Southwest Chicken Casserole- Recipe #2

This is a fun recipe that the family really enjoyed. It is easy to put together and tasty one dish meal.


2 cups of black beans (canned or cooked bagged beans)
2 cups of cooked corn (I use frozen)
3 cups of cooked rice
2 T of butter, melted
1 can of Rotel (drained)
1 lb of chicken, cooked and cubed
1 cup of shredded cheese

Preparation:
Mix beans, corn, rice, salsa, and butter in a bowl until blended. Place in a casserole dish aluminum casserole pan. Cool and freeze.

On Cooking Day:
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake in a preheated 350F oven for 30 minutes covered, 15 minutes uncovered. Sprinkle with cheese the last few minutes.

Meal Planning

One Week’s Meals - April 25 to May 30

Make Ahead for the week: Curry Base (makes 4 bags), Southwest Casserole (2), Chicken Divan Casserole (2), Optional: Taco Soup into to freezer bag

Sunday Night- Indian Theme A base of curried potatoes and carrots topped with shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken from Kroger) with a boiled egg and a side of Naan

http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/07/naan.html

http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/04/daag-curry-base.html


Meatless Monday Red Beans and Rice (nothing special- packaged)

Tuesday Southwest Casserole (recipe coming this week)

Wednesday Church Meal / Bruschetta for Book Club
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/06/bruschetta.html

Thursday Taco Soup
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/04/taco-soup.html

Friday Chicken Divan Casserole (recipe coming this week)

Chicken and Barley with Lemon Marinade- Recipe #1

Barley is a new grain for me to cook with. However, I have enjoyed the texture and the flavor. I find that I can replace rice with barley in recipes. In this dish it is used as a side to chicken. The flavor pops and makes for a tangy light chicken dish. Enjoy.


1 lb of chicken
1 cup of barley, uncooked

Marinade
1 lemon juiced (1/4 of a cup)
¼ cup of olive oil
1 tsp of Italian Seasoning

On Preparation Day:
Cook barley on the stove. Combine 1 cup of barley to four cups of water. Season barley with salt and pepper for flavor. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer. Cook for 45 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Layer cooked barley on the bottom of the casserole dish. Lay the chicken on top of the barley. Pour marinade on top of the dish. Cool and freeze.

On Cooking Day:
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake in a preheated 350F oven for 30 minutes covered, 15 minutes uncovered.

Roasted Chicken- One bag of Chicken- 4 recipes

I enjoy cooking on the weekends. I can try new things, and take my time with it. This weekend, I roasted a three pound bag of chicken tenders. I have found that my family eats about ¾ of a pound of chicken, or 3 chicken breast, not the typical 1 pound per recipe. I am writing the recipe for 1 pound of chicken, but I divided the bag of chicken into four each servings. You can do what is comfortable for your family. Normally, I would make two servings of two recipes, one for the week, one for the freezer. This week I had some new things to try, so I tried four different recipes. Not ideal as far as the mess in the kitchen, but again, I enjoyed it. So, first- the roasted chicken:

1 - 3 lb bag of chicken tenders, thawed
Butter or olive oil to drizzle on chicken
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 350. Spray the bottom of a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Lay the chicken on the pan. Do not let the pieces touch. Drizzle with olive oil, or melted butter. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until pieces are no longer pink in the middle. (Keep a close eye on chicken, because it can become tough if left too long)

The four recipes I made with the bag of chicken are as follows:

• Chicken and Barley with Lemon Marinade
• Southwest Chicken Casserole
• Chicken Divan Casserole
• Teriyaki Chicken Casserole

I will be working on the recipes this week to post.

Easy Hummus

This easy, yet delicious recipe is one of my new favorites. It is a low calorie dip that is great with veggies and pita chips. My sister-in-law makes this regularly- and I am starting to make it more- now that I am addicted. Also, if you like olives, you can add in a few to the mix. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
a bit of lemon juice


Directions
1.In a blender or food processor combine garbanzo beans, garlic, cumin, salt and olive oil. Blend on low speed, gradually adding reserved bean liquid, until desired consistency is achieved.

Meal Planning

Well, we seem to have another one of those weeks that I find overwhelming by just looking at the calendar. I am thankful that I have implemented weekly meal planning for 2010. Last week, I didn't do so well, but I feel better about it this week. Most of my cooking this week will consist of thawing and cooking or reheating. This week is a little different in that we have two sitters this week due to meetings, so I am using the freezer more this week than usual. Each Saturday or Sunday I sit down and look at what we have each night, and what I can cook. Most weekends I cook one or two meals ahead of time. This really helps me keep my weekly sanity, and allows me to enjoy the process. My meals are not complicated, if they were too fussy the girls wouldn't eat them. I vowed long ago not to cook separately for the girls. So, here is what on the menu for the week in the Gordon house.

Make Ahead for the week: (Sunday cooking this week) Quiche (2), spaghetti sauce (3), Granola for breakfasts and snacks (should last two weeks)

Saturday night: Cranberry Chicken (from freezer)
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/02/cranberry-chicken.html

Sunday night: Quiche (made two- one for freezer)
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/02/cranberry-chicken.html

Meatless Monday night: Cabbage Soup (from freezer)- reheated in Crockpot
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/02/cabbage-soup.html


Tuesday night: Spaghetti (made three- put two in freezer)
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/02/homemade-spagetti.html

Wednesday night: Church dinner (healthy meal that I don't have to cook :) )

Thursday night: Meatloaf (from freezer)- in Crockpot
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/01/easy-meat-loaf.html

Friday night: Lemon Chicken with Barley (recipe coming soon)

Bulgur Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

I have made this for my lunches. I really enjoy the taste and the texture... Bulgur has a great texture. It also freezes well.

Bulgur Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Serving Size : 8

1 Small cabbage
1 Cup parsley -- finely chopped
2 onions -- chopped
4 Stalks celery -- chopped
1/4 Tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 Tsp garlic -- minced
30 Oz tomato sauce
4 Cups water
2 Cups bulgur
8 Oz tomato sauce
1/2 Cup water

Remove core from cabbage, place cabbage head in steamer and steam until all leaves are soft and separate easily.

Sauté parsley, onions, celery, seasoning, and garlic in oil substitute until onions are soft. Add 2 15-oz. cans of tomato sauce, 4 cups water and bulgur. Cook about 1/2 hr. over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bulgur is tender. Remove from heat.

To stuff cabbage leaves, place a spoonful of mixture in center of each leaf. Starting at one side, roll leaf up and fold ends under. Place in a deep baking pan. Mix the 8 oz can of tomato sauce with 1/2 cup water and pour over stuffed cabbage leaves so they remain moist during baking. Bake at 375 for about 30 min. until cabbage is hot.

Sources: Jewish Food Recipe Archives


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Baked Egg Rolls

Meatless Monday once again... So I adding this to the fried rice recipe... You can have a feast



2 T of vegetable oil
1 T of sugar
3 T of Soy sauce
2 T of white wine or cooking Sherry
1 14 oz. block of firm tofu
1/2 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup shredded carrots
1 bunch of green onions chopped
16 oz of shredded cabbage
1 package of egg roll wraps


Heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add tofu and carrots; cook 5 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons soy sauce, cooking sherry and sugar, and pepper to taste. Then, stir in cabbage mixture and let reduce for 2 minutes. Cover and chill 15 minutes.
Place 1 egg roll wrapper at a time onto work surface with 1 corner pointing toward you (wrapper should look like a diamond). Fold lower corner of egg roll wrapper over filling. Fold in corners. Moisten top corner of wrapper with water; roll up jelly-roll fashion. Repeat procedure with remaining wrappers, tofu filling, and water.
Lightly coat egg rolls with cooking spray, and place, seam side down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Turn egg rolls over half way through cooking process.

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Slow Cooker Corn Chowder

INGREDIENTS

5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 onions, chopped
2 cups diced ham
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, undrained
2 tablespoons margarine
salt and pepper to taste
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk


DIRECTIONS

In a slow cooker, place the potatoes, onions, ham, celery, corn, butter or margarine and salt and pepper to taste. Add water to cover and two bouillon cubes.
Cook on low setting for 8 to 9 hours and then stir in the evaporated milk. Cook for 30 more minutes.



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Goldenrod Eggs with White Sauce

Okay, it is another boiled egg recipe. I remember my mom making this as a kid- but we called it "Stuff." I remember not knowing what to call it- so it was "Stuff." I made it last night, but could work on my white sauce. I know that is a practiced skill. So, if you have any hard boiled eggs left- enjoy this tasty, easy recipe.

Goldenrod Eggs

• 6 hard-boiled eggs
• 4 pieces of toast
• 1 1/2 cups of white sauce

Chop egg whites into the white sauce. Serve over toast. Sprinkle yolks on top.

White Sauce

• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 cup of milk
• dash of pepper
• salt to taste

Melt butter in to pan. Add pepper and flour; blend together. Slowly add in milk, whisking in as you add. Cook until thick and smooth. Salt to taste.

Deviled Eggs

Right now we have eggs in the fridge. . . hard-boiled of course. So, I will be looking at ways to use them, without eating just plain eggs. Tonight we had a few deviled eggs with our dinner. My mom also shared with me that this was one of her favorite dishes to take to potlucks when they first got married. People love deviled eggs, and they are cheap to make!

12 hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved, yolks in a separate bowl
1/4 cup light mayo
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Mix the yolks and mayo in a bowl. Mix until creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put mixture in a sandwich bag. Cut the corner off of the bag and use the bag to pipe the mixture into the egg white halves. Sprinkle with paprika if desired.

Pork Tenderloin Marinade

You know how sometimes you can read a recipe and know that it is going to be good? Well, this recipe is one of those- and it looked so good I fed it to 15 people the first time I made it. We had an Easter get-together today in Fort Smith for the young and old. Now, as we head back to our home, I am reflecting on the yuminess. It is one to try!

2 lb pork tenderloin
1 onion mix
1 cup of water
3/4 cup red wine
3 tbs garlic
3 tbs soy sauce
Black pepper.

Cook for 4 hours on low in crockpot, or for about 30 to 45 minutes on the grill in an aluminum tray.


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Easter Meal

More than any other meal, I like to keep Easter traditional. It is the only time of year I bake a ham. It is the one of the only times I make homemade mac-and-cheese. It is the only time of year I boil eggs. I love that there are fresh greens in the stores. I love the colors on the table, the flowers in bloom, and the general mood of happiness that abounds with Easter. So, today there will not be any new recipes, but links to some of my standard holiday fares. This weekend always sweeps in and sweeps by, so take some time to enjoy your family. ksg



Boiled Eggs
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/04/hard-boiled-eggs.html



Ham Glaze
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/01/ham-glaze.html


Crockpot Mac-and-Cheese
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2009/04/crock-pot-mac-and-cheese.html


Gordon Green Beans
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2008/11/gordon-greenbeans.html

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
http://twosistersandfriends.blogspot.com/2010/02/brown-sugar-glazed-carrots.html