Baked Ziti (aka Rosemary Ziti)

The boyfriend found this recipe about three years ago and it's now our default baked ziti recipe.  We love the touch of rosemary in the dish.

1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork sausage
1 1/2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
salt to taste
1 (6 ounce) package provolone cheese, sliced
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1 (6 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese


1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook onion in oil until tender. Stir in rosemary and garlic. Transfer to a small bowl.
3. Place ground beef and sausage in the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Stir in the onion mixture and the spaghetti sauce. Season with salt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In the prepared dish, layer 1/2 of the cooked pasta, provolone cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, and a little less than 1/2 of the meat mixture. Then layer the rest of the pasta, mozzarella cheese, remaining meat mixture, and Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until heated through and cheeses are melted.

Microwave Fruit Crisp (Apple Crisp for One)

Another Taste of Home recipe from one of their annual cookbooks, as well as another single serving recipe.  Fair warning, an apple a day, in this fashion, is probably not advisable.  I'm pretty sure, since it was so many years ago that I made it (and hence no picture) that I used the oven directions.  But I have microwaved fruit crisp in the past and it's still decent.

Ingredients
1 medium pear or apple, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cold butter

Directions
Place fruit in a small microwave-safe bowl. In another bowl, combine
the dry ingredients; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over
fruit. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1-1/2 minutes or until
fruit is tender. Yield: 1 serving.
Note: It can also be baked at 375° for 25-30 minutes.

Mac 'n' Cheese For One

I found this recipe years ago in the Taste of Home annual cookbook.  I think it was the first time I made macaroni and cheese that wasn't from a box.  I wasn't as sure about the mustard and these days I probably wouldn't bother chopping a whole onion for the half teaspoon needed for the recipe unless I was planning something else.  I would guess that dried minced onion would work just fine (generally about 1 teaspoon of dried herbs equals about 1 Tablespoon of fresh).  I love finding recipes that make single serving amounts and figured others might enjoy seeing them as well (no picture as I haven't made it recently).

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch pepper
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup diced cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon chopped onion
3 tablespoons elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 saltines, crushed

Directions
In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter; stir in flour, salt and
pepper. Whisk in milk until smooth. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
Reduce heat to low. Add the cheese, mustard, Worcestershire sauce
and onion; stir until cheese is melted. Add macaroni. Transfer to a
greased 1-cup baking dish. Sprinkle with saltines; dot with
remaining butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15 minutes or
until heated through. Yield: 1 serving.

Biscuit Nugget Chicken Bake

This recipe came from a casserole cookbook from Taste of Home (I've mentioned it previously on this blog - this particular one was *filled* with lots of great recipes).  It's easy to throw together, and definitely a comfort food dish on a cold night.  Similar to a chicken and biscuit recipe, it's different with the extra seasonings and cheese on the biscuits.  Oh, and I used a bigger package of biscuits than it called for because I wasn't paying attention, but it still came out wonderful.

Ingredients
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup milk
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon paprika
TOPPING:
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Directions
In a large saucepan, combine the first six ingredients. Cook and stir
over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until heated through; keep warm.
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the cheese, onion, parsley
and paprika. Separate biscuits and cut into quarters; add to bag and
shake to coat. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400°
for 5 minutes.
Transfer chicken mixture to a greased 8-in.-square baking dish; top
with biscuits. Bake, uncovered, for 10-13 minutes or until bubbly
and biscuits are golden brown. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Sticky Buns

These JUST came out of the oven.  And they are DIVINE.

All of the woman's clubs around here are known for their sticky buns.  Chris loves them.  So when I was making dinner rolls the other day, I started flipping through Gold Medal's Best Bread Machine Recipes cookbook for other ideas.

The dough for this is very similar to the dinner rolls.  But the finishing process is much different.

This recipe takes a lot of time, but not active time.  There is a lot of waiting for rising.  Since I'm not a morning person, this will never be breakfast for us fresh out of the oven!

I put the ingredients in the order that my bread machine wants them.  Make sure yours is the same.

Sticky Rolls (I call them Sticky Buns)

1 cup water
1 egg
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Caramel Topping
nuts (if desired)
2 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened
Cinnamon Filling

Measure carefully, placing all ingredients except last three, in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.

Select Dough/Manual cycle.  Do not use Delay cycle.

Remove dough from pan, using lightly floured hands.  Cover and let rest 10 minutes on lightly floured surface.  Make Caramel Topping.

Roll or pat dough into a 15 x 10 inch rectangle.  Spread 2 Tbsp butter or margarine over dough.  Make Cinnamon Filling.  Sprinkle over butter or margarine.  Roll dough up tightly, beginning at 15 inch side.  Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal.  Stretch and shape roll to make even.  Cut into 15 1 inch slices.  Place slightly apart in pan.  Cover and let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until double.  (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)

Heat oven to 350.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.  Immediately place heatproof platter or tray upside down onto pan.  Turn platter and pan over.  Leave pan over rolls 1 minute.  Remove pan.  Serve rolls warm or let stand until cool.

Caramel Topping

1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dark corn syrup

Place melted butter in ungreased rectangular 13 x 9 pan that is 2 inches deep.  Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup until well blended.  Spread evenly in pan.  Sprinkle with nuts, if desired.

Cinnamon Filling

2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients.

Dinner Rolls

I love my bread machine.  And yet, I haven't used since we moved into our house three years ago!  I finally got it out again and made these delicious dinner rolls the other night for dinner.

The recipe comes from Gold Medal's Best Bread Machine Recipes cookbook.  I bought it at least 10 years ago.  I rearranged the ingredients in the order my bread machine suggests.  Check yours to be sure it's the same.

In my machine, the total prep time for this recipe is 2 hours and 10 minutes, so I have to plan accordingly in advance!

Dinner Rolls

1 cup water
1 egg
2 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/4 cups flour
3 tsp yeast

Measure carefully, placing all ingredients in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.

Select Dough/Manual cycle.  Do not use Delay cycle. (My bread machine takes 1 hour and 20 minutes to do this)

Remove dough from pan, using lightly floured hands.  Cover and let rest 10 minutes on lightly floured surface.

Grease large cookie sheet.  Divide dough into 15 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball.  Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.  Cover and let rise in a warm place 30-40 minutes or until double.  (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)

Heat oven to 375. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Brush tops with melted butter if desired.  Serve warm, or cool on a wire rack.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

I pin a lot of recipes.  But for some reason, I never think to check my Pinterest boards when I'm planning my week's menu.  Last weekend, I did.  And I discovered I had pinned this GEM of a recipe!

It was absolutely fabulous!  And so very easy.  I love a casserole that calls for raw chicken so I don't have to take the time to cook it first.

I used garlic cheese croutons, but any flavor would be delicious.  I didn't have fresh basil, so I used dried.  I might use garlic powder next time. It's hard to "sprinkle" minced garlic.  I skipped the red pepper flakes and used black pepper instead.

The only thing I had to change was I had to cover it about half way through because the top was getting pretty brown.  I was worried to bake it for 20 more minutes without covering the top.  Next time I will cover it first for 20 minutes, then uncover it for the rest of the baking time.

Here is the original link, in case you're interested.  It comes from emilybites.com.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

2 lbs raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
2 cups marinara/pasta sauce
1 ½ cups 2% reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 oz Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, divided
3.5 oz garlic croutons, roughly crushed, leaving some larger pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Spread the cubed pieces of chicken across the bottom of the baking dish in a single layer. Sprinkle the minced garlic, red pepper flakes and basil evenly over the chicken. Spread the sauce evenly across the top.

On top of the sauce layer, sprinkle ¾ cup of the Mozzarella and one ounce of the Parmesan evenly across the dish. Sprinkle the crushed croutons across the top and follow with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Beef and Barley Soup

This soup was very simple to make and made a perfect fall meal.  I made a few changes, and next time will make a few more.

First, the recipe calls for 10 cups of water.  No beef broth.  That sounded kinda bland.  So I replaced 4 cups of water with beef broth.  Next time I plan to use 8 cups of beef broth (2 Swanson boxes), 1 cup of red wine, and 1 cup of water.

Second, I have never had a rutabaga.  So I used 2 medium sized potatoes instead.  Not sure that was the right size of  "1/2 a small rutabaga," but it seemed like the right amount!

Third, I didn't have any fresh thyme sprigs, so I used dried.  I used a generous pinch.  I think I will use more next time.

Fourth, I made a mistake when I made this.  You are supposed to leave the beef in 1 1/2 inch cubes, but I didn't realize it said that until I had cut the beef into bite sized pieces.  Some of them were a bit overcooked.  Next time I'll start them out bigger and follow the directions.

This recipe comes from the October 2014 issue of Woman's Day.  I served it with a big salad and homemade rolls.

Beef and Barley Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb lean beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp tomato paste
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 small rutabaga (about 12 oz), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves (optional)
10 cups water
3/4 cup pearl barley

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.  Season the beef with 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper.  Working in batches, brown the beef, 10 minutes total.  Transfer to a bowl.

Reduce heat to medium, add the onion and remaining Tbsp oil and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Return the beef and any juices to the pot along with the carrots, celery, rutabaga, thyme and bay leaves (if using).  Add the water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until the meat and vegetables are tenders, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, cook the barley according to package directions (mine had to boil for 45 minutes, FYI).  Drain and set aside.

Discard the thyme and bay leaves from the soup.  Using two forks, gently break the beef into smaller pieces, then stir in the barley.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

I thought it would be fun to try another version of chicken pot pie (yes, we still have quite a bit of chicken).  This one isn't the same as making a full version of chicken pot pie, but it's quite tasty and makes for a quick weeknight version when it's cold and wintery.

1 2/3 cups Green Giant™ frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup cut-up cooked chicken
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup Original Bisquick™ mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

Heat oven to 400°F. In ungreased 9-inch pie plate, stir vegetables, chicken and soup.
In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate.
Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until crust golden brown.

Crustless Cranberry Pie

My friend Erin posted this link on Facebook and said how much she loved it.  She's a fellow foodie, so I had to try it.  And it was FABULOUS!

She said she tweaked the recipe a bit, using vanilla extract instead of almond extract.  I did that too, since I like almond but I don't love almond.  I also used nut topping instead of the walnuts, because it's a nice mixture of nuts.  And walnuts can be too bitter for me.

This isn't really a pie, and it's not really a cake.  The best way to describe it is a muffin.  Next time I think I'll sprinkle some sugar on top of the batter, which is a trick another friend taught me years ago when you make homemade muffins.  It makes them taste like they came straight from a bakery.

It is also ridiculously simple.  I will definitely be making this again!

This recipe is from allrecipes.com.  Click here for the original link, which includes lots of reviews and the ways that people have altered the recipe to suittheir own tastes.

Crustless Cranberry Pie

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups cranberries (I used fresh)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used nut topping)

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract (I used vanilla)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9 inch pie pan.

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in the cranberries and the walnuts, and toss to coat. Stir in the butter, beaten eggs, and almond extract. If you are using frozen cranberries, the mixture will be very thick. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Quick Chicken and Dumplings

In the continuation of using the chicken, it was time to try a chicken and dumplings recipe.  I was looking for one that called for already cooked cubed chicken and also one that was rather speedy for after work.  So I found this one.  Taste is very good and it was quite quick.  My only problem was that it didn't make near enough soup - not nearly four servings as it says.  Next time I would double the soup portion and leave the dumplings as is.  And it says use a 3 quart pot, I used my 3 and a 1/2 and it really does need that room for the simmering and the dumplings.

1 1/2

cups milk

1

cup frozen green peas and carrots

1

cup cut-up cooked chicken

1

can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed creamy chicken mushroom soup

1

cup Original Bisquick™ mix

1/3

cup milk

Paprika, if desired

• 1Heat 1 1/2 cups milk, the peas and carrots, chicken and soup to boiling in 3-quart saucepan, stirring frequently.
• 2Stir Bisquick mix and 1/3 cup milk until soft dough forms. Drop dough by 8 spoonfuls onto chicken mixture (do not drop directly into liquid). Sprinkle with paprika.
• 3Cook uncovered over low heat 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer.

Chicken Pot Pie

Since we have an abundance of chicken in the fridge, I was looking for recipes that called for cooked cubed chicken.  I don't remember enjoying the chicken pot pie I made last time as much as this time.  This one is a keeper!  I loved the way the flavors came out - but that might have been because I used more than a 1/3 cup of onion (just picked a small onion and used it all).  It didn't come out as pretty as the picture, but it tasted fabulous.  Also, I used different brands, but I copied the recipe as is.

Ingredients

Crust

1

box Pillsbury™ refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling

1/3

 cup butter or margarine

1/3 

cup chopped onion

1/3

 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 

teaspoon salt

1/4

 teaspoon pepper

1 3/4 

cups Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)

1/2

 cup milk

2 1/2 

cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey

2

 cups Green Giant™ Steamers™ frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.

2 In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

3 Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

4 Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Lanny's Egg Nog

In addition to Lanny's Famous Five Cheese Lasagna, the Cooperstown Graduate Program also gave us the recipe for his killer Egg Nog!

I remember having one sip in Social History class and thinking, "Oh my God, am I drunk?"  This stuff is strong!!!  (At least if you go by what Lanny meant by "to taste" when dumping in the alcohol!)

Lanny's Famous Five Cheese Lasagna

Chris and I went to Cooperstown this past weekend to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our alma mater, the Cooperstown Graduate Program!  Pot lucks are a Thing at CGP, and when we were students we had a lot of Lanny's Famous Five Cheese Lasagna.

Tragically, Lanny died in a car accident several years ago. The Program was kind enough to provide us with his recipe:

We also got the recipe for Lanny's Egg Nog.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Stuffed Shells

This recipe is DIVINE.

I love anything with the flavors of chicken cordon bleu.  So when I saw this in the October 2014 issue of Woman's Day, I had to try it.

I made a few minor changes.  I used Swiss instead of Gruyere and 1/4 tsp of dried thyme instead of fresh tarragon.  I was lazy at the store and there was a long line at the deli, so I bought cubed cooked ham instead.  I think I would do that again.  It's perfect for this recipe.

Also, I fear the broiler, so I just uncovered it and kept baking it for about 5 minutes.

This recipe was in paragraph form, so I just typed it up that way too.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Stuffed Shells

Heat oven to 400.  Cook 16 jumbo shells (from a 12 oz box) according to package directions.  Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.  Prepare the Bechamel and spread all but 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a large broiler proof baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup Bechamel with 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce.  Toss with 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken.  Fold in 3/4 grated Gruyere cheese, 2 oz thinly sliced deli ham (cut into 1/2 inch pieces), 1/2 a small red onion (finely chopped), 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon (chopped), and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Spoon the mixture into the shells (about 1/4 cup each) and place on top of the sauce.  In a bowl combine 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs and 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil.  Sprinkle over the shells.  Cover with foil and bake until the shells are heated through, 12-15 minutes.  Heat broiler.  Uncover and broil until the cheese begins to brown, 2-3 minutes.

Basic Bechamel

This sauce is the base for the Chicken Cordon Bleu Stuffed Shells.  It would work with any recipe.  And it's much easier than you'd think!

It comes from the October 2014 issue of Woman's Day.

Basic Bechamel

In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups whole milk, half of a medium onion, 3 large cloves garlic (smashed), and 10 peppercorns and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally; remove from heat.

Melt 3 Tbsp unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Stir in 2 Tbsp flour.  Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the mixture is light golden brown, 3-5 minutes.

Strain the milk, discarding the solids, and gradually whisk it into the flour mixture (about 3/4 cup at a time) until smooth.  Simmer, stirring often, until thickened, 6-8 minutes.  Remove from heat and season with 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper.

Chicken Kapama

The boyfriend saw this blog post about "the best chicken"and we thought it would make a good dinner, but we went for the original version found at this website.  Chicken Kapama is a cinnamon braised chicken, so the meat comes out nice and tender.  We didn't think the chicken itself tasted that much of cinnamon, but it was very aromatic.  The next time we try it, we'll try the Paltrow version.  We used the suggestion of bone-in chicken thighs (Paltrow's version calls for cutting up a whole chicken).

3-4 lbs. chicken pieces

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. butter

1 large onion, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups red wine

2 tbsp. tomato paste

2 cups crushed tomatoes

3 tbsp. brandy

3 tbsp. honey

1 cinnamon stick, (about 2 inches long)

3 whole cloves

2 bay leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

Grated Kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese

Clean the chicken pieces, remove excess fat and pat dry with paper towels. Heat olive oil and butter in a large dutch oven. Add chicken pieces to the pot and brown (skin side down) over medium-high heat until nicely browned. You may need to do this in two batches depending upon the size of your pot. Remove chicken from the pot and transfer to a platter. I prefer to remove and discard the skin from the chicken pieces.

Using a large spoon, remove all but two tablespoons of the fat and oil. Add onions to pot and saute until tender. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add wine, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, brandy, honey, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Allow sauce to come to a boil and then lower heat to a low simmer.

Return chicken to the pot (with juices) and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and simmer for approximately 1 hour. If the sauce appears to be too thin, you can simmer uncovered in the last 10 minutes of cooking to reduce it a bit. Stir occasionally to circulate the ingredients.

Serve over cooked pasta or orzo and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Chicken Scampi

I came across this recipe while researching ideas for nutritious meals during Chris's cancer treatment.  It comes from the cookbook Eating Well Through Cancer by Holly Clegg and Gerald Miletello, MD.  I checked this book out of the library, but I plan to buy a copy to keep.  There are chapters with recipes that help with diarrhea, constipation, sore throat or mouth, high calorie (for weight gain), and snacks and light meals.  Plus they are just very nutritious recipes for any time.

This recipe is for the marinade and chicken.  I fear the broiler, so we grilled the chicken instead.  I added tomatoes, onion and garlic sauteed in olive oil.  Next time I would add more veggies, like zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, and peppers.  (I bought zucchini for this recipe, but we ate it!)  I would also reserve some of the cooking liquid to add to it, maybe 1/2 cup or so.

The recipe suggests cutting up the chicken and serving it with pasta, which I did.  But it would also be good as a main dish with other sides.

Chicken Scampi

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp oregano
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl.  Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.  Preheat the broiler.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and place in a single layer in a shallow baking dish or broiling pan.  Broil 8 inches from the heat, turning once, until the chicken is done, about 15 minutes.

Two Sauce Lasagna

I absolutely LOVE this recipe!!  I cut it out of a Classico ad years ago.  I don't like meat in my lasagna, so I've always skipped that part.  However, it recently came to light that CHRIS loves lasagna with meat!  So I'm making it half and half from now on.  I cut up homemade meatballs for his side instead of sausage.

The only thing I changed in this recipe is I mix the spinach into the cheese mixture.  It's easier to deal with that way instead of trying to spread spinach over cheese.

I usually make my own sauce, but you can easily use jarred sauce instead, as the recipe calls for.

Two Sauce Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles
1 15 ounce container ricotta
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs
1 26 ounce jar tomato sauce
1 10 ounce package chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
1 lb Italian sausage, browned and drained
1 16 ounce jar Alfredo sauce

In a large bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, 2 Tbsp Parmesan and eggs.  Mix well.

In a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce.  Layer 4 lasagna noodles over sauce.  Top with half each of cheese mixture, spinach, tomato sauce, and sausage.  Repeat layers.  Top with 4 remaining lasagna noodles.  Spread Alfredo sauce over the top.  Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Cover and bake 350 for 40 minutes.  Uncover.  Bake 15 minutes more or until bubbly.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Fresh Apple Cake

This recipe comes from a little book called Apple Desserts by Joie Warner (she has two more, Spaghetti and Caesar Salads that I have as well).  I get the dry ingredients together in a bowl and then peel and chop the apples.  Since I don't want them to brown, I use a bit of the lime (already zested and the zest set aside) juice on the apples, so I get more of a lime taste, which is fine with me.

Butter for pan

1/2 cup pecan halves, chopped medium-fine

3 large eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted, cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla

grated zest of 1 large lime

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 medium-large tart apples, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Generously butter 9-inch round cake pan, sprinkle all over with nuts, then tilt pan in all directions until bottom and sides are completely and evenly coated.

In large bowl, whisk eggs, butter, vanilla, lime zest, and sugar until smooth.  Add flour, baking soda, and salt and thoroughly blend.  Fold in apples.  Carefully spread batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 45 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, turn out onto rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8.

Trisha Yearwood's Fancy Chili

I love chili but I can't seem to settle on a recipe that I like.  This one is a keeper!

The best part is it doesn't have to simmer for hours and hours on the stove.  You can easily make it on a weeknight.  I served it with a salad and corn bread, but the Awesome and Easy Creamy Corn Casserole would have been delicious with it too!

I also liked the crunchiness of the carrots and peppers. If you don't like that texture, you can cook them ahead of time or simmer the chili longer.

This recipe is from the September 2014 issue of Woman's Day.

Trisha Yearwood's Fancy Chili

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 scallions, chopped (I used onion)
1/2 lb lean ground beef, at least 90% (I found 93%)
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I skipped this)
1 28 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (I used plain because I couldn't find these)
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed
1 15 oz can vegetarian refried beans
1 medium red pepper, finely chopped
4 medium carrots, coarsely grated
1/2 tsp brown sugar
Kosher salt

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan (I used my Dutch oven -- it makes more than you think it will!) over medium heat.  Add the garlic and scallions and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until starting to brown, 5-6 minutes.  Stir in the chili powder and cayenne and cook for 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, beans, pepper, carrots, sugar, 1 cup water, and a pinch of salt.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until the pepper is tender, 12-15 minutes. Serve topped with rice, sour cream and fresh cilantro, if desired.

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

We love anything around here that tastes like Buffalo wings!  So I had to give this recipe a try.

It was simple and tasty.  But I have an issue with "sogginess," so leftovers weren't that pleasant for me (I used flour tortillas, which might account for the sog factor).  Yet, I loved the taste of this recipe.  Next time I am going to see what it's like in a casserole format, like the Easy Taco Casserole.  Or maybe I'll just try the corn tortillas!

I cooked chicken tenders I had in the freezer instead of shredding a rotisserie chicken.  I cut them in half and cooked them in hot oil, leaving them undisturbed for several minutes so they would brown on one side.  I also used ranch instead of bleu cheese because Chris doesn't like it.

This recipe came from the October/November 2014 issue of Taste of Home.

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 10 oz can enchilada sauce
1/4 cup Buffalo wing sauce
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, divided
12 6 inch corn tortillas, warmed
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp chili powder

Optional toppings:  sour cream, green onions, additional Buffalo wing sauce

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, combine chicken, enchilada sauce, and wing sauce.  Stir in 3/4 cup of the cheese.

Place 1/4 cup of chicken mixture off center on each tortilla.  Roll up and place in greased 13 x 9 pan, seam side down.

In a small bowl, mix soup, salad dressing and milk.  Pour over enchiladas.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Top with chili powder.

Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Apple-Ginger-Cranberry Crisp

The boyfriend asked for this, so I said sure!  A new crisp recipe we hadn't tried before.  Unfortunately it's a little early to find cranberries in the store, so he bought frozen blueberries, which worked nicely.  Not the same as the cranberry would have been I'm sure, but tasty.  

Filling

4

medium tart cooking apples, peeled, sliced (about 4 1/2 cups)

2

Gala apples, peeled, sliced (about 2 cups)

2

cups fresh or frozen (do not thaw) cranberries

1

cup packed brown sugar

3

tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

3

tablespoons cold butter, cut into 6 pieces

2

tablespoons lemon juice

2

teaspoons grated gingerroot

1 1/2

teaspoons ground cinnamon

Topping

1

cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1/2

cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats

1/2

cup packed brown sugar

3

tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

1/2

cup cold butter or margarine, cut into 8 pieces

1/4

cup chopped walnuts

Vanilla ice cream, if desired

Directions

• 1In large bowl, mix all filling ingredients. Let stand 30 minutes.
• 2Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Spoon apple mixture into pan.
• 3In medium bowl, mix 1 cup flour, the oats, 1/2 cup brown sugar and the ginger. Cut in 1/2 cup butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until mixture is crumbly. Stir in walnuts. Sprinkle evenly over apples.
• 4Bake 40 minutes or until apples are tender when pierced with fork and topping is golden brown. Serve with ice cream.