Spinach and Artichoke Stuffing

This was soooooo good! My notes for it, I think I would take out a can of artichokes, there was a ton. Or maybe just chop them up a bit. This would also be an awesome casserole, add some leftover turkey or chicken, yum!!

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 pounds spinach, washed (3 cups cooked and roughly chopped)
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Emeril's Italian Essence, or other Italian seasoning blend
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 (8 1/2-ounce) cans quartered artichoke hearts, any tough outer leaves removed
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons lemon juice
12 to 14 cups cubed (1-inch) day-old French bread (1 loaf)
1 pound Brie, rind removed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.


Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Drain and rinse with cold water. Once cool, squeeze as much water from spinach as possible, then roughly chop, and reserve.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, 2 teaspoons of Italian Essence, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the artichokes and cook, stirring, another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve.

Combine the eggs, cream, chicken stock, lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon Italian Essence, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and remaining 1 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the bread, spinach, artichoke mixture, brie, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and parsley and stir to combine. If bread does not absorb all of liquid immediately then let rest until this happens, about 20 minutes.

Pour the bread pudding mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over the top and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.(I didn't add extra olive oil) Bake until firm in the center and golden brown, about 1 hour. Serve warm.

Couscous Stuffed Peppers

Ok, so this is just from the top of my head what I did. I looked at a couple different recipes and then just did my own thing off of them. But they turned out super good!

4 bell peppers(red, orange, yellow)
1 box of couscous, cooked (I used one with pinenuts in it)
1- 15 oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed
about 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
A couple tablespoons of parmesan cheese
Oregano
Pepper
Olive oil
1 15oz can stewed tomatoes(you can probably sub fresh and roast them with the other veggies, I used canned because that is what I had on hand, and I also wanted the extra juice so the mixture didn't turn out too dry) Smash the stewed tomatoes with a fork so they aren't such big pieces and so they let out more juice.
2 zucchinis, quartered
any other veggies you would like to add, onions or yellow squash would be good in this as well

-cut tops off pepper and discard the insides and stem. Cut the tops off into smaller pieces and set aside to add to other veggies.
-cut up remaining veggies and put on a cookie sheet. Lightly coat veggies with olive oil and pepper and roast in hot oven (I turned my oven as high as it would go and just kept checking on them until they started to look a little black around the edges, and were tender)
-Put whole peppers into a pot with about an inch of water, cover and boil about 10-12 min, until a fork easily goes through them. Drain upside down.
-When veggies are done roasting put in a bowl and add all other remaining ingredients and mix.
-Put peppers in baking dish and fill with couscous mixture. Put any leftover mix around the peppers. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
-You can also put some shredded cooked chicken in it as well, I forgot to add that earlier!

Creamy Lemon Chicken Soup

3 Tbs oil
2 tsp garlic
1 large onion or green onions
2 cups of shedded carrots

12 cups of chicken broth or 3 packets of chicken noodle soup
4 cups cooked shredded chicken
1-2 cups of any rice

3 eggs
1 cup of lemon juice or more to taste
2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot saute the onions, garlic and carrots in the olive oil. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and rice and spices, reduce heat and cover and simmer for 15 minutes until rice is tender (I use minute rice so it is done in 7 min).

Whisk together the eggs and lemon juice. Quickly stir into boiling soup making sure there are no clumps and serve immediately. YUMMY!

AMAZING POTATO SOUP

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds of diced potatoes or a bag of frozen hash browns

1/3 cup finely chopped onion or some green onions

2 shredded carrots

2 tablespoons of garlic

1 tsp cumin

8 cups of water

2 packets of chicken noodle soup

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste

8 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk

1 cup of chedder cheese

DIRECTIONS
Combine the potatoes, onion, carrots and water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken noodle, salt and pepper garlic and cumin.
In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Add the cup of cheese. Serve immediately.

I would love to add frozen peas or corn or diced ham...but everyone complains that it is perfect the way it is! My favorite is to dip sweet bread in it. A good dipping bread is a MUST with this soup!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar (take out 2 1/2 Tbsp. for cinnamon-sugar)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2/3 cup shortening
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2-3 bananas)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Sift dry ingredients into bowl. Cut in shortening. Add bananas, eggs and vanilla and blend together well. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. Makes 2-3 dozen.

These are soooooo good. Sorry there is no picture, Steve and I ate them too fast! Don't forget to sprinkle the cinnamon sugar before baking, I forgot on one tray and it made ALL the difference!

Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast

3-4 eggs
1/2 cup milk (or half and half)
1/4 cup orange juice
3 TBS vanilla
pinch of salt
cinnamon

creamy peanut butter
day old wheat bread
a couple ripe bananas

syrup and powdered sugar for topping

Put peanut butter on two pieces of bread, thinly slice banana and make a layer over one side of peanut-buttered bread, put together and dip both sides in egg mixture. Cook over medium high heat.

I saw this on The Food Network, tried it and loooove it! It turned out awesome! The original recipe had rum in it, but I just omitted that.

Chocolate caramel brownies

INGREDIENTS
14 ounces caramels
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 (18.25 ounce) package German chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 cups milk chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Peel caramels and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Heat and stir until all caramels are melted.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together cake mix, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, melted butter, and chopped pecans. Place 1/2 of the batter in prepared baking pan.
Bake for 8 minutes.
Place the remaining batter into the fridge. Remove brownies from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Drizzle caramel sauce over chocolate chips. Remove brownie mix from refrigerator. Using a teaspoon, make small balls with the batter and smash flat. Very carefully, place on top of the Carmel sauce until the top is completely covered.
Bake for an additional 20 minutes. Remove and let cool.

AWESOME!!

Biggest Loser Non-Fried Chicken

Serves 8
2 pounds chicken tenders
1 quart lowfat buttermilk
2 cups whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons paprika
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon organic seasoning Salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
Large pinch cayenne pepper
4 egg whites, beaten to very soft peaks
Pam cooking spray or olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Soak chicken tenders in refrigerator, in buttermilk, for 6 hours or overnight.
2. Drain and blot with paper towels to remove excess buttermilk.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees Farenheit.
4. Lay bread crumbs out on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Cool.
5. Increase oven heat to 450 degrees Farenheit.
6. Combine cornstarch, paprika, seasoning salt, black pepper, and cayenne in a large Pyrex dish - mix well.
7. Dredge drained and blotted chicken tenders in seasoned starch.
8. Next, coat dredged tenders thoroughly with beaten egg whites.
9. Last, dip tenders in toasted panko to fully coat.
10. Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet, fitted with a baking rack. Lightly spray chicken on both sides with Pam and season lightly with salt, if desired.
11. Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes or until outside is crispy and chicken is just cooked through and juicy.

For Eight ServingsNutrient Analysis – per serving Calories: 270Fat calories: 40Total Fat: 4gSat Fat: 1gChol: 65mgSodium: 210mgTotal Carb: 27gFiber: 2gSugars: 4gProtein

Mayo chicken and noddles

3 cups egg noddles
2 chicken breast
2 cups chopped broccoli
1/2 c chicken broth
4 to 8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup mayo
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper

Cook noddles as directed adding broccoli at the end. (or pre cook brocolli and add with other ingredients) Drain and return to pan. Add all but cheese. Mix well. When blended add cheese and serve. I actually don't pay attention to how much cream cheese, mayo and sour cream I add, I just add it til it looks good! Not very helpful I know, sorry!

Quick jazzed up BBQ sauce

1/2 c italian dressing
1/4 c BBQ sauce
2 TBS Orange Marmalade

Just heat together on the stove. It just gives boring bottled BBQ sauce that extra little something.

Pesto bow-tie pasta

3 cups bow-tie pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound chicken
1 can cream of chicken
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 cup milk.

Cook the pasta and the chicken. Bring soup, pesto and milk to a boil. Cover and leave on low heat for 5 minutes. Add cubed chicken and cooked pasta.

One of my favorites, but I never have it because Steve hates Pesto :(

Thai Ribbons

1 pound beef flank steak
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger root
2 clove garlic, minced.
1 teaspoon sesame seed(can be toasted)
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Soak 30 six-inch skewers. Combine teriyaki sauce, ginger, oil, garlic, and red peppers. Cut steak acroos grain into 1/4 inch slices; place slices in ziploc bag. pour marinade over steak, turning to coat. Marinate atleast 15 minutes. Pour off marinade. Thread each slice onto a bamboo skewer. Place ribbons on rack in broiler pan so surface of meat is 3-4 inches from heat. Broil 2 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

I love this recipe!!! It is from my cooking class cook book.

Recipes from "Campbell's Everyday Easy Meals"

Ok, so I lost my camera cord, but hopefully I will get some pictures up sometime when I find it! So I have had this book since we got married, and I cook from it a lot, so I've picked a few of our favorites to add on here! I will put the recipes as written and then add my notes to them

Country Skillet Supper
1-pound ground beef
1-chopped onion
1/8-teaspoon garlic powder/1 clove garlic minced
1-can Campbell's Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
1-10oz can condensed beef broth
1-14oz can diced tomatoes
1-zucchini, sliced
1/2 teaspoon-dried thyme leaves, crushed
1 1/2 cups-uncooked pasta

1. In medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef, onion and garlic powder until beef is browed, drain off fat.
2.Add soup, broth, tomatoes, zucchini and thyme. Heat to a boil. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to low. Cook 15 minutes or until pastt is done, stiring often.

My changes: I add some italian seasoning, red pepper flakes,and whatever else I can find that seems like it will go. I also use stewed tomatoes instead of the diced. I put 2 zucchinis because that is our favorite part!


Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Beef Bake
(really it is just a garlicy shepherd's pie)

1 pound ground beef
1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic
1 tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 (16lb) bag of frozen veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
3 cups hot mashed potatoes

1. In medium skillet over mediumhigh heat, brown beef, drain fat.
2. In 2 qt. shallow baking dish mix beef, 1/2 the can of soup, worcestershire and veggies.
3.Stir remaining soup in potatoes. Spoon potato mixture over beef mixture. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until hot.

I usually add some cheese as well to the beef mixture.

Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie

1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can drained whole kernel corn
2 cupscubed cooked chicken or turkey
1 package corn muffin mix
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded chddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400. In baking dish (8x8 or 9 inch pie pan) mix soup, corn and chicken.
2. Mix muffin mix, milk and egg. Pour over chicken mixture. Bake for 30 minute or until golden, sprinkle with cheese

I mix the cheese in with the chicken mixture. This is really good. You could probably add more to it, but I love the sweetness of it. They also have a chili version, where you add a 4 oz can of drained, chopped green chilis in with the chicken mixture.

valetines cherry pie

i decided to go big or go home for my first post to the recipe blog. :)
i made a cherry pie. from scratch!

it turned out so so good. and it only took me all day.
so before you try it out make sure you have a good 4 hours... hehe.

first you gotta make the crust:

Pastry Two-Crust Pie (9-inch)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
• 4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

1. mix flour and salt in medium bowl. cut in shortening, using pastry blender until particles are size of small peas. sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened.
2. gather pastry into a ball. divide into two balls and shape into flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. wrap each round of pastry in plastic wrap and refridgerate about 30 minutes.
3. roll one round of pastry on lightly floured surface, using floured rolling pin, into cirlce 2 inches larger than upside-down pie plate. fold pastry into fourths and place in pie-plate. unfold pastry and ease into plate.

Pie Filling:

• 2 cans (21 ounces each) cherry pie filling - this is the easy part. :)

now back to the directions...

1. pour pie filling into pastry-lined pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4 inches. trim overhanging edge of pastry 1/2 inch from rim of plate. roll other round of pastry for top then cut into strips about 1/2 inch wide.
2. place 5-7 strips across filling in pie plate. place cross-strips over tops of first strips to make lattice. trim ends of strips. fold trimmed edge of bottom crust over ends of strips.
3. bake at 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
4. cool on wire rack at least 2 hours.
5. enjoy!
   
   

Hearty Split Pea Soup

In a slow cooker or large pan leayer these ingredients in order, do not stir.

2-16 oz dried split peas

2 to 3 C of diced ham

2 C shredded carrots, I cut baby carrots into thirds

4 chopped green onions

2 large diced potatoes

4 TBSP minced garlic

5 bay leaves

1 TSP salt

1 1/2 TSP pepper

12 cups of boiling water

4 TBSP powdered bullion

1 1/2 TBSP Cumin

1/2 TSP chili powder

Cover and simmer for 4-5 hours.

Discard leaves, add a cup of milk and taste test.

Jess's Sicilian Double Stuffed Meatballs and Spaghetti

Basic Sauce

2-28oz cans of crushed tomatoes

2 small cans of tomato paste

1/2 quart of chicken stock or water

4 TBSP sugar

2 TBSP chopped garlic

1 TSP of salt and pepper

4 TBSP of FRESH chopped Basil

1 TBSP dried oregano

Throw all into a crock pot or large pot and simmer for at least an hour. Make sure to leave some room in the pan when you add the meatballs.

Double Stuffed Meatballs

1/4 lb chunk of sharp provolone and soft mozzarella cheese

1 lb of ground beef, pork and veal (only beef is fine)

1 C of parm. cheese

2 eggs

2 slices of bead with out the crusts

1/2 C of milk

1/2 Tsp of salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper

Mix all together and make golf ball sized balls and put a small chunk of each cheese inside.

sear in a frying pan-do not fully cook! Put in the sauce and cook for at least another hour or more. Make sure the meatballs are fully cooked through before you serve.

Tips...I usually double this recipe and keep the extra sauce for another meal. We felly believe in taste testing things before we serve them, often we add more salt and pepper.