Chicken Florentine Bowtie Pasta

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped white onion
1 clove minced garlic
4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Cups Philadelphia Cooking Creme
1 pound bowtie pasta or other small noodle
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Place oil in Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in spinach leaves, cook, stirring until wilted about 2 minutes. Add chicken, salt, and pepper, and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add cooking cream, stirring to combine.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and run under cold water to stop cooking. Add pasta to chicken mixture stirring to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish and top with cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted.Makes 8 servings

Recipe found at: http://picky-palate.com/2011/08/05/chicken-florentine-bowtie-pasta/

MOZZARELLA MEATBALLS

This one is for you Adrienne, you may want to cut it in half, but you will still probably end up freezing a bunch!! You can serve this with BBQ sauce(recipe included), or with marinara on a sub sandwich, this is a very versatile meatball recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 lbs. lean ground beef
• 15 sticks of mozzarella string cheese
• 3 c. dry bread crumbs
• 2/3 c. milk
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 c. minced onion
• 2 T. minced garlic
• 1 T. salt
• 2 tsp. black pepper

Sauce: 

1 1/3 cups ketchup
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced onion
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1 Cut each string cheese into 8 equal pieces - freeze until time to form meatballs.
2 Preheat oven to 500°F.
3 Combine beef, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, onion, garlic, salt and pepper in large bowl.
4 Shape into 1 to 1 1/2 inch meatballs, around each piece of frozen mozzarella. Seal meatballs well to keep cheese from oozing out.
5 Mix sauce ingredients together and set aside.
6 Place meatballs closely together on lightly greased broiler pans or rimmed baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes and cool (if planning to freeze); around 30 minutes if planning to eat right away.
7 Add sauce to last 15 minutes of baking if cooking that day. If freezing meatballs, add sauce to freezer bag and add cooked, cooled meatballs to it.
8 If cooking after freezing - thaw completely.
9 Preheat oven to 350°F.
10Pour meatballs and sauce into ungreased baking dish. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until meatballs are heated through. Serve over rice or noodles.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/mozzarella-meatballs-297687?oc=linkback

Bourbon Street Chicken - Crockpot Style

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tbls. cornstarch
2 tbls. extra virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp. ground ginger or more if you like a stronger ginger flavor
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper - or more if you like it spicy
2 tbls. applesauce, sweetened or not
1/4 cup bourbon or whiskey
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tbls. ketchup
1 tbls. cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup lite soy sauce

DIRECTIONS:
Whisk all ingredients into a crockpot. Add chicken and coat with mixture.
Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Serve over rice.

So Simple! Chicken Black Bean Green Enchilada Bake

2 cups white long grain rice
2 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
One 15-ounce can mild green enchilada sauce
One 4-ounce can sliced black olives
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Roasted Ground Cumin
One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Cook rice.
3. Place chicken, enchilada sauce, olives, tomatoes, sour cream, salt, pepper and cumin into a large bowl, mixing to combine. Pour cooked rice into prepared baking dish and layer beans on top of rice. Pour chicken mixture over rice and top evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until cheese is melted and rice is hot.
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Baked Crab Mac & Cheese

Adrienne made us a fabulous treat for dinner the other night!  She was so excited to try something new(I will miss her when she is married).  It turned out so good I decided to post it here so I don't lose it!  Thanks Adrienne, this one's a keeper!   Found at http://willcookforsmiles.com/2013/04/baked-crab-mac-and-cheese.html

• 1 1/2 cups of dry macaroni(Adrienne used these cute little shells)
• 6 oz claw crab meat(Adrienne used imitation crab, it was good!)
• 3 tbs butter
• 2 tbs flour
• 1 large shallot, chopped finely
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 oz fresh Parmesan cheese
• 8 oz sharp white cheddar cheese (block, it will melt better)
• salt, fresh cracked pepper (to taste)
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly grease a casserole dish.
2. Cook the macaroni according to the box instructions, drain well. Add the crab meat and set aside.
3. In a sauce pot, melt the butter (on medium heat) and add chopped shallot. Saute until fragrant.
4. Sprinkle the flour over the shallot, mix well. Slowly pour in the milk while constantly stirring with a rubber whisk. The mixture will start thickening.
5. Grate the white cheddar into the milk mixture. Add salt and pepper and keep stirring, slowly, until the cheese is melted.
6. Pour the cheese mixture into the macaroni and crab. Add half of the grated Parmesan cheese. Stir well, until all combined.
7. Transfer into a baking casserole dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and the other half of the grated Parmesan cheese.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Cole Slaw (Like KFC's)

DRESSING:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
•  

SLAW:

• 1 head of cabbage
• 1 medium carrot (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons minced onion

Instructions

1. Chop cabbage into chunks and run through your food processor, or chop fine.( I just bought a bag of Dole angel hair coleslaw mix and made my own dressing)
2. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl, whisk well.
3. Combine cabbage, carrots, and onion and toss well. Pour dressing over the slaw and turn to coat well.
4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving to allow the cabbage to soak up the marinade. Overnight is best.

Bourbon Vanilla French Toast Casserole

Bourbon Vanilla French Toast Casserole

Blue and Gold is coming up and I am helping out by making french toast casserole.  This recipe feeds quite a few and the yummy caramel like sauce on top is sooooo good!

• 1 loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1 inch slices(I use the skinny bagettes and slice them thin or buy them already sliced off the day old bread rack)
• 6 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup half-and-half cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons bourbon(we actually had some...gasp! so I put it in, pretty good)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup salted butter
• 1 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Cooking Directions

1. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, bourbon and cinnamon. Put bread slices in with the egg mixture and coat thoroughly.. Make sure that the slices are covered with the liquid mixture. Cover and place in the fridge.
2. The next morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup; heat until bubbling. Pour over bread and egg mixture. I use a measuring cup to pour it so that I can make sure all the slices are covered.
3. Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.