Chicken and Biscuits Pot Pie

I found this recipe while surfing through one of my favorite blogs eighteen25.  She was referencing the recipe from another blog that I had never been to before.  You can find the recipe here.  Anyway, as soon as I saw this picture for it, I knew I wanted to eat it!  Which meant I had to make it.  Good thing I'm supposed to cook every night.  So tonight I made it (I cheated a little on things which I'll explain later) but it was so good! The kids ate most of it (it has vegetables in it) and they actually liked it but didn't like the peas (not many kids do).  I give this recipe a 5!

The first part of the recipe is making the biscuits.  This is where I cheated.  I just used a can of buttermilk biscuits and it was great and saved me A LOT of time!  I also added a little shredded cheese to the top of each biscuit before I baked them.

So here's the recipe, give it a try!

Chicken and Biscuits Pot Pie
source: adapted from The New Best Recipe by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated

You can make this pot pie in either a 13×9-inch baking dish or individual oven-safe bowls (which I find cute but a nuisance) – just bake the bowls for 20-25 minutes.  The filling and biscuits can both be made in advance.  Keep them separate, reheat the filling before adding it to the baking dish(es) then proceed with the baking process as instructed in the recipe.

Ingredients:For the buttermilk biscuits

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter chilled, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk

For the chicken pot pie filling:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise 1/4-inch thick
• 2 small ribs celery, cut crosswise 1/4-inch thick
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 to 2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
• 3 to 4 cups (about 1 1/4 lbs) shredded chicken
• 3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Instructions:

1. To make the biscuits: In a large bowl, stir the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together.  With a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter resembles course meal with some larger butter lumps remaining.  Stir in 3/4 cup of the buttermilk with a fork until the mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky ball.  If the dough is too dry, add a little extra buttermilk – 1 tablespoon at a time up to 2 tablespoons.
2. Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface and pull it together into a ball with your floured hands.  Pat the dough out to 3/4″ thickness and cut out 12 rounds with a 3-inch biscuit or cookie cutter.  Transfer the biscuits to a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill until you’re ready to use them.  The biscuits can be made and kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in advance.
3. To make the filling:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil.  Once the oil is hot, sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer cooked vegetables to a bowl with the chicken; set aside.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the same pot.  When melted, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Whisk in the milk, chicken broth, and thyme.  Allow the sauce to come to a simmer and let it simmer for 1 minute to thicken.  Season with salt and pepper and stir in the sherry (if using).  Turn off the heat and transfer the vegetables and chicken to the pot, stirring until the filling is well-combined.  Mix in the peas and parsley.  If the filling is too thick (you’ll know), stir in the extra chicken broth, about 1/4 cup at a time up to 3/4 cup until the filling loosens up a little.
5. Pour the filling into a 13×9-inch baking dish and bake for 18 minutes.  Remove the dish from the oven (keeping the oven on and door closed) and top the filling with the biscuits.  Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Italian Meatball Soup

Ok I'm really on a roll with Our Best Bites!  I am loving their recipe book!  This recipe comes from them again!  It was awesome!  It's actually 2 recipes in one since you make your own meatballs to go in the soup.  My kids kept asking for more meatballs and more noodles.  Well at least they ate it!  I was looking for a recipe to use up the spinach from our co-op and this worked wonders!  I give both recipes a 5!









Here's the meatball recipe first:

Italian Meatballs:
1/2 lb. lean ground beef (I actually used ground turkey instead)
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1/4 c. dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. dehydrated onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. parsley
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt*
*If you want, you could substitute all the Italicized ingredients with 3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning found here.

Gently combine meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. Shape into balls, whatever size you like, but I prefer using my standard cookie scoop (about 1 Tbsp.) to shape meat into balls and then rolling it between my hands to make them even more round. Place on a broiler pan and broil until the meatballs start to brown–I actually use my toaster oven. Just because I can. Remove from oven and set aside until ready to use (or freeze for later use).

And now the soup recipe:

Italian Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

1 recipe of Italian Meatballs
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
5 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
1 cup water
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp italian seasoning
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup small pasta uncooked
2 cups spinach, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. When preparing the meatballs, make them small and bite-sized.  Broil the meatballs according to the recipe directions until they are just brown and can maintain their shape.

2. While the meatballs are cooking, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large stockpot.  Saute the onions and garlic until translucent.  Add broth, water, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning.  Heat to boiling.  Gently add the meatballs, carrots, pasta and spinach.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through, the carrots are tender, and the pasta is al dente.

Chicken and Dumplings

Ok I just made an amazing dinner tonight!  How amazing might you ask?  So amazing that all 3 children had 2nds and my oldest had 3rds!  3 helpings of dinner?!  That is unheard of!  So if you like chicken and dumplings, you have to try this recipe.  It comes from Our Best Bites cookbook and it is, you guessed it, amazing!  I give this recipe a definite 5!

Ingredients

6 cups chicken broth (1 1/2 boxes or 3 cans) OR 6 c. water + 6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 lb. cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (I use 1/2 of a fauxtisserie chicken and it’s FABULOUS! You could also use leftover rotisserie chicken from the grocery store)
1 c. sliced carrots
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 bay leaf
1 handful of chopped fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp. dried parsley)
1/2 tsp. basil
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk (fat free is fine)
1 recipe of Bisquik dumplings (recipe is on the box) or 1 small package of Kluski noodles

Directions

In a large pot, heat some olive oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Saute for a few minutes and then add chicken broth, chicken, bay leaf, and basil. Bring to a boil. Add carrots and celery and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until carrots and celery are tender. When carrots and celery are almost done, add chopped parsley. Add evaporated milk. Increase heat to boiling and add noodles or add prepared Bisquik by small spoonfuls (they’ll really puff up while they’re cooking). Cook until noodles are tender or until dumplings are cooked through (they should appear moist but feel firm; this is after about 4-5 minutes).

Note from author: One other thing–if you know you’ll have leftovers, only add dumplings or noodles to what you know you’ll eat immediately. The noodles/dumplings will soak up all the liquid in the soup when you store it as leftovers, so you’ll have overly-mushy noodles and chicken with no broth if you don’t. The other thing you can do is add all of the dumplings or all of the noodles, and then store the dumplings or noodles separately from the rest of the soup. That’s easy to do with dumplings, not so much with noodles.

Black Bean Spinach Pizza

I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com because I was looking for a recipe that specifically had both spinach and cilantro in it. My in laws gave us a bunch of both from their garden and I didn't want it to go to waste! It was supposed to be a vegetarian pizza but I added chicken to it as well. It turned out so good! Tim said it was his favorite pizza I've ever made. So I definitely had to share! I of course give it a 5!

INGREDIENTS

1 (10 ounce) package prebaked Italian bread shell crust (I used Pillsbury's pizza dough)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained, and mashed
1/3 cup chopped onion (I used green onion)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup salsa (I used salsa verde)
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I used fresh spinach)
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 chicken breast cut up

DIRECTIONS

Place the crust on an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan (I prebaked the pizza dough I used). Combine the beans, onion, chili powder, cumin and garlic; spread over crust. Layer with salsa, spinach and cilantro. Sprinkle with hot pepper sauce and cheeses. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown (I baked it at 400 degrees for 8 minutes according to the dough package).

Pesto Lasagna Rolls

This is a Taste of Home recipe I used in conjunction with the White Puree recipe. It turned out great and no one could tell there was zucchini and cauliflower in it. The recipe actually did call for some zucchini in it which is why I thought this puree would work well mixed in with the cheese mixture. So instead of the zucchini I added 1 cup of White Puree. Instead of the first 4 ingredients I just used already made pesto sauce. One other thing I added was some chicken to the cheese mixture...just to give us some meat :) Oh and I give this recipe 4.5 stars (I needed more pesto sauce).

Ingredients

2 cups Fresh basil leaves
2 cloves Garlic
1 cup(3oz) shredded Parmesan Cheese, divided
3/4 cup Olive oil
15 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Egg, beaten
1 cup Diced zucchini
16 Lasagna noodles, cooked drained and cooled

Preparation

Prepare pesto sauce in covered blender or food processor by processing basil with garlic until chopped. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; process until well mixed. With machine running, slowly add oil and coninue processing until smooth. Set aside. In medium bowl, combine ricotta and mozzarella cheese, remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and egg; blend well. Fold in zucchini (or fold in White Puree).

Spread 2 heaping Tablespoons cheese mixture on each lasagna noodle.
Roll up each noodle length wise and stand vertically in greased 11x7-inch baking
dish. Pour pesto sauce over lasagna rolls; cover and bake in preheated 350* F.
oven 40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

.

Pineapple Ham Bake

Another good recipe from the Taste of Home cookbooks! I made up some rice and green beans to go along with this and it was great! I give this recipe a 5!

SERVINGS: 8
CATEGORY: Main Dish
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 10 min. Bake: 30 min.

Ingredients:

2 cans (8 ounces each) unsweetened crushed pineapple
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons ground mustard (I used regular yellow mustard and eliminated the vinegar)
1 pound fully cooked ham, cut into 1/4-ince pieces

Directions:

Combine the first four ingredients in an ungreased 2-qt. baking dish; mix well. Stir in ham. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until heated through. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 8 servings.

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Ok so after a long hiatus I'm back! I have plenty of recipes to share but don't have time to blog them all so I thought I'd start with this one that I made just the other day. It comes from the Everyday Food magazine which I just started subscribing to. A lot of the recipes in there are a lot more time intensive than I would like but this one was quick and easy and really light tasting. I served it with rice and steamed vegetables. I loved it! I give it a 5!

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks (I just used a regular avocado)

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes per side.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

For all of you who have leftover pumpkin after the Thanksgiving holidays, I thought I'd share this recipe I found from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute meals cookbook. We all loved it! The leftovers were gone in 2 days! It sounded weird at first but I thought I'd try it out and was very pleased! I went a little easy on the nutmeg with this dish since the last dish I used it on turned out nasty! I give this recipe a 5!

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons
1 cup dry white wine (I used more chicken broth)
1 cup chicken stock, canned or paper container
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

Southwestern Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

This is also from Rachael Ray's 30 minute all occasion cookbook. We had this one tonight and it turned out great! I added cilantro to it because I need to get rid of it and it gave it added flavor. I also added cheese because what burrito is complete without cheese? I give this recipe a 5! (again sorry no picture)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
a couple shakes cayenne pepper sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot or Tabasco
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (I used pam cooking spray)
1/2 medium spanish onion chopped (I just used regular yellow onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp smoky barbecue sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 heart of romaine, shredded
6 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 large flour tortillas, flavored or plain

Rub chicken with cumin, chili powder, and cayenne sauce. Heat a griddle pan to high. Cook chicken breasts 4 minutes on each side and remove from heat.

While chicken is cooking, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Go once around the pan with oil. Cook onions and garlic until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add beans and barbecue sauce. Chop cooked chicken breasts and drop into barbecued beans. Heat mixture through. Season with salt and pepper.

Place a tortilla on a plate and pile chicken and beans in center. Top with lettuce, scallions, and tomatoes. Wrap, roll, and repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Serve with chips and salsa.

Sausage, Beans, and Broccoli Rabe "Stoup"

I recently picked up the Rachael Ray 30 minute meal cookbook for all occasions and have been trying out some of the recipes. This one was the first I tried and it turned out amazingly good! I didn't use broccoli rabe because I figured Wal-Mart wouldn't have it and I didn't want to take the time to search for it so I just used regular broccoli. I also added freshly chopped mushrooms since we had a bunch to get rid of. Hope you enjoy it! I give it a 5! (Sorry no picture this time!)

2 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil (I just spray the pan with Pam cooking spray)
1 lb bulk Italian sweet sausage (just used regular Jimmy Dean sausage)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 starchy potato, peeled and chopped into small dice (I used red potatoes)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 can (15 oz.) white beans, drained (I used Great Northern beans)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 bunch broccoli rabe, chopped (3 cups) (I used regular broccoli)
1 quart chicken broth
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese, for serving

Heat a medium pot or a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and sausage and brown, crumbling with a spatula. Add onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, bay leaf, and beans. Season with salt and pepper. Cook to begin to soften the vegetables, 5 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and cook just until wilted. Add chicken broth and cover pot. Raise heat and bring stoup to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf, adjust seasonings, and serve stoup with grated cheese for topping.

Creamy Chicken Macaroni

Tonight's meal was again from the newest Kraft Food and Family magazine and was one of my favorite types of meals, a one pot dish! Love it! Less mess and only one pot to clean afterward. I didn't have any paprika in the house....among all my thousands of spices so I used Old Bay seasoning instead....didn't do much for the chicken so I give this recipe a 4.5!

1 Tbsp. oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 tsp. paprika
2 cups water
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 pkg. (7-1/4 oz.) KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

HEAT oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and onions; cook and stir 5 min. Add paprika; cook and stir 1 min.

STIR in water, broccoli and Macaroni; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 10 min. or until macaroni is tender and chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.

ADD Cheese Sauce Mix and sour cream; stir until well blended. Cook 2 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Speedy Chicken Stirfry

It's that time again, when Kraft Food and Family sends me another magazine and I use it A LOT! I loved this recipe and there are no leftovers since those were eaten today so you know it was good when the leftovers are no longer around. My favorite part of this recipe is the Kraft Asian dressing, I love all the flavors they have that help make a dish wonderful! I give it a 5!

8 oz. angel hair pasta (capellini), uncooked
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup KRAFT Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. each: ground ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper
1/3 cup chopped PLANTERS Dry Roasted Peanuts

COOK pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 min. of the pasta cooking time.

MEANWHILE, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 to 8 min. or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper; cook 1 min., stirring occasionally.

DRAIN pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly. Spoon evenly into four serving bowls; sprinkle with the peanuts.

Chicken Waikiki Beach

Doesn't the recipe name just sound so exotic? Well now that I'm back to actually cooking meals instead of take out or frozen meal stuff I thought I'd post one of the new things I tried. This recipe came from a Fundcraft Cookbook Sampler and it's by someone named Sue Dowell. It was great and we're working on downing the leftovers! I give this recipe a 5!

1 chicken cup up (I used 2 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces)
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Heat oven to 350. Coat chicken with flour. Heat oil (I just use cooking spray) in a large frying pan and brown chicken on all sides. Remove to a shallow roasting pan; arrange pieces, skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Prepare sauce.

Sauce:

1 (1lb. 4oz.) can sliced pineapple
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp ginger
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 large green pepper, sliced (I used orange)

Drain pineapple syrup into a 2-cup measure. Add water to make 1 1/4 cups. Mix in cornstarch to dissolve. In medium saucepan, combine sugar, syrup with cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and bouillon cube. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Add pineapple slices and pepper slices. Back 30 more minutes. Serve with rice and enjoy! (Now I thought that was quite a bit of cooking time an hour after you've already browned the chicken? So I did 15 minutes and 15 minutes and it was fine....I had a starving family waiting for dinner!)

Black Beans and Cheese Enchiladas

So it's been forever since I posted a new recipe, but after I made this really easy recipe I knew I had to post it. I found this recipe on the Betty Crocker website. I was looking for a recipe to use the rest of a steak that I had already cooked up. This recipe doesn't call for meat but I added the steak and also a can of green chiles before putting the bean mixture into the tortillas. This was so easy I'm sure without adding those 2 things it would be even easier for those of you who don't want to add any meat to it. I give this recipe a 4.5!

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can (15 oz) Progress® black beans, drained, rinsed
1 package (11.5 oz) Old El Paso® flour tortillas for burritos (8 tortillas), heated
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz)
1 can (10 oz) Old El Paso® enchilada sauce
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz)Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa, if desired

1.Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cumin; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in beans.

2.Place about 3 tablespoons bean mixture in center of each warm tortilla. Top each with 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese. Roll up tightly; place, seam side down, in baking dish. Spoon enchilada sauce over tortillas. Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray; cover baking dish with foil, sprayed side down.

3.Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Serve enchiladas with salsa.

Cheesy Stuffed Shells

Tonight's recipe was a lot easier than the last one. It came from (of course) the Kraft Food and Family magazine. Usually when I see italian meals with something stuffed it takes forever or it's just complicated to make. But this was a breeze. No meat in this recipe just some spinach and cheese. I added a can of mushrooms since Aiden is a huge fan of mushrooms and I know I can get him to eat longer if they're in there. Otherwise, I just made the recipe as is. I give it a 5!

1 container (16 oz.) BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Low Fat Cottage Cheese
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 large tomato, chopped

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Mix cottage cheese, spinach, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning until well blended. Spoon 1 heaping Tbsp. of the cheese mixture evenly into each pasta shell.

COMBINE spaghetti sauce and tomatoes; spoon half of the sauce mixture into 13x9-inch baking dish. Place shells, filled sides up, in baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce mixture over shells. Cover with foil.

BAKE 25 min. or until heated through. Uncover; top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, an additional 2 min. or until cheese is melted.

Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I have officially become a magazine mom. I subscribed to Family Fun magazine and just love it. That is where last night's recipe came from. I looked at it last week before I needed to go grocery shopping because there were things in this recipe that I have never bought before but have always wanted to cook with like tomatillos. Some of the mexican restaurants around here have great salads with this tomatillo ranch dressing that is amazing! If I find a good recipe for it I'll let you know. Anyway this was an amazing dish! We just had leftovers for lunch and there is only one enchilada left so you know this was good. Tim raved about all night! That always makes you feel good. Even Aiden gobbled it down. I do have to say that this wasn't an easy recipe meaning it took longer than my normal 30 minute meals since you have to prepare the sauce and then the enchiladas. But it was worth it. This recipe is a lot easier if you own a food processor of some sort or a blender. I give this recipe a 5!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

For the Sauce:
2 pounds tomatillos
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped white onion
1/3 cup chopped cilantro, lightly packed
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies, drained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream

For the Enchiladas:
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas (I used burrito size flour tortillas)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. To make the sauce, husk the tomatillos, and rinse them under warm water to remove any stickiness and dirt. Broil the tomatillos on a foil-lined baking sheet 1-2 inches from the heat, turning them once, until they are softened and slightly charred, about 7-9 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the white onions and saute until golden brown about 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the tomatillos to a blender and add the sauteed onions, cilantro, green chilies, cumin, sugar, and salt and puree until smooth.

4. Return the tomatillo sauce to the skillet and cook it over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Add the broth and cream and continue cooking until the sauce is slightly thickened and not watery, about 5-8 minutes. Add more salt if desired. (This sauce has more of a sweet taste to it).

(I skipped this next step since I used flour tortillas instead of corn)
5. To make th eenchiladas, brush both sides of the tortillas lightly with oil and lay them on a cookie sheet in stacks of two. Heat them in a 375 oven just until they're soft and pliable, about 3 minutes.

6. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, half of the cheddar, half of the monterey jack, the chopped onion, and the salt. Add 1/2 cup of the sauce to the chicken mixture and toss to combine.

7. Spread a third of the remaining sauce in the bottom of a 9X13 inch baking dish. Place 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of a tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the other tortillas. Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the casserole.

8. Bake the casserole at 375 until the enchiladas are heated through and the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown, about 20-30 minutes. Severs 6-8 people.

All in one pot saucy pasta

That's quite a long name for quite a tasty dish. Tonight's meal came from the Kraft Foods website (I already exhausted the dinner recipes from the magazine). And I finally got to use my brand new pan! It turned out great and my pan was fantastic (although I did have to use a cookie sheet as a lid). There were plenty of leftovers, not because we didn't like it but because the one pot meals usually make a ton of food! Aiden liked it because it had mushrooms in it and then decided the wall needed a new coat of paint....spaghetti sauce red. Nice... I give this recipe a 4.5!

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups rotini pasta, uncooked (any pasta would work here)
3-1/2 cups water
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce (about 3 cups)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped red peppers
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese

BROWN meat large deep skillet; drain. Add onions; cook until tender.

ADD pasta, water and spaghetti sauce. Bring to boil; cover Reduce heat to low; simmer 15 min., stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and red peppers; cook 5 min.

SPRINKLE with cheese.

Quick-fix Beef Burrito Skillet

It's that time of year again! The time when the new Kraft Food and Family magazine comes out. They only come out about 5 times a year so when they do I had a ton of new recipes to try! I love this magazine. If you don't already get it, sign up for it, it's free! Anyway, off my soapbox....I love the recipes that are all in one pot/skillet/pan. That way there's less dishes to do at the end. So this one was definitely going to be tried. It turned out great and Aiden loved that it had beans in it. One of his favorite foods...next to pizza. I give this recipe a 4.5! (oh and by the way, you don't have to use the brand name ingredients it calls for...just whatever you normally buy!)

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) TACO BELL HOME ORIGINALS Taco Seasoning Mix
1 can (19 oz.) kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 cup TACO BELL HOME ORIGINALS Salsa
1 cup water
4 flour tortillas (6 inch), cut into 1-1/2-inch squares
1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese
1/3 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1/3 cup chopped green onions (about 1 large)

BROWN meat in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat;
drain.

ADD seasoning mix, beans, salsa and water; stir. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min.

STIR in tortillas; top with cheese. Cover; let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and onions.

Nona's Yummy Lasagna

So I made this recipe a couple days after my family left (just haven't had time to post it) and loved it! This also comes out of the ward cookbook. I just love lasagna (except for that nasty seafood one I tried a while back) and this one was easy...and delicious. I had it for lunch the next 2 days afterwards until all the leftovers were gone. Yeah it was that good....I thought about it all the time. Tim was bummed when I told him I had finished off the lasagna...good thing I had some other left over he wanted to eat instead. So I definitely give this recipe a 5!

9 lasagna noodles
1lb. ground beef
Desired amount of onions (I loved
that I got to pick!)
2 (8oz.) cans tomato sauce
1/8 c. Italian seasoning
1 to 2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 to 3/4 cup sour cream
grated cheese

Boil water. Cook the lasagna noodles until tender. To make the meat
sauce, brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet. Stir in the tomato
sauce and Italian seasoning. Simmer, stirring occasionally. Take off heat. Add
the cottage cheese and sour cream. Lightly grease a large baking dish. Spoon in
enough meat sauce to lightly cover the bottom of dish. Top with 3 strips cooked
noodles. Spread meat sauce over noodles and sprinkle cheese on top. Repeat
layers, ending with meat sauce (I actually ended with cheese on top). Bake
covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes to set layers.

(Note: You can use dry noodles instead of boiling the noodles before hand. If you do this, pour 1/2 cup water over the layered lasagna and let it sit for 15-30 minutes before baking.) -Natalia Magnusson

Enchilada Stack

This recipe was also from our ward's cookbook. The first time I ate it (right after I made it) it was like eating homemade hamburger helper...not bad and definitely didn't taste like it came from a box. The 2nd time I ate it (leftovers) it was much more spicy than I remember...which is great since I like spicy foods but that explained why Aiden kept whining and sticking his tongue out when he ate it! I give this recipe a 4.5!

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
Salt and Pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 (6oz) can enchilada sauce
1/2 small bottle taco sauce (I used a cup of salsa instead)
1 can copped green chiles
1pkg. corn tortillas (I used flour tortillas)
1lb grated Longhorn or Mild Cheddar cheese

Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet. Salt and pepper to taste. Add soups, enchilada sauce, taco sauce, and chopped green chiles. Mix thoroughly and heat through. Cut tortillas in fourths. Oil a 9x13 baking dish (I used cooking spray) and place a layer of tortillas, cheese, and meat mix; continue until all but 1/4 of the cheese is gone. Should make 3 layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes longer, until bubbly. --Jamille Sanford