Recipe Testing: July 2015

When discussing different ways to use ground beef my husband mentioned Hamburger Helper type meals, minus the pre-processed taste. After some googling I decided to make Taco Mac n' Cheese (found in this article discussing ways to enhance boxed mac n' cheese) and was really impressed! We wolfed down way more than I anticipated. I made a few alterations:

• used half a pound of local grass fed 90/10 ground beef
• added half an onion, finely chopped
• added half a red bell pepper, finely chopped
• added 1 can diced green chilis
• added 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
• added taco seasoning & water per instructions and simmered a few minutes
• added ~1 cup freshly grated cheddar and prepared mac n' cheese to taco beef skillet, stirring to combine
• topped skillet with a layer of freshly grated cheddar & layer crushed corn chips
• broiled on high ~8 inches from heat until cheese is melted

*****

I got a good deal on Boursin cheese spreads and used one to create this Creamy Chicken and Herb Skillet. I found this to be on the far-too-rich side, but my husband really enjoyed it. I served it with steamed asparagus and these Extra Crispy Tossed Potatoes. The potatoes really did turn out crispy, which was impressive considering the minimal amount of oil. The olive oil flavor really predominated the potatoes, though, and I think the addition of minced garlic or another strong flavor would compliment them well.

*****

My husband requested I make Pepperoni Garlic Knots, but I didn't have pizza dough ready to go so instead I offered to make these Easy Pepperoni Rolls. We decided to add some variety to our Pepperoni Rolls by sauteing the pepperoni with minced onion, garlic, and mushrooms before adding it to the biscuit with the cheese. These turned out okay. Next time I would bake them on a baking sheet instead of a pan, and I would try to make them with less dough.

*****

I had left over biscuits (4 total) and decided to make Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread. I winged the amounts for most of the ingredients (trying my best to make 1/4 of the recipe) and wound up with a single layer in my pan, but it turned out super tasty! This would definitely be one to make again.

*****

I made Chocolate Chip Cookies as well. My favorite recipe is still the one on the back of the bag of Nestle chocolate chips. Simple ingredients make for the best cookies. A great tip I learned a few years back for baking cookies is to refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes prior to (and between batches) baking for chewier cookies, or leave the dough room temperature for crunchy cookies!

*****

I made these Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls for dinner one night and found it created a TON of food. The rice was pretty sticky; next time I'd make it separately. I used this as taco filling for another dinner and it was very tasty. I still have more in the fridge and I think I'll make some freezer burritos with it!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This is a great recipe to use up leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken, which is transformed into a pulled-pork style bbq chicken for the pizza.

BBQ Chicken Pizza (Serves 2 - 4)

Ingredients:
Prepared Raw Pizza Dough (you can be awesome and make your own, or you can be lazy like me and buy it in the frozen section at the grocery store)
Olive Oil
Garlic Salt or Garlic Powder
1 - 2 tablespoons BBQ Sauce
1/4 - 1/2 Bell Pepper, sliced into 1/4" thick rings
3 - 4 Mushrooms, sliced 1/4" thick
1/4 - 1/2 Onion, thinly sliced (preferably red onion)
3/4 - 1 cup BBQ Chicken (my recipe)
Mozzarella to taste (approximately 2 cups of shredded mozzarella)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F.

Roll out your pizza dough and brush the top with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic powder or garlic salt over the pizza dough, especially on the crust. Spread a thin layer of BBQ sauce onto the pizza dough. Sprinkle with mozzarella, top with veggies and chicken, and sprinkle on a bit more mozzarella (and even add some parmesan if you'd like!).

Bake pizza until the crust is golden brown and cheese is gooey. Remove pizza from oven and let rest on the pizza stone for 10 minutes if you can stand to wait that long to eat it! Cut pizza into slices and enjoy!

French Onion Chicken

French Onion Chicken

Ingredients:
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced in half or quarter moons
1 tablespoon butter
salt
pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth or stock (I make my own crock-pot stock)
1 chicken breast, cooked and roughly chopped
1/4 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F

Heat butter over medium heat in cast iron skillet. Add onion, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Decrease heat to medium-low and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Decrease heat once more, this time to low, and cook an additional 10 minutes. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth, being sure to scrape up any tasty bits the onions stuck to the pan. Add chicken and stir to combine. Top with Gruyere cheese and bake for 5 - 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and chicken is warmed through.

Crock Pot Stock

Crock Pot Stock

Ingredients:
Bones & other remnants from 1 cooked chicken (you can use bones from multiple split chicken breasts, from a de-boned rotisserie, or really any combination of chicken bones you've got! You can also keep a gallon bag in your freezer and add bones from cooked chicken as it adds up, and make stock once you've got enough - roughly 2/3 gallon bag).
1 onion, quartered with skins left on
3 garlic cloves, skins left on
2 celery stalks, chopped lengthwise into thirds
1 - 2 carrots, chopped into manageable sizes
4 - 5 black peppercorns (if you have them)
water to almost fill your crock pot

You can make variations to this by using different aromatic vegetables. Fennel is nice. You don't always need carrots and celery either. Mix it up and be creative!

Directions:
Add all ingredients to the crock pot, filling with water to 1 inch below the brim. Top and set on high for 5 hours, then reduce heat and cook on low for another 5 hours.

Using a mesh strainer separate your broth from remaining ingredients.

Allow broth to cool on the counter until close to room temperature.

Place broth in refrigerator overnight.

Skim congealed fat off top of stock and toss out. Separate stock into manageable containers and store as desired.

Stock can be kept in the refrigerator up to 3 days, or can be frozen for several months. I prefer to divide my stock into ice cube trays and 2 cup containers before freezing so that I can either add a bit of stock to a sautee dish or use 2 cups at a time to create soups or sauces.

Weekly Meal Plan: Mon, May 27 - Sun, June 2

Mon, May 27:
Roast Split Chicken Breasts, Baked Summer Squash, and Creamed Scallions on Pasta

Note: this squash dish was a huge hit, and very tasty! I added salt and pepper to the breadcrumb mix, but overall I would definitely make this again, next time with more squash!!

Also make: Crock Pot Fennel Infused Chicken Stock, Crock Pot Celery and Carrot Infused Chicken Stock, [Garlic] Naan Bread, and [Modified Peanut Chocolate Chip]Banana Bread Muffins


Tues, May 28:
Indian Butter Chicken & Mushrooms over Jasmine Rice with Homemade Garlic Naan Bread


Weds, May 29:
Chicken Fajita Tacos with Homemade Salsa Rice


Thurs, May 30:
Leftover Butternut Squash Soup with Amish Friendship Irish Soda Bread


Fri, May 31:
Fried Chicken from the Grocery and Salad


Sat, June 1:
I helped a friend run a party tonight where I worked mostly as a cocktail waitress, and I was able to eat the catered food while I was there. My husband was on his own for dinner!


Sun, June 2:
Chicken Chunks in Mushroom Mustard Cream Sauce with Baked Potatoes and Caesar Salad

Also make: Amish Friendship Bread Cinnamon Twists, Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Amish Friendship Bread

Prep for work week:
Strawberries with Vanilla Yogurt Dip in Mason Jars
Snow Peas and Carrots with Ranch Cottage Cheese Dip in Mason Jars
Watermelon cut into Chunks
Fried Chicken Salad (Chicken Salad made with the leftover Fried Chicken from Friday)

BBQ/Buffalo/Taco Chicken

BBQ/Buffalo/Taco Chicken

Ingredients:
1 cup rotisserie or leftover cooked chicken, chopped or torn into chunks
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 onion, minced
1/4 cup chicken stock or broth

BBQ - 1/3 - 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
Buffalo - 2 tablespoons (or more) Buffalo sauce depending on your flavor preference
Taco - 2 teaspoons taco seasonings and 1/4 cup tablespoons taco sauce

Directions:
Heat a small saute pan over medium-high heat, melt butter, and add onion. (Note: if you are making taco chicken add the taco seasoning now) Saute onion for 2 - 3 minutes or until translucent, add chicken and stir to coat evenly with butter. Turn heat down to simmer and add the broth or stock, taking caution to avoid the steam. Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes, or until most of the broth has evaporated and the chicken is falling apart into shreds. Add more broth and/or use forks to shred the chicken as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Add BBQ or Buffalo or Taco Sauce and stir to combine.

Note: this is great for many things including Chicken Pizza, Chicken Sandwiches/Wraps, Chicken Mac n' Cheese, and of course Tacos, Burritos, Quesadillas, Enchiladas (though I would use enchilada sauce instead of taco sauce)... just use your imagination!

Thanksgiving Dinner for Two

This Thanksgiving was my first time creating Thanksgiving dinner! We usually have lunch with my family and dinner with my husband's family, but my husband's family had made other arrangements for dinner. We will be visiting with them on Saturday. Since I was only serving dinner for my husband and myself I created a miniature feast. I opted for smaller portions of various items, and roast split chicken breast instead of a whole turkey.

The Menu:
Roast Split Chicken Breasts
Mashed Potatoes
Stovetop Stuffing
Parmesan Roasted Butternut Squash (which I've blogged about before)
Green Bean Casserole
Mini Sweet Potato Pies with Whipped Cream

The Decisions:
I decided to treat the Chicken similarly to Turkey on Thanksgiving, so I followed Ina Garten's Herb Roast Turkey Breast recipe with my Split Chicken Breasts instead. I had fresh rosemary and sage in my garden, but my thyme was really struggling so I used the dried herb instead.

I won't elaborate too much about my Mashed Potatoes, since they're a fairly common side and my recipe isn't atypical. I peel my potatoes, boil them in salt water, mash them, and then add butter, milk, and pepper before serving. I don't usually add more salt since the potatoes absorb salt from the water, and the butter I use is salted.

Stovetop Stuffing is ubiquitous and I make it according to package directions. My husband loves it, and I've not ventured into the home-made croutons or bread crumbs area yet. Notice I said yet. We will leave his beloved Stovetop Stuffing behind at some point in our lives. I promise.

The Parmesan Roasted Butternut Squash is a recipe I go to again and again. I've discussed it on my blog in the past (see link above) and I've used it in my weekly meal plans several times. It's absolutely wonderful, and a very nice divergence from sweet sugary butternut squash dishes.

I've never made Green Bean Casserole before. Can you believe that? I grew up in North Carolina and still I haven't made it before. Green beans are in season and inexpensive right now, so why not give the casserole a try? I followed fairly closely to Taste of Home's recipe, but skipped the sour cream, and I used ~3oz cream cheese, 2T ricotta, green beans leftover from Sunday and added bacon, season salt and pepper.

The Preparation:
On Wednesday I prepared some thing to make dinner come together faster once we get home from visiting with my family. I accomplished a great deal, and made dinner at the same time. Here's what I recommend:

• Chop the butternut squash & place it in foil covered ramkins in the fridge. 
• Peel and chop the potatoes, put them into a pot, cover them with water, and put them into the fridge. 
• Prepare the green bean casserole (minus the onion topping) and put it into the fridge. 
• Prepare the sweet potato pie (from making pie crust & baking the sweet potato all the way through cooling the pies) and put them into the fridge.

The Big Day:
I wanted dinner to come together about 7:00PM, so I started well in advance. I made sure to pull my prepared items out of the fridge with enough time for the baking dishes to warm up a little. I didn't want to put my ceramic and glass dishes into the oven directly from the fridge. Here's what I did:

• 5:30PM Season chicken
• 5:40PM Place chicken in oven
• 6:10PM Place butternut squash in oven
• 6:15PM Put potatoes on to boil
• 6:30PM Check chicken, cover with foil if browning too much
• 6:30PM Top green bean casserole with onions & bake
• 6:30PM Add cheese to butternut squash, continue to bake
• 6:40PM Drain potatoes, add milk & butter, mash & season to taste
• 6:45PM Start stovetop
• 6:45PM Remove chicken from oven, tent with foil, & rest 15 minutes
• 7:00PM Remove green bean casserole and butternut squash from oven
• 7:00PM Serve dinner

This was a fantastic 2 person dinner. We had leftovers of everything, but they were devoured within a few days. The chicken turned out fabulously, and I'll definitely be using that recipe again! The green bean casserole was about what I expected. I would prefer my green beans steamed and seasoned with butter, salt and pepper next time. My husband really enjoyed them though, and commented about the tasty bacon! Have you ever cooked a Thanksgiving (or other holiday) dinner for a small group of people? What did you do?

Chicken Fajitas with Avocado Corn Salad

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4 - 6

 Ingredients:
2 marinated boneless skinless chicken thighs (I purchase these pre-done at my grocery store, but you could easily prepare your own marinade or purchase a bottled marinade and do this step yourself the night before you make this meal)
1 large onion, 1/3 cup chopped and the remainder sliced
1 bell pepper (I used green), in 1/4 inch slices
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
oz sharp cheddar
fajita size flour tortillas
1 oz can pinto beans
1/4 jalapeno, minced OR 1/2 can mild green chilis (depending on your spiciness preference)
1 package saffron rice (I used Mahatma), cooked according to package directions


1 ear of corn, grilled
1 avocado, chopped
2 small or 1 large garden tomato, chopped (fresh good tomatoes are key here - visit your farmer's market!)
2 tablespoons red onion, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonaise
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper


Directions:
Preheat your outdoor grill to medium high heat. Place marinated chicken thighs on grill to receive medium high indirect heat. Grill, turning a few times, until internal temperature reads 175F. While the chicken is cooking place corn ears over direct heat and grill, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes or until husks are charred. Let corn rest 5 minutes, and then shuck corn and set aside to cool.

Melt a scant tablespoon butter in a sauce pan, and saute chopped onion for 3 - 5 minutes. Add jalapeno and saute about 30 seconds. Add pinto beans (including the juice) and stir well. Cook for 5 minutes or until warm and bubbling. Mash beans with a potato masher or fork.

In a saute pan melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium high heat. Add sliced onion, taco seasoning, and saute for 3 - 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, and stir well. Saute another 2 - 3 minutes, or until bottom of peppers begins to brown. Stir well, trying to flip most of the pepper pieces over, and brown the other side for an additional 2 minutes.

With a sharp knife and over a large bowl with high sides slice corn kernels off grilled corn. Turn the knife around and scrape the dull side down the corn cob to remove the pulpy creamy goodness hidden within. Add avocado, tomato, red onion, cilantro, sour cream, and mayonnaise to corn, and stir well to combine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Assemble fajitas with refried beans, grilled chicken, Avocado Corn Salad, and cheddar. Serve with Mexican rice.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Prep time: 10 - 15 minutes | Cook time: 8 - 10 minutes | Servings: 2

Ingredients:
1 - 1 1/2 cups Shredded Rotisserie or Leftover Roast Chicken
2 tablespoons bbq sauce of choice
1 tablespoon minced onion
Sharp Cheddar, sliced
Lettuce or slaw
Kaiser Rolls or Hamburger Buns or Tortillas


Directions:
Combine chicken, bbq sauce, and onion in a medium size bowl and microwave until warm, or combine in a saucepan and warm over low-medium heat.

Pile chicken onto bun, and top with cheddar and lettuce or slaw.

If using tortillas spread chicken into the center of the tortilla making a horizontal line, top with cheddar & lettuce or slaw. Fold in both sides, fold the bottom up, and then roll the tortilla closed.

Chicken Mushroom Mac

Prep time: 20 to 45 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes to 1 hour | Servings: 4 - 6

Ingredients:
1/4 - 1/3 lb pasta, cooked & drained (leftover pasta works great for this!)
8oz sharp cheddar
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon season salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
 dash cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 medium button mushrooms, sliced
1 cooked chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces (I deboned a leftover roast chicken breast, and reserved the bones for stock)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a medium sized casserole dish.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium high heat. Saute onion until translucent. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes, or until starting to brown, stirring frequently.

While the mushrooms saute combine ricotta, dried mustard, season salt, pepper, and cayenne in a small bowl. Add milk and stir well.

Reserve 1/4 - 1/3 cup grated cheddar. Combine the rest of the grated cheddar, ricotta mixture, cooked pasta, mushroom mixture, and chicken. Pour into greased casserole dish and gently press down. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and mix well (be sure to stir this gently, as it will be hot!). Top with reserved grated cheddar, and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

Note: Prep and cook times vary depending on whether you have prepared chicken and pasta on hand. I would recommend this recipe for a weeknight when you've already got leftover cooked chicken in the oven and just want to snaz it up for a fast dinner. Cooking the pasta the day of is easy to do, just set the pot on to boil before you begin to heat the butter for the onions.

If you are cooking your chicken the day of several methods work. Poached chicken would probably be the best, roast chicken is a favorite of mine, and even a sauteed boneless breast would work great in this recipe!

Inspiration recipe found over at Smitten Kitchen, under Easiest Baked Mac-and-Cheese