Cost Saving Chicken Meals

I think it is safe to say that we are all feeling the effects of the current economy. From gas to groceries to our monthly salaries.

We are a chicken loving family and have chicken at least 3 times a week. I used to buy regular chicken breasts but those started to run 4 for about $12.00. So then I started to buy thin sliced chicken breasts. I used to be able to get 4 to 5 thin cut breasts for $6 but now the price is $9-11! Even chicken fingers went up in price.

Since we love our chicken I wanted to find a way to cut down on the cost while still buying nice meat. I saw an add one week in the Stater Bros. flyer for whole chickens at .75 cents a pound.

I decided to give it a try. I bought a 5 pound chicken for $3.75! Yes a whole fresh chicken is cheaper than 4 to 5 chicken breasts. The most I have ever paid, at full price of .99 cents, was $5.36 for a 5.4 pound chicken.

After roasting it in the oven for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, we had a delicious dinner with plenty of meat left over. I am able to get 3 dinners out of my whole chicken. That is at most $1.78 a meal. I am saving between $9 and $10 a dinner for chicken!

Every week from then I have bought and roasted a whole chicken to serve at 3 meals.

Here are various meals we get from the whole roasted chicken:

• Chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans and muffins
• BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with fries/tatertots, baked beans, and pickles
• Honey Mustard Chicken with rice, corn/cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls
• Chicken and noodles
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Chicken Tacos
• Chicken Burritos
• Chicken Tostadas
• Chicken Chimichangas

The possibilities are endless. You can make pretty much any chicken meal by using a whole roasted chicken. And in the process save a good amount of money each week and month.

I was spending between $108 and $135 a month on chicken. Now I am spending between $21.40 and $26.75 a month on chicken. That is a savings of $86.60 to $108.25.

I hope this post is helpful and inspires you to find other ways to save money each month on your grocery bill.

I have the butcher cut the whole chicken in half down the breast bone. Makes it easier to cook and handle. Also makes cleaning the insides out a lot easier. Or you could be like me and ask the butcher to clean out the insides too.

Easter Dessert 2011 - The Perfect Pick Me Up

Because life around here is finally a little less stressful and more stable I was finally able to contribute a dessert for Easter dinner!


I began my search for the perfect Easter dessert back in February. I started to clip out desserts from my monthly Food Network magazines as well as look up top desserts on Food Network, The Cooking Channel, and All Recipes.


While browsing some recipes of Paula Deen I came across this very springtime looking dessert - Lemon Blueberry Tiramisu. It looked so light and refreshing. I just knew this was the dessert I was going to make.


So I write down my list and head to my local grocery store. Hmm...I can't get all the ingredients. That's ok! I will just head to Trader Joes. Oh, what, excuse me? Lady Fingers are seasonal here? Oh boy. You can't make a tiramisu with no ladyfingers! What was I going to do?


Oh yea! That's right there is Gerrad's. They carry a lot of international and hard to find foods. It is a very quaint little store but oh so expensive.


So I finally come back home with ingredients in hand and get to work. I follow along and do exactly what the recipe says. So why is my heavy cream marscapone mixture so thin? Hmm, maybe the ladyfingers will soak it all up.


Yea...no. The ladyfingers didn't soak up anything. They floated. Like little children in a pool on a hot summer day.


Needless to say it was a major FAIL!


I sent Mike back out to get the ingredients again (this time all from Gerrard's) while I looked up the how to video on Food Network.


So I'm watching the video and then the lightbulb turns on. Oh...you're supposed to FOLD in the marscapone cheese, NOT beat it in. *the recipe does not state this*


I watched the video about 5 times before Mike arrives home with the goodies. Now armed with the ingredients AND the knowledge to correctly make the dessert, I set off on my quest to make the perfect lime blueberry tiramisu.


I did each step like instructed on the video. Taking my time to not mess up again. I wasn't up to bringing a "This cost me $60 to make" dessert. (Yes the ingredients added up to a little under $20 each time!) So I keep working, dipping the ladyfingers into the lime, laying them out in the baking dish, spreading out the cheese and blueberry filling. After two layers of ladyfingers, cheese filling, and blueberry pie filling I successfully made the dessert.


It looked like art. And after spending nearly $40, I wasn't sure I wanted anyone to cut into my masterpiece. But Mike insisted that I bring it along Easter Sunday. He said after getting the ingredients for me I owed him a slice or two. And I am glad I did bring it. Everyone enjoyed it.


So now that you know you are to FOLD the cheese into the heavy cream, I will gladly supply the recipe below. I hope you enjoy this dessert as much as we all did.


Lime Blueberry Tiramisu (courtesy of Paula Deen):


1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 pound mascarpone cheese at room temperature
3 (3 ounce) packages unfilled ladyfingers (I found 7.5 ounce packagers, so I bought 2)
1 (6 ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate thawed
1 (21 ounce) can blueberry pie filling


In a large bowl, beat heavy cream with an electric mixer at medium speed until thickened. Gradually add confectioner's sugar and beat until soft peaks form.


Gently fold in mascarpone cheese, set aside.


Dip ladyfingers one at a time into limeade concentrate. Line a 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish with ladyfingers. You will have to go horizontal and verticle to fill the entire dish.


Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture over lady fingers. Top with half of blueberry pie filling.


Repeat process above, dipping lady fingers into the limeade, laying them on top of the filling and then spreading the cream cheese and pie filling on top of ladyfingers.


Cover tightly with saran wrap and chill at least 8 hours to set. (I made mine the day before)


The only thing I am going to change when I make this again is to dip the lady fingers into actual lime juice and use more blueberry pie filling.



They Call It KitchenAid Love

From the time I was a teenager until I moved out I was constantly telling my mom that we needed a KitchenAid Stand Mixer. My heart always went pitter-patter when I would see one of my favorite Food Network Chefs use one. "Look mom, you don't have to stand over the bowl and mix for 4 minutes!" "Look mom, you can just pour in the ingredients as the mixer keeps mixing!" "Wouldn't that be great for those sticky cookie recipes?" 

Well my years of bugging paid off! My parents bought me a Cobalt Blue 5qt KitchenAid Stand Mixer as a wedding gift. I instantly fell in love! My mind raced with thoughts on how I could use it! After we got home, I immediately set it out on the kitchen counter. I couldn't stop touching it, admiring it. I finally had a KitchenAid Stand Mixer! To this day I still smile as I lovingly gaze at my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. It is by far the best appliance you can have in your kitchen. Now if it only did the dishes...

My stand mixer has been well loved over the past 8 years. I use it to make cookies, cupcakes, and cakes. This summer I plan on buying the ice cream attachment. And maybe some day in the far off future I will buy the pasta attachment and try to make my own pasta. Maybe!

Today I made chocolate chip cookies with my new KitchenAid Flex Edge Beater. With the regular beater you have to constantly scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are mixed together. With the new flex edge beater, you no longer have to worry about that!

I first had to whip together the egg and butter. I watched at the flex edge whisked away the butter and egg from the bowl. I was quite impressed! I had high hopes that the beater would continue to work its magic as all of the ingredients were mixed together. It did not let me down. I watched spin after spin as the cookie dough was taken away from the bowl and brought back into the main dough. The dough was also very smooth and mixed together well. I give this attachment two thumbs up!

There is a rival to this awesomely great attachment called the BeaterBlade. Unlike KitchenAide attachments, the BeaterBlade is made of plastic. The KitchenAide beater is solid metal and will last years! I would be afraid of the plastic breaking off and getting into the dough.

So give this new attachment a try. You will love it!



Cheese Ravioli In A Creamy Red Sauce With Peas and Proscuitto

When the current issue of Food Network Magazine hit my hot little hands I could not wait to browse through it. It was deemed the "Italian Issue" and it had page after page of mouth watering recipes. Three of them caught my attention right away, especially the dish on the cover: Cheese Ravioli in a Creamy Red Sauce with Peas and Prosciutto.

I immediately tore out the recipe and added it to my 3 ring binder. I could not wait to try out this recipe.

Tonight I made this dish and boy it did not disappoint! It is a rather filling recipe that takes only 15 minutes from start to finish. Perfect for those busy weeknights where you need a quick and healthly recipe to feed your hungry family.

The original recipe is for 1/2 pound of pasta which will feed 2 people. If you want to make this for a family of 4 to 5 just simply double the ingredients that I mark with an *

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves chopped *
2 ounces of Prosciutto *
1/4 cup Heavy Cream *
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 pound Cheese Ravioli *
1/2 to 3/4 cup Frozen Peas that have been blanched (use 3/4 - 1 cup for 1 pound pasta)
1.5 tablespoon Tomato Paste *
1/2 cup Pasta Water *
Parmesan Cheese (fresh grated, not the sprinkle type)
Directions:

Bring large pot of water to a boil. Remember if you leave the lid on the water will come to a boil faster.

While water is coming to a boil chop garlic and Prosciutto. Prosciutto can be found near the deli section of your grocery store by the speciality cheeses and other deli meats that are pre-packaged.

In skillet, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO over Medium-High heat and begin to cook Prosciutto. Cook until crispy. *it is best to use an all metal skillet for this*

Once the meat is crispy, add the pasta to the boiling water and begin to cook acording to package directions. Typically 7-9 minutes. *please note this recipe is for fresh pasta so everything will come together at the same time. if using frozen allow for more cooking time before cooking the meat*

After the meat is crispy, add in the garlic and cook 1 minute.

Add in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes, stiring frequently.

Laddle in 1 cup of pasta water and stir. Simmer until reduced by half - about 3 minutes.

Add in 1/4 cup heavy cream and stir. Simmer until the sauce is thick.

Add in the blanched peas.

Drain cooked pasta and add to the skillet. Mix well. Take the pasta off of the heat and cover to let set for 3-4 minutes.

Plate the pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. You can find freshly grated Parmesan in your grocers cheese section.'

Serve with a garden salad or garlic bread.

The only thing I am going to change to this recipe next time is adding pepper to the sauce. It needed a little freshly ground black pepper



Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I signed up to bring 38 sugar cookies for two seperate class parties. I found a new sugar cookie recipe this past Christmas on Creating Post It Notes that has a lot of vanilla flavor and bakes up soft! Using a regular sized cookie cutter you will get 5 dozen cookies. I stopped at 50! My hands couldn't take any more rolling, cutting, and sprinkling.

Before I post the recipe, I wanted to offer a few tricks to bake up the best sugar cookie ever:

1. Do not over bake. When the edge of the cookie is lightly brown, it's time to take them out. With this recipe do not be concerned if the cookie is still a light color. It just means it will be nice and soft.

2. Chill your dough. For the first batch this past Christmas I chilled the dough over night. That was way too long! For this batch I chilled the dough for 5 hours and it was perfect.

3. Work in small batches and keep the rest of the dough chilled.

4. Never over use left over dough. I only reuse it once before I toss it. It will become too dry and brittle.

5. Use as little flour on your board as possible. You want the cookies to taste like vanilla and sugar crystals, not flour!

So with all of that said, here is the recipe:

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp milk
6 cups all-purpose flour

• Cream the butter and shortening in a mixing bowl until smooth.
• Add the sugar and cream until fluffy.
• Add one egg at a time, beating between each addition.
• Add the baking powder, extract, salt and milk all at once. Mix well.
• Add the flour, one cup at a time.
• Chill until cold and firm
• When rolling out your dough, do not roll too thinly. Use as little flour as possible when rolling.
• Do not overcrowd your cookie sheet. Give these cookies room to expand a little without fear of bumping into a neighbor.
• Preheat your oven to 375*.
• Cookies will be done baking between 7-10 minutes. Pull from the oven just when the edge start looking slightly brown and cool them on a cooling rack. Don't be afraid if they look too blond. That means they'll be perfectly soft!

Here are the cookies I made this past 4th of July with the same recipe:

Working With What You Have

I am the type of cook who is always looking to reinvent recipes to come up with new ideas based off of the core ingredients. This is really helpful when you forget to stop at your local grocery store to pick up two main ingredients for dinner. While my weekly menu may have said 'Chicken Tortilla Soup' my pantry certainly didn't contain all of the necessary ingredients to make this meal. Oops!

So instead of scratching soup off of tonights meal, I decided to come up with a new soup recipe based off of one that my mom used to make. It was a hit!

Not only did I come up with a new recipe, I also got to try out my new Martha Stewart Red 5.5 Quart Dutch Oven! Macy's had their dutch ovens on sale and if you wore red you got an additional 20% off your purchase. I ended up saving $70.80!

I noticed that I had to cook my onions longer than I did in my metal pot but the soup turned out great! I am looking forward to making a german recipe for Mike this week in my dutch oven. You brown the meat and then finish cooking everything in the oven. That is a big plus to owning a dutch oven. They are own safe up to 450 degrees!

So here is my new soup recipe. I am still trying to come up with a catch name so for now we will call this "Tomato (Chicken) Noodle Soup."

Ingredients:
Swanson 48oz Chicken Broth
1 small white onion - finely diced
2 garlic cloves - finely chopped
1 can stewed tomatoes
3-4 tablespoons tomato paste
Heaping cup of elbow noodles (uncooked)
Salt
Pepper
Rotisseri Chicken - shredded
2 tablespoons veg oil
1 can of beans (I used white) - rinsed and drained

Directions:
Thinly dice onion. Place dutch oven over medium heat. Pour in 2 tablespoons. Add in onions and cook until soft, stirring often.

Add in 2 cloves garlic, cook through.

Add in 3-4 tablespoons tomato paste. Stir until melted and blended in with onion.

Pour in chicken broth, stirring as you go. Mix well.

Add in drained beans.

Add in shredded chicken.

Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat 30 minutes.

Remove lid and taste. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Bring back to a boil.

Add in noddles and cook 15 minutes or until done.

Serve with muffins.

**Chicken is one of the ingredients I forgot to pick up today, so ours was meatless and very good. But next time I will add in the shredded chicken.**

Better Than Chili's Steak Fajitas

Why go to Chili's when you can make your own mouth watering, tender, sizzling, super yummy steak fajitas at home? With a little prep and some down time to allow the meat and veggies to marinate, you will certainly be serving a crowd pleasing recipe!

This recipe is fast to easy to prep and fast to cook which makes it a must serve on busy family nights.

I like to prep my cheese, veggies and meat during lunch time while the kids are away at school so all I have to do before dinner is cook everything. The longer you marinate your meat, the more tender it will be!

Here is my version of Food Networks Steak Fajitas:

Marinade: mix 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup veg oil, 1/2 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon dried or ground oregano, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon round black pepper, and two chopped garlic cloves.

Ingedients for Fajitas:
Flour or Wheat Tortillas (we really like the Carb Balance or Wheat Tortillas)
1/2 large white onion, thinly sliced
1 small red and 1 small yellow bellpepper, sliced
Top Sirloin Steak, thinly sliced
Salsa
Sour Cream
Lime, sliced into wedges
Shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar Cheese
Avacado

Prep: Shred cheese into a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the onion and bellpepper into a bowl and pour a little of the marinade to lightly cover the veggies. Mix well with your hands. Cover with plastic wrap. Place the sliced streak into a Glad Ziplock bag and pour in remaining marinade. Squeeze out all of the air and zip locked. Massage marinade into meat well. Place veggies and meat in fridge on bottom self and let stand at least 2 hours.
Time To Cook:

Slice avacado or make into guacamole and place in fridge.

Slice lime into wedges and place back into fridge.

Heat large skillet and medium skillet on stove over medium heat. Add the marinated steak into the large skillet and the veggies into the medium skillet. Stir frequently. The Steak will be done before the veggies, so remove from heat but leave in skillet.

Once the veggies are soft and somewhat caramelized, add in the already cooked steak to heat through.

Place into a heat resistant glass bowl.

Everyone will be able to make their own fajitas using the tortillas, cheese, sour cream, avacado, salsa, lime, and fajita meat.

As a bonus this marinade is also great on chicken and steak shish kabobs!



Heading To Germany

As I was browsing through my October Food Network Magazine I spotted an article on some favorite German dishes to serve for Octoberfest. Mike spent 5 years in Germany on a now closed Air Force Base and grew up with classic German recipes. He misses the flavors and smells so I immediately tore out the recipe for Sauerbraten. It seems like a good starting recipe to try. Not a lot of fuss and no new techniques.

With some early prep while the kids are in school, there isn't a lot of fuss with this recipe. You cook the marinade, let it cool down, and then add it over the meat in a ziplock bag. I suggest you have some assistance with this!

And after it has marinated for 3 days, you just have to prep the veggies before you brown the meat and place it in the oven.

You will see the ingredient list and probably go WOW, but really it's a simple meal to make. I really like that it bakes. You don't have to constantly stand over the stove to check on dinner.

Ok so here is the recipe that I have tweaked just a bit.

SAUERBRATEN

Ingredients:

3 cups low sodium beef broth (2 for marinade, 1 for day of cooking)
1 cup dry red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon by Gallo or Yellow Tail)
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 medium onions cut into chunks (only cut 1 for marinade, cut the other day of cooking)
5 garlic cloves (3 crushed for marinade, 2 chopped for day of cooking)
2 tablespoons thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 3 to 4 pound boneless beef chuck roast (mine was 2.9lbs)
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 medium carrots, cut into nice bite size chunks
2 stalks of celery, cut into nice chunks
2 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons crushed gingersnap cookies
Salt
Pepper

Marinade:

Combine 2 cups of broth, the wine, vinegar, 1 onion, crushed garlic, thyme, bay leaves, pepper, and cloves in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Place beef in a large ziplock bag and pout marinade over.

Marinate meat for 2-3 days. Message meat and rotate every day. -You should double bag. Mine leaked a little on the 2nd day-

Cooking:

Preheat oven to 350*

Remove meat from marinade. Pat dry and season with salt.

Strain the marinade and set aside

Heat the dutch oven over medium heat.

Add the olive oil

Brown the meat 10-12 minutes on each side and then transfer to a plate

Add the carrots, celery, and onion  to the pot and cook 7-10 minutes (until slightly softened)

Stir in the chopped garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.

Sprinkle in the flour and cook 2 minutes

Stir in strained marinade and 1 cup beef broth. Bring to a simmer.

Add the meat back to the dutch oven, cover, and cook in oven for 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Remove the meat and transfer to a plate.

Whisk in gingersnap cookies and simmer until thickened.

Abby really enjoyed this meal and even had seconds of everything. Her favorite was of course the carrots. The original recipe called for 2, but that was certainly not enough.

If there are leftovers (we didn't have any as my piece of beef was rather fatty - ew!)  this would certainly make a great beef sandwich! Or even beef tacos. I really like dinners where I can get two for the price of one.

I hope you enjoy this meal as much as we did! I am going to be making this again next week. I just hope the gingersnap cookies last until then.

Happy cooking!



Take Two On Two For One Dinners

I have posted a recipe for both Apricot Pork and Pepper Steak. Today I want to show you an option for the left overs.

Typically I only use half of the top sirloin but two nights ago I cooked the entire steak so I wouldn't have to worry about the following nights dinner. All I ended up having to do was cook instant rice, refried beans, and reheat the pepper steak with a little smoked paprika added. The end result is bean, cheese, rice, beef wet burritos that have a similar taste to those at the Mexico Cafe.

For the extra piece of pork I made BBQ Pork Sandwiches with tater tots and corn. You can take canned corn and turn it into a wonderful side dish. I like to drain out the liquid, add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and cook the corn. Towards the end I add in a pinch of salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and dried parsley. The parsley adds a bit of sweetness to the corn along with the real butter. It is definately a hit in this house!

So there you have it, two more ways to take previously posted recipes and create a new family favorite

Apricot Pork Tenderloin *Two For One Dinner*

With a sometimes very busy weekly schedule, I love when I can get two meals out of one night of cooking!

My mom gave me this recipe awhile ago and it is a hit with the family. The pork is so tender that you can cut it with your fork and there is a lot of flavor.

What is great about pork tenderloin is that you get two pieces of meat in the package. I cook both pieces the same and slice up one for that nights dinner and save the other for another meal. So far I have made pork tacos, pork burritos, pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, pork enchiladas, and pork tortilla soup with the left over piece. I also occassionally just reheat the other piece and serve it with different sides than the night before.

So this meal will give you a lot of versatility!

Tonight we had the pork tenderloin with chicken broth white rice, greens beans with red bellpepper, and jellied cranberry sauce. 

Here are the recipes...

Apricot Pork Tenderloin

Marinade: in a ziplock bag add 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon dry thyme, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, salt and pepper.

Add your pork tenderloin to the bag and marinate 3-4 hours.

Cooking: Preheat oven to 325*. Remove pork from marinade. Place pork on a rack (I place my cooling/cooking rack on a foil lined cookie sheet to catch the drippings) and cook for 2 to 2.5 hours. I rotate the pork once half way through cooking so the pork ends up crispy on both the top and the bottom.

Remove from oven when cooked and let set 5 minutes to let the juices settle. Slice at an angle.

Apricot Sauce: in small pot mix 10-12 spoonfulls of apricot jam, 2 tablespoons chicken broth, and 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce. Heat over medium heat, serve on table with pork.

Chicken Broth White Rice

Measure out remaining chicken broth. Pout into medium pot, add a little pepper and bring to a boil. Add exactly that amount of quick white rice to pot, stir, remove from heat, cover and let set 6-7 minutes. Remove lid, fluff and let set another 2-3 minutes. Garnish with green onion.

Green Beans with Red Bellpepper

Bring medium pot of water to boil. Add in cleaned, snipped green beans and cook until fork tender. In skilled add in chunk pieces of red bellpepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Begin to sautee while green beans cook. Drain green beans and pat dry. Add to the skilled and sautee with red bellpeppers until the skin on both starts to brown/blacken some. Sometimes I will squeeze a little lemon juice over them and add some lemon zest.
I hope you enjoy tonights dinner as much as we did!

Tomorrow night I am making pulled pork BBQ sandwiches with the left over pork tenderloin along with corn and tatertots. 



Tortellini with Walnut Butter and Honey Balsamic Syrup

Pasta can be a hit or miss in this house. One of us might light a sauce while the others don't. Two of us might like the pasta while another doesn't. So when I find a pasta dish that we all like...it's a miracle.


I came across this recipe in one of my Food Network Magazines and immediately tore it out to add to my personal recipe book. The original recipe calls for Raviolis, but personally we like Tortellini better. Plus the little nooks are perfect for holding the glaze!


And for any of you that have a nut allergy or a child with a nut allergy, this recipe is delish without the walnut butter. And when I made the dish tonight, I browned the butter without the walnuts and it was still very yummy! Browning butter gives it a nutty flavor, so you won't miss the nuts.


Here is the recipe:


1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
4 tablespoons honey
1 bay leaf
Refridgerated Tortellini or Ravioli
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup fresh sage leaves
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
Grated Parmesan Cheese


Directions:


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Combine the honey, vinegar, and bay leaf in a hot pan. Stir until well mixed. Bring to a boil. Boil 5-7 minutes - until syrupy. Remove from heat. Let stand.


Add ravlioli or tortellini to boil water and cook following package directions.


Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the sage and walnuts and cook until brown and nuts are toasted.


Drain the cooked pasta. Place back into pot and pour in melted butter sauce. Toss until well mixed.


Plate pasta and drizzle with honey balsamic syrup.



Easy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

I guess it is easy to assume that our favorite ethnic cuisine is Mexican! I love the flavors and the bright colors. The fresh ingredients and the involvement of my hands in making the dish.


I subscribe to Food Network Magazine but occassionally pick up other magazines at the grocery store is it contains at least 5 new recipes I would like to try.


Back in September I was flipping through a womens magazine and spotted a new recipe for enchiladas. My mouth was watering as I gazed at the picture.


It is from the kitchen of Campbell's Soup!


I waited until the weather finally got cold (and boy did it get cold and fast!) because the oven has to be on. In the late spring, all through out summer, and deep into fall we cook via our new bar-b-q. Fruits, veggies, and meats are cooked on the grill. Even side dishes as it has a burner for pots and pans.
Getting back to the recipe at hand, last month I was looking for some new recipes to try when this one caught my attention. I have a 3 ring binder with page protectors that hold all of my loose recipes.


Mike had been bugging me to make enchiladas again (he loves my mom's recipe!) so I decided to try a new one and see how he'd like it.


The first time I made it I used cream cheese and omitted the chili powder for Little A. While she loved the chicken and the cheese, she was not fond of the tortilla. She does have sensory processing disorder, so certain textures bother her. I still have to cut up her meat into rather small bites or she will gag and choke.


Mike and I, however, loved the new enchilada recipe! It is easy to make and will leave you with left overs for the next day. That is always an added bonus in this house!


When I made the recipe again last night I used sour cream instead of cream cheese and added in the chili powder since Little A would be eating the chicken before I added it to the mixture. I have to say the chili powder added just the right amount of bite to the dish.


Here is the recipe (I have altered it some):


Prep: 10 min  Bake: 40 min  Makes: 6 servings


Ingredients:


1 can Campbell's Condensed Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Pace Picante Sauce (you choose the heat level)
2 tsp chili powder
2 cups chopped cook chicken OR 1 nice rotisseri chicken
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese + thin slices for top of enchilada
Flour tortillas
1 small tomato chopped
1 green onion sliced


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir soup, sour cream, picante sauce, and chili powder together in large bowl.

Stir in shredded chicken and cheese into mixture.

Spray bottom of glass 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Spoon mixture into into flour tortillas, roll and place seam side down.

Continue until pan is full (this is why I only get 5, 3 across and 2 down)

Pour remaining Pace Picanta sauce over tortillas.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.

Remove foil, and add two thin slices of cheese to each tortilla.

Slide back into oven and cook 10 more minutes.

Allow to cool 3-4 minutes.

Top enchilada with sliced tomato and green onion.

Serve with Mexican rice, chips, and salsa.

Pepper Steak with Fried Rice and Eggrolls

I remember having pepper steak for as far back as I can remember. I wasn't too fond of the steak when I was younger but as I got older I grew to love this dish. In our house the pepper steak was served with steamed rice, chow mein noodles (shipped from Massachusetts) and the cutest little egg roll pillows. Those egg roll pillows were the best! They had just enough filling and because they were square instead of log shapped, they always came out perfectly browned and crispy.


Unfortunately those egg rolls are no longer sold, so I like to serve Chungs Veggie Egg Rolls. You can find those in your grocers freezer (Stater Bros is the cheapest! Albertsons is always $1.20 more).


As my mom will probably tell, I have altered the recipe just a little. And if you are looking for a recipe to sneak in extra veggies, look no further!


Here is the recipe for Pepper Steak:


1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves
4 green onions (use the white and green part)
1 large Red, Yellow, or Orange bellpepper cut into thin strips
2 nice Roma Tomatoes or 1 large garden tomato
2 cans of Reduced Sodium Beef Broth-Swansons
Paprika
1 Top Sirloin Steak (not fatty, but with nice marbling)
10 Snow Peas
Broccoli
2 tablespoos corn starch
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup cold water
White Rice or Brown Rice


Prep:


Clean and dry veggies.


Using KitchenAid scissors, cut up green onions. Then thinly slice bellpepper and cut up tomatoes into bite sized chunks. Break apart broccoli head and remove the string from the snow peas.


Make sure you keep the veggies seperate as they have different cooking times.


Peel and chop two garlic cloves. The easiest way to peel and chop garlic is to lay the garlic on it's side, lay your knife flat against the garlic clove, and using the outter side of your first,  smack your hand down onto the knife to smoosh the garlic glove. I was petrified the first time I tried this but have never cut or sliced open my hand.


On a seperate meat safe cutting board, remove the outter fat rim from the top sirloin and then cut 2 inch long strips. Then at an angle thinly slide the 2" stips. Wash your hands and sprinkle on the paprika. You will want to have a nice cover of paprika on the steak strips.


Thickening Mixture: Add the water and soy sauce into a bowl. Add in corn starch and mix well. Occassionally mix as you are cooking so the corn starch does not settle.


Putting it all together:


Preheat oven to 450 degrees for egg rolls. In a large pot, pour in two cans of beef broth and begin to cook over medium heat. In large skillet, melt down 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add garlic and sautee for 1 minute, stiring frequently! Watch out because garlic can easily burn. Add in top sirloin strips and cook through, browing the meat. Don't over cook or you will end up with tough, chewy meat.


Once the meat is browned and cooked through, add it, the butter sauce, and garlic into the large pot with beef broth.


Simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.


With 15 minutes left of cook time, place egg rolls into oven. Remember to turn them once for even browning. (these take 16 minutes to cook, but I have them get done before the beef so they can cool down!)


After the beef has simmered for 30 minutes, add in the green onions.


3 minutes later, add in the tomatoes.


After 3 minutes add in broccoli, snow peas, and bellpepper and cook 4-5 minutes. You want these veggies to still have some bite to them. Mushy snow peas and bellpepper isn't very appetizing!
Once the veggies are cooked, add in the thickening mixture. Bring to a boil, and let set for a minute before pouring into a heat resistant bowl.


And don't forget to cook your rice!

Chi-Chi's Chimichangas

Michael and I used to enjoy eating out at a local Mexican Restaurant: The Mexico Cafe. They have the best wet burritos and chicken chimichangas that I have ever tasted! But with two special needs kids, eating out really isn't an option anymore.


So when Food Network Magazine published "Copy That : Chi-Chi's Chimichangas" I knew the recipe would be a hit!


There are a lot of steps to this recipe, but if you have everything preped and ready to go, cooking will go smoothly.


Without further adieu here is the recipe (that has been altered some):


Active: 40 min / Total 1 hour / Serves 4 (honestly it serves 3!)


2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons veg oil
1 small white onion, chopped
3 garlic cloved, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1  tomato (I used 2 nice Roma tomatoes), chopped
Shredded Rotisserie Chicken
1/4 cup sour cream
1 can refried beans (uncooked)
Large Flour Tortillas (10" round)
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
Avacado (cut into bite size pieces)


1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Melt butter and 2 tablespoons veg oil in skillet. Transfer to a bowl
3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons veg oil in skilled.
4. Add onion and galic. Cook until soft and clear.
5. Add in chili powder, salt, and cinnamon. Toast for 1 minute.
6. Add in tomato and cook until almost dry
7. Stir in chicken, mix well.
8. Stir in sour cream, mix well.
9. Warm the chicken and sour cream. Remove from heat.
10. Brush a rimmed cookie sheet with butter-oil mixture.
11. Spread a nice layer of refried beans down center of tortilla. Make sure you leave 2 inches on all sides.
12. Spoon in chicken mixture.
13. Top with cheese
14. fold in edges, then fold over sides.
15. Lay seam side down on baking sheet.
16. Brush top of tortilla with butter-oil.
17. Cook 10 minutes and then turn over and cook another 10 minutes.
18. Plate and top with cheese, tomato, salsa and avacado.
19. Allow to cool because the beans will be VERY HOT!
20. Serve with chips/salsa and mexican rice*


*Cook 1/2 cup of rice per person (instant white rice). Once the water has evaporated and rice is cooked, pour in salsa, stir, warm up, cover and let sit 3-4 minutes. Easy Peasy Mexican Rice.



Home Sweet Home

Hi everyone! I have decided to switch over my cooking blog from Typepad to Blogger. I am going to repost the previous recipes here and start up again next week! So some new inspiration will be coming soon.