Saturday, February 28, 2009

Fondue Recipe

I don't know the official name, but as it took my mother-in-law and I a while to find this in our time of need, it is going on the website so I will be able to locate it next time. Also, as a note, it says to cube all the cheese, but I shredded mine instead, it melted fabulously...

6 Tbs Butter
3 Tbs Flour
1/4 c Kirschwasser
1 c Whole Milk
3 oz Emmenthaler or any other type Swiss Cheese, cubed
3 oz Gruyere Cheese, cubed
3 oz Raclette Cheese, cubed
3 oz creamy Blue Cheese or Fontina, cubed (I used Fontina, it is more mild than the Blue)

Melt the butter in a heavy, large saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour. Constantly whisk for 1 minute or until the mixture is creamy and bubbling. Slowly whisk in the Kirshwasser. Whisk in the milk. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.

Slowly add all the cheese, stirring until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth (you may have to add more milk if it gets too thick).

Transfer to the fondue pot.

Now it says to serve with crusty french bread, torn into pieces and different veggies. My new theory, thanks to Tara, is serve with roasted red potatoes, brocolli, cauliflower and green beans... seriously to die for.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Three cheese chicken penne pasta bake

Also found at Kraftfoods

1-1/2 cups multigrain penne pasta, uncooked
1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 jar (14-1/2 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It!

HEAT oven to 375ºF. Cook pasta as directed on package, adding spinach to the boiling water for the last 1 min.

COOK and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 3 min. Add spaghetti sauce and tomatoes; bring to boil. Simmer 3 min. or until chicken is done. Stir in Neufchatel cheese.

DRAIN pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon into 2-qt. or 8-inch square baking dish.

BAKE 20 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min.

Broccoli Beef

1 1/4 lb round or sirloin steak, sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup oil
2 cups water
1 med onion, cut into 1/4" slices
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 stalks broccoli, chopped
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3-4 tsp sugar
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 med. tomato, cut into eighths

Heat oil in skillet. Add beef and cook, turning frequently, until brown. Stir in water, onion, garlic salt, and ginger. Heat to boiling and reduce heat. Add broccoli. Cover and simmer 12-15 minutes for round steak, 5-8 minutes for sirloin.

Blend cornstarch, sugar and soy sauce in small bowl; stir into beef mixture. Cover, cook over low heat stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Let boil for one minute longer while stirring. Reduce heat to low; place tomatoes on beef mixture and cover. Let cook-just until tomatoes are heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve with rice.

Chicken Marsala Pasta

3 chicken breasts, cut in bite sized pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 c Marsala cooking wine
1 c cream
1 c sliced olives
2 c sliced mushrooms
1 c chopped tomatoes
Parmesan cheese
linguine

Cook linguine. Meanwhile cook chicken in olive oil. Set aside. Cooke onions, mushrooms, and garlic in a little bit of olive oil until done. Combine with chicken. Add Marsala wine and cook about 5 min. Add olives and cream and cook down until sauce thickens. Add tomatoes and toss immediately with linguine and top with parmesan.

(This was absolutely delicious. It would be great also if you added seafood such as shrimp and scallops. I found my Marsala cooking wine at Safeway.)

Lasagna Roll-Ups

15oz ricotta cheese
1 1/2c shredded mozzarella
10oz frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1/2c sour cream
1/4c bread crumbs
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
12 lasagna noodles
15 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2c salsa
1/2c mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles. Lay out to dry. Combine first 7 ingredients to make filling. Spread 1/3c down each noodle leaving a tab at the end to make it stick. Roll up and place in 9x13 pan. Combine tomatoes and salsa and pour over noodles. Bake at 350 for 30 min or until heated through. Immediately sprinkle with 1/2c mozzarella and serve.

(I used fresh spinach and added into my water at the last minute of cooking time with my noodles. Worked fine. You could also just use a can of spaghetti sauce instead of the tomatoes and salsa.)

Monday, February 16, 2009

Simply Sensational Strawberry Shortcake.

Absolutely delicious and easy!
Found through Kraft Recipes
1-1/4 cups milk, divided
1/4 cup Sour Cream
3 Tbsp. sugar
2-1/4 cups all-purpose baking mix for biscuits
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
4 cups sliced strawberries
1/3 cup sugar

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Beat 1/2 cup of the milk, the sour cream and 3 Tbsp. sugar in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in baking mix until just moistened. Spread evenly into greased 9-inch round cake pan. Bake 12 to 15 min. or until top is golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

ADD remaining 3/4 cup milk to dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in half of the whipped topping. Toss strawberries with 1/3 cup sugar; set aside. Cut cake horizontally in half to make two layers.

PLACE bottom cake layer on serving plate; top with half of the strawberry mixture. Spread with pudding mixture; cover with top cake layer. Spread with remaining whipped topping; top with remaining strawberry mixture. Serve immediately. Store any leftover shortcake in refrigerator.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Soft Ginger Molasses Chews.

I haven't tried these yet, but the picture makes them look delicious!
image and recipe found here.

1 banana mashed
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/2 light brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups flour
1 TB baking soda
2 TB ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine banana, molasses, brown sugar, oil and eggs. Beat until well combined. Add dry ingredients and blend again until well combined. Drop by heaping tablespoon onto a large, ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 min. until the tops of the cookies are well crackled and just slightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

Yields: 34 cookies.

Classic Waffles.

I've made these several times now and will not go to any other recipe for waffles.

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup warm milk
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Fluffy Pancakes.

1/2 cup flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cup milk
1 egg
3 Tbsp melted butter

Combine dry ingredients and then mix in all other ingredients until well combined.

These really are those fluffy pancakes and were very delicious!

Chipolte Chicken Salad

Salad:

Romaine Lettuce
2 boneless chicken breasts cooked and chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Avocado, diced
Red onion, thinly sliced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained

Dressing:

2/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp chipolte chili canned in adobo sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
juice from one lime

Mix dressing and toss with salad. Serve with tortilla chips on the side. Enjoy!

Creamy Tortilla Chip Casserole

This is an April Original. It was an after pregnancy flavor craving.

Ingredients
Frozen Chicken Breasts (I used about 10 Chicken breast tenders, enough to cover the chips)
2 cans cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Black Beans
1 can corn
1 cup sour Cream
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, divided
1 8oz can of diced green chilies
Tortilla Chips

Preheat Oven to 375, spray 9x13 pan with Pam

Cover bottom of pan with tortilla chips, then mush slightly. Place Chicken over chips.
In a bowl combine 1 cup of cheese (or more if you like) and remaining ingredients.
Cook for 45 minutes, the place another layer of chips topped with remaining cheese. You can even broil it for a minute or two to brown up the cheese. Serve with extra tortilla chips if desired.