Spinach Pasta Casserole

10 oz.fusilli (I used rotini)
1 egg
1/8 cup olive oil
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
39 oz. spaghetti sauce
6 oz. mozarella cheese, shredded
4 oz. Romano cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook fusilli according to directions, drain and place in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl, mix together the egg and oil.  Add to the pasta and toss.  Add the spinach and bread crumbs and toss again.

On the bottom of a 11x7 inch baking pan, pour half of the spaghetti sauce.  Add half the pasta mixture.  Sprinkle half the cheeses.  Now finish by adding the rest of the sauce, the rest of the pasta, the rest of the cheeses.

Bake for 45 minutes until bubbly and slightly browned on top.

**The only change I would make is either cover it while you bake it, or just mix the sauce with the noodles.  The top layer of noodles ended up a little hard and crunchy because they weren't covered in sauce.  It was tasty...sort of like lasagna and Hyrum had two plates!

Crock-Pot Taco Chicken

Yes, I have neglected this blog and kind of taken a break from cooking recipes from this cookbook.  BUT, that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking dinner.  By doing this challenge to cook every recipe in the cookbook, I have become very comfortable with trying new recipes....even recipes with more than 6 ingredients or fresh ingredients I normally don't buy.  I have been trying out lots of new recipes from different blogs or from friends and have found some I really like. 

I am ready to dive back into some of "Saving Dinner" and in looking for something to make, this recipe caught my eye....because it's a crock-pot recipe and it has 3 ingredients!!!

Here it is:

6 boneless skineless chicken thighs 
2 cans tomatoes with green chilies
1 package taco seasoning mix

Throw it all in the crock-pot and cook on low 7-9 hours or until chicken is tender and easily shreddable.

Now, the best part.....it was DEEE LISHOUS!!  We had it as tacos last night...added a little letteuce, olives and cucumbers.  Today we had it as salad....a little ranch added and it was so good!!  My kids liked it too...well minus Kennedy who doesn't like anything with spices or sauce or all mixed together.

Recipes for Angey and Susan

Hey ladies....I offered to post recipes if anyone wanted them and then neglected to read the comments you left....so I finally read them.  So sorry it took so long to get these, but here are the recipes you were interested in:

Parmesan Drumsticks

1 cup parmesan cheese
3 tsps. oregano
2 tsps. paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter
1 TBS. olive oil
12 chicken drumsticks, no skin (I used chicken tenders instead cause I don't like bones.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, oregano, paprika and salt and pepper. 
Line a shallow baking pan with foil.
In a small frying pan, melt butter and oil together.  Dip each drumstick in the butter mixture, then in the cheese mixture, and place on foil-lined pan.  Bake drumsticks for one hour or until chicken is completely cooked.

Chicken Stroganoff

3 TBS. butter
4 cloves garlic, pressed
5 boneless, skinless chicken breas halves, cut into thin strips
5 green onions, minced
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/2 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 pound egg noodles
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, over medium-high heat, melt butter.  Add garlic and saute' quickly (don't let brown).  Add chicken, green onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes and cook until chicken is cooked, stirring frequently. 

 Meanwhile, you should have your water on to boil.   Cook pasta according to directions and drain.

Reheat chicken mixture if necessary to get it hot.  Add sour cream to the skillet, and salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon chicken over pasta and serve.


Chicken and Artichoke Casserole

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut in 1-inch strips
4 TBS. butter
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
2TBS. flour
1 can chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350.  In a skillet over medium heat, brown chicken lightly in 2 TBS. butter, add garlic and mushrooms, and keep cooking till chicken mixture is smelling very garlicky.

In a baking dish, add the browned chicken mixture.  Place the artichoke hearts atop the chicken.

In the skillet, melt remaining butter and add the flour, whisking to blend (no lumps!)  Add broth and cook until thickened, then pour over chicken mixture.

Bake 35-40 minutes.

Oven-Fried Fish

4 TBS butter
1 cup Italian bread crumbs, crushed
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
6 fish fillets

Preheat oven to  375.  In a saucepan, melt butter and spread on the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.  Crush Italian bread crumbs and pour onto a pie pan.  Add cheese and salt and pepper and blend well. 

Dip the fish first in the butter then into the crumbs.  Place the fish in the baking dish when coated.  Bake fish for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.

Tuscan Squash and Beans on Rice

What do you know, I've finally been using my cookbook again.  I got a little burned out with it and wanted to try some other recipes for the summer.  The good news is that even though I haven't been using my cookbook, I've still been cooking dinner every night and making lots of new recipes.  I guess I don't HATE cooking dinner so much.  I kind of enjoy trying a new recipe and find that if I know WHAT I'm going to cook and am ORGANIZED enough to have the ingredients on hand and do some prep work in the morning, it's not so bad.    Plus I'm finally gaining a little confidence and trusting myself to substitue ingredients or omit them if I don't have them and I don't think it will make a difference.  So, thanks to my friend for giving me this cookbook and helping me through dinner the past year.  I will still try to cook my way through this cookbook (it may take years) but my newest goal is to make breakfast at least 4 times a week. 

I tried the Tuscan Squash and Beans on Rice because I have a lot of zucchini these days and it was really quite tasty.  Here's the recipe:

3 TBS. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 large tomatoes, diced (I used a can of diced tomatoes because I didn't have fresh)
3 cups zucchini, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
3 cloves garlic, pressed
salt and pepper to taste
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained
1 cup brown rice, cooked (did  you know they have brown minute rice?  I just learned that and LOVE it)

     In a saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil.  Stir in onions and bell pepper and cook until tender.  Mix in tomatoes and zucchini and season with oregano, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir beans into Zucchini mixture and continue cooking about 5 minutes  Serve over the cooked rice.....my kids LOVE rice...so I should have made 2 or 3 cups, not just one.

Summer Pasta Primavera

This recipe smelled absolutely delicious and it was pretty good, but sort of bland.  The next day it was a little more flavorful.

Caramelized Garlic Chicken

I have been neglecting this blog for awhile...I have been cooking from my cookbook here and there, just not posting what I've been making.  So, I added a few tonight.  I will give you the recipe to this Caramelized Garlic Chicken because it was really simple and tasty!  If there are any other recipes you'd like, leave me a comment.  I'm just not up to typing all the recipes as I don't think anyone really looks at this blog.

Here's the recipe:

3 tsp. olive oil, plus additional for greasing foiled pan
6 cloves garlic, pressed
6 tsps. brown sugar
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Heat oven to 500 degrees.  Line shallow roasting pan with foil, lightly grease the foil with a little oil.

Heat oil in small skillet over medium-low heat until hot.  Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until garlic begins to soften (Don't let garlic get brown!)  Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar until well mixed.  Set aside.

Place chicken on greased foil-lined pan, spreading the garlic mixture evenly over chicken.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear. 

The one thing I did wrong was I put way too much oil on my pan that went in the oven (apparently I skimmed over the words lightly and little......the result; a really smoky kitchen.  OOPS.  But, this chicken tasted really good...almost like I had marinated it over night...but no, I just whipped it up in a half an hour.

Will I Make it Again?  Yes!

Pan Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

I was surprised that this was so easy to make AND all of my kids like it.  This is definitely a keeper!

Mexican Torta

I thought this was a really yummy recipe.  It was pretty time consuming, but really good.

Will I Make it Again?  Yes.

Black and White Checkered Chili

This was a pretty good recipe.  It came together really quickly, but then had to simmer for 30 minutes.  My kids didn't like it...big surprise.

Will I Make it Again?  Maybe.

Chicken Parmesan

It's been awhile since I've tried a recipe from my book.  I was getting a little tired of cooking ONLY from my book, so I ventured into blogland the past few weeks.   This recipe was very tasty and easy.  I'm cooking Black and White Checkered Chili right now....we just got home from the zoo and we are chilled to the bone.  Hopefully I'll get some more recipes on here soon.

Chicken Pasta with Artichokes (Must Try)

This was a really easy meal to make and VERY tasty.  The kids didn't eat it of course, but Layne and I loved it, so there was more for us.

Here's the recipe:

3 cups uncooked fusilli pasta (or other medium-size pasta)
1  6 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, undrained
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, pressed
1  7 oz. jar roasted red peppers, sliced
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white whine, optional (substitute apple juice if not using wine)
1 TBS. cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste

Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.  Drain liquid from artichokes into 10 inch skillet; heat over medium-high heat.  Cook chicken in liquid for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in mushrooms and garlic.  Cook about 4 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until chicken is light brown and no longer pink.  Stir in artichokes and peppers.

In a medium bowl, mix broth, wine, and cornstarch together till well blended.  Gradually stir the broth mixture into the chicken mixture.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir 1 minute, till thickenend.  Toss with pasta, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Will I Make This Again?  YES!!!  I think this is one of my favorites...even better than the garlic lime chicken.

Baked Ziti

I am going to post this recipe as it might be my new favorite.  Here's why I liked it....it was fairly simple to throw together, it had plenty of flavor and plenty of sauce AND my kids ALL ate it.  Layne commented that he'd had dishes similar to this one in restaurants and mine was way better.  YAY.  Anyone who knows my husband knows he is brutally honest....so I'm telling you this is a yummy recipe.

Baked Ziti

1 pound ziti pasta (ziti pasta is the big tubular noodles...I didn't have any so I used those smaller spiral-shaped noodles....I swear that's part of why my kids liked it and they're prettier in my opinion too)
1 1/2 TBS olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlice, pressed
1 tsp. rosemary (you could really taste the rosemary in this...it made me miss my Rosemary plant we grew in Mesquite)
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream
3/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 lb. ground turkey
1/4 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 1/2 jars spaghetti sauce - I accidentally dumped in 2 jars, but I have to say, it was perfect...I like lots of sauce.
6 oz. provolone cheese - I didn't have any, so I just used more mozarella
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350

Prepare pasta according to package directions.  In a skillet, heat olive oil and saute' onion till translucent.  Add garlic and rosemary, remove from pan and set aside.  Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix the sour cream and cottage cheese together and set aside.

In that same skillet, cook the turkey and beef together till crumbly and brown.  Drain off the grease by blotting with paper towels (this will lower the fat grams).

Return the onion mixture back to the skillet.  Add the spaghetti sauce and put on low heat to simmer.

In a 9x13 inch pan, start layering.  First spread sauce on the bottom, then a layer of ziti, then sour cream mixture, then a layer of Provolone, then sauce, ziti sour cream mixture, etc.  Keep going till it's all gone.  Then top with mozarealla.

Bake in a preheated oven uncovered for 20 minutes or until heated through.

I served this with a green salad...it was very filling!

Layered Tukey Nachos

I will admit, I was a little leary of this recipe.  I thought the turkey would be really dried out (you use shredded turkey breast), but you mix the turkey in olive oil, lime juice, cumin and garlic powder.  It ends up moist and flavorful.  These were really good and since we had turkey a few nights before, I had leftover turkey that only needed shredded.

Will I Make it Again?  Yes.

Shepherd's Skillet

I am going to post this recipe because I thought it was really simple and pretty tasty.  Two of my children, who shall remain nameless wouldn't really touch it, but  that's their loss.

Shepherd's Skillet
2 tsp. oilve oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
1 cup oats
3 TBS. ketchup
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup beef broth
1 TBS. cornstarch
2 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup low-fat Cheddar cheese, shredded

In a skillet (oven proof), heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, and beef and cook till beef is browned and crumbled.  Drain beef and blot with paper towels (this step will lower the fat grams).  Add oats and stir well to incorporate.

Add ketchup, spices, beef broth, and cornstarch; stir well and allow to simmer on low to thicken slightly.  Heat mashed potatoes and set aside.  Add sour cream to beef mixture and mix again.  Remove skillet from heat and spoon potatoes as evenly as possible over the entire skillet.  Top with Chedder cheese and place skillet under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly. 

**I made a slight variation to this recipe (okay I messed it up).  I forgot to add the sour cream in the meat, so we just added our own when we ate it.  It was really good and Layne thought the adding your own sour cream was better than having it mixed in.   Part of why it was such a quick meal to throw together is because I always have browned hamburger in my freezer and I had already made mashed potatoes the night before and had leftovers.

Will I Make it Again?  Yes!  Especially when we have leftover mashed potatoes.

Baked Tomato Basil Fish

I am not much of a fish eater...so if I have to eat fish, it's either tuna or Salmon.  This dish was very quick, simple and tasty.  I am liking FORCING myself to try new recipes because I've probably had fish 4 or5 times in the past 6 months whereas before we had fish....well, NEVER. 

Will I Make It Again?  Yes.

Garlic Lime Chicken

I think this may be the only recipe my ENTIRE family liked!  It was very tasty.
If anyone is interested, I'll post the recipe...I'm too lazy tonight to type it out.

Will I Make It Again?  Yes.

Garlic Lime Chicken
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. thyme
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 TBS. butter
2 TBS. olive oil
4 TBS. lime juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
    
     On a dinner plate, mix together first seven ingredients.  Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts.

In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat.  Saute' chicken until golden brown about 5 minutes on each side.  Remove chicken and add lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly.  Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve. 

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes (make mashed potatoes; add garlic powder to taste).

Apple Turkey Burgers

I was pretty hesitant to try this recipe, but these burgers were actually pretty good.  Even my boys ate them which is saying something. 

Will I Make Them Again?  Yes.

Beef Fajitas

This was a really yummy recipe.  I've never  made beef fajitas before and now I know what kind of cut of beef to use for my Greek Gyros I tried a long time ago, but couldn't get the meat right.

Will I Make it Again?  Yes.

Crock Pot Jambalaya

I was really excited to make this one since Layne LOVES jambalaya.  I threw everything in the crock pot and smelled it's yumminess all day.  However, it was a pretty bland dish and I don't think jambalaya is supposed to be bland.  I'm going to take the blame on this one...the recipe calls for "cajun seasoning".  I found something that says it's good for jambalaya, but maybe I needed a different spice?  I don't know.

Will I Make This Again?  Yes, but I need to get just the right amount of spiciness.

Cheeseburger Casserole

I'm a little behind in posting the recipes I've tried the last week or so.  This recipe for Cheeseburger Casserole should have been good.  It didn't have anything weird in it and I was rather excited to try it since it was so quick to throw together.  However, after a few bites, my husband and I just looked at each other.  I said, "This recipe tastes really EARTHY." 
"Yes," he agreed, "it tastes like DIRT."  I have NO idea why this recipe turned out so badly, but it did.  Layne insists that we try it again because it should taste okay.....hamburger, onion, tomatoes, noodles, cheese.....how would those together taste like dirt?  I don't know, but in a few months I will give it another try.