Asian Chicken & Asparagus

Everyone at my house at this lovely Asian Chicken & Asparagus. Do you know how rare that is? Well, it is a rarity. We served this with some delicious veggie egg rolls. Mmmm .... now I must confess that while everyone LOVED the noodles, I myself would prefer this served over a brown rice. I purchased these noodles from the Asian food section at our local supermarket. I wish I had written down the company name, but as usual, I didn't. The original recipe calls for linguine noodles, but I wanted to try these. They were very good, similar to a noodle for Lo-Mein. The recipe also called for only asparagus, notice I tossed in some sugar snap peas. I am going to love making this dish once the farmer's markets are open. Enjoy!

Asian Chicken & Asparagus Serves 4

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4" pieces
1 T. sesame seed oil + additional 1 1/2 T.
1 pound asian noodles or linguine
1 pound asparagus
1/2 pound sugar snap peas
5 T. rice wine vinegar
1/4 c. oyster sauce
2 T. light sodium soy sauce
2 T. brown sugar
2 t. chili-garlic paste (or less depending on how much heat you like)
2 t. ground ginger

1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken, until no longer pink, 5 minutes or so. Transfer all chicken to a bowl.

2. Add pasta to boiling water and cook until beginning to soften, about 8 minutes. Add asparagus and sugar snap peas to the pot, cook until bright green and pasta is al dente, about 4 more minutes.

3. Whisk vinegar, oyster sauce, chili-garlic sauce, ginger and sesame oil. Place chicken back into skillet, pour the vinegar mixture over top, add cooked pasta and veggies. Turn to coat all with vinegar sauce.

4. Serve.

Chicken Pomodoro

I know .. it's been a lifetime since I posted a new recipe. Well, lucky for you I have (2) new ones for this week.

Chicken Pomodoro is so delicious. It's this creamy chicken dish that just makes you feel good all over. Enjoy!

Chicken Pomodoro Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

3 T. olive oil

1 onion, chopped fine

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 t. dried oregano

1/4 t. red pepper flakes

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/3 c. heavy cream

1/4 finely chopped fresh basil

cooked penne pasta

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

2. Heat remaining oil in empty skillet over medium high heat until simmering. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, cream and 1/4 t. salt and bring to a boil. Return chicken to skillet, simmer, covered utnil chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken to a platter, tent with foil. Simmer sauce, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken. Serve over penne pasta.

Tortilla Soup for a Crowd

Most Super Bowl parties feature finger foods. Sometimes you'll find a yummy chili or a burger. This Tortilla Soup is warm, cheesy, hot, spicy and best of all ... easy to make ahead and serves from a crockpot. This recipe is not only Super Bowl food, it's great for an easy weeknight meal and everyone can add their favorite toppings. Thanks to Pace for supplying The Sneaky Cat with free Picante Sauce. Enjoy ...

4 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 stick of butter

1/2 c. flour

1 t. black pepper

1 t. ground mustard

4 c. milk

32 oz. chicken broth

4 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 jar (8 oz.) Pace Picante Sauce, choose your heat

4 flour tortillas, cut into strips

Extras:

shredded monterey jack cheese

sour cream

sliced jalapeno peppers

hot pepper / onion relish

fresh cilantro

black beans, cooked, rinsed and drained

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place tortilla strips in thin layer on baking sheet, place into oven. Bake for 15 minutes or longer until crisp, but not overly browned. Remove from oven an place into a bowl for serving.

2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, pepper and dry mustard. Stir into a thick paste. Add chicken broth and milk, a little at a time until a sauce is created. Turn heat to medium high, cook, stirring constantly until sauce is boiling, boil for 1 minute, turn heat to low.

3. Add to saucepan, cheese, chicken and salsa, stir until combined and cheese is melted.

4. Place soup into crockpot set on low. Stir before serving.

5. Place tortilla strips, and extras into bowls near the crockpot. Allow guests to serve themselves.

** if you're looking to make this even more simple: purchase a roasted whole chicken and use tortilla chips instead of making strips

Summer Vacation

Hi.

Just a quick note that I am SO SORRY I have been neglectful of my blogging duties. The bakery business has taken off and I am happy to report, we are making $$$$!

That being said, it's no excuse to neglect my little bloggie blog.

Good news though: I am working on some really great stuff and will be back to blogging in the next week. :) I am going to start with breakfasts and then go from there. I was thinking it might be nice to have a "theme" month or something like that ... so hang in there folks ... I will be back!!! Read into that my "ARNOLD" imitation. :)

Swiss Steak

Well our family meals came to an end last week. Although I have a few more tags to pick, they are easy ones and this meal isn't one of them. I am working on a new list and maybe even a pantry list for you all. Here is a great recipe for your crockpot. So many of us like a home cooked meal, but with all we do during the day, it's alot to ask that we make a dinner also. This one is easy, easy. We serve with mashed potatoes and a veggie. Enjoy.

Swiss Steak Makes 6 servings

3 T. all purpose flour
1 t. ground mustard
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 # beef boneless round, tip or chuck steak, about 3/4" thick, cut into 6 pieces.
2 T. vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 large bell pepper, sliced
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cloves garlic, minced

1. Mix flour, mustard and salt. Coat beef with flour mixture.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook beef in oil about 15 minutes, turning once, until brown.
3. Place beef in 3 1/2 - 6 quart slow cooker; top with onion and bell pepper. Mix tomatoes and garlic; pour over beef and vegetables. Cover and cook on low setting 7 - 9 hours or until beef is tender.

Donut Muffins ...

Oh these are sooo bad ... but oh so good! I took the original recipe and cut it in 1/2. Why you ask, because it's bad enough that I ate 3 today, but if I had 24 of them ... not a good thing. Enjoy these everyone. When I open the Bakery / Cafe you can all come and eat them, I think they would be great on the menu.

Donut Muffins Makes 24 standard muffins

12 T. butter (1 stick + 1/2)
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
3 c. flour
3 t. baking powder
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
3/4 c. milk
2 T. buttermilk (I used 2T. milk with 1/2 t. lemon juice as a substitute)

1 stick of butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs 1 at a time.
3. Mix flour, baking powder and nutmeg in a medium sized bowl.
4. Add 1/3 of the milks with 1/3 of the dry into the butter and sugar bowl, blend well. Mix in the next 1/3 and the final 1/3. Mix to smooth.
5. Using a 12 cup muffin tin, spray with non-stick cooking spray, generously. Using a ice cream scoop, fill muffin tins.
6. Bake 25 - 30 minutes.
7. Remove from oven, remove from muffin tins, when muffins are cooled down, just a bit, pick up one by one, brush with melted butter and roll in sugar.
8. Place onto waxed or parchment paper.

Week #6: Pizza Burgers

Well, we're at week 6 in our 52 meals project. I am working on 52 more meals along with making the site easier to find past recipes. Here is this weeks menu:

spaghetti with meatballs
Pizza Burgers
Taco Pie
Beef Sandwiches
Pork Carnitas
Pork Chops

Pizza burgers are a favorite at our house. They are so easy to make, and can use your favorite ground meat product (turkey, chicken, pork etc). You could even use a veggie burger. If you purchase Texas Toast Garlic Bread, use that, or if you use a garlic spread, you're good to go also. You can grill the burgers and then put them together, but for the winter months, I prefer to pan fry the burgers. If you have an indoor grill, use it and they would be just as good. You won't use the whole jar of spaghetti sauce, save leftovers and use during the week for pizza bagels (bagel, sauce, toppings, etc.)

Pizza Burgers Makes 8 burgers

2# ground beef
1 package onion soup mix, dry
1/2 c. water
2 T. ketchup (or to taste)
2 T. steak sauce (or to taste)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
6 slices mozzarella cheese (you can use shredded, but it's harder to keep on the burger)
6 slices Texas toast
5 T. butter, softened
1 t. garlic salt

1. Mix ground beef with onion soup mix and water. Mix thoroughly. Add ketchup and steak sauce. Divide meat mixture into 8 equal parts. Patty burgers, set aside while pan heats.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place Texas toast slices (or garlic bread slices) on a baking sheet. If you're using Texas toast, combine butter and garlic salt, spread some butter onto one side of the bread, put that side down onto pan. Set pan to the side while cooking burgers.

3. Heat pan (I use my large skillet), place burgers into pan. Cook to your desired internal temperature. Once burgers are cooked, remove from pan and place one burger onto a piece of Texas Toast, continue until all burgers are used.

4. Place a small amount of spaghetti sauce onto each burger, top with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Place pan with burgers / toast into the oven. Cook until cheese is melted.

These are "open faced" burgers. We don't use another piece of bread on top. If you want another piece of bread, just toast a piece before you assemble. That way, when you're finished with the melting cheese, your top piece of toast is toasted.

You can add pizza toppings, if you want, but we like just cheese on ours. Mushrooms and onions would be a nice addition, especially if you cooked them down to soft.

Week #5 ... City Chicken

This weeks meal choices are easy, easy! The only recipe, in my opinion, that is time consuming would be the City Chicken. I have no idea where this recipe came from, I don't really know why we even call it City Chicken. Since I was young, this was my choice for a birthday dinner. Even now it's still a favorite of mine. The recipe for City Chicken is found below.

Lasagna
City Chicken
Pulled BBQ Pork
BLT Sandwiches
Chili (this week meat, bean, tomato base)
Chicken Fried Rice
Grilled Cheese

City Chicken Serves 4 - 6

6 pork chops, boneless or 1 small pork loin; cut into 1" or 1 1/2" cubes
short skewers / 12 - 14
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. milk
1 - 2 c. Italian style breadcrumbs
oil for frying

1. Cut pork into cubes, place 4 - 6 cubes onto a skewer, set to the side until all skewers are used.

2. Heat oil in frying pan, you need enough oil so that 1/2 of the pork skewer will be in oil.

3. Into (1) shallow dish, place beaten egg and milk, mix together. In another shallow dish, place breadcrumbs.

4. Roll the skewer of pork into the breadcrumbs, the egg wash and back into the breadcrumbs; place into the hot oil. Brown the city chicken on both sides. Remove after meat is brown; place into a 9 x 13" baking dish, lined with aluminum foil, sprayed with cooking spray.

5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 40 minutes. We serve the City Chicken with a salad, corn, and fried red potatoes (hey, if you're going to eat friend City Chicken, why not add the fried potatoes too). ;)

Week #4: Mexitaly Chicken

A little bit late, but better late than never! I don't know where the week went or what I was doing on Sunday, instead of putting the weeks menu together. I apologize.



Mexitaly Chicken

Pork Loin

Roast Beef Sandwiches

Pulled BBQ Beef

Rowley Chicken Pot (recipe in archives)

Quick Chicken Parmesan

Soup and Sandwiches (Quick Gumbo)



Mexitaly Chicken is sort of a weird thing. I love my crockpot (I think I have said this before). Truly, what other small appliance allows you to put a meal together the night before, start cooking it in the morning and come home in the evening to a yummy meal! This recipe is one of those "it shouldn't be this easy". But, it is. The best part, if you have a Don Pablo's near your house, run in and order a dozen fresh flour tortillas. They make them on the spot and I think I usually pay $2.00. OH MY ... those tortillas make this dish even better. I like that it makes enough for lunch the next day.

Mexitaly Chicken Makes 8 - 10 servings

1 bag frozen chicken breasts (usually 5 - 7 breasts), thawed
1 bottle of your favorite Italian dressing
1 sweet red pepper, sliced thin spears
1 sweet orange pepper, sliced thin spears
1 sweet yellow pepper, sliced thin spears
1 sweet onion, sliced into rings
flour tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese
your favorite toppings (sour cream, jalapenos, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, etc.)

1. Slice all peppers and onions, place into crockpot.
2. Place chicken breasts on top of the peppers and onions.
3. Pour the entire bottle of Italian dressing over the chicken. Cover with crockpot lid and cook on high for 6 hours (or more).
4. Once cooked, shred chicken breasts in crockpot, stir contents to be sure all peppers, onion and chicken are together. Warm tortillas, using tongs, remove chicken mixture and place a bit onto your tortilla. Top with your favorites.

We serve this with rice, a nice salad and of course, we always pick up fresh tortillas chips with our flour tortillas!

Week 3: Bavarian Pot Roast

Yummy! Not only is this easy to make, the side dish that I will also include is delicious with chicken breasts or a pulled pork. The Cabbage Noodle sidedish, can be prepared the night before and warmed to make dinner prep. easier. My crockpot is one of my favorite kitchen small appliance. The best part of this recipe is that you can eat half the dish tonight, then us the other for a second meal, I suggest as a beef sandwich with onions, mushrooms and provolone cheese.

Bavarian Crock Pot Roast Serves 12

1 boneless top round roast, 4 pounds, cut in half
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
2 T. white vinegar
2 - 3 t. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 c. apple juice
1 small onion, chopped
1 T. salt
1 T. ground ginger
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/2 c. water

1. In a Dutch oven heat a small amount of vegetable oil, brown the meat on all sides over medium high heat. Transfer the meat to a 5 quart slow cooker. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients with the exception of the cornstarch and water, pour over roast. Cook on high 5 - 7 hours.

2. 1 hour before serving the roast, combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir into the cooking juices, cover and continue cooking for 1 more hour or until the meat is tender and the juices have thickened.


Cabbage Noodles Serves 12

1 head of cabbage
1 medium to large onion
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 t. curry powder
2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1 bag of wide egg noodles

1. Chop cabbage and onion. I usually chop into larger pieces. If you're cooking the next day, I would place these two items into a large bowl and place into the refrigerator. If you're cooking right away, place the butter into a large skillet, melt (if using butter, do not allow it to brown or burn); place as much of the cabbage and onion as you can into the skillet over medium high heat. Continue to add cabbage and onion until all is in the skillet.

2. Stir and coat the cabbage and onions in butter/margarine. Sweat the cabbage and onion to almost tender (about 1/2 an hour). Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles to directions.

3. When cabbage and onion are cooked, place some of the noodles into the pan, stir, continue adding until all the noodles are incorporated. Season cabbage noodles with curry powder, salt and pepper.

** You could really veggie this side dish up; add some grated carrots, chopped celery, sweet colored pepper strips, whatever you like that can become tender.

Week 3: Crockpot Stuffing

Week 3's menu looks like this:

Steak
Ham and Potatoes
French Bread Pizza
Turkey Breast with Stuffing
Crock Pot Roast
Honey Chicken
Burritoes (this week beef)

Instead of giving you the recipe for "turkey breast", which is an easy this to cook, I am giving you a really good crockpot stuffing recipe. There are 2 groups of stuffing people, those who say they ONLY use the breast cavity for stuffing and those who say it's not a good idea to stuff a turkey with stuffing. I personally prefer the "stuffed breast" type, but I use this with a breast only turkey, mainly because everyone in my house LOVES stuffing and we never have enough if I only stuff the breast. This can be frozen, so I would suggest eating enough for 2 meals and then putting the rest in a large freezer bag for a later time. So, here it is:

Crock Pot Stuffing Makes 20 servings

1 c. chopped onion, finely chopped
1 c. chopped celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely grated (optional, but adds extra vitamins)
1/4 c. butter
6 c. cubed day-old white bread
6 c. cubed day-old wheat bread
1 t. salt
1 t. poultry seasoning
1 t. rubbed sage
1/2 t. pepper
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) chicken broth
2 eggs

1. In a small non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook onion, celery (and optional carrots) in butter until tender. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, salt, poultry seasoning, sage and pepper. Stir in onion mixture. combine broth and eggs, add to bread mixture, toss to coat.

2. Transfer to a 3 quart slow cooker coated with non-stick cooking spray. Cover and cook on low for 3 - 4 hours or until heated through.

** If you family prefers a more "crusty" stuffing, remove the crock from your crockpot, place into a 350 degree oven, uncovered for 10 - 15 minutes or until top of stuffing is brown.

Almond Cloud Cookies

I had quite a few requests for this cookie recipe and I am happy to share it. I must confess it's not my cookie recipe. I actually took it from my favorite flour and baking company "King Arthur Flour Company". If you EVER are in need of baking ingredients or information, check out their website and items. I have (3) dream jobs; (1) owning my bed / breakfast, (2) working at King Arthur Flour and (3) working in the America's Test Kitchen.

These cookies are best described as "macaroons without the annoying bits of coconut". They melt in your mouth and are just as names "cloud cookies".

Almond Cloud Cookies Makes 21 cookies

10 oz. almond paste

1 c. sugar

2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

1/4 t. almond extract

1/8 t. orange or lemon oil (optional)

powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven 325 degrees. Lightly grease or line with parchment two baking sheets.

2. Blend the almond paste and sugar until the mixture forms fine crumbs; this is best done in a stand mixer. Add egg whites gradually, while mixing, to make a smooth paste. Stir in the flavorings.

3. Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared pans. Sprinkle the cookies heavily with powdered sugar, then use 3 fingers to press an indentation into the center of each cookie.

4. Bake the cookies 20 - 25 minutes, until they're brown around the edges. Let them cool on the pan.

Week 2: Greek Bone-In Chicken Breasts

This weeks menu is and recipe for Greek Bone-In Chicken Breasts:

Greek Bone-In Chicken Breasts
Sloppy Joe's
Baked Ziti
Breakfast
Carry-In Pizza
Beef Stew
Seafood

Seafood this week is fish sticks and breaded clams. It's my birthday weekend and since Rob and I are going out to dinner, the kids will have fish sticks for dinner that night. Carry-In Pizza is going to be sandwiches and pizza from Rocky's here in Beavercreek.

The bone-in chicken breasts are going into the oven this week for my family. We try to use our grill as much as possible, but with a bit more snow coming, it might not make it out there. You can grill or bake these chicken breasts.

Greek Bone-In Chicken Breasts Serves 4 - 6

Wet Rub for Chicken:
1/4 c. fresh oregano leaves
2T. chopped fresh rosemary
3 T. olive oil
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. salt
2 t. grated lemon rind
4 garlic cloves, minced

4 - 6 bone-in chicken breasts
9 x 13" baking dish

1. Prepare the rub just before cooking. Wet rub's tend to dull quickly, so they are not good for a make ahead. This is NOT a marinade.

2. Remove the skin from chicken breasts.

3. Place oregano and remaining ingredients in a mini food processor; process until finely chopped.

4. Place chicken in a 9 x 13 pan, lined with foil. Brush or pour rub onto chicken. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Either heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes (or until juices inside chicken run clear) or place foil and chicken onto grill and cook until juices run clear.

Week 1: Beef with Ginger

Here is what we picked for this week:

1. chicken quesadillas
2. ham and cheese quiche
3. beef fried rice
4. Soup (Chicken Gnocchi)
5. Apple Butter Ribs
6. Chef Salad
7. garlic orange chicken

Recipe for Beef With Ginger (instead of just plain beef fried rice)

Beef with Ginger Serves 6

1 1/2 pounds eye of round steak, thin sliced
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
2 T. grated fresh ginger or 1 t. ground
2 t. sesame seed oil
1 t. minced garlic, fresh
1 c. reduced sodium beef broth
1 or 2 T. cornstarch
6 green onions, cut diagonally into 1" pieces (optional)
1 t. Thai garlic chili pepper sauce (optional, but good if you like a bit of heat)
4 c. Jasmine rice, cooked

1. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into very thin slices (I used a thin sliced eye of round, then just cut thin strips). Sprinkle one side of beef with salt and pepper.
2. Saute ginger in hot sesame seed oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat for 2 minutes or until a tan color. If you're using ground ginger, just heat oil and add ginger, don't worry about the 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add beef; cook 2 - 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in soy sauce. If your pan cannot accomodate all the cut beef slices, do 2 batches.
3. Stir together beef broth and cornstarch until smooth and liquid. I added 1 T. first but added a bit more. Drizzle over beef mixture in pan. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute or until thickened. Add garlic chili pepper sauce and green onions if you like.
4. Serve immediately over hot rice.

"50 Dinner Ideas"

Hi everyone and Happy 2010! To start the new year off right, I decided to come up with "50 Dinner Ideas". I wrote them onto little slips of paper and placed them into a large ziplock bag. Each Sunday we pick "7" slips of paper. Those "7" slips give us our meals for the week. I have given myself a break by also putting "2" non-cooking options: pizza and dinner out. Here is my "50 Dinner Ideas" list and each week I will post recipes for 2 of the dinners we are having. If I have posted the recipe in the past, I will post the link so that you can easily find it.

1. Taco Pie
2. Rowley Chicken Pot
3. crock pot roast beef
4. burgers on grill
5. burritoes
6. sloppy joe's
7. ham and potatoes
8. chili
9. apple butter ribs
10. white chicken chili
11. beef roast
12. beef sandwiches
13. lasagna
14. chicken and dumplings
15. turkey breast with stuffing
16. breakfast
17. baked chicken breasts
18. pork chops on the grill
19. pork loin
20. steaks on the grill
21. nachos
22. BLT's
23. soup and sandwiches
24. cube steaks
25. chicken fried rice
26. beef fried rice
27. spaghetti
28. baked ziti
29. Johnny Marzetti
30. cranberry chicken
31. pulled BBQ pork
32. pulled BBQ beef
33. grilled cheese with soup
34. pizza carry in / out
35. ham and cheese quiche
36. chicken spinoccoli
37. garlic chicken
38. salsa chicken
39. Monte Cristo Sandwiches
40. french bread pizza
41. chicken parmesan
42.chicken quesadilla
43. dinner out
44. beef stew
45. city chicken
46. Chef salad
47. Mexitaly Chicken
48. chicken alfredo
49. seafood on the grill
50. soup (various recipes)

Tuscan Bean Soup with Spinach

This soup is DELICIOUS! I feel like it has something for everyone to enjoy. This would be a perfect Sunday dinner soup; add a salad with a warm dressing and some crusty bread. Perfect for the winter season.

Tuscan Bean Soup with Spinach Serves 8 - 10

8 oz. dry white kidney beans (cannellini beans)
1 lb. beef shank, cross cuts
1 T. olive oil
1 1/2 c. chopped onions
1 1/2 c. chopped carrots
1 c. chopped fennel or celery
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. meaty smoked pork hocks
1 T. instant beef bouillon granules
1 bay leaf
2 t. snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 t. crushed dried thyme
2 t. fresh snipped rosemary or 1/2 t. crushed dried rosemary
1 - 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
4 c. torn fresh spinach

1. Rinse beans. In a 4 1/2 or 5 quart Dutch oven combine beans and 6 c. water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans, set aside.
2. Sprinkle beef shanks with 1/4 t. salt and 1/4 t. black pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil. Add beef shanks, brown on both sides. Remove shanks, reserving the drippings. Set beef shanks to the side.
3. Add onions, carrots, fennel and garlic to the drippings in the Dutch oven. Cook covered for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Return beef shanks to the Dutch oven. Add 6 c. fresh water, pork hocks, bouillon granules, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary and 1/2 t. salt. Stir in undrained tomatoes. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered about 30 minutes more or until beans and meat are tender.
4. Remove beef shanks and pork hocks from Dutch oven. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones. Cut meat into bite size pieces. Skin fat from from broth. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Return meat to Dutch oven. Add spinach and heat through.

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

I must apologize for NOT posting in a month. Honestly, time has gotten away from me! Now that we are into winter, the soup recipes that I will be posting should come in handy.

Chicken Wild Rice Soup Makes 8 servings

3 - 14 oz. cans of chicken broth
1 c. coarsley chopped carrot
1/2 c. wild rice, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 T. butter
1/4 c. flour
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 c. chopped cooked chicken, 10 oz.

1. In a 4 quart Dutch oven, combine 2 cans of the broth, the carrot, uncooked wild rice, celery and onion. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 35 - 40 minutes or until wild rice is tender but still chewy; add mushrooms the last 5 minutes of cooking.

2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, 1/4 t. salt and pepper. Add remaining 1 can broth. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Stir in whipping cream. Add whipping cream mixture to wild rice mixture, stirring constantly.

3. Stir in chicken; heat through. If desired, garnish individual servings with freshly snipped chives.

If you make this ahead of time, prepare as directed; cool slightly. Cover and chill for up to 2 days. Reheat over low heat before serving.

Almost Robert Redford

WOW ... where did the past 2 months go? Here's a new recipe, well it's an old recipe from my family, but it might be new to you. I guess you could "update" the name and call it "Almost Robert Pattison" or some new hot guy out there, but PLEASE ... why mess with the perfection that is Mr. Robert Redford! The old guy ... still has it. :)

Almost Robert Redford 15 - 20 servings

1 stick butter, softened
1 c. flour
1/2 c. chopped pecans
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. cold milk
1 container Cool Whip
2 - 3.4 oz. instant chocolate pudding packages
3 c. cold milk

garnish: 1 chocolate bar and 2 T. chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, flour and pecans. Place into an ungreased 9 x 13" baking dish and press into the bottom and up the sides 1/2 way. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until firm. Place onto cooling racks to cool completely.
3. Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1/2 c. cold milk, mix to smooth. Pour over crust. Refrigerate for about 1/2 an hour or until firm.
4. In a large bowl, combine the pudding mix and 3 c. cold milk. Prepare pudding and pour, carefully, over the cream cheese layer. Chill in refrigerator for about 1 hour.
5. The final layer is cool whip, place over pudding layer, smooth top.
6. Garnish with chocolate shavings and chopped pecans. Return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.

** If you have mini tart pans, this is an easy to prepare and serve individual dessert also **

Chicken Tamale Casserole

This delicious recipe is now a family favorite at our house! If you like Mexican food, you'll like this. Just enough spice and flavor. We served it with rice and salad. Everyone at my house ate it and loved it! The story along with the recipe said that it's creator was looking for an easier way to make tamales. I think he / she did this very well. This isn't the prettiest photo ever placed for a dish, but I think you get the idea. It truly is a casserole, it cuts nicely into squares and I think it would be perfect for a pot luck too. I ground my own cumin and red pepper in my mortar and pestel, but you can purchase these already ground.

ENJOY!

Chicken Tamale Casserole Serves 8 (dinner sized portions)

1 c. (4 oz.) shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese

1/3 c. milk

1 egg, beaten

1 t. ground cumin

1/8 t/ ground red pepper

1 (14 3/4 oz.) can cream style corn

1 (8.5 oz.) box corn muffin mix

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies, drained

1 (10 oz.) can red enchilada sauce

2 c. shredded cooked chicken

1/2 c. sour cream (optional, but almost necessary)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine 1/4 c. cheese with milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, corn, muffin mix and green chilies in a large bowl; stir just until moist. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13" baking dish that has been prepared with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until set. Remove casserole from oven; pierce entire surface of the casserole with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over entire top. Sprinkle shredded chicken all over top of casserole; top with remaining cheese. Place back into oven for 15 minutes or until cheese melts.

4. Remove from oven; let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Cut and place 1 dallop of sour cream on each serving.

Rowley Family Chicken Pot

Sorry that my posts have been few and far between. This happens every year with a new start for school but I also added in a new position within our soccer organization and the bakery is going full speed ahead. I will be posting only 3 recipes a week, but the good part is, they will all have photos. I like color photos that show what a dish is going to look like.

This is more of a creation recipe for my family. I took all the things I love about my grandma's chicken dish and added a few new elements and it came out very tasty! The little drop noodles (or dumplings if you prefer to call them that) are so easy to make and they don't care if you make them a little bit smaller or larger. ENJOY!

Rowley Family Chicken Pot Serves 8

Chicken Pot:

1 whole pick of the chick (whole chicken, cut up)

3 c. water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can stewed tomatoes (if you love tomatoes, use a large can, if not, use a smaller one)

2 cans (from cream of chicken soup) of milk

2 cans (from cream of chicken soup) of water

2 t. garlic powder

2 t. onion powder

2 t. dried basil

2 t. dried tarragon

1 t. parsley

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper

1 recipe drop noodles

Drop Noodles:

3/4 c. sour cream

3 whole eggs

2 c. flour

salt

1. Place chicken, 3 c. water and chicken bouillon cubes into Dutch oven or roasting pan. Cook chicken for 45 minutes - 1 hour at 350 degrees. Be sure chicken is cooked through. Remove all bones from chicken. Cut chicken meat into larger chunks or shred if you prefer. Set aside.

2. Strain chicken broth into a saucepan, heat to boiling. While broth is heating, mix sour cream and eggs. Add 1 c. of flour, stir. Add second cup of flour along with about 1/2 t. salt. With the side of a spoon, create little moons, drop dough into boiling liquid. They will float when they are done. These drop noodles should be on the small side, but not tiny. You can make them larger if you like, but they will take longer to cook. Place cooked noodles into a bowl. Set aside.

3. Into your Dutch oven (do not worry about cleaning after the chicken has cooked in it, unless you want to). Place all the other ingredients for the chicken pot. Add chicken and begin to heat on medium low. Once everything is mixed together and smooth looking, add your drop noodles. If this is too thick of a dish for you, add more milk or water (milk makes it creamier, water makes it more soup like).

4. Serve either on dishes (if you make it more creamy) or in bowls (if more soup like). We serve with a warm bread and salad. You can change this dish to suit your taste also. Add paprika, more salt, less salt ... however your family prefers.