ago. My kids LOVED it and requested seconds then expressing how many stars they thought it deserved. It was a hit for all of us. I was especially excited because of all the green bell peppers I have been getting in my basket and needed to use. This was a quick pull together meal, but it does need 1 hour to bake.

We like mashed potatoes or buttered noodle as or choice of side, as well as a salad or other vegetable. This is a family favorite and will make its appearance more in the rotation of favorites.

Ground Beef Roast (Big Flat Meat Loaf in a Baking Dish)
Original recipe from Nancy Schiffer, Kaycee, WY out of Eatin' with Sal cookbook p.11

2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground sausage meat
1/2 cup milk
4 slices bread, torn in pieces, or 1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup dry parsley or 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 Tablespoon soy sauce

For the topping:
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup catsup mixed with 1.2 cup water

Place the bread and milk in a bowl, add the parsley, eggs, salt and pepper and soy sauce; mix well. Add the meats and blend all together lightly.I usually use my hands.
Pat the meat mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, or something sort of that size; sprinkle the onion and pepper over the top and drizzle with the catsup mixture over the top. Bake for an hour at 350.

**3 lbs of meat is a lot of meat for our little family so I halved the recipe:

Ground Beef Roast (1/2 recipe-my amounts and alterations)
1.5 lbs lean ground beef
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Panko crumbs
1/8 cup (2 T.) Dried Parsley
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoons Pepper
1 Tablespoon soy sauce

Topping:
1/2-1 cup chopped Green Pepper **
1/2-1 cup chopped Onion (I use sweet onions 99.9% of the time) **
1/2 cup catsup mixed with 1/4 cup water.

**I mixed some of the peppers and onions in with the meat mixture thought my kids would like it better that way. Then I sprinkled the remaining pepper and onion pieces over the top of the catsup layer.

Place the bread and milk in a bowl, add the parsley, eggs, salt and pepper and soy sauce; mix well. Add the meats and blend all together lightly.I usually use my hands.
Pat the meat mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, or something sort of that size; sprinkle the onion and pepper over the top and drizzle with the catsup mixture over the top. Bake for an hour at 350.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Chicken Marinara


This is a nice dish that comes together in roughly 30 minutes. There are steps you can do ahead of time if you know that the dinner hour time is going to be hectic or crunched. Seems to be the story of everyday living for most families now days.

Chicken Marinara

1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Large Carrot
1 Medium Zucchini
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
4 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast, Pounded to 1/4-inch Thickness
1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
Salt and Pepper
1 (14 oz) can Stewed Italian Tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced black olives
5 medium mushrooms sliced (about 3 oz. I have even used a 4 oz can of Mushrooms)

Cut bell pepper, carrots, and zucchini into thin sticks about 3 inches long; set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil; cook chicken until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Sprinkle with oregano, salt, and pepper. Remove chicken from skillet. Add tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, bell pepper, carrot and zucchini to skillet. Cook covered, for 3 minutes. Return chicken to skillet; increase heat to medium-high. Cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened and chicken and vegetables are tender.

* We like to serve this with Angel Hair or Linguine pastas or it's good over rice too.

**Make Ahead steps: Slice bell pepper, zucchini, and carrots 1 day ahead. To store wrap in damp paper towels, place in plastic bags and refrigerate.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Coconut Syrup

My kids love coconut syrup (The IHOP copycat recipe we have) and are always requesting it. I have tried to make it without buttermilk and butter using milk, lemon juice, and margarine. It is good but just not the same. So today I made a different version after looking at some recipes that said theirs tasted like what is served in Hawaii. Seeing that I have never been to Hawaii I wouldn't know but we liked this new recipe too. I personally could do without the shredded coconut in it but Cameron really liked it. The plus side to this recipe for me is that it is a pantry recipe. I can store all the needed items or have them already in my food storage items, so it can be made at anytime.


Jill's Pantry Coconut Syrup

1 (13.5 oz) can Coconut Milk, unsweetened
2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
2 1/2 cups White Sugar (Now you know why the kids love it!)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Whisk together the coconut milk and cornstarch in a saucepan until the cornstarch is dissolved. Pour in the sugar, water, and coconut; bring to boil, stirring continually. As soon as the mixture comes to a roiling boil, remove from heat. Allow to cool before serving.