OMG! Chicken Pot Pie

Super yummy and oh so comforting. I've made this a handfull of times, possibly more. Everyone loves it. Score!

1 pound B/S chicken breast halves - cubed

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup frozen green peas

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)

In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
I have also made 4 Individual pot pies using the exact same amount ingredients, just cut the pie crust to fit 4 smaller containers instead of 1 big one and keep an eye on the baking time since they are smaller.

Good old Waikiki Meatballs

My Mama used to make this a lot when I was a kid and now I make it for my kids. It is a Betty Crocker Original and so yummy!

 

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (not as good with ground turkey, sorry health nuts! :) )

2/3 cup crushed saltine cracker crumbs

1/3 cup minced onion

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger (I use fresh that I keep in the freezer and I use a micro plane to finely grate it)

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon veg/canola oil

2 tablespoons corn starch

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks - drained, with juice reserved

1/3 cup white vinegar (sometimes this can be a bit much so feel free to use less and compensate with more pineapple juice)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper

 

Directions

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, cracker crumbs, onion, egg, milk, ginger and salt. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into meatballs.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place meatballs in skillet and cook until evenly brown, and meat is no longer pink. Drain excess fat.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, brown sugar, reserved pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Mix until smooth, then pour into the skillet with meatballs. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green pepper and pineapple chunks. Heat through.
I Serve this over cooked white rice.

I have also heard some people cook the meatballs in the oven at 350 for 20 min. I haven't personally tried it but maybe I will next time.

Linguine with clam sauce

We just acquired a bunch of pasta at $0.22 a box with coupons. Normally, I don't like paying for it at all but hey, $0.22 isn't bad. So it inspired me to post a pasta recipe or two. 

 

 

 

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, with juice

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons dried parsley

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1/2 tablespoon dried basil

1 (16 ounce) package linguine pasta

Extra clam juice as needed

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Combine clams with juice, butter, oil, minced garlic, parsley, basil, and pepper in a large saucepan. Place over medium heat until boiling. I usually thicken the sauce with 1T cornstarch and 1T cold water whisked together. Serve warm over pasta.

The Pioneer Woman's "The Best Macaroni Salad Ever'

 

I just adore The Pioneer Woman. She's so fun and down to earth and I can relate to her. I have been searching for a good, neutral macaroni salad recipe for years. This is the perfect compromise between my husbands taste preference and mine. He tends to lean towards what I affectionately call "bachelor mac salad"which pretty much consists of pasta, black olives, mayonnaise, sometimes cheese and salt and pepper. Nothing wrong with any of that but, I tend to lean towards more complicated recipes with a laundry list of ingredients. I know, I know, I'm mac salad high maintenance, lol.

 Ree ended our mac salad stand-off. Thanks, Ree! :)

Here is her wonderful recipe

Ingredients

4 cups Elbow Macaroni
3 whole Roasted Red Peppers, Chopped (more To Taste, Can Also Use Pimentos)
1/2 cup Black Olives, Chopped Fine
6 whole Sweet/spicy Pickle Slices, Diced (about 1/2 Cup Diced)-I used dill because my husband hates sweet in every ounce of his being.
3 whole Green Onions, Sliced (white And Dark Green Parts)
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Red Wine Or Distilled Vinegar
3 teaspoons Sugar, More Or Less To Taste
1/4 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
Plenty Of Black Pepper
1/4 cup Milk (more If Needed)
Splash Of Pickle Juice (spicy Sweet Pickles)-yep, I used sweet pickle juice and he doesn't know!
Extra Pickle Juice To Taste

I wonder how adding diced hard boiled egg would taste in here.....? But why mess with perfection?

Preparation Instructions

Cook the macaroni in lightly salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Set aside.
Mix together mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Splash in enough milk to make it pourable. Splash in pickle juice for extra flavor. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside.
Place cooled macaroni in a large bowl and pour 3/4 of the dressing. Toss and add more dressing if you'd like. (Dressing will seem a little thin, but it will thicken up as salad chills.)
Stir in olives, roasted red peppers (or pimentos), pickles, and green onions. Add more of any ingredient if you'd like more stuff going on! At the end, splash in a little more pickle juice and stir.
Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Sprinkle with sliced green onion to serve!

Worlds best Lasagna

This is my go-to Lasagna recipe. I've made it probably 100 times and it is SO wonderful! I figured it was time to reveal my secret..... *GASP!
 This recipe currently has 7,415 5 star ratings on Allrecipes.com. 7,415 people can't be wrong, right? Right!

Let's get down to business.
Here is your cast of characters:

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

3/4 pound lean ground beef (I use a pound)

1/2 cup minced onion

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (I grind these with a mortar/pestle)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

12 lasagna noodles

16 ounces ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced

3/4 cup grated Parmesan

 

Directions

In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Awwwwwww Yeahhhhhhhh!

 

Country Style Fried Cabbage

Paula HAS to be my biological mother. I don’t care what anyone says about her, her food is (usually) out of this world good.
Since cabbage is currently .38/lb… Here’s a great alternative recipe. I served this with dinner tonight and it was delicious. We did add the bacon as the bottom of the recipe suggests.

Country Style Fried Cabbage
By An unknown fan, handed to Paula at a book signing
Ingredients:
1 small head green cabbage, shredded
6 slices bacon, cut into small chunks
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (I skipped this step to appeal to the little one’s)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Wash cabbage. For shredding begin by cutting cabbage into quarters. Cut by making thin slices across the cut sides of the cabbage. Discard core and any tough ribs. Heat bacon in a non stick skillet or cast iron pan/dutch oven. Add cabbage and stir just until glistening. Lower heat and add pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste and continue cooking and turning until cabbage is just tender.
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8-10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes from the Paula Deen Test Kitchen: A fast and delicious side dish to your St. Patrick’s Day cornbeef recipes. We also loved it with 4 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled over the top before serving.

Not my picture, but I forgot to take a picture of it and it looks like this when done.

Hasselback Potatoes

 

I’ve been looking at this recipe on Pinterest for a while, so I figured I would give it a shot. Totally worth it. I added crumbled bacon and shredded cheese.

Here’s the recipe:
This recipe, adapted from one served at Stockholm’s popular old Restaurant Hasselbacken, proves just how easy and delicious potatoes can be.
For best results, choose oblong potatoes of uniform size and trim if needed so they’ll lie flat without wobbling as you cut into them.
Prep: 15 minutes, Bake: 55 minutes.
Ingredients:
4 medium all-purpose potatoes
1 Stick of butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooked, crumbled bacon
Grated cheese (whatever kind tickles your fancy)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Slice each potato at 1/8-inch intervals, cutting to within 1/4 inch of the bottom.
2. Arrange potatoes spoke-fashion in a greased (I used Pam) 13×9 baking dish. I prefer glass but I’m sure any will be fine.
3.Tuck a half of a slice of butter between each section.
4.Sprinkle with salt and pepper
5.Bake potatoes at 425° on middle oven rack for 30 minutes. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over potatoes, drizzle with remaining melted butter, and bake 20 more minutes.
6.Sprinkle cheese and bacon over potatoes, baste with butter in pan, and bake 5 more minutes or until potatoes are golden.
The result? These are awesome. Definitely making them again!

Ivar’s Clam Chowder Copycat

   

I have made this 3 times now and it is delicious every time, even with the substitutions I have made when I was out of something. Today, I substituted 1% milk for half and half because half and half is almost $5 a pint at both grocery stores close to me and SOOOO much cheaper at Costco and frankly, I did not want to go to Costco for one thing I don’t pay $5 for 2 gallons of milk, come on…
On to the recipe:
This makes enough for about 6 people or 8+ if you’re serving small children. I have an almost teen age boy and a 7-year-old, plus my husband and I and we still have plenty of leftovers
2 (6 1/2 ounce) cans minced clams
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely diced celery
2 cups finely diced potatoes, I used red’s and left the peel on.
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
4 cups half-and-half (or milk, see note above), warmed
2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
1 dash pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, drain the juice from the clams; set the clams aside.
Combine clam juice with the onions, celery and potatoes.
Add enough water to barely cover and simmer, covered, over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, melt the butter.
Add flour and stir in to the butter.
Slowly whisk in the warm half-and-half.
Cook and whisk until smooth and thick, about 5 minutes
If you want a thinner chowder, add 1/2 to 3/4 cup water or clam juice.
Add the vegetables with their cooking liquid, clams, salt, pepper and sugar to the pan.
Stir well and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Some history about Ivar’s, in case you are not from the Northwest and have no Idea who this Ivar fellow is.
Ivar’s is a seafood restaurant chain based in Seattle, Washington, with operations in the Puget Sound region and in Spokane, Washington.
Ivar’s was founded in 1938 by Seattle folk singer Ivar Haglund. Having built Seattle’s first aquarium on what is now Pier 54, he decided to add a companion fish and chips bar to feed his visitors. The bar was short-lived, however. On July 22, 1946, Haglund opened a new restaurant, Ivar’s Acres of Clams, at the same location. The aquarium closed ten years later, but the restaurant remains.
Ivar’s has two other full-service restaurants: Ivar’s Salmon House in Seattle’s Northlake neighborhood, and Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing in Mukilteo, Washington, next to the Washington State Ferries terminal. There is a fishbar outside of all three full-service restaurants. All its other locations are seafood bars. Ivar’s created the famous saying of “keep clam” that is posted all over each of the eateries.
Nard Jones remarked in 1972 that Haglund was “not afraid to reflect Puget Sound tradition in the decor of his restaurants, whereas others of his profession seem intent on making their patrons forget where they are.” In this respect, he singled out the Salmon House, “an almost exact replica of an old Indian longhouse.
Every Independence Day from 1964 until 2008, Ivar’s sponsored the Fourth of Jul-Ivar’s festival and fireworks show at Downtown Seattle’s Myrtle Edwards Park on Elliott Bay. Ivar’s estimated its attendance at around 300,000 people. On April 3, 2009, Ivar’s announced it was no longer sponsoring its Fourth of Jul-Ivar’s community fireworks show. Ivar’s decided to focus its efforts on feeding families in the Pacific Northwest through its partnership with Northwest Harvest.
Ivar’s also owns the Seattle-based burger restaurant chain Kidd Valley Hamburgers.
Adapted from Wikipedia
Photo courtesy of Food.com

The Best Beef Enchiladas

   

Makes 8 servings
2 pounds ground beef
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 flour tortillas
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4 ounce) cans liced black olives, drained
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cook and stir ground beef with onion in a skillet over medium heat until meat is crumbly and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain grease. Stir 1 cup Cheddar cheese, sour cream, parsley, taco seasoning, oregano, and black pepper into the ground beef until cheese has melted. Mix in enchilada sauce, chili powder, garlic, and salt; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer until meat sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Lay a tortilla onto a work surface and spoon about 1/4 cup of meat sauce down the center of the tortilla. Top meat sauce with 1 tablespoon black beans and a sprinkling of black olives. Roll the tortilla up, enclosing the filling, and lay seam-side down into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Spoon any remaining meat sauce over the enchiladas and scatter any remaining black beans and black olives over the top. Sprinkle tortillas with 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until cheese topping is melted and enchiladas and sauce are bubbling, 20 to 22 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

 

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta- OMG it’s good!

 

Super easy to make and ridiculously delicious! Seriously….. ridiculous…

Ingredients

10-12 oz penne pasta
2 cups cooked and chopped chicken
3/4 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups heavy cream (milk would be fine, too)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/3 cup ranch dressing I used Ken’s (because I got it for free using coupons, lol)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Cook pasta according to its package’s directions. Drain. I always add a little olive oil after I drain it and stir in around so the pasta noodles don’t stick together or the pot.
Toss in cooked and chopped chicken as well as cooked and crumbled bacon into the pasta.

TO MAKE RANCH ALFREDO SAUCE: Melt butter in saucepan, add flour and stir to combine. Once you have your roux, add heavy cream (or milk) stir constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in Garlic salt, onion powder and ranch dressing until well combined.
Pour ranch alfredo over pasta, chicken and bacon. Stir to evenly combine.
Add in shredded cheddar cheese and stir to combine.
Pour into a casserole pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
Thanks, Chef in training!

THE best chocolate chip cookies EVER! I'm not kidding!

 

   

The secret to the thick and chewy cookies is the combination of using melted butter, an extra egg yolk, and a higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar.
Heed the instructions to remove the cookies from the oven as soon as the outsides are set but the centers are still puffy and soft. Doing so plays a large part in the resulting texture. Cooling the cookies on the baking sheets means they will continue to bake after being taken out of the oven, but without the circulating air of a cooling rack, they will retain their soft texture. I know for me it is often hard to take cookies out of the oven unless they look completely done, but have faith! You don’t want to overbake these in the oven!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: About 18 large cookies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 to 18 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or any combination of chips white, semisweet, milk chocolate, peanut butter, etc…).

Directions:

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.
4. Roll 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball ( I used my 1/4 cup measuring cup) spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.
5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets.
These oversized cookies are chewy and thick, like many of the chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cookie stores. They rely on melted butter and an extra egg yolk to keep their texture soft. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheet.

(Recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated)
Thanks, Brown Eyed Baker!