Chicken Casserole

For those of you who love the flavors of a good Thanksgiving turkey and dressing dinner, this is something you can make anytime you have that particular craving but don't want to go through all the work of preparing that meal. It is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner (especially if you cook the chicken ahead of time) and is sure to please the palate. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, boiled (reserve broth)

1 stick butter

1 can cream of mushroom soup 

1 bag cornbread stuffing (14 oz.)

1 can cream of chicken soup

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then grease a 13x9-inch casserole dish.

Step 2: Cut boiled chicken into bite-size pieces.

Step 3: Put stuffing in a large bowl. Melt butter; pour over stuffing and set aside.

Step 4: Mix 1 cup chicken broth with cream of mushroom soup. In a separate bowl mix 1 cup chicken broth with cream of chicken soup.

Step 5: Layer the following in greased dish:  1/3 of stuffing

                                                                         Mushroom soup mixture

                                                                        1/3 of stuffing

                                                                        Chicken

                                                                        Chicken soup mixture

                                                                        1/3 of stuffing

Step 6: Bake for 45 minutes to an hour.

Cabbage Casserole

 You can't be truly Southern at heart without having a few casserole dishes in your recipe box, right? This one is so tasty! I made it on Christmas day to go along with our ham and oh my lands, I could have just had this as my meal and would have been quite satisfied. With Easter coming up next month you might consider adding this to your menu. Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

1 small head green cabbage

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

1 stick butter

Salt and pepper to taste

1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup (I prefer cream of chicken but mushroom soup is a great alternative for those who don't eat meat)

1/3 c. mayonnaise

FOR TOPPING:

3 Tbsp. melted butter

1/2 c. shredded cheddar

About 30 Ritz crackers, crushed 

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Coarsely chop cabbage. Melt butter in large skillet and add cabbage and onion.

Step 3: Cook 8-10 minutes until it is partially cooked down. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 4: Transfer mixture to greased 2-quart casserole dish.

Step 5: In a small bowl combine soup and mayonnaise. Spread mixture over cabbage.

Step 6: Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle over casserole.

Step 7: Bake for 30 minutes or until topping is nicely browned.

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

 This is a favorite recipe at our house... well, a favorite recipe of my husband's since I don't particularly love cheese LOL. But he truly loves this recipe and I enjoy making it for him from time to time when he just wants a light meal. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Ingredients: 

1 Tbsp. plus 4 Tbsp. butter, divided

1 med. yellow onion, diced small

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 c. flour

2 c. chicken stock

2 c. heavy cream

3 c. broccoli florets, 1 c. stems, chopped into bite-size pieces

2 large carrots, sliced into 1/16" rounds

Salt

Pepper

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. mustard powder

1/8 tsp. cayenne

8-oz. grated sharp cheddar (it works best to grate your own cheese when possible; Pre-shredded bagged cheese has a coating on the cheese to keep it from sticking together, but it also prevents it from melting as well as freshly grated cheese).

Directions:

Step 1: Saute onion and 1 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan until onion is translucent. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds and remove from heat.

Step 2: In a large heavy bottom pot melt 4 Tbsp. butter, then add flour. Cook over medium heat 3-5 minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened.

Step 3: Slowly add stock, whisking constantly. Add cream, whisking constantly. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes until reduced and thickened.

Step 4: Add broccoli, carrots, onion, and garlic. Add seasonings. Simmer 20-25 minutes.

Step 5: Add cheese; stir until melted and incorporated fully.

Serve and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

I made this recipe recently and could not believe how simple it was! The sauce is absolutely divine. I consider myself a "barbecue snob" and am pretty particular about barbecue sauce but this one is truly one of the best I have ever tasted. The final selling point for me is that it is a slow cooker recipe which works perfectly when the schedule is a bit more packed than normal. Try it and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c, ketchup

1/4 c. packed brown sugar (light or dark, whatever you have on hand)

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. prepared Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. liquid smoke flavoring

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

4-lb. boneless chuck or bottom round roast

Sandwich rolls of your choice

Directions:

Step 1: Combine ketchup, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Dijon, Worcestershire, and liquid smoke. Stir in salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Step 2: Place roast in a slow cooker. Pout ketchup mixture over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours.

Step 3: Remove roast from slow cooker, shred with a fork and return to the slow cooker. Stir meat to evenly coat with sauce. Continue cooking for approximately 45 minutes to an hour more.

Step 4: Spoon meat onto sandwich rolls and serve.

As a side note: If you like your sandwiches with a lot of sauce like I do, you can make an additional bowl of sauce to ladle over the meat once it is on the sandwich roll. 

Potato and Ham Soup

I have been making soup a bit more often lately as the temperatures cool off here and I am loving every minute of it! This is the most recent one I made and I am ready to make it again. So delicious, hearty, but not too heavy. The broth is simply divine! Enjoy!


Ingredients:

1/3 c. butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 c. diced celery
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 c. peeled and diced potatoes (don't dice them too small or they will disintegrate and you will have potato mush)
2 c. cooked ham, diced*
1/3 c. flour
2 c. chicken stock
2 tsp. chicken bouillon**
3 c. milk
Salt and pepper

*This is a great way to use leftover ham, or I purchased spiral-sliced ham pieces and used those. 
**I like to use a product called "Better than Bouillon". The flavor is excellent!


Melt butter in a pot over medium heat.
Saute onion, carrots, and celery until they begin to soften.
Add ham and potatoes; Cook for 2 minutes, then add garlic.
Saute this mixture until the garlic is fragrant, less than a minute.
Add flour and mix through; Cook for 2 minutes.
Stir chicken stock and bouillon together and add to the meat/vegetable mixture.
Increase heat and bring to a boil until potatoes are just barely fork tender, about 10-15 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium low; Add milk and stir until thickened.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, then simmer for a few minutes and serve.

Minestrone

Fall is in the air! Well, at least it is where I live :). It's not exactly time to pull out the heavy coats and sweaters but I am loving the fact that the mornings are nice and crisp and the days are just beautiful. This type of weather always makes me want to make soup and this is the latest favorite at our house. Serve it with some nice crusty bread and a salad and you're good to go! Enjoy!


Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 zucchini, chopped
14-oz. Italian-style green beans, drained
1 stalk celery, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
32-oz. beef stock
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can great northern beans, drained
14-oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 small carrot, shredded
3 oz. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 c. hot water
1 1/2 c. farfalle pasta
Salt and pepper to taste


Heat olive oil over medium heat in a stockpot.
Saute onion, celery, zucchini, and carrots until onions are clear.
Add garlic, green beans, and tomato paste; Stir.
Add beef stock and hot water; Stir.
Add tomatoes, beans, and spices.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
Remove bay leaf.
Add pasta and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

Mongolian Beef

I have mentioned before that my husband and I both love Asian food but haven't been able to find a local Asian restaurant that we just love. So, I have been trying my hand at recreating some of our favorite dishes at home and have been having a blast! This is what I made most recently and we both just loved it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 lb. sirloin, thinly sliced (be sure to slice across the grain so the steak will be very tender)

4 tsp plus 4 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

8 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 c. low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 c. water

1 c. packed brown sugar (light or dark, your choice)

2/3 c. cornstarch

4 green onions, sliced

Directions:

Heat 4 tsp olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Add soy sauce, water, and brown sugar; Bring to a boil. Let boil 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Set aside.

Toss sliced steak with cornstarch. Gently shake off any excess. 

Heat 4 Tbsp of olive oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Cook steak, doing in smaller batches if necessary, until thoroughly browned.

Pour sauce over browned steak and combine. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes and serve over rice. Garnish with sliced green onions.

I served this dish with egg rolls and crab rangoon, some of our favorite appetizers (and yes, I gladly used frozen ones instead of making them from scratch LOL).