Oven Classics: Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken Breasts and Couscous Stuffed Peppers

I am counting down the days until I can stop being a slave to my oven and instead head outdoors to the grill. We started off the week with snow and freezing temperatures so my plans to shift to a summer menu have been put on the back burner for now. The inclement weather still has me utilizing my oven on a daily basis, though I am hoping that I won’t have to prepare the following recipes for much longer. I call these two recipes my “oven classics” because they end up in my menu rotation at least twice a … Continue reading →

Chipotle Chicken

Yesterday, I spent time ranting to you about what chipotle is not. However, I didn’t really tell you what a chipotle is. I felt it necessary to disabuse people of the notion that Tex Mex and chipotle are the same because they are in fact not. Chipotle is essentially a “fully ripened” (that’s the politically correct term for saying the chili is left on the vine until it’s all shriveled, brown and unappetizing) smoked jalapeno pepper. It’s not quite as spicy as a jalapeno but has a very deep flavor that it lends to a dish. I’ve heard it described … Continue reading →

Almost From Scratch As You Like It Chicken Pot Pie

This dish requires lots of cutting and chopping unless you use pre-cut chicken and pre-packaged vegetables. However, the recipe will make two deep dish pies–one to eat and one for freezing. (Or both for freezing.) So, in my humble opinion, it is well worth the effort. The great thing about this particular recipe is that it’s not entirely, purely from scratch; making it a little easier to put together. On top of that, you can make some different choices to suit your tastes and/or time constraints. We had this last night for dinner and even the kids liked it! (That’s … Continue reading →

Chicken Wings, Cauliflower and Coke

If you are a parent who struggles to get your child to eat cauliflower (or any vegetable for that matter) you might consider adding this recipe to your arsenal. It combines the unpopular veggie (at least in my family) with a very popular carbonated beverage—-Coca Cola. The other recipe also features the sugary soft drink, but this one pairs it with a finger food devoured by kids of all ages. Chicken Wings in Coke is a recipe my grandfather made each year for our family’s Super Bowl party. Not only is it easy to make, it also satisfies the masses … Continue reading →

Individual 3-Cheese Chicken Florentine

I love this recipe because it uses fresh ingredients. Fresh spinach has to be at the top of my list for favorite foods–and it’s definitely at the top of my very short list of favorite raw vegetables. Packed with super duper vitamin power, if you can disguise it in cheese to get the rest of your family to eat it; it makes a deceptively delicious supper. For this recipe, you’ll need individual ramekins. You can also bake it in a big casserole dish but I have to tell you that the presentation of an individual ramekin can’t be beat when … Continue reading →

Chicken Tetrazzini

I’ve recently discovered chicken tetrazzini as a delicious and quick comfort food that offers lots of possibilities to a growing family of foodies. In actuality, I’ve started to stock a file away in my giant recipe collection for recipes to use up the leftover chicken when I roast a whole chicken. This makes making the recipe easier. . .otherwise you have to cook chicken and then put everything together. This chicken tetrazzini is one such recipe. The trick to making a smooth sauce is to add ingredients gradually to a hot butter and to add the ingredients while stirring constantly. … Continue reading →

Easy Post Thanksgiving Recipes

If you spent the better part of Wednesday and Thursday preparing your Thanksgiving feast, then the kitchen is likely the last place you want to be this weekend. I have no desire to cook up an elaborate Saturday night dinner, but only have enough leftover turkey for, maybe, a small lunch. If you are lucky enough to have leftover turkey or have some chicken in the freezer you can thaw for dinner, you might consider the following easy (as in less than 30-minutes to make) and affordable recipes. CRUNCHY TURKEY WRAPS Ingredients: 6 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas 1/4 cup sour cream … Continue reading →

Making the Most Out of Your Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey

How much leftover turkey do you have in your refrig right now? In a previous blog I wondered out loud if my sister-in-law was the only non-vegetarian in the nation who refused to eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Unlikely. As I mentioned earlier, it’s not that she is despises turkey–she’ll eat turkey if it is a part of other dishes–she just won’t eat it “plain.” In any event, if you have a picky turkey eater in your family and are looking for easy and affordable recipes to bring new life to your day old bird consider the following dishes: HOT TURKEY … Continue reading →

Simple Recipes for Leftover Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving. Here’s hoping your turkey dinner yielded the raves you deserved. For those who of you who haven’t cut into your bird yet here’s hoping he’s as succulent as you had hoped. If you are lucky you’ll have leftovers so you can enjoy him for another couple of days. The following are a few simple recipes that will breathe new life into your day old turkey. The first is a classic recipe for leftover turkey. The second is one of my mom’s favorite super simple turkey recipes. And the third one is great if you still have guests hanging … Continue reading →

A Dip, A Pasta Sauce and Chicken: Recipes that Use Fresh Garlic

If you’re not sure what to do with a bulb of fresh garlic, make sure that you check out my first blog on garlic written earlier today. One thing that bears repeating is that the round littly knobby thingy of fresh garlic that you are picking up at the grocery store IS NOT A CLOVE. It is called a bulb or a knob. The smaller parts that make up the bulb are cloves. Bleu Cheese Dip with Garlic and Bacon You will need: 7 slices bacon 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced 1 package cream cheese (soften cream cheese before … Continue reading →