Baked Cheesy Chicken Bake Today’s recipe is a cheesy baked pasta that I found over at Our Best Bites . Sara based the recipe on a Martha Stewart recipe. This yummy dish consists of a cheesy pasta blended with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and mushrooms. Now I know the sun-dried tomatoes aren’t something most of you probably keep on had, so you could just leave them out if you like. Then just up the amount of chicken or mushrooms by 1 cup or I was thinking some broccoli or asparagus tips would also work well in place of the tomatoes. I did however really enjoy the sun-dried tomatoes in this dish but some of my family did eat around them. Another great thing about this recipe is it makes two – 2 quart dishes. When I made this recipe I also decided to try it with some pasta samples that I had received from Ronzoni . Finally, the winner of the “Nourish Your Inner Goddess” giveaway from Yoplait and MyBlogSpark is: Kate who said: I always love any kind of berry yogurt. Congrats Kate! Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne
Bacon & Eggs in Toast Cups * Updated post from archive: Originally posted March 29, 2009 If you where to ask me what is my favorite meal of the day without a thought my response would be breakfast! I love breakfast! I love brunch! I love bacon! I love breggs! These little goodies are all of the above in a little two bite package. The other day I was scanning through my copy of William & Sonoma’s: Tools and Techniques. And, they are crazy easy to make. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim the crust and the corners off the bread, making wonky looking circles. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and lay the bacon strips on it. Shape the cooled bacon into the toast cups, with the meaty side out. Also, if you aren’t a fan of creamy delicious runny eggs you can beat 4 eggs with a bit of milk, season and spoon into the cups. Lower the temperature of the oven down to 350 degrees. Run a knife along the edges and use a small spoon to pop them out. For the love of eggs, bacon and toast! Ingredients 6 slices of bread 6 eggs
Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Sticks Who would have ever thought I would get excited about seeing something green on sale in the grocery store? Not me. But that’s what happened when I walked by these super thin asparagus spears. How often do I find thin asparagus that doesn’t look half dead and is on sale? And I sort of like asparagus. The whole upchucking thing usually doesn’t happen until the third of fourth spear. But I figured I could possibly prevent that mess if I coated these in something crispy and cheesy. These were so incredibly easy to make and tasted delicious – kind of like little asparagus “fries.” I also think that these will taste even better with thicker asparagus spears. [print_this] Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Sticks 1 bunch of asparagus (mine had about 30 spears) 2 egg whites 1/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour) 1 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs 1/4 cup parmesan cheese salt and pepper Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Snap off the tough ends of each asparagus spear. [/print_this] Okay.
Italian Roasted Cauliflower Salad As we head into the weekend, I thought we’d explore Southern Italy a bit more as part of my Culinary Staycation series. Last week, we dined on a simple Tuna Salad Caprese on the gorgeous island of Capri. Today, we’ll travel south to the tippy-toe of the Italian boot, to the region known as Calabria. The Church on the Island – Tropea, Calabria, Italy Calabria’s geography, with direct access to the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas, made it desirable to a number of conquering nations throughout history. Calabria, Italy – Tropea la Costa Some of the most important ingredients in Calabrian cuisine were introduced by the Arabs– eggplant, citrus, artichokes, and raisins are all major players in Calabrian cooking. Le Castella, Crotone – Calabria, Italy I adapted this salad from a wonderful cookbook (now out of print) called “The Food of Southern Italy” by Carlo Middione. This salad is super healthy and flavorful. Organic Olive Oil from Israel Citrus Juicer Cook’s Knife Ingredients Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Mashed Potatoes w/Bacon & Cheddar 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. 2. 3. 4. Like this: Like Loading... Oven Roasted Potatoes When I heard this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp Challenge was potatoes, I was pumped. Originally, I had great plans for the sweet potatoes still in my basement from last fall, but after researching and chatting with the hubby, I decided to go with Yukon Gold potatoes instead. My husband isn’t a huge fan of sweet potatoes and I wanted to make something he would enjoy too, so that’s how I settled on this oven roasted potato recipe. Yukon Golds are our favorite potato to grow in the garden and they absolutely melt in your mouth when freshly dug from the garden. I did some more searching through The Professional Chef and on the web and actually settled on a recipe from epicurious.com. Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the flavor, just a personal preference as far as how potato-coated my hands were when I was done. Notes:The above link to The Professional Chef is an amazon affiliate link. You Might Also Like:
Potato and Cheese Pierogi Pierogi are traditional Polish noodle dumplings, filled with a variety of classic sweet and savory mixtures. For this recipe, we've chosen to make a basic potato-cheese filling and serve them as a side dish topped with sour cream, garlic and chive sauce. Our family recipe, combined with a fairly standard dough preparation method, produces an exceptionally light and tender finished product. 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting3 large eggs2 tablespoons sour cream3/4 to 1 cup water 1-1/2 lbs baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices2 tablespoons unsalted butter1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil1 small sweet onion, chopped1 clove garlic, minced1/4 teaspoon dried thyme3/4 to 1 cup grated dry farmer's cheeseKosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/2 stick butter, cut into 1 tablespoon portions1 recipe Sour Cream Garlic-Chive Sauce For the dough: In a large bowl or mixer, combine the flour, eggs, sour cream and 1/2 cup of water. Makes about 3-1/2 dozen
Spinach Soufflé After years of living on the West Coast, I came to the conclusion that we have three choices when the rain doesn’t stop. A. Do exactly what we normally do regardless of the rain, B. Go south where we can feel the heat on our skin under the scorching sun, C. Create our own sunshine. Spinach Soufflé Fills 6 inch soufflé mould 2 cups firmly packed spinach, rinsed, pat dried and chopped 3 tablespoons salted butter ¼ cup unbleached white flour 1 cup 2% milk 1 teaspoon fresh thyme ½ teaspoon sea salt 3 egg yolks, beaten 4 egg whites 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese such as Grana Padano Extra butter for greasing a mould Preheat the oven to 350F. Make roux. Add the milk, a small amount at a time, and stir well to combine. Add the spinach to the roux, stir well and add the egg yolks gradually. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a mixer with a whisk attached. Add half of the egg whites to the spinach mixture, and gently combine in a circular motion. Serve while warm.
Stuffed Zucchini I like the simple things in life. Simple ingredients, simple techniques, maximum flavor. But I guess you know that by now. Especially when you hand me a recipe that doubles as an appetizer or side dish, you just reel me in. Stuffed zucchinis are so versatile. So lately I’ve been wondering if there are easier and faster ways to prepare them. Now please, please, don’t tell me you’ve been doing it like this for 10 years straight! Ingredients: 1 tbsp sour cream 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp curry powder 1/2 tomato 1 tsp thyme 2 zucchinis 1 onion cheese pepper Optional: bacon Directions: Preheat your oven to 400 (200C). Give the zucchini a good scrub. Slice them in half length-ways. Spoon out the guts. See the pink ‘bracelet’ I’m wearing? Now give the zucchini pulp a good chop, also chop a small onion and 1/2 a tomato while you’re at it. Notice how I didn’t use garlic for a change? When the onions are almost done, add 1/4 tsp curry powder and cook everything for an additional 30 seconds.
Summer Roasted Vegetables I love vegetables; grilled, roasted, sauteed or raw. These Summer Roasted Vegetables are just another way to enjoy the produce of the season. The tomatoes and red pepper are what add that nice summer touch that differentiates these from your typical potato, carrot and onion roasted vegetables. What adds the easy touch is the use of Cookin’ Greens™ by The Toby Brand™. Cookin’ Greens™ are a range of products of dark-leafy greens. Before my experience with Cookin’ Greens™, I’d never really used a lot of frozen vegetables in my kitchen, but after my great experience with their products, I can definitely see myself including more frozen veggies into my recipes. Summer Roasted Vegetables Roasted vegetables aren't just for the winter - cherry tomatoes add a summer touch to a healthy side dish! Ingredients Instructions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Notes Recipe by Louisa Clements