I made this recipe last night– great Sunday dinner!!! I love Chicken Pot Pie, but always worry about the fat/salt/calorie count. This recipe is better than most I’ve seen.  It’s from Real Simple, with my adaptations!

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 4 carrots, diced
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1.5 cups skim milk
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 10-ounce package frozen peas
• 3/4 tablespoon fresh thyme
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 9-inch store-bought piecrust, thawed if frozen

Here is a great recipe that’s super easy and Will and I love to eat.  If you can’t find Greek yogurt (which I never can), take 1.5 times the amount of yogurt recipe calls for and put on a paper towel inside a sieve.  Let the yogurt drain for 4 hours over a bowl to thickent the yogurt. This will help the consistency of the yogurt.  I can never get the recipe to stay in patty form, so I just cook it like ground beef and we put it into the pitas like that.

Lamb or Chicken Pita Pockets

Recipe Courtesy Rachael Ray, www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• Handful cilantro leaves
• Handful mint leaves
• Handful basil leaves
• 1 cup Greek style plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon cumin, a palm full
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon grill seasoning blend, 1 1/3 palm fulls (recommended: McCormick Montreal Seasoning)
• 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken or ground lamb
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 4 pita pockets
• 1 cup mango chutney
• 8 leaves tender lettuce

Directions

Place the herbs in a food processor and pulse grind them into a fine chop. In a bowl combine the herbs, yogurt, cumin and grill seasoning. Add the meat and mix to combine. Form into 4 large, very thin patties. Wash up and preheat a large nonstick skillet with a couple tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook patties 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Heat a small second skillet over high heat and blister the pitas on each side. Cut tops off the bread and fill pita pockets with patties, lettuce and chutney.

Thai Chicken from the Slow Cooking Cookbook

8 chicken thighs (about 2 lbs. skinned)

3/4 C. hot salsa

1/4 C. peanut butter

2 T. lime juice

1 T. soy sauce

1 t. grated fresh gingerroot

1/4 C. chopped peanuts

2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Place chicken in slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients except peanuts and cilantro; pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low heat setting 8-9 hours or until juice of chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from  cooker, using slotted spoon; place pieces on serving platter.

Remove fat from sauce. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro.

(I used 1/2 C. chili sauce, some onions, green peppers and 1 T. Asian chili sauce for the salsa. Also, I used chicken breasts which got pretty dry.)

I married Will, knowing full well that he had one major flaw (okay, maybe more, but I won’t throw him under the bus too much…slow Wilbur). His flaw: adamant claims, “squash is the most inedible vegetable known to man.”  So I made this recipe, which is now one of our favorites (take note of the first two ingredients):

Garden Full of Goodness Lasagna

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

• 2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
• 2 cups thinly sliced yellow squash
• 1 cup thinly sliced carrot
• 1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup sliced fresh basil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cups small cottage cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 8 oven-ready, “no cook,” lasagna noodles
• 12 slices provolone cheese, thinly sliced
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Combine zucchini, squash, carrot, mushrooms, onion and peppers with water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drain well, and reserve.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, cottage cheese, and eggs. Stir together.

Spread 1/3 of the sauce evenly over bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Place 4 uncooked lasagna noodles on top of sauce. Do not overlap noodles. Spread 1/2 of cream cheese mixture over noodles. Cover cheese mixture with 1/2 the vegetable mixture, more sauce, and top evenly with 6 slices provolone cheese and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers with 4 noodles, rest of the cream cheese mixture, vegetables, sauce, and remaining cheeses. Place in oven for 35 minutes or until lasagna is hot and bubbling

Let lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Now we eat squash often prepared just about any way you can think…except Zucchini Nachos…yuck!!! So last week I had a craving for Spaghetti Squash (strange, I know). I convined Will I thought I could make it really yummy…guess what? He liked it! He even ate seconds! When you doctor it up with a lot of goodness, it can taste really good:

Spaghetti Squash Goodness

Modified from a recipe at allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. To microwave squash, cut in half and seed. Place 1/4-inch water in a microwave safe dish. Place squash in dish, cut sides down — sides will overlap. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high power 13 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
3. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.

My next quest, butternut squash…

Make Your Man Happy, Meal 3

I’ve made three meals that have gone into the Matthew Parker “Chicken Parmesan Hall of Fame.” Chicken Parmesan is the first, obviously. Tortellini Soup was the second, and last night’s was the third.

Matt had suggested teriyaki chicken, so I got to work. I found this recipe from my ex-boyfriend Tyler Florence. (We had a long relationship in the early days of Food Network, but we had to part ways when he started shilling for Applebee’s.) Anyway, this teriyaki sauce served as a great marinade, and I saved half, added a little more orange juice, and cooked it down to more of a glaze. My only change might be to use less soy sauce because it was bit salty for the Wilhelm palate. I think the chicken was in a 375 oven for about 45 minutes, covered for half the time, with the marinade in the dish to keep in moist.

Fried rice was the side dish, modified from the blog Steamy Kitchen. I didn’t use the crab or the sausage, and just started by cooking the eggs, then adding ginger, oil, frying the onions, then rice, then veggies. It has fish sauce in it, but don’t tell Matt! Using day-old rice was the key here! It was great, and super easy.

Here are the recipes! Enjoy!

Teriyaki Sauce

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup soy sauce
* 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
* 2 oranges, juiced
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and minced
* 1/2 cup scallion, chopped
* 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
* 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour. May also be used as a great marinade for chicken, shrimp or beef.

Fried Rice
1 can crab (6-8oz)
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (grate on rasp grater)
1 teaspoon cooking wine
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt & Pepper
2 Eggs, beaten
3 cups cooked rice, break up the chunks
2 stalks green onions minced
1/2 cup frozen vegetable mixture (peas/corn/carrot) – defrosted for 15 min
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 cup diced Chinese sausage
1 teasp cooking wine

1. Marinate the Crab: Drain all the water from the can of crab meat. Marinate the grated fresh ginger, cooking wine, sesame oil.

2. Fry Sausage, Crab & Eggs: Heat up your wok to medium-high. Add the Chinese sausage to the wok, turn the heat down to med-low. Cook until the sausage releases its fat – about 5 minutes. Remove sausage, leaving as much oil in wok as possible. Turn heat to med-high. Add eggs to wok. Add crab to wok. Fry the mixture gently until eggs cooked through but still very soft. Remove, leaving as much oil in wok as possible.

3. Fry Rice: You should have about 1T of oil in the wok. If not, add cooking oil to the wok. Turn heat to high. Once the wok is very, very hot, add green onions, stir fry for 15 seconds. Add the rice – breaking up as many chunks at possible. Let the rice heat up in the wok. Add vegetables. Stir-fry until all is hot. Add fish sauce, soy, salt & pepper Add the Chinese sausage, egg/crab mixture. Stir fry until all ingredients are combined and steaming hot.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Beer-Braised-Beef-and-Onions-35144

Greek Croustade

1 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach

1/4 C. onion

3 T. butter or margarine

3 T. flour

1/4 t. dried tarragon, crushed

1 C. milk

2 beaten eggs

1 C. cream-style cottage cheese

1/2 C. crumbled feta cheese

10 sheets frozen phyllo dough (17X12-inch rectangles), thawed

1/2 C. butter or margarine, melted

Cook spinach according to package directions; drain well, pressing out excess liquid. In saucepan cook onion in the 3 T. butter till tender. Stir in flour, tarragon, and 1/8 t. pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir till mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir a bit of the hot mixture into the eggs and keep adding until all mixed. Stir in cheeses and set aside.

Unroll the phyllo dough; cover with dampened towel (or work quickly!). Remove 1 sheet of dough; brush lightly with some of the 1/2 c. butter. Fold in thirds lengthwise; brush the top with butter. Place one end of the folded sheet in center of a 12 or 14-inch pizza pan extending it over side of pan. Repeat buttering and folding with the remaining phyllo dough and butter; arrange strips spoke-fashion evenly around pan. (The ends of each sheet will overlap in center and be about 3 inches apart at outer ends.) Spread spinach mixture in an 8-inch circle in center of pastry. Starting with the last phyllo leaf placed in the pan, lift end of leaf up and bring toward center of filling. Holding end with both hands, twist end several times; coil and tuck end under to form a rosette. Lay rosette over filling, leaving a 3-inch circle in center (filling should be visible). Repeat with remaining strips in the reverse order they were placed. Drizzle any remaining butter over all. Bake in 375 degree oven 35-40 minutes or until golden. Serve warm or cool. Cut into wedges to serve. Makes 8 side-dish servings.

I made this for Will and he said he might not ever eat regular stuffed shells again…I was thinking the same thing.

Then I told Mama about it, and she wanted me to make it for her and Daddy. And Dad WANTED it.  He kept harassing me about making it! Goes great with California Syrah!

Stuffed Shells

Recipe courtesy Giada de Laurentis

Ingredients

• 1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (recommended: Barilla)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
• 1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 5 cups Arrabbiata Sauce, recipe follows
• 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells. Drizzle the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes (20 minutes if shells are unfrozen.)

Arrabbiata Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 ounces sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups jarred or fresh marinara sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use.

Yield: approximately 6 cups

Enjoy!!