Great Stuffing Taste Off

Let me preface this by saying.. I think this is the ONLY time I've been asked to bring something to a Thanksgiving dinner. :) Go figure huh? And it was a month after Charlotte was born last year. I was asked to bring Stuffing. So I tried it from scratch a week before and FAILED miserably. I know it's not healthy, but it's the seasonings in the darn boxed stuff that make it SO tasty. So last year we had "THE GREAT STUFFING TASTE OFF" and I made Stove Top, Mrs. Cubbison's, and Pepperidge Farms and added fresh celery, carrots, and onions to all 3. Then we put them out and let people taste test and guess which was which. It was a BLAST and.. I won't tell you which one won.. you'll have to try it this year.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

I've never been a huge scalloped potato fan, but I think it's because I've only had the packaged kind. I finally took the challenge and made my own, and they were sooooo good. I was intimidated by slicing them, but you can actually do it really quickly with the side of a cheese grater. This is a recipe I tweaked but it gives you the basics. Feel free to experiment with different kinds of cheeses and spices. I've seen combos of asiago/sage, cheddar/garlic, parmesan/thyme, etc.

5-6 large russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 medium onion, minced

2 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp dried thyme

3/4 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 bay leaf

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese (optional)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

In large, deep skillet melt butter, then saute onion. Add garlic and thyme and saute 30-40 seconds. Add salt and pepper. Then add potatoes, cream, broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cover. Simmer on med-low for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and transfer to buttered baking dish. Stir in 1 cup cheddar, then top with the rest of cheddar and bleu. Cover with foil and cook at 425 for 20 minutes. Check to make sure potatoes are tender or increase cooking time. Remove from oven and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

I like mine really cheesy. You could reduce the amount of cheese or use other cheese combos.

Tomato Basil Chicken

I stole the pic from Picky Palate, but have adapted the recipe.

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

1/4 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing, divided

3 roma tomatos, finely chopped

1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil leaves

PLACE large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; heat grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, place chicken in resealable plastic bag. Add 2 Tbsp. dressing; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with dressing. Refrigerate 10 min. Remove chicken from bag; discard bag and dressing.

GRILL chicken on uncovered side of grill 6 min. Meanwhile, combine remaining dressing, tomatoes, cheese and basil.

TURN chicken over; place, cooked-side up, on foil on grill. Top with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill 8 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF).

Great with angel hair pasta. You could also substitute some balsamic vinegar and olive oil for the dressing.

Chicken Tortellini Bake

mykitchencafe.blogspot.com

16 ounce package of cheese tortellini (my advice is to use the fresh, not frozen, variety - the kind you find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store b/c they taste better and it cuts down on boiling time since the noodles aren't completely dry. I got mine at Costco)

1 tablespoon oil

2 cups (about 2 chicken breasts) chicken cut up into bite size pieces

3 green onions finely chopped, white and green parts

2 tablespoons flour

8 ounces (1 cup) chicken broth

8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms

3/4 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat with good results)

8 oz (2 cups) shredded Monterey jack cheese (to be honest, any combination of cheeses, like cheddar, mozzarella or monterey jack would be good)

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook tortellini for 2-3 minutes (this is if you use the "fresh" tortellini from the refrigerated section, just do a little longer if you use the frozen)

Drain and set aside.Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Brown the chicken for 1-2 minutes and add the fresh mushrooms and green onions, cooking until chicken is done and mushrooms are golden brown. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth and stir until thickened. Mix in sour cream until mixture is creamy and slightly thickened.Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray. Pour tortellini in bottom of 9X13 pan. Sprinkle half the cheese over tortellini. Put cooked chicken/sauce mixture on top and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.Bake covered with tin foil at 350 for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes until bubbly and golden brown around the edges.

Ham and Pasta Skillet Dinner

Ham and Pasta Skillet Dinner
mykitchencafe.blogspot.com

1 pound small tube or shell pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups fully cooked ham, diced (I used rotisserie chicken because that's what I had. It was good, I think I'll try it with ham next time I have extra ham)
1 large sweet red pepper, diced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (i just used a couple of tablespoons of dry parsley)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions - only cooking until al dente since pasta will continue to cook and soak up liquid when added to the skillet. While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat until butter is melted. Add pepper, onion, and garlic and cook until vegetables are tender, about 4-6 minutes. Add ham, basil and oregano and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in broth (or stock) and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half (at first it looks like it will be way to "brothy" but never fear, if you are patient, it will reduce!). Stir drained pasta into ham and vegetable mixture (I cooked a full pound of pasta but only added about 3/4 of the cooked pasta to the skillet so the other ingredients weren't lost). Add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and toss. Sprinkle parsley and remaining parmesan cheese over the top of the pasta. Serve immediately.

Lemon Chicken and Pasta

I've made this winner of a recipe a few times and it is fabulous. Like the other one I posted, it's an easy one-skillet pasta dish. The lemon chicken recipe is from the Lion House Cookbook and the pasta recipe is from mykitchencafe.blogspot.com. I hope you enjoy!

Lemon Chicken
1 pound chicken breasts
2 Tblsp honey
1 Tblsp lemon juice
1 Tblsp soy sauce
1 tsp grated lemon peel (I put this in the first time I made it, but haven't since and I don't think it makes much of a difference for the marinade, but don't forget to add it into the pasta recipe below!)

glaze for chicken
1/2 c. water
1 Tblsp lemon juice
1 Tblsp honey
1 Tblsp cornstarch
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp chicken bouillon granules

Arrange chicken breasts in glass dish (or just a gallon sized ziploc bag). In small bowl combine first five ingredients. Pour over chicken, cover, and marinate in refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Grill on hot grill or under broiler until no longer pink (I just cooked it in a pan on the stove) The second set of ingredients is for a glaze to put on top. However, I just mixed my chicken in with the lemon pasta below so I didn't use the glaze. If you want to make the glaze you mix all the ingredients and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring after every minute until sauce is thick and clear.

Lemon Pasta

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (16 ounce) package tube pasta (I used rigatoni)
1 cups heavy cream (you can use evaporated milk and it's still good, just not QUITE as good)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONSIn a large saucepan, season the chicken broth with the garlic powder and pepper. Bring to a boil and add lemon juice and pasta. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.Stir chicken into cooked pasta, along with the cream, parmesan cheese and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir thoroughly before serving.

Also, I'm sure you could make this a bit healthier by throwing some broccoli or asparagus into the pasta at the end. I'm not always a big fan of leftovers, but this makes great leftovers.

Where's the love?

As Kelsey and I are both dealing with teething children and zero sleep, somebody else is going to have to start us out this month. Anybody?