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.

Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I can't remember now if I first saw this on pinterest or facebook, but I pinned it so I could find it again.  I made it over Labor Day weekend and it was wonderful!  And then I kept thinking about it, thinking there was still some buttermilk left in the fridge, however when I went to the Farmer's Market yesterday, there were no blueberries.  Sadly, blueberry season must be over.  Alas, I did not get a picture the time I made it.

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar**
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour (set aside 1/4 cup of this to toss with the blueberries)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk***

* 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons

** This 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top

*** To make homemade buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Fill cup with milk until it reaches the 1-cup line. Let stand for five minutes. Use only 1/2 cup of the prepared mixture for the recipe.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.
Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Cranberry Layer Cake

The recipe for this cake was in the October/November 2014 issue of Taste of Home Simple and Delicious.  I knew it would be delicious, so I just had to try it!

I used craisins because it's still a little early for fresh cranberries.  I didn't chop them or anything.  The smaller bag is about a cup, so I dumped the whole thing in.

The frosting is really easy and beats anything out of a can, hands down.

Oh, and they are serious about that parchment paper step.  Both layers of my cake stuck to the pan and broke in half.  I managed to put it back together, though!

Cranberry Layer Cake

1 pkg white cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
3 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp grated orange peel
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed and coarsely chopped
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp grated orange peel

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350. Line bottoms of 2 greased 9-inch round baking pans with parchment paper; grease the paper.  In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients.  Beat on low for 30 seconds.  Beat on medium 2 minutes.  Stir in the cranberries and walnuts.  Transfer batter to prepared pans.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks.  Remove paper.  Cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until blended.  Gradually beat in the sugar and orange peel until smooth.  Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake.  Sprinkle with walnuts.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Pasta Primavera

I have been making this delicious recipe for so many years, I can't remember where I first found it!  I might have seen Giada De Laurentiis make it on her show.  But then again, I might have found it in one of her cookbooks.

This is a very pretty dish, with all the colors of the vegetables, so it's perfect for a late summer or early fall dinner party.  It's perfect the way it is, but I do roast the veggies longer than it says to, so they caramelize a little bit more.  I still chop everything by hand, and it WILL take you longer than the 25 minute prep time she lists!

You can click here for the link to the recipe.

One tray of veggies before roasting

 Pasta Primavera

3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

Kale Brussels Sprout Salad

Found this salad about a year ago and have made it probably 15 times since then!  Absolutely amazing!  Don't let the ingredient list fool you!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Kale-Brussels-Sprout-Salad-368295

Spaghetti Squash Salad

Killer spaghetti squash salad!

http://m.skinnyms.com/spaghetti-squash-pasta-salad-recipe/