Chicken & Broccoli Supreme

I had been wanting to make this recipe from the first time I saw it on Pinterest. Something about it just told me it would be delicious! So, last week when we had some dinner guests, I thought I would try it out. I am so glad I did, because it is so good! In fact, I'm making it again tomorrow because we liked it so much. My husband liked it so much that he even wanted it over the Pioneer Woman's chicken pot pie I was offering to make!

I made a few changes, so this is an adapted version and here is the original recipe. Because we were having guests, I used a little more chicken and broccoli, and it fed 6 adults and 1 toddler generously. This is a wonderful casserole dish to make. Everyone liked it and it goes great with some rice, a salad, and crescent rolls. It's easy to make, too! If you do not have time to make the sauce from scratch, simply substitute 1 1/2-2 cans of cream of chicken soup-I won't judge! I'm doing that tomorrow ;).

Broccoli Chicken Supreme
Adapted from this recipe.

I N G R E D I E N T S :

2 pounds of frozen broccoli, steamed or boiled (original recipe calls for 1 lb).
4 cups cooked chicken breasts, cut into small pieces (original recipe calls for 3 cups).
2 tubes ritz crackers
1 stick melted butter
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

for the sauce:
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water
1 cup water
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese

D I R E C T I O N S :
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 13x9 pan.
Layer broccoli and chicken, then set aside.
If making the sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine melted butter, cornstarch dissolved in water, bouillon cubes, seasonings, and milk. Stir well, continuing stirring until sauce has thickened.
Turn heat down to low and add cheddar cheese.
Stir until melted, and pour over chicken and broccoli.
Melt butter, and add poppy seeds. Stir well. Crush Ritz crackers (I always give them a spin in my food processor), and add to melted butter. Sprinkle over the entire mixture.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Chicken Simon & Garfunkel

I am all about easy dishes these days. This is just not the season in life for me to be making things that keep me in the kitchen all day and away from my kids. So, you are likely to notice I will most likely write more posts with dishes that are quick and simple, like this one. I made this dish the other night and it was so good! I've been wanting to try it for a while, and I'm glad I did because it was yummy. This is a super easy, quick dish to make and pop in the oven, and it has a delicious flavor. No picture, but you should still make it! I served it with rice pilaf and steamed broccoli, and my husband and daughter both loved it.

Chicken Simon & Garfunkel

from Simple Suppers for Busy Moms

I N G R E D I E N T S :

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 egg

flour

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)

1 Tbsp. parsley

1/4 tsp. sage

1/4 tsp. rosemary

1/4 tsp. thyme

1 stick butter (could use less; I did. I think you could even use just half a stick and be fine.)

1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth (I used both a 1/2 cup white cooking wine and 1/2 cup broth from a boullion cube)

toothpicks

D I R E C T I O N S :

Season flattened chicken breasts with salt and pepper and sprinkle mozzarella on top. 

Roll and secure with toothpick. 

Make three bowls for dipping: 1) flour; 2) whisked egg; 3)bread crumbs and spices stirred together. 

Dip rolls in flour, then in egg, then in crumbs (roll to coat).

Place in greased casserole dish and top with melted butter. 

Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Add wine/broth, cook 30 minutes more.

Classic Spaghetti Sauce

Every cook has their own version of spaghetti sauce, and after trying some different kinds over the years, I made this one the other day. I looked at some different recipes, including this one from my friend Amber's blog, and then threw my adapted version together. Like Amber, instead of using a packaged spaghetti seasoning packet, I looked up recipe substitutes and then adjusted it in my recipe according to my preference. The great thing about a sauce like this is that you can adjust it according to your taste as you go. We loved the flavor and had enough left over to freeze for a future meal. 

Classic Spaghetti Sauce

I N G R E D I E N T S :

2 Tbsp. oil

1.5 lbs ground beef (I use mostly lean beef-I think it was 94% lean)

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

15 ounces tomato sauce

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, liquid drained

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. dried basil

1 1/4 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. dried rosemary

1/8 tsp. dried red pepper flakes

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. sugar

D I R E C T I O N S :

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, cook onion and garlic until tender and transparent. Remove, and set aside (or, you could just leave them in while the beef cooks. I don't think it really matters).

Turn heat to medium-high/high and brown beef until cooked through, stirring constantly to crumble. 

Drain any grease.

Combine beef, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, drained tomatoes, water, and remaining ingredients to the sauce pan. Cook on medium heat, reducing heat to low once it reaches a gentle boil. Simmer, covered,  on low for a while (20-30 minutes if you need it quickly, or you can let it sit on low for longer to let the flavors combine even more). Adjust seasonings to taste.

Sloppy Joes

Oh, come on and admit it. It's okay; you don't have to be ashamed. You know you like a good sloppy joe every now and then! This was my first attempt at making sloppy joes, and I decided to give it a try after a friend sent me a recipe she loves and I thought it would be a good meal to make a freeze part of for after the baby. I ended up adjusting quite a few things in the recipe, so hopefully I'll be able to remember what all I did...but when in doubt, just adjust amounts according to your taste. This was a good meal and my husband loved it. I think he would rather eat something like sloppy joes over a fancy meal any night!

I did not get a picture, but really, let's admit it: Sloppy joes may taste good, but they aren't pretty.

Sloppy Joes

Original recipe here from allrecipes.com

I N G R E D I E N T S :

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (add a little, and then add more if you think it needs it)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I ended up using a little bit more)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (this is an estimate-original recipe calls for 1/4 tsp but I added more after tasting it)
• Onion powder (I sprinkled some over the top as it was cooking)
• Hamburger buns

D I R E C T I O N S :

• Cook beef in a large skillet over medium-high until evenly browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and celery, cover pan, and cook until transparent. The original recipe says this takes about 5 minutes, but it took me a while longer to get the celery and onion to desire softness. Drain off any grease.
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• Stir the tomato soup (undiluted), ketchup, water, vinegar, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce into the beef mixture. Season with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder, adjusting to taste. Heat to a simmer over low heat, and cook until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning on the bottom. If your onion and celery still needs to soften up, you can cook it for longer. I let the mixture simmer on low for a while, and was more and more pleased with the results after letting the flavors combine for longer.
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• Spoon the hot beef mixture onto buns. 

Fancy baked penne pasta with chicken and sun dried tomatoes

I mentioned this recipe last week when I posted about freezer cooking, but I wanted to give this recipe its own post because it was super tasty! I'm only posting a link to it, but you can find the full recipe and a picture there. It's definitely not a low calorie dish, but it is yummy. The only thing I would do differently is make sure there is enough salt-the instructions say to add salt to taste near the end, and I wish I would have added just a hair more. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing! 

Here is the link:
Baked penne pasta with chicken and sun dried tomatoes
from Freeze Happy

Inside out Ravioli

This is a very simple dish to make. The recipe calls for store-bought sauce, which I don't normally use, but I have to admit that it was a huge time saver. Rather than making one 9x13 dish, I made two small round pans and froze them because I'm having a baby in May and am currently stocking my freezer for meals in preparation. While we haven't actually had this meal yet, the few bites I sampled before freezing the dish tasted good, so I'm looking forward to trying it out in a few weeks!

Inside Out Ravioli

adapted from a recipe in The Christmas Cottage Cookbook

I N G R E D I E N T S :

1 (10-oz) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, cooked acc. to pkg. directions-reserve the water from cooking.

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (15-oz) jar spaghetti with mushrooms (I used Ragu super chunky mushroom)

1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce

1 (6-z) can tomato paste

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs (all I had was panko so I used that, but any is probably find)

1/4 cup oil

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 (8-oz) pkg. shell macaroni, cooked

D I R E C T I O N S :

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook macaroni shells according to package directions.

Meanwhile, cook spinach according to package directions; drain well, reserving liquid. Set aside.

Brown ground beef with onion. Once finished,  add spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and spinach liquid. Simmer 10 minutes.

Combine spinach with bread crumbs, oil and cheese. Mix well and add to cooked macaroni shells.

Pour meat sauce over top of shell mixture, and stir until combined.

Spread in 9x13 baking dish (or two 8x8 or small around pans). 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Serves 6-8.

Shrimp & Penne Pasta

My friend Amber simply loves this dish and makes it regularly, so I had to give it a try. I actually made it a few weeks ago and am just now getting a chance to post it on here (I know, it has been a while since I posted...between the holidays, traveling, pregnancy, and a toddler, I have not had as much time for new meals or blog posts). This is a simple dish, but it's delicious. The only part that took a little bit of time was deveining the shrimp, but if you bought shrimp that has already been deveined, it would be a quick dish to put together. We don't normally cook shrimp, so this was a fun treat to have one evening for dinner. The sauce has a great flavor, and is perfect with the shrimp. This is served great with a salad and some french bread. 

Penne a la Betsy
Slightly adapted From The Pioneer Woman Cooks


I N G R E D I E N T S :
1 pound penne pasta
1 pound shrimp (I bought uncooked shrimp that had already been peeled)
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 whole onion (small), finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cups white wine, or to taste (I used cooking wine)
1 can tomato sauce (14.5 Oz)
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. dried parsley (or use fresh if you have some)
1 tsp, dried basil (or use fresh if you have some)
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper


D I R E C T I O N S :
Bring pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the penne until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Begin by peeling and deveining the shrimp, and rinsing them under cold water.
In a small skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp. of the butter and 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil.
When the pan is hot, add the shrimp. Stir and cook on both sides until it is just starting to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and allow to cool slightly. 
Next, finely chop the onion.
In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. olive oil.
Add the garlic and onion. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent.
Pour the rest of the wine into the pan. Stir and allow it to evaporate, about 45 seconds.
Pour in the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low.
Pour in the cream. Stir well to combine, reduce the heat to simmer.
Add the shrimp to the sauce and stir gently to combine.
Next, stir in the herbs. Add the cooked, drained pasta.
Stir gently to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add a little milk to get it to the right consistency. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be sure to taste the seasoning at the end, adjusting if necessary.
Serve directly out of the skillet, or pour the contents of the skillet into a serving bowl.