Warm Greek Penne Salad

This is a deliciously warm salad. I can't remember where I first found the recipe, but I've tweaked it several times since. Artichoke hearts are absolutely wonderful and I tend to use more than the suggested amount. Feel free to experiment!

Warm Greek Penne Salad

8 oz wheat penne

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup feta cheese

½ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

¼ cup chicken broth

1 tbsp olive oil

½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped

1. Cook pasta according to instructions.

2. While pasta is cooking, add oil, onion, and garlic to skillet. Cook on medium-high heat until soft.

3. Stir in tomatoes, artichokes, chicken broth, and half of the feta. Reduce heat and simmer until pasta is done.

4. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Stir thoroughly, then top with remaining feta. Cover skillet and heat on medium for 3 minutes.

5. Stir once more, then serve.

Makes 3 servings, 300 calories each

Baked Cod

I made this for lunch the other day and managed to burn the sauce that was supposed to go on it, so I fudged the recipe. It turned out really good and my grama even ate three pieces! She never eats that much. Serve it with a baked potato or mashed potatoes and a salad. Yum! The recipe calls it baked cod, but there really is no baking unless you need to reheat it.

Baked Cod
2 cod fillets, cut into about 6 pieces (about 1 1/2 lbs)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup light cream
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper

1. Melt butter over medium heat in large skillet. Add onion and cook for a few minutes, until soft but not brown.
2. Add cod, season with salt and pepper, and cook about 1 minute on each side.
3. Whisk flour into cream, then add cream to skillet. It should reach at least 3/4 of the way up the fish. If it does not, add more cream or milk. Add bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook 5-10 minutes, or until fish is done. Spoon cream over cod and serve immediately.

You can make this ahead of time and reheat it. To reheat, preheat oven to 350F, then bake about 10 minutes.

Super Easy Mac-n-Cheese(y)

I discovered this version of macaroni and cheese when I was a youngster learning to cook. My mom used to make the mac and cheese all the time, and she would always bake it. One day, I was craving cheesy goodness, but didn't want to wait for it to bake, so my grama said "Just melt the cheese and mix it up." Genius! It's so simple and so delicious, I find myself craving it almost weekly. Not baking it keeps it super creamy and the garlic adds just a smidge of extra flavor. I use shells for the pasta because they hold the yummy goop the best. Worried that the kids won't like the cream of mushroom soup? Don't tell them! Seriously. I was 12 before I knew my mom used cream of mushroom. Of course, my initial reaction was "Ew! I'm never eating that again!" My resolve didn't last long and now I even love cream of mushroom plain. Add 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan for an added kick!

Easy Mac & Cheese
4 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 10.75 oz can of cream of mushroom soup (Do not use Chef's Cupboard. It tastes horrid.)
1-2 tbsp milk
8 oz pasta
Salt, pepper, garlic salt

1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Do not overcook or the pasta will be soggy. Soggy pasta is nasty. Add a pinch of salt to the water once it starts boiling.
2. While the pasta is cooking, melt the cheese in a small saucepan along with the milk. Season with salt and pepper. You can also skip the milk and just melt the cheese in the microwave. If you use the microwave, cook on high 30 secs, stir, go another 30, stir. Rinse and repeat until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
3. Drain the pasta. Add the cheese to the pasta and stir thoroughly. Mix in the cream of mushroom soup last. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Enjoy!

Guest Recipe: Le Cellier Canadian Cheddar Beer Soup

My Aunt Laura is an avid Disney goer and the food pictures she always takes make my mouth water. She found the recipe for a delicious soup from Le Cellier and made it for her family the other night. They loved it and I wanted to share the recipe with you. The roll is a pretzel roll from Wegman's. Yum! Here's her recipe.



Le Cellier's Canadian Cheddar Beer Soup

1/2 lb bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4" pieces
3 celery ribs, cut into 1/4" pieces
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock (I used 4)
4 cups milk
1 lb. white cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup warm beer (I used LaBatts Blue, but the recipe recommends "a hearty Canadian ale")
Chopped scallions or chives for garnish

1. In a 4 or 5 quart Dutch oven, cook the bacon, stirring, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.

2. Add the red onion, celery, and butter and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onion has softened.

3. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes over medium heat.  Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a boil for 1 minute.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the milk and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.  Do not boil after you add the milk.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper until the cheese is melted and the soup is smooth.  Stir in warm beer.  If the soup is too thick, thin with some warm milk (this is where I used the extra chicken stock).

6. Serve the soup hot, garnished with chopped scallions or chives.

 

Chicken Taco Soup

Another warm, tasty treat for the cold winter weather. Servings are 1 cup and only 170 calories (before toppings, of course).

Chicken Taco Soup

1 small onion, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

4 c chicken broth

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can tomato sauce

2-3 c water

3 chicken breasts (pulled)

1 packet taco seasoning

Cayenne pepper to taste

1. Saute onions in oil until soft.

2. Add broth, water, tomato sauce, corn, taco seasoning, and cayenne. Bring to boil and add chicken. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for an hour.

3. Serve with tortilla strips and sour cream/Greek yogurt.

Makes approx: 8 1-cup servings @ 170 calories each.

Chicken Sausage Gumbo

As promised, here's my recipe for Chicken Sausage Gumbo. It's perfect for the cold weather the Northeast (and I think most of the United States) is experiencing right now. Warm, filling, and delicious. Not to mention, fairly healthy. Only 300 calories per 1 cup serving, and I have never needed more than a cup to be full. If you are using the already cooked chicken from the homemade chicken broth we made the other day, skip the hours of cooking in step 2 and go straight to step 3. You can also use pre-cut pieces (breast, thighs, drumsticks) and store-bought chicken stock.

Chicken Sausage Gumbo

1 3lb fryer chicken, cut into pieces or 3lbs worth of chicken pieces

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

3 cups homemade chicken stock

8 oz andouille or spicy sausage

½ cup flour

2 tbsp parsley

¼ cup scallions

6 tbsp oil

2 bay leaves

½ tsp thyme
Cayenne pepper and salt to season chicken

4 cups cooked brown rice

Sour cream for topping

1. Season uncooked chicken with salt and cayenne pepper and set aside. 

2. In large pot, combine oil and flour over medium heat. Stirring constantly, cook for ½ hour. Add onions and pepper and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Add broth. Stir well, and add chicken, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, for 2-3 hours.

4. Remove and pull chicken, then return to stock. Add andouille. Cook for 30 minutes.

5. Add scallions and parsley. Stir.

6. Spoon ½ c brown rice into a bowl. Top with 1 c gumbo and a dab of sour cream. Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Stock/Broth

I'm back! Deepest apologies for the absence. “Best laid plans”, and all that jazz, ya know. Anyhoo, I'm back with some of my favorite recipes and some new ones, too. Up first, Homemade Chicken Broth! We will use this later in the week for Chicken Sausage Gumbo. I personally am not comfortable cutting up a whole chicken and tend to lose a lot of meat, so the only times I use a whole chicken are when I plan on cooking the whole thing, so I can pull off the meat I haven't cut off. In this recipe, we use a whole fryer chicken, which allows us to pull off the meat from places we wouldn't have been able to cut it from. For the Gumbo, you can use this pre-cooked meat, or buy the parts of the chicken separately. Believe it or not, if you're not comfortable cutting up a whole chicken, it can end up being cheaper to buy the pieces separately once you factor in the lost meat!

Homemade Chicken Broth

1 whole chicken (3 lbs)

½ tsp thyme

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put chicken (cut up if it won't fit whole) and herbs into a large stock pot. Cover with cold water and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Add water when necessary to keep chicken completely covered.

2. Remove chicken and pull the meat off the bones. Discard the bones. Strain out the bay leaves and large pieces of fat left in the stock. Let it cool in the fridge and scoop off the layer of fat that forms on the top.

3. The stock can be frozen in 2 to 4 cup portions for easy use (most recipes call for 2 or 4 cups). Ziploc bags are nice for this purpose, as they can be frozen flat, then stored upright for space-saving storage.