Alice Springs Chicken

Scott absolutely L-O-V-E-S the Alice Springs Chicken at Outback.  Tried this recipe just for him and it was a keeper!
 

Honey Mustard Marinade:
-1 cup Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
-1 cup honey
-1/2 cup mayonnaise
-1 teaspoon lemon juice

Chicken:
-4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
-1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
-2 cups sliced mushrooms (10-12 mushrooms)
-2 tablespoons butter
-Salt and pepper
-Paprika
-8 slices bacon, cooked
-1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
-1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
-2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley (I use dried)
 

Use an electric mixer to combine the mustard, honey, mayonnaise, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Whip the mixture for about 30 seconds. Place chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour in about 1/3 of the marinade. Seal the bag and press out as much air as you can and marinate in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Chill the remaining marinade until later. **I typically cut the above marinade recipe in half and marinate the chicken in all of it. I don't use the extra marinade as a sauce. ** 

After the chicken has marinated, remove chicken from bag and discard the marinade that it has been soaking in.   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and heat an ovenproof frying pan large enough to hold all four breasts and 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat. (If you don't have an ovenproof frying pan, transfer the chicken to a baking dish).

Sear the chicken in the pan for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove pan from heat but keep chicken in the pan. As the chicken is cooking, in a small frying pan saute the mushrooms in the butter. Brush each seared chicken breast with a little of the honey mustard marinade being sure to save a little extra that you can serve on the side later with the dish.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika ( I am usually pretty generous with the paprika, I love the flavor). Stack two pieces of cooked bacon, crosswise on each chicken breast. Spoon the sauteed mushrooms onto the bacon, being sure to coat each breast evenly. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese evenly onto each breast followed by 1/4 cup of cheddar.

Bake the pan of prepared chicken breasts for 7-10 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted and starting to bubble. Sprinkle each breast with 1/2 teaspoon parsley before serving. Put extra honey mustard marinade into a small bowl to serve on the side.

Recipe courtesy of ZipList.com.

Macaroni & Cheese

 

Here's my go to mac and cheese recipe...adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. 

You can easily divide this recipe in half.  Use a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish (9X9) if you do.

-6 pieces bread cut in cubes (I use 3 sleeves crushed Ritz crackers for the topping instead)
-8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
-5 1/2 cups milk
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons kosher salt
-1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
-2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
-1 pound elbow macaroni
-12 sliced of bacon, cooked crisply and chopped (my addition)

 Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish (9X13); set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. **As mentioned about, I used crushed Ritz crackers instead of bread for the breadcrumbs.  Combine Ritz crackers with the butter and set aside.

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. **I typically use pecorino Romano since it's half the price of Gruyere.  Set cheese sauce aside.

Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

Reindeer Noses

This is our new favorite Christmas treat.  I hate baking...I burn everything.  These are so easy and YUMMY.  How can you go wrong with chocolate and pretzels?  The kids think they are fantastic and loved their job of unwrapping all the kisses. 

-Waffle shaped pretzels (I use a one pound bag of Snaps made by Snyders)
-Hershey Kisses and/or Hugs (I use 3 bags, 11 ounces each)..you can also use a chocolate melt if preferred
-Green and Red M & M's

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees. Now, spread the round pretzels on a cookie sheet so that they lie flat. Place unwrapped kiss on each pretzel.

Place the cookie sheet into your oven. Allow the kisses to melt.  It will take about 5 minutes depending on your oven. If you press on the kiss and it squishes all the way down, they’re ready. Take them out.

Now, press one M & M into each kiss. Push them around a little so that chocolate touches all of the edges of the pretzels.

I saw another version of these made with a Rolos instead of Hershey's kiss and then a Pecan on top.  Oh my, I will have to try those next year!

Nutella Bites

This is the boys new favorite after school snack!  I think I saw it on Pinterest at some point.

-Pillsbury crescent rolls
-Nutella

Unroll and separate dough as if you are going to make crescent rolls.  Scoop 1-2 tablespoons of Nutella (or a little peanut butter too) at the large end of the crescent roll.  Roll up as you would to make the rolls and bake according to the package directions.  Serve with a big glass of milk.

I have pictures to upload, but I've run out of storage space on this blog and trying to figure out if I am willing to pay for extra storage.

Italian Wedding Soup

I attempted making wedding soup this weekend for the first time.  I've been hesitant to make it...nothing quite compares to my mom's or grandma's.  After combining a few recipes online, this is what I came up with...

It turned out pretty tasty with three happy boys gobbling it up tonight.  If you visit this blog regularly, you can tell that I like to freeze a lot of meals.  The less time cooking, the better.  Therefore, this is a double recipe.  We ate half tonight and I froze the other half.

Soup:
-olive oil
-1 onion, chopped
-1-2 cups celery, chopped (about 2-3 stalks)
-1-2 cups carrots, chopped (about 20+ baby carrots)
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-1 bay leaf
-1 teaspoon dried thyme
-1 teaspoon dried basil
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-84 ounces chicken broth...this is 2 extra large cartons, or 6 cans of chicken broth of chicken broth
-4 cups water
-8 ounces orzo (or ditalini, pastina or any other tiny pasta)
-2 cups escarole, sliced thin (you can use spinach in place of the escarole, but I grew up with the traditional Italian version with escarole)
-Parmesan cheese

Meatballs:
-1 pounds meatloaf mix
**I can never find this so I make my own:
-3/4 pound ground beef
-1/2 pound ground pork
-1/4 pound ground veal
-3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
-1 eggs
-1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

Mix meatball ingredients together and roll small meatballs the size of a marble. (If forming the meatball is difficult, cover and refrigerate first.

 

In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil. When the onion starts to turn a golden color; add garlic, carrot, and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in chicken stock and herbs.  Gently add in meatballs.  Simmer lightly, until veggies and meatballs are cooked through (about 10 minutes).  Add in orzo and escarole and gently simmer for about 10 minutes until pasta is cooked.  Serve immediately. 

 

Garnish soup with Parmesan cheese before serving if desired. 

Meatballs

-3 pounds meatloaf mix
**I can never find this so I make my own:
-1 1/2 pounds ground beef
-1 pound ground pork
-1/2 pound ground veal
-1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
-3 eggs
-1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
-1/2-3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine all ingredients above.  Roll into balls the size you prefer.  Lay in a greased casserole dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes or until browned (I flip them have way through).  If your are making sauce, stop here and place your meatballs in your sauce to continue cooking.  If you aren't making sauce, continue baking your meatballs until they are cooked all the way through (160 degrees in their center).

This recipe makes about 36 average sized meatballs.

Sauce

I just made a big batch of sauce to freeze for the winter so I thought I'd share my recipe.  I've shared my tripled recipe which will yield you about 6 mason jars full (1 liter jars).

*6 cans of whole tomatoes
*3 cans of tomato paste
*1 cup of Parmesan cheese
*1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
*Oregano (a few tablespoons to your liking)
*Basil (a few tablespoons to you liking) - fresh would be great but I tend to usually use dried herbs that I have in the pantry
*Salt and pepper to taste
*Garlic powder to taste
*3 cups or  more water
*Meatballs (I'll share this recipe next) (optional)*
*5-6 Italian Sausages, cut into 2 inch pieces (optional)*
*5-6 Pork Neck Bones (sounds gross I know, but it really helps flavor the sauce) (optional)*

Blend whole tomatoes one can at a time in a blender until they are pureed and then add to a large pot (I use a 16 quart stock pot). Add tomato paste, cheese, all the herbs and seasoning. Mix well. Add your meatballs, sausage, and neck bones if you want. You do not need to add any meat to your sauce, but I think it flavors is nicely. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Let is simmer covered for about 2-3 hours. Remove lid and let is cook to your desired thickness (usually about 30-45 minutes for mine).

When my sauce is done, I carefully fish out all the meat with a slotted spoon and put it in a separate bowl. (Make sure you get all the neck bones out...some of them are little. I toss all the neck bones and meat out but I'm sure it's tasty if you want to eat it.).  I lay the meatballs and/or sausage pieces on cookie sheets and put in the freezer.  Once frozen individually, I put meal sized portions of meat in a plastic freezer zip bag, label and pop back in the freezer.

After this, I funnel the sauce into mason jars and either use it within a few days or freeze it. I label the mason jars with some masking tape and make sure to include the date. As I mentioned before, this recipe will make about 6 liters (6 large mason jars) of sauce.

*Sometimes I start out by cooking diced garlic, onion, and carrots in some olive oil and then pureeing them in a food processor and adding to the sauce.  It depends what I have on hand and how motivated I am on my cooking day.

Ranch House Pork Chops

Soccer has started again and this year I have 2 kids to get to and from practice and games.  There are a couple days a week when I have to feed the kids dinner at 4pm because we leave the house for practices at 5 and don't get home until bedtime.  These are my crockpot days.  I'm always looking for quick and easy crockpot recipes that my kids will eat.  They don't always like the consistency of chicken out of the crockpot so I thought I'd try a new pork recipe.  This one was a hit!

-6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick (I use boneless)
-1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
-10 oz. can Cream of Chicken Soup

Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.  I serve with mashed potatoes and use the sauce as gravy.

Recipe courtesy of Real Mom Kitchen.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

My mother in law makes an amazing pumpkin pie.  I planned on making this last Thanksgiving so I got the recipe from her.  I never ended up making it...I'm posting it for myself so I can make it this year. 

-1 envelope unflavored gelatin
-3/4 cup milk
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 slightly beaten egg YOLKS
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 cup canned pumpkin
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-2 eggs WHITES
-1/2 teaspoon allspice
-1/4 cup sugar
-1/4 teaspoon ginger
-1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped
-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
-1, 9" graham-cracker crust

Combine 1st 7 ingredients in saucepan. Stir in milk, egg YOLKS and pumpkin. Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture boils and gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and chill till partially set
(this might take 1/2 hour or more). When its almost ready, start the next steps.

Beat egg WHITES till soft peaks form; gradually add sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Fold into pumpkin mixture with whipped cream. Pile into crust. Chill till firm. You can trim with more whipping cream or just walnut halves.

Note from my MIL:
I never put more whipped cream on top because there is plenty in the pie. I have also had enough of the pie mixture left, so I get the individual size graham-cracker crust and fill them. This is be frozen
for 4-5 months, also.

From the kitchen of Jan Segal.

Salmon Yakitori

Scott made this the other night and it was great.  I'm not usually a big fan of salmon, but even I loved it.

-1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets (he used boneless, skinless fillets)

-lemon pepper to taste

-garlic powder to taste

-salt to taste

-1/3 cup soy sauce

-1/3 cup brown sugar

-1/3 cup water

-1/4 cup vegetable oil

Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Baked in a 450 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, until fish gently flakes. 

San Francisco Pork Chops

Here's another Pinterest find that's a keeper.  Unfortunately, I can't find the original link to give the owner credit. 

-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick
-Salt and pepper for seasoning
-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
-1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
-1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
-2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-1 tablespoon cornstarch
-1 tablespoon cold water
-Mashed Potatoes or Hot Cooked Rice (for serving)

In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is simmering and hot. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown the pork chops for 1-2 minutes on each side in the hot oil until golden. Transfer the chops to the slow cooker. Add the garlic to the drippings in the skillet and stir constantly over medium heat until the garlic is aromatic and golden (but not burned or it will turn bitter!). Stir in the soy sauce, broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until the meat is tender. If using bone-in pork chops, fish out the bones from the slow cooker. Remove the chops from the slow cooker to a shallow pan or plate – they will most likely be falling apart in tenderness at this point. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Pour the sauce into a pan and place it over medium heat on the stove. Add the cornstarch slurry and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thick. Add the pork and heat through.

Asian Cole Slaw Salad

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this stuff and finally got my hands on the recipe!

-1 bag (8 ounces) cole slaw (I use a larger bag...I think 12 ounces)
-1 bunch green onions, chopped
-2 packages Ramen noodles chicken soup (break up the noodles, uncooked)
-1 cup sunflower seeds
-1 cup chopped walnuts

Combine all the above ingredients.

Dressing:
-1 cup sugar
-2/3 cup white vinegar
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1 1/2 packages of the chicken soup seasoning mix

Combine dressing ingredients by shaking together in a container.  Mix desired amount of dressing (may not need it all) into the salad and serve.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Thank you Martha Stewart for our favorite tetrazzini recipe.  This recipe makes two 9X13 casseroles.  When I make this, I pop the second in the freezer for another meal later in the month.  It freezes very well.

-Coarse salt and ground pepper

- 6 tablespoons butter

- 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick

- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

- 3 cups milk

- 1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth

- 3/4 cup dry white wine

- 3 cups grated Parmesan cheese

- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

- 1 pound linguine, broken in half

- 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)

- 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed and drained

Preheat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (for pasta). In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over high heat. Add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.

Make sauce: In same saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add flour; cook, whisking, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, gradually add milk, broth, and wine. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and add 2 cups Parmesan and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta 2 minutes less than package instructions for al dente; drain and return to pot. Add sauce, chicken, peas, and mushrooms. Toss well to combine. Divide between two shallow 2-quart baking dishes; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Freeze or bake until browned, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe from MarthaStewart.com.

White Chicken and Artichoke Lasagna

I tried another pinterest find last night from Tasty Tidbits. It sounded so good that I went ahead and doubled it and made an additional lasagna to freeze.  It turned out great and is being added to the dinner rotation.  The recipe below is for a single lasagna.

-2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts (I diced 6 chicken tenderloions and sauteed in olive oil)
-1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
-1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA, divided
-1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
-1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
-2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
-1 cup milk
-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
-1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped, divided
-12 lasagna noodles, cooked

Heat oven to 350°F.  Combine chicken, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and tomatoes. Beat cream cheese, milk and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.

Spread half the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture and mozzarella; cover.
Bake 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

Original recipe from tasteofhome.com

Pasticcio di Spinaci

Since there are NATO operations at our current base, we have friends from various parts of the world.  From time to time we have the pleasure of sampling authentic food from their respective country.  One of Scott's fellow instructor pilots (from Italy) brought this in for him to sample the other day.  Scott loved it so much that the guy's wife made an entire pie for our family to enjoy for dinner the following day.  This recipe doesn't sound like much, but I promise you....it is DIVINE.  Pasticcio di Spinaci translates into Spinach Pie. 

-2 sheets puff pastry
-1 pound bag baby spinach
-Ham, thin slices
-Swiss cheese slices, thin slices
-Parmesan cheese, as much as desired
-1 lightly beaten egg

Cook spinach on low heat in a pan with some butter and a pinch of salt. Once the spinach is tender, mix it in a bowl with egg and Parmesan cheese.  Lay one puff pastry sheet on parchment paper sheet in a baking pan. Spread the spinach mixture over the puff pastry, put one layer of ham and one of cheese on top of the spinach and cover with the second sheet of puffy pastry.  Wrap together the two sheets along the sides.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the puff pastry turns golden. Let cool and cut in 3x3 inch pieces to serve.

From the kitchen of The Trebisonda Family.

Baked Pesto Rotini with Chicken Sausage

This recipe was created last night after trying to use up all of the following ingredients in my fridge, freezer and pantry.  It was a huge hit.  Adam (my picky, complain about every meal kid) scarfed it down and told me how fantastic it was.  Zach seconded that notion with, "Thanks for making this dinner for me Mom."  Decided I should jot it down to duplicate in the future. 

-4 sun dried tomato chicken sausages, grilled and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
-1 pound rotini pasta, cooked and drained (1/2 pound wheat pasta and 1/2 pound regular pasta)
-1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
-4-5 green onions, chopped
-1 cup shredded mozzarella
-A few tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
-1 jar pesto (8 ounces)...or make your own
**I realized afterward that I had some pine nuts in the pantry that I should have toasted up and added to this...must do this next time.

Combine all ingredients except for the cheeses and mix gently.  Pour into a greased casserole dish and top with cheeses.  Put under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and just starts to brown.

Strawberry Daquiri

-6 ounce Minute Maid Limeade
-1 full can of vodka or rum
-1/3 full can of triple sec
-1/2 bag of frozen strawberries
-Ice

Blend and serve.

From the kitchen of Heather Campbell.

Campbell's Greatest Margarita

-6 ounce can of limeade
-tequila
-triple sec
-ice

Use the limeade can to measure liquors... 1 full can of tequila and 1/3 full can of triple sec.  Blend with ice and serve in a salted glass.

You can also add 1/2 bag of frozen strawberries to make strawberry margaritas.

From the kitchen of Heather Campbell.

Cowboy Margarita

Spring and Summer bring a higher than average consumption of tequila in this house.  I have two favorite margarita recipes that I thought I would share.  This one as well as the Cambell's Greatest Margarita which you can find here.

-1 can limeade
-12 ounces tequila
-2 beers (we like corona in this)
-2 cans of Sprite or Sierra Mist
-Ice
-Salt for rim of glass

Blend thoroughly and add to a salted glass.  Add a lime and enjoy!

From the kitchen of Angela Smith.

Copycat Olive Garden Dressing

Olive Garden salad dressing is a favorite in our home.  All three Segal boys L-O-V-E it.  But, at about $5 a bottle, it doesn't come cheap.  I recently found a copycat recipe via Pinterest from Because Barenaked Chef Said So. The original recipe can be found here.  I thought the original recipe was a little too thick so I adapted it just a tad. 

-2 envelops Good Seasons Italian Dressing (I just used the generic Albertson's brand packets)
-1/2 cup olive oil
-3/4 cup white wine vinegar
-1 cup water (original recipe calls for 9 tablespoons water but I thought it was too thick)
-1 teaspoon dried Italian spices (I used basil and oregano)
-1 teaspoon salt
-Freshly ground black pepper to taste
-1 teaspoon sugar
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Pour all ingredients into a blender and blend on high until combined, about 30 seconds or so.  I washed out our original Olive Garden dressing bottle and used in for our new copycat dressing.  This recipe makes enough to fill that bottle plus an additional 1-2 cups worth in a Tupperware container. Shake dressing before serving.

The boys know that I made this Olive Garden dressing at home.  I think it takes a little different, but the boys all think it takes the same as the restaurant version and RAVE about it.  The husband has been taking it with him to work all week and kept telling me..."make sure you write down what you did....this stuff is AWESOME!"  I guess it's a keeper.  After a week, the entire container is almost gone.