Skillet Baked Ziti

Delish!

Skillet Baked Ziti

Ingredients

• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I like Hunts)
• 3 cups water
• 12 ounces ziti pasta (3¾ cups)
• 4 ounces (1/2 cup) part-skim ricotta
• ½ cup heavy cream or half and half
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp basil, dried
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  

Instructions

1. Combine 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in 12-inch skillet and saute over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add crushed tomatoes, water, ziti and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain vigorous simmer, until ziti is almost tender, 15-18 minutes. Make sure you don't cook it too much. It will continue to cook as you go.
4. Meanwhile, combine ricotta, remaining 1 teaspoon oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
5. Stir in cream, Parmesan, and basil into the skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add dollops of the ricotta mixture with a spoon and sprinkle mozzarella evenly over ziti.
7. Cover the skillet with a lid and melt the cheese.

Chicken in Garlic Sour Cream

Jeff gives this 4 (out of 5) stars.  It's really easy, too, which is always a bonus!  And for those of you who don't like sour cream...don't worry.  This doesn't taste like sour cream.  Or Jeff would have hated it.  : )

Chicken in Garlic Sour Cream

Salt and pepper to taste
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken pieces (legs, thighs, breasts, etc...whatever you like.) trimmed of excess fat
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. fresh chives, finely chopped
1/2 C. sour cream

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt.  Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, put the butter and oil in a deep skillet, preferably non-stick.  Turn the heat to medium  and wait a minute or so, until the butter melts.  Add 3 or 4 pieces of the chicken, skin side down, and brown it well, rotating and turning the pieces as necessary, 20 to 25 minutes.  Repeat with remaining chicken.  Remove the chicken from the skillet and place on a tray in a warm oven.  Drain all but 3 tablespoons of the fat.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic and chives.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is softened and the mixture fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the potatoes to the skillet and stir to coat with the herb mixture.  Turn the heat to low and add the sour cream.  Stir to coat; add the chicken and turn the chicken in the sauce until well coated.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, if necessary.  Simmer very gently for another 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  Garnish with whole chives (optional) and serve. 

Recipe clipped out from the newspaper a long time ago. 
The original recipe called for 1/2 C. chopped fresh dill leaves, but Jeff would have gagged - he hates dill.  So of course I left it out.  I think it was quite tasty this way, but if you like dill you could give that a try!  : )

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Waffles

These are SO scrumptious!  They're my new favorite waffles!  The coconut oil makes them smell sooo yummy while they're cooking and it just adds a tiny coconutty aftertaste.  Delish.  We didn't have enough ground wheat flour so we did half white and half wheat - but I'm sure all wheat would be good too.  You can get away with 100% wheat when you're topping it with maple syrup haha.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Waffles

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups whole wheat flour (or half white, half wheat)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp melted butter
• 3 Tbsp melted coconut oil
  

Method:
Beat eggs well, then add buttermilk to eggs and beat.  In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Stir into egg mixture.  Add butter and coconut oil and beat just until smooth.  Use a hot waffle iron.  Makes about 12 waffles, depending on the size of your waffle iron.

BLT Bow Tie Pasta Salad

This was a yummy salad and it was definitely different from the norm.  I think I left the chicken breast out, but I can't remember...

BLT Bow Tie Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
• 6 cups torn romaine
• 1-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
• 1-1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under
• cold water. In a large bowl, combine romaine, chicken, tomato, bacon
• and pasta.
• 
  
• In a small bowl, whisk mayonnaise, water, barbecue sauce, vinegar and
• pepper. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Serve immediately. Yield: 8
• servings. 

Simple and Delicious

Chicken, Pecan and Cherry Salad

We had this salad for dinner with some rolls and we all thought it was tastey.  I sliced the dried cherries in half so it wasn't a big huge bite of cherry.  Oh, and I'm somewhat scared of blue cheese so we opted for feta instead. :)  I also used pre-breaded chicken breast and just cooked that really quickly instead of taking the time to grill chicken breast - either way would be good though.

This is from the last issue of Simple and Delicious.

Chicken, Pecan and Cherry Salad

Ingredients

• 8 cups torn mixed salad greens
• 1-2 packages (6 ounces each) ready-to-use grilled chicken breast strips
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons dried cherries
• VINAIGRETTE:
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In a small bowl,
• whisk the first six vinaigrette ingredients; gradually whisk in oil
• until blended. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Yield: 4 servings.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

We had these for dinner tonight....mmmmm.  I loved them.  Even Tiernan liked them and he's usually a pancake purist.  : ) I don't know if ALL of these steps are necessary....tempering the eggs, etc.  I think that next time I make them I'll just mix the liquids except for the butter, mix the dry stuff and add them together.  Then add the butter and then fold in the egg whites. So if I remember, I'll let you know how that works.  : )
I made blueberry syrup and maple syrup to go with these and I think I actually liked the maple better because the blueberry was a little overpowering.  I think fresh raspberries would also be a great accompaniment to these, too.

Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes Recipe

Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: 45 mins | Makes: About 16 (3-1/2-inch) pancakes

Fluffy ricotta and fresh lemon zest are a perfect pair when swirled into an airy pancake. The biggest challenge with this recipe is sharing the pancakes with others. For best results, use fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese, or make your own.

INGREDIENTS

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for coating the frying pan and serving
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine salt, divided
• 3 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon packed finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 to 3 medium lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• Powdered sugar, fruit, or maple syrup, for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place butter and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until butter has melted; remove from heat and let cool slightly.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt; set aside.
3. Place egg yolks, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in a quarter of the milk-butter mixture (this will temper the eggs and prevent them from curdling), then whisk in the remaining milk-butter mixture until smooth.  
4. Add the reserved flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined (do not over mix); set aside.  Add the ricotta and mix just until combined.  
5. In a medium bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks (they should bend like soft-serve ice cream; make sure the bowl and whisk are perfectly clean with no traces of grease, or the whites will not whip properly). Halfway through whisking them, sprinkle in the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using the rubber spatula, fold the whites into the reserved batter, until just combined.
6. Heat a large nonstick frying pan, griddle, or seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot, about 4 minutes. Test to see if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling a couple of drops of cold water in it: If the water bounces and sputters, the pan is ready to use.
7. Lightly coat the pan’s surface with butter, then use a 1/4-cup measure to scoop the batter into the pan. Cook until bubbles form on top of the pancakes, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until the bottoms are golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve immediately with powdered sugar, fruit, butter, or maple syrup.

Recipe from chow.com

Huevos Rancheros

These were yummy and quick - I used leftover beans from Mandy's refried beans recipe so that probably added a lot to the flavor as opposed to using canned refried beans.

Huevos Rancheros

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 (6 inch) corn tortillas 1 cup refried beans with green chilies

4 eggs 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup salsa

Directions:

1.	Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas one at a time until firm, but not crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain grease.
2.	Meanwhile, heat the refried beans in microwave. When tortillas are done, fry eggs over easy in the skillet. Add more oil if the tortillas have absorbed it all.
3.	Place tortillas onto plates, and spread a layer of beans on them. Top with cheese, a fried egg, and salsa.