Mozzerella Chicken Skillet

Since I quit eating boxed and processed foods, this recipe has become my replacement for those deliciously handy but oh so bad for you Hamburger Helper meals. One pan, One pound goodness on a tired night? yea, I dug it. Now I have this recipe though and as many times as I've made it, I've never blogged about it. Which is unbelievable as I blog about everything!

Definately a go to meal to add to your weekday repertoire.



Mozzarella Chicken and Rice Skillet
slightly adapted from Kraftfoods.com

Ingredients:
1 tbs olive oil
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 soup can of milk
2 1/2 cups frozen broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups Minute Rice uncooked
1 cup shredded Mozzerella
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Place chicken breasts in pan, cover and cook about 8 minutes per side. Remove lid and cook an additional 1-2 minutes per side to get a nice crisp brown outside. (check to make sure chicken is cooked through especially if using large breasts).

Remove from skillet. Add soup to skillet and then fill the soup can with milk and add that to skillet. Whisk until blended. Stir in Rice and broccoli and add chicken back on top. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 5-7 minutes until rice is tender. Season with Salt and Pepper. Add mozzerella and cover. Turn heat off and let set for 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Serve hot

2010 Best Recipe Round-up

I think it has become tradition among food bloggers to re-visit their favorite recipes through the year at the close of the year. It's a place to start fresh just like every human does. You get to see how much you have grown, what you have accomplished and get ideas for what is to come in the New Year.

My qualifications for choosing recipes this year are simple: what did I love that I made over and over again. What recipe became a staple in my house. With those in mind, I reviewed all the recipes I posted over the year and there were some that stood out clearly.

2010 Garden Gourmet's Best Recipe Round-up

Southern Fried Chicken The easy fool-proof way to get great Fried chicken like Grandma used to make!

Orange Chocolate Chip Scones An amazing flavor combination in the perfect sweet breakfast concoction on the planet.


Vegetable Pot Pie Excellent for late summer and early fall or to clean out the cellar in spring. Hardy root vegetables make this a filling meal. It's a comfort food classic waiting to happen!

Spinach Lasagna This is probably my most requested dish at family dinner's now since I served it up during Easter. A great way to use up prolific spinach from the garden and get plenty of iron in the diet!

Buttermilk Cupcakes with Chocolate Icing Easy cupcakes that require little effort and ingredients are usually on hand for quick fixes for last minute birthday get togethers, impromptu girl's night etc.

Ina's Coleslaw A hearty twist to a simple coleslaw this version can be eaten alone or piled high on your favorite summer burger or dog. Much more colorful then the tired classic.

If you haven't done so already, definately add these great recipes to your collection. I promise you won't be dissappointed! I hope your year was as full of good food, family and joy as mine has turned out to be. May our New Year be just as adventurous and full of great flavor and family.

Ranch Style Dressing/ Dip mix

So why do I call it Ranch Style? Because its not true ranch. If you been reading this blog long, you know I tend to steer clear of spices, peppers and pork due to past allergy experiences (beginning of the year).

One of the things I’ve been missing most this year is Ranch dressing. I LOVE ranch. Cucumbers and carrots and wedges of lettuce dipped in creamy ranch. Ranch on spaghetti, chicken tenders in ranch. If you can dip it, I like it in ranch.

So I finally broke down, researched what is in Ranch and created my Ranch Style safe version. What I love about this is it is a dry mix that can be stored for months in a dry place or the freezer and you can whip up a dip or dressing in the blink of an eye. It has gone over big time at my parties and I’ve already given the recipe out to half a dozen people they loved it so much. So I am going to share it with you! (Don’t you feel special?)

Krista’s Ranch Style Dressing/Dip Mix
8 tsp minced onion
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 ½ tsp garlic powder

Dump all ingredients into a small Tupperware container. Place the lid on and shake well. Store in a dry dark place or the freezer until ready to use. Shake Well before each use.

For DIP:
1 Cup Mayo
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 ¼ TBS Ranch Mix

For Dressing:
1 cup Mayo
1 cup Buttermilk
1 ¼ TBS Ranch Mix

For either one, add all ingredients in a bowl and whisk till blended and smooth. Chill.

Creamy Pea Pasta

Creamy Pea Pasta has become one of my go to recipes. Quick lunches, easy dinners, and easy to change up. I know I make this atleast once a week, most of the time just so I can have three or four lunches prepacked and ready to grab. Steve? Yea, he's not so keen on it though he does't complain if I add some meat to his portion.

The beauty of this recipe is that its a basic cheese pasta. You can add onions and garlic and spinach and bake it in the oven for extra pizzazz or just leave it as it is for a macaroni and cheese style dish. My favorite way is with the Peas ofcourse. I love that burst of sweet green flavor and it gets that serving of veggies in!

*Pic of basic pasta without peas*

Creamy Pea Pasta
Ingredients:
1/2 box of spaghetti noodles (or one small package)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 stick of butter
2 cups green peas (frozen but thawed)
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesian
1/8 cup gruyere grated
1/2 cup cheddar grated
and I love throwing in one or two small cubes (about 3 tbs) of Velveeta for the cream factor.
2 1/4 cups milk

Directions:
Boil noodles in heavily salted water till tender.

Melt butter in sauce pan. (add onions and garlic if doing so here and cook for a minute or two). Add flour and whisk until smooth. Pour in milk slowly and stir until smooth. When milk mixture is thick enough to coat spoon, turn off heat and add cheeses. Stir until well blended. Toss in peas (and spinach or whatever else you are using at this point) into cheese mixture. Toss mixture with noodles. Serve warm.

Simple, quick and delicious! Dress it up by throwing it in gratin dishes and sprinkly with bread crumbs and baking with a side of garlic bread and fresh salad or keep it simple for weekly lunches. YUM!
*Picture with Peas and Thawed Chopped Spinach*

Spinach Lasagna

I’ve been in the mood for spinach lasagna and have seen several recipes surfing around Food Network and blogs of late. None of them were quite exactly what I was looking for. I did not want the sauce to mimic my chicken lasagna with its tangy cream cheese. I chose to go with a simplified cheese sauce made from a standard roux but mix it with a traditional lasagna stuffing. What was produced was EXCELLENT! A great base to any veggie lasagna and I can’t wait to make this again. It went too fast. So fast, I didn’t even get a chance to snap a picture before we dug in. This is one recipe that will definately be added to the rotation.

Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients:
¾ of a container of Ricotta (about 11-12 ounces)
¾ cup of cottage cheese
1 egg
1 large bag of frozen chopped spinach (two-three of the boxes)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
12 lasagna noodles (boiled till al dente in salted water)
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup flour
3 ¼ cups milk
1 ball of fresh mozzarella (3-4 ounces)
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 1/2 ounces of fresh parmesan flaked

Directions:
In large mixing bowl, mix ricotta, cottage, egg, spinach and salt and pepper.

Melt butter in sauce pan and add onions for about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add flour and stir until smooth and thick. (about 1 minute). Add milk and stir. Cook until sauce just coats the spoon. Add fresh mozzarella (lightly chopped into cubes) and parmesan. Stir until thick and mozzarella is just melting.

Add cheese sauce to spinach mixture and fold in until well mixed. Use a 9 x 13 pan and layer spinach sauce, then noodles, and repeat (about three times). Top with remaining sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes until lasagna is bubbly and cheese crust is golden brown.

Easy Vegetable Pot Pie

This is probably one of my new favorite recipes. The Hubby wasn't too happy because "Where's the meat?" but he survived. My sister enjoyed it and said it was light and a tad sweet. Apparently my mom enjoyed it as the leftover's I sent home didn't even make it to my Dad. LOL I'm going to make this again but with a homemade crust. As I was working on cleaning out our stores of food though, this is what came out of it and I have to say, for getting inspiration from an episode of Barefoot Contessa and running with what I had on hand, this dish was phenomenal. I love those "accidental" masterpieces! I think I could live off of this stuff and feel NO GUILT whatsoever! It's that good. Creamy sauce, sweet and savory vegetables and a flaky crust! YUMMMMMMM!

*and I know, I am WAY behind on my pictures. I promised I have pictures for 99% of the posts from the last three weeks...still on the camera*

Easy Vegetable Pot Pie
Ingredients:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 large Sweet Onion
1 medium yellow onion
1/2 cup flour
2 3/4 cups chicken stock
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons half and half
5-6 Yukon gold Potatoes Diced
1 large Sweet potato skinned and diced
2 cups Frozen Green Peas
3-4 carrots, peeled and coined
2 yellow squash, diced
1 zuchini sliced lengthwise in strips and cut in chuncks 1/2 inch
1 box (2 shells) of Pillsbury Pie Crusts
One Egg

Directions:
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the flour, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the heavy cream and season to taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned.

While sauce is going, cook the potatoes (Gold and Sweet) in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Lift out with a sieve. Add the carrots, zuchini and squash to the pot and cook in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add the potatoes, mixed vegetables, and green peas to the sauce and mix well.

Pour into a deep dish baker or individual stonewear dishes. Cover with pie crusts. (I had multiple dishes so needed both pie crusts). Whisk egg with a bit of water and brush over shells. Cut steam vents in center of shells and Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until crusts are golden brown and pie is bubbly.

Turkey Meatloaf

Sounds blah right? I'm not a big meatloaf fan myself. THE HORROR! It's a staple in Southern family menues right? Don't get me wrong, every once in awhile, I really enjoy a good meatloaf. In fact, the Cheeseburger Meatloaf recipe is probably my favorite and was a staple in our house as a newlywed.

Now that I'm eating healthier though, and have cut out a lot of red meat from my diet, I've turned to using Ground Turkey to lighten things up. Let's be real for five seconds. Turkey is NOT the same. Yes, you can make a nice turkey chili or turkey burger but it does NOT replace red meat chili or a juicy beef burger. They are their own things and if you appreciate them for being what they are and not try to use it as a substitute, you will be much happier. Trust me. I've been down that road and learned that lesson.

Having said all that, I have been making a turkey meatloaf that is easy, quick and dare I say it: Better than beef meatloaf. GASP! It's so moist, firm and tasty. Served up with a side of asparagus, its a perfectly healthy dinner that I don't feel guilty about!

*Side Note: I keep trying to post this recipe but we dig into it so fast I never get a picture snapped, so don't be expecting any pictures with this recipe. Sorry. It's that good though!

Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients:
3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
3 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 ts tomato paste
1 pound ground turkey
1/3 cup Panko
1 small egg beaten
1/8 cup ketchup

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix gently until blended. Do not mix roughly or over mix. Just FOLD the ingredients into each other.

Place mixture in a glass loaf pan and bake at 325 for 1 hour.

Lemon and Garlic Roasted Chicken

I've been roasting chickens and turkeys for years using halved citrus fruit stuffed in the cavity but it wasn't until I watched INA GARTEN chop an entire garlic in half and stuff it in skin and all with lemon that I turly found perfection. For that Ina, I will forever be greatful! This truly changed my world of chicken.

The thing is, its SO EASY and so simple. I now roast one to two chickens on the weekend and debone and save the meat in portions in the fridge and freezer to use throughout the week. There really is no easier and quicker and CHEAPER method to using chicken for weeknight meals when you are on the go.

*Pictures coming this weekend*

Lemon and Garlic Roasted Chicken
Ingredients:
One whole Chicken, washed and dried
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 whole lemon
1 whole garlic

Directions:Salt and pepper the inside and outside of the chicken. Cut the galric in half (through the cloves so they insides of all cloves are exposed) and place skin and all inside chicken. (both halves). Halve the lemon and place both halves in the chicken cavity.

Place chicken in roasting pan. Tuck winds underneath and truss the legs. Roast on 350-400 for about an hour or until thermometer reads 150-160. Take the chicken out and place in dish, cover with tinfoil and let rest for about 30 minutes.

TA DA, you are done! Serve slices fresh and warm, save diced chicken for later recipes, serve on sandwiches, make chicken salad, whatever you wish but the delicate infusion of lemon and garlic gives this chicken such a wonderful flavor its the perfect combination to use with vegetables of all kinds.

Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

This recipe post has been a long time coming. Why you ask? Because I've been too busy making these decadent little darlings, to post. I've kept this recipe all to myself savoring the complete joy and utter bliss that are these concoctions. This by far, has to be one of my all time favorite sweet treats. The Orange Glaze I add is the PERFECT addition and I do not recommend you changing a thing. Seriously. Do not mess up my perfection. ;)

*Warning*-These little rascals have a tendency to jump into your mouth out of nowhere. I periodically wrangle them back into the cake plate but I find stowaways in my work bag, purse, plate and other obscene places (like stuffed into my cheeks) constantly. They are wiley little devils when it comes to disappearing into your tummy. Also, may cause eyes to roll back in your head, moaning and other embarrassing sounds to eminate from your body so be careful where you eat these.


Orange Chocolate Chip Scones
Ingredients:

2 cups Self Rising Flour
1/3 cup sugar
6 tbs cold unsalted butter diced
1 large egg
1/2 cup heavy cream
4-5 tsps orange zest (two oranges)
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
Juice from two oranges (about 3-4 tbs)
1/2 tsp grated orange zest (should be enough leftover from the two oranges)
1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the sugar and flour (till pea size chuncks or smaller). Whisk together the rest of your ingredients and then add them to the flour/sugar/butter mixture. combine with wood spoon. When just mixed together, turn out onto a floured surface and kneed gently until smooth. Press out into a 1/2 thick square. Cut into 12 wedges and place on greased baking sheet. Brush top with cream. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Cool on wire rack. Blend together Glaze ingredients. When scones are cool, pour glaze over the top and let harden. ENJOY!

Biscuit Surprise a.k.a Stuffed Biscuits

I got the bright idea to play with my empanada stuffing using buttermilk biscuits instead of pie crust. I chuncked up the chicken in large dices to make it a little more substantial and whipped up some Buttermilk Biscuits. The beauty of this is that you can add and change anything about the recipe and still have a fabulous meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner that is perfect to reheat and on the go. For example, add some green peas and celery for a nice spring dinner. Add some bacon bits, cranberry and apple for a great fall breakfast. This is one of those PERFECT starter recipes that is delicious on its own but can be taylored for you and I'm very proud of this one. It was light, hearty, fluffy, soft, warm, cozy and satisfying all in one dish. A big hit amongst friends and family.

One of the few dishes my husband said "Mmmm, this is good, make this again!" He calls them Biscuit Surprise because when you bite into them, there is yummy filling in what looks like an ordinary biscuit. ENJOY!!

Stuffed Biscuits
Filling Ingredients:
1 tsp salt
5 ounces cream cheese
6 ounces colby jack shredded cheese
4 cups diced cooked chicken (I used leftover of the roasted lemon garlic chicken)
1 diced small onion
1 diced small shallot
1/2 tsp pepper

Biscuit Ingredients:
Ingredients:
5 cups of flour
3/4 cup crisco
2 cups buttermilk

Directions:
Mix your filling ingredients and set aside. Mix your flour and shortening with a pastry cutter and add in your buttermilk. Mix until moistened. Turn your biscuits out on a floured service and kneed gently to form a ball. Press out with your hands to about a 1/2 inch thick, square it up and cut into large squares (about nine pieces) (as if you were cutting for scones). The pieces will be about the size of your hand. Place a generous cookie scoop size dollop of filling in the center of each square and fold the endes up around it. Smooth into a rounded biscuit. (you should see no filling).

Brush biscuits with cream or butter.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until biscuits are lightly browned. Enjoy a warm flaky gooey biscuit and be sure to come back and tell me how much you love them because I know you will! And the only reason I added this dark blurry picture is because Cody is in the bottom corner begging which I didn't notice until I uploaded it. Hillarious.

French Onion Soup

This is my adapted version of French Onion soup. There are many out there and some use more herbs and flavors but I'm still being careful what I eat (due to previous allergy attack). This recipe is simple, hardy and good and really, there is no reason to try to add to it too much. Let the onions, sourdough bread and gruyere take center stage because really, you can't beat that combination anyway. It's Heavenly!

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
6-7 LARGE Yellow onions, sliced
2 tbs garlic, minced
3 tablespoon flour
8 cup beef stock (two boxes)
salt and pepper to taste
1 loaf Crusty Sourdough bread
1 cup Mozzerella blend shredded cheese
Thinly sliced Gruyere cheese

Directions
Saute onions in oil over low heat until tender and golden yellow. Sprinkle flour over onions, cook a few minutes more, browning the flour well. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, slice bread into 3/4 slices and butter both sides. Toast slices on grill pan until golden brown. Ladle soup into an ovenproof bowl, add toasted bread and cover with a sprinkle of mozzerella blend and then gently place slices of gruyere cheese over top. Place ovenproof bowl on a baking sheet lined. Bake at 350 degrees for about five minutes (or use the broiler and watch super close).

Southern Fried Chicken

I have never been able to do Fried Chicken. It was the one thing on my Southern Girl passport that was not checked off and it bugged me greatly. My grandma was a helluva chicken fryer. My Momma has made some mean fried chicken too, but I mostly remember my grandma's fried chicken thighs and biscuits. She would always have those around it seemed. So it has been one of my great disappointments that I couldn't fry chicken.

I finally conquered it. Thanks to a little obscure tip I pulled out of a SouthernLiving magazine in the Dr.'s office. (See something good DID come out of those copays!) And Yes, I'm one of those that swipes pages and magazines out of the waiting room...but rest assured, its only if there's a damn good recipe in it.

Southern Fried Chicken

Ingredients:
Buttermilk
One Whole Cut up Chicken with skin and bones
3 cups flour in a bag with salt and pepper
Oil

Directions:
Rinse and dry chicken pieces. Place in a large bowl and cover completely with buttermilk. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in refridgerator for atleast 2 hours but up to overnight (8-12 hours).
Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil to about 275-350 degrees in large skillet. You want about 1/4-1/2 inche of oil in pan.
Take two pieces of chicken at a time and place in flour bag and shake until chicken is coated. Place pieces in hot oil and cook about 5 minutes on each side until Crispy and golden brown. Place pieces on a baking sheet (one with sides) and repeat until all pieces have been cooked.
Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes to finish cooking chicken.

This gives you perfectly crispy fried chicken that is cooked all the way through and tender and juicy. For real southern flair serve it up with Paula's Cheesy Garlic Grits. Pure Southern Heaven.

Neiman Marcus Cookies

Has anyone NOT recieved the infamous email about the $250.00 cookie recipe? REALLY? Were you living under a rock during the last decade? Well, to make a long story short, a completely made up chain letter story went around with a cookie recipe that supposedly cost the originator $250.00. So to "get back" at the company she passed it along for free. If you want the full details and supposed history as according to snopes, go here.

I admit, I am gullible. I originally got the email back in the late 90's. I ofcourse rushed off to try this recipe to see if it was ALL THAT. Who woulda thunk it? It was a damn good recipe, that made a shiton of cookies. My family dove into a pile of cookies with wild abandon. I was baking and giving away cookies for weeks. Everyone wanted them. I was quite proud of myself. I had THE Neiman Marcus cookie recipe! I deserved a cookie (or a hundred).

Thanks to snopes and the World Wide Web, I now know its not a big deal. Despite that, I still make them. Every year, for Christmas. Despite the truth, I still call it the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe. And for those of you who were living under a rock, I will gladly post it here, since its already rampant around the internet and I haven't really changed much. It makes a great holiday treat during a holiday that is largely commercialized and rampant with greed, don't you think? Maybe I should start calling it Consumerism Cookie. Nah. It will always be THE Neiman Marcus cookie to me and hold fond memories, no matter where it originally came from.

Neiman Marcus Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups butter (room temp)
4 cups Self Rising flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder)
24 oz. chocolate chips
1 8 oz. Hershey bar (grated)
4 eggs
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice and optional)
2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet..Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies supposedly but mine are always big so I actually get around 90.

Scratch Brownies

Another request from Stephen led me to create a from scratch brownie recipe. When I'm looking for a particular dish I have not made before, I turn to the internet. I look up several recipes and take what I want from each to create a base for the taste I'm after. You would think there would be a basic brownie recipe without having to do this but I had to keep in mind what ingredients I had in my pantry since I wasn't about to venture out in the ice/snow to get anything.

This recipe turned out great. Stephen declared it on par with Boxed brownies. It sounds like a smack in the face but coming from him is actually a complement. LOL I may never buy boxed brownies again because really, these aren't any more difficult than the boxed and would be super easy to package the mix in jars to keep on hand and give as gifts!

Scratch Brownies

Ingredients:
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (sifted)
2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup butter (softened)

Directions:
Grease a 13 x 9 pan and preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together in sepearte bowl and add mix slowly to butter mixture. When mix is just moistened, fold in chocolate chips. Mix will be super thick.

Bake for about 45 minutes till toothpick comes out clean. Cool pan on wire rack.

I served with a quick topping of 1 cup cream, 1/8 cup confectioners sugar, 1 tbs cocoa powder and a dash of vanilla beat until peaks formed, but the brownies really do stand alone. Enjoy.

TACO SOUP on a Snow Night

What could be more perfect than that? When I think warmth, I don't just think physical warmth and heat. I think flavors are warm, smells are warm, even the feel of a texture can be warm. On a cold blustery night like tonight (where the sleety, snow wind mix pins your eyelids to your chin and your butt tries to fold in on itself), there is nothing better than a warm soup filled with spice, flavor, texture and heat. I KNEW tonight would not be a plain old chili night, but a perfect time to try TACO SOUP.

TACO SOUP

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
2 medium onions diced
1 LARGE (30 ounce) can of Pinto Beans
1 can Light Red Kidney Beans
1 Can Corn
1 Can diced tomatoes with chilis
1 quart canned tomatoes (about 2 cans at the store or ONE large can)
1 can black olives
1/2 cup green olives
1 package Taco Seasoning Mix
1 package Fiesta Ranch Mix

Directions:
Brown the ground beef in a skillet. Remove and saute the onions in about tbs of the drippings or olive oil. Run beef through a food processor to make sure it is finely chopped. Drain your beans and corn. Add ALL ingredients to a large stock pot and simmer for an hour.

Serve HOT with a garnish of corn chips, sour cream, or grated cheese. (or all of the above!)

Note: This could be done in the crock pot. Brown beef and onions, simmer all ingredients in crock for 4-6 hours on low.

Cheesy Chicken Cups

A very simple goto recipe that made it's rounds among the newlywed crowd a few years ago is actually derived from a Weight Watchers Recipe. Beyond that history I have no idea where it came from but it has been changed, manipulated and passed so many times it could be considered MONO of the foodie world.

I prefer the simple version rather than some of the concoctions that have turned into muffin pot pies. Of course I don't use the weight watcher ingredients so don't count on mine being low fat but YOU CAN make substitutions.

Cheesy Chicken Cups


Ingredients:
2 cans Buttermilk Biscuits (With a few leftover)
1 large cooked chicken breast, diced
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup (for a lighter version use Healthy Request)
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (you can use Fat Free)
1 TBS dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place each biscuit into a muffin spot using a muffin pan. Press gently around to form cups. In a bowl, combine chicken, soup, cheese, parsley and pepper. Mix well. Spoon evenly into cups.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

White Chicken Chili

I believe it was the same Le Petit Pierogi blog that I found a recipe for White Chicken Chili. I did change this one quite a bit right off the bat but I am VERY pleased with it. I do believe it is one of my new favorite dishs and definately being added to the winter rotation! Plus I was able to use the leftover chicken broth to make a batch of Baked Garlic Cheese Grits so EVERYthing was used. LOVE Days like that!

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs Chicken, boiled (or crockpot), deskinned, deboned and cubed (about 3 large breasts)
1 onion, chopped
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs chopped garlic
1 tbs Olive Oil
2 (15 1/2 ounce) cans of Great Northern Beans
1 large can of White kidney beans
4 cups Chicken broth
2 (4 oz) cans of diced green chilis (this makes it mild, if you want hot add more)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried italian seasoning
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
16 oz sour cream
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Crock pot chicken breasts. ( I did it for 10 hours while I was at work but you could do it on high for 4 or boil it on the stove for quicker fixing).

Debone/deskin the chicken and save broth.

Add 4 cups of broth and chicken back to crockpot (or pot). On stove saute over medium heat garlic/garlic powder and onion in oil. Add to crock pot. Add beans, chilies, seasongins to crock pot and cook on high for about an hour till hot and bubbly. Stir in Sour cream, cream and cheddar and serve hot. Is great warmed up as leftovers as well.

Momma's Chicken and Dumplins

My husband often "complains" when I get in a cooking mood. Believe it or not, the "complaint" is: "When can we have some plain food." Huh?

Bless his heart he puts up with all my trials and tests and rarely requests something. When he DOES request something or really enjoy something I am sure to fill said request or put item on the menu rotation immediately. Feeding people and pleasing them through my food, brings me joy. Plain and simple.

This week he requested Chicken and Dumplins. Well crud. I don't MAKE Chicken and Dumplins because that is ONE of those dishes that is just NOT THE same as when Momma makes it. As darling hubby pointed out though, my momma doesn't live close by anymore. Bless HER heart, she emailed me directions. NOT a recipe mind you, as there are not measurements to it. Ofcourse, being my mother's daughter, I didn't measure anything either! Despite that, I NAILED it. They came out AWESOME!

For YOU, I did try to keep an eye on my dumping and mixing to give you an IDEA of measurements but this post, well this post is going to be more like instructions rather than a recipe. (much like that Turkey post I made. I know, I'm falling down on the job. I promise to measure next time).

Momma's Chicken and Dumplins

Ingredients:
3 large split chicken breasts with SKIN and BONE
Salt
1/3 cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
4+ Cups of Self Rising Flour (though Bisquick would be acceptable)
1/2 Cup Cold Water (estimate)
1 stick non salted butter
Pepper to taste

Directions: Boil chicken in large stock pot making sure water completely covers chicken breasts and about 1 tsp salt to pot. Cook until done. Remove Chicken breasts but leave stock in pot. When chicken breasts have cooled, remove meat from bone and skin and dice meat into cubes.

Mix oil, flour and water (may have to adjust amounts) until soft ball forms. May be slightly sticky. Roll ball onto floured service and flatten with rolling pin. Cut dough into strips and then cut cross ways for small dumplings. Bring Stock to rolling boil, and add butter salt and pepper. Drop dumplings into stock and keep stirring with a long handled spoon. Boil on high for 1-2 minutes. Turn down to medium high and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes until dumplins are done (plump and no longer doughy in the middle). Turn down heat and add the chicken.
Continue to stir on low for another minute or two until everything is heated through and stock is thickened.

Serve warm with a sprinkle of dried parsley. MMMMMMM. Talk about comfort food!

Paula's Garlic Cheese Grits

I'm putting the cart before the horse here and telling you about the fabulous Paula Deen's Cheese Grits before I tell you about Thanksgiving. You see, I decided hosting family was the perfect time to try out this little southern gem. Not to mention instead of using the called for Chicken Stock, why not make it a true holiday brunch and use leftover TURKEY STOCK. Talk about using your thanksgiving leftovers wisely! I did not change up the original recipe too much which is why I linked it here to give proper credit.

However, the directions below ARE what I used.

Garlic Cheese Grits

Ingredients:
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
8 ounce cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces Velveeta Cubed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cup Quaker Quick grits
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 cup chicken broth
2 cups Turkey broth
1 stick butter (You know its not a PD recipe without BUTTER! God Love Her)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 4 quart casserole dish with Butter spray. Bring the broth, garlic powder, salt and pepper to a boil. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, mine took about 5 minutes. Add the cubed cheese, half the shredded cheese and milk and stir. Take about 1/4 cup of the grits and mix into the whisked eggs to temper them. Gradually stir in the eggs and cubed butter, stirring until all are combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese and bake for 35 minutes.


This meal is truly a southern girls dream and lasted us all weekend.

Perfect Holiday Cake

This week I wanted to not only try some new things but reflect on an original recipe I created and try to perfect it. I'm totally in love with this cake now (as is my aunt and half the people I work with -the other half didn't get a piece..LOL)I originally posted the recipe April of LAST year as a Sweet Potato Cake. This time I used pumpkin and made a few changes. The effect was phenomenal.

Perfect Holiday Cake (Feel free to give me name suggestions)

Ingredients:
3 cups self-rising flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 tsps cinnamon
2 cups pumpkin puree
2 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
Filling:
8oz cream cheese (softened)
1 egg
3 tbs sugar
Topping:
Pineapple rings
1/2 stick butter
1/2 brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Chopped nuts (optional, I didn't use these since my aunt has allergies but they would make an awesome addition to the cake or even sprinkle on top)

Directions:
Preheat Oven to 375. Mix pumpkin, eggs, shortening, vanilla, pineapple, pineapple juice together. In seperate bowl mix flour, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg. Slowly add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend well. Do not over mix. Mix Filling Ingredients together in a seperate bowl and set aside.

In skillet melt butter, add brown sugar-stir over medium LOW heat until melted and mixed. Pour into a bundt pan (I use a stoneware bundt pan but this would probably work in other kinds of cake pans). Arrange pineapple slices into mixture. Pour half of pumpkin batter on top, pour cream cheese mix in, swirl slightly and pour the other half of pumpkin batter in. Bake approx. 1 hr or until tester comes out clean.