Chicken Stuffing Dish with Orzo Pasta

Homemade crunchy croutons top a cheesy chicken dish. I served this savory chicken meal with a flavorful green bean orzo pasta side. Yum!

Chicken Stuffing Dish and Green Bean Orzo Pasta

3 Boneless skinless chicken breasts butterflied  

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup of milk

3/4 cup cheddar cheese thinly sliced

Pepper to taste

2 cups of croutons (see recipe below)

Homemade croutons

5 slices of whole wheat bread

1 t of garlic powder

Pepper to taste

A couple tablespoons of canola oil

A couple dashes of dried rosemary

Orzo Pasta

1 cup orzo pasta

1 cup French cut green beans-cooked

1/8 cup parmesan cheese

Crotons

Cube bread and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Drizzle oil over bread and sprinkle remaining ingredients on the bread. Toss bread to coat and bake at 400F for approx. 10 minutes or until bread is golden and toasty.

Chicken Dish

To make the chicken, lay butterflied chicken breasts in a single layer in a 9x13in pan. Lay sliced cheese over chicken.  In a separate bowl combine cream of chicken soup, milk and pepper. Pour mixture over chicken and sprinkle croutons on top. Bake at 350F uncovered for approx. 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Orzo Pasta

Cook pasta according to package until al dante. Drain water and add green beans and parmesan cheese. Remove about 1/2 cup of the cooked chicken stuffing dish sauce and stir into the orzo pasta.

Strawberry Honey Glazed Pork Chops

Most would agree that pork chops and applesauce are delicious. Two nights ago though I began a quest to experiment with a different pork and fruit combination and there the strawberry honey glazed chop was born. My husband gave it 10 stars and for a guy that likes his meat I was happy to have landed a recipe that made it into his all-star list. To turn these chops into a complete meal I made a side of roasted potatoes and yams and some light butter and parmesan cheese green beans. Yield 4 servings.


Strawberry Honey Glazed Pork Chops

1/1/2 T strawberry jam
4 T honey
1/3 t chili powder
1/3 t garlic powder
a dash of pepper
4 Bone-In Pork Chops
pepper
garlic powder

To prepare chops, sprinkle cracked pepper and garlic powder on both sides of the chops. Heat about 1T of oil in a skillet over med-high heat and sear each side of the chop for about one minute. Remove chops from heat and place in a baking dish. Bake for about 25 min at 350 or until the chops are 10 minutes from being done.

When chops are about 10 minutes from being cooked through, spread glaze over the tops and return chops to oven to complete baking.

Roasted Potatoes
3 medium russet potatoes
1 yam
Oil of choice
1/2 t dried rosemary
 a couple dashes of pepper
1/4 t salt
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t dried sage

Scrub russet potatoes and chopped into bit sized pieces, leaving the skin intact. Wash and peel yam and cut into bit sized pieces. Spread potatoes in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Drizzle oil and sprinkle the rosemary, pepper, salt, garlic and sage over the potatoes, mixing to thoroughly coat. Bake at about 450 degrees until potatoes have a nice crisp on the outside and are tender in the middle.

Green Beans
10oz of frozen cut green beans
2 T of butter
2T of parmesan cheese

Cook beans according to package and then drain. Stir in in butter and then garnish with the parmesan cheese.

Sweet and Sour Pork Stir Fry

If you're a fan of that tangy orange sauce Panda Express uses on their Orange Chicken then this recipe will be right up your alley.

Sauce
1 can of chunk pineapple(just use the juice for the sauce)
1/4 t chili powder
zest of 1 orange
1 T vinegar
1/4 t ginger powder
1/4 t garlic powder
black pepper
3 T soy sauce
1/3 cup water
1T plus 1t cornstarch

Stir Fry 
1 head of white cauliflower
1 head broccoli
1 onion
3 carrots
pork for stir fry (for this recipe I found a great deal on bone-in pork chops and just used the meat from them)

Cooked rice- I used wild rice but honestly any variety of rice would work just fine.

Chop your meat into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl, add in 1/4 t garlic powder, 1/8 t ginger and a couple turns of black pepper and stir to coat the meat. Place your meat mixture in the fridge while you prepare your veggies.

Keeping your vegetables separate, chop the cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and onions.

Place about 1 T of oil in your skillet or wok with the heat on medium and stir fry the pork until cooked. Place meat in a covered bowl to keep warm. Next stir fry each veggie separately beginning first with the cauliflower then the broccoli, carrots and lastly the onions. Keep the vegetables at a crisp tender as they will soften as they sit. Remove veggies as they are done and place with the cooked pork.

Combine all sauce ingredients together and pour into the empty wok or skillet. Bring sauce to a boil (the sauce will turn from a cloudy orange to a bright translucent orange/red color). If the sauce seems too thick add a little more water to thin it out. Turn heat down to low and add the veggie mixture and the reserved pineapple chunks to the sauce. Serve over your favorite rice.

Sausage Curry Pasta

 


In the past, if there was one ingredient I avoided it was curry, yellow, red the thought of that overpowering smell was a strong enough deterrent to leave my dishes void of any trace of it. That is until now...I found that ginger, curry and garlic play quite well together and that a mellow crisp zucchini nestles right up to Italian sausage. I decided to use mozzarella for the sole fact that it's cheap, however, some cubed Gouda, Havarti or Provolone would also add a yummy touch!


1 uncooked Italian sausage or bratwurst
8 oz penne pasta
3 T chopped white onion
1 T butter
1/8-1/4t yellow curry powder
a couple dashes of ginger powder
a couple dashes of garlic powder
1 small zucchini
1 oz diced mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to directions on package until al dente and drain. In a small skillet boil italian sausage for approximately 25 min or until cooked through. Drain liquid and sear sausage in pan for about 1 min turning frequently until a nice brown on the skin forms. Remove from heat and slice into ⅛ inch ovals.

Saute onion, butter, curry, ginger and garlic until onions are opac and softened (about 3 min)
Remove onion mixture from heat and transfer into a heatproof dish. Using same skillet, saute zucchini with 1 T oil and a couple turns of black pepper until a crisp tender, do not overcook as the zucchini will soften as it sits.

Combine sauteed zucchini, onion mixture and sausage slices and toss with drained pasta. Garnish with diced mozzarella cheese. 

This was great hot but in my opinion made an even better cold pasta salad for lunch the next day. 

Honey Soy Chicken Marinade

This is super easy, 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep for a sweet, tangy and tender chicken. Here is what you will need...

1 Bone in skin intact chicken breast
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Teaspoon honey
1/8 Teaspoon ginger
1/8 Teaspoon cinnamon

Combine marinade ingredients until a smooth consistency. Spoon the mixture underneath the skin on the chicken. Allow the flavors to meld in the chicken for 30 minutes before baking. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear. To turn this chicken into a great week night dinner, shred the chicken into bit sized pieces and stuff into whole wheat pita bread halves. Serve with your favorite toppings. I used a spring lettuce mix and dipped my pita into Cesar dressing. Serves 2.

Don't be alarmed if the skin blackens, just remove the skin before shredding and enjoy!

Spice is Nice

After a friend mentioned that the majority of my recipes are all carb and starch loaded, I felt the necessity to highlight some healthier cooking options. I love cooking with a variety of spices and herbs as they add such a depth of flavor to an otherwise bland dish. The last couple of nights I've been on a baked chicken and roasted veggies craze. Regrettably, I failed to take any pictures, which is probably breaking every rule of blogging, but alas I didn't think about it until the last couple of bites and didn't think an empty plate would do much good. So anyway,  roasted veggies are incredibly easy to make and are delicious to boost. They're also a forgiving dish, which in my opinion just increases their "brownie points" One trick with roasting is to have a hot enough oven to create that nice crisp on the outside of the veggie. A couple of ideas for roasting:

Preheat your oven to about 425 degrees and cube your veggies into bite sized pieces. Recently, I've roasted red potatoes, zucchini and onions. Lightly, drizzle your vegetables with olive oil or melted butter (yes, notice the Lightly, this is healthy low cholesterol night :) Sprinkle your veggies with a mixture of garlic powder, black pepper, salt, parsley, cumin and anything else you like. Bake for approx 25 min. Note this time will vary depending on the size and type of vegetable you use. If using longer roasting vegetables such as potatoes and carrots along with shorter roasting ones as onions and zucchini, wait about 10 minutes before adding the zucchini and onions.

As for the chicken, I prefer a nice skin on and bone in piece of poultry. Not only does your pocket book appreciate this but your taste buds will thank you as you cut into that juicy aromatic bite. For your chicken rub the possibilities are endless! Here is last night's recipe I came up with...The ratios are a rough approximation so feel free to change them to your preference.

a dash of cinnamon
a dash of ginger
1/4t cumin
1/8t curry
1/8t pepper
1/4t garlic powder
1/8t dried cilantro
1/8t rosemary

Combine your spices and sprinkle under the chicken skin. Bake at 350 degrees until the chicken juices run clear when cut. For your average bone-in split breast your cooking time will average about 45 minutes.

Stuffed Crust Pizza & Cheese Filled Buttery Garlic Dippers

So last night I was in the mood for some homemade, legit stuffed crust pizza and bread sticks and didn't have all night to spend making something. In my mind, I wanted a soft, slightly chewy middle with a kind of crisp and flaky outside that would just melt into a wonder piece of deliciousness. Beginning with the fundamentals of Chef Rider’s recipe at All Recipes  I tweaked it to meet the pizza and bread sticks I had mentally envisioned.  This recipe makes approximately 1-12 inch stuffed pizza and 12 bread sticks or dippers. 

Pizza Crust

2 packages active dry yeast

2 teaspoons white sugar

2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)

5 cups flour

1/4 olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

Mixture of Mozzarella and Colby cheeses

1 jar of your favorite pasta or pizza sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 5-10min. Stir in flour and salt. Once flour is worked in, add oil and knead mixture until smooth (about 2 min). Let rest for 5 minutes and cover with saran wrap. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Use 1/3 of the dough for the bread sticks and the rest for the pizza crust. Using your pizza pan for measurement, stretch dough onto a lightly oiled pan until 2 inches of dough drapes off the sides. Sprinkle cheese along the edge of the pizza pan and fold dough over the cheese sealing to ensure that the cheese does not leak. 

*We like our crust on the crisper side so will pre-bake it for about 7 min. After crust has pre-baked, spread sauce, toppings and cheese over middle and bake at 450 degrees F until cheese is a golden brown. 

Spreading sauce on my pre-baked crust

Complete Pizza

Bread sticks
Divide remaining dough into 12 pieces. To make cheese filled sticks, flatten each piece into a small rectangle (the length should measure a little short of what you want the final stick length to be. Place your cheese pieces down the middle of the dough and then fold the dough over lengthwise to seal. Pinch the ends and then place in a lightly oiled pan. Continue until all dough has been used.

Garlic Butter

3 Tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon or more of garlic powder

Melt butter and garlic together in the microwave, pour over breadsticks before baking and turn to coat. Bake in a preheated oven at 450F for 10-15min or until golden brown.

Bread sticks ready to bake

Completed