Lettuce Wraps

My good friend Jaclyn introduced me to these. :) It's just the recipe she uses off the back of a pack of Romaine Lettuce hearts, but I can't get enough of these! From what I can tell, they're nothing like the PF Changs recipe, but I don't mind... If you can put aside any first though of what cilantro pesto may taste like, I promise you will be addicted JUST.LIKE.ME. lol

Lettuce Wraps

1 head romaine lettuce hearts

2-3 chicken breasts - cooked and sliced (Or use a shredded rotisserie chicken)

1 bunch cilantro (you can use 1/2-3/4 of a bunch)

1/3 cup pine nuts

3 cloves garlic (minced)

Shredded cheese (optional)

1/2 cup oil (olive oil or vegetable oil)

1 avocado

2 roma tomatoes

1 bunch green onions, diced

salt and pepper

Combine garlic, cilantro, pine nuts and 1 tsp salt in a food processor and pulse until pesto is a creamy texture. (you should know what pesto looks like lol) Transfer to a bowl and whisk while adding oil. Bring to desired texture and add 1/4 cup chicken broth to thin if needed. Set aside. Slice tomatoes (strips or rounds), dice green onions and slice avocado into strips. Clean the lettuce and separate the leaves. Mix the chicken with the pesto. Top lettuce leaves with the chicken and toppings and EAT IT! lol Seriously ... I love these things.

Chicken Spaghetti

Another Paula! :) This is really, really, really tasty.

Chicken Spaghetti (10 to 12 servings)

2 TBSP butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with chilies, drained (mild rotel)

1 (4.25 oz) can chopped black olives, drained (I left these out)

1 (4 oz) can/jar sliced mushrooms, drained

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp salt

3 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (1 rotisserie chicken works well for this)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 (16 oz) package angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions

3/4 panko (Japanese bread crumbs.... but I only had regular old bread crumbs on hand and it did just fine)

1 TBSP butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray.

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, broth, soups, tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, sour cream and salt. Stir in chicken and cheese. Add pasta, tossing gently to coat. Spoon mixture into prepare baking dish.

In a small bow, combine bread crumbs and melted butter. Spread evenly over casserole. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Even my kids liked this! It has a little bit of a kick to it because of the rotel... so be prepared... but MY GOODNESS! The list of ingredients looks overwhelming, but really, it's very simple to put together. Serve with salad and breadsticks.

Salisbury Steak

Oh Paula.... how you speak to my heart... Or... rather, my stomach. Either way, I'm pretty sure they're connected. lol This recipe comes from one of her magazine articles.

Salisbury Steaks (makes 6 servings)

2 lbs ground chuck

2 TBSP worchestershire sauce

1 TBSP horseradish (Kraft makes some that is with the salad dressing stuff)

2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 (8 oz) package sliced baby bella mushrooms

2 TBSP all purpose flour

1 can French onion coup

1 can beef consomme

In a large bowl, combine ground chuck, worchestershire sauce, horseradish, garlic, salt and pepper. Form mixture into 6 (5 inch) patties.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add patties, in batches if necessary, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until browned. Remove patties from pan and set aside. Reserve 2 TBSP of drippings in skillet. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until just tender. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Stir in soup and consomme. Return patties to pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 30-40, or until patties are cooked through and sauce is thickened.

OOOOH MY GOODNESS ... you will be in HEAVEN when you eat this!!! I LOVE it! I didn't have to make ANY changes to this, it's literally perfect as it's written.

Meatloaf!

I wanted meatloaf one night... but didn't have time to wait for an hour for it to cook in the oven, so I combined a couple recipes to make a meatloaf on the stove. It turned out really well, I think. So in this one, I'm using Paula Deen's recipe for old fashioned meatloaf, and will include instructions for you to cook it in a skillet if you're pressed for time. :)

Basic Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef - I used 1 1/2 lbs

1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper - I HATE bell peppers, so I didn't use them
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces canned diced tomatoes (without juice)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

Topping:

1/3 cup ketchup

2 TBSP brown sugar

1 TBSP prepared mustard - I actually used the powdered mustard, I think it's like a tsp powdered mustard for a TBSP prepared mustard?

Worchestershire sauce.... cause no sauce is complete without it. Use how much you want.

Minced garlic

A dash of soy sauce

Mix all the meatloaf ingredients together. If you're going to bake it in the oven, preheat oven to 375 and shape into a loaf, then put in a baking dish. If you're going to cook it in a skillet, shape into 2 loaves.

Baking - cover with topping and bake for 1 hour

Skillet - place the 2 loafs in a big skillet on medium high heat. Brown the loaves in the hot skillet, then reduce heat to medium and cover with a lid. Simmer for 25 minutes or until meat is cooked through. (I recommend turning at least half way through) Spoon fat from the skillet, then pour topping over loaves. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or so.

And just because I LOVE Alton Brown, here's his recipe for Meatloaf. MMMMMMM

Stuffed Zucchini

This is a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis from Food Network. I saw this on one of her shows a few years ago and have been making it ever since. It always gets rave reviews! **Warning** This recipe can be costly to make due to some of the ingredients.

Stuffed Zucchini

2 TBSP olive oil

1 small onion, grated

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 large egg

3 TBSP ketchup

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup Pecorino Romano cheese - this can get expensive!

1/4 cup dried plain bread crumbs

1 lb ground turkey

5 or 6 zucchini - varies according to size.

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly drizzle the olive oil into a 9x13 baking dish. Whisk the onion, parsley, egg, ketchup, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and bread crumbs. Mix in the turkey. (Once you add the turkey, I've found it's easier to mix with your hands.) Cover and refrigerate the turkey mixture.

Using a melon baller or spoon, carefully scrape out the seeds and inner flesh of the zucchini, leaving 1/8 inch thick shells. Be careful not to pierce through the skin. (I cut them in half so they're a little easier to work with.) Fill the zucchini halves with the turkey mixture, dividing equally and mounding slightly. Arrange the stuffed zucchini in the baking dish and pour the marinara sauce on top.

Bake uncovered until the zucchini is tender and beginning to brown and a thermometer inserted into the filling reaches 165 degrees - which takes about 45 minutes or so. Once they're cooked and out of the oven, I like to add some more fresh grated Pecorino Romano cheese on top... mmmmmmmmmmm Serve with pasta and a salad and bread. OH BOY!!!

Chicken Nacho Bake

This one is a new recipe I found ... can't remember where I found it now, maybe Kraft magazine? I don't know... I made it the other night for me and the kids and I actually liked it a lot.

Chicken Nacho Bake

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (calls for halves, but use what you have)

1/2 cup chunky salsa

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips

1/2 cup mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

**NOW** BEFORE you begin, may I recommend STRONGLY that you season or marinate your chicken breasts. I made the mistake of not doing so, and aside from the yummy toppings ON the chicken, the chicken itself had no flavor. Like Emeril says "I don't know about you, but where I come from, the water isn't flavored" .... same goes for chicken folks. Do your prep work on that chicken! lol

Place chicken on a foil covered baking sheet. (And can I mention how EASY this makes clean up after dinner!?!? HELLO MCFLY!!!) Slice 3 cuts on top of each chicken breast with sharp knife. Top each breast evenly with salsa, sour cream and tortilla chips. (I didn't measure how much I put on each one... I just topped them until it looked right) Bake 20 minutes, remove from oven. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

I served this with Yellow rice........ YUM YUM!

Spanish Rice

Now... I've heard this called a few different things.. Mexican Rice, Spanish Rice... Depending on your politically correctness depends on what you call it. lol Me.... I call it YUMMY DINNER!

Mexican Rice (Spanish Rice)

1 lb meat - this could be ground turkey or ground beef... heck, you could even use chicken if you really wanted.

1 cup rice

1 can mexican stewed tomatoes

1 can mild rotel

enough liquid to make 2 1/2 cups - this means drain the tomatoes into a glass measuring cup instead of draining them into the sink. Add enough water to equal 2 1/2 cups (you can add some salsa too)

2 beef bouillon cubes

garlic - as much or little as you want

onion - as much or little as you want

salt and pepper

Brown your meat in a big skillet that has a lid (and I add my garlic and onions to it when it's almost cooked through), drain the grease, then add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil (uncovered), stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. BAM!

***Leftover fun stuff***

This is yummy with some scrambled eggs as a breakfast burrito the next morning... or just a straight up burrito the next day. You could make a burrito with it for dinner if you really wanted to get crazy. Throw some cheese and sour cream on it... and YUM YUM!!!

Bowtie Chicken

Another one I got off of CM. Haven't made this one yet either, but will be this week! :)


2-3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I like to use a rotisserie)
2 cans cream of celery soup
1 16 oz container of sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
a dash or two of tabasco/texas pete
1 lb of bowtie pasta, cooked and drained

You could add any veggies you like ie broccoli.

Bake for 30-45 mins at 375, add more cheese to top for last 10 minutes if desired.

Tater Tot Casserole

There are TONS of versions of tater tot casserole out there in cyber world. This one came from allrecipes.com.

2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (you know I'm an onion lover. lol)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I added 1/2 a can of half and half to thin out the mixture)
1 (14.5 ounce) can french style green beans (I will use 2 cans next time)
1 (32 ounce) bag tater tots, thawed
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Saute onion in a large skillet until soft (I sauteed them in butter, of course. lol) add beef and cook until browned. Drain and set aside.
Spread soup and beans into bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Slowly add meat mixture, then top with tater tots and season with salt to taste. (OK... I did some things differently here. First, I put the soup and half and half in the Pyrex first. Then I added the green beans and stirred them in there and spread it out. Then I added the meat [which I seasoned with seasoning salt, love that stuff] and put shredded cheddar cheese on top of that. -made a big difference.- THEN I put the tater tots on top and did not put additional salt on top.)
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, or until casserole is cooked through. (I think I did 35 minutes)

Chicken Delight

I was looking for chicken recipes on allrecipes.com and came across this one. It's super easy and we thought it was good. I'll put my notes of things I'd change in red.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup sour cream (I will only use maybe 1/2 or 3/4 cups at the most next time. 1 cup is a lot and kinda puts a thick layer as it bakes on top of the chicken.)
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce (is that even how it's spelled? I can't remember. lol Anyways, I'll probably only use 1 tbsp, maybe 1 1/2 tbsp next time. And that's coming from a worchestershire lover. lol)
1 tsp paprika
1 teaspon garlic powder (I used a couple teaspoons of minced garlic. All I had was garlic salt and I didn't want to overload it with salt. Next time I'll probably add more garlic)
1/2 tsp white pepper (I was out of white pepper, so I just used regular black pepper. I think I put too much. lol go easy on it.)
1 cup crushed buttery round crackers
(I also added some onion powder and some seasoning salt. I'll probably leave out the onion powder next time, leave out the paprika and use seasoning salt instead.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Place them in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. In a bowl, mix sour cream, worchestershire sauce, paprika (or seasoning salt), garlic [powder], and pepper. Spread mixture over chicken, then sprinkle all with cracker crumbs.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for one hour.

The PW's Sandwich #1

She calls this Marlboro Man's sandwich. I made it the other night and MAN OH MAN. I'll be posting quite a few of her recipes on my blog because we love them and you will too. You can always go to her website and see them there, but to make it easy so you don't have to search them out, you can look here too. lol :D

Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich

2 to 3 lbs cube steak that's been extra tenderized
1 large onion or 2 small onions
**sliced mushrooms** (I added these)
4 french/deli rolls
2 sticks of butter... (oh yeah. BUTTER.)
Seasoned Salt
1/2 cup worchestershire sauce (or more)
Tabasco sauce

Slice the onions and cook in 1/4 stick of butter until soft and brown. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Slice cube steak into 1/2 inch slices, cutting against the grain. Season with seasoned salt.
In the same skillet melt 2 tbsp butter over high heat until it starts to brown. Add the seasoned cube steak in a single layer and cook until brown, then flip and cook until brown. (The recipe says about a minute on each side, but it took much longer than that for me.)
Add at least 1/2 cup of worchestershire sauce and some shakes of Tabasco. (I added 3 and it had a kick. I will only do 2 next time) Add another 2 tbsp of butter and add the cooked onions. Stir to combine.
Half and butter your rolls and brown them on a skillet. Lay the bottom half on your plate, cover with meat mixture (I added some provolone cheese here) and top with other half.

MmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMM! Ryan LOVED this sandwich .. and so did I. Kids probably won't like it so much, especially the younger ones, but this is a great adult sandwich.

Chicken Bacon Dumplings

Ok, as promised, here's the recipe I made last night! It's SOOOO good. I found it on allrecipes.com

3 slices bacon (I used about 4, and cut them in half before frying them)
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced (you can leave this out if you don't like onions, it adds a nice flavor though)
4 chicken breasts - cooked and diced (I baked mine with some chicken grilling Mrs Dash, salt and butter... 425 for 35 minutes. YUM)
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp poultry seasoning (I used about 2 tsp Mrs Dash chicken grilling blend)
salt and pepper to taste
1 can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed (I used 2 cans of white shoepeg corn)
3 cups half and half

dumplings by direction on the Bisquick box (I believe it's 1 cup of Bisquick and 1/3 cup of milk)

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. (I don't a skillet deep enough, so I used my stock pot and it worked just fine) Cook over medium-high heat until brown. Remove from pan and set aside. Drain grease, but leave bacon drippings (the little brown specks left behind)

Add potatoes, onion and chicken to the bacon drippings and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in chicken broth, add seasonings. Stir in corn and simmer for 15 minutes.

Pour in half and half and bring to a boil. Add crumbled bacon. In a bowl, combine milk and biscuit mix to make dumplings. Drop by the tablespoon into boiling mixture, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered, then another 10 minutes covered. (Do not stir while simmering or the dumplings will break apart)

**variations. I noticed in some of the reviews some people added less half and half, or combined it with milk or used milk instead. Some also added celery and carrots to the mixture. Some left out the corn, potatoes and onion, saying it wasn't chicken and dumplings if it wasn't JUST chicken and dumplings. I added the notes to what I did, and it turned out perfectly. It will seem a little thin after it's done simmering, but if you let it sit for a little bit it'll thicken up. It's sooooooo good. SO good. YUMMY YUMMY!!!!

Mac and Cheddar Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli

Rachel Ray recipe! This is a good one for kids too.

2 tbsp EVOO
1 pound chicken breast tenders, chopped
salt and pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound macaroni elbows or corkscrew shaped pasta twirls
2 1/2 cups raw broccoli florets, available packaged in the produce dept.
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
3 cups WHOLE milk (it's important it's whole milk or the sauce won't set up right)
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups yellow sharp cheddar
1 tbsp prepared Dijon mustard

Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni.

Heat a medium pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add EVOO and chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute a couple of minutes then add onion and cook another 5-7 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and reserve.

To boiling pasta water, add past and salt to season the cooking water. Cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 more minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and florets are just tender.

White pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne pepper and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk and broth and raise heat to bring the sauce to a quick boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes.

Drain macaroni or pasta and broccoli florets. Add back to the pot and add chicken to the pasta and broccoli. Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt it in, a minute or so. Stir in mustard and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cooked pasta and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings and transfer to a large serving platter (if you want to) and serve.

YUM-O! lol

Sour Cream Chicken

I think I found this recipe online - allrecipes.com ... We really like this recipe, and since it marinates for 6-8 hours, the flavors are sooooooooooooo good.

2/3 cup sour cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
3/4 tsp celery salt
3/4 tsp paprika
pinch of salt
pepper
garlic
*I use 4 chicken breasts for this recipe*

Marinate in fridge for at least 6-8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 or 375 degrees (depending on how fast you want it to cook)
When I cook this, it usually takes at least 45 minutes on 350.

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

Got this version from a friend a while back. I like using this recipe cause it's much quicker and it tastes really good!

chicken - boiled then shredded *time saving tip* Get a roasted chicken from the store and shred it! Already cooked!
2 cans cream of chicken soup *variation* you can also use 1 can of cream of celery and 1 can of cream of chicken
1/2 can milk (or use 1/2 cup sour cream)
cheddar cheese
stove top stuffing - prepared

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix chicken and soup. Top with cheese, then stuffing. Bake for about 15-30 minutes, just until warm.

Italian Turkey Burgers

I got this recipe off the internet, I think from allrecipes.com

1 lb ground turkey
2 tbsp finely diced onion
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp plain bread crumbs
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Mix together all ingredients except oil. Form into 4 patties.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, when wisps of smoke rise, add the patties. Cook burgers until brown, about 4-6 minutes on each side or to an internal temperature of 180 degrees.

These are SO good and taste fabulous with a provolone cheese and toasted bun. MMMM