Category: PROTEINS

CHICKEN WITH BAKED VEGETABLE STUFFING IN TARRAGON SAUCE

With this recipe I found two old scraps of recipes (Chicken with Tarragon Sauce and Baked Tomatoes with Broccoli stuffing) that had been torn from old cookbooklets, one was even handwritten it was so old. The Brussel Sprouts and carrots were my addition for texture and color. They begged me to put them together and make this dish:



CHICKEN WITH BAKED VEGETABLE STUFFING IN TARRAGON SAUCE**
4 large chicken breasts cut into tenders
4 + 2 tablespoons butter
2 large tomatoes
1 cup baby carrots, cut into halves
3 cups broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
1 large bunch green onions, sliced
1 sleeve Keebler townhouse crackers, crushed
1 teaspoon tarragon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons flour

  • Melt 4 tablespoons butter in skillet.
  • Brown each side of chicken piece.
  • While the chicken is browning, wash the tomatoes and cut the tops off. Scoop the insides out*, salt the insides and turn the tomatoes upside down to drain.
  • Transfer chicken pieces to baking dish, but leave enough room for the tomatoes in the center.
  • Add the carrots and Brussel sprouts and saute’ until tender.
  • Transfer them to the baking dishes scattered over the chicken pieces.
  • Add the broccoli, tomato pulp and green onions to the skillet and saute’ until tender.
  • Transfer to a mixing bowl and add crackers. Fill tomato cups. Add any remaining broccoli mixture to the chicken .
  • Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet.
  • Add flour until golden.
  • Add chicken broth, tarragon, salt, pepper and whipping cream.
  • Bring to a boil while whisking constantly to prevent scorching.
  • Add lemon juice after it boils.
  • Immediately pour over the whole thing.
  • Cover with foil.
  • Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees.

By using the larger tomatoes you can cut them in half after baking and have a nice presentation on the plate.

*I use a grapefruit knife and it works SUPER!
**I used Brussel Sprouts tonight, but in the future will use all broccoli.

OLD FASHIONED ALL DAY MEATBALLS

In an effort to clean out my magazines and cookbooklets, I’ve decided to join Magazine Mondays hosted by Cream Puffs in Venice. What I really like is that she isn’t strict about when you post so I can publish these yummy results as I find them.

If you are anything like me, you have a drawer or a box full of recipes from newspapers, magazines, old maiden aunts, grandmothers, friends and every potluck you ever went to and said I have to have that recipe! Now while I usually keep the combination of spices and seasonings somewhat intact, I do make changes that make it more palatable to my family. So I always keep a list of likes, dislikes and allergies and am constantly altering recipes to fly by the seat of my pants.

These recipes have been floating around so long in the box that I have no idea where they actually originated, but one looks like a page from an old, and I mean OLD magazine and the other is handwritten. I have them stapled together with a note to combine them together. I’m like that – whatever works for my family. I had a girlfriend in college who loved fashion but was on such a strict budget there wasn’t room for the things she eyed. I remember Julie borrowing a fancy designer dress from a Joann, a girlfriend of ours for an event and then later that night she took it apart, made a pattern and made her own dress before putting Joanns dress back together. To my knowledge Joann never knew. Now I can’t do that with recipes literally, but I do do it in my mind as I’m eating a particularly tasty tidbit. Some days I feel like an archaeologist unearthing pieces to make a whole from.

OLD FASHIONED ALL DAY MEATBALLS
2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup garlic salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup raspberry jam
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup ketchup

  • In a large bowl combine the quick cooking oats, milk, eggs, onion, garlic and garlic salt.
  • Crumble the beef over top and then mix in well.
  • Shape into 1-2 inch balls.
  • Place in slow cooker.
  • Mix together the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, raspberry jam and brown sugar.
  • Pour over meatballs.
  • Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until the meat is no longer pink.

SLOPPY JOES


These are always a crowd pleaser.
HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES
1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
1 1/2 pound beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic, jar
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon beef base

  • Heat olive oil and add ground beef.
  • Generously salt and pepper.
  • Brown beef, onion and garlic. Drain.
  • Add brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, steak seasoning and beef base. Cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add tomato paste and tomato sauce.
  • Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
  • Serve on fresh baked buns.

ITALIAN CHICKEN PROVENCAL

ITALIAN CHICKEN PROVENCAL
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons minced garlic jar
2 large slices EXTRA SOUR sourdough bread
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground basil
1 large bay leave, deveined and crumbled
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup home made chicken broth*
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup mayonnaise**
6 chicken breasts

  • Using a mortar and pestle revive the seasoning scents of the basil, bay leaf, salt and pepper by grinding fine.
  • Whisk together the red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, bay leaf and basil.
  • Pour over the bread slices and soak the bread in the red wine vinegar mixture until all the vinegar is absorbed by the bread.
  • Heat olive oil in large skillet over a medium high heat.
  • Add garlic to skillet and saute’ until fragrant. With a slotted spoon transfer the garlic to the food processor.
  • Lightly brown the bread on both sides in the olive oil. Transfer to a small food processor.
  • Add the butter to the skillet so it can melt into the olive oil while you make the paste. Remove from heat.
  • Add the almonds to the food processor. Process until you have a paste.
  • Gradually add the broth to the paste to form a sauce.
  • Return the skillet to the heat and brown chicken pieces on both sides until golden.
  • Add the sauce mixture to the skillet. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
  • Transfer chicken to a serving dish and keep warm.
  • Whisk mayonnaise and lemon juice into the sauce in the pan until smooth.
  • Pour over chicken and Parmesan Potatoes. I serve it with asparagus. The sauce is a perfect compliment for it.
  • Serve & Enjoy!

*1 cup boiling water + 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
**light works well too

APPLE DAPPLE CHICKEN & APPLES

APPLE DAPPLE CHICKEN & APPLES
4 chicken breasts cut in half longways
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small bunch green onions, sliced
1/4 cup Apple Dapple Schnapps
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 cup orange pineapple juice
2 small Granny Smith Apples, cored, sliced and re-sliced
3/4 cup heavy cream

  • In a large skillet, melt together the butter and olive oil over a medium high heat.
  • Brown chicken on both sides. Move chicken to the edges of the pan and add green onions to the center. Saute’ a few minutes until onions are tender.
  • Pour Apple Dapple Schnapps over the tops of all the chicken pieces.
  • Carefully ignite and allow to burn down.
  • Pour orange pineapple juice over chicken pieces and then sprinkle all the seasonings over chicken tops. Bring to a boil. Cover.
  • Lower heat and simmer 15 minutes.
  • Add slice apples over chicken and recover. Simmer 10 minutes more.
  • During this time be warming a serving dish in the oven.
  • With a slotted spoon remove chicken and apples to serving dish. Keep warm.
  • Add heavy cream to the skillet. Bring to a boil.
  • Lower heat, stirring constantly until sauce thickens and is reduced by half.
  • Spoon sauce over chicken and apples.
  • Serve immediately.

CHICKEN POT PIES

  • 6 cups shredded chicken (2 rotisserie chickens)*
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 1 small bag baby carrots
  • 1 small bag frozen green beans or 1/2 pound fresh, cleaned and cut
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 12 oz. evaporated milk
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon Wondra flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/4 cup cooking sherry
  • 1/8 cup parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste
Separate chicken from fat and bones and set aside. Heat oil in dutch oven. Saute’ onions and celery until just tender. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and toss with chicken. Mix together chicken broth and milk and microwave until steamy, 2-3 minutes. In a large sauce pan melt butter. When foamy stir in flour, parsley and thyme until golden. Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook until thick. Turn off heat and stir in sherry, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chicken mixture and vegetables. Divide into 6-8 small French white Pyrex round baking dishes. Cover with lids and freeze.

When ready to bake, thaw and bring to room temperature. Cover with pie crust** and bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. With this recipe you don’t end up with a bottom crust, but just think of how many calories you’re saving.

*I usually make this when my local market has a buy one get one free on the rotisserie chickens.

**Pillsbury pie crust from the dairy section will make 2 pot pies with left over pieces for decorative leaves. Unfold a sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out gently. Measure the diameter of the pot pie bowls, and cut out dough rounds that are slightly larger in diameter. Repeat until you have made all the necessary tops. Whisk an egg in a small bowl. Lay the dough rounds on top of the pot pies. Brush the dough lightly with the beaten egg. Bake the pies for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

SHREDDED CHICKEN VEGETABLE EGG ROLLS




SHREDDED CHICKEN VEGETABLE EGG ROLLS
2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken or pork pieces
1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 large stalk celery, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic, jar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 tablespoons canola oil
egg roll wrappers (I use Melissa’s)

  • Heat skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrots, Saute’ until tender.
  • Drain, retaining oil.
  • In a large mixing bowl toss meat pieces with sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Add vegetables and blend well.
  • Cool 5-10 minutes.
  • Fill center of each wrapper with 2 tablespoons of filling.
  • Fold 1st corner towards the center. Then fold each edge towards the center. With a pastry brush wet the exposed triangle of dough and roll the bulk onto it.
  • Add oil back into pan and add the additional 2 tablespoons and bring to medium heat.
  • Cook egg rolls on all 4 sides until golden.

BLACKBERRY PINEAPPLE DIPPING SAUCE
1/2 cup Blackberry Pineapple Jam
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • Heat jam in microwave for 20 seconds to warm and thin.
  • Whisk in honey and sauce sauce.
  • Set aside.

CHICKEN FLAUTAS

I used to have a favorite lunch haunt called simply ‘Nachos’. It started as a hole in the wall, literally!, with ‘mama’ making her own tortillas and sauces. Mama couldn’t speak a word of English, but her traditional Mexican fare spoke volumes for her. She prepared the best Mexican food! At work we used to all pool together, call in a big order, send someone to pick it up and then truly pig out when the food arrived back at work! Their Nachos were truly awe inspiring ~ crisp and gooey all at the same time.
One of my very favorite meals that she made was her Chicken Flautas! Now that we’re here in the North Woods, where honestly they wouldn’t know Mexican food if it bit them on the butt, I crave those Chicken Flautas and have been working to replicate them. I tried boiling chickens with various seasoning combinations, none of which were correct and then finally settled on this recipe. It’s actually easier and tastes perfect too.

1 lemon herb rotisserie chicken (lemon & herb works best)
1 cup finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Juice of 1 lime
sea salt
1 bunch green onions, finely minced
1 package tortillas
sour cream
Fresh Guacamole
Garden Tomato Salsa
1 cup or so Safflower oil for frying

  • Remove chicken pieces from the bone and finely shred the meat.
  • Toss the chicken pieces with the green onions, lime juice and salt.
  • Warm tortillas so they are soft and pliable.
  • Distribute the chicken and cheese mixture evenly amongst the tortillas.
  • Sprinkle onions over top.
  • Sprinkle with sea salt and lime juice.
  • Roll each tortilla up jelly roll style.
  • This works best with deep frying, but I found a cast iron pan works well as long as the oil goes at least half way up the side.
  • Fry each Flauta until golden. (Don’t crowd them in the pan)
  • Drain on a paper towel.
  • Serve with sour cream, Fresh Guacamole & Garden Tomato Salsa for dipping.

SPINACH STUFFED MANICOTTI

 

1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 medium finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic or 2 teaspoons minced jar garlic
1 box chopped frozen spinach (thawed & drained)
salt & pepper to taste
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 can Contadina tomato paste
10 ounces beef broth (I use granules and make my own)
2 tablespoons Classico sun-dried tomato peso
1/4 cup butter
2-8ounce shredded mozzarella cheese packages
1 box organic pasta Manicotti Shells, prepared very Al dente
  • Brown hamburger. Add garlic and onion about half way through. When the hamburger is browned, add spinach and heat through. Salt and pepper to taste. Drain off fat.
  • Mix all other ingredients together except the shells and cheese and bring to a simmering boil. Add one third of the sauce to the meat mixture.
  • Stuff the shells with the meat mixture. Continue until all shells are full. This recipe serves 4, but at this point since there are just the 2 of us now, I tend to either A) have leftovers or B) try to think ahead and prep meals to freeze for easy cooking on the nights we’re busy with appointments, but still need a home cooked meal. This Manicotti recipe is great for that. The shells come in a box with 2 layers of plastic protectors. I make sure to save one to protect the shells I’m going to freeze. I prepare the recipe like normal, but split it in half before baking and freeze half. As you can see it all slips easily into a gallon size ziploc bag. After removing everything, I roll the bag up and stick in the freezer door until the next time I prep the whole recipe.
  • In a small greased casserole layer some sauce on bottom. Lay in half the shells, pour more sauce over top reserving half the sauce for the freezer. Put that sauce in a quart size ziploc. Top with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove fol and return to oven for an additional 20 minutes.
  • In the gallon sized ziploc bag slide the extra tray of shells into it. Slide the bag of sauce on top of that as well as the second bag of mozzarella cheese. Zip shut and freeze. You now have a home cooked meal for another night.

CHICKEN EMPANADAS

CHICKEN TURNOVERS
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 large bunch green onions, chopped
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup guacamole
1 can refrigerator biscuits, grand size
1 cup shredded shredded cheddar cheese

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Combine in large bowl the salsa, guacamole, green onions, chicken and cheese.
  • On a floured board between wax paper layers, roll out each biscuit to about double the original size.
  • Fill each biscuit with chicken mixture and fold over into a moon shape.
  • Press the edges firmly to seal.
  • Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Serve with a side of sour cream and salsa for dipping.

JAMBALAYA

JAMBALAYA

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large bunch green onions, diced
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups diced cooked ham
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup long grain rice

  • Heat the oil in a dutch oven. Add the green onions and garlic and sauté until fragrant and tender.
  • Mix in remaining ingredients except for the rice and bring to a boil.
  • Add rice and reduce the heat. Simmer until rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes.

Hot Wings & Bleu Cheese

HOT WINGS

  • 2-3 dozen+ chicken wings ~ We prefer drumettes (with a little meat on them) to actual wings, but it’s your choice. Today I used what was in the freezer for picture sake, but next week it’ll be drumettes for sure!
  • 2 cups Flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • hidden valley ranch dressing mix (DRY) OR Good Seasons Italian dressing mix (DRY)
  • 2 sticks butter+
  • Frank’s Hot Sauce
  • PURE
I also prefer to use an old cast iron frying pan (our is at least 3rd generation, dating back to hubby’s grandfather that we know for sure). I still believe this gives you the most even browning.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Wash and dry the chicken pieces.
  • Mix together the flour and seasonings in a plastic ziploc bag. Using a ziploc bag makes it easy to throw away the whole mess after dredging all the chicken pieces and it helps you coat every possible spot of the chicken pieces.
  • Add chicken a few pieces at a time and coat them well. Set chicken pieces aside.
  • While you’re doing this, have the butter melting in the pan. Start with 1 stick and add as necessary, but make sure you don’t run out dry.
  • Once all the chicken has been dredged start frying. After you have the pan full pepper the pieces again. Don’t turn the chicken until you can see blood. You only need to turn the chicken one time. Brown evenly and then set aside on paper towels until all pieces have been fried.
  • As the last batch is frying melt the other stick of butter in a 4 cup measure cup. To that add 1 cup of Frank’s hot sauce per stick of butter. Whisk them together well.
  • Spray a cookie sheet with PURE.
  • Dip each piece of chicken into the hot sauce mixture and put on cookie sheet.
  • After you’re all done and if you have hot sauce & butter mixture left, pour a little over the top of each wing.
  • Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Serve hot with my homemade Bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks if you’d like.

Home made “BLEU” CHEESE DRESSING

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup large curd cottage cheese
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 4 ounces Bleu cheese crumbles (sometimes I use Gorgonzola for a bit of change or when I accidentally pick up the wrong container at the grocery store and we like it just as well)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • I put it all in my food processor and pulse until it’s well mixed. Chill for 24-48 hours before serving.