Chicken Alfredo Biscuit Casserole

The other day I was granted a great opportunity to deliver a meal to a new mother and her family. I really enjoy these opportunities to meet with people in my church family that I don't know as well. We had a great conversation and then I was off to feed my own family (i.e. Rex and Albie). I'm a little bit of a daredevil when it comes to cooking. Most people choose their old faithfuls when making dinner for others. I actually really enjoy the opportunity to cook new foods. Like I said, I'm a daredevil. This creation, however, was fabulous! I had so much fun making the meal (and saving some for Rex and myself!) and it tasted so delicious. I made a salad with Creamy Italian dressing, chocolate chip cookies, and chicken alfredo biscuit casserole.

For the Creamy Italian Dressing (I do LOVE this dressing)
Ingredients
3/4 c mayo (I use light-mayo)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp water
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp Italian seasoning (equal portions of oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme)
1 tsp sugar
1 clove garlic, chopped

Directions
Combine the ingredients together in a sealed jar and shake until well mixed.


For the Chicken Alfredo Biscuit Casserole
Ingredients

1  tbsp butter

2  c sliced fresh mushrooms (I omitted this since I was serving them to guests)

1/2  c yellow onion, chopped 

1/4  c milk

2  c cooked chicken, chopped (I usually just chop up chicken thigh and toss in Wok; it will cook in 10 mins)

2  c frozen broccoli florets, thawed (I added frozen brocolli to the Wok as the chicken was finishing to thaw)

1/4  teaspoon dried basil leaves

1  can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1  tbsp butter, melted

1  tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Sauce:

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese (I use neufchatel to lower the calories)

3/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

1/2 c. margarine or butter

1/2 c. milk

1 tbsp garlic powder

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.

2. If the chicken is not cooked yet, add cut up chicken to Wok w/ oil and stir occasionally until done (10 mins); add broccoli and allow broccoli to thaw in Wok.

3. In the meantime make Alfredo sauce. In large saucepan, combine cream cheese, parmesan cheese, margarine/butter, garlic powder, and milk. Stir over low heat until smooth. Add chicken and broccoli to sauce.

4. In Wok or skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Cook mushrooms and onion in butter, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in Alfredo sauce, milk, chicken, broccoli and basil. Cook until mixture is thoroughly heated and bubbly, stirring constantly. Spoon into baking dish.

5. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit in half crosswise. Arrange around edge of baking dish, overlapping slightly. Drizzle biscuits with melted butter; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

6. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Curry Beef

Although we live an apartment with very inadequate storage, I feel as though I am a little spoiled with all the kitchen gadgets I get to use on a regular basis. Besides my trusty Wok (which only fits under our sink...lol :) I also love our rice steamer. I love just putting it in there and never having to check it. I know once the light turns to "keep warm" it's done and I won't burn or overcook the rice. My two favorite kitchen gadgets combined can make a mean stir-fry.

I realize that this recipe is not for everyone. It isn't the kind of spicy that is hot, but it does contain quite a bit of curry seasoning which some people really dislike. Rex and I, however, love curry seasoning :) We also love stir-fry. It is one of those meals you can usually make in under 30 minutes that tastes great and makes good leftovers. In fact, since we love stir-fry so much I often have frozen chicken and beef sirloin on hand so that I can make a stir-fry whenever my cooking mood is low, but I still want something yummy. One of these days I'll have to write a list of the things I always have on hand in my pantry/freezer. So many last-minute meals are used with those ingredients. Anyways, Curry Beef is such a great recipe and it is one of those staples in our dinner menu. I probably make it once every 2-3 months (which is a lot for our dinner rotations!).

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
Stir-fry
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp soy sauce (I used reduced-sodium)
6 tbsp cold water, divided
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb beef sirloin cut into strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 sm onion cut into wedges
1 c sliced celery
1 bell pepper cut into 1-in pieces

Sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 c cold water
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp curry powder

Served over rice

DIRECTIONS
1. In a bowl, combine cornstarch, soy sauce, 2 tbsp water, and 1 tbsp oil until smooth; add beef and toss to coat.
2. In a Wok, stir-fry beef, garlic, and ginger in remaining oil until meat is no longer pink (4-5 minutes on high heat). Remove meat with slotted spoon and keep warm. Add onion, celery, green pepper, and remaining water to Wok. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add beef again.
3. For sauce, combine the cornstarch, water, ketchup, soy sauce, and curry until smooth; add to the skillet. Bring to a boil (1-2 mins). Stir and serve over rice.

Parmesan Chicken

I never thought having a puppy could really be compared to having a baby, but I think I've been proven wrong by Albie. From puppy-proofing, potty-training, house-training, walking him, playing with him, and disciplining the little guy I've had my hands full. But just like a parent I can't help but love him! His newest joy has been tearing apart his squeaky toys and leaving their filling around the house :) Oops! Anyways, I definitely think the dog has taken up my free-time and thus also my blogging time. And just for your viewing pleasure. This is Albie playing with my mom's 60 lb 6-month old standard poodle. I love how Albie instigates and then runs away...lol. And don't mind his squeals, he is a little dramatic at times!

Two nights ago I made Parmesan chicken with Cous-Cous. Parmesan chicken and Chicken parmesan are 2 entirely different dishes. One has sauce and one does not. I prefer Parmesan chicken to Chicken parmesan. I love Parmesan chicken! I love it so much I probably make it every 6-8 weeks. After all, what is not to love? It's crispy chicken that is covered in cheese. I've concocted my own recipe to make the dish as I always felt that there was always room for improvement in some of the recipes I had tried before.

Parmesan Chicken with Cous-cous

The leftovers in the baking dish. Yummy :)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs
1 c shredded Parmesan cheese (I use the dried kind as I feel it is similar to bread crumbs)
6 chicken drums
1 tbsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
1. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, combine flour, salt and garlic powder. In a separate shallow bowl, beat eggs. In a third bowl place Parmesan cheese. Coat chicken in flour, then dip in egg, and roll in cheese.
2. Place chicken in 9x13 baking dish. Cook chicken 55 minutes at 375 degrees F or until chicken is no longer pink.

Lentil Soup

I just got through watching a 60lb poodle named Nacho who is 6 months old and my Albie (all 7lbs of him) together in a 900 sq ft apt w/ no backyard. A challenge I can say conquered!

Recently I made Lentil Soup. Since it was an Indian style Lentil Soup it was nothing short of spicy (and not just the hot kind of spice). I've eaten lentil soup in the can, but had not cooked with them. Thankfully they are easy to use. This is one of the recipes that I liked, but needed a glass of milk to drink with it as the cayenne gave a good kick to the soup. It is also not a soup for people who do not like a lot of flavors at once. Along with soup I also made a loaf of bread that we buttered and dipped in our soup. All in all, a good meal for those who like Indian flavors.

INGREDIENTS:

1 large red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger

6 c water

1 c green lentils

1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained

1 (19 oz) can kidney beans

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomato, drained

1/2 c diced carrots

1/2 c diced celery

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. In large pot saute onions, garlic, and ginger in olive oil for 5 mins.

2. Add the water, lentils, garbanzo and kidney beans, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, and spices. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1-1.5 hrs, or until the lentils are soft.

3. In a blender or food processor puree half the soup and return to soup pot. Stir and serve!

Chicago Pizza

It's another Monday :) I only smile knowing that this week is not going to be a particularly busy week for us. We have places to go, but for the first time in quite awhile we'll get to go together everywhere! That is a nice bonus.

I love pizza! And I particularly love this pizza. I can't describe it enough. I am a sucker for BJ's Restaurant supreme pizza and this is pretty much it's clone. There are 2 types of pizza. NY pizza which has a thin crust and Chicago pizza which is more of a deep dish pizza. I don't discriminate as I like both styles of pizza, however, when making it at home from scratch, a Chicago pizza is less precise and tastes so good! I make my pizza in a 9x13 baking dish. This allows it to have the appropriate depth and it's just so much easier to put pizza dough in as it doesn't need to be perfectly round. This pizza is a bit unique as it doesn't really have a sauce (but neither does BJ's pizza either!). In fact it's the melted cheese and diced tomatoes that give it that pizza taste. I also like to make my own dough. This past time in making the dough, I was fortunate enough to try out dough in the bread machine, but I'll include the 5-minute dough recipe that will suffice for those of you who do not have a bread machine. Also, when time or your own energy is limited, Fresh and Easy sells fresh pizza dough in a bag and it is also good :)

Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
2.25 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 c warm water (110-120 degrees F)
2.5 c bread flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Directions:
1.In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until it appears frothy or creamy (about 10 mins).
2. Stir flour, salt, and oil. Beat until smooth. Allow mixture to rest for 5 minutes
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat/roll into desired shape. Place pizza toppings on top and bake.

Pizza

Ingredients: 

1 (1 pound) loaf bread dough 1 pound bulk Italian sausage and/or pepperoni 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 8 oz sliced, fresh mushrooms 1 small onion, chopped 2 tsp olive oil 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, drained 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp fennel seed, optional 1/2 c Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press dough into bottom and up the sides of a 9x13 baking dish. If desired, spread pepperoni over dough evenly.

2. Crumble the sausage into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until evenly browned. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon, and sprinkle over the dough crust. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over the sausage.

3. Add mushrooms and onion to skillet; cook and stir until the onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, oregano, salt, fennel seed, and garlic powder. Spoon over the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. 4. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes in the oven, or until crust appears golden brown.

Creamed Corn and fake-BBQ chicken

If the title confuses you, that's ok :) I don't quite know what to call a recipe for BBQ chicken that I altered to have a completely unique flavor! So I guess I'll call it fake-BBQ chicken. I have no idea what flavor it really became, but I do know that it was good. I also made a side of creamed corn. It wasn't exactly creamed corn since whole kernels of corn were the main part of it, however, it would be easy to alter this recipe by blending the corn in the food processor or blender prior to serving. Both dishes made a delicious meal and honestly a quick meal too. The corn was made in the crockpot and I prepared the chicken earlier in the day so it just needed to be in the oven for a little over an hour prior to serving. I love meals that taste good and don't require hours of labor in the kitchen! Enjoy :)

P.S. For those of us who lack a self timer on our crock-pots, you can easily set the crock-pot using a "Christmas Light" timer for $5 at Home Depot. That way while you're out of the house, your meal can still cook for the appropriate time-frame!

Fake-BBQ Chicken
Ingredients:
6 tbsp ketchup
6 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp chili powder
6 chicken thighs, skin removed

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Stir together every ingredient besides the chicken in small bowl.
2. Place the chicken thighs into an 8-inch baking dish and pour the sauce over them. Cover with aluminum foil.
3. Bake for 15 minutes in the oven, reduce temperature to 300 degrees F, and bake for one hour. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Creamed Corn Ingredients: 32 oz pkg frozen corn kenels 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese 1/2 c butter 1/2 c milk 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt pepper to taste Directions: 1. Melt butter and cream cheese together in microwave. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. 2. Place corn in crockpot with butter and cheese mixture. Add salt, pepper, and milk. 3. Cook on High for 2-4 hours, or on low for 4-6 hours.

Chicken and Biscuits

When Rex and I first got married, I knew that I wanted to make him meals virtually every night. I knew I could cook decent meals, but I was overwhelmed that I was responsible for creating meals 6 nights a week. It was also intimidating knowing that I would be cooking for someone else. I got through school making a couple of good meals, but for those who knew me well my diet was awful throughout college. Each week consisted of how to eat on a college budget. I would eat oatmeal for breakfast, noodles and marinara sauce 3-4 times a week. I ate frozen waffles whenever I needed a snack, and brussel sprouts for lunches when I felt like a treat. A treat to me was spending over $1.50 for lunch (lol!). Seriously, I spent something like $80/month on food for myself. Imagine my surprise when cooking for two and cooking good meals cost more than that per week :) Thank goodness college is over and I have a wonderful husband who desires me to explore my talents in the kitchen!


With that said, I came across this recipe one of our first weeks of marriage and knew I had to use it since it used cheap ingredients and it looked easy for someone who was still overwhelmed with cooking everyday. Time flies! In a little over a year, I feel much more confident in the kitchen and I love to meal plan. This meal used leftover chicken I had frozen to cut down on cook time.


Adapted from Allrecipes.com


INGREDIENTS
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
3/4 c sour cream, divided
2 c cooked chicken, chopped
1 (16 oz) pkg frozen mixed veggies, thawed
1 c shredded Cheddar cheese
2 c all-purpose baking mix*
3 tbsp milk


*Bisquik or the following recipe will suffice for all purpose baking mix
6 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening (butter-flavored or plain)

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Store in a container with tight-fitting lid. Will keep for up to 2 months

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F

2. Mix soup and 1/2 c sour cream in 8-inch baking dish. Stir in chicken, vegetables, and cheese.

3. Mix baking mix, remaining sour cream and milk until stiff dough forms.

4. Spoon into 6 mounds over chicken mixture. Bake 35 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture is hot and bubbly.