Tag Archives: onion

Slow Cooker Chicken and Noodles

29 Jan

This is something I haven’t made in quite a while.  Since I got celery and carrots this week with Bountiful Baskets, I decided to make it.  I made it a little differently than I have in the past, and I was very pleased with the results.  I made it with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you could also use 2 pounds of chicken breasts with bones or 2 pounds of thigh and drumstick pieces with bones.  You just need to make sure that you get all the bones out since the chicken will be very tender after cooking in the slow cooker.   Also, I made this with egg noodles, but you could use homemade noodles, or some other kind of pasta, or even rice.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Noodles
Serves 6

What you need:

2 cups sliced carrots
1 1/2 cups diced onions
1 cup celery
1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 2 lbs chicken with bones, skins removed
1 tsp poultry seasoning
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
2 cups cooked egg noodles, pasta, or rice

How to make it:

Place carrots, onions, and celery in the slow cooker.  Place chicken on top of vegetables, sprinkle with poultry seasoning.  Pour in chicken broth and water.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours.

After finished cooking, remove chicken.  If using boneless chicken, cut or shred chicken into bite size pieces.  If using chicken with bones, remove chicken from bones and cut or shred into bite size pieces.  Discard bones.  Return chicken pieces to slow cooker.  Stir in cooked noodles, pasta, or rice.  Serve.

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Johnsonville Pizza Possibilities House Party

24 Jan

If you like to try out new products and host parties, you should look into HouseParty.com.  Manufacturers that want to promote a product work with House Party to get those products out to people who are interested in hosting parties.  Previously, I have hosted a Shutterfly Photobook party, a Febreze Set & Refresh party, and a Huggies Pull Ups Potty Dance party.  Each time, I got free products to share with guests, plus coupons and idea booklets for them to take home.  They all went really well.

In October of last year, I applied and was selected to be a Johnsonville Italian Pizza Possibilities party hostess.  I am already a big fan of Johnsonville sausage and brats, but had never used the sausage for pizza, so this was a good fit for me to try something new.  Unfortunately, some things came up in life and I wasn’t able to host an actual party.  So, now that things have slowed down a bit, I’m able to tell you about Johnsonville and share some of the recipes that were in the booklet with the party.

To start, let’s first talk about what I received in my party kit.

Shown above is an apron, recipe booklet, oven mitt, pizza cutter, paper plates, napkins, and a spoon for spreading pizza sauce.  Also included were coupons for me to get free packages of Johnsonville Italian Sausage and Sargento shredded cheese to use for the party, plus $1 off coupons for the party guests (which I did distribute to some friends).  If you would like to see the recipes in the booklet, you can find them here.

 

So, tonight I made the Sausage Florentine Pizza.  I didn’t have mushrooms, but used onions instead.  I used a homemade pizza sauce for it (recipe coming soon), and because my sauce had lots of fresh spices in it, I did not add the oregano and basil called for in their recipe.  I also used fresh spinach that I chopped instead of using frozen spinach.  I used 2 packages of pizza crust mix to make the pizza a little larger, on one of my baking sheets, so I also used more sauce, spinach, and cheese than what their recipe calls for.  It was great and the family loved it!

 

I’m not sure which recipe I will try next, but they all sound delicious!  So, stay tuned to see what I pick.

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Chicken Enchilada Soup

20 Jan

If you have had Chili’s Chicken Enchilada Soup, this tastes pretty similar to that.  There is one ingredient that is not real common, masa harina, which is corn flour used to make tortillas.  You need to make sure you get the right thing, corn meal is not the same and will make the texture off.  Made that mistake before.  I found the masa harina in the baking aisle with the rest of the flour at my grocery store.  If not, you may also check the organic/natural section because it may be there with the different types of flours.  Anyway, this is a thick, filling soup that is very tasty!  To serve, I crushed some tortilla chips, you could also add some sour cream and/or pico de gallo.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or, I just use chicken from a rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken to save on time)
1 tbsp olive oil
½ cup diced onion
1 clove garlic
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup masa harina (corn flour)
3 cups water, divided
1 cup enchilada sauce, or 1 cup salsa, or 1 cup diced tomatoes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or shredded Mexican blend cheese)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp ground cumin
*Note: If you use 1 cup diced tomatoes, you may wish to increase the chili powder  to 1 tablespoon.

In large pot over medium heat, cook chicken in oil until well browned on all sides. Remove, shred, and set aside.  (This step is skipped if you already have cooked chicken)

Cook onion and garlic together in remaining oil until onions are translucent. Pour in chicken broth.

In a bowl, whisk together masa harina and 2 cups water until well blended. This step is important, if you just put the masa harina right in the pot, it won’t blend in as well, making it gritty.  Pour into pot with remaining 1 cup water, enchilada sauce, cheese, salt, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil.

Add chicken. Reduce heat and simmer 30-40 minutes, until thickened.

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Kotopoulo Lemonato (Lemon Chicken) and Broccoli Rabe

19 Jan

First, another great recipe from Cyndy at Daily Cynema, Kotopoulo Lemonato.  I love lemon chicken, and this is an AMAZING dish.  And yes, in the picture, that is a whole onion and lemon rinds in the cavity of the chicken.  Trust me, it works. The chicken was moist and flavorful.  My potatoes did get a little crunchy, I probably should have stirred them more, but I like crunchy roasted potatoes.  If they are mushy, then what was the point of roasting them, right?  For this dish, I used the red onion, a yellow onion, 3 lemons, fresh rosemary, and fresh oregano from the Italian themed veggie pack.

For full instructions on how to make this, please visit Daily Cynema: Kotopoulo Lemonato (Lemon Chicken).  She does a great job walking your through making this with great pictures.

I made this at a friend’s house tonight, and she was in charge of a veggie side.  She got the organic basket from Bountiful Baskets this week, and one of the things she got was broccoli rabe (rabe is apparently pronounced like the word “rob”).  I had never heard of this before, but we decided to give it a go in cooking it.  My friend did all the work on this one, following this recipe.  The taste is a mix of a broccoli taste and a leafy vegetable taste like spinach.  It is a tad bitter, but I still really enjoyed it.  I didn’t get a picture of all of it before we ate, my phone was not cooperating, but here is some of it so you can see how it turned out:

This dinner was a great success!

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Moussaka (Eggplant Casserole)

16 Jan

Moussaka is a dish that I have never helped make nor have I made it myself.  It’s been on my list of recipes to try for a while, and I knew it was close to Pastitsio, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.  When I got eggplant in my Italian themed veggie pack from Bountiful Baskets, I decided it was time to give it a try.  Normally, you would need more than one eggplant, but I decided to make it as an eggplant and zucchini casserole since zucchini was on sale at the grocery store this week.  I also wanted to use the mushrooms I got in my basket, so I incorporated them into the meat sauce.  It turned out amazing, I’m very happy with the results!  It’s somewhat lighter than Pastitsio, because it’s vegetables instead of pasta.  Next time, I think I may come up with a mix of the eggplant, zucchini, and noodles.

If you would like to make this meatless, substitute another package of mushrooms, diced, or some diced zucchini and/or eggplant for the 1 lb of ground beef or lamb.

Moussaka

What you need:

Filling:
1 eggplant, cut lengthwise, 1/2 in  width
3 zucchini, cut lengthwise , 1/2 in width
Salt
Olive oil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 lb ground beef or lamb (for meatless, use more mushrooms, or diced zucchini or eggplant)
1 8 oz package whole mushrooms, diced
1 medium onion
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Grated Kefalotiri, Parmesan, or Romano cheese

Cream sauce (krema):
2-1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set on paper towels for 15-20 minutes to let them drain.  Pat tops with a paper towel.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet and brown eggplant and zucchini slices.  Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown onion and ground beef or lamb.  Add mushrooms, tomato paste, and seasonings.  Cook for 5 – 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make cream sauce. Melt 1/4 cup butter and pour in 1/4 cup flour; brown slowly. Beat 2 eggs with 2-1/2 cups milk, salt, and pepper, and pour into butter and flour mixture very slowly; mix well. Cook over low heat until it thickens.

To assemble, grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle bread crumbs to cover the bottom of the pan.  Lay out eggplant in a single layer.  Spread half of the meat sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with grated cheese.  Lay out zucchini in a single layer.  Spread the remaining meat sauce over the zucchini.  Pour cream sauce evenly on top.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Freezes best unbaked, thawed for 1/2 hour, then baked as above.

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Pastitsio (Baked Macaroni and Meat)

1 Jan

Last year for New Year’s Day, I cooked a variety of Greek dishes for my family, and continued on with that tradition this year.  It’s the best time to make all this food, lots of hands here to help with the preparations.  I really love Pastitsio.  It’s almost like a lasagna or baked Italian pasta dish would be, just seasoned a little differently.  It’s a little time-consuming to get all the parts done, but worth it in the end.  This can be made up ahead of time and frozen just before baking, then thawed and baked when you are ready to have it.

Pastitsio (Baked Macaroni and Meat)

Filling:
1 lb macaroni (supposed to be long macaroni noodles, but they are hard to find, so elbow macaroni or a noodle like penne or ziti works too)
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
Grated Kefalotiri, Parmesan, or Romano cheese
1 lb ground beef or lamb
1 medium onion
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Cream sauce (krema):
2-1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Boil macaroni according to package; drain; return to pan.  Melt the 1/2 cup butter, beat in eggs, and stir in with macaroni.  Spray a 9″ X 13″ X 2″ pan. Add macaroni mixture to pan and press down with a piece of wax paper.  Sprinkle generously with the grated cheese.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown onion and ground beef or lamb; add tomato paste and seasonings.  Cook for 5 – 10 minutes.  Spread meat mixture over macaroni noodles in pan and spread evenly.

Meanwhile, make cream sauce. Melt 1/4 cup butter and pour in 1/4 cup flour; brown slowly. Beat 2 eggs with 2-1/2 cups milk, salt, and pepper, and pour into butter and flour mixture very slowly; mix well. Cook over low heat until it thickens. Pour over macaroni/meat mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Freezes best unbaked, thawed for 1/2 hour, then baked as above.

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Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie

19 Dec

 

My Papou (Greek for grandfather) first made this for me many years ago, and I enjoyed it so much, I had to make sure I got the recipe for it. When we get zucchini, this is one of the first things I make with it.  It’s like a quiche, but there is not a whole lot of eggs in it like a quiche, but there is plenty of cheese.  The crescent roll crust is perfect and gives it a nice buttery flavor too.

 

Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie
Serves 6

What you need:

1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 cups thinly sliced, unpeeled zucchini
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz can Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls
2 tsp dijon mustard, optional

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Grease or spray a 9″ deep dish pie dish.

In a medium skillet, melt butter or margarine.  Add zucchini and onion, and cook until tender.  Stir in seasonings and remove from heat.  In a large bowl, mix together the eggs and cheese.  Stir in zucchini mixture.

Separate crescent roll dough into the 8 triangles.  Press into the pie dish, covering bottom and sides (see picture below).

 

If using, spread the crust with mustard.  Pour the zucchini/egg mixture evenly pie dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  If crust starts to become too brown while baking, cover the sides with foil.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  Cut into 6 wedges.

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Chicken Enchiladas

16 Dec

This is my go-to enchilada recipe.  I love that the sauce is made from scratch, not from a jar or a can.  If you don’t want to make the sauce, you could use a jar or can of sauce, but I really like the way this is made.  It’s a creamy red sauce, and it’s delicious.  This was also a nice way to use up some of the Hatch green chiles I had in the freezer.

Chicken Enchiladas

What you need:

1 Tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (I use a rotisserie chicken from the store)
4 oz can diced green chiles, or 1 cup diced fresh roasted, peeled green chiles
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 T chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
12 small corn tortillas

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease a 9×13 pan.

In a medium skillet, melt the 1 Tbsp butter and cook onions until softened.  Remove to a bowl.  Stir in chicken and green chiles.

Meanwhile, melt the 1/4 cup butter.  Blend in flour and seasonings, and cook for 3-5 minutes.  Whisk in chicken broth and tomato sauce, making sure there are no lumps.  Cook, stirring until sauce boils thickens.  Remove from heat.  Stir in sour cream and ½ cup cheese.  Stir ½ cup of the sauce into the chicken mixture.

Heat a small skillet over medium low heat.  Place a tortilla in skillet and heat on each side for a few seconds to make tortilla easier to roll.  Spoon about 2 Tbsp of the chicken and sauce mixture onto one end of the tortilla and roll up.  Place in 9×13 pan.  Repeat for remaining tortillas.  Pour remaining sauce over the rolled tortillas, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes.  Allow to cool and serve.

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Chicken Taquitos

16 Dec

Oh, these are yummy!  They are pretty easy to put together, just takes some time to get them all fried.  I considered baking them this time instead of frying them, but my oven already had enchiladas cooking, so I decided to stick with frying them.   Maybe next time I will bake them.

Chicken Taquitos
Makes 18-24 taquitos 

What you need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups Salsa Verde
1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
2 dozen 6 inch corn tortillas
Oil for frying

How to make it:

Place chicken in slow cooker and pour salsa verde over chicken.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4.  If you don’t have a slow cooker, cook chicken by your preferred method and mix with salsa verde.  You could even buy a rotisserie chicken at the store and shred it.  Next, mix cheese in with the chicken and salsa mixture.

Heat oil in deep fryer or a large, heavy pot.  Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Heat a small skillet over medium low heat.  Place a tortilla in the skillet and heat for a few seconds on each side to make it easier to roll. Put about 2 Tbsp of filling at one end of the tortilla and roll tightly.  Use a toothpick in the center to keep them rolled.  Repeat for remaining tortillas.

Place 5-6 in oil at a time.  Cook for a few minutes, or until golden brown.  I don’t have a deep fryer, so I fry mine in a large pot.  And, of course, I didn’t have enough oil on hand to fully cover the taquitos, so I had to flip them halfway through cooking.

Once they have cooked, remove taquitos from oil and onto the paper towel lined baking sheet.  Allow to cool, then serve.

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Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup

3 Dec

When I saw the broccoli in my Bountiful Baskets this morning, I knew exactly what I wanted to make, Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup.  We’ve had a cold snap in the weather here, and it’s been cloudy and gloomy.  Perfect weather for making soup!  This recipe I got from Lori at My Kinda Rain, which she had gotten from CDKitchen.com.  I did it slightly different, I did not put mine through the blender because I like chunky soup.  I just made sure that I chopped the onion, carrots, and broccoli to smaller sizes.  It’s a nice thick soup, enough that it can be a meal on its own.  It was perfect and well liked by everyone except my oldest daughter, but that’s because she’s not a fan of cheese.  I wish we had some bread bowls to serve this in, but I made some crescent rolls to eat with it instead.

Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup
Serves 4 

What you need:

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped finely
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 cups (approx 1/2 lb) fresh broccoli, chopped finely
1 cup carrots, julienned (I cut baby carrots into fourths lengthwise)
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups (8 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

How to make it:

Saute onion in the 1 tablespoon of butter.  Set aside.

In a large stock pot, melt 1/4 cup butter.  Mix in the flour using a whisk, forming a thick paste, and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes (this is called making a roux, for future reference).  Slowly add the milk , stirring constantly with the whisk.  Add the broth, still whisking the whole time.  Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the onions, broccoli, carrots, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender, about 20-25 minutes.  The soup should be thickened by now.  (If desired, pour into the blender in batches and puree. Return to pot.)

Add the shredded cheese; stir until well blended while cooking over low heat.  Stir in the nutmeg and serve.

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