Proper English Cottage Pie

So, I know I once posted a recipe and called it "British," which I suppose it is since it is a recipe from a BRITISH can. However, I would never call that a "proper" British pie (though I did like it). THIS recipe however actually TASTED British to me and it's good! I even got both of my little boys to eat it. My 15 month old ate it without a problem, but it took a lot more coaxing for my 3 year old. But he did eventually eat it ALL up! As an aside, when I lived in America, I often heard dishes like this called "shepherds pie." Here in the UK, I've learned that a shepherds pie has minced lamb. If you use minced (ground) beef, it's cottage pie. Just a little random fact for you! Enjoy!

Original recipe, here.

 Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (the reviews said the original 1/2 a tsp was a bit much, so I did a little less and liked the flavour)
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth (I did closer to 2 cups based on the size of my bouillon cube over here, since you let the water boil off, it doesn't seem to matter too much)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (I used ketchup because I didn't have tomato paste)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup milk (you may want to try a little less depending on the consistency you want)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 pound shredded Cheddar cheese 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C or gas mark 6). 
2. To Make Meat Filling: Place a large skillet over medium heat. Crumble in ground beef and sauté 1 minute. Add onion and carrot, then continue to sauté until meat is no longer pink and onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Mix in flour, cinnamon, mixed herbs, and parsley. 
3. In a small bowl, combine beef broth and tomato paste. Mix together, then add to beef mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and simmer mixture for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until almost all of liquid has been absorbed. Spoon mixture into a 9 inch pie plate or similar sized pyrex.
4. To Make Potato Topping: Place diced potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and place over high heat. Allow to come to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain.
   Mash potatoes until smooth, then add butter or margarine, followed by milk. Whip until fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread potatoes over beef filling. Sprinkle with grated Cheddar cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until top is browned and cheese is bubbly.  

Chicken Continental

Another recipe without a picture, but it's still a keeper! Tonight I was feeling way too tired to cook and I needed something fast. Some people have elaborate Sunday meals, but Sunday's tend to wipe me out and since I do a lot of intense cooking during the week, Sunday tends to be a "lazier" day. Well, tonight I was looking for something quick to cook based on the ingredients I had on hand in my bare cupboards and found this. Jeff pointed out that it tastes A LOT like rice-a-roni and I'd have to agree with him, BUT it's made from scratch so it's a lot healthier. (Really, I don't cook from a box...ever, unless you count brownies). Plus, it's easy and my boys LOVED it, which is a big plus! I modified the recipe slightly based on other reviews, but it was great! I just served it with some cooked carrots and fruit (I use fruit to bribe my 3 year old to eat, though he didn't need it for this meal!).

Original recipe, here.

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I cubed them first)
• 2 Tb butter
• 1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 pinch ground break pepper
• 1 1/2 cups rice

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, brown the chicken in the butter. Stir in the soup, 1 1/2 cups of water, parsley, garlic, celery, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
2. Add remaining 1 cup of water and stir in uncooked rice.  Simmer (covered) for an additional 10 minutes, or until liquid has been absorbed.

Mmmm...I love quick, easy meals that my boys will eat! I make really involved meals way TOO often. Like the lasagna the other day that took THREE intensive hours to make and then my toddler refused to eat!

Creamy Jalapeno Dressing

I've REALLY been slacking at posting on here, even though we've made loads of new recipes. Jeff reminded me the other day that I really need to post this dressing because we LOVED it and want to have an easy place to find it when we want it again. So, although I don't have a picture, here goes:

Original recipe, here. When we lived in Austin, this was our CSA farm, so we still get emails and love to check out the recipes. This recipe was originally meant to go with pulled pork tostadas also from that link (which we liked, but not really a killer recipe in my mind, but we LOVED the dressing and it works well with any TexMex type meal.)

Ingredients:

¾ cup ranch dressing
2-3 tablespoons pickled jalapenos, chopped, with juice
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Pinch garlic powder
Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend well (we sadly don't have a food processor or blender in this country, but basically just chop everything up and mix it together). Allow to sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Super easy. And super delish! Like I said above, it goes well with any TexMex dishes!

General Tsao's Chicken

My husband has been making this dish for several years now. I refuse to make it because it's less-than-healthy AND time consuming (and besides, he'll cook it, so why should I?! :)  However, I will admit this is an excellent recipe and definitely a keeper! For variety, you can even make the fried chicken pieces using this recipe and then use a different sauce.

Original recipe, here.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups vegetable oil for fying
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 1 pinch pepper (the recipe calls for white pepper, but we've never had any, so we just use black)
• 1 cup cornstarch

• 2 Tb vegetable oil
• 3 Tb chopped green onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 dried, whole red chilies
• 1 strip orange zest
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 3 Tb chicken broth
• 1 Tb rice vinegar
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 2 Tb sesame oil
• 2 Tb peanut oil

• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 c water

Directions:

1. Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a large saucepan on high heat. 
2. Beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken cubes; sprinkle with salt, 1 tsp sugar, and pepper; mix well. Mix in 1 cup of cornstarch a little bit at a time until the chicken cubes are well coated.
3. In batches, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil one by one, cooking until they turn golden brown and begin to float, about 3 minutes. Remove the chicken and allow to cool as you fry the next batch. Once all of the chicken has been fried, re-fry the chicken, starting with the batch that was cooked first. Cook until the chicken turns deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
4. Heat 2 Tb vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the green onion, garlic, whole chilies, and orange zest. Cook and stir a minute or two until the garlic has turned golden and the chilies brighten. Add 1/2 cup of sugar, the ginger, chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut oil; bring to a biol and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Dissolve 2 tsp of cornstarch into the water, and stir into the boiling sauce. Return to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy from the cornstarch, about 1 minute. Stir the chicken into the boiling sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook for a few minutes until the chicken absorbs some of the sauce.

Turtle Bread

A few months ago I was making one of my favourite vegetarian dishes, ratatouille, and wanted to add a bit more to our meal. I thought bread would add a nice touch, but was short on time. Thanks to my favourite recipe website, allrecipes.com, I was able to find this quick, easy, and tasty recipe that also happens to be kid friendly. Although I will admit that the first time I made it, my son refused to eat it and was appalled that we were eating the turtle's body parts. Also, the original recipe suggests putting raisins for eyes. I tried this the first time I made it, but they fell off. My son got really upset because he thought they were chocolate and he wanted to eat them. Needless to say, now I make it without eyes! Still, I would recommend this to anyone! Quick, easy, and fun! Although it doesn't have to be shaped like a turtle... :)

Prep Time: 40 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Ready In: 1 hour 30 min
Original post, here

Ingredients:

• 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
• 1 Tb white sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water (110 F - but I always just guesstimate)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 Tb butter
• 1 egg
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted; let cool until lukewarm.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the cooled milk, butter, egg, 2 cups flour, and salt; beat well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes. Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes.
4. Divide dough into seven pieces. One round 2 inches in diameter, five rounds 1 inch in diameter and the remainder in one large round. 
5. Place the large round on a lightly greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Shape four of the 1 inch rounds into 'feet' and one into a 'tail' for the turtle. Shape the two inch round into a 'head' for the turtle Attach each piece by flattening the end which attaches to the body, wetting it slightly with water and pinching it under the turtle's 'body'. 
6. Cover the turtle with as damp cloth and let rise for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). 
7. With a sharp knife, make crisscross cuts in the turtle's body to make the 'shell'. Finally, make a cut for the turtle's mouth. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Rhubarb Bread

I haven't posted in a while, but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy trying new recipes and re-making old favourites! (Pardon my British spelling. I have no idea how to spell anymore!)

Jeff is definitely the baker in our house, so this is actually a recipe he found and has been making quite regularly. This bread is absolutely moist and delicious. Plus, as it uses rhubarb, I can easily rationalize that it's ok to eat half of a loaf in one sitting. I would definitely recommend it to anyone!

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 1 hour

Ready In: 1 hour 20 min 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk (whenever I cook with "buttermilk," I use 1 Tb lemon juice mixed with just under 1 cup of regular milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb (we've always used fresh, but you can use frozen as well)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

 TOPPING:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 Tb cold butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
2. In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar and oil. Add egg, mix well. Beat in buttermilk and vanilla. Add salt. Separately mix baking soda with a little bit of a water to make a paste. Then add baking soda paste, plus 1/2 cup of flour into batter and beat well at a high speed. Next, add remaining flour and mix well. Fold in rhubarb and nuts. Pour into two greased and floured 8in x 4in x 2 in loaf pans.
3. For topping, combine sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a bowl until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter.
4. Bake for 60 - 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing pans to wire racks.

 

Creamy Artichoke Pasta in Saffron Sauce

This is really, REALLY good pasta. I apologize that the picture in no way does it justice.  When I was in Germany at the end of last year, my sister (who is a brilliant cook) made this for me and I had to pinch the recipe off of her.  I made it on my own (with a few modifications) when I returned home and it was still delicious!  Even my 2 year old loves it, which is really saying something!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pasta (my sister used linguine, I used spaghetti since that is what I had)
• 2 Tb extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 big pinch Saffron (I would say this is an essential ingredient - it's fairly pricey, but you don't need a lot and it's definitely worth it)
• salt & black pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup white wine (I don't have white wine hanging around my house, so I substituted 1/4 c of white wine vinegar and it worked nicely)
• 1 1/4 cup vegetable stock (I used chicken stock instead since that is what I had available)
• 1/3 cup cream
• 14 oz jar of artichoke hearts
• 1/2 cup parsley, fresh (I didn't have fresh parsley, so I just substituted some other dry Italian seasonings)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Boil Pasta
2. Meanwhile heat oil in a large skillet and add garlic, saffron, onion, slat, and pepper.  Cook until tender.  Add wine (or wine vinegar) and cook 3 minutes, until most has evaporated.  Add vegetable stock and cream.  Bring to a simmer for approximately 4 minutes.
3. Add artichokes and heat through.
4. Add parsley and pasta and turn off heat.  Add cheese and salt and pepper to taste. 

Tuna Pie

I'll admit that when I first heard of this and saw it being made, I was not interested AT ALL.  I'm not a huge fan of tuna fish and I'm somewhat hesitant about some "pies," (though they are very common here in the UK) but once I tasted it, I was sold!  I saw it being made on Thursday of last week as part of a women's activity at my church.  I made it for dinner the following Saturday.  I'll definitely make this again.  It's easy and tastes BRILLIANT!  The woman who made it is actually from Brazil, so I'm not even sure if this can be considered British, but in any case, it is worth tryinig out!

Ingredients:

(Pastry)

• 4 eggs 
• 1 c olive oil
• 1 c milk
• 2 c flour
• 1 tsp salt OR 1 cube (U.S. size - I broke my UK size in half) chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 Tb baking powder

(Filling)

• 2 cans tuna, drained
• Mixed vegetables (I used drained, canned corn since that is what I had)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 chopped tomato
• 1 cup cheese
• 2 chives, chopped
• Salsa (she didn't make it with this and I didn't have any either, but it was listed as an option)
• Whatever you have on hand... (She even said you could use chicken,turkey, or minced (ground) meat instead of tuna)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F).
2. In a blender (or in a bowl, with a hand mixer), blend the eggs, oil, milk, flour, and salt (or chicken stock cube) until the mixture is smooth.  Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the filling.
4. Grease and flour a baking dish (I just used a rectangular, glass casserole dish).
5. Add the baking powder to the mixture in #2  and blend for a few minutes.
6. Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking dish.
7. Add the filling.
8. Spread the remaining batter over the filling (First pour some around the edges and then go back and forth over the middle until it is entirely covered).
9. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes (I think it took me closer to 45) or until golden brown.

Enjoy!  Yum!

Creamy Italian Chicken

No picture, but this is one of my favorites that I have made many, many times. I loved it so much that I made sure to pack some dressing packets to bring across the pond to England when we moved here. This isn't as "made from scratch" as some of my recipes, but it is really easy and a family favorite! This recipe is supposed to be made in a crock pot, but since I don't have one over here, I made it on the stove top and it worked fine. I just boiled the chicken first and shredded it and then simmered it with a little bit of water and the mix, along with the other ingredients for an hour.

Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken breast (I usually do less, but then it probably doesn't serve as many people)
• 1 envelope Italian dressing mix
• 1/4 cup water
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (cream of mushroom soup works too)
• 1 (4 oz) can mushrooms, sliced (I've never made it with mushrooms)
• pasta or rice to serve it over

Directions:

1. Put chicken in crock pot (even if frozen). Combine seasonings and water, pour over chicken.
2. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 hours.
3. Mix the soup, cream cheese, and mushrooms together and pour over the chicken.
4. Cook for one hour longer.
5. Boil the pasta or rice according to package instructions.
6. Serve chicken over pasta or rice.

Serves: 8

Chicken & Leek Mash Topped Pie

Not the best picture in the world, but YUM-MY! Trust me! This is my first attempt at making something "British" since we moved here. I found it on a can of condensed cream of chicken soup over here and improvised it based on what I had on hand. In fact, there were no leeks in my version, just a few leftover spring onions and cooking onions. Also, I added carrots to the mashed potato (or mash as they call it here) topping since I didn't have enough potatoes left and had some carrots on hand. I probably didn't make enough of the topping (but, like I said, I was just doing what was on hand), so it didn't brown up as much as it could have. Jeff really liked it and told me to keep the improvised recipe for sure!

Ingredients: (Note: the original recipe has some of the ingredients in weights, since that is how they measure here. I've tried to adjust it to be easier)

• 3 cups potatoes, peeled & cubed
• 1 - 2 carrots, peeled & chopped
• 3 large chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 leeks, sliced (I didn't have leeks, so I used some spring onions and chopped cooking onions)
• 1 can condensed Cream of Chicken soup
• 4 Tbsp milk
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 - 2 cups shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Boil the potatoes and carrots in water until soft.
3. Stir fry the chicken in oil until almost cooked. Add leeks (or onions) and continue cooking until the leeks are just soft.
4. Stir in the soup & milk, mix well and pour into ovenproof baking dish.
5. Mash the potatoes and carrots with the butter and cheese.
6. Roughly spread over the chicken and cook for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Serves: 4

Grandmother's (not mine) Buttermilk Cornbread

I found this recipe about a year and a half ago and use it every time I want to make cornbread. It's super easy and tastes DELICIOUS! It's got to be cheaper than buying a mix, plus I can make it with ingredients I typically have on hand. Perfect!

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Ready in: 55 min

Original recipe, here.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c butter
• 2/3 c white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 c buttermilk (I use 1 cup milk + 1 Tb lemon juice to make my own "buttermilk")
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 c cornmeal
• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2. Melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serves: 9

Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken

I have actually made this recipe quite a few times, but I've never gotten around to posting it on here. It's one of my favorite ways to serve chicken as a main course. It's quite easy and VERY tasty! Unfortunately I don't have a picture, but next time I cook it, I'll make sure to take one.

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Ready in: 45 min

Ingredients:

• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs (I use crushed Ritz crackers)
• 2/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a bowl, blend the olive oil and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper. Dip each chicken breast in the oil mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish, and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.
   
3. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Serves: 6

Cream-less Alfredo

I wanted to make an alfredo dish for dinner tonight using our leftover broccoli and asparagus that was on its last leg. Unfortunately it is a Sunday (we don't shop on the Sabbath) and I didn't have whipping cream, cream cheese, or half-in-half in the house, so I knew it would be a BIT tricky. Luckily, thanks to my good friend the Internet, I was able to find this recipe and it actually turned out really well. Plus, it's got to be a lot healthier than regular alfredo sauce, so that is a plus! Oh, and sorry, no picture of this one!

Original recipe, here (randomly). It sounds like it is from The Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups skim milk (I used whole because we had some and I figured it would be closer to cream)
  
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet on med-high heat, add onion and garlic and cook until golden.
   
2. In medium bowl, whisk together the milk, broth, flour, salt, and pepper until well-blended. Stir the mixture into the skillet, turn heat to high, and cook until the mixture boils and thickens.
   
3. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
   
   This is enough sauce to coat a one lb. box of fettuccine when it has been cooked.

Crazy Bread Sticks

I got this recipe from my friend, Anah, and I hope she doesn't mind that I am posting it here. I have made these a few times and like them because, not only do they taste good, they are fairly quick and easy. Plus, every time I have made them (whether a 1/2 batch for just Jeff and I) or a full batch when I've had a handful of people over, they are ALWAYS gone that night. No leftovers! [And, unfortunately, I can't keep the picture from being sideways!]

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c warm water
• 2 Tb sugar
• 2 Tb yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 c flour (*every time I have made these, they have been pretty sticky, so I might try more flour next time)
  
• 1/4 c butter
• garlic salt or parmesan cheese, optional
  

Directions:

1. Dissolve water, sugar, yeast, and salt together. Mix in flour and let sit for 10-20 minutes.
2. Dump onto a floured cutting board and flatten with hand. Cut into strips with a pizza cutter. (Because of the stickiness, I don't use a rolling pin and I often end up forming the bread sticks with my hand. They don't look the greatest, but they taste good!)
3. Melt butter and pour onto large cookie sheet, reserving about 2 Tb.
4. Place strips on cookie sheet. Brush tops with a basting brush dipped in the remaining melting butter. Sprinkle with garlic salt or parmesan cheese, if desired. (You can also add the garlic salt to the mixed butter and spread it on that way.)
   
5. Let raise an additional 15 minutes.
6. Bake at 375 for for 20 minutes.

Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna

Lest you think I dropped off of the face of the Earth or stopped cooking, don't worry, I didn't! Earlier this month, I was trying to decide what to do with all of my veggies and stumbled across this recipe and made a few modifications. Since I'm borderline vegetarian at times, I loved it. My husband thought it was ok until he had some leftovers the next day and then he thought it was really good! It reheated REALLY well. Next time I think I'll add more tomatoes because they really added a nice flavor. Yum!

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 35 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Ready In: 1 hour, 20 min

Ingredients:

• 12 lasagna noodles
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped (I think I only used one since it was big - I also used a food processor)
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced (I used a food processor for this too)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 2 small zucchini, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
• salt, to taste
  
• pepper, to taste
• garlic powder, to taste
  
• basil, to taste
• oregano, to taste
• crushed red pepper, to taste
  
• 2-3 cups of fresh spinach (the recipe called for frozen, but I used fresh and just guessed how much to use.)
• 1 (8oz) container small curd cottage cheese
• 24 oz ricotta cheese (I used less ricotta and more cottage cheese, since it is cheaper. Even then, I think I used less cheese overall and it was still plenty.)
• 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (I don't think I used this much. I just kind of guessed and used what I had on hand. I did use some mozzarella and some Italian blend, including Parmesan, but it was all kind of guesstimated).
• 1 tomato, sliced (I added this per one of the suggestions and in the future would probably add more tomatoes and include them between the layers.)
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. (I used a foil-lined stoneware casserole dish that I had. This makes a really big lasagna, so I'm not sure a regular 9x13 would be large enough.)
   
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. Heat 1/2 of the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot add broccoli, carrots, onions, bell peppers, and 3 cloves of garlic. Heavily season veggies with basil, oregano, salt (several large pinches), pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Saute for 7 minutes; set aside.
4. Heat remaining 1/2 of the oil and add zucchini with remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Season the same way as the other veggies, saute, and then set aside.
   
5. Place flour in a medium saucepan and gradually whisk in milk until well blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, or until thick, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and garlic powder (to taste) [can also add a little butter]; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Reserve 1/2 cup spinach mixture. In a small bowl combine cottage and ricotta cheeses; stir well.
6. Spread about 1/2 cup of spinach mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer noodles, ricotta mixture, vegetables, spinach mixture and 2 cups mozzarella cheese, ending with noodles. Top with reserved spinach mixture, tomatoes, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.
   
7. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Cool for approximately 10 minutes before serving.

Serves: 12

Tex-Mex Turkey Soup

Several weeks ago, in an attempt not to waste all of the leftover (but still unfrozen) turkey from Thanksgiving, I whipped together this tasty dish. Jeff LOVED it and so did I. It's a great way to use up leftover holiday turkey, but I'm sure it would also taste great with chicken. Have I ever said how much I love homemade soups?!

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Ready in: 50 min

Ingredients:

• 1 Tb olive oil
• 1/2 c minced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 4 c water
• 1 (10.75 oz) can condensed tomato soup
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 c salsa
• 4 c shredded cooked turkey
• 1 Tb dried parsley
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 (14 oz) can black beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 (14 oz) can corn
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

Toppings

• tortilla chips
• chopped green onion
• shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack blend
• fresh cilantro
• sour cream
  

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add minced onions and cook until onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
2. Stir in water, tomato soup, diced tomatoes, salsa, shredded turkey, parsley and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until bouillon cubes dissolve. Add black beans, corn, sour cream and cilantro. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Serve soup with crushed tortilla chips, chopped green onion, shredded cheese and additional cilantro and sour cream.

Pumpkin Pie Bites

I've been in a bit of a cooking funk lately due to the first trimester of my pregnancy. Luckily (or unluckily for my pregnancy weight gain), as the holidays approach, I am finally starting to feel like cooking again. Tonight my husband and I made these little treats for a work meeting he has tomorrow. They are SO cute, SO easy, and SO tasty! The website I found this recipe on may just be my new favorite place. I'm typically not much of a baker, but she seriously makes some SUPER cute stuff!

Original recipe, here.

Ingredients:

• 3 refrigerated ready-to-roll pie crusts (the original recipe only calls for 2, but we had so much extra filling, that we used 3.)
  
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Use cookie cutter to cut approximately 12 shapes from each pie crust. You will need to roll the dough thinner than it comes out of the box. (We were able to get a few extra.)
3. Press dough shapes into a 24 cup mini muffin tray.
4. Apply egg whites from one egg to the top edges of each pie.
5. Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.
6. Spoon mixture into each pumpkin-shaped pie crust, until full.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
8. Remove pies to cool and repeat with second pie crust. Place the muffin tray in the freezer to cool it quickly for re-use.

Makes: 30 mini pies. Keep refrigerated.

Yum!

Chicken Enchiladas Verde

I can tell I am starting to get more confident in my cooking because I am getting better at improvising (even though it was just enchiladas, which are pretty straightforward) . After making salsa verde using our tomatillos, I wanted to find a meal I could incorporate it into. I used my favorite allrecipes.com to find a few recipes and then blended them together, using what I had on hand, to make these. They turned out quite tasty and I wouldn't be surprised if my husband took the leftovers to work for lunch tomorrow. That is always a sign of a great meal - if my husband can eat it the very NEXT day for lunch. (And sorry this picture isn't the best. It mostly looks like a ton of cheese, but really they were good, I promise!) The sad thing is that I used cheddar cheese and an Italian cheese mix to make these. During dinner my husband asked if I had used our monteray jack cheese (he thought it tasted like I had because of the salsa verde flavor). I had completely forgotten that we had some! Oops!

Recipe adapted from this and this.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breast halves
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Green Salsa - recipe on this site, here.
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 2 c cheese
• 4 large flour tortillas
  

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, combine chicken breast with chicken broth, one quarter onion, a clove of garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, and then boil for 20 minutes. Set chicken aside to cool, and discard onion and garlic. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your hands.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
   
3. Coat 8x8 inch baking dish with enough green salsa to cover the bottom. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream and 1/2 of the green salsa.
   
4. In each tortilla, spread chicken, sour cream and salsa mixture, and top with cheese. Roll up and place in dish with seam on bottom. When all tortillas are filled and rolled, add remaining green salsa over the top and top with cheese.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the enchiladas are browned and heated through.

Serves: 4

Green Salsa

Our tomatillo plant is finally producing, so I wanted to find a great recipe that could use them. This green salsa turned out great and I used it to make chicken enchiladas. Yum!

Original recipe taken from "Vegetarian Classics" by Jeanne Lemlin.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz tomatillos (about 18 small golf ball sized, or 10 medium)
• 1 very small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (wear rubber gloves)
• 1 Tb lime juice (just under 1 lime)
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tb minced cilantro
  

Directions:

1. Remove the husks from the tomatillos, then rinse under cold running water to clean off any sticky residue. Place in a medium-size saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a lively simmer, and cook 10 minutes, or until softened. Drain thoroughly and let cool.
2. Place the onion, garlic, jalapenos, and lime juice in the container of a food processor or blender and pulse a few times until coarsely chopped. Add the tomatillos and process until finely chopped but not completely smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl.
3. Stir int eh suger, salt, and cilantro. Serve at room temperature.
   

Makes: 1 2/3 cups

Classic Guacamole

I decided to have a Mexican-themed dinner tonight and since I had several ripe avacados around, I decided to make some guacamole. Tasty! Next time I might try to cut back on the lime juice and add a little more onion, but even then it was good!

Original recipe taken from "Vegetarian Classics" by Jeanne Lemlin. This is a fabulous book that my friend lent me. It has so many great recipes! The pesto recipe on this site is from this book.

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe Haas (dark pebbly-skinned) avacados
• 4 tsp fresh lime juice (approx 1 lime should give you enough)
  
• 2 Tb minced red or white onion (I used white because that is what I had, but I bet red would add nice flavor)
  
• 1/4 c minced tomato
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Minced cilantro and jalapenos can be used to add flavor

Directions:

1. Scoop avacado into food processor or blender and add lime juice. Process or blend until smooth and fluffy. Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 24 hours, then bring to room temperature before serving.
   

Serves: 4