Category: MISC

CHICKEN POT PIE POCKETS

CHICKEN POT PIE POCKETS
1/4 cup corn kernels
1 tablespoon butter
3 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minded
2 tablespoons chopped green chiles
1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped thyme
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chicken gravy
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed, but cold
1 egg, slightly beaten

  • Preheat oven to 400˚.
  • In a skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat, add corn, green onions, garlic and green chiles.
  • Add chicken, lime juice and seasonings until well combined and heated through.
  • Remove from heat.
  • On a lightly floured surface, unfold pastry dough and cut into 4 squares.
  • Divide mixture evenly among centers of pastry squares.
  • Pull the 4 corners together in the center.
  • Place on a foil lined baking sheet.
  • Lightly brush edges with egg.
  • Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.

BLACK BEAN CHICKEN AVOCADO BURRITOS

BLACK BEAN CHICKEN AVOCADO BURRITOS
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can green chiles, drained well and minced
1 1/2 cups rotisserie chicken pieces
1 avocado, diced
4 burrito sized tortillas
1 cup Monterey jack, shredded
1 tablespoon butter
Juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

  • In a large skillet melt butter.
  • Add beans and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook, mashing, until warmed through – about 5 minutes.
  • After beans are mashed, add green chiles and chicken pieces, heating through.
  • Lay tortillas flat on a work surface.
  • Generously salt and pepper the avocado pieces.
  • Divide the beans, avocado pieces and cheese among them.  
  • Roll up and bake 15 minutes until cheese is melted.
  • Serve immediately.

TROPICAL LIME CHICKEN

TROPICAL LIME CHICKEN
SALSA
1 can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 kiwi, chopped
2 green onions chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
CHICKEN
3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1 tablespoon safflower oil
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
18 teaspoon white pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

  • In a small bowl, combine the salsa ingredients. Chill until serving.
  • In a large ziploc bag combine chicken ingredients all together and marinade in refrigerator for 4 hours. 
  • Remove chicken from marinade.
  • Spray broiler pan with cooking spray.
  • Broil 3 inches from heat 5-6 minutes on each side.

MACARONI and CHEESE

MACARONI and CHEESE
UNIVERSAL COMFORT FOOD adapted from HAT CITY KITCHEN

1 pound elbow macaroni (cooked)
1 quart heavy cream
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound American cheese (shredded)
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon powdered Parmesan cheese

  • Preheat oven to 350˚.
  • In a medium saucepan, heat cream to a simmer.   
  • Stir in seasonings and American cheese. Stir until well blended and melted.
  • Add macaroni and stir until noodles are well coated with cheese sauce. Divide between 8 ramekins. 
  • Mix Parmesan, powdered Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Divide between the ramekins. 
  • Bake until breadcrumbs become golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. 
  • Serve warm.

TROPICAL LIME CHICKEN

TROPICAL LIME CHICKEN
SALSA
1 can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 kiwi, chopped
2 green onions chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
CHICKEN
3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1 tablespoon safflower oil
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
18 teaspoon white pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

  • In a small bowl, combine the salsa ingredients. Chill until serving.
  • In a large ziploc bag combine chicken ingredients all together and marinade in refrigerator for 4 hours. 
  • Remove chicken from marinade.
  • Spray broiler pan with cooking spray.
  • Broil 3 inches from heat 5-6 minutes on each side.

    HAT CITY KITCHEN’S MACARONI and CHEESE

    MACARONI and CHEESE
    UNIVERSAL COMFORT FOOD adapted from HAT CITY KITCHEN

    1 pound elbow macaroni (cooked)
    1 quart heavy cream
    1 tablespoon onion powder
    2 teaspoons garlic powder
    ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
    ¼ teaspoon paprika
    1/8 teaspoon white pepper
    2 teaspoons sea salt
    1 tablespoon sugar
    1 pound American cheese (shredded)
    ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
    ½ cup breadcrumbs
    1 tablespoon powdered Parmesan cheese

    • Preheat oven to 350˚.
    • In a medium saucepan, heat cream to a simmer.   
    • Stir in seasonings and American cheese. Stir until well blended and melted.
    • Add macaroni and stir until noodles are well coated with cheese sauce. Divide between 8 ramekins. 
    • Mix Parmesan, powdered Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Divide between the ramekins. 
    • Bake until breadcrumbs become golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. 
    • Serve warm.

    CHICKEN MILANESE w/ KIWI CORN CHUTNEY

    MILANESE – An Italian dialect or more commonly for our purposes, meat coated with flour or bread crumbs and browned in hot oil or butter.

    CHUTNEY –  refers to a wide-ranging family of condiments from South Asian cuisine that usually contain some mixture of spices, vegetables and/or fruits.

    GREMOLATA – Gremolata or gremolada is a chopped herb condiment typically made of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. It is a traditional accompaniment to the Milanese dish in Italy.
    CHICKEN MILANESE w/ KIWI CORN CHUTNEY

    flour for dredging
    2 large eggs, beaten
    1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs
    Juice of 1 lemon
    Zest of 1 lemon
    1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or thyme, finely chopped
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, pounded thin
    2 tablespoons butter
    1 can Green Giant white shoepeg corn
    1 cup red onion, chopped 
    1 apple, chopped
    3 ripe heirloom tomatoes, chopped
    1/4 cup tarragon leaves
    1 kiwi, pureed
    salt and pepper

    • In a small mixing bowl combine the lemon zest, parsley, thyme and garlic together to form a gremolata.
    • Add the bread crumbs and cheese.  Work with your fingers to blend well.
    • Use 3 shallow dishes for the eggs, bread crumbs mixture and flour.
    • Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
    • Dredge the chicken in the flour, coating well and then the egg wash followed by the bread crumbs.
    • In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat.
    • Fry the chicken pieces for 3 minutes per side.
    • Puree the kiwi.
    • In a bowl combine the tomatoes, corn, apple, onion, lemon juice, kiwi puree and tarragon leaves.
    • Serve chicken over mashed potatoes with chutney on top.

    WEEKLY MENU

    Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie

    		 DATE BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER
    Monday 9/3 CEREAL FRUIT & CHEESE CHICKEN WINGS w/ LEMON PARMESAN SAUCE
    Tuesday 9/4 TOAST LEFTOVERS APPLE & ONION CHICKEN
    Wednesday 9/5 YOGURT SOUP SALAD w/ BUTTERMILK COCONUT DRESSING
    Thursday 9/6 FRUIT CHEESE & FRUIT BAKED CHICKEN BREAST w/ PECAN DRESSING
    Friday 9/7 OATMEAL YOGURT PAN SEARED CHICKEN w/ LEMON GREEN ONION TAHINI
    Saturday 9/8 BLTE BAKE LEFTOVERS ROAST TURKEY BREAST w/ POTATOES, GREEN BEANS & MUSTARD PAN SAUCE
    Sunday 9/9 PANCAKES C.O.R.N. GINGER CHICKEN THIGHS w/ PARSNIPS

    SHABBY APPLE GIVEAWAY

    I was recently contacted by Katie from Shabby Apple and asked to look over their website to consider doing a giveaway on my blog for them.

    I loved it all!  Shabby Apple has sweet, flirty, feminine and retro designs that are extremely flattering in design. Their descriptions are extremely thorough and they offer a review section on each item.  They also have a sizing guide and advice for each dress that makes the whole process hassle free.

    One of the things I found most interesting is that they feature emerging designers.
    These are the 2 dresses I want to order for myself for my upcoming birthday.  The Heart of Me and Carnival by the emerging designer Carousel.

    If you’d like to win a $75 gift card for Shabby Apple all you have to do is:
    • visit their website and leave a comment telling me which item you’d like for yourself.
    • for an additional entry, blog about this giveaway.
    • for an additional entry, facebook this post.
    Be sure to leave me the links for each entry in the comments section.  It’s just that easy.  Those that enter will also be provided with a discount code at the end of the giveaway.  Good luck ladies!

    The giveaway will stay open for the next 2 weeks and the winner will be announced on 9/15/12.

    BEEF & CARROT RAGU

    In Italian cuisine, a ragù is a meat-based sauce, which is commonly served with pasta. Ragùs are many and varied. The commonalities among ragù recipes are all are meat-based and all are to be used as sauces for pasta.


    A ragù is typically a sauce of meat, often minced, chopped or ground, and cooked with sauteed vegetables in a liquid.  The liquids can be broth, stock, water, wine, milk, cream, or tomato, and often includes combinations of these. If tomatoes are included, they are typically limited in quantity relative to the meat. 
    Characteristically, a ragù is a sauce of braised or stewed meat that may be flavored with tomato, to distinguish it from a tomato sauce that is flavored with the addition of meat.

    BEEF and CARROT RAGU
    1 1/2 pounds stew beef
    6 cloves garlic, minced
    1 package baby carrots, chopped
    3 large Roma tomatoes, chopped
    1 can tomato paste
    1 cup red wine
    salt and pepper

    • Cut beef into large bite sized chunks. The chunks will cook down quite a bit.
    • Place beef in slow cooker.
    • Top with garlic.
    • Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
    • Top with carrots.
    • Top with tomato chunks.
    • Whisk together the wine and tomato sauce.  
    • Pour over top 
    • Cover and cook 3-4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.
    • Serve over egg noodles with a nice crusty baguette.