BBQ: Cranberry Glazed Chicken

It's finally starting to look like grilling season here in Oregon. The weather is so tricky here though so you never know what you're going to get. This is the easiest sauce ever and the first time we have tried it. It was so good and I didn't have enough glaze on my chicken so I think I ate all of the extra glaze from the chicken plate too!  The recipe calls for using a whole chicken cut-up, but we just grilled up boneless chicken breasts and it worked out great.  You can also cook this in the oven and I have the directions for both grilling and baking below.

Today's Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 (8 oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce

It's the perfect balance of tanginess and sweetness mixed together. 

Heat your oil over medium-high heat.  Cook your little bit of onion

until crisp tender. 

Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar and cranberry sauce.  Cook over

low heat until cranberry sauce is melted.

I actually helped the process along by breaking up the sauce and

squishing it so it cooked faster.

See how nice and smooth it is?  It's ready for baking or grilling.

If you are going to grill, get the chicken grilling (no sauce) and once

you turn it once then baste with the glaze.  I asked Jordan to do it

this way and the glaze didn't burn as much and the chicken turned

out perfect.

For oven baking, heat the oven to 350.  Bake for 30 min.  Using a

spoon remove most of the juices; turn the chicken.  Brush frequently

with glaze and cook an additional 15 min.

I baked some spaghetti squash - cut down middle, scoop out seeds

place upside down on a pan and add a little water.  Cook on 350

for 35 min.

You could also serve with mashed potatoes, broccoli,

sweet potato cubes - peel and cube sweet potatoes and sprinkle with

Italian seasoning or other seasoning of your choice.  Bake at 350 for

30 min.

This makes such an easy meal and can pair with lots of different sides.

Taco Rice Casserole

Sorry I've been a little MIA lately.  My husband was out of town for 2 weeks for training - uhhh...I didn't cook much while he was gone.  The kids and I have been a little under the weather lately too.  I think we're getting over everything and it's so nice having the hubby back!

I grew up on this casserole. It is so easy to make and a great recipe to use up leftover rice. I don't really know why it's called a casserole since you don't put it into a 9x13 pan and bake in the oven. Maybe it should be called Taco Rice Skillet. Anyways, enjoy!

Today's Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 can tomato soup

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 can diced tomatoes (drained)

3 cups cooked rice

1 8 oz. can corn

1 package taco seasoning mix

1/2-1 teaspoon salt




Over medium high heat saute ground beef until done.  Drain excess

fat if necessary.




Lower heat to medium and add taco seasoning, tomato soup, cheese

and tomatoes.  Heat through until cheese melts.

You can definitely add more cheese if needed to suit your family's

tastes.  Also, if you have little kids or are sensitive to heat, you might

want to scale back on the taco seasoning just a bit. I only added 3 T.

(1 pkg is 4) and Matthew and Isabelle still thought it was "hot".

Also, I hate big chunks of tomato in casseroles like this so I took
the tomatoes after draining them and chopped them a bit more.




Once the cheese is melted stir in the rice, salt, and corn.

Matthew HATES rice so last night when he saw dinner he said
"is this pasta?"  I said yes so he would try it.  He has a mental block
about some foods and I knew he wouldn't try it if he knew it was
rice.  Of course, he liked it and never even commented that it was
rice.  Just getting him to try something new is usually a pain and
causes lots of gnashing of teeth around here, but he ate it easily
AND liked it even if he thought it was hot.

The other night he was refusing to try pineapple and we almost
had to tie him down to try it.  Finally after threatening time-out
he tried it and guess what - LOVED IT!  We knew he would
and now he has "unlocked" pineapple (like you would do in
the star wars wii game).




Cook through and serve.  See...that was super easy to make right?




This is one of my husband's favorite meals and he loves eating it

with tortilla chips!

Taco Rice Casserole Printable Recipe





Deep-Dish Chicken Potpie

Every once in awhile you just need some good old comfort food. This definitely provides the taste and love of chicken potpie but without having traditional pie (both crusts). I did make this with cream since that was in the house, but half-and-half works just as well. So good!

Today's Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups chopped leek or onion

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 1/4 cups sliced celery

1 large red sweet pepper, chopped (I left out)

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 1/4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups half-and-half, light cream, or milk

3 3/4 cups chopped cooked chicken (about 1.4 pounds)

1 1/2 cups frozen peas or frozen peas and carrots

1 egg, lightly beaten

This is a great recipe for using leftover chicken or turkey.  I didn't

have any leftover so I brought some water to a boil, added my

chicken and took it down to a simmer for about 30-45 min. 

Super tender!

Preheat oven to 400.  If making your own crust, see recipe below

and make and set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the

onion and let it cook for a minute.

Add the mushrooms, celery, and red pepper if using.  Cook for

about 5-8 min or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in flour, poultry seasoning, salt and black pepper.  Coat all the

vegetables well.

Add the chicken broth and half-and-half (or cream, milk) all at once. 

Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. 

In your baking dish layer your chicken and then your peas and

carrots over the chicken. 

Pour your sauce over the chicken.

Cover with your pastry topper.  I used a store bought one and frankly

it wasn't super flaky or thick enough for me, so next time I'm making

the one that came with this recipe (see below).

Brush pastry with egg.

Bake, uncovered for 35-40 min. or until pastry is golden brown.  Let

it stand for 20 min. before serving (helps keep it all together).

Seriously soooo good!

Deep-Dish Chicken Potpie Printable Recipe

Pastry Topper:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening (cold if possible)
Cold water

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt.  Using a pastry
blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea-size.  Sprinkle 1
tablespoon water at a time, until all of the flour mixture is
moistened (7-9 tablespoons total).  Form dough into a ball.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out and cut into strips for
topper.

Cinco de Mayo: Chicken Verde Enchiladas

I really didn't like the red sauce/flour tortilla enchiladas that I grew up with and didn't know there were other kinds out there. At some point I stumbled upon green sauce/corn tortilla enchiladas. These are by far my favorite kind and one of the first recipes I tried out of my Mexican cookbook once I got it a few years ago. 

The recipe below ISN'T HARD, but it is time consuming.  The great part is you can make the chicken and sauce a few days ahead (like today or tomorrow) and assemble the enchiladas the day of.  I've eaten Verde sauce out of the can and this homemade sauce blows away the canned kind.  Yes, it takes time but I can tell you these enchiladas are restaurant worthy. 

We had a dinner party a few weeks ago for high school friends of my husband and I served these.  They all went to a concert the next day together (I elected not to attend) and my husband said they talked about dinner and were raving that they would have been gotten their monies worth if they had gotten them at a restaurant.

If you are looking for other things to serve at Cinco de Mayo you can try these recipes too:
Creamy Rice Casserole
Mexican Shredded Beef
Red Rice and Guacamole

Today's Ingredients:

FOR THE SHREDDED CHICKEN

4 boneless chicken breasts

3 cups chicken stock

1/2 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 bay leaves

TO MAKE THE ENCHILADAS

2 1/2 cups Tubac Chile Verde (see below)

1 cup Crema (see below), or creme fraiche or sour cream

Vegetable Oil (for frying)

12 corn tortillas

8 oz. Monterey Jack, grated

TUBAC CHILE VERDE

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups (about 10) roasted mild green chile, preferably

  New Mexican or Anaheim

8 oz. husked tomatillos, boiled in water until soft

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

CREMA
1 cup whipping cream (preferably not ultra-pasteurized)
2 tablespoons buttermilk

In a small, nonreactive bowl, combine both ingredients.  Cover the bowl
loosely, and let it stand at room temperature for 8-24 hours, until the cream
is thickened and tart.  Stir the crema well, cover it, and refrigerate it.  Use
it as needed.  Crema keeps for up to 10 days.

Crema - It tastes pretty similar to sour cream, but not quite as tart and is
thinner.  I couldn't find non ultra-pasteurized whipped cream so I made 
the Crema with it and it turned out good so use that if that's all you can find. 
If you don't want to make crema, just use the sour cream - it will be just fine. 

SHREDDED CHICKEN

First you need to get the shredded chicken cooking.

In a large stockpot bring the chicken and all of the shredded chicken

ingredients to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook the
chicken until cooked through and very tender, 25-30 min.  Let the
chicken cool for a few minutes in the liquid.  Remove the breasts to a
plate and let them sit for a few minutes, until cool enough to handle. 
Shred into bit sized pieces.

This can be prepared 1-2 days beforehand.  Also, just strain the broth
and use it again.  It makes a great chicken stock to use in other recipes.

TUBAC VERDE SAUCE

If you've never used a tomatillo this is what they look like.  Pick ones

that feel a little firm and their "skin" is pretty tight on them.  You'll bring

them home and peel the skin off.  They'll be pretty sticky so wash them

well before boiling them.  You don't need to boil them long, just until they

are soft - about 4-5 min.

I didn't get a picture of my roasted chilies as my hubby roasted them the

night before.  Roast them over medium heat until they are charred slightly

char on all sides.  Once they are all roasted, put them into a plastic bag for

about 10 min. - this helps loosen the skin.  I pull off the tops, cut it down

the middle and clean the seeds out.  Flip it over and peel the skin off.

Roughly chop the chilies and then put the boiled tomatillos and chiles

in a food processor and pulse until it's just roughly combined.  I like

to leave chunks in my sauce.

Ok, let's get the rest of the sauce started.

Heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute until well softened,

about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and saute for an additional minute.

Add the flour and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes.

Mix in the chile/tomatillo mixture.

Pour in the stock and add the salt.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the
heat to a low simmer and cook for about 15 min., until thickened but still
very pourable.

The sauce keeps, refrigerated, for about 5 days and freezes well.

ASSEMBLING THE ENCHILADAS

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan. 
In a bowl combine the 2 1/2 cups verde sauce with

1 cup crema or sour cream.  Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce thinly in
the baking dish.

The first thing you'll want to do is cook up your tortillas.  I forgot to take a
picture of cooking the tortillas, but heat about an 1/2-1 inch of vegetable

oil in a pan.  Take your tortillas and just literally put in the tortilla in the oil
and then flip it over and take it out.  Cook it too much and now you have
a tostada and it will be too crisp to work with.  I sandwich each
tortilla in its own layer of paper towel to get all the excess oil off I can.  

I've tried to make this dish without doing this to the tortillas and
they just break and fall apart.  The frying makes the tortillas stronger
so they don't split in the rolling or cooking process.   

Ok we are ready to assemble these bad boys. 

Dip a tortilla into the sauce.  Top it with about 1/3 cup of chicken.  I am not that

precise when putting these together.  I just grab a handful of chicken that looks

to be the right amount.  I always seem to have lots of chicken leftover
AND my enchiladas are really full.

Add about a tablespoon of cheese.  Again I'm not precise here and
just add a little cheese.

Roll the enchiladas and place seam side down in your pan.  You can
fit about 5 in each row and then you'll have to fit 2 at the bottom

by turning them. 

Once you've rolled up all the tortillas top the enchiladas with any
remaining sauce and scatter the cheese over the sauce.

Bake for 15-18 min., until they are heated through. 
Serve immediately.

Yes, this recipe has a lot of steps, but the end result is restaurant
quality.  You won't be disappointed with the results!

So so delicious!

Chicken Verde Enchiladas Printable Recipe

Paula Deen's Chocolate Trifle

The same episode I was watching when Paula Deen made the cheese biscuits featured here, she also made this cookie chocolate trifle. I have been waiting for a good excuse to make this and when we had our dinner party last week I thought it was the perfect opportunity. Oh my! It is definitely decadent and so good and feeds a crowd.  The 5 adults and 2 kids didn't even make a dent and I took it the next night to a BBQ and we still didn't finish it off. 

It is so, so good!  Paula Deen serves this in her Lady and Sons restaurant.

Today's Ingredients:

3 eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 pound light brown sugar

2 cups self-rising flour

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups chopped peanuts, plus more for layering

    -(I did another cup for layering)

8 oz. chocolate chips

1 cup shredded coconut, optional (unsweetened)

2 (3.4) oz. packages cook-and-serve chocolate pudding mix

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Chocolate sauce, for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.

Beat together the eggs and butter.

Add the brown sugar, and then gradually add the flour and mix well. 

Stir in the vanilla.

Fold in the nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut, if using.

Spread the batter in the 9x13 pan and bake for 50-55 min.  Cool.

The original recipe calls for 25-30 min., but my middle was gooey

after that amount of time and 55 total min. worked better. 

While the brownie is cooking.  Make the whipped cream and pudding.

For the whipped cream beat together the cream and powdered sugar.

When it's pretty stiff then you know it's done.

Make the pudding according to the package and let cool.  Why cooked

pudding instead of instant?  The only reason I can think of is because

it's thicker and probably won't make the brownie as soggy.  I wouldn't

substitute the instant in this dessert.

Once the brownie has cooled, crumble into chunks.

Scatter 1/3 of the brownies into a glass bowl

(a trifle bowl if you have one).

Spoon half the pudding over the brownies.

Spoon half the whipped cream over the pudding and scatter another

one-third crumbled brownie.  Sprinkle with some chopped peanuts.

Spoon the remaining half pudding and whipped cream, and sprinkle

with some more peanuts.  Layer the remaining one-third brownie and

drizzle with chocolate sauce (optional).

I did not use the chocolate sauce - it is rich enough as it is and

decided to add the last layer of peanuts on top of the top layer of

brownie instead of underneath it.

This dessert is sure to impress!

Chocolate Trifle Printable Recipe Link

Meatless Mondays: Creamy Rice Casserole

We had a dinner party this past weekend for some of my husband's high school friends and I decided to make this.  Mainly because it cooked in the oven and looked super easy.  The hardest part is the roasting the chiles part, which my husband did so I didn't have to.

We roast our chiles on the grill, just until they are charred on all sides and then put them in a plastic bag for about 10 minutes.  Cut the chile lengthwise and lay flat, pull off the stem and scrape out the seeds.  Turn it over and scrape or peel off the skin.  Poblanos are very common and your grocery store should have them.  They are quite large so 2 should do it and I feel that extra chile never hurt anything.  Poblanos are super mild and have a really good flavor.

This is a great side dish or cook up some pinto beans and you have a complete meal which we've also done with the leftovers.

Today's Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup chopped roasted mild green chile, poblano or New Mexican, fresh or frozen
3 cups cooked rice, preferably cooked in chicken stock or vegetable stock
4 oz. asadero or Monterey jack cheese, grated
1/2 cup Crema (see below), creme fraiche, or sour cream
3 tablespoons minches fresh cilantro
Salt to taste

Crema - I haven't ever made it before this weekend, but decided to try it.  It tastes pretty similar to sour cream, but not quite as tart and is thinner.  I can't find non ultra-pasteurized whipped cream so I made the Crema with it and it turned out good so use that if that's all you can find.  If you don't want to make crema, just use the sour cream - it will be just fine.  I'll be posting a Chicken Verde Enchilada recipe where you use the crema in a homemade verde sauce as well so make a double batch if you are going to try that recipe too.

Crema
1 cup whipping cream (preferably not ultra-pasteurized)
2 tablespoons buttermilk

In a small, nonreactive bowl, combine both ingredients.  Cover the bowl loosely, and let it stand at room temperature for 8-24 hours, until the cream is thickened and tart.  Stir the crema well, cover it, and refrigerate it.  Use it as needed.  Crema keeps for up to 10 days.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease a 9x13 pan.

Warm the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion

and saute until soft.  Stir in the corn and chile and cook for about

5 minutes.

Transfer the corn and chile mixture to a large bowl.  Stir in the rice

and remaining ingredients.

Here it is all stirred together.

Add your Crema or creme fraiche or sour cream and mix well
together.

Spoon the mixture into the baking dish and bake, covered, for

25 min.  Uncover the dish and bake for 5 minutes more.

The poblano and the corn together with the rice is just so nice. 
Mine definitely needed salt so make sure you add a little to
your mixture.