Chicken Supreme Pasta Bake

As usual, Jeremy and I disagreed on our dinner tonight.  I liked it and he only sort of liked it.  But we all know know that I have a more sophisticated pallet... ;)

Anyway, I thought this was a yummy new addition to my casserole repertoire (Mandy, you can feel free to stick with the "Bake" terminology). :)  Oh, and I left the chicken out.

Chicken Supreme Pasta Bake

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

16 ounces pasta, cooked al dente

2 cups grilled chicken, cubed

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup diced red, yellow, or orange bell pepper

1/2 cup diced mushrooms

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup plain greek yogurt

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 - 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

salt and pepper

oregano

Instructions

1. Place the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic and butter in a skillet and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the chicken stock. Stir until the broth thickens slightly.
2. Whisk in the yogurt. Add 1 cup cheddar cheese and 1 cup mozzarella cheese and stir until melted. Stir in the cooked pasta, chicken, and can of tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Spoon the pasta into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle with oregano. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browning. Serve hot. Makes 8 servings.

Notes

*This can also be made into a freezer meal. Place the skillet dinner into a glass freezer container and top with the remaining cheese and oregano. Freeze 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake according to directions.

http://insidebrucrewlife.com/2014/03/chicken-supreme-pasta-bake/

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

This is the first strawberry-rhubarb pie I've ever made.  I've only had rhubarb once and it was good but I never really think of making anything with it.  Dad asked for this for Father's Day so I made this and a peach pie.  This recipe is so good.  I used my favorite pie crust recipe.  I also forgot to buy a lemon so I just used refrigerated lemon juice and of course didn't have the lemon zest.  I don't think I'll worry about the zest next time because I liked this pie just the way it was.  Do make sure to crimp the edges together well because I didn't and some of the filling leaked out leaving me with a stinky, burnt mess on the bottom of the oven.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

1 Recipe of Becky's Perfect Pie Crust, separated into two equal sections and refrigerated
Filling:
2 1/2 cups chopped red rhubarb, fresh
2 1/2 cups de-stemmed, washed and cut strawberries (in larger pieces)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons minute tapioca
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter, cubed small
1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Large granule sugar

Roll out 1 piece of the pie dough to make a bottom crust.  Place it into a 9-inch pie plate.  Place the plate in the refrigerator to chill.
For the filling:
Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, flour, zest and lemon juice, cinnamon and vanilla.  Mix well in a large bowl and pour out into chilled crust.  Dot the top of the filling with the butter.  Brush edges of pie crust with egg white wash.  Roll our the other piece of dough and place over filling.  Crimp tho seal edges.  Brush with egg white wash and garnish with large granule sugar.  Collar with foil and bake at 425° for 15 minutes.  Decrease temperature to 375° and bake for an additonal 45 to 50 minutes or until the filling starts bubbling.  Higher altitude will take 450 degrees F and 400 degrees F respectively.  Let cool before serving.  

Recipe altered slightly from foodnetwork.com

Yeasted Honey Cornbread

This is not quite as cake-like as regular corn bread (not that I have anything against regular cornbread) - it's a cross between cornbread and a yeast bread.  It's very tasty with honey and butter an it's very quick and easy to make.

Yeasted Honey Cornbread

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup (85 grams) honey
• 1 cup (237 ml) whole milk
• 1 cup (140 grams) yellow cornmeal
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups (300-360 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon (1 envelope, 7 grams) Active-Dry Yeast
• Melted butter, for brushing

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the butter, honey and milk. Heat until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes, or until 120-130 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine the cornmeal, 1 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour, salt and yeast. Add the warm milk mixture and mix until combined.
3. With the mixer on medium low speed, add the remaining all-purpose flour 1/4 cup at a time until dough clears the bowl and is only slightly sticky to the touch (you may not need the full 3 cups of flour). Continue to knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Shape dough into loaf by pulling the sides down and pushing them up through the middle of the bottom of the dough.  Place seam-side down in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.
5. Cover with towel and let rise until doubled, about 30-60 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
6. Bake until the top is golden, about 25-30 minutes. Brush with the warm loaf with melted butter. Serve warm or at room temperature with honey and butter (or honey-butter!).

Fried Ice Cream Made Easy

This tastes just like fried ice cream and it's risk free (4 foot flames, anyone??)!

Fried Ice Cream Made Easy

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 cup of sugar
3 cups of crushed corn flakes
2 qts. of vanilla ice cream (softened)
1 container of whipped topping
1 T. cinnamon
Honey, for drizzling

Melt butter in frying pan.

Add corn flakes and sugar. Fry for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly so the sugar doesn't burn.

Pat about 1/2 - 2/3 of this mixture into a 9x13 pan.

I let the ice cream sit out for about 1/2 hour to soften it. In a LARGE bowl, beat together (I use a hand mixer) the ice cream, whipped topping, and cinnamon.

Pour ice cream mixture on top of crust in the 9x13 pan. Sprinkle the rest of the crumbs on top and freeze overnight. Lightly drizzle each serving with honey. OLE!

Salsa and Scrambled Egg Sandwiches

Here's another yummy egg recipe.

Salsa and Scrambled Egg Sandwiches

8 eggs

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 C salsa, divided

½ C shredded cheddar cheese

4 English muffins, split and toasted

¼ C cream cheese, spreadable

1 ripe avocado, peedled and sliced

In large bowl, whisk eggs, salt and pepper.  Cook in skillet over medium-high heat.  Add cheddar and ½ cup salsa and stir until cheese is melted.  Spread cut sides of English muffins with cream cheese and remaining salsa.  Top with egg mixture and avocado.

I'm always looking for more egg dishes since we usually have an abundance.  This is a yummy omelet.

Cherry Tomato & Portobello Omelet

Ingredients

1	tsp. butter
1	cup thinly sliced baby portobello (cremini) mushrooms
2	cherry tomatoes, quartered
2	EGGS
2	Tbsp. ranch dressing
1/4	cup shredded Cheddar cheese (1 oz.)
1	Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Step 1	HEAT butter in 7 to 10-inch nonstick omelet pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. ADD mushrooms; sauté until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. ADD tomatoes; sauté until heated through, 1 minute. REMOVE from pan; keep warm.
Step 2	BEAT eggs and dressing in small bowl until blended. HEAT omelet pan over medium-high heat until hot. POUR IN egg mixture. Mixture should set immediately at edges.
Step 3	GENTLY PUSH cooked portions from edges toward the center with inverted turner so that uncooked eggs can reach the hot pan surface. CONTINUE cooking, tilting pan and gently moving cooked portions as needed.
Step 4	When top surface of eggs is thickened and no visible liquid egg remains, PLACE mushroom filling on one side of the omelet; sprinkle with cheese and parsley. FOLD omelet in half with turner. With a quick flip of the wrist, turn pan and INVERT or SLIDE omelet onto plate. SERVE immediately.