Bisquick's Impossibly Easy Barbecue Chicken Pie & Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

Want to make something easy & delicious? Bisquick's "Impossibly Easy" pie recipes fit the bill!  I'm including two recipes- a barbecue chicken one & a cheeseburger one.

Bisquick's Impossibly Easy Barbecue Chicken Pie

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup Original Bisquick mix

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons barbecue sauce

3/4 cup french-fried onions

Additional barbecue sauce, if desired

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.  Layer chicken, corn,  and 3 Tablespoons of the parsley in pie plate.

2. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, 1/4 cup barbecue sauce and eggs with wire whisk or fork until blended. Pour into pie plate.

3. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Brush 2 Tablespoons barbecue sauce over top of pie.  Sprinkle onions evenly over sauce.

4. Bake 2 to 3 minutes longer or until onions are golden brown. Remove from oven; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Serve with barbecue sauce, heated.

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 pound lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup original bisquick mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400. Spray 9 inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.  In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beefis thoroughly cooked; drain.  Stir in salt.  Spread in pie plate; sprinkle with cheese.

2.  In medium bowl, stir all remaining ingredients with wire whisk or fork until blended.  Pour into pie plate.

3. Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Both of these are quite delicious! enjoy!!!

Paula Deen's Luscious Vidalia Onion and Sweet Corn Spoon Bread

Mmmmmmmm.... I love cornbread, but I really find this spoon bread delicious.  It's so soft & smooth & flavorful!  It's also a Paula Deen recipe (from the Deen Family Cookbook)... so it's definitely a winner!

Paula Deen's Luscious Vidalia Onion and Sweet Corn Spoon Bread

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter

1 medium Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon plus 1 pinch of salt

2 cups milk

1 cup half and half

1 cup cornmeal

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400.  Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter.  Add the onion with the pinch of salt and saute until golden and softened, 7 to 10 minutes.

3. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, half and half, and the remaining 4 Tablespoons butter to a boil over medium-high heat.  Whisk in the cornmeal very slowly to avoid lumps; simmer until very thick, about 5 minutes.

4. Let stand off the heat for 5 minutes to cool.

5. Stir in the eggs, chives, pepper, baking powder, and the 1 teaspoon salt.

6. Pour the batter into the baking dish and scatter the onions over the top.

7. Bake until golden and firm, about 40 minutes. Serve hot!

This goes quite well with barbecue!

Cheesy Beans and Rice

Black beans aren't really MY thing, but the rest of my family enjoys them.  My Mom made this recipe, so I thought that I'd share!

Cheesy Beans & Rice

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 large onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions. Transfer to a bowl; add the beans.  In a nonstick skillet, saute the onion in oil for 4-5 minutes until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, chili powder, and salt. Bring to a boil; remove from the heat.

2. In a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray, layer a third of the rice mixture, cheese and tomato mixture.  Repeat layers.  Top with remaining rice mixture and tomato mixture.

3. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan with Rice

Chicken Parmesan is, to me, a wonderful meal.  When we found this recipe in 'my magazine,' we were instantly intrigued.  It was quite a hit!

Chicken Parmesan with Rice

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon oil

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound) [thighs okay]

1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce

1 cup water

2 cups instant white rice, uncooked

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat.

2. Add chicken; cover.  Cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is cooked through (165F)

3. Remove chicken from skillet; cover to keep warm.

4. Add spaghetti sauce and water to skillet; stir. Bring to boil.

5. Stir in rice; top with chicken.

6. Sprinkle with cheeses; cover.

7. Reduce heat to low; cook 5 minutes or until mozzarella cheese is melted.

8. Refrigerate any leftovers (but I doubt that there will be any!)

Bon Appetit!

Easy Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

Alright... I'm going to start this by saying that I'm well aware that the ingredients in this recipe are a bit unconventional... HOWEVER, this is by far one of my favorite pork recipes.  It's so easy to put together & so very flavorful.  

Easy Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

6 boneless pork chops

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 package (6 ounce) stuffing mix (like stovetop)

1 can (21 ounce) apple pie filling (I prefer no sugar added)

dash of cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

1. In a large skillet, brown the chops in the oil over medium-high heat.

2. Prepare the stuffing according to the package directions.

3. Spread the apple pie filling on the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Place the   Place the chops on top of the filling, sprinkle with cinnamon, and then spoon the stuffing over the chops.

4. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more. 

Cali Casserole

This is a somewhat spicy dish that is incredibly yummy.  If you aren't crazy about bell pepper, either reduce the quantity or remove it altogether!

Cali Casserole

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

1 medium bell pepper, chopped (can be omitted)

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 can (14 3/4 ounce) cream-style corn

1 can (10 3/4 ounce) condensed tomato soup, undiluted (healthy request okay!)

1 can (10 ounces) tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 can (4 ounces) mushrooms (whole or sliced)

1 jar (4 ounces) chopped pimientos, drained

1 can (2 1/4 ounces) sliced black olives, drained

1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked and drained

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

1. In a large skillet, cook beef, green pepper, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain.

2. Add the next 11 ingredients; mix thoroughly.

3. Add the noodles; mix well.

4. Pour into a Dutch oven or large baking dish.

5. Cover and bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

6. Sprinkle with cheese.

7. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Chicken Spaghetti

Cooking for a large family or making an entree for a potluck?  This recipe makes PLENTY of food.  My household (5 adults) could really make 2 meals of this... usually, though, we have it for dinner once and then eat leftovers for lunches during the week.  It's very tasty!

*NOTE: If you're not crazy about bell pepper, reduce the amount or remove it completely.*

**I really like the taste/sweetness that vidalia/sweet onions provide the dish**

***You can prepare the dish through step 5, then place it (covered) in the fridge until you're ready to bake***

Chicken Spaghetti

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 large green bell pepper, chopped (optional)

1 large onion, chopped

3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I use thighs, but breasts would be fine)

2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained

2 (4.5 ounce) cans sliced mushrooms, drained

2 cups frozen English peas, thawed (15 ounce can okay)

1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (cream of chicken & mushroom would be fine)

1 (3.8 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 (8 ounce) packages shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 (7 ounce) packages vermicelli broken into 2 inch pieces, cooked and drained

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 4-Quart baking dish.

1. In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.  Add bell pepper and onion, and cook for 5 minutes or until tender.

2. Stir in chicken, tomatoes/chilies, mushrooms, peas, chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup, olives, salt, and pepper until combined.

3.  Add cheese, stirring until melted.

4. Add vermicelli, tossing gently to combine.

5. Spoon into prepared dish

6. Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.

Bon Appetit!

Glazed Cinnamon Biscuits

I love cinnamon rolls... they bring back so many memories from my childhood.  I remember how exciting it was to get up in the morning and smell them cooking- I still get excited!

This recipe is unique because instead of being the sweet dough that you'd find in a bakery (or pillsbury) cinnamon roll, it's a biscuit dough.  Now that I'm more grown up, I really enjoy the taste of this- not too sickly sweet, but very tasty and wonderful!

Glazed Cinnamon Biscuits

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

For biscuits:

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons salt

6 Tablespoons butter or margarine, divided

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

5 teaspoons milk

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450.

1. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

2. Cut in 4 tablespoons of the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Stir in milk just until moistened.

4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 8 to 10 times.

5. Roll into an 11-in. by 8 in. rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.

6. Melt remaining butter; brush 1 tablespoon over dough.

7. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over butter.

8. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with long edge.

9. Cut into 12 equal slices.

10. Place with cut side down in a greased 8-in. square baking pan. Brush with remaining butter.

11. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

12. Cool for 5 minutes.

13. Combine glaze ingredients; spread over warm biscuits. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!!!

Alton Brown's Delicious Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Do you like oatmeal cookies? If so, do yourself a favor and try out this recipe.  I found it in one of Alton Brown's baking cookbooks- it's absolutely terrific.  

The original recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies... Sure, it's a lot of cookies, but they freeze quite well... and they'll keep for about 2 weeks or so in an airtight container according to the cookbook (but they've never around for too long at my house- just a few days or so with my brother's friends around... or taken for lunches, etc.)

Alton Brown's Oatmeal Cookies

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

5 sticks (2 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

6 cups rolled oats (traditional, NOT quick cook, instant, or irish!)

2 cups raisins

Parchment paper for cookie sheets

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

1. Cream together butter, brown sugar, & sugar.

2. Add in eggs & vanilla.

3. In medium/large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Spoon in flour mixture into creamed mixture.

4. Once dough is formed, stir in oats. 

5. Add raisins.

6. Scoop and drop tablespoon balls of dough onto ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheets with each mound of dough approximately 2 inches apart.

7. Bake for 15-17 minutes, rotating the pans after 8 minutes, until the cookies have begun to brown on the edges.

8. Remove from oven and hold the cookies on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before moving to a rack to cool completely.

YUM!

Mexican Marinade for Chicken

This is an absolutely wonderful (and easy!) mexican marinade... the cocoa powder just gives it that little 'something extra' that makes it delightful! 

***Just like many other marinades, the longer you let it marinate the more flavorful it becomes!***

Mexican Marinade for Chicken

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

6-8 chicken thighs (breasts are fine!)

1/2-2/3 cup lime juice (bottled is ok!)

2 Tablespoons brown sugar (I prefer using dark brown sugar for marinades)

2 Tablespoons soy sauce (lite/low sodium is fine)

4 teaspoons oil (canola or vegetable oil)

2 Tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons salt

4 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons cocoa powder (unsweet)

1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (the more you add, the spicier it is!)

Directions:

1. Mix lime juice, sugar, soy sauce & oil in a large freezer bag.  Allow sugar to dissolve.

2. Mix garlic, salt, cumin, cinnamon, cocoa powder & red pepper flakes in a small bowl with the end of a spoon until it becomes almost a paste (like using a mortar/pestle)

3. Add garlic/spice paste to bag and shake.

4. Add chicken.

5. Marinate in fridge 6-24 hours (the longer, the better!) turning occasionally

6. Grill chicken until cooked.

Paula Deen's Chicken Brunswick Stew

Yet another recipe that's a hit with anyone that's eaten it.  Chris, my brother, wouldn't touch barbecue with a 10-foot pole so he didn't vote on this one.  My Grandfather (93!) gets excited when Tommy & I make it and bring him some... though he's convinced that we make it with pork, not chicken.  

We tweaked the recipe a teeny bit by cooking the chopped onion the recipe calls for, as my Mom & I really don't like biting/crunching on chunks of raw onion.  If you like the crunch, then skip the sauteing step & just mix the chopped onion with the rest of the ingredients.  

You can view the original recipe here.

**Want to make this recipe even quicker?  Purchase a rotisserie chicken from your grocery store.  Remove the chicken skin, pull the meat off the bones, shred chicken & continue with the rest of the directions.  Homemade chicken stock is nice, but I've hardly ever had to use it in the recipe itself, so it's not going to be that big of a loss if you don't want to deal with cooking chicken!**

Paula Deen's Chicken Brunswick Stew

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 (2 1/2 pound) fryer chicken (bone-in thighs work... short on time, buy a rotisserie and skip the chicken-cooking-time)

1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, sweetened with 1/3 cup sugar

1 can (14 ounces) creamed corn

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1 Tablespoon liquid smoke (in grocery stores near barbecue sauces)

1 onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons butter/margarine

1 Tablespoon vinegar

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

salt & pepper

Cooked rice, as an accompaniment

Directions:

1. In a large pot, place chicken and enough water to cover chicken and bring to a boil.  COok chicken until meat falls off the bone, approximately 45 minutes.  Drain the chicken and reserve 2 cups of stock.  Remove skin and bones.  Let cool & then shred finely.

2.  In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter/margarine and add onions.  Cook until translucent.

3. In a separate pot, mix the shredded chicken with the remaining ingredients (except the rice).  Simmer slowly for 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking.  Add a little bit of the stock if the stew becomes too thick.

Serve over steamed rice.

Bon Appetit!!!

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

This was what I made for dinner... another crockpot creation.  It turned out delicious!  The recipe calls for white mushrooms, which I did use... but I think that baby bella mushrooms would be wonderful as well.  

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs lean beef stewing meat, trimmed of fat (I used round steak)

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup

1 cup water

1 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except sour cream in crockpot.

2. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

3. Stir in sour cream.

4. Cook on high for a few minutes to heat sour cream.

**Note: This works very well served over egg (or no-yolk) noodles. YUM!**

Paula Deen's Squash Casserole

Paula Deen is another culinary figure that I admire.  Her food, to me, is some awesome comfort food.  Now, I'm not about to go and eat her Krispie Kreme Bread Pudding, but I do love some of her casseroles and some other dishes!  If you want to view the squash casserole recipe in its original form, Click Here.

Squash is by far my favorite vegetable.  My 93 year old Grandfather is ALWAYS happy to tell about the many times that I had squash casserole for breakfast... :-p  Here's the recipe!

Paula Deen's Squash Casserole

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

6 cups large diced yellow squash

vegetable oil

1 large onion (preferably Vidalia or other sweet onion)

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sour cream (a little more if you'd like!)

1 teaspoon House Seasoning (recipe further down)

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup crushed crackers (Ritz or Townhouse work well)

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

*Combine and store in airtight container.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute the squash in a little vegetable oil over medium-low heat until it has completely broken down, about 15-20 minutes.  Line a colander with either a clean tea towel or several paper towels.  Place the cooked squash in the lined colander.  Squeeze out excess moisture from the squash.  Set aside.

In a medium size skillet, saute the onion in butter for 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and mix all ingredients together except cracker crumbs.  Pour into a buttered casserole dish and top with cracker crumbs.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

As Paula Deen would say... "I wish you love and best dishes- from my kitchen to yours"

Alton Brown's French Toast

Tommy & I are fairly huge fans of Alton Brown & the food that he makes.  We also love how he explains all the different uses for various instruments... He, along with Paula Deen, were pretty much the inspiration to Tommy & I learning more about cooking.  

One of our new favorites to make is his french toast.  If you want to see his recipe on the food network site, click there... we've tweaked ours just a bit to better accommodate us. (we rarely have old loaves of bread, and we never buy brioche or challah... so mine will look different than his.  Ours is GREAT though!

Alton Brown's French Toast

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 and 2/3 cup half-and-half

5 large eggs

3 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 (inch thick) slices bread (texas toast style loaf) [set out for a few hours to dry prior to cooking.

6 1/2 Tablespoons butter

Directions:

In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt.  You may do this the night before.  When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.  Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 12 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream, fruit, or dust with powdered sugar.

We generally serve with either sausage or bacon and grits!

Bon Appetit!

Printable Recipe Index

This particular post will be updated each time that I update my beloved blog.  There, for now, will be some empty categories... but rest assured, it will be rounded out eventually!  I continue to ponder (and stare) at this crazy creation of mine in the hopes that it can be as user friendly as possible... because, again, most food blogs drive me batty in that I have to "copy & paste... copy & paste... copy & paste...print" instead of "click, click, print." So... since I have complete creative control over this, it WILL just be "click, click, print".  Gee whiz, I feel accomplished!

Appetizers:

Tommy's Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers

Barbecue:

Bisquick's Impossibly Easy Barbecue Chicken Pie

Paula Deen's Chicken Brunswick Stew

Breads:

Paula Deen's Luscious Vidalia Onion and Sweet Corn Spoon Bread

Breakfast:

Alton Brown's French Toast

Glazed Cinnamon Biscuits

Casseroles:

Cali Casserole 

Cheesy Beans & Rice

Chicken Parmesan with Rice

Easy Arroz Con Pollo (chicken with rice)

Easy Pork Chops with Apples & Stuffing

Paula Deen's Squash Casserole

Spaghetti Pizza Casserole

Taco Casserole

Crockpot/Slowcooker:

Crockpot Beef Burgundy

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Crockpot Chicken & Stuffing

Crockpot Chicken & Sundried Tomatoes

Crockpot Italian Chicken

Crockpot Mexican Cornbread

Crockpot Pot Roast

Crockpot Southwestern Chicken

Main Course- Beef:

Baked Spaghetti

Bisquick's Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

Cali Casserole

Crockpot Beef Burgundy

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Crockpot Mexican Cornbread

Crockpot Pot Roast

Pastitsio

Spaghetti Pizza Casserole

Taco Casserole

Speedy Taco Mac & Cheese

Main Course- Chicken:

Bisquick's Impossibly Easy Barbecue Chicken Pie

Chicken Parmesan with Rice

Chicken Spaghetti

Creamy Pesto Chicken 

Crockpot Chicken & Stuffing

Crockpot Chicken & Sundried Tomatoes

Crockpot Italian Chicken

Crockpot Southwestern Chicken

Easy Arroz Con Pollo (chicken with rice)

Mexican Marinade for Chicken

Paula Deen's Chicken Brunswick Stew

Main Course- Italian:

Baked Spaghetti

Chicken Parmesan with Rice

Creamy Pesto Chicken

Crockpot Chicken & Sundried Tomatoes

Crockpot Italian Chicken

Spaghetti Pizza Casserole

Main Course- Mexican:

Cali Casserole

Crockpot Mexican Cornbread

Crockpot Southwestern Chicken

Easy Arroz Con Pollo (chicken with rice)

Mexican Marinade for Chicken

Speedy Taco Mac & Cheese

Taco Casserole

Tommy's Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers

Main Course- Greek:

Pastitsio

Main Course- Pizza and Pasta:

Baked Spaghetti

Chicken Spaghetti

Creamy Pesto Chicken

Pastitsio

Spaghetti Pizza Casserole

Main Course- Pork:

Easy Pork Chops with Apples & Stuffing

Main Course- Vegetarian:

Cheesy Beans & Rice

Miscellaneous:

 

Sides- Rice:

 

Sides- Salad & Salad Dressings:

 

Sides- Veggies:

 Paula Deen's Squash Casserole

Snacks:

 

Soups/Stews:

 

Sweets/Desserts:

Alton Brown's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Cinnamon Dessert Pizza

Speedy Taco Macaroni & Cheese

When coming up with a title for this recipe, I was briefly reminded of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood... one of my favorite childhood television shows, by far.  I didn't think of Mr. Rogers himself, but of the 'Speedy Delivery' mailman, Mr. McFeely.  My brain is random... :)

This recipe is great- not too many ingredients, quick to do when you get home from work/errands/etc... but my favorite part is that you can prepare it up until the baking stage and store it in the fridge until you're actually ready to bake it!  

*** Handy hint: Pasta that is baked in a casserole should be slightly undercooked.  If you make it according to the package directions, by the time it finishes baking it will get mushy & fall apart. I usually take about 1- 1 1/2 minutes off the package cooking time.

Speedy Taco Mac & Cheese

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef or turkey

1 package (about 1 ounce) Taco Seasoning (pick your own heat! I use mild, usually)

1 package (1 pound) large elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

4 cups (16 ounces)? shredded Cheddar cheese (sharp is great, but I've also just used the 'mexican blend' cheese from the grocery store)

2 cups milk

3 eggs, beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

1. In medium skillet, brown ground meat; drain fat. Stir in Taco Seasonings (DO NOT add any liquid like the seasoning packet might suggest!)

2. Spray 13x9x2 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  

3. Layer half of macaroni in bottom of dish.  Top with half of cheese. Spread taco meat over top and repeat layers of macaroni and cheese.  In medium bowl, beat together milk and eggs.  Pour egg mixture over top of casserole. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Bon Appetit!

Pastitsio, the easy way!

Pastitsio... one of my lastest favorite dishes.  I'm sad that, until a few months ago, I had never heard of this wonderful dish. 

I don't think that I'm alone in that, though, so just in case you're wondering "what on earth is pastitsio?" I'll share the Wikipedia definition! 

According to Wikipedia:

Pastitsio (Greek: παστίτσιο; IPA: [paˈsti.tsi.o]) is

 a Greek baked pasta dish.

Pastitsio is a layered baked dish. There are variations throughout the regions of Greece but typically the bottom layer is bucatini or

 other tubular pasta with cheese and egg as a binder; the

 second layer is ground meat (beef, veal or lamb)

 with tomato and nutmeg or allspice; the third is another layer of

 pasta; and the top layer varies from an egg-based custard to a flour-

basedBéchamel or

 a Béchamel with cheese known as Mornay sauce in France. Grated cheese is often sprinkled on top and 

a dusting of nutmeg makes the dish classically

 Greek.

I really like making my particular Pastitsio recipe because it's

 pretty simple to make, but doesn't contain a ton of prepared/canned stuff.  I'm not too thrilled with using lots of canned products- in fact, the

 ONLY canned products that I generally am willing to deal with are canned tomato products.  Other canned vegetables pretty much gross me out, for one reason or another, so they

 never make it into my pantry.

***Helpful hint for today: PLEASE use fresh ground nutmeg in this recipe... not the pre-ground

 nasty junk that comes in the little boxes.  Whole nutmeg is readily available in the spice section at any grocery

 store- Kroger even carries their own "private selection" brand.  Whole nutmeg kind of resembles whole pecans (that are still in their shell)-

 bigger than an acorn, but not horribly huge.  I guess approximately about an inch or so in length.***

***One of the BEST investments that I have made for my kitchen is my microplane/zester/grater.  It's such a handy-dandy utensil! Great for zesting lemons, but also fabulous for finely grating parmesan, fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, or pretty much anything else that needs to be grated finely :) Not very expensive, easy to store, and handy to have!

Now, without further adieu, the recipe!

Pastitsio

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 1/2 cups mild picante sauce (you can blend it more if you don't like chunnks!)

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (fresh ground ROCKS if possible!)

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided(grating it fresh yourself makes the dish tastier!)

8 oz uncooked elbow macaroni (or other tubular pasta)

6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/4 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (parmesan reggiano is wonderful!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Brown beef in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to break up meat.  Drain fat. Add picante sauce, tomato sauce, sugar, allspice, cinnamon and 1/8 tsp nutmeg. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Meanwhile, cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Place in prepared baking dish.

4. (we're making a simple bechamel sauce to start with)Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; mix until smooth.  Add milk; cook and stir until thickened.  Remove from heat.  Add about 1/2 cup white sauce to eggs; stir to blend thoroughly.  Add egg mixture to remaining white sauce in saucepan.  Stir in cheese.

5. Stir about 1/2 cup white sauce into macaroni; toss to coat completely. Spread meat sauce over macaroni.  Top with remaining white sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.  Bake, uncovered, 30 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.  Let stand 15-20 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!!!!

Tommy's Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers

Q: What happens when you plant 4 jalapeno pepper plants? 

A: You end up with more peppers than you know what to do with!

Tommy (my incredible Husband) created a very tasty recipe for stuffed jalapeno peppers.  Anyone that likes jalapenoes loves them; if you don't like the bacon, you can easily omit it... the peppers are yummy with or without!

Tommy's Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers:

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

12 small jalapeno peppers

1/2 cup whipped cream cheese spread

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 spoonful mayonnaise

1 dash garlic powder

6 slices bacon (turkey bacon works well, too... or you can omit it altogether)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Butterfly peppers and remove seeds.

2. Stir together cream cheese, cheddar, mayonnaise, and garlic powder.

3. Stuff peppers with cheese mixture.

4. Cut bacon slices in half & wrap 1/2 slice around each stuffed pepper- secure with toothpick.

5. Put peppers on a foil-lined baking pan and bake for 12 minutes, or until bacon is cooked & cheese is melted.

Ole!

Crockpot Italian Chicken

Tonight's menu at my house: Crockpot Italian Chicken, rice & Broccoli.  I make the Crockpot Italian Chicken fairly frequently, mainly because it's really easy to make AND it's delish! What more could you ask for?  

Crockpot/Slow Cooker recipes are nice on days when I'm out running errands or going to various doctor's appointments... Combine ingredients, turn it on and then go about my day.  Love it!  

Just a reminder- if you want to print the recipe, just click to "Printable Recipe" link! 

Crockpot Italian Chicken:

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (chicken breast okay, too)

1 pkg dry Italian dressing mix

1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup OR cream of chicken & mushroom

4 oz can mushrooms (I just use the cheap pieces & stems variety) drained

8 oz sour cream (reduced fat works well, greek yogurt would work well too!)

Directions:

1. Place chicken in crockpot.

2. Mix together Italian dressing mix, soup, and mushrooms. Stir into chicken.

3. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

4. Carefully stir in sour cream (you COULD take the chicken out, but it turns out fine doing it this way... the chicken just shreds up a bit... yummier in my opinion!)

5. Cover and heat until warmed through.

6. Serve with rice or noodles (egg noodles go quite well) 

The sauce that this dish makes is VERY tasty- it goes well with rice or egg noodles, but it's also extremely yummy with broccoli! It would actually go well with lots of things! Broccoli and egg noodles and/or rice are my family's preference though!

Cinnamon Dessert Pizza- similar to Papa John's Cinnapie

The other day, my Mom was inspired to attempt to create a cinnamon dessert pizza after seeing the 'cinnapie' commercial from Papa John's.  A few google searches later, I stumbled across something that looked like it had potential.

***Want to print the recipe?? Click the 'Printable Recipe' link under the recipe title!***

***Note: Did you know that Sam's Club sells boxes of frozen pizza dough balls?  They're incredibly yummy & fairly cheap (though you do have to buy the whole box, so make sure you have some freezer space- I think they come with 16 dough balls or so!) I've also seen fresh dough at Publix.  Not quite sure how the premade/prebaked pizza crusts would work with this... there's always an option to make your own dough from scratch, but I'm not all that great with working with yeast, so I'm not the 'go-to-gal' for that!

Cinnamon Dessert Pizza:

(Printable Recipe)

• Pizza Dough:

 

use store-bought or homemade dough rolled out onto oiled pizza pan.

 

• Streusel: 
•  1

  cup flour

   
•  ½

  cup light brown sugar, packed

   
•  1

  tablespoon ground cinnamon

   
•  6

  tablespoons butter or margarine (NOT light!)

   
• Sugar Glaze: 
•  1

  cup powdered sugar

   
•  1-2

  tablespoons water or milk

   

Mix flour, sugar and cinnamon in bowl.

Dice up CHILLED butter/margarine and add to dry mix.

Mix with hands until you can form a sort of "snow ball" with mixture.

Crumble mixture, leaving crumbles big, and spread over pizza dough.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until dough bottom is golden.

Combine powdered sugar & milk to make a glaze. Drizzle glaze on cooked pizza when fresh from the oven.

Let sit for 5 minutes, then cut & serve warm.

Bon Appetit!!!

Trying something out

It always bugs me when I'm surfing the internet & find interesting recipe ideas on blogs- they're so annoying to print from!

First, I tried a webpage that made cute recipe card things that would allow readers to print the recipes themselves, without all my comments... however, I've realized that if I had any more than 2-3 recipes, my blog would be gigantic & take forever to load.

After a second google search, I've found out how other people post recipes on this type of blog... SO, now everything is 'new & improved'- under each title for the recipe, there's a link that says printable recipe.  When you click on it, it opens up a new window that contains the recipe!

How's that for terrific? 

:-D

Creamy Pesto Chicken

I am totally loving many things pesto at the moment.  Having a small herb garden helps feed that addiction :)

One of my favorite recipes to cook lately is a creamy pesto chicken w/ penne pasta.  It's not a "quick & simple" recipe, BUT it does allow for many steps to be prepped ahead of time!  Everyone in my family raves about it- my Mother would tell you that it's restaurant quality! 

***Note: around the Atlanta area, I've found the best price for pine nuts to be at Publix.  Kroger's are outrageously expensive; Walmart's price isn't great, but it's not as costly as Kroger.  One little box (around 5 ounces, I think) makes approximately 2 meals-worth of pesto***

***Note: Fresh pesto turns dark VERY quickly- it doesn't really change the taste in my opinion, but brown pesto isn't all that appetizing! If you do prepare it ahead of time, put it in an airtight container & cover it with about 1/4 inch of olive oil***

Creamy Pesto Chicken (approximately 6 servings)

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

Pesto:

2 cups fresh basil, packed

4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I use parmesan reggiano... nice flavor)

1/3-1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

1 medium ripe tomato, chopped (I use roma... lots of flesh, not much juice)

1/4 cup olive oil

Marinade:

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 cup white wine (I've been using moscato, but anything would work!)

2 tablespoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed (breast would work too, if you prefer light meat)

Pasta/Sauce:

1 (16 oz) package dried penne pasta

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large onion, diced

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 (8 oz) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

1/3-1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup heavy cream

salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir in ALL pine nuts (2/3-1 cup).  Continue stirring frequently until pine nuts have turned a golden brown color.  Remove from heat & pour onto paper towels to drain excess oils.  Set aside.

2. Pesto: Place basil, garlic, Parmesan, 1/3-1/2 c. pine nuts, and chopped tomato in food processor.  Pulse a few times.  Gradually add olive oil, while pulsing, until mixture is smooth & creamy. 

3. In a bowl, stir together chicken broth, 1 cup white wine, dried basil, oregano, and minced garlic.  Stir in chicken.

4. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add pasta, and cook according to package directions until al dente.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.

5. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir in onionss, and sprinkle with sugar.  Cook until the onions are soft and translucent.  Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts, and cook about 3 minutes.  Stir in chicken and marinade.  Stir in 1/2 cup white wine.  Simmer chicken pieces, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

6.  Add pasta and pesto to the skillet.  Stir in cream, and cook until the sauce is thickened.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with freshly grated parmesan.

Bon Appetit!

Welcome!

Welcome to Amanda's "Delightfully Delicious Recipes" blog!  

The goal of this blog is to share incredibly delicious recipes that have already been tried & tested by my family and I!

Bon Appetit!!!