Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Cajun: Creamy Chicken Cajun Pasta

Tuesday Night Patty brought Creamy Chicken Cajun Pasta.  She found the recipe on Pinterest.  That seems to be a great place to find things when you're looking!

Source: delish.com via Patty on Pinterest


Creamy Chicken Cajun Pasta (via delish)
  • 8 ounce(s) whole-wheat fusilli or rotini
  • 1 tablespoon(s) canola oil
  • 2 slice(s) bacon, chopped
  • 1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 pound(s) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, sliced
  • 3 clove(s) garlic, minced
  • 4 teaspoon(s) Cajun seasoning (see Tip)
  • 1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
  • 1 can(s) (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
  • 1/2 cup(s) sliced scallions for garnish
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, bell pepper, garlic, Cajun seasoning, and pepper. Cook stirring, until the onion and bell pepper are beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.
  3. Add flour and stir to coat. Add tomatoes and their juice; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is bubbling and thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in sour cream.
  4. Stir the pasta into the sauce. Serve sprinkled with scallions, if desired.

    Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 vegetable, 2 lean meat, 1 fat Carbohydrate Servings: 2 1/2 Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (53% daily value), Vitamin A (23% dv), Iron (21% dv), Magnesium & Potassium (20% dv).

And in fashion, this is what ours looked like:
 Hello Yum!! 
Photobucket


Creamy Chicken Cajun Pasta

by Nicole
Ingredients
  • 8 ounce(s) whole-wheat fusilli or rotini
  • 1 tablespoon(s) canola oil
  • 2 slice(s) bacon, chopped
  • 1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 pound(s) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, sliced
  • 3 clove(s) garlic, minced
  • 4 teaspoon(s) Cajun seasoning (see Tip)
  • 1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
  • 1 can(s) (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
  • 1/2 cup(s) sliced scallions for garnish
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain. 
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, bell pepper, garlic, Cajun seasoning, and pepper. Cook stirring, until the onion and bell pepper are beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. 
3. Add flour and stir to coat. Add tomatoes and their juice; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is bubbling and thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in sour cream. 
4. Stir the pasta into the sauce. Serve sprinkled with scallions, if desired. 

Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 vegetable, 2 lean meat, 1 fat Carbohydrate Servings: 2 1/2 Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (53% daily value), Vitamin A (23% dv), Iron (21% dv), Magnesium & Potassium (20% dv).
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Monday, February 25, 2013

Brown Derbies


Brown Derbies



What you need:

Derby:
2 lbs ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 Lg Onion

Sauce:
3 cans Campbell's beef gravy
5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup margarine
4 tablespoons flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set to the side

Lightly spray a large casserole dish with non stick spray

Mix the ingredients for the derby (w/o onion) and form into 8 patties

Place the patties in a single layer in the casserole dish

Slice the onion and place the slices on top of the patties

Next pour the sauce onto the patties

Cover the casserole dish with foil

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, or until patties are cooked all the way through

I usually serve this with mashed potatoes, to utilize the extra brown gravy from the dish


You can actually change this up by using the seasonings that you prefer

Friday, February 22, 2013

Caramel Corn

I think that by the time I finish typing this recipe out, I will feel compelled to rush to the kitchen to make it again! (It has been a week.)
8 cups of popped popcorn (I do it old school, not microwave)
4 cups of rice Chex cereal (trust me...yummy)
2 cups of small pretzels
(1 cup of nuts-optional...as in I rarely add)

Mix these things together in a large baking dish (as in bigger than a 9x13...or use 2 9x13)

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine/butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
Cook these 3 things on the stove until boiling, then reduce heat and cook 5 minutes,without stirring. Remove pan from the heat and add...

1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pour this mixture over dry ingredients, while mixing (coverage will not look complete, so that is okay...sorry but I forgot to take any more photos at this point...you know, where they would've been helpful.) Bake for 30 minutes at 350, stirring after every ten minutes. Pour out onto to cookie sheets and break apart while cooling/sampling! Store in an airtight container once cool.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Donnie's Delight

Inspiration came from this pin



Donnie's Delight
2 pkgs. cream cheese,
8 oz. ranch dressing,
2 -10 oz. cans chicken, drained well
shredded cheddar.
Couple Dashes of Hot Sauce

Melt first 3 ingredients together with a handful of shredded cheddar. Mix in chicken (I shred it).  Add a couple dashes of hot sauce. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle top with shredded cheddar (light cover). Bake at 375 for 15-20 mins or until cheese on top is melted. Serve with crackers.

and ours turned out like this:
Photobucket

Monday, February 18, 2013

Grilled Pepperoni Chicken


Grilled Pepperoni Chicken Breasts

What you need:

4-6 chicken breasts
8-12 slices pepperjack cheese
24-36 pepperoni slices
toothpicks

1. Lay chicken breasts flat on counter and pound out until thin.
2. In center of chicken, place 3 pepperoni in a row.
3. Place a slice of cheese on top of the pepperoni.
4. Line 3 more pepperoni on the cheese slice.
5. Next roll the chicken like a jelly roll and place toothpick(s) through the
center to hold in place.
6. Grill the chicken until done. Cooking times vary between grills.
7. Before taking the chicken off the grill, place another slice of pepperjack cheese on top of the chicken and melt....

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplins


Crockpot Chicken & Dumplins

What you need:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

What to do:
Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Happy Mardi Gras {Fat Tuesday} - King Cake

The classic King Cake is a traditional cake that is generally eaten in Louisiana during the season between 12 days after Christmas and Fat Tuesday.  A King Cake is oval-shaped, like the pattern of a racetrack.  Trademark decorations--sugars in the royal colors of purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power)--honor the three kings who visited the Christ child on Epiphany, the 12th day after Christmas.

I thought it would be a fun thing to take to Sunday Night Dinner since last night was the last Sunday before Mardi Gras.  It was funny because I swear everyone was avoiding finding the baby like it had the plague or something.

The baby you ask??  Well, inside each King Cake there is a baby (or a pecan or a coffee bean) hidden.  I've found that it has 2 meanings.  1) The person who finds the baby will have good luck for the next year.  2) The person who finds the baby has to supply the next King Cake.  I read the latter of the two because they say that especially in the New Orleans area, there will be a King Cake pretty much every Friday of the season.  It also said you can tell the locals who were born with the tradition to the new comers.

So I'm just trying to educate you in case you ever find yourself in that situation :).


NOTE! You may NOT prepare and serve this before Twelfth Night (Jan. 6) or after Mardi Gras Day!

Mardi Gras King Cake adapted via here
Dough
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 pkg. (envelope) active dry yeast (1 tbsp)
½ cup white sugar
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 eggs
Filling
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
Icing
2 cups sifted sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp water
Decorating sugars (purple, green and gold)
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
  • Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan until it reaches a temperature of about 110 degrees.
  • In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in the milk and butter mixture. Add the sugar, 3 cups of the flour, salt, nutmeg, lemon juice and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.
  • Lightly grease a large mixing bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a lightly damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

  • Deflate the dough by punching it once and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin and roll it into a rectangle that is about 10 x 14-inches. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it evenly over the butter.

  • Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam by pinching it together.
  • Form the log into a ring, pinching the dough together at the two ends to form a seam.
  • Place in a greased 13 x 9-inch pan. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise again for 30-45 minutes.
  • Remove towel and bake the ring for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. While the ring is baking, combine the icing ingredients.
  • When the ring comes out of the oven, coat it generously with icing. Then decorate the top with colored sugars (green, gold, purple), in alternating sections, about 2 inches each.

Don’t forget to hide the plastic baby charm inside, but warn everyone to look for it!





King Cake

by Nicole
Prep Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
    Dough
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1/3 cup butter, melted
    • 1 pkg. (envelope) active dry yeast (1 tbsp)
    • ½ cup white sugar
    • 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp. salt
    • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 3 eggs
    Filling
    • 1/3 cup butter, softened
    • 1 cup packed brown sugar
    • 2 Tbsp. cinnamon
    Icing
    • 2 cups sifted sugar
    • 2 tbsp lemon juice
    • 2 tbsp water
    • Decorating sugars (purple, green and gold)
    Instructions
    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
    Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan until it reaches a temperature of about 110 degrees.
    In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in the milk and butter mixture. Add the sugar, 3 cups of the flour, salt, nutmeg, lemon juice and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.
    Lightly grease a large mixing bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a lightly damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
    Deflate the dough by punching it once and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin and roll it into a rectangle that is about 10 x 14-inches. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it evenly over the butter.
    Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam by pinching it together.
    Form the log into a ring, pinching the dough together at the two ends to form a seam.
    Place in a greased 13 x 9-inch pan. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise again for 30-45 minutes.
    Remove towel and bake the ring for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. While the ring is baking, combine the icing ingredients.
    When the ring comes out of the oven, coat it generously with icing. Then decorate the top with colored sugars (green, gold, purple), in alternating sections, about 2 inches each.
    Don’t forget to hide the plastic baby charm inside, but warn everyone to look for it!
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    Monday, February 11, 2013

    Zesty Chicken Strips


    Zesty Chicken Strips

    I heard someone talking about this chicken....and thought...hhhmmmm that doesn't sound right...I am glad I tried it though. It is YUMMY!

    What you need:

    1 Package of chicken breast (deboned)
    6-8 eggs
    1 package of Sour Cream & Onion Lays potato chips

    Preheat oven to 400

    Cut the chicken into strips or chunks. I found strips easier.

    Crack the eggs and place them in a large Ziploc bag along with the chicken, to coat the chicken. Shake and smoosh the bag and have fun....lol

    Next place foil on a large cookie sheet, and spray the foil with non stick spray.

    Open the bag of chips and let your frustrations out if you have any. Basically crush all the chips into very small pieces.

    ***Next take out ONE piece of chicken from the egg mixture and place in the chip bag and coat the chicken. 

    ***Place the chicken on the cookie sheet.

    Repeat the ***steps until complete

    Bake at 400 degrees until the chicken in a deep golden brown. (timing depends on size and amount of strips)

    This is also a good recipe for the kids to help with. They have alot of fun with the chicken in the egg mixture and shaking the chicken in the chip bag.

    Anyhow, I challenge you to try this...you will be surprised!

    Tuesday, February 5, 2013

    Crockpot: Brat Dinner

    I'm not always big on brats but this dinner was excellent.


    Crock-Pot Bratwurst Dinner
    serves 4

    1lb uncooked bratwurst
    1lb Yukon Gold potato, in 1.5 inch chunks
    1 onion, in 1 inch chunks
    1 (14 oz) can sauerkraut
    1/2 cup water
    1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
    1 tsp dried parsley
    sour cream or Mustard

    1. Place potatoes in the bottom of the crockpot, followed by onion
    2. Place whole (not cut up!) bratwurst over top of the onions and potatoes
    3. Spoon sauerkraut over brats, and then pour water over the sauerkraut
    4. Sprinkle with black pepper and parsley
    5. Cover with crock pot lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours
    6. Serve with sour cream and/or mustard

    Monday, February 4, 2013

    Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken


    Buffalo Chicken Breast ~ Crock Pot Style



    What you need:

    4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

    1/4 cup hot sauce
    1 Tablespoon vinegar
    1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
    2 Tablespoons melted butter
    Paprika
    1 Tablespoon cornstarch
    What to do:

     Place chicken in crock pot. Mix together remaining ingredients (except cornstarch) and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with paprika. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.  Add a tablespoon of cornstarch after it is done to thicken sauce.



    This chicken can be shredded up and served on a toasted bun. You can serve it up with baked beans and cole slaw. You can also use it diced on top of lettuce for a salad - add a few cheese crumbles and mmmmmmmmm.

    Sunday, February 3, 2013

    Broccoli Cheddar Soup



    Here is a pretty awesome Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe...
    You should try it...
    you will LOVE it!
    I promise!

    yes I stole  borrowed this pic from somewhere online...... 

    2 Tablespoons melted Butter
    1 large Onion diced
    1/2 Cup flour
    4 Cups Half n Half
    1 lb Broccoli - fresh
    4 Cups chicken broth
    2 Cups Carrots (julienned)
    1/2 Cup melted butter
    1 lb shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
    1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
    salt n pepper



    First you will saute your onion in the 2 tablespoons of butter... then set aside.
    Next, combine your 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup butter and whisk over a md heat for about 3 minutes.
    You will then slowly add the half n half, while stirring constantly.
    Next, keep stirring and add the chicken broth.
    Simmer for about 20 minutes - stirring occasionally.
    Now add the broccoli, carrots and onion. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes or til the veggies are tender.
    Next you will pour the soup into a blender to puree.
    When you are done, place the soup into a crockpot on a low setting.
    Stir the cheese into the mixture until well blended.
    Add a dash of nutmeg and salt n pepper to taste right befor serving.
    Who needs Panera.... this stuff is the BOMB DIGGITY!