Recipes

Slow Cooker Basil Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Ingredients
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 can (18 ounces) Progresso Creamy Parmesan Basil Recipe Starter
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 pound pasta
5-6 leaves fresh basil, cut into thin strips

Instructions
1. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker.  Top with butter pieces and Creamy Parmesan Basil Recipe Starter.  Cover and cook on LOW until chicken shreds easily, about 4 to 6 hours. 

2. Using two forks, shred chicken in slow cooker.  Add cream cheese cubes to slow cooker, cover, and cook on LOW for 30 minutes or until cream cheese has melted.  Stir well to combine. 

3. While cheese is melting, bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Cook pasta as directed on packaging then drain well. 

4. Serve chicken sauce over pasta and top with fresh basil. 

Comments
This recipe is from Taste and Tell.  It’s a very simple and easy one, pretty much a dump and stir.  It was super tasty and we all enjoyed it.  I sort of wish I had doubled the recipe in order to have had more leftovers!

Garlic Monkey Bread

Ingredients
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried herb mix, such as Sandwich Sprinkle
2 cans Pillsbury Grands  Flaky Layers biscuit dough, each biscuit cut into quarters
³⁄₄ cup butter
8 - 10 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F.  Spray bundt pan with cooking spray. 

2. Combine grated Parmesan, salt, pepper, and herb mix in large ziptop bag.  Add biscuits to bag and shake well to coat.  Place biscuit pieces into bundt pan. 

3. Put butter and garlic in small microwavable bowl.  Microwave 1 to 2 minutes or until butter has melted.  Stir with fork them drizzle evenly over biscuit dough. 

4. Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 10 minutes then place plate on top of pan, invert, and remove pan. The bread should slide out nicely.  Serve warm. 

Comments
This recipe is from Pillsbury.  The original recipe calls for 4 tubes of biscuits, but that seemed like it had to be a typo!  I used two tubes and that worked out perfectly.  I thought these were very tasty, but I think I might cut back on the butter next time, perhaps just half a cup would do the trick?

Greek Cherry Tomato Salad

Ingredients
2 pints cherry tomatoes, quartered
Table salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried oregano
1 medium shallot, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Ground black pepper
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄₂-inch dice
¹⁄₂ cup capers, rinsed and drained
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions
1. Toss tomatoes, ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt, and sugar in medium bowl and let stand for 30 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to salad spinner and spin until seeds and excess liquid have been removed. Return tomatoes to bowl and set aside.

2. Bring tomato liquid from salad spinner, garlic, oregano, shallot, and vinegar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until reduced to 3 tablespoons, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Whisk in oil and pepper to taste until combined. Taste and season with up to ¹⁄₈ teaspoon table salt.

3. Add cucumber, capers, feta, dressing, and parsley to bowl with tomatoes then toss gently and serve.

Comments
This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated 2008 and it was delicious!  But I love anything with cucumbers and tomatoes like this, so it’s no surprise that I loved every bit.  The original recipe called for olives, but I used capers instead.  Yum. 

Shown here with Grilled Chicken with Garlic and Herb Marinade.

Creamy Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing

Ingredients
²⁄₃ cup whole milk large curd cottage cheese
²⁄₃ cup buttermilk
¹⁄₃ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
4 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
¹⁄₂ teaspoon kosher salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in immersion blender cup.  Blend well and refrigerate until ready for use. 

No photo

Comments
This recipe is from The Galley Gourmet and I quite enjoyed it even though I forgot to take a picture!

Orzo with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese

Ingredients
1 pound orzo
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
¹⁄₄ cup fresh parsley, minced
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced, or ¹⁄₄ teaspoon dried oregano
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon black pepper
1 (14.5 ounces) can diced tomatoes with garlic and oregano
1 (7 ounces) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and diced
¹⁄₂ cup (2 ounces) Parmesan cheese, grated
¹⁄₂ cup (2 ounces) soft goat cheese, crumbled

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Cook pasta as directed on packaging. Drain well, return to pot, and toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil. 

2. Heat remaining teaspoon oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add zucchini and cook 7 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add garlic and cook 3 minutes, stirring.  Stir in parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and red bell peppers.  Cook 5 minutes or until heated through.  Stir sauce and cheeses into pasta then serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from Cooking Light 2003.  The pasta was tasty and we all enjoyed it!  It’s a great way to use up delicious summer tomatoes and zucchinis.

Shown here with Grill-Roasted Beef Short Ribs with Mustard Glaze.

Grill-Roasted Beef Short Ribs with Mustard Glaze

Ingredients
For the spice rub
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 ¹⁄₄ teaspoons paprika
³⁄₄ teaspoon ground fennel
¹⁄₈ teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the glaze
¹⁄₂ cup Dijon mustard
¹⁄₂ cup red wine vinegar
¹⁄₄ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon reserved spice rub
¹⁄₈ teaspoon cayenne pepper
_
For the short ribs_
5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Instructions
1. Combine all spice rub ingredients in bowl.  Reserve 1 teaspoon of rub for use in mustard glaze. 

2. Whisk together all glaze ingredients in separate bowl. 

3. Heat oven to 300*F.  Sprinkle ribs with spice rub, pressing into all sides of ribs.  Arrange ribs, bone side down, in 13 by 9-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle vinegar evenly over ribs.  Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until thickest ribs register 165 to 170*F, 1 ¹⁄₂ to 2 hours. 

4. Prepare grill for grilling.  I assume you know how to prepare your own grill since I don’t.  Aim for a grill temperature between 275 and 300*F. 

5. Place short ribs, bone side down, on grill.  Brush with ¹⁄₄ cup glaze.  Close grill and cook until ribs register 195*F, 1 ³⁄₄ to 2 ¹⁄₄ hours, rotating and brushing ribs with ¹⁄₄ cup glaze every 30 minutes.  Transfer ribs to large platter, tent with foil, and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated 2012, so the annual isn’t published yet.  I decided it was time to use the short ribs from our cow and turned to Cook’s Illustrated to help me out.  I made them before in the slow cooker and they were super amazing but these, oh my gosh, these were amazing.  We all devoured them.  I highly recommend this recipe even though it’s fairly time consuming.  Thankfully the time is largely unattended. 

Shown here with Orzo with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese.

Spinach and Chicken Curry

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
26 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
80 ounces frozen chopped spinach
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons cumin, ground
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons coriander, ground
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt to taste

Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté until lightly browned.  Reduce heat to medium-low and add ginger, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and chili powder.  Sauté until spices are aromatic.  Add a few tablespoons water if necessary to keep paste from sticking to pan. 

2. Add chicken and stir to combine with spices.  Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes then add spinach.  Add enough water to just cover the ingredients.  Increase heat to high and bring to boil.  Cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer until chicken is cooked through, spinach is heated through, and curry has thickened.  Serve with rice, naan, or similar. 

Comments
This recipe is from Fuss Free Cooking.  The flavors were good and we enjoyed the dish but it was nothing amazing and the leftovers were the last to go.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos Verde

Ingredients
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 onion, diced
1 (16 ounces) jar salsa verde
1 (4 ounces) can diced green chilies
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
Shredded cheese
Guacamole
Pico de gallo or fresh salsa
Flour tortillas
Sour cream

Instructions
1. Place chicken in slow cooker.  Top with onion, salsa verde, green chilies, cumin, and garlic.  Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. 

2. Remove chicken from pot to large bowl and shred.  Stir in enough liquid from slow cooker to make the meat moist and almost saucy. 

3. Serve chicken in tortillas with desired toppings. 

Comments
This recipe is from Real Mom Kitchen.  (I wonder what a fake mom is?)  The recipe was super simple since it’s basically a dump and stir.  We sure love tacos in this family and these are a good addition to our selection of taco recipes!

Love Nuggets and Sauce

Ingredients
For the sauce
¹⁄₂ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoon mustard (use your favorite, I used Dijon)
¹⁄₂ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper

For the nuggets
2 ¹⁄₂ cups flour    
¹⁄₄ cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
Peanut oil or canola oil for frying (I prefer peanut oil since it doesn’t make the house smell gross.)

Instructions
1. Combine all sauce ingredients in small bowl.  Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

2. Heat oil in large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium high heat.  Oil should be 375*F for frying. 

3. Combine flour, powdered sugar, salt, pepper, and paprika in large ziptop bag.  Seal and shake well to combine then add chicken and shake until all pieces are coated. 

4. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken from bag, shake off excess flour, and place on plate.  (Or transfer bag contents into colander and shake off excess flour that way.) 

5. Working with 10 to 15 nuggets at a time, fry each batch about 4 to 6 minutes, depending on size of nuggets. 

6. Remove nuggets from oil with spider strainer or slotted spoon and place on paper towel-lined plate to drain.  Serve with sauce. 

Comments
This recipe is from Table for Two.  Art cut the chicken pieces a little bit on the small side, so these cooked very quickly.  These were super tasty both hot at dinnertime and cold as leftovers later. 

Shown here with Roasted Parmesan Green Beans.

Croque Madame

Ingredients
8 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup whole milk
1 bay leaf
¹⁄₂ teaspoon kosher salt
¹⁄₄ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
12 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded
8 slices sandwich bread of your choice
8 to 12 slices deli ham
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 eggs
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Heat broiler. 

2. To make béchamel sauce melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour begins to color.  Stir in milk then add bay leaf.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove bay leaf and stir in salt and Parmesan and gruyere.  Let cool until ready to use. 

2. Arrange 4 slices of bread on flat surface.  Top each with 2 to 3 slices of ham.  Spread a spoonful of sauce on top of each sandwich then top with remaining slices of bread. 

3. Heat 3 tablespoons butter in large skillet.  Add two sandwiches and brown on one side, about 2 minute.  Flip sandwiches and brown on other side, about 2 more minutes.  Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Repeat process with remaining 3 tablespoons butter and 2 sandwiches. 

4. Split the remaining béchamel sauce over top of 4 sandwiches then transfer baking sheet to broiler.  Broil until the tops of sandwiches brown, 2 to 5 minutes. 

5. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet and fry the eggs to desired doneness.  Place one egg on top of each sandwich then serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from Kitchenette.  I first heard about Croque Madames in high school French class.  You can remember the difference between Croque Madames and Croque Monsieurs because women have eggs.  Bad joke, right?  But it works! 

Lance and I really enjoyed these sandwiches but they were super filling.  Next time, I would omit the top slice of bread and make these as open face half sandwiches.  I.e., bread, ham, béchamel, and fried egg.  I’m not sure if I’d toast the bread first or if I’d give it a few minutes in the skillet with nothing on top of it.