Chicken Pot Pie

Fall is just around the corner and it is time to get out the recipes for some comfort food! This is a staple at our house. So thankful for Aunt Bec giving us the easy easy recipe!

Refrigerated pie crusts

3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

1-2 cans cream of chicken soup

½ bag frozen peas, carrots, corn (or use canned)

1 can diced potatoes

(you can pick and choose which veggies you use--one large can Veg-all would be really easy)

Place crust in pie dish. Mix all the above and place in prepared crust. Place other crust on top and slice for ventilation. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes -1 hour.

Be sure to place on cookie sheet while baking to catch any drippings. They tend to make the smoke/heat detector in my kitchen go off. (Who puts a smoke/heat detector in the kitchen? Crazy builders.)

Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce and Bowtie Pasta

I Love Jamie Oliver recipes!

This is one of those dishes that looks like a lot so I keep it to a weekend meal making day--and enjoy it all week long!

Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce and Bowtie Pasta

Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

PRINT RECIPE

3 large chicken breasts

5 C corn flakes

3/4 C flour

1/2 t salt

1/2 C milk

6 T olive oil 

1   12 oz package bowtie noodles (farfalle)

Sauce:

1   10 oz container Philadelphia Cooking Cream (Italian Cheese and Herb Flavor)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 C chicken broth

1/2 C milk 

fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

  

1. In a small food processor crush the corn flakes into crumbs. 

 

2. Add the 1/2 t salt to the 3/4 C flour. Stir to combine. 

 

3. Place the flour, milk and crushed cornflakes each into their own separate pan. Loaf pans work well for this. If you don't have three loaf pans, do not dismay. You could use pie tins, or round cake pans...what ever works for you. 

4. Place your chicken breasts in a gallon sized Ziploc bag and seal the top. 

Pound the chicken flat with a meat mallet. You will really be thankful for the Ziploc bag in this step. Who wants a bunch of chicken guts flying around their kitchen? Not me...that's who. 

 

5. Take a pair of sharp kitchen scissors and cut each breast in half. 

 

6. Dredge the chicken in the flour. Be sure it gets covered on both sides. 

 

Lay the floured chicken onto a small cookie sheet and slide the sheet into the freezer. Let it hang out there for about 5 minutes.

 

7. Start cooking your pasta.

8. Remove the chicken from the freezer and dredge each piece in the milk......

.....and then immediately into the corn flake crumbs. Again, be sure both sides are covered well. 

 

9. Add the olive oil to a hot skillet. 

10. Carefully lay each chicken piece into the hot oil. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes....

 

....or until the underside of each piece is nice and golden brown. Turn the pieces over. If the bottom of the pan is dry add just a bit more olive oil to the side of the pan. Swirl the pan around a bit to let the oil flow to all sides.

 

11. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium.  Let the chicken cook for about 7 more minutes, being careful not to burn the bottoms. Burned bottoms are not advised. In any shape or form. Thank you. 

12. When your chicken has been cooked through remove it from the pan and place it on a plate. Cover with tin foil.  

13. Into the same pan pour your broth.

 

Philly Cooking Creme, 

Cream of Chicken, 

and milk. Whisk the sauce around and let it get all warm and bubbly. Should only take about 3 minutes. 

 

14. Slice your chicken into strips and serve over your cooked pasta and sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley if you choose.

Enjoy!

Broccoli & Pasta 2 yummies in one dish

A simple pasta salad recipe is one of those things everyone needs all summer long.  This one is very easy, super portable, and kid-friendly while still a bit sophisticated.  The capers add a little salty punch, but if you don’t mention them to the little ones, they probably won’t notice.  Add more of those, and more red pepper flakes, if you want a bigger kick, and add diced cooked chicken or cooked shrimp if you want to make it more of a main dish.

• 3 cups roughly chopped broccoli
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Bring a very large pot of water to a boil  Add a couple of tablespoons of salt, return to a boil, and cook the pasta according to package directions, until just al dente.  About 2 minutes before the pasta is tender, add the chopped broccoli.  Drain when both the pasta and the broccoli are just tender, and rinse with cold water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, rice vinegar, mustard, onion, capers, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.  Turn the rinsed pasta and broccoli into the bowl, and use a rubber spatula (or your clean hands) to mix everything together until the pasta is well coated with the dressing.  Add a bit more olive oil if it seems too dry.

Balsamic Glazed Pork in the crock pot= Pinterest Recipe #1

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) boneless pork loin

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

Glaze

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

Chicken Sandwich with Spinach Salad

For Christmas I received two new cookbooks. The lastest Cookin' in the Kitchen was 'released' in December. I also get the bi-montly Taste of Home magazine. And if that weren't enough, when I was on the couch holding a super sick girl, I watched lots of Food Network. So many new recipes. So many. And I wanted to try them all. Every time I cooked. We had lots of flops. Lots. But we did have some good ones in there too. For example, Paula Deen. Love her!

Sweet Tea-Brined Fried Chicken on a Biscone. Lots of easy work, but good. Complimented with a friend's spinach salad (found in the green book ladies).

I am going to try and post more recipes with pictures. Is that something you would be interested in?

Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Wine Sauce

This week I opened my new Green Cookin' in the Kitchen and found a friend's Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Wine Sauce. It was really good. JD and I are not really into cranberry sauce, but I gave it a try anyway. It was good, but the marinade alone was tasty.

Pork Marinade:

1 1/4 cups Soy sauce

1 cup Brown Sugar
3 cloves Garlic (can use minced in a jar)
1 TBSP fresh ginger, minced or 1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1.5-2 lbs Pork Tenderloin

Pork Marinade: In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Add the pork and marinate overnight. I tweaked the cooking instructions. When ready to cook - place pork in a roasting pan with a bit of marinade mixed with water until pork is half covered with liquid. Bake at 200° covered for 6 hours. (I think that's about right. I cook my roasts "low and slow." I did use my meat thermometer to make sure it was done.)

Cranberry Wine Sauce:
3 TBSP Butter
1 can whole cranberry sauce
small onion (chopped)
1 cube Chicken bouillon
½ cup Burgundy wine (I use cooking wine)
½ cup sugar

Melt butter; add onion and sauté until tender - add cranberries, bouillon , sugar and wine - cook slowly and stir until smooth for about 15 -20 minutes. Slice tenderloin and serve some cranberry sauce over pork at serving time.

Teriyaki Beef with Noodles and Fried Rice

Remember how I said I would post all those recipes I cooked at the beach? Well, I forgot. Hmm. And I bet you did too.

Teriyaki Beef with Noodles
1 lb beef boneless sirloin, cut into thin strips
1 can (14 oz) beef broth
¼ cup teriyaki stir-fry sauce
Dash of ground red pepper (cayenne)
1½ cups frozen snap pea pods
1½ cups (3 oz) uncooked fine egg noodles (angel hair pasta works also)

Spray 12-inch skillet with cooking spray. Cook beef in skillet over medium-high heat 2-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown. Remove beef from skillet; keep warm.

Mix broth, stir-fry sauce and red pepper in skillet. Heat to boiling. Stir in pea pods and noodles; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook about 5 minutes or until noodles are tender. Stir in beef. Cook uncovered 2-3 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened.

Fried Rice
White rice, cooked
1-2 eggs
Green onions, thinly sliced
Butter
Soy sauce

Sauté onion in butter. Add eggs and scramble. Add rice and enough soy sauce to get desired flavor.