Apple Spinach Salad

I mentioned yesterday that I took the Greek Spaghetti to the two couple's in our Sunday School class who recently had babies.  I also took them another of Carrie's recipes, Apple Spinach Salad.  And I've received a request for that recipe also.  So here's a Recipe Wendesday on Thursday!  :)

Apple Spinach Salad

1 Package Fresh Spinach (or other lettuce)

2 Granny Smith Apples

1/2 c Cashews

1/4 c Golden Raisins

Dressing:

1/4 c Sugar

1/4 c Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 c Vegetable Oil

1/4 t Garlic Salt

1/4 t Celery Salt

Mix first four ingredients together.  Pour dressing over.

Greek Spaghetti

My aunt Carrie gave me this recipe along with quite a few others when we got married.  This is a really great meal to take to others because this one recipe makes a ton of food!  And you can control the amount of flavor based on how much seasoning you put into the pasta.  It's a really good dish that includes lots of good for you items like tomatoes and bell peppers.  And even the pickiest eaters seem to like it!

Greek Spaghetti

Serves 12 - 16

2 lbs Boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts

16 oz Spaghetti noodles

2 bell peppers, diced

1 c chopped Onion

2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (4 oz) can sliced Mushrooms, undrained

1 (8 oz) sliced Water Chestnuts

1 c reserved Chicken Broth

2 T Greek Seasoning (or less if you want to keep the flavor mild)

1 c Grated Mozzarella

1 c Grated Colby Cheese

- Rinse chicken and place in 5 qt Dutch oven.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 1 hour.

- Remove chicken from broth; remove 1 c broth for use in casserole; reserve remaining broth.

- Chop or tear chicken into bite size pieces.  

- Bring remaining broth to a boil and add spaghetti noodles.  Cook until tender (add water if needed).  Pour cooked noodles into colander.

- Place bell pepper, onion, and tomatoes in skillet and saute until tender.

- In a large (very large!) bowl combine chicken, noodles, pepper, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, water chestnuts, 1 c broth, and Greek seasoning.  Toss until thoroughly blended.

- Place in two 9x13 baking dishes.  Sprinkle with cheeses.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Note: I put this into 3 square dishes this week when I took dinner to others in our Sunday School class that had just had babies.  It filled those dishes to the brim!

Let me know how it turns out if you make it!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

I've been told before that some people have never heard of Strawberry Pretzel Salad. I, for one, think that that is in outright shame! Strawberry Pretzel Salad is fantastic and can be considered by some (like me!) to be a fruit and a healthy dessert due to the strawberries in the jello! So next time you want to whip up a great dessert that's great to take to family gatherings or potlucks try this, you won't regret it!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

1/4 c Light Brown Sugar
2 1/2 c Crushed Pretzels
3/4 c Melted Margarine

Mix and spread in a lightly buttered 9x13 dish. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and cool in refrigerator.

1 6 oz package Strawberry Gelatin
2 c Boiling water
2 10 oz package Frozen Strawberries

Dissolve jello in hot water. Add berries. Chill until partially set.

8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 c Sugar
1 8z container of Cool Whip, thawed

Combine sugar and cream cheese. Fold in cool whip. Spread mixture over cooled pretzel layer, sealing edges well.

Pour jello layer over cream cheese layer. Chill until set.

Let me know how it turns out!

Chicken and Rice

This is a great recipe and pretty easy!  You make everything in the skillet so you only get one cooking dish dirty.  The bacon really adds a lot of flavor to the dish!  

Chicken and Rice

Makes 4 Servings

1 1/2 lb skinless, boneless Chicken Breasts

2 8.8 oz pouches ready to serve long-grain rice

4 bacon slices, diced

1/2 c chopped Onion

1/2 c frozen Green Peas, thawed

1 4 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained

3/4 t Salt

1/4 t Pepper

1. Cut chicken into 1/4 inch slices and set aside.

2. Heat rice according to package directions; set aside.

3. Saute bacon in a large skillet over M/H heat 8 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon with slotted spoon, reserving 1 T drippings in skillet.

4. Saute onion in hot drippings in skillet 3 minutes or until tender.  Stir in chicken and saute 8 minutes or until chicken is done.  Stir in rice, bacon, peas and next three ingredients; cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

You can substite 4 oz snow peas for green peas if you're like my Dad and don't like green peas. :)  Microwave snow peas and 1/4 c Water in a bowl 2 minutes before adding to chicken mixture.  Proceed with recipe as directed.

Also, there are just the perfect amount of mushrooms in this recipe for me.  But for Jason (and those like  him who don't appreciate mushrooms quite as much) I will only use 1/2 jar of mushrooms next time.

If you make it let me know how it turns out!

Chicken Cobbler Casserole

Contrary to what you may be thinking this recipe doesn't have any type of fruit in it and it really isn't like a Chicken Pot Pie at all! :)  It is very good and filling.  The top crust portion is what makes it spectacular!

Chicken Cobbler Casserole

Makes 4 servings

6 T melted butter, divided

4 c Cubed Sourdough rolls or bread

1/3 c Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 T chopped Fresh Parsley

2 M sweet onions, sliced

1 8z package sliced fresh mushrooms

1 c White Wine

1 10 3/4 oz can Cream of Mushroom soup

1/2 c Drained and Chopped Jarred Roasted Red Bell Peppers

2 1/2 c Shredded Cooked chicken

1. Toss 4 T melted butter with next three ingredients; set aside.

2. Saute onions in remaining 2 T butter in a large skillet over M/H heat 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Add mushrooms and saute 5 minutes.

3. Stir in wine and next three ingredients; cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until bubbly.  Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 9 inch square or 11x7 inch baking dish; top evenly with bread mixture.

4. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until casserole is golden brown.

This has a lot of mushrooms in it so if you're not a big mushroom fan you might want to use 1/2 the called for amount of mushrooms.

Let me know how it turns out!

Poppyseed Chicken

Due to Jenni's request for the Poppyseed Chicken recipe and my love for this recipe it's this week's recipe!  I got the recipe from a friend from Sunday School, Kristina.  

This recipe is great and makes a ton.  The past few times that I've made it I've split the recipe into two 8x8 pans so I can either freeze the second portion or take it to friends, like Jenni and Travis!

Poppyseed Chicken

1 bag Small Egg Noodles

4 Chicken Breasts

2 cans Cream of Chicken soup

Butter

Poppyseed

8 oz Sour Cream

Ritz Crackers

1. Boil chicken (add salt if desired), then cut into bite size pieces.

2. Boil noodles

3. Mix sour cream, soup, and poppyseed (a generous portion)

4. In a separate bowl mix chicken and noodles ot equal amounts

5. Toss and evenly wet chicken/noodles mixture with soup mixture.

6. Put combined mixture in a baking dish and sprinkle with more poppyseed.

7. Crumble 1 roll Ritz Crackers and combine with melted butter; sprinkle crackers on top of dish.

8. Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes or until hot.

Note: Don't use the whole bag of noodles (probably only 3/4 of the bag depending on it's size).  Use less noodles to start with and then add more as you add the sauce mixture.  The more noodles the drier the consistency.  Use a lot of poppyseed, or use less, whatever you like!

Let me know if you make it!

Taco Soup

Since today is October 1st I thought I'd let you know on my must-have comfort food of the fall and winter.  Taco Soup.  This is a great recipe that is huge so you can freeze half and save it for later.

Taco Soup

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

1 small Onion, chopped

1 16 oz can each Pinto Beans, Red Kidney Beans, Lima Beans, rinsed and drained

1 envelope Taco Seasnoning Mix

1 1/2 c Water

1 envelope Ranch Salad Dressing Mix

1 t each Salt and Pepper

2 cans Rotel

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Tortilla Chips

Brown ground beef in a large skillet; drain.  Combine beef, onions, rotel, all beans, taco seasoning mi, water, salad dressing mix, salt and pepper in a large slow cooker; mix well.  Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.  Top with cheese and tortilla chips.

Let me know if you make it!

Shrimp with Tomatoes over Pasta

So I'm back from the massive bug that attacked me last week.  Sorry for missing last week's recipe, apparently I do have some readers who wait anxiously for the weekly recipe although I think Carrie might be the only one! I had a little trouble deciding what to post today since my two staple recipes (the BBQ Pork Chops and the Parmesan Chicken) were posted weeks ago.  Jason and I decided last night that we'd just have to start cooking more recipes often in order to keep up with the pressure that is Recipe Wednesday!  But that just means that he has to try a lot of new things so that works for me.  :)

In the end I chose a recipe that I don't cook as often as I'd like because I forget about it but we love it every time I make it.  

Shrimp with Tomatoes over Pasta

12 oz Fresh or Frozen Shrimp

3 T Olive Oil

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1/4 t Dried Oregano, crushed

1/4 t Dried Basil, crushed

1 c. Cherry Tomatoes

2 t Lemon Juice

2 T Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 T snipped parsley

Pasta

1. Cook pasta

2. Thaw shrimp (if frozen).  Pat dry with paper towels.  In a 10" skillet heat olive oil over medium/high heat.

3. Add shrimp, garlic, oregano, and basil.  Cook about 3 minutes or until shrimp turn opaque, stirring frequently.

4. Add tomatoes and lemon juice.  Cook and stir about 30 seconds or until heated through.  Sprinkle with cheese and parsley.

5. Serve shrimp and tomatoes over pasta.

Let me know how it turns out!  Also, let me know if there is a type of recipe you're wanting more of (desserts, sides, breads, fish, etc)!

Black Bean Chimichangas

This is a fairly new recipe for us. I tried it for the first time a few weeks ago and we've had it twice since then. It's really easy to make (I put it all together during lunch one day) and doesn't take long to cook. You can make the chimichanga's and prepare all the Mexican side dishes like rice and beans if you want, you can just eat it with chips and salsa, or you can serve them with other sides. 

Black Bean Chimichangas

1 8.8 oz pouch ready to serve Mexican rice and pasta (or the closest you can find to this)
1 15 oz can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 c chunky medium Salsa
1 c shredded Mexican four cheese blend
2 c shredded Deli-Roasted Chicken (all I could find was the shredded chicken already seasoned for taco's and it was very good so any type of shredded chicken is fine)
10 8" soft Tortilla's
1/4 c Butter, melted

Toppings: Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, olives

1. Heat rice according to package
2. Stir together rice, beans, salsa, cheese, and chicken. Spread 1/2 c rice mixture just below the center of each tortilla. Fold bottom third up and over filling, just until covered. Fold left and right sides over and roll up tortilla. Place seam side down on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush tops with butter.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 - 18 minutes or until golden brown.

These do freeze very well if you just roll them up and place them in double freezer bags. Let them thaw for a day or so in the refrigerator and then cook at 400 for the same amount of time.

Let me know if you enjoy the chimichanga's!

Tailgating Dips

If your house is anything like mine you've been hearing for the last 100 or so days how long it is until kickoff. I think everyone in the South is going crazy now that we're down to a few measly days! We could probably even rationalize counting the time in hours instead of days now! So in honor of the kickoff of our beloved football season I've gathered our two favorite dips. Jason doesn't really prefer the artichoke dip, but they're both really good! Happy Tailgating!

Bean Dip

Makes 1 large casserole or two small square dishes

Put ingredients into the pan in this order:
2 cans Refried Beans
16 ox Sour Cream mixed with 1 envelope Taco Seasoning
1 1/2 - 2 jars Salsa
Cheddar Cheese

Refrigerate until serving. Serve with Frito's or your favorite chip.

Artichoke Dip

1 14 oz can Artichoke Hearts, drained and finely chopped
1 8z container Sour Cream
1/2 c Chunky Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
1/4 c Snipped Chives

Stir together. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Serve with pretzels.

Does anyone else have any must-have tailgating food?!? Pass it along if you do!

Parmesan Chicken

Now this recipe is one of my favorites and one of my staples! It's been a few weeks since I've made it and I'm sure Jason will be requesting it again pretty soon. He loves it. I love it. It's a great recipe! The only thing is that you get a little messy. If you don't like handling raw chicken this isn't the recipe for you. But if you don't mind getting messy in the name of good food then this could become one of your favorite meals!

Parmesan Chicken
Preheat the oven to 450
Serves 4 - 6

1 clove garlic, minced (you can substitute garlic from the spice aisle if you want)
1 c dried bread crumbs
2 T chopped parsley
1/4 t garlic salt
1/8 t ground black pepper
1 stick butter, melted
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t salt
Large pinch Italian Seasoning
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or tenderloins)

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Cut chicken into pieces no larger than 2"x2"
3. Combine garlic and melted butter in one bowl
4. In another bowl, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper.
5. Dip chicken into garlic mixture and then coat in crumb mixture.
6. Place coated chicken pieces into a 9x13 baking dish. Try to leave room between pieces. Drizzle with remaining garlic butter.
7. Bake uncovered for 15 min or until chicken is cooked through.

Some helpful hints for this recipe:
- I rarely have space between my chicken pieces because I want to use every last piece and it still cooks fine
- I usually pour the remaining crumbs over the top of the drizzled garlic butter just to get every last yummy piece used
- I use these breading trays from Williams-Sonoma that I received as a wedding gift to bread the chicken. It makes it really easy to not make a mess on my counter because they're interlocking. But you can use anything you have.
- Once you make the recipe a few times you get used to how much of everything goes into the breading recipe and you can just start estimating. The breading doesn't have to match the recipe perfectly, it's great however you make it!

Let me know if you like it once you make it!

Hot Bacon and Swiss Dip

Due to Jenni's request here is the recipe for the Bacon and Swiss dip. This dip is REALLY great and is pretty easy! It makes a lot of dip so be prepared. The recipe makes 2 cups but I usually multiply it to get enough for a chafing dish container. If you want the dip more bacon-y you can cook extra bacon and add it in to the actual dip.

This recipe is special to us because we had this at our wedding reception. We had the dip first at a friend of the family's wedding the June before our wedding in July and decided that we really wanted it at our wedding! Thanks Carrie Sanders Hart and her family for graciously allowing us to borrow the recipe! I think this recipe has been in their family for years.

Hot Bacon and Swiss Dip
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/2 c Miracle Whip
4 oz Swiss cheese, shredded
2 T green onions, chopped
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
1/2 c Ritz crackers, buttered and crumbled

Mix cream cheese, Miracle whip, cheese and onions. Bake (approx 30 min at 350 or until slightly bubbly) then top with bacon and crackers.

Makes two cups. Serve with your favorite cracker or toast points.

Let me know how it turns out!

BBQ Pork Chops

I've seen some blogs that post recipes once a week and I decided to start this also. That way, if you have a great recipe you can post it in the comments or send it to me and we can all share! I'm always on the lookout for new recipes. Kelly, this is your cue to start posting some of your fantastic recipes that we always forget to share! :)

So in honor of the first ever Recipe Wednesday I'm posting one of my favorite recipes. It's from Paula Deen's Lady and Sons cookbook and is super easy!

BBQ Pork Chops
6 pork chops
1 T vegetable oil
14 1/2 oz can of crushed tomatoes (or any kind of cut tomatoes)
2 T mustard
1/2 c Ketchup
1/4 c Dark Brown Sugar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t salt

Preheat oven to 350
Brown pork chops in oil and then drain them
Place pork chops in 9x13 dish
Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and spoon over pork chops
Bake for 43 minutes

Jason and I usually eat this with a salad and boiled potatoes smushed up with butter, salt, and pepper. It's a great meal because there's always sauce left over and the sauce is TO DIE FOR so you can use it for your potatoes also!

Let me know how yours turns out!