MommaCooks

posted by Nina on Nov 2

This is the last recipe I got to make from Jaime Oliver’s new cookbook before I had to take it back to the library. There were several more recipes that I had bookmarked, but I guess I will have to wait and see if I can check it back out again later. In the meantime, enjoy these scrumptious fajitas.

Ingredients:
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut in thin strips
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• a small pinch of ground cumin
• 2 limes
• olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4-6 flour tortillas
• good-quality low-fat natural yogurt, salsa, guacamole, cheddar cheese

Instructions:
Add peppers, onions and chicken to a medium bowl with the paprika and cumin. Squeeze over the juice of one lime, drizzle over a lug of olive oil, season with a good pinch of pepper and mix well.

Let marinate for five-ten minutes. Preheat skillet/pan.

Use a pair of tongs to put all the pieces of pepper, onion and chicken into your preheated pan to cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the chicken is golden and cooked through.

As the pan will be really hot, keep turning the pieces of chicken and vegetables over so they don’t burn – you just want them to lightly chargrill to give you a lovely flavor.

Warm your tortillas up in a microwave.

Divide your warmed tortillas between your serving plates.

Halve your remaining lime and squeeze the juices over the sizzling pan.

Serve with yogurt, salsa, cheese and guacamole.

Did I change anything? The original recipe came with another recipe for homemade salsa which I did not make.

What did the family think? The kids just ate the chicken parts with their tortillas, cheese and yogurt…no onions and peppers. Hubby and I really like it and I was so happy to find a fajita recipe that I like, that has taste and doesn’t require a packet of fajita seasoning.

Where did this recipe come from? Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

posted by Nina on Oct 13

I love stroganoff, so when I saw this on a friend’s Facebook page I just had to try it out. I had never heard of this before though, so I did a little research (which means I Googled it) and found out that there are a lot of different ways to make this particular dish. This recipe makes a lot of food and as I discovered today as I was eating some of the leftovers, it tastes even better the second day.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups sliced mushrooms
56 oz. ground peeled tomatoes
3/4 cup dry red wine
3 T Dijon mustard
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 qt. heavy cream
1 1/2 lbs. cooked and shredded chicken
Salt and pepper, to taste
Rice

Instructions:
In a stockpot, sauté onions in oil until translucent. Add garlic and mushrooms. When mushrooms are halfway cooked, add tomatoes, red wine, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.

Let simmer 10 minutes; add cream and chicken. After 30 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice.

Did I change anything? The original recipe called for shallots and soy sauce. I didn’t have those, so I used onions in place of the shallots and just left out the soy sauce. Also, my hubby does not do mushrooms, so I only put in three cups of them. The original recipe called for five cups.

What did the family think? Well, hubby wasn’t feeling well, so he didn’t eat at all. We had a VERY late dinner and I really didn’t want to fight with the kids about eating this because I knew one of them would put up a Class A stink, so they had Subway instead. I, however, ate all of mine and went back for seconds.

Where did this recipe come from? I found this on my friend Erin’s FB page from her friend, Shannon.

photo from Mazzu’s

posted by Nina on Sep 29

It’s a good thing that this dish went over pretty well last night because it made a lot of pasta and we will be having it for dinner again tonight.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped white onion
1 clove minced garlic
4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Cups Philadelphia Cooking Creme
1 pound bowtie pasta or other small noodle
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and run under cold water to stop cooking.

Place oil in Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Stir in spinach leaves, cook, stirring until wilted about 2 minutes. Add chicken, salt, and pepper, and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add cooking cream, stirring to combine.

Add pasta to chicken mixture stirring to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish and top with cheese.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted.

What did the family think? The only person who freaked out a little about the spinach was our youngest which is so funny because sitting on his plate, right next to the pasta, was a salad which he happily ate that had spinach in it. He also, of course, was not pleased that there was chicken in it. There was enough cheesy pasta to make up for all of the other offensive ingredients though, so he was fine.

Where did this recipe come from? Picky Palate

Photo from Cooking with Karyn

posted by Nina on Sep 27

This makes a lot of pasta. The family really liked this and I probably should have just baked it all at once so they could have had seconds, but instead I divided it into two casserole dishes. I baked one and froze the other for later.

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound penne rigate
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (8 ounces each), halved horizontally
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups whole milk
10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces)
1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan (4 ounces)
Salt and pepper, for seasoning

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400.

Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Did I change anything? I boiled and shredded the chicken instead of cooking it the way the recipe states. I used 1% milk instead of whole and used cooking spray instead of butter on the casserole dishes.

What did the family think? Honestly, this was not my favorite dish, but everyone else LOVED it and there wasn’t enough for everyone to have seconds.

Where did this recipe come from? Martha Stewart

photo from Martha Stewart

posted by Nina on Sep 18

This is very easy and comes out looking like you’re a gourmet cook. It also makes your house smell incredible.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 4-6 lbs)
1 lemon
1 T olive oil
1 tsp.salt
1-2 T dried rosemary

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Clean gizzards and neck out of chicken cavity, rinse and pat dry.

Place chicken on a cookie sheet that has sides.

Cut lemon into four parts and stick into cavity.

Rub chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Sprinkle rosemary on the outside of the chicken.

Cook the chicken at 450 degrees for the first ten minutes to give the skin a crunchy finish, then lower the temperature to 375 degrees for the rest of the cooking time. You want to make sure you cook the chicken for about 20 minutes per pound. I had a six pound roaster, so I cooked it for about two hours.

Let it rest for about 15 minutes before carving.

What did the family think? Everyone liked it except the youngest. He doesn’t do chicken…unless we are at a restaurant and then he’s fine with it. Don’t ask. I have no idea.

Where did this recipe come from? This is just a variation of a recipe that I have been making for years.

photo from McCormick.com

posted by Nina on Jun 15

This was SO good, but it had pesto in it, so it’s really not a surprise. Pesto is good with just about anything.

Ingredients:
1 small rotisserie chicken (about 2 cups of chicken)
1 pound tri-color tortellini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup pesto
1 pre-packaged bag of baby spinach (optional)

Instructions:
Cut the chicken off the bone into small chunks and set aside.

In a large pot of salted water boil the tortellini for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add chicken and pesto and saute until warm.

When the tortelleni is done, drain and transfer to the saute pan and stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low and divide baby spinach among 6 bowls. Top each pile of spinach with tortellini and serve warm.

Did I change anything? I left out the spinach. I just wasn’t sure how it would go over with pasta even though my kids eat spinach all the times in salads and such.

What did the family think? It was a huge hit! Our oldest even asked if he could have the leftovers in his lunch the next day.

Where did this recipe come from? Cooking with My Kid

photo from Cooking with My Kid

posted by Nina on Jun 12

I have been making this for years. It not only tastes great, but it will make your house smell deelish and it looks like you put a lot of work into it (which you didn’t because it is super easy and it cooked by itself in the CrockPot all day while you were eating bonbons and watching Oprah reruns hard at work).

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large roasting chicken (with pop-up timer if possible)
1 cup chopped onion (optional)

Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine the spices.

Remove any giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken with water and pat dry.

Rub spice mixture onto the chicken.

Add chicken to CrockPot. No liquid is needed, the chicken will make its own juices.

Cook on low 4-8 hours.

Did I change anything? I never have all of these spices on hand all at the same time. It doesn’t matter. Just use the ones you have. Also, the original recipe calls for adding some sliced onions on the bottom of the CrockPot before adding the chicken. I have never done that, so I left it out.

What did the family think? Everyone always eats it, even our youngest, as long as there is ketchup involved.

Where did the recipe come from? Food.com

photo from Google

posted by Nina on May 31

Since we love pasta around here, I thought I would give this version from Parents magazine’s June issue a try.

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 lb. vermicelli or angel hair pasta, broken into thirds
16 oz jar mild chunky salsa
2 cups cooked cubed chicken breasts
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
1 T chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly coat a 2-qt. baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions. When done, drain and rinse under cold water.

Mix pasta, salsa, chicken, 3/4 cup cheese and cilantro in baking dish.

Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.

Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 10 minutes.

We had this with some fresh strawberries and blueberries.

Did I change anything? The only thing we ended up doing differently with this is that my oldest thought it might be a good idea to crumble up some tortilla chips and sprinkle them on top. He thought it made the dish ten times better.

What did the family think? Everyone who normally likes dinner at our house loved it and had seconds. The leftovers were even requested by our oldest to be sent to school in his lunchbox.

Where did this recipe come from? Parents Magazine, June 2011, p. 58

photo from goodapples.com

posted by Nina on May 27

I have been wanting to try Philadelphia Cream Cheese’s new cooking cremes, so I bought the “original” version and tried out the recipe on the back of the container.

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tub (10 oz) Philadelphia Original Cooking Creme
2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 cups hot cooked farfalle
12 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions:
Cook chicken in large nonstick skillet on medium heat until done. Add broth and garlic powder, stir and let simmer for about three minutes.

Add cooking creme, basil and tomatoes; stir and simmer for three minutes.

In a large serving bowl, combine pasta and tomato mixture. Stir to combine and serve.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it!

Where did this recipe come from? It came from the back of the cooking creme container, but they have lots of other recipes using their various cooking creme flavors
here.

photo from Philadelphia Cream Cheese

posted by Nina on Apr 26

This was a pretty easy casserole to throw together that had enough spice to keep it interesting, but not so much spice that the children would go running for the hills.

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. chopped onions
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. EACH ground cumin & oregano
2 c. boned cooked chicken
3 c. cooked rice (I used brown Minute rice.)
1 c. sour cream
2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c. crushed corn chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine tomato sauce, broth, onions, green chilies and seasonings. Cook over low heat about 10 minutes. Add chicken. Set aside.

Mix rice and sour cream. Spoon into a shallow 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese; pour sauce over all. Top with remaining cheese. Sprinkle with corn chips. Bake for 25 minutes.

Did I change anything? I didn’t have any oregano, so I used Italian seasoning instead. Also, next time I think I will add two cans of diced green chilis instead of just one. I didn’t have any corn chips either, so I used tortilla chips. I also only used probably about 1/2 cup onions.

What did the family think? Hubby and I liked it and even had seconds. Our oldest liked it, it wasn’t his favorite, but he ate it. Our youngest was not impressed at first, but he did manage to eat enough to make Mom and Dad happy.

from cooks.com