Chicken Spaghetti

It is cold and snowy so here is a nice comfort food recipe.  It is almost casserole like.  I prepare this and cook half and freeze half for another day.  Its an easy meal that tastes yummy, even if it is bad for you. Its also a nice change from just regular spaghetti (or buttered noodles which my kids like)

I substitute cream of chicken for one cream of mushroom.  Actually most time I don't use the canned soups and make my own cream of whatever then add it. 

Enjoy

Recipe:

• 2 cups Cooked Chicken
• 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
• 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper
• 1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
• 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
• 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.
Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

From Pioneerwoman

Lasagna soup

We love lasagna.  My mom often makes it for Christmas Eve dinner.  It is the best. 
In the winter and fall I love to make soups.  This was delicious.  A good combo of yummy lasagna and warm soup. 

I had a little of the "cheesey yum" leftover and we added it to our white pizza.  Yummy!

Recipe from:  http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2011/03/24/lasagna-soup/

Lasagna Soup

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

for the soup:
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
• 3 c. chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 T. tomato paste
• 1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 c. chicken stock
• 8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
• 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
for the cheesy yum:
• 8 oz. ricotta
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• pinch of freshly ground pepper
additional cheesy yum:
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth. You may even want to consider cooking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them. This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Cream Cheese Cookies

If you bake cookies for the holidays then here is a new recipe to try.  I got this recipe from a scrapbook message board.  It was posted and 100's of people replied how good it was. The cookies are very soft.  I like to ice these types of cookies.  The original recipe calls for lemon icing.  If you like lemon then make them with that icing.  I hate lemon in my desserts so I took out the lemon juice and lemon rind and used a tsp of real almond extract.  I also think it would be good with chocolate drizzled on top. 

Cream Cheese Cookies

1 cup butter
1 sm pkg of Cream Cheese (3oz)
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and cream cheese . Slowly add sugar beat until fluffy
Beat in egg yolk, add flour and vanilla. Mix Well. Chill dough
For at least 1 hour. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place on greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 mins.

Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons of butter
1 grated lemon rind

Cream butter and add sugar slowly add lemon juice and rind.
Spread on warm cookies

Swiss Dip

This is one of my favorite dips.  My mom got it from a small cookbook and it is a family favorite.  It gets devoured every time.  Make it for your next party.

I have never seen this recipe anywhere else.  I have looked online several times.  So enjoy our family recipe.  It is addicting.

Swiss Dip:
1 8 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup mayo
1 1/2 cup swiss cheese (shredded)
slivered almonds (optional)

Mix first three and put in casserole dish (add almonds to top if you like)
Bake 350 for 20-30 minutes.
Serve with savory crackers or chips

Baked Pancake Squares

Every now and then I get in the mood for pancakes.  When that happens we head to our local diner "Gab N Eat".  Mike has tried to make pancakes from scratch many times and just can't seem to master it.  I hate making them.  I don't like standing over the griddle only able to cook a few at ta time.  Then it gets too hot, so some burn.  Ugh!

When I found this recipe I thought it was more for me.  The pancakes are thick, which I like.  They aren't like our local greasy diner but they were still good.





Recipe:

Pancake Squares
3/4 cup milk
2 T. melted butter
1 large egg
1 T. sugar
1 cup flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 8×8 baking dish. In a large mixing bowl, beat together milk, butter and egg. Add sugar, then gradually beat the flour in. Carefully stir in the baking powder and salt. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serves 4-6.

From:  http://www.bigredkitchen.com/2008/08/pancake-squares/

Crockpot chicken chili

Fall is here and that means cooler temperatures and a busy schedule for me (its soccer coaching season).  So I try to use my crockpot more often.  This was an easy meal that i found online and had my husband throw together.  It was delicious.  We talked about trying to reduce the amount of cream cheese next time to make it a little healthier. 

Recipe

1 can black beans
1 can corn, undrained
1 can Rotel, undrained
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 8 oz package light cream cheese
2 chicken breasts

Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at bottom of pot, then pour out whole can of corn (undrained), rotel, and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve.

Creamy Baked Chicken Tacquitos

These tacquitos were delicious.  They could be an appetizer at a party or have for a meal.  I actually made them ahead of time and froze them since I am so busy with soccer.  It is great to just pull them out and pop in the oven for a quick little meal or snack.  I also served them with avocado dip.  Yummy!

Recipe:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro  ( I didn't have any of this)
2 Tbsp sliced green onions (I didn't use these either)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheesesmall flour or corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.
(If you decided to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.)
Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).
Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.
Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone.
Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other.
Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.
Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

Recipe from:  http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/02/baked-creamy-chicken-taquitos/