Crockpot creamy chicken and broccoli

Amy Facchiano inspired me to make a week of crockpot dishes when I noticed on facebook she was doing one..which I will try soon!

Ingredients:

• 1 can Cream of Broccoli Soup
• boneless chicken breasts (as many as you need) - I buy the frozen ones with 6-7 in a bag - approx. 3 pounds
• 1 bag frozen broccoli
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup milk

Preparation:

Place chicken in the crockpot. Cover with frozen veggies and cream of broccoli soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours or HIGH 3 to 4 hours. (Boneless chicken breasts might be dry if cooked too long.) Add milk about 45 minutes before done

 

I made some adjustments...i put TWO cans of cream of broccoli and i added some garlic powder also.  i also sprinkled some cheddar cheese on top when it was plated.

Over all is was just an okay dish..very very very easy but not the most tastiest dish. Eli and Cousin Josh both said they liked it but would have liked the chicken thinner..(i used thick breasts) i might make this one again sometime and add more stuff=)

 

Southwest Zucchini Boats

"I love this meal!"This is what my husband says as he eats almost the whole pan of zucchini! These are a pretty quick yummy meal!  

The ingredents are:

 4/5 med. zucchini

1lb of ground beef

3/4c of salsa

1/4 c of bread crumbs

1/4c of minced fresh cilantro

1tsp chili powder

1/2tsp ground cumin

1/4tsp salt,

1/8tsp pepper

1c shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Sour cream optional

Cut Zucchini in half lengthwise;scoop out the pulp,leaving 1/4 in. shells.

Place the shells in an ungreased 3. quart microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 3 mins. or until crisp-tender;drain and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large skillet,cook beef over med. heat until no longer pink;drain.

Remove from the heat and stir in the salsa,bread crumbs,ciltrano,chili powder,cumin,salt ,pepper and 1/2 c of the cheese.

Spoon into zucchini shells.

Microwave ,uncovered on high for 4 mins. Sprinkle remaining cheese.Microwave 3-4 mins longer or until cheese is melted and zucchini are tender. Serve with Sour cream if desired.

* i added salsa to dip in as well!

Parmesan Pork Chops & Mac&Cheese

This dish is a great finale of the week. It was so good. And I just mixed parmesan, dried parsley,dried italian seasoning,and pepper in a big ziplock bag...I melted butter in a bowl (in the microwave) I dipped the prok chop in butter and then placed in zip lock bag..(coat well) and then place in a med hot pan with olive oil..7 mins per side and its a yummmmmmmy pork chop. I wasnt in the mood to cook anything that was time consuming... so i just decided to add kraft mac&cheese to the meal, I havent have that in some time now. It was a yummy meal, that everyone loved! I will definitely do that one again!



here's our friend maria cutting away!



Tortellini-Shrimp Caesar Salad

This was a fun dish...not really for me but I loved how excited the boys were! Why? because i absolutely HATE seafood and never never never cook it! I decided I want to learn how and thought this was the simplest way to start...

Ingredients:

2 cups of breaded popcorn shrimp

1 package (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini

8 cups of torn romaine

1 med tomato, chopped
1/2 cup of caesar salad dressing
Prepare shrimp and tortellini according to package directions. In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine and tomato; drizzle witth dressing and toss to coat. Drain tortellini; Toss with salad. Top with shrimp
(I  doubled everything ; except for the dressing bc it was still plenty)

he looks serious about this dish!

The boys LOVED this meal..so quick and they kept going back for more and more. It was a HIT! def. try!

Family Dinner Night~March 22nd,2011

For "family dinner night" I made chicken stir fry.
Gabe cut 3 pounds of chicken into 1-inch pieces for me (thanks gaby) and I got him to season them with salt and pepper and brown them in the pan. I was out and when I got home. I got 2 big bags of frozen veggies. I added some water in a big pan and I sauted the veggies and I added a little teriyaki sauce to start flavoring it..then when the veggies are tender add cooked chicken and more teriyaki sauce..mix till coated well....Cook rice and serve with the stir fry.

Everyone loved the stir fry...=)

Debbie's Chicken Wings (as an appetizer)

Everyone REALLY loved these!!!! Actually Cousin Josh and Jess are eating them right now as dessert haha
Oh, u want the recipe..sorry its a secret!
Just Kidding! all it is ...is DUCK SAUCE (half jar)...mix with chicken and bake  350 degrees  for 1.5 hours..mix a couple times to crisp up!

 

Zucchini~I took left over herb butter and sauted it in a pan..yummy! 

Wagon Wheel Supper

This hearty pasta meal is very quick and easy.
I doubled it because there are a lot of hungry
 boys in my house, but you can leave as is.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound uncooked wagon wheel pasta

1 pound ground beef( i used ground turkey)

1/2c chopped onion

1 jar of sauce~any kind u like (i used tomato basil)

1 bag of frozen corn and peas

1/8 tsp pepper

shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions,meanwhile in a large skillet cook beef and onions over med. heat until meat is no longer pink.,Drain!
Stir in sauce and then add drained pasta..stir in peas&corn and cheese and pepper.

See very easy and its nice on a cold rainy day like today! Enjoy and let me know what you think!
(i know i went off my schedule again..im soo confused..tomorrow us herbed chicken stir-fry! Can't wait!)

Chicken Stew & Savory Grilled Cheese

A great recipe to start off the first day of spring! This warm but light stew is very tasty and filled with lots of protein and veggies!
I had said i was starting monday, but I forgot that thursday's is chinese night so I kinda moved things around.





Chicken Stew
ingredients:

1~pound bonless skinless chicken breasts,cut into 1-inch cubes
1~ tbsp olive oil
1~package (16oz) frozen veggies for stew(really anything u like)
1~jar of chicken gravy
1/2~tsp dried thyme
1/4~tsp rubbed sage
1/4~tsp pepper

In a large saucepan, brown chicken in oil over med. heat for 4-6 mins/ or until no longer pink. Drain if necessary.Stir in the remaining ingredients. bring to boil. Reduce heat; Cover and simmer for 15 mins or until veggies are tender.(I did 20 mins)
I also sauted onions, garlic and celery and added it to the mix...

Savory Grilled Cheese
 This sandwich was a great hit! This herb butter gives this sandwich a great taste!

Ingredients:

1/4~cup of butter,softened                 

1/2~ tsp dried parsley flakes

1/2~tsp dried oregano

1/4~tsp garlic powder

montery jack cheese slices

provlone cheese slices

whole wheat bread slices

In a small bowl, combine butter, parsley,oregano and garlic powder and set aside. Place cheese on four slices (or how ever many u would like to make) top with remaining bread. Spread outside of each of each sanwich with 2 tbsp of butter. In skillet over med. heat, toast sandwiches 4-5 mins on each side or until bread is lightly browned and cheese is melted.



Eli said it was Very Good!



I enjoyed it very much!

Simple & Delicious

This is one of my favorite magazines. Its a good day when I open the mailbox and this is inside. I rip open the plastic and quickly start picking out what I want to make. I love the pictures that show the wonderful foods you can create! BUT there also very easy recipes but also very yummy!  They have menus for the week ahead that you can follow and it helps you be more prepared for the week and its suppose to be easy to follow. I am going to pick a menu for the week and see if I can follow it and see if its a good way to go about cooking for my family or gang I should say!

Here is the food ideas for the week!

Mon~Chicken Stew with savory grilled cheese sandwich

Tues~Herbed chicken Stir-fry

Wed~Wagon Wheel Supper

Thurs~Tortellini-Shrimp Caesar Salad

Fri~Parmesan Pork Chops and Herb Roasted Squash

I will place a pic and recipe each day! I will do all my shopping on sunday or I might try Peapod from stop and shop. Wish me luck!

Ham & Cheese Cannelloni

This is a recipe from Rachael Ray. It was a very easy dish that you can make a lot of for when u have company..(which i always do) I just made it with a famous "JUICY" salad and it was good to go!
 Here's the recipe:
Ingrediants:
1 cup~ricotta cheese
1 cup~shredded mozzarella
1~large egg
1 Jar~15oz Creamy alfredo sauce

8~egg-roll wrapers(available by the pre-cut veggie and fruit section)

8~slices of deli ham  (I prefer boars head)

1/2 cup~grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta,mozzarella and the egg.

2.Reserve 3/4 cup of the Alfredo sauce and spread the remaining sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-in. backing dish.

3.Arrange an egg-roll wrapper on work surface. Spread 3 TBSP of the ricotta mixture over the wrapper, cover with a slice of ham, then roll up to form a log (jelly roll style). Repeat with the remaining wrappers and place the cannelloni, seam side down,in a single layer in the baking dish.

4.Spoon the reserved sauce over the cannelloni, top with cheese and baker for 20 mins or until golden brown and bubbly.

SERVES 4

Eli and Cousin Josh both said it was good..Gabe will try it soon bc he fell asleep at dinner time =)

I also doubled the recipe. I still have so many egg-roll wrappers left, i will have to come up with a recipe to use with the rest.
ENJOY and of course let me know if you try!



**Gabe woke up and said it was good but in some bites it was too salty..maybe a low~sodium ham would be better**
Great thinking~it would be healthier too! Thanks !

White Bean Turkey Chili

Let me just say...Yummy!!! I told you that the first recipe I was going to try in my cast iron pot was the white bean turkey chili and it was a hit! I made this for the boys and we ate as we were watching the oscars! So its a RED CARPET HIT!
Here is the recipe!
Ingredients:
2Tbsp~olive oil
1 1/2 pounds~ground turkey meat
1~yellow onion,cut into 1/2" dice

2~cloves of garlic,minced
1~rib celery,cut into 1/2" dice
1~ carrot,cut into 1/2" dice
1~green pepper,cut into 1/2" dice
1~red pepper,cut into 1/2" dice
2tsp~dried ground cumin
2tbsp~chili powder
salt and black pepper
2~17oz. cans of white beans,drained
3cups~chicken stock
1/4c~fresh cilantro,chopped
sour cream(optional)
scallions,chopped (optional)
cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:
Heat a cast iron casserole over med. heat. Add olive oil to the casserole, and brown the ground turkey. Once cooked, remove the turkey meat to a bowl and reserve. Drain and discard any excess grease from the pot.
Add the onion,garlic,celery, and carrot to the pan and cook for 5-6 mins. Add the green and red peppers,cumin and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper,and continue to cook for an additional 10 mins, until all the veggies are soft.

Return the meat to the pan and add the white beans. Pour in the chicken stock and stir to mix well! (scape the bottom to get all the good flavoring off).Simmer over low heat for 1 hour and then stir in cilantro.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream ,chopped scallions, or cheddar cheese, or a combination of the three

serve 6-8

(in my case i used all three..and it served 4 people~3 boys and they were starving)

I also made rice and put the chili over it and then the toppings as shown in the picture.

The boys (Eli,Cousin Josh and Gabe) Liked it

Eli~ITS GREAT!

Gabe~ITS GOOD!

CJ~ITS PRETTY GOOD =)

*Its not a hot chili~ but add whatever hot sauce you like and yum!

Every Cook Needs....

A CAST IRON POT

Chicken Pot Pies..

Dinner on a cold rainy night...the best thing i can think of is chicken pot pies..wish i was eating them tonight..but chinese take out will do for tonight..but many people asked for my recipe...i kinda just made it up..and put in what i remember from growing up and eating the frozen pot pies that my mom would get (dont get me wrong..i loved them and they were easy....but i love cooking..so frozen wont do!)

RECIPE..i was making this recipe for a bunch of people..so

In BIG skillet, melt butter(1 stick); stir in flour(2/3c) and pepper( dash). Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in chicken broth
(2~10.5oz cans) and 1.5 cup milk; cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Add chicken(i used one and 1/2 rotisserie chickens..diced up), onion,celery and carrots (diced and sauted in veggie oil or olive oil), peas and corn(frozen and thawed); cook until hot and bubbly. Spoon mixture evenly into ramekins(or i used mini loaf pans) u can either place biscuits on top..i used puff pastry..but i have also used pie crust.....just cover top( u can also place on bottom..either taste good) Place on top (and bottom if u like). Cut slits in tops. brush tops with milk. cook until top is golden brown..20 mins..i just look at it and see how i feel..

they were very tasty! enjoy! and let me know!