Creamy Chicken Lasagna

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

 I've been going through my recipe notebook and trying some recipes I've had for quite some time.  Time to break out of my cooking funk and try some new dishes!

This is one that I literally ripped out of a cooking magazine back in 2003!!! I must say I LOVE it, but my tomato disliking son picked out all the tomatoes and THEN ate it.  I loved the rich creamy sauce which married perfectly with the chicken and spices.  I hope you'll give it a try.  I did not add the mushrooms, and it turned out perfect. Here it is:

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 If she could have any job in the world, member Jean Lehman would own and manage a small, upscale restaurant. She’s already an accomplished cook, having published a cookbook called Family & Friends. We’re sure this recipe for chicken lasagna would be a hit at any restaurant she opened. For a lighter version, Jean recommends using low-fat cheese. Serve the lasagna with garlic bread and a green salad.

5 tablespoons butter, divided

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14.5-oz.) can diced plum tomatoes, undrained

2 (4-oz.) cans sliced mushrooms, drained

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided

2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups half-and-half

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 cups (12 oz.) shredded Swiss and/or mozzarella cheese

8 oz. cooked lasagna noodles

3/4 cup (3 oz.) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9-inch pan. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onions and garlic; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until onions are transparent. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, tarragon, basil, sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Simmer 4 to 6 minutes or until sauce thickens. Stir in chicken.

2. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and remaining 1 teaspoon salt; cook 2 minutes. Stir in half-and-half; cook and stir 5 to 6 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in wine; bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

3. Spoon one-third of the tomato sauce into bottom of pan. Cover with one-third of the white sauce. Top with 1 cup of the Swiss cheese; cover with one-half of the lasagna noodles. Repeat. Top with final one-third of the red sauce and white sauce and remaining 1 cup Swiss cheese; sprinkle with Parmesan.

4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until heated through and light golden brown. Let stand 15 minutes.

8 servings

PER SERVING: 580 calories, 34 g total fat (19.5 g saturated fat), 34.5 g protein, 34.5 g carbohydrate, 120 mg cholesterol, 1055 mg sodium, 2.5 g fiber

 

Sarah Sam's Beef Stew

There is no doubt that are some pretty awesome cooks in churches all over the country, but I had the opportunity to know one fabulous one, Sarah Sams.  Her and her sweet husband (senior minister for 20+ years at our church) have been an influence and mentors in our lives: marriage, to parenting, and of course spiritual matters.  I always loved going to their home or just talking to them. She has this sweet southern drawl, gives the best hugs, listens and really let you know that the stuff you're going through... you'll live.  Wanna know a funny thing about Sarah?  She  is known for feeding those sweet babies things FAR sooner than they should (chocolate cake, etc).  Everyone knew to keep an eye on her if she was holding your baby...  Makes me laugh and cry just thinking  about her.  Sure have missed them since they moved. 

I don't remember if Sarah brought her stew to church one Wednesday for Meal Service or where I was privileged to taste it, but I immediately asked her for the recipe and it has been a favorite of our family's ever since.


 Sarah Sam's Beef Stew

1 lb Cooked ground beef
1 onion
potatoes - diced
2-3 cans mixed veggies - don't dump out the juice
1 can tomato juice
2/3 Tablespoons sugar
1 can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper
left over green beans and corn
A wooden spoonful of Worcestershire sauce

Put in a crock pot and let it do it's magic!  Sarah says: "The key to great stew - add a little sugar."


** Now, I have always believe that recipes are suggestions, so I usually add: carrots and celery, and a can of red kidney beans.  Because I don't do a lot of ground beef, I'll use stew meat or deer meat.  I'll braise the stew meat in a skillet with some olive oil, and save back the juices, adding a cup of good red wine and let it glaze a bit before adding it to the stew pot. I usually end up adding some extra beef broth to the stew because I add in fresh veggies instead of canned. 

Pup'kin Dog Biscuits

Today I branched out and made some doggy biscuits.  We had a sweet friend (they have three schnauzers)  whom cared for Lady, our German, and Midnight, our cat.  I wanted to do something for them, plus try this recipe out.  In an October issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray, (they have recipes just for dogs) they had Pup'kin dog biscuits ***by Sarah Zorn. If you go to RR Mag Pet Friendly section, they have many more recipes just for our furry friends.

  Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
• 2 tbsp. dry milk powder
• 2 1/2 cups white or whole wheat flour** (please see note below about using brown rice flour)

Directions:

1. 

   2" diameter biscuit cutter

   Preheat the oven to 350°. In a bowl, stir together the eggs, pumpkin puree, milk powder and flour; add 2 tsp. water, or enough so that the dough just comes together.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with 1-inch cookie cutters. Gather the scraps, combine, roll and form more biscuits; repeat until all the dough is used.
3. Place the biscuits 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn over and bake until hardened, another 20 minutes. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes.

cut the treats into fourths

When the dog treats are completely done, they will be hard, dry and crisp.   They will be hard for you to break in your hands--and better for your dog's teeth.

 It's supposed to make about 3 dozen, but I used a 2" diameter biscuit cutter, cut those into fourths and have manageable bite size pieces (easier for smaller dogs), easy to store and not too filling. 

Pup'kin Biscuit Treats

You can store these pumpkin dog treats for a month or so at room temperature.

* I doubled the recipe because I didn't want to waste 1/2 a can of canned pumpkin, and thus did not use as much flour as they stated.  When I rolled it out and kneaded it some, some of that flour was used.  Because I have so many, I'll freeze some and give some to another friend who has a has a small dog.

Lady and Duke's (my friend's schnauzer) assessment:  They ate them easily and begged for more!  Next time, I think I'm going to try Jessica Gorman's Olive Oil and Bacon Truffles.

Lady begging for more!

 According to Fido Dog Treats
As simple as it sounds, pumpkin is not beef, corn, wheat gluten or any other ingredient that is well known for causing allergic conditions in dogs. In most all instances, these dog treats are vegetarian. This reason alone makes pumpkin a tempting alternative for many pet owners (although the ingredients list of any treat should be double-checked should your dog suffer from these or other food allergies). In addition to the absence of these ingredients, pumpkin based dog treats tend to be made with many other natural, nutritious items that dogs find hard to resist. Pumpkin is known to be quite palatable and widely accepted by even the most hard to please canine palettes. 

**Some dogs are not able to tolerate Wheat or cornmeal. Brown Rice Flour is a great substitute to use as it gives a crunch and helps with digestion
as Marilyn from Simmer til Done noted in this post.

 

*** Pumpkin dog treats are also considered to be a great choice for dogs that tend to suffer from an upset stomach or the varying forms of motion sickness. It is said to benefit dogs with issues related to diarrhea and vomiting although it is highly recommend that you consult with your veterinarian should your pet have issues with these ailments. 

Four-Cheese Baked Ziti

Photo Credit

I spotted this simple recipe for Four-Cheese Baked Ziti in a Fall issue of Taste of Home magazine and I'm so glad I tried it!  It was an instant hit with my cheese loving family.  My sour-cream disliking husband had no idea it was even in there.  You could even add a bit of grilled chicken to make it a main dish and it would be even more delicious!   I take no credit for this yummy delight, but it's too good not to share!

This pasta dish, made with Alfredo sauce, is deliciously different from typical tomato-based recipes. Extra cheesy, it goes together quickly and is always popular at potlucks.

• 8 Servings
• Prep: 20 min. Bake: 30 min.

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 ounces) ziti or small tube pasta
• 2 cartons (10 ounces each) refrigerated Alfredo sauce
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1-3/4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

• Cook ziti according to package directions; drain and return to the pan. Stir in Alfredo sauce and sour cream. Spoon half into a lightly greased 3-qt. baking dish.
• In a small bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese and parsley; spread over pasta. Top with remaining pasta mixture; sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining Parmesan.
• Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1.333 cups equals 667 calories, 39 g fat (20 g saturated fat), 145 mg cholesterol, 1,037 mg sodium, 50 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 29 g protein.

Originally published as Four-Cheese Baked Ziti in Country Woman February/March 2008, p25

Marilyn's Whiskey Pumpkin Pie

Honey and I both grew up with our moms fixing Libby's Pumpkin Pies for Thanksgiving dessert, but when I tasted my friend Marilyn's pie a few years ago and I just HAD to get the recipe! She said it was the pie her mom fixed when she was growing up and naturally fixed it for her family.  While my family generally doesn't like change, they did like this one. 

In doing some research, I've found a few similar recipes with the secret ingredient, whiskey, which I've seen is based off a Mennonite recipe, but Marilyn's only has a tsp of whiskey, while most of the other recipes has a 1/2 - 1 cup of it.  I am no expert on whiskey or liquor, people usually give us the whiskey or I have someone else buy it for me.  Most of the time I use Crown Royal or Jack Daniels, though I'm open to just about anything.

• Boozy Pumpkin Pie        
• Pumpkin cake with Whiskey Whipped Cream - Pioneer Woman              
• Whiskey Pumpkin Pie  

Ingredients: 

2 cups cooked pumpkin
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup cream or evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup whiskey
1 tablespoon cornstarch

 Pie Crust Shell - Here is the recipe I love to use

 Combine the pumpkin, the sugar, egg yolks (slightly beaten), and cinnamon and beat for several minutes. Quickly add the cream, butter and whiskey, mix well.

Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then sprinkle the cornstarch over the beaten egg whites and fold into the first mixture.

Pour into a 9 inch pastry lined pie pan  and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour in a 375 degree oven. Let it cool.

 Top with regular or Whiskey Whipped Cream (recipe below)


WHISKEY WHIPPED CREAM:   from Pioneer Woman      

• 1 cup Heavy Cream, Very Cold
• 2 Tablespoons (to 3 Tablespoons) Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Whiskey

Combine ingredients and begin mixing immediately on high speed until stiff, about 4 minutes. Spoon over cooled cake.  A little whiskey goes a long way on making this and the alcohol makes whipping the cream more difficult.  A harder process, but worth it.  

Eat extra cream with a spoon, if desired. Ree Drummond

 

Mini Cheese Meatloaves

Mini Cheese Meatloaves



There are a few things that I love to "collect" - books and cookbooks.  What I love even more are FREE books, which I sometimes get on my Kindle device on my phone. When I saw that a Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Circle of Friends Cookbook Meatloaf Recipes was offered for free, I had to download it  (it is no longer free).  While my meatloaf has been so-so, I really was looking for one that really made my family excited when I fixed it.  They were so VERY excited to taste my latest trial and LOVED it!  Here is the yummy meatloaf recipe that we fell in love with a few months ago.  I'd post a picture, but they ate it all!  


Ingredients:

1 egg, beaten
3/4 C. milk
1 C. Shredded Cheese (I use Monterrey Jack)
1/2 C. quick-cooking oats, uncooked
1/2 C. onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. lean ground beef

Sauce for top
2/3 C. catsup
1/4 C. brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. lemon juice

1.  In a large bowl, whish together egg and milk. Stir in cheese, oats, onion and salt.

2.  Add beef and mix well.

3.  Form into 8 greased mini loaves (I use muffin tins or just put it in the crock pot for a big loaf).  I like to take the left over mini loaves, freeze them, and use them whenever I'm in a pinch for something to fix.   

4.  Combine remaining ingredients for the sauce and spoon over the mini loaves.  Bake at 350º for 45 minutes.  I like to put this in the crockpot in the summer and save on heating up the kitchen.