Month: September 2010

Chicken Stroganoff

Do you have a go-to list of recipes that you love to make when your significant other is not home for dinner?  This recipe for Chicken Stroganoff is at the top of my “husband isn’t home so yay I can have something I love” list.  Some of my favorite foods include broccoli, mushrooms, and sour cream, all of which the husband cannot stand.  Since the husband traveled to South Bend, IN with his dad for the Notre Dame football game over the weekend, I decided to invite my best friend and her daughter over for dinner and make this yummy recipe.  This was a very well-received recipe as my friend and her 6 year-old daughter both polished off 2 bowls each, and the toddler even chowed down on the chicken!  The leftover are also delicious (had that for lunch today…YUM!). 

Chicken Stroganoff

8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1  pound  skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 1/2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  pepper
1/4  teaspoon  paprika
2  garlic cloves, minced
1  (8-ounce) container reduced-fat sour cream
2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
4  cups  hot cooked medium egg noodles

Heat about 1 tsp olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and chicken to the pan; sauté 6 minutes. Add broth, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Combine the sour cream and flour, stirring until smooth. Add sour cream mixture to pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve over egg noodles.

Source:  Adapted from Cooking Light

Smothered Pork Chops

I’ve been making this recipe for Smothered Pork Chops for years now, and really enjoy it!  It  comes together quickly (especially since I replace the thicker, bone-in pork chops for thinner, boneless ones), and has a nice flavor.  I usually serve this with mashed potatoes (the sauce makes an excellent gravy!), but I was in a hurry and used noodles instead, which I actually liked better.  If you’re looking for a way to jazz up boring pork chops, give this recipe a shot!

Smothered Pork Chops

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 thin-cut, boneless pork chops
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

 Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Source:  Slightly adapted from Food Network

BWD: Banana Cream Pie

This week’s Baking with Dorie recipe for Banana Cream Pie was chosen by Rebecca of Beurrista.  You can find the recipe for this yummy pie on Rebecca’s blog (along with some other fantastic recipes), or on pages 342-343 of Dorie’s book Baking: From My Home to Yours. 

I was very excited to try this pie as it gave me an opportunity to try several things I’ve never done before: making a pie crust from scratch and homemade whipped cream.  The recipe itself was relatively simple.  Bake a pie crust, add alternating layers of yummy custard and bananas, and top with whipped cream.  However, my execution was a bit off.  First, I had a hell of a time with the pie crust.  It took me a long time to get it rolled out to the way I wanted it, and I couldn’t for the life of me get it to go in the pie pan correctly.  Then, after all of the frustration of getting the crust in the pan, I burnt the freaking thing.  Thankfully, the custard and whipped cream turned out great, and everything combined was fabulous!  Even the husband enjoyed it, and he assured me days ago that he does not like banana cream pie.  The pie crust was actually good despite being overdone.  I always thought homemade whipped cream wasn’t really worth the effort, until tonight.  It was so easy to make and tasted SO much better than the stuff you buy at the store!  Thank you, Rebecca, for an excellent pick!

Check out the BWD blogroll to see how the other bakers did with this pie.  Up next, Cherry Fudge Brownie Torte, which is on pages 284-285.  Two of my favorite things…brownies and cherries!

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

It’s not often that I find a recipe that all three of us love and is easy to throw together.  This is one of those recipes.  It is super easy to throw together, and tastes just as good as leftovers the next day.  Plus, the ingredients are ones I almost always have on hand, so it makes a great last minute dinner as well (which happened tonight).

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg.  (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Low-Sodium Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/2 cup water
2 cloves  Garlic, minced
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp.  dried basil leaves
1 cup 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
 
Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix tomatoes, stuffing mix, water, and garlic just until stuffing is moistened.
 
Layer chicken, basil, and cheese in a 3 quart casserole or 13×9 baking dish.
 
Top with stuffing.  Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is done.
 
Source:  Slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

When I first saw this recipe several years ago on a food blog (can’t remember which one at this point!), I thought it sounded rather disgusting.  I couldn’t picture salsa, taco seasoning, cream of chicken soup, and sour cream creating anything other than a disaster.  However, I continued to see this recipe on other blogs I read, and decided I needed to give this a try.  Since I didn’t have time on Sunday to cook dinner, I thought that would be as good a time as any to give this a shot.  Even after mixing everything together and throwing it in the crockpot, I was convinced it wasn’t going to be very good.  I am so glad I was wrong!  This is surprisingly delicious, and rather healthy!  I had this over rice, and the husband and toddler made burittos with the chicken mixture and rice.  The best part about this…you can use frozen chicken breasts and it still comes out great! 

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 heaping Tbsp homemade taco seasoning
1 cup salsa
1 can low sodium/low fat cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large handfuls frozen corn

Place chicken breasts in the bottom of slow cooker and sprinkle taco seasoning over the top. Combine salsa, soup black beans, and corn, pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs. Shred chicken and return to crockpot, stir in sour cream and heat through.

Source:  Adapted from Made by Melissa, originally from Spark Recipes

Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder

First, let me say I am loving being back in my kitchen!  It looks like a tornado went through there, but I’m finally feeling back in my element.  This soup is definitely one of my favorites, and the best part is, each bowl only has 243 calories!  Healthy and delicious…my kind of meal!  I usually double or triple this recipe so I can enjoy it for lunch during the week.

Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder
Servings: 2  Points+: 7

1 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup cubed peeled potato
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup 2% milk
2 ounces VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cubed
2/3 cup cubed cooked chicken breast

In a large saucepan, combine the broth, potato, corn, garlic, marjoram, thyme and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Combine flour and milk until smooth; gradually add to vegetable mixture.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted.  Add the chicken; heat through. 

Source:  From Taste of Home

Baked Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese and Bread Crumbs

I made these amazing mashed potatoes to go along with our pot roast dinner tonight.  I tried this recipe almost 4 years ago, and haven’t made mashed potatoes any other way since.  These are absolutely delicious!  They do take a bit more time and a little bit more work, but they are completely worth it.  They taste even better as leftovers!

Baked Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese and Bread Crumbs

1 tablespoon butter
4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter and set aside.

Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until they are very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; return the potatoes to the same pot and mash well. Mix in the milk and melted butter. Mix in the mozzarella and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the potatoes to the prepared baking dish. Stir the bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the mashed potatoes. Recipe can be prepared up to this point 6 hours ahead of time; cover and chill.

Bake, uncovered, until the topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Source:  Slightly adapted from Food Network