Creamy Turkey and Pasta

Thanksgiving leftovers...  Here is something different from the hot turkey sandwiches and the turkey and stuffing casserole.  We enjoyed this simple and comforting dish.

Image by me.

Creamy Turkey and Pasta
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

• 12 oz rotini
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup turkey or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 package dry onion soup mix (1 1/2 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups diced turkey

*Cook pasta as usual.
*Dissolve onion soup in water.
*Melt butter and add flour over medium low heat.  Cook until golden.
*Add garlic.
*Slowly add turkey stock, tomato sauce, and water.  Stir until bubbling.
*Add chicken and cheese.  Stir until melted.
*Pour over pasta and stir to mix.

Enjoy!
-C :)

Mexican Fiesta Chicken

This is one of my all time favorite meals.  I love the spiciness of the salsa and taco seasoning combined with the sweetness of the corn and the creaminess of the cream cheese.  It definitely ticks all my boxes for what is required for a good meal.  To top it all off, it is super versatile as it can be used as a dip or a sauce for rice and it is easy to throw in the crock pot.

Not the best picture but you get the idea!

Mexican Fiesta Chicken
(by no means is this an original recipe, but I have adapted it over the years and seen it in so many places that I no longer remember the source!)

• 1-1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (breasts, thighs, anything)
• 2 cups salsa
• 1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 1-2 cups corn
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 block cream cheese (8oz)

*Place all ingredients except the cream cheese in a crock pot.
*Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
*Dice up the cream cheese and scatter on top for the last 30 minutes.  Before serving stir to mix.
*Serve over rice or with taco chips for dipping.

I have used chicken pieces for this in the past and then just pulled them out and de-boned them and chopped the meat.  I now prefer to dice the chicken small and then I just have to serve it.  If I double this recipe I use a can of tomato sauce instead of doubling the salsa.

Enjoy!
-C :)

Chili

Suddenly it is fall!  Instead of marinated chicken on the BBQ my thoughts have turned towards comfort foods.  For lunch today I enjoyed a bowl of steaming hot chili that warmed me through and through.  I know that there are a million chili recipes out there but I've never been able to find one that I truly love.  Now I have finally found it!!

Another one of my unskilled photos!

Chili
(adapted from www.food.com)

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (29 ounce) can kidney beans (with liquid)
• 1 (29 ounce) can pinto beans (with liquid)
• 1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 2 -3 teaspoons cumin powder
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• salt to taste
• 1-2 cups water

*Brown ground onion, celery and ground beef until no pink remains.  Drain.
*Add all other ingredients.  (Add water as needed). Bring to a boil.
*Simmer 1.5 to 2 hours on low with lid ajar until thick.

I made a few adjustments.  I used beans that I had cooked at home so they had no liquid.  I found that I did need to add the full two cups of water to make the initial chili watery enough that I could simmer it down.  I also added two cans of mushrooms as I love mushrooms in my chili.  I loved the addition of the green chilies, they were the icing on the cake for me!!

Enjoy!

C :)

Korean Chicken

I'm not sure if this chicken is Korean or not, but I am sure that it is AWESOME!  I rarely make the same recipe twice, but this recipe has made a few appearances at our supper table.  It is super quick and delicious!  Plus it uses honey, which I prefer over sugar.

Korean Chicken
(adapted from food.com)

1 chicken, cut up or 7-10 chicken pieces

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup minced green onion or dried minced onion or 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons honey or sugar

2 teaspoons minced garlic or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

*Place all ingredients together in a ziploc bag.
*Marinate in the fridge overnight.
*Arrange in pan.
*Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

I have made this without sesame oil and it is still good.  Sesame oil pushes it over the edge of amazing though!

Enjoy!

-C :)

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

In our almost 5 years of marriage, there are only 2 meals that Sam has ever requested that we have again, and this is one of them.  Both of the kids love this too!

This dish is relatively simple, but takes a bit of time to get everything together, as most lasagna's do.  Don't be afraid of the spinach.  I do NOT like spinach.  The first time I only put in half and it tasted ok, so I thought I would try it with 2 packages and it was fine!

Creamy Chicken Lasagna
(adapted from HDMac on food.com)

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (slightly heaped)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 9 lasagna noodles
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, for topping

*Boil lasagna noodles until al dente.
*Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat, and saute the mushrooms, onion and garlic until the mushrooms have lost their water and it has evaporated.

*Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly.

*Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

*Stir in 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese.

*Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper.

*Remove from heat and set aside. (The sauce should be fairly thick.)

*Preheat oven to 350.

*Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.

*Cover with 1/3 of the noodles, all the cottage cheese, and all the chicken.

*Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach, and the remaining mozzarella cheese.

*Top with remaining noodles and sauce mixture, and sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

*Bake 45 minutes.

I hope you enjoy this as much as Sam does!

-C :)

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Taco Seasoning

In my kitchen, I am always on a quest to get rid of as many processed products as I can.  In our home we eat quite a bit of Mexican food.  Mexican food that calls for a packet of taco seasoning.  I quick search on food.com lead me to a wonderful recipe that provides all the flavor of the bought variety of taco seasoning without the added chemicals and salt plus it doesn't take long to stir up an enormous batch!  Win-win I say!




Photo courtesy of food.com alligirl.

 Taco Seasoning
(adapted from Kittencal's recipe)

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

2 -3 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 pinch cayenne

2 tablespoons cornstarch

* Combine all ingredients together in a small container.

*To use:  Brown ground beef/chicken.  Add taco seasoning and 3/4 c water.  Simmer until water  evaporates.

When I make this I usually increase the recipe by 5 so that I always have some on hand.  Also, if you are not using the taco seasoning for taco meat but to flavor other dishes, you can omit the cornstarch if you want.

Enjoy!

-C :)