Balsamic Chicken Mushroom Pasta

Not entirely from scratch.  Taking the Campbells shortcut to cut down on ingredients and time.  Brine the chicken beforehand if you like extra juicy and tender chicken chunks.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can Cream of mushroom soup
• ½ – 1 cup Half and half
• 4-6 cups cooked pasta
• 2 chicken breasts (diced)
• 2 PKGS mushrooms (sliced)
• ½ TBSP dried thyme
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1-2 TBSP oil (coconut or olive)
• 2-3 TBSP balsamic vinegar (reduced)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook pasta.
3. Cook chicken.  Set aside to cool a few minutes, then dice into big chunks.
4. Brown mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat.
5. Mix together together the soup, half and half, thyme, garlic, and balsamic vinegar.
6. Pour the mix over orzo, add chicken and mushrooms, and stir together.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes to bring all the flavors together.  Or don’t.  If you’re starving, dump it on a plate and dive in.

MamaBean’s Chili

Especially satisfying in the wintertime.  Freezes very well.  Mix in sour cream for a creamy, tangy chili (my fav).  Or toss in some shredded cheddar cheese.  I’ve been making this version for a few years now and no longer tempted to tweak it.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 LB ground turkey (or beef)
• 2 medium onions (diced)
• 2 green bell peppers (roughly chopped)
• 1-15.5 oz can dark red kidney beans (drained)
• 1-15.5 oz can light red kidney beans (drained)
• 1-10 oz can  Ro*Tel (mild or original, depending on your spicy sensitivity)
• 1-14.5 oz can Hunts Petite Diced Tomatoes
• 2-15 oz cans Hunts Tomato Sauce
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1-½ TBSP chili powder
• 1 TSP salt
• 1 TSP white pepper
• 1-½ TSP cumin
• ⅛ TSP cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Brown ground turkey/beef with onions and green bell peppers.
2. Combine seasoning in a small bowl:  garlic, chili powder, salt, white pepper, cumin, cinnamon.
3. Once turkey/beef is browned and crumbled, start dumping in… beans, Ro*Tel, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasoning.
4. Stir it up, cover and bring to boil.  Turn heat back and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Gramma’s Mexican Lasagna

An midwestern American Gramma’s Mexican interpretation of an Italian favorite.  Say that 10 times really fast.  Not for bean-haters.  Make a pan of this on Sunday and pack it up for lunches the rest of the week.*

INGREDIENTS

• 15-6″ corn tortillas (avoid the extra soft variety)
• 1 LB ground turkey (or beef… but DRAIN THE BEEF)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 1 TSP kosher salt
• 1-15 oz can black beans (drained)
• 1-10.75 oz can Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup
• 1-10 oz can Ro*Tel (mild or original, depending on your spicy sensitivity)
• 2-8 oz bags shredded cheddar cheese (1 LB total)
• 1 LB sour cream
• PAM Original

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grab a 9″x13″x2″ pan and spray with PAM.
2. Brown the ground turkey along with the chopped onions and salt.  Crumble then add the black beans.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the soup and Ro*Tel.
4. It’s time to assemble three layers:
5. FIRST – Tear apart the tortillas into pieces approximately 1.5″x1.5″ and cover up the bottom of the pan with ’em.  Or enlist the help of your toddler’s great white shark toy named Bruce who apparently just LOVES to bite corn tortillas into pieces!  Woo hoo!
6. SECOND – Add ⅓ of the meat and bean mixture.
7. THIRD – Follow with ¼ of the shredded cheddar cheese.
8. Repeat 2 more times.
9. Now dump and spread the Ro*Tel soup over the whole thing.
10. Top it off with what’s left of the cheese.
11. Cover with foil and toss it in the oven for 35-45 minutes.  Remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes.
12. Pull it out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.

*Gotta call out that this dish isn’t appropriate for freezing.  The corn tortillas get soggy and icky.

Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes

This recipe perverts the healthy goodness of the remarkable sweet potato.  It’s not even remotely good-for-you.  This is often what’s popular (and expected) during the holidays at our potluck family get-togethers.  If your extended family pays attention to the ol’ waistline, feel free to substitute Splenda brown sugar and margarine.

INGREDIENTS

• 40 oz. can Dunbar’s Cut Sweet Potatoes
• ⅓ cup light brown sugar
• 2 oz salted sweet cream butter
• ⅓ cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium to medium/high heat.
3. Add brown sugar and stir.
4. Add water and stir until all sugar dissolves and a glaze forms (5-10 minutes).
5. Drain and rinse sweet potatoes and put in a casserole dish.
6. Pour butter/brown sugar mixture on top of sweet potatoes.
7. Cover and bake for 35-45 minutes.
8. Remove from oven.

Even Better Green Bean Casserole

So, yeh.  I had to give this classic a twist.  I like it better this way.  At a recent Thanksgiving dinner I overheard, “This is how this stuff is supposed to taste!”

INGREDIENTS

• 2-14.5 oz cans french cut green beans
• 1-10.75 oz can cream of mushroom soup
• ¼ cup milk
• ¾ TSP worchestershire sauce
• ¼ TSP ground cumin
• ⅛ TSP pepper
• 1-2.8 oz can French’s French Fried Onions

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together in a large bowl: soup, milk, worchestershire sauce, cumin and pepper.
3. Drain green beans then dump in the bowl with the sauce and mix together.
4. Fold in ⅓ can of the fried onions, then pour into casserole dish.
5. Bake covered for 40 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and spread the rest of the fried on top.
7. Back in the oven for 5-7 minutes longer (or until the onions are golden).
8. Remove from oven.

Kickin’ Taco Soup

Tasty, thick and hearty soup.  Each ingredient is same amount, so it’s ridiculously simple to double, triple, etc.  Make a ton of the stuff, then freeze a bunch in individual containers to take to work for lunch.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 LB ground turkey or hamburger
• 1 small onion (diced)
• 1-15 oz can black beans (undrained)
• 1-15 oz can pinto beans (drained)
• 1-10 oz can Ro*Tel (mild or original, depending on your spicy sensitivity)
• 1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1-14.5 oz can whole kernel corn
• 1 pack Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Mix
• 1 pack Ortega Taco Seasoning Mix
• 1-12 oz bottle/can of beer (your choice… we’re a Bud Lite household)

DIRECTIONS

1. Grab a big pot.  Brown the turkey/hamburger with the diced onion.  I’d feel obligated to drain if I used ground beef, so I don’t.  Drain is wasting flavor.  
2. Dump everything else into the pot and mix it up.
3. Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium low for 20 minutes.
4. Scoop into bowls and serve with anything that makes sense (corn chips, shredded cheddar cheese, diced green onions, sour cream, etc.)

Chocolate Nutty Bark

INGREDIENTS

• 1-10 oz pkg Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
• 1-½ cups mixed nuts (salted)
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler.  Add cayenne pepper and salt.
2. Place a piece of wax paper on cookie sheet.  Paper needs to be big enough to cover the pan.
3. Once chocolate is melted, pour carefully onto the cookie sheet and spread evenly with spatula.
4. Before it has a chance to cool, evenly distribute nuts on the chocolate. 
5. Put the cookie sheet in a cool place for about 30 minutes.
6. Once chocolate has cooled/hardened, break it into pieces.  
7. Put in container labeled “Liver & Onions” (to prevent other members of the household from discovering your stash) and store in fridge or freezer.

Crack Toffee

INGREDIENTS

• 2-¾ Cup sugar
• 1 LB salted butter (4 sticks)
• ½ TSP salt
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 – 11.5 oz pkg Ghirardelli Premium Milk Chocolate Chips (even better, go for dark chocolate!)
• 1 cup Diamond Whole Almonds

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in pan over medium-to-medium high heat. Add salt as butter melts. When butter is nearly melted, add the sugar in quickly. Stir slowly, in figure 8-ish motion with a wooden spoon. You’ll notice that the sugar won’t dissolve right away.  This is perfectly normal.  Don’t worry; you have not screwed up already.  When the sugar finally dissolves into the butter it’ll appear smooth, like a thick face cream. This should take from 5-10 minutes.  
2. Now add the slivered almonds. Keep stirring (slowly!) for another 10-15 minutes or so.  Once it reads 290° F on a candy thermometer, it’s reached the hard crack stage. At this stage, it will have turned a gorgeous, rich caramel color and may perhaps emit the faintest odor of burnt sugar.  Do not panic.  This is perfectly normal.  
3. Once the mix has reached hard crack, pour it onto a cookie sheet.  Let cool for about 30 minutes.  Be sure you put the cookie sheet on a cooling rack or a couple of towels to protect your counter top.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
4. While the toffee is hardening, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler (or place a large glass bowl on top of a pan).  
5. While the chocolate is melting, dump the whole almonds into a blender and turn ’em into a fine powder.
6. After 30 minutes, the toffee is ready for the coating.  Pour half the chocolate over the hardened toffee and spread evenly.  Then sprinkle half the powdered almonds over the chocolate.  Place the pan in a cool place for 20 minutes or so.
7. Once the chocolate has firmed up, grab a second cookie sheet and place it over the toffee.  Pick up the pans, holding them together, and flip ’em over!  Coat the other side with the rest of the chocolate and powdered almonds.  
8. Once the chocolate has hardened up, break it up.

You’re welcome.

Baked Acorn Squash

INGREDIENTS

• Acorn squash
• Kosher salt
• Butter
• Brown Sugar
• Maple Syrup

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut squash and scoop out the guts.  Great demo video HERE.
3. Put ’em flesh side down on a sheet pan and toss ’em in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
4. Pull ’em out of the oven and flip ’em over.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and put a pat of butter in the crater.  Follow it with 2 or 3 TBSP of brown sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup.
5. Bake in the oven for another 15-20 minutes or until poking it with a fork is like poking soft butter.
6. Remove and let cool for a few minutes before digging in.

Healthier Option:  Skip the salt, butter, and brown sugar.  Just drizzle with honey when you pull ’em out of the oven.  Still NOM NOM!

NOT Healthy Option:  Before you add the goodies in the “crater” add some breakfast sausage.  OMG NOM NOM!  

Chili Garlic Chicken Wings

My husband’s comment as he ate off the last one:  “ Seriously, if it weren’t for chickens, our world would be such a different place.”

INGREDIENTS

• Chicken wings (roughly 20 of ’em after separating)
• 1 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1 TBSP Chili Powder
• 1 TBSP Garlic Powder
• 1 TSP Salt & Pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Brine wings for 30-60 minutes.  (Brine = 2 TBSP kosher salt in ice cold water.)
3. Pat dry wings with a paper towel.
4. Prep wings by cutting into wingettes and drummettes.  Helpful video HERE.
5. Throw ’em into a gallon size plastic ziploc bag, then dump in the rest of the ingredients and massage until wings evenly covered.
6. Optional:  Let ’em marinate in the fridge for a bit.
7. Pour it all on a sheet pan and toss in the oven for about 45-50 minutes or until done.

Really no need for a ton of olive oil since you’re cooking these suckers in the skin.  Plenty of greasy goodness for flavor but I can’t bring myself to eat it.  The skin comes off before I feast.

Also, the recipe calls for chili powder but these are NOT SPICY.  Just flavorful!