Dish up the comfort food! (Chicken, Broccoli & Rice casserole with Cheddar cheese)

Chicken, Broccoli & Rice casserole with Cheddar Cheese

To day was definitely “one of those days”…you know, where you wake up already tired and though nothing *major* happened, it just seemed like a bunch of little things went awry from beginning to end.  I spilled stuff, dropped things, work apps weren’t working, getting my butt kicked in Words with Friends (haha)…I knew by 3pm that it was going to be a “comfort food” type of night and just happen to see a post for Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole earlier today that I wanted to try.  I personally have nothing against Velveeta or Cheese Whiz, but I never cook with it so I was happy to see a version that used real cheese.  I of course took my liberties with the recipe (when do I not) and came up with a a slightly altered version that I am really happy with!

Eeerr…and I needed food STAT before I turned into an emotional basket case, so I skipped the oven time and just let it simmer a few minutes on the stove, it was awesome.

Chicken, Broccoli & Rice casserole with Cheddar cheese – serves 4 to 6

• 1 TBLS butter
• 2 uncooked chicken breasts – cubed/bite-size
• 2-3 fresh broccoli crowns – chopped (you could also use 2 bags of frozen chopped broccoli)
• 1/2 an onion – diced small
• 1 – 1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning/Lawry’s seasoning salt (optional)
• 1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
• 1/4 cup Hellman’s (Best Foods) mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup water
• 6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 packed cups of cooked white rice
• salt & pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add in the first 5 ingredients and saute until the chicken is just done.
2. Add in the next 4 ingredients and gently mix until well incorporated.  Add in the rice, blend well, and turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for a few minutes.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

SUCCESS! Homemade Greek-style yogurt recipe

homemade greek-style yogurt with granola and blackberries

I have no idea why, but for the longest time I’ve avoided making yogurt at home, just something about it *really* intimidated me.  Plus, regular yogurt is pretty affordable, so I just didn’t see the need to rush into try it out.  Lately though, hubby and I have been eating the greek-style yogurt and LOVE it.  It’s so thick and creamy (even the fat-free version), and you can add fruits, jams, flavored syrups, etc…without it getting “runny”.

Sadly, the cost of it is 2-3 times more expensive then normal yogurt, so I decided to buck-up and look for some homemade recipes and stumbled upon this one.  It seemed simple enough, so I decided to try it out a couple nights ago. It turned out thick and creamy, simply FABULOUS and not overly tart!  It’s not difficult to make at all, it just needs time to sit and develop, sort of like waiting for bread to rise, but longer.

I pretty much followed the recipe exactly and suggest starting this about 2 hours before you go to bed, as it needs to sit in the oven for 7-8 hours. Here are some photos and supplemental notes of my first attempt.

double-boiler method

I used the double-boiler method, as burnt milk is horrific!  I took a large metal mixing bowl and placed it on top of a stock pot that had about 2 inches of water in it.  I set the burner temp to med-high and clipped my candy thermometer to the side of the metal bowl.  If you don’t have a candy/digital thermometer, a normal food-grade one will work too.

Once it reached the temp of 180 degrees, I poured it into a large Corningware casserole dish and let it cool down to 110 degrees, just as stated in the original recipe.

I used 2 1/2 TBLS of plain yogurt + 2 TBLS cold milk as my starter.  But before adding it to the 110 degree milk I did ladle in about a 1/2 cup of the hot milk into my starter mix.  My thinking was, if the starter mix is more liquidy it would blend in easier with the rest of the hot milk.

the yogurt after being in the oven for 7.5 hours

I set my oven to 170 degrees, as that’s the lowest it will go.  I used a small bath towel, folded in half (so a double layer), and tucked it tightly around the casserole dish once it was in the oven.  After the yogurt had been in the oven for over an hour, hubby says to me “did you read all of the post comments? The last one was about 3 failed attempts due to the oven temperature not staying warm enough.”  Uuumm…no?!? So I panicked and turned the oven on again to 170, but just for 1 minute!  That probably wasn’t the smartest move, but the yogurt still turned out awesome!

After sitting in the oven overnight it has the consistency of normal plain yogurt.  If this is what you want then the yogurt is done and you just need to drain some of the liquid.  I however wanted the really thick and creamy yogurt, so onto the nest step – cooling & straining.

getting ready to strain the yogurt

I used a large colander placed on top of a large/deep mixing bowl.  After straining for an hour, 2 cups of liquid came out of the yogurt.  I scraped the thicker yogurt off of the cheesecloth and mixed the yogurt up well, then strained for another 1.5 hours, where another 1.5 cups of liquid came out.

This made about 27oz. of greek-style yogurt, so about 5-6 servings and tastes just as good as the store bought version.  As for the cost, 27oz. of store-bought is roughly $5, whereas making it at home will cost roughly $1.60 + 1 yard of cheesecloth (about $1.50/yard).  If you get a nice quality cheesecloth you can rinse and re-use it again!

A delicious Baked Oatmeal that will convert even non-oatmeal lovers

Baked Oatmeal, photo from www.moneysavingmom.com

While visiting with family this weekend we got to talking about food (go figure), and someone mentioned “oatmeal”, which brought this recipe to mind!  If you are not usually a fan or the traditional runny/soupy oatmeal, but like oats, you MUST try this recipe!  It is not mushy at all and comes out more like a fluffy oatmeal crumble….if that makes any sense.  You can taste each individual oat, it is slightly firm yet soft at the same time, and the top comes out with a little crunch…it’s almost like eating dessert for breakfast!  This also taste great with milk poured over it.

I followed the recipe EXACTLY, but if I make it again I think I’ll add a little less sugar.  Just make sure to make this the night before you want it, as the oats need time to soak up all of the liquid.  The recipe is taken from Money Saving Mom, and in her post she describes how to turn this into a make-ahead “freezer” meal as well.

Freezer-Friendly Baked Oatmeal

• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup raw sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk
• 3 cups oats (regular or quick oats)

Beat eggs, sugar and butter together. Mix in baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.

Stir in milk and oats. Pour into a greased 9×13 foil pan or baking dish and cover well.

Leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until set in the middle. Serve with milk.

Serves 6-8.

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Pizza with Ranch and BBQ Sauce

It goes without saying that pizza is a favorite in our home, especially with a teenager who swears she could live on pizza alone!   I still use the ultra-easy pizza crust I shared a while back, and if you haven’t tried it yet you really should!  Homemade pizza in less time then it takes for delivery, can’t go wrong there.  So this weekend I wanted to bake up a pizza, but didn’t have and of the “usual” toppings on hand.  I was determined though, and then remembered my daughter saying something about a buffalo chicken pizza a while back….and I just happen to have the ingredients on hand!  Well, close enough anyways

So here is what I came up with, which is now a new favorite in the house!  I actually made this pizza 3 times this week (I swear I thought it was only twice!), and here is my favorite version.  Please keep in mind measurements a bit approximate, but the recipe is very forgiving, and don’t let the short list of ingredients fool you, it’s good.  And just a little disclaimer, I’ve never had buffalo chicken pizza before, but my hubby and daughter have and they say it tastes just as good as the restaurant’s.  YUM for less then half the price, gotta love it.

 

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Pizza with Ranch and BBQ Sauce-1 large pizza

• 1 large pizza crust-store bought or homemade
• 1 chicken breast-cubed and seasoned with a little Lawry’s or poultry seasoning salt
• your preferred hot sauce-like buffalo wing sauce, Louisiana Hot sauce or Tapatio Mexican hot sauce (this is what I used)
• generous 1/3 cup ranch dressing
• 3 TBLS sweet BBQ sauce-I used Baby Ray’s
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups mozzarella cheese-shredded

Directions:

• Prep the pizza crust as you normally would and pre-heat the oven to the temp needed.
• Over medium heat, cook the chicken breast until it is almost done, then add in as much hot sauce as you think you can handle for the last couple of minutes.  Once the chicken is fully cooked, turn off the heat and add in the ranch dressing and BBQ sauce.
• Spread the chicken mixture evenly over the crust, top with cheese, and cook in the oven until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown.
• Serve with extra ranch and BBQ sauce if desired.

Chinese Take-out “Cashew Chicken” in no time!

A picture of the Cashew Chicken dish taken directly from www.onceuponachef.com

Wow, it’s been a while since my last post!  It has been a crazy few weeks, with all of trying to enjoy the last bits of summer before school started, which was today!  Now that we are adjusting back to the “school schedule” that also means earlier dinners, as during the summer we sometimes do not eat until 8pm, which is way too late for the little ones as they are in bed by 9pm.  So I wanted to start the school year off in the right direction, which includes and nice home cooked dinner and not frozen pizza, lol!  I’ve had this recipe for Cashew Chicken in my “must try” pile ever since Jennifer (the author of the www.onceuponachef.com) posted it.  Boy, am I sorry I waited so long!  It came together so fast and was delicious, even with the omitted ingredients and substitutions I had to make due to what we had available to work with.

I ended up omitting the cashews and green onions as we didn’t have them, and I had to sub in white vinegar for the rice wine vinegar.  I served this with plain steamed broccoli, which was a wonderful compliment to this dish as it is quite saucy and flavorful already   Oh, and if you happen to like your sauce thick and sticky, just remove the chicken once it is fully cooked and continue to cook the sauce on it’s own.  It will reduce down to a thicker consistency in just a couple minutes, then you can add the chicken back in to re-warm it.

Enjoy!

Summertime Tuna Pasta Salad

I’ve been making for years, at least a decade or so….my how time flies!  Mt first exposure to this type of salad was back when I worked at a mall and Macy’s was still called Dayton’s.  On my break times I’d sometime go up to the the Dayton’s Marketplace and get a small container of Light Tuna Pasta Salad, I loved it so much I tried to re-create it at home, as it was quite expensive on a “retail associate” wage, lol.  And contrary to my previous post and how I like my soups, I prefer my pasta salads to be on the “not-so-creamy” side.  For the most part I always use LESS dressing then what any pasta salad recipes call for, so if that gives you a hint…

Of all the pasta salads I’ve tried, this one is definitely still one of my favorites and in the “don’t make it often as I’ll eat it ll in a day” category.  It’s light and refreshing, perfect on a hot summer day, for a picnic lunch, or for the beach!  The celery is a MUST, even if you normally don’t like celery (like me) as the added crunch adds so much to this salad…that and the sweet burst of peas along with the comforting flavor of noodles and tuna, YUM!  Surprisingly, even though this has 2 cans of tuna in it I do not find the flavor to be overly “tuna-y”, but if you are a bit hesitant start wit just 1 can. Oh, and if you are not a big fan of mayo based dressings you should still give this a try, trust me.

You could also lighten this up by using reduced fat mayo.

Summertime Tuna Pasta Salad:

• 3/4 cup Hellman’s or Best Foods mayonnaise (this is key in keeping the salad non-creamy)
• 1 can of flaked tuna-drained
• 1 can of flaked tuna- UNDRAINED
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 stalk of celery-diced
• 1/2 cup onion-diced

• 8 oz elbow macaroni-cooked al dente and drained
• 1 cup frozen peas-thawed

Directions:

• Add the first 8 ingredients in large mixing bowl and blend well.  Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and sugar level to your liking.  The dressing will look a bit watery, this is ok.
• Add in the noodles and peas, blending well to make sure all of the noodles are covered in the dressing.  Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
• Un-cover and mix the salad well to re-distribute the dressing, then cover again and refrigerate for another 3 hours before serving.
• This can be made a day ahead for picnics and such, it taste’s even better on day 2!

Creamy Potato, Cheddar & Corn Chowder with Bacon, Ham, or Chicken

Phew, that title is a mouthful, figuratively and literally!  I have to admit, I prefer my soups thick, so chowder is right up my alley!  This one is pretty simple, even though it is made with 2 pots.  The outcome is creamy, savory, hearty, and oh-so-good, just like those gourmet soups you pay an arm and a leg for!  The nice thing about this recipe is that you can tailor it to you liking by choosing the meat and veggies that go into it, as well as the thickness! This would be AWESOME served in a sourdough bread bowl!!!

The original recipe HERE calls for carrots and broccoli, but I prefer to omit both and add corn in instead.  Also, if you prefer a thinner soup you can omit step #3 (mashing the potatoes) .  We all love this so much that I always make a double batch, and even then it doesn’t last more then 2 days.  Here is my adaptation:

Creamy Potato, Cheddar & Corn Chowder with Bacon, Ham, or Chicken (serves 6-8) :

• 2 cups of water
• 2 large russet potatoes or 3-4 red potatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese-grated
• 1 can of corn, drained
• 1 cup diced ham, chicken, or 3-4 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon

Directions:

• In a large soup pot, combine the first 6 ingredients.  Cover the pot and bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and gently simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender.
• Meanwhile in sauce pot, melt the butter over medium heat and then add in the flour and stir.  This is your “roux”, your thickener, let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute and then slowly add in the milk.  Stir, stir, stir while you add in the milk, this will help keep the sauce smooth.  Once all of the milk is added in, continue to stir frequently until the sauce is nice and thick, this should take 5-7 minutes.  Turn off the heat, add in the cheese and continue to stir until the cheese in melted.
• By this time the potatoes should be tender.  Ladle out roughly 1/2 of the diced potatoes along with a ladle of soup water into a large bowl.  Mash the potatoes and then add it all back into the soup pot.  This helps to thicken the soup, skip this step if you want a thinner consistency.
• Add in the corn, chicken or ham (if you are doing BACON I just sprinkle some on top of each bowl before serving), and all of the milk/cheese sauce.  Give it a good stir, allow everything to heat back up and then serve.

Baked Tilapia with Parmesan Mayo and Lemon Sauce

We don’t eat a whole lot of fish other then Tilapia (or Salmon), and this happens to be one of most favorite ways to prepare it!  It’s quick, SO so easy, and so tasty, my whole family loves it!  It takes less then 20 minutes from start to finish, and by “finish” I mean ready to eat!  Serve this with a complimentary rice side dish (plain is fine too) or a hearty salad.

p.s. this tastes FANTASTIC on salmon as well!!  I add just a little extra lemon and put the sauce on a little earlier to keep the salmon from drying out.

Baked Tilapia with Parmesan Mayo and Lemon Sauce (serves 6-8)

• 8 tilapia filets, thawed
• 1-2 TBLS of melted butter
• 2 TBLS sliced green onion OR regular white onion
• 1/3 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese-packed
• 3 TBLS Hellmans or Best Foods mayonnaise
• 1 TBLS lemon juice
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning or dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste (I use about 1/4 tsp of Emeril seasoning salt)
• a few dashes of hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a large cookie sheet with foil, then place the tilapia fillets on to it, without overlapping.  Place the cookie sheet in the oven for about 10-12 minutes.
3. In the meantime, mix all other ingredients in a bowl.
4. Fish should just about be done, it should be a uniform solid (opaque) white color.  If the center of the fillets still look a little pinkish or transparent, give it another 2-3 minutes.
5. When fish looks just done, take the pan out and spread the sauce on top of all the fillets.
6. Place the pan on the TOP rack and BROIL at 400 degrees for 1-2 minutes, or until sauce is nice and bubbly.
7. Serve while hot.

Memorial Day Meal and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Bre!

haha, there always has to be one closing their eyes…

Wow, I believe how fast this school year has flown by…is it time already for the kids to be underfoot all day, everyday?!? I’m not sure I’m ready for that! I usually have lists and schedules and ideas etc….of how to keep them busy, but I haven’t even thought about it yet for this summer! Memorial Day is definitely a “wake-up” call for me to get started though, as the kids only have 1 week left of school.

This Memorial Day is going to be extra special for us though as we are celebrating Breaunna’s (my step-daughter) 18th birthday! Such an important year in any young adult’s life PLUS she just found out that she got a job yesterday! So quite an exciting week for her with more to come, lol. And as a family who takes food seriously, she has picked out her birthday meal to be Frogmore’s Stew, also know as Low Country Boil or Shrimp/Seafood Boil. I’ve made this a couple before and save it for ULTRA special occasions. The kids ask for it quite a bit and fond memories of this dish, but it can be expensive due to all of the seafood. If you don’t like shrimp this is great with pretty much any type of seafood, it’s a very versatile dish.

The ingredients are delicious, the preparation so simple, but best of all….you get to eat it all with your hands! Honestly, I’m not sure which part the kids like more, the taste or method of eating. You basically boil everything in a large pot, drain out all of the broth when it is done coking, then dump it all out onto a table that has been covered in brown paper or newspaper. So no plates or silverware needed, but you better have a good supply of napkins on hand and the BIBS! Don’t forget the bibs!

I pretty much follow the recipe as stated, but we use spicy Italian Sausage from Sam’s Club instead of the kielbasa. Serve this up with a crusty loaf of french bread or garlic bread and you’re all set!

Alfredo Sauce made with Cream Cheese

My family loves when I make pasta with alfredo sauce, buyt I don’t make it too often just because of how bad it is for you!  I’ve skinnied it down over the years, but they always prefer the full-fat version, lol.  So a week or so ago I had a craving for it, but didn’t have any cream on hand.  however, I did remember seeing a recipe calling for cream cheese in place of the cream, and decided to give it a go!

It turned out really good!  My teenager scarfed down 2 bowls and took the rest for lunch the next day   The recipe below was inspired by Alfredo Sauce, off of recipezaar.com.  Try it with sliced chicken breast and peas, YUM!  If you do decide to add in other ingredients, just cook them ahead of time and then add them into the sauce pot the last couple minutes to heat them back up.  Honestly,  this hit the spot and I think taste as good as some restaurant versions out there.  Of course we are big fans of homemade too, so perhaps we are a little biased

Alfredo Sauce made with Cream Cheese (serves 4-6):

• 3-4 TBLS of butter
• 8 oz. of cream cheese-softened is easier
• 8 oz. of milk or half and half (I used skim milk)
• 1/3 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 garlic cloves-pressed
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• In a sauce pot over medium heat, add in the butter and allow it to melt completely.  Add in the pressed garlic and let it cook for about a minute, be careful not to let it burn.
• Add in the cream cheese and stir it around a little to help it melt.  Once it has softened up go ahead and add in the milk or half and half.
• Continue to stir until the sauce is well blended, then add in the Parmesan cheese then salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve while hot over your favorite noodles.