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All posts from October 2015.
In , , , on October 8, 2015 with No Comments

Italian Chicken, Spinach and Pasta Bake

Normally I cook using ingredients I have on hand, whether it’s something I have growing in the garden or that I’ve canned/frozen during harvest. I do collect recipes, but I mainly get ideas from them (rather than follow them exactly), and I usually put my own twist on the recipes I see.

For tonight’s dinner, I had chicken breasts and bow tie pasta on hand, so I went searching for something different to make. I decided to do an Italian-style casserole because I love casseroles, and a casserole plus a salad and freshly baked bread usually feeds my hungry family – and when you have two young men (21 and 17) plus a husband with healthy appetites, you quickly learn to make large portions. While I used bow tie pasta, any small-shaped pasta works well with this recipe.

 

 

Italian Chicken, Spinach and Pasta Bake

1 box (12 ounces) bow tie-shaped pasta, cooked according to package directions
2 chicken breasts, diced into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
Half a small onion, about 1/4 cup, diced
Garlic-infused olive oil
Salt and black pepper
10 ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained of excess water
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped (or use canned mushrooms)
1 jar good quality spaghetti or marinara sauce (or use homemade)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package instructions; set aside.

Season the chicken pieces with the Italian seasoning, combining to coat the pieces well. In a large skillet, drizzle a few tablespoons of the garlic-infused olive oil, and cook the chicken pieces and diced onion over medium-high heat until the chicken is nicely browned and the onions are translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain any excess oil, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, thawed chopped spinach, mushrooms, cooked pasta and cream cheese. Stir to combine. Add the spaghetti sauce, and stir until all the ingredients are evenly coated.

Pour the chicken and pasta mixture into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Top the casserole with the 8 ounces of mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cheese is nicely browned and the casserole is bubbling. To serve, grate fresh Parmesan over the top of each serving.

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In , on October 7, 2015 with No Comments

Roasted Chicken with Herb Butter, Onions and Garlic

Nothing says traditional family dinner to me more than having chicken on the menu. My favorite memories growing up were having fried chicken at my grandmother’s house, along with her baked mac and cheese, fresh cherry pie and homemade ice cream. While I love fried chicken, to me roast chicken is pure comfort food.

Like my grandmother did, we raise our own chickens for both meat and eggs. The taste is beyond compare to what you can buy in the grocery stores. Kevin loves to barbecue chicken, but my favorite way to prepare the birds is through roasting. You can do any flavor profile you want, from Cajun to French or just plain salt and pepper. All you need is a pan large enough to hold the bird and a hot oven.

This recipe is super simple. Fresh herbs are best, but if you use dried herbs, just cut back a bit on the amounts. You can definitely eat the onions and the garlic after the dish is finished (Kevin and the boys did), but I primarily added these to flavor the sauce and flavor the bird from the inside out.

 

Roasted Chicken with Herb Butter, Onions and Garlic

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley plus 3 large sprigs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus 3 large sprigs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus 3 small sprigs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or other coarse salt

1 roasting chicken, about 7 pounds, rinsed and patted dry
4 medium onions, peeled and quartered
14 garlic cloves, peeled

1 cup chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Mix the butter, chopped herbs and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt in a bowl, and blend well. If not using right away, refrigerate, but have the butter at room temperature when preparing the bird.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle the cavity of the bird liberally with salt and pepper. Place half an onion, a couple garlic cloves and the herb sprigs inside the cavity of the chicken.

Place the chicken on a rack inside a large roasting pan. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the herbed butter underneath the skin of the chicken over the breast meat. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the herbed butter over the chicken skin, and truss the legs together. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the butter mixture. Scatter the remaining onions around the chicken.

Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Scatter the remaining garlic cloves around the chicken, and brush the chicken, onions and garlic with some of the remaining herbed butter, reserving about 2 tablespoons for the sauce. Roast the chicken for another 60 minutes, occasionally basting with more of the herbed butter, until the internal temperature of the chicken thigh is 180 degrees Fahrenheit. The chicken should be golden brown at this point.

Remove the chicken to a serving platter, and tent with foil to keep warm.

Drain the drippings into a saucepan, including any browned bits at the bottom of the roasting pan. Add the chicken stock and white wine to the saucepan. Stir the 1 1/2 teaspoons of flour into the reserved 2 tablespoons of herbed butter to make a paste. Add the paste to the sauce, and whisk until combined. Simmer the sauce over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the sauce over the chicken.

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In , , on October 4, 2015 with No Comments

Italian Chicken and Tortellini Soup

I love making different kinds of soups during the fall, and I spied a few recipes on Pinterest using cheese tortellini. I decided to combine a couple different recipes to make a soup with the ingredients I had on hand, and it turned out great.

 

 

Italian Chicken and Tortellini Soup

2 chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces
Garlic-infused olive oil
4 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided (more or less to your family’s taste)
4 cups chicken stock
1 quart diced tomatoes, drained (I used home canned tomatoes, but you can use store-bought Italian-style tomatoes and adjust the Italian seasoning.)
8 ounces cream cheese
1 package fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1 16-ounce package frozen cheese tortellini
Salt and black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large stockpot, drizzle a generous amount of the garlic-infused olive oil. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the Italian seasoning over the diced chicken, and combine until the chicken is coated with the seasoning. Brown the diced chicken in the oil until browned.

Add the chicken stock to the saucepot. Add the drained tomatoes to the stockpot along with 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (if using home canned – may omit if using Italian-style tomatoes). Add the chopped spinach, cream cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Stir occasionally until the cream cheese is completely melted and the ingredients are well combined.

Add the frozen tortellini to the stockpot, and cook until the pasta is heated through, about 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls, and top each serving with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

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In on October 2, 2015 with No Comments

Jaegerschnitzel – Pork Cutlet with Mushroom Red Wine Gravy

In honor of my family’s German heritage, I decided to make a German-influenced dinner. While most people first think of sauerbraten, which I’m not crazy about, or brats as something they would have during Oktoberfest, I decided to search for a schnitzel-type main course. While searching through the mountain of saved recipes I have on Pinterest, I came across a recipe for jaegerschnitzel from Bacon, Butter, Cheese & Garlic that sounded scrumptious. I think my German grandparents would have approved of this recipe, as it’s fantastic. To round out the meal, we also had Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage and Kirschenmichel (traditional German cherry cake).

 

Jaegerschnitzel

4 boneless pork chops
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Black pepper
Seasoned salt
Dried parsley
Olive oil
2 eggs
1/2 pound bacon, chopped

Sauce Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup red wine
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Cook the bacon until crisp. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.

Pound the pork chops to about 1/4-inch thickness. Mix together the flour with some garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, seasoned salt and dried parsley. (Amounts of spices are up to your family’s taste – start with 1 teaspoon of each and adjust as needed.)

In another bowl, whisk the 2 eggs together with a splash of water.

In a third bowl, mix the panko with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, seasoned salt and dried parsley.

Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil in a large skillet. Dip the pork cutlets in the flour, then into the egg, and finally into the panko mixture, pressing down to coat. Fry the cutlets in the olive oil until browned and crispy on both sides and done through. Drain them on paper towels, and keep warm in a 200 degrees Fahrenheit oven.

For the sauce, put the reserved bacon grease and butter into a large skillet, and melt the butter. Cook the shallots and the mushrooms over medium-high heat until tender. Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Sprinkle the flour over the mushroom mixture, and stir to combine. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, to cook off the taste of the flour and allow the roux to form. Add in the beef stock, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and sour cream. Whisk everything together to combine. Continue cooking and whisking until thickened and bubbly.

Serve the sauce over the pork cutlets, and garnish with the bacon the chopped parsley.

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In , on October 2, 2015 with No Comments

Kirschenmichel – German Cherry Cake

Dessert for our Oktoberfest feast was a traditional German cherry cake. While I remember my maternal grandmother making many different German treats, I don’t recall her making this. I found this recipe for kirschenmichel on Pinterest at My Kitchen in the Rockies blog, and I thought it would be a tasty ending to our German-style meal. I was right – it’s delicious! If you’re looking for a traditional sweet-style cake, this isn’t it, as it more resembles cornbread with just a hint of sweetness from the cherries.

 

 

Kirschenmichel – German Cherry Cake

1 1/2 pounds fresh sweet dark cherries, pitted
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/8 cup cornmeal
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 10-inch round springform pan; set aside.

Sift the flour, cornmeal and baking powder. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and the sugar. Mix on medium speed for 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, and mix well.

When the mixer on low speed, slowly alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in the cherries by hand with a spatula.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared springform pan, and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the cake tests clean in the center.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

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In , on October 1, 2015 with No Comments

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Scalloped potatoes are a favorite in our house, and when you add ham to the dish, you have a meal ready to go in just about an hour. Casseroles are a good dinnertime option in our house, as I can prepare everything ahead of time, refrigerate if needed, and pop the dish in the oven once they guys get home from work.

 

 

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

4 cups sliced potatoes, sliced 1/2-inch thick (peeled or unpeeled – your choice)
2 cups diced ham
1/2 cup diced onion
6 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups half and half (or whole milk)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Place sliced potatoes and diced ham in the baking dish.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat, and cook the onions until they are translucent. Add the flour, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the flour begins to turn a light brown color, stirring constantly to form a roux. Add the half and half (or milk) and the cheddar cheese, and stir until the mixture thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the cheese mixture over the potatoes and ham, and bake in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for approximately 60 to 70 minutes, or until the potatoes test done, and the casserole is browned and bubbly.

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