Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Hubby and I love, love, love my old Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe. I haven't made it in a while. So I was so excited to find this make-ahead casserole version on Pinterest from Tasty Kitchen to try out. I love making this in 2 smaller casserole dish - one to eat right away, and the other to freeze for later. Make-ahead-meals are my life savers nowadays, being so busy with my 2 kids. So this recipe has made several rounds in our household. And hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed this version. Probably more so than my original recipe.

Casserole
1 rotisserie chicken (or 4 boiled chicken breasts), shredded
1/2 lb. deli sliced ham, rough chopped
1/4 lb. sliced Swiss cheese

Sauce
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 Tbsp. flour
3 1/4 cups milk
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. white pepper (you can also use black pepper)

Topping
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley (or 2-3 tsp. fresh chopped parsley)

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Butter a 9x13 baking dish (or 2-8x8 baking dishes if you want to freeze half of the recipe). Set aside.

2) Even spread shredded chicken on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with the chopped ham. Layer the sliced cheese on top of ham. Set aside.

3) In the meantime, make the sauce. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour to make a roux. Cook for about a minute. Do not allow it to brown. Slowly whisk in milk. Continue to cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens.

4) Stir in lemon juice, mustard, salt, paprika, and pepper. Bring the sauce back up to a low boil and remove from heat. Pour sauce over the casserole, covering all the way to the edges.

5) In a medium bowl, melt butter in a microwave. Stir in breadcrumbs, salt and parsley. Sprinkle on top of the casserole.

6) Bake for 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Note: To serve after freezing, allow the frozen casserole to thaw completely in the refrigerator overnight prior to baking.

Ree Drummond's Meaty Lasagna

So I lied. I promised to post some of the make-ahead meals I've made last month to stock up for the upcoming arrival of my 2nd baby. Well, let's just say that it got quite busy around the house and I got quite lazy. I returned to work after being put on bed rest for 2 weeks and I've lost all my energy to do anything else. However, I still  managed to make a few dishes that I've stocked up in the freezer, including this new recipe from The Pioneer Woman, which she featured on the Food Network one day.

I've been on a search for a great lasagna recipe for quite some time. I really wanted a hearty and meaty lasagna. With this recipe, I think I found what I'm looking for. The recipe was quite easy to make. I doubled the recipe so that I can make multiple small trays to freeze. I baked one of the frozen trays today and it was just as yummy and comforting as when I originally made it last month. My search for a great lasagna has ended.

1 Tbsp. oil
2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. breakfast sausage
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. salt
10 oz lasagna noodles
1 lb. shredded mozzarella
10-12 fresh basil leaves, cut chiffonade
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten

1) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute ground beef, sausage, and garlic until brown. Drain off the excess fat. Add tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, salt, and black pepper to taste. Stir together well. Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add half of the fresh basil and half of the chopped parsley. Stir well.

2) Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente. Drain noodles and lay them flat on aluminum foil to keep its shape.

3) Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

4) In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, and the remaining basil and parsley.

5) To assemble the lasagna, spread about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture on the bottom of a deep, rectangular baking dish. Lay 4 lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping each other. Evenly spread about half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta cheese. Spoon about 1/3 of the meat mixture over the mozzarella cheese. Repeat process ending with the meat sauce, then topped with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.

6) Bake until hot and bubbly, about 45 minutes.

** To freeze, tightly seal the assembled, unbaked lasagna with plastic wrap. Cover with foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake in a preheated 375 deg oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Pastitsio

I was in the mood to make lasagna the other day. But I didn't want just a plain ordinary lasagna. Then I remembered that I had saved up a great casserole recipe from Martha Stewart that I've been dying to make. Pastitsio is a Greek casserole dish. I learned of this dish when I was watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network and was curious about how different this dish was from my Baked Ziti recipe.

When I was looking for recipes last week, I came upon this recipe from Martha Stewart and I realized the only difference with this recipe from my Baked Ziti is the cinnamon. Its actually an easier recipe because the sauce base is just tomato paste and wine. I loved the hint of cinnamon in this dish. This is a great make-ahead recipe as well. Just prepare and assemble the casserole and bake when you're ready. I'll definitely be making this new comfort food again.

1 lb. pasta (preferably penne), cooked and drained
oil for cooking
2 lbs. ground meat (beef, turkey, lamb)
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cup water
salt & pepper to taste
6 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 cups milk
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1) In a large sauce pan, heat about 3 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add ground meat and cook until no longer pink, about 6-8 minutes. Break up meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

2) Transfer meat mixture to a colander to drain the fat. Return meat mixture to the pan and add the wine. Cover and allow to cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cinnamon and  water. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3) Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

4) In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until incorporated. Slowly whisk in milk. Continue whisking until there are no more lumps. Cook, whisking often, until mixture is thick and bubbly, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in cayenne pepper and Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and set aside.

5) Add pasta to the meat mixture and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Transfer to a 9x13 inch pan. Pour white sauce over the pasta mixture, smoothing it out until leveled. Bake until tops begin to brown in spots, about 30-40 minutes (40-50 minutes if you've made the casserole ahead and have placed in the refrigerator). Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

Baked Pasta with Spinach and Sausage

Lately, I've been enjoying quiet Monday mornings alone because my 4 year old daughter has been going to school everyday for a few hours for summer school. Although I miss her deeply, because I have never been away from her on my days off, I am totally loving the few quiet hours I have to myself. I have every intention of running errands or doing chores during these days. However, its only been a few Mondays that she's been in school. And during those times, I have just laid in bed and enjoyed the quiet calmness of our house.

It was on this recent quiet Monday that I was actually able to watch my shows and not watch anything that had to do with Mickey Mouse or Kai-Lan. It was this recent Monday that I watched an episode of Rachael Ray's Week in a Day on the Cooking Channel and featured a recipe for Baked Ziti with Spinach and Veal. I was drooling. So before I had to pick up my daughter from school, I headed to the supermarket to buy a few ingredients.

After reading a few of the comments, I decided to modify the recipe based on the comments and the result was this yummy and flavorful make-ahead casserole dish. This dish is great because you can make it ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator or freezer until you're ready to bake it. However, I find that the dish tends to dry out if you make it ahead rather than bake it off right away. If I decided to make this ahead again, I think I'll be making extra sauce to help make it more creamy.

2 bunches of fresh spinach, washed, dried and finely chopped
salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian Turkey sausage, casings removed (or use regular ground turkey)
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped sage leaves
black pepper
1 cup white wine or chicken broth (or 1/2 cup of each)
1 lb. pasta (like penne, farfalle, corkscrew, etc.)
4 Tbsp. butter
3 rounded Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
ground nutmeg to taste
6 ounces grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1) Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Salt the water and cook pasta 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain pasta if done before sauce.

2) In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add ground meat. Lightly brown meat and crumble. Add chopped carrot, onion, and sage leaves. Season with a little salt and black pepper. Continue to cook until carrots and onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine and turn down the heat and allow the mixture to simmer gently.

3) In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour for about a minute. Then whisk in milk. Bring mixture to a bubble and season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Once the sauce has thickened, adjust the nutmeg and black pepper to your liking.

4) To the meat mixture, add chopped spinach and cook until wilted and thoroughly incorporated. Stir in pasta and sauce. Pour mixture in a casserole dish and top with the cheeses.

5) When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 deg F. Bake for 35-45 minutes if reheating the dish. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes if baking immediately. Serve hot.

Ham Sandwich Casserole

I recently discovered that King's Hawaiian had a website full of recipes using their beloved sweet rolls. As I searched through all the yummy recipes, I found this interesting casserole for Mini Baked Ham Sandwiches. It was so easy and so tasty. Its an alternative recipe for a plain 'ol ham and cheese sandwich. I'm definitely going back to website for more tasty recipes.

1 (12 pack) King's Hawaiian Original Rolls
1 lb. deli ham, shaved
1 lb. Swiss cheese, sliced
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. prepared mustard (preferably Dijon)
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion (or onion powder)
poppy seed for garnish

1) In a small saucepan, melt butter. Mix in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and onion. Set aside.

2) Slice entire pack of rolls horizontally in half, keeping all the rolls in tact. Place bottom half of rolls (cut side up) in a 9x13 inch pan. Arrange deli ham and cheese on top of rolls. Cover with the top half of the rolls.

3) Drizzle butter mixture on top of rolls. Refrigerate overnight.

4) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Bake casserole for 15-20 minutes. Separate rolls and serve.

Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole

             

After all the festivities and leftovers from the past weekend, I'm pooped. And I don't really feel like slaving over the stove. But I think we've had enough of the leftovers. Its time for some freshly cooked meals again. So what can I cook?

Recently, I reverted back to my calorie-counting diet and was searching through some recipes on my online calorie tracker, Spark People, for some diet friendly foods. In honor of Cinco de Mayo this weekend, I settled on this recipe for Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole. It had great reviews and it looked really simple. And so I gave it a shot. At first, I was real leery over the use of canned soups, because the dishes I make with them never turn out well and always bland. But I'm dieting, so I guess its supposed to bland. This dish was so far from being bland. It was quite yummy, actually. I even used my Homemade Taco Seasoning which helped lessen the amount of sodium in the dish. Served with warm tortillas and only about 280 calories per serving, this was actually an awesome dish that hubby really liked too. He actually suggested we serve this for the Mother's Day Luncheon we're hosting next weekend. We'll see :)

1 can fat free Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can fat free Cream of Chicken soup
1 can water
1 package taco seasoning (or 2 Tbsp. homemade Taco Seasoning)
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
chopped cilantro for garnish
2 green onions, chopped
shredded cheese for garnish

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and set aside.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together soups, water and taco seasoning.  Evenly spread rice over sauce. Arrange chicken on top of rice. Top chicken with black beans, tomatoes, corn, cilantro, and green onions. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour and 25 minutes.

3) After the baking time, remove foil. Shred chicken, if desired, and top with desired amount of cheese. Continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melted. Served warm with tortillas.

Scalloped Potatoes revisited

I know its been over a week since my last blog post. Honestly, I had been working myself up for this recent Thanksgiving holiday. Keeping busy by planning my strategy on how to tackle the tasks at hand. My menu has been the same ever since I volunteered to host Thanksgiving dinner for my side of the family. We always have my famous Deep Fried Turkey, Creamed Corn, Mashed Potatoes, and Scalloped Potatoes. Scalloped Potatoes is the one dish my brother looks forward to. However, my Scalloped Potatoes are either a hit or miss. They either are somewhat undercooked, or not cheesy enough. Then a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, this recipe came up on my reader from the Brown Eyed Baker. The key for perfect Scalloped Potatoes every time is to boil the entire mixture together prior to baking it. I can't believe I didn't think of that before. They came deliciously.

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 small onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

4 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 cup shredded cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

2) In a medium sized stock pot, melt butter over medium-high heat until foaming subsides, about 1 minute. Add onion and saute until it softens and begin to brown, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream, milk, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and potatoes. Bring mixture to simmer. Cover, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain a light simmer. Cook until potatoes are are almost tender (paring knife can be slipped into and out of center of potato slice with some resistance), about 15 minutes.

3) Remove and discard thyme and bay leaves. Transfer potato mixture into a 3-quart casserole or gratin dish. Sprinkle top with cheese. Bake until cream has thickened, is bubbling around the sides, and the top has turned golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Florentine Lasagna

I'm always on the lookout for a good make-ahead meal. One of the best make-ahead meal idea is pasta. However, most pasta dishes I've seen have red sauces. I wanted to make something with a white sauce. I remember eating a Chicken Florentine pasta at the Olive Garden a while ago and decided to re-create that dish with lasagna. This is what I came up.

10 lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions

1 container ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 egg

salt & pepper to taste

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken

3 cups prepared Alfredo sauce

1 (12 oz) bag frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1) Preheat oven to 400 deg F.

2) In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese and egg. Mix until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in drained spinach.

3) To assemble the lasagna, spread 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce on the bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan. Place one layer of lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Evenly spread spinach mixture over lasagna noodles and top with 1 cup of chopped chicken. Spread 1 cup of Alfredo sauce and repeat layering until you've reached 3 layers (The top layer should be the Alfredo sauce). Top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

4) In a small bowl, stir together breadcrumbs and melted butter. Evenly top breadcrumbs mixture over lasagna. Bake for 40-45 minutes until it becomes bubbly.

Tuna Casserole

Its the last Lenten Friday of the year and I ran out of ideas on what to make for dinner that didn't require any meat. We already had pasta with Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce for lunch today. I love spaghetti, but not much to want to eat it everyday. We've had this pasta dish twice this week. So the only option left to make is another tuna dish. As you may remember, I wasn't too happy with the last Tuna Noodle Casserole I made last week. A co-worker of mine emailed me and told me how seeing my casserole reminded her of her mom's. So she gave me a similar recipe that uses potato chips as the topping. I was intrigued with the potato chips. So it gave me the idea to use it on my next attempt at a Tuna Casserole. Thanks for the idea, Bonnie!

I remember a recipe I came across that used Alfredo sauce in the Tuna Casserole. I thought this was finally the recipe that would replicate the Tuna Helper I loved to eat when I was kid. So I decided to modify that recipe and incorporate some of the elements from my co-worker's recipe to make my own version of Tuna Casserole. This recipe would've been awesome if I had used a better quality Alfredo sauce. Maybe even a homemade Alfredo Sauce. That's why I never like using bottled Alfredo sauce. Other than that, this was a great recipe that hubby loved. So I'll be making this one again with better Alfredo sauce.

1/2 lb. shell pasta (cooked al dente)

1 jar prepared Alfredo Sauce

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

salt to taste

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup canned corn

5 oz canned tuna

crushed potato chips for topping

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease a casserole dish.

2) In a medium saucepan, heat Alfredo sauce to boiling. Add seasoning and continue boiling for another minute. Stir in pasta, peas corn and tuna until well incorporated. Pour into prepared casserole dish and top with crushed potato chips. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I've had this recipe bookmarked from the Betty Crocker website for a few months and had planned on making it for a Friday Lent. Tuna casserole is one of those comfort foods that everyone seemed to reminisce about when they were kids, but its something I've never really had. Unless you count Hamburger Helper/Tuna Helper, which I had often when I was a kid. So I've been dying to make something similar to flavors of the Tuna Helper I've grown to love.

I've had the ingredients ready for about a week and I've finally got around to making it tonight. The original recipe required leek soup mix, but I replaced it with onion soup mix. This version came out okay. But nothing to write home about. It was rather bland, in my opinion. The scent of onion from the onion soup mix was rather strong, which didn't seem appealing at first. But after having the first bite, it wasn't as bad as I thought. However, this wasn't the tuna noodle casserole recipe I was looking for. I guess my quest will continue.

8 oz uncooked linguine or spaghetti

1 cup frozen broccoli florets

1 package onion soup mix

1 1/2 cups milk

black pepper to taste

1 (5 oz) can tuna, drained

2 Tbsp. chopped drained roasted bell peppers

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/4 plain bread crumbs

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease a 8-inch square (2 quart) pan. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. Add frozen broccoli during the last 2 minutes of cook time. Drain.

2) In a saucepan, mix together milk and onion soup mix. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Season with black pepper.

3) Add pasta, broccoli, tuna, and roasted peppers to soup mixture. Gently stir to mix well. Spoon into prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, combine butter and bread crumbs and sprinkle over pasta mixture. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Seafood Gratin

Happy 2011!!!

I haven't made anything new since Christmas mainly because we've been busy entertaining out-of-town guests. New Year's celebrations were pretty hectic as well. We spent the usual New Year's eve at my parents' place. I made my Lomi Lomi Salmon, Malasadas II, and Broccoli Cheddar soup. I made my Beef Caldereta for New Year's Day at my in-laws. We have quite a few leftover dishes, so I haven't been cooking. I've also been sick and exhausted since New Year's day, so I haven't been up to cooking.

I had saved this recipe from Annie's Eats in the hopes of making it for our New Year's eve celebration. I've had the seafood ingredients stored in the fridge for a few days now, so I figured I'd better make it now before they go bad. I guess this is my first new recipe for the New Year.

Making this dish required a lot of steps and the use of multiple pans. It also requires the use of leeks, which I've never worked with before. But I've learned that leeks come from the onion family. Because while cutting it, my eyes became teary as if I was cutting an onion. I hate cutting onions. However, with that said, this dish was well worth the agony of preparing because it came out delicious. But please excuse the above photo. I'm still learning all the tricks that my new camera can make. So I haven't mastered it yet. Anyway, I omitted the cooked lobster it called for because I didn't have any. But I added extra shrimp to substitute it. You can probably also add crab meat in this dish. I served this with a side of garlic bread.

1 cup clam juice

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup, plus 3 Tbsp. more, white wine

3 Tbsp. tomato puree

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

8-10 oz raw cod, cut into large chunks

10-16 oz cooked lobster meat, cut into large chunks (I omitted this and added more shrimp instead)

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature, divided

1 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cup thinly sliced leeks, white and green parts

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

1) In a large saucepan, combine clam juice, cream and 1/2 cup wine. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer and add shrimp. Cook shrimp for 1-2 minutes and flip over the other side until they become pink and opaque. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl to cool. Cut shrimp in half if desired.

2) Add raw cod to the cream mixture and cook through, about 3-4 minutes. Remove cooked cod with a slotted spoon and place in the same bowl with shrimp.

3) Continue to cook sauce until it reduces to half, about 12 minutes. In the meantime, combine 1 Tbsp. of butter with flour in a small bowl and mash together with a fork. When sauce has reduced, whisk in flour mixture with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

4) Preheat oven to 375 deg F. In a medium saute pan, melt 3 Tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add leeks and carrots and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add remaining 3 Tbsp. wine and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes.

5) Add cream sauce and cooked vegetables to the bowl of seafood and mix well to combine. Place mixture in individual ramekins or in a casserole dish pan.

6) In a small bowl, melt the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter. Add panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic and parsley and mix well. Sprinkle on top of prepared gratin. Place gratin on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until it becomes bubbly and the topping turns golden brown. Serve hot with garlic bread.

Bobby's Hot Crab Dip

As a starter for this year's Thanksgiving dinner, I decided to make this dip. I watched Paula Deen and her son, Bobby, make this on her show on the Food Network. Hubby has a different kind of crab dip that has artichoke and uses imitation crab. What I like about this dip is the use of fresh crab. I omitted a few ingredients that made this dip too spicy, because I also wanted my daughter to have a chance to eat it as well. It came out quite tasty and creamy.

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

juice of 1 lime

1 lb. lump crab meat

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease a casserole dish and set aside.

2) Using a mixer, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, pepper jack cheese, tomatoes, green onions and lime juice. Carefully fold in crab meat. Bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips, toasted baguette.

Mexican Cornbread Skillet Pie

One of my co-workers, Stacy, was talking about making some kind of a tamale pie she wanted to make because she had bought some Marie Callender's cornbread mix from Costco she wanted to use. I told her I had a lot leftover, too, and thought it was a great idea. I remembered that I had bookmarked this recipe from another favorite blog I frequent, Sing for your Supper.... so I wanted to finally make this.

The dish came out okay, if you like cornbread that much. I don't know if I would make this one again, unless its requested. Maybe if I tweak it a bit, I'll take a liking to it. Though hubby loved it. I'll probably make it again on request.

boxed cornbread mix
small can of green chillies (optional)
corn kernels
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 lb. ground turkey
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
a dash cayenne pepper
1 cup shredded cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Prepare cornbread mix according to package directions. Add green chillies and corn. Set aside.

2) In a medium pan, saute onions, garlic and bell peppers over medium-high heat until soft. Add ground turkey until cooked through. Drain off grease. Stir in cumin, chili powder, black pepper, salt and cayenne pepper. Remove from heat.

3) Grease bottom of a cast-iron skillet (or any oven-safe skillet or pan) and sprinkle the bottom with a little cornmeal. Evenly spread half of the cornbread mixture and top with the meat mixture. Top with shredded cheese, then spread with the remaining cornbread mixture over the top. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

I've been wanting to make quiche for a while now ever since a quiche recipe popped up on my reader. I thought it looked so easy and I love quiche. So when I was at the supermarket yesterday, I figured I should buy all the ingredients I needed. Which isn't much. I had most of the ingredients at home already. I just needed the pie shell.

This recipe is from Paula Deen and I found it on the Food Network website. It received great reviews and looked really easy, so I wanted to give it a try. I modified the original recipe a bit, based on the reviews. Specifically, I decreased some of the ingredients because it looked like it would overflow from the pan. It came out so yummy. I can't believe how easy this recipe was.

6 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups heavy cream or half & half

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach, packed

1/2 lb (or 1/2 a package) bacon, cooked and chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust

1) Preheat oven to 375 deg F.

2) Combine eggs, cream (or half & half), salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Layer spinach, bacon, and cheese on the bottom of the pie crust. Pour egg mixture on top. Place crust on a large backing dish (to help catch the overflow while baking). Bake for 35-45 minutes until the egg is set.

Salsa Verde Sour Cream Enchiladas

My daughter and I are house/dog sitting for my parents for the next 4 days because they're in Hawaii with my siblings. Hubby drops us off at their house in the morning before he goes to work, and then comes back for us after work. We have dinner, then we head home. Although I used to live in this house, its just feels weird cooking outside of my own kitchen. I don't know where everything is kept anymore.

Today's dinner was planned last night. Meaning I packed my own ingredients to make at my parents house. I found this recipe from another blog I visit, Sing for your supper. This dish was really yummy. Hubby says its restaurant quality. It was pretty easy to make. I used store-bought rotisserie chicken to eliminate the cooking process of the chicken. I also omitted the Jalapeno that it calls for because I didn't want it to be too spicy for my daughter. This is another great make-ahead-meal.

4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or use store-bought rotisserie chicken)

2 Tbsp. butter

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 Jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups sour cream

16 oz jar Medium Salsa Verde

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper (I used black pepper, its all I have)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

10-12 flour tortillas, small fajita size

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute onions (and Jalapenos if using) until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour and let cook 1-2 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth until smooth and let cook until bubbly.

2) Stir in sour cream, salsa, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cilantro until sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.

3) Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the pan. Place chicken and cheese on center of each tortilla and roll, placing seam-side down in the dish. Pour sauce over the enchiladas. Top with leftover cheese and bake for 25 minutes or until top is brown and bubbling.

Chicken Tetrazzini

This recipe comes from Giada de Laurentiis. I love her pasta recipes, especially the creamy pastas. I haven't made this in a while because its pretty time consuming and requires a lot of ingredients. But its definitely worth the time. Its super creamy and not for the diet conscious either. This recipe calls for chicken that you have to cook, but you can eliminate that step of cooking the chicken by using a prepared roast chicken that you would find at the supermarket, then chop it all up for this recipe.

9 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 boneless chicken breasts

2 1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 large onion, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. thyme leaves

1/2 cup white wine

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup chicken broth

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

12 ounces spaghetti or linguine pasta, cooked al dente

3/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup breadcrumbs.

1) Preheat oven to 450 deg. F. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with 1 Tbsp. butter and set aside

2) Melt 1 Tbsp. of butter and 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper. Cook chicken on the hot pan until pale golden, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from the pan and cool slightly. Coarsely shred chicken into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Set aside.

3) In the same pan, add 1 Tbsp. each of butter and oil. Add mushrooms and sautee until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add onion, garlic and thyme. Sautee until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture in the bowl with chicken.

4) Melt 3 more Tbsp. butter in the same pan. Add flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, the remaining 1 3/4 tsp. salt, and the remaining 3/4 tsp. pepper. Increase the heat to high. cover and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered, until sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

5) Add sauce, cooked pasta, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and mixture is well blended.

6) Transfer pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot the pasta with the remaining 3 Tbsp. butter. Bake uncovered until golden brown and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes

Chicken Enchiladas

My friend Kiran wanted to make Enchiladas for her family the other day and asked me if I had a recipe in my blog. Unfortunately, I didn't yet. So I decided to make it today. Its not really a recipe, because I pretty much just toss everything together. I figured out how to make it and there was really nothing to it, so I didn't feel the need to write up a recipe. So the measurements in this recipe is more of an approximation.

I used flour tortillas, because its what the hubby likes. I think its traditionally made with corn tortillas. Nevertheless, its still yummy and hubby really likes it. I served this with my Mexican rice. This is another great make-ahead meal for the busy working mom that I am.

28 oz can of your favorite enchilada sauce

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 cup shredded cheese (I used a mexican blend of cheese), more for garnish

6-8 flour tortillas (soft taco size)

sour cream for topping

1) Preheat oven to 375 deg. F. Combine 1/3 of the enchilada sauce with the chicken and cheese. Set aside.

2) Pour another 1/3 of the enchilada sauce in a deep dish. Soak each tortilla in the sauce. Take a prepared tortilla and scoop 2-3 heaping tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower side of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla and place in a baking dish, seam side down. Continue with the remaining tortilla and chicken mixture.

3) Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and more shredded cheese on top.

Breakfast Casserole

This is hubby's favorite breakfast dish. I don't make it often because its such a large batch for 2 people to consume. I made it for breakfast this morning and we were able to eat half of the batch.....the other batch is Sunday morning's breakfast. Hubby won't complain ;)

1/2 tube crescent roll dough
1 cup frozen shredded potato hash
1 cup cooked breakfast sausage (crumbled)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used monterey jack)
1 cup milk
6 eggs
salt to taste

1) Preheat oven to 310 deg. F. Press dough on the bottom of a 9 inch square pan. Top with potato hash, then sausage, and finally cheese.

2) Scramble eggs. Add milk and salt to taste. Pour egg mixture on top of the casserole, making sure the egg mixture is evenly distributed. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the egg is firm. Serve with white gravy on top.

Baked Ziti

So its another one of those nights where I had limited time in cooking. Therefore, I had a casserole dish I had assembled last night and popped in the oven for dinner tonight. I still had some bolognese sauce in the freezer left over from the last batch I made a couple of weeks ago, so I tried to figure out how else I can use it in a dish. Hmmm, I haven't made my baked ziti in a while. I used up all my saved bolognese sauce, so I'll be making more this weekend to stock up.

2-3 cups prepared spaghetti sauce (I used my bolognese sauce)
1 lb cooked penne pasta
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups warm milk
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
shredded mozzarella cheese

1) Combine spaghetti sauce and cooked pasta in a large bowl. Pour mixture in a casserole dish and top with mozzarella cheese. Set aside. Pre heat oven to 375 deg F.

2) In a medium pot, melt butter. Add flour and stir for a minute. Slowly pour milk and vigourously whisk mixture to eliminate lumps. Cook until mixture begins to bubble, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat. Add black pepper, salt and nutmed and stir to thoroughly incorporate.

3) Pour sauce over prepared pasta and bake for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.

Moussaka

Moussaka is basically a Greek lasagna-type dish made with either eggplant or zucchini instead of pasta. I'm not a huge fan of eggplant, so I use zucchini, which I absolutely LOVE. I learned about this dish while watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network. I saw how it was made, and looked pretty easy like lasagna, so I decided to do my own version. I made this with my bolognese sauce with ground turkey. But this can totally be a vegetarian dish if your sauce doesn't have any meat. I especially like the topping, which is basically a white gravy/beschamel sauce that I make. This is another one of my signature potluck dishes. Its a great way to sneak in a little vegetable into someone's diet. I did with my daughter!

4-6 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 3 pieces
5 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I used my bolognese sauce)
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Topping:
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grill zucchini slices until half-way done. Spread bread crumbs on the bottom of a casserole dish.

2) Place a layer of grilled zucchini slices on top of the bread crumbs. Pour 1/3 of spaghetti sauce on top of zucchini. Place another layer of grilled zucchini and then spaghetti sauce. Repeat procedure until you have used up your zucchini slices or until you have made 3 layers.

3) TOPPING: In a saucepan, melt butter on medium heat. When butter begins to bubble, add flour and whisk for about a minute to make a roux. Gently pour in milk while vigorously whisking, to avoid lumps. Cook mixture until it begins to boil, stirring occassionally to avoid burning. When mixture begins to boil, remove from heat. Add nutmeg, salt & pepper to taste.

4) Pour topping over prepared zucchini layers. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes. Serve hot or cold.