Penne Rustica

My mom found the TopSecretRecipes version of Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica. Instead of making it in individual servings, she layered the pasta, meat and sauce in a large casserole dish.

It makes a hearty and very yummy dish. Click the link above to find the recipe.

White Chicken Chili

The weather in our neck of the woods has turned chilly today. It's a beautiful, breezy fall day that calls for hearty chilis and soups on the menu. In honor of the blustery day, I'm posting one of my favorite recipes.

2 T. oil
1 onion chopped
4 oz. chopped green chili
2 t. garlic
2 t. salt (or less)
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. ground oregano
2 t. ground coriander (optional)
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
3 (16 oz) cans great northern beans (drained)
2 (10.75 oz) cans chicken broth
2 (5 oz) cans chicken (drained)
2 c. cream of chicken soup

In small saucepan, saute onion in oil. Place onion and all other ingredients in crockpot. Cook until heated through and flavors blend.

This can also be cooked on the stovetop. Cook until heated through and flavors blended.

And of course, home stewed chicken is always a great substitute for the canned chicken.

The photos of the beautiful tree were taken last fall. For more pictures of it, click here.

Taco Salad

Last night I prepared taco salad for my family and the two other families in our supper co-op. This recipe came from Nan's recipe blog which you can find here. I made some slight modifications to the recipe, so am recording it all here (if I don't record it somewhere, I will forget what I did).

Here is a list of ingredients needed:

lettuce (I mixed bagged Romaine lettuce with iceberg)

1 to 1 1/2 c. grated cheese ( I used low fat mild cheddar)

1 can black beans (rinsed, of course)

sliced olives

chopped onions

sliced avocados

cooked chicken

tortilla or corn chips


Nan used a store-bought rotisserie chicken! Those things are yummy and convenient, but since I was cooking for 3 families, I opted for a more economical route. I bought chicken leg quarters and after consulting Main Street Mom, used this recipe (from the Oct. 2008 issue of Everyday Food) to give it a Mexican flavor:

In a slow cooker, combine chicken, 4 garlic cloves (thinly sliced), 1/2 c. salsa, 1 to 2 T. chopped canned chipotle chilis in adobo, 1 T. chili powder, 1 t. salt, and 1/4 t. pepper. Cover; cook on high 4 hours or on low 8 hours.

Transfer chicken to a bowl, and shred, using 2 forks; moisten with cooking juices.

The results of the slow cooking and wonderful spices produces a very tasty chicken that can be used for tacos, quesadillas , etc.

To make the taco salad, place chips on a plate or bowl and top with all other ingredients. Then, pour this dressing over it all:

1/2 c. Ranch dressing

1/2 c. salsa

1/4 c. sour cream

3-5 shakes of Tabasco sauce

1 can diced green chilis


Combine all ingredients and stir.

Then get ready to "slap your mamma!" (never heard that phrase? you must not live down south!)

Andrea Howard's Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Pecans

2 cups (8 oz.) diced cooked chicken (or turkey) breast
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
3 tbs. dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
2 tbs. chopped pecans
11 oz. mandarin orange sections, drained and cut into small sections
¼ cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 tbs. reduced-fat mayo
1 ½ tsp. brown mustard
½ tsp. salt
Ground black pepper
8 Boston lettuce leaves

Combine chicken, apples, cranberries and pecans. Add orange sections, set aside.
Whisk together yogurt, mayo and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Drizzle dressing over chicken mixture while using a fork to gently mix in.
Arrange 2 lettuce leaves on each of 4 salad plates. Mound ¼ of salad on top of lettuce
and serve immediately, accompanied with whole-grain crackers.

Southwest Chicken

4 skinless, boneless uncooked chicken breasts
1 c. salsa
1 c. frozen corn kernels
1 c. low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Place chicken in baking pan sprayed with Pam. Pour salsa and corn over chicken breasts. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and top with cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes until cheese melts.

***found on weight watchers. com

Chicken Poppyseed Casserole

*This casserole is one my Mom cooked often while I was growing up. Eating it now brings back many great memories.

1 whole chicken
1 can cream mushroom, cream of chicken, OR cream of celery soup
1 (8 oz) sour cream
Ritz crackers
1/2 c. margarine
2 T poppy seed

Stew chicken and bone. Place chicken in a 2 quart casserole dish. Mix soup with sour cream and pour over chicken. Crush 45 Ritz crackers and mix with melted margarine. Sprinkle cracker mixture over casserole. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and brown. Sprinkle poppy seed over casserole.

Mom's Cooking: Chicken Casserole

1 pkg corn bread stuffing for chicken
1 stick butter (melted)
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. celery
1/2 c. mayonnaise
3/4 t. salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
2 1/2 c. cooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup

Mix stuffing, butter and broth. Set aside. Mix rest of ingredients together. Place 1/2 of stuffing mixture in casserole dish. Place chicken mixture over stuffing. Spread rest of stuffing over chicken mixture. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until filling is set.
Optional: sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Note: Mom leaves the salt out of this recipe, and it tastes fine without it.

Karen's Chicken Casserole

2 or 3 chicken breast

dumpling noodles

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1 -8oz sour cream

1 stick butter

1 stack Ritz crackers

Cook chicken until tender, cut into small strips, put in baking dish. Cook noodles until tender, drain, put in chicken and mix with sour cream, cream of chicken soup and cream of celery soup. mix well. Crumble Ritz crackers over chicken and noodles. Melt butter and dribble over Ritz crackers.

Bake on 350 degrees about 35 minutes

Note To Self: Try These Soon!

Chicken Spaghetti

Spicy Roasted Chicken Legs

Southwestern Pizza

That's the name I've given it....I don't know its official name, but I call it pizza cuz it's round. I learned it at a Pampered Chef party Monday night and have already cooked it for my family this week. It is very good! Like I said, I don't have the official recipe, but here's how I made it. Adapt as you need.

Saute chopped onion and minced garlic in a large skillet. Add cooked chicken, salsa, and southwestern seasonings of your choice (I used chili powder and cumin). Cook until warmed.

Put large flour tortilla in round deep dish baker, spread with refried beans, then chicken mixture, then shredded cheddar cheese. Repeat layers until dish is full. Cover with flour tortilla, shredded cheese and tomato slices.

Bake in 350 oven until warmed through and cheese melted.

Edited: Note: I found out the official name for this dish is "Southwestern Lasagna" because of its layers. The pizza name still fits, I think, because its round. So, you pick what you want to call it and go with it!

Caribbean Grilled Chicken Thighs

by Southern Living

Prep: 10 min.
Marinate: 8 hours
Cook: 16 min.

8 large chicken thighs, skinned
1/2 c. light soy sauce
1/4 c. chopped green onions
1/4 c. lime juice (about 2 large limes)
2 T brown sugar
1 T honey
1 t. dried crushed red pepper
1 large garlic clove, crushed
lime wedges (optional)
fresh parsley sprigs (optional)

Place chicken in an 11x7 baking dish. Combine soy sauce and next 6 ingredients; stir well. Pour over chicken. Cover and marinate in fridge 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Grill chicken, covered with grill lid, over medium coals 8 minutes on each side or until done. You can reserve marinade, bring it to a boil and baste the chicken as it grills. If desired, garnish with lime wedges and parsley.

I usually fix more than 8 thighs with the same amount of marinade. For last night's graduation celebration, I made 2 batches of marinade for 28 thighs.

Chicken Ramen Salad

This recipe was given to me by my friend, Lynn. I'm trying to convince her to start her own recipe blog. She has a lot of great ones! In the meantime, I'll post this one for her.

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1/2 cabbage head, shredded
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1/8 c. sesame seeds
1 pkg. oriental ramen noodles

Dressing:
1/3 c. oil
2 T. sugar
3 T. salad vinegar
1 packet ramen noodle seasoning

Broil almonds and sesame seeds until light brown. Crush ramen noodles with rolling pin. Just before serving, mix the cabbage, chicken, almonds, sesame seeds and noodles. Add the dressing last. Serve immediately.

It is recommended to chill everything before mixing so the salad is refreshingly cool.

Chicken-Cranberry Wraps

These wraps are yummy! Of course, I'm a fan of cranberries in any recipe. This recipe is also good for the hot and humid summer days when I just can't bring myself to turn on the oven. Serve up a wrap and a smoothie and you have a perfect cool meal for a hot day.

Chicken-Cranberry Wraps

From

6 (10-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
1/2 (15-ounce) can whole-berry cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey breast
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted
1 cup shredded lettuce

Heat tortillas according to package directions.

Stir together cranberry sauce, mustard, and ginger. Spread mixture evenly over 1 side of each tortilla. Top with chicken, green onions, pecans, and lettuce; roll up.

Yield: 6 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 262(17% from fat); FAT 4.9g (sat 0.6g,mono 2.5g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 14.7g; CHOLESTEROL 32mg; CALCIUM 27mg; SODIUM 406mg; FIBER 1.7g; IRON 2.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40g

Southern Living, FEBRUARY 2001