My sister, Danielle made this up the other night and she said it was AWESOME! The idea is to use up any and all of the veggies in your fridge. Fresh, frozen, canned or even leftovers will work. There is no wrong way to make this! Just remember to add frozen veggies first and canned veggies last.

Serves 12-16

• 2 12-oz pkgs any flavor chicken sausage without casing or casings removed
• 1 cup any kind of onions chopped or 2 leeks cut lengthwise and then sliced on bias
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 cups of any root or squash-like vegetables on hand: celery, carrots, potatoes, yams, green beans, squash, zucchini; slice or cube into small, equal sizes so that they cook in about the the same amount of time
• 2 cups leafy vegetable like kale, cabbage or spinach, chopped
• 1 can beans like red kidney, garbanzo, cannellini or northern beans
• 10 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 2-4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs of your choice such as rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley (If you have very flavorful sausage, you could even skip this ingredient)
• Salt and pepper

Break up chicken sausage with hands or back of spoon and add to large stock pot over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add garlic, onion and celery. Cook until vegetables are slightly tender. Add stock, root/squash vegetables and herbs to pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until potatoes and squash are almost done (should be able to easily pierce with a fork or knife). Then add leafy vegetables and canned beans. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Ok, made up my own recipe last night and it was FANTASTIC if I do say so myself.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• Leftover spiral ham (sliced thinner) or 8 slices thin-sliced deli ham
• 4 slices of Provolone or Swiss (I used provolone b/c I didn’t have swiss)
• 1 cup flavored salad croutons (I used garlic flavored)
• Handful of almonds
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 beaten egg

Cheesy Marsala Mushroom Sauce:

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 8 oz. fresh sliced button mushrooms
• 1-2 tablespoons flour or corn starch
• 1/4 cup marsala wine
• 1 cup milk or half and half
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Pound the chicken flat with a mallet between two sheets of cellophane. Put croutons, almonds and parmesan cheese in a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Lay ham slices on top of each flattened chicken. Add a slice of cheese and roll up. Secure with toothpicks. Dredge in egg and roll in crumbs. Place all four chicken breasts on baking sheet coated with cooking spray seam side down. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until no longer pink.

With 10 minutes left on the chicken, heat the oil in a pan on medium high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms and saute until shallots soften (about 2 minutes). Add marsala wine and continue cooking until mushrooms begin to sweat. Add flour or corn starch and stir. Cook for one minute more then add milk a little at time stirring constantly. When combined, stir in  parmesan cheese. Lower heat to medium and cook until thick and bubbly. Remove chicken from oven, plate and pour mushroom sauce over chicken.

This was so good my kids liked it even without the mushroom sauce. You can also make it without the mushrooms, by just using the marsala and cheese. Joe said I could definitely make that again. Great way to use up the leftover Christmas ham! I also made a ham and cheese quiche and ham sandwiches. I still have half a bag of ham left and another whole bag in the freezer! I have ham coming out my ears! LOL

Love you,
Danielle Fenning
Cooking with Brandy’s Sweet Sister!

This evening I made an awesome bagel sandwich for dinner. I toasted whole wheat bagels to start. Next, I mixed a tablespoon of mayonaise with a tablespoon of Limin’ Lady Gourmet Mustard that I bought at the Pepper Place farmers marker. I spread both sides of the bagel with this mixture and then layered turkey lunch meat, muenster cheese and two bacon slices. I followed that with fresh veggies from Pepper Place: mixed greens, cucumber slices, tomato slices, radish slices, and alfalfa sprouts. The top half of the bagel was balanced neatly on top of this mound of garden fresh vegetables. I am telling you it was so yummy. It tasted like I had just pulled everything from the garden myself. I ate it with a roasted sweet potato from the market and some steamed broccoli and carrots. I think I may have to go Pepper Place every weekend to get more of their beautiful produce.

Last night I made a great dish that the kid in you will love called Pepperoni Pizza Chicken. This recipe comes from Pillsbury‘s July 2009 issue entitled Best Ever Chicken that instructs readers to stuff a skinless, boneless chicken breast with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. After cooking the stuffed chicken on either side to a golden brown, you then cook elbow pasta adding your favorite pasta sauce.

Photo from Pillsbury.com

As is my nature, I altered the recipe by adding sundried tomatoes to the interior of the chicken with the pepperoni and cheese. I chose Bertoli tomato and basil sauce from a jar. I finished the dish with freshly grated Parmesan and straight from the garden basil. Wow! For simple ingredients and 35 minutes I thought the dish was super yummy. I could see my little one asking for this dish again and again (once she is able to talk, of course). You should definitely go to pillsbury.com and check it out. CwB says YUMMY!

The past few weeks my husband and I have been battling busy schedules, bad weather, common colds, an teething 18-month old not to mention pure laziness.  In the past I have made large meals such as lasagnas, pot pies, stir fry and other easy freeze meals so that we have them on hand for busy nights.  Unfortunately, we have munched through all of those meals and so I ventured through the freezer isle to try out some premade meals for our family.  I wanted to have some lunches and dinners that were healthy enough that we could take to the office or heat up for dinner when we are in a pinch.  This week was testament to that because we had Freezer Food almost every day this week.

Over the past two months we have tried a few different frozen pizzas.  DiGiorno’s was pretty tasty and so was California Pizza Kitchen but I must say that I didn’t mind the Wal-mart  version very much. I was surprised how well it was made and it was a couple of dollars cheaper than the other two brands.  And by the way, the Totinos pizza that I adored as a child, tastes pretty nasty as an adult. 

We have been trying out a bunch of frozen meals to take to the office for lunch.  We tried a bunch of the Hot Pockets products such as the HOT POCKETS SIDESHOTS – Mini Cheeseburgers 4 Pack, HOT POCKETS® Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizzeria – Pepperoni Pizza, HOT POCKETS® brand Bruschetta Chicken Panini, HOT POCKETS® brand Deli-Style Ham & Swiss Panini plus a bunch of the other hot pockets.  My personal favorite was the Chicken Panini.  The exterior was flaky and the interior was flavorful.  Not too bad.  We also tried the Boston Market® Beef Pot Roast which was pretty good and a more food than the typical meals.

For our “Little Bit” we bought a few of the Michelina’s products, in particular the Chicken Nuggets and Potato Fries which are shaped like smiley faces.  Her favorite freezer treats are Gorton’s fish sticks and Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage biscuits.  Of course, none of these items are particularly healthy, they do there duty when necessary.

Most at-home chefs search for  quick, easy and refreshing meals to make their families on week nights.  This recipe delivers a simple twist to your standard chicken that is both simplistic in execution but delivers huge in flavor.  This tangy dish is served best over rice or orzo pasta paired with your favorite vegetables such as the Bacon, Spinach, Carrot and Pecan Sauté.

• 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 teaspoons corn starch
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth or fresh chicken stock
• 1 green onion (scallion)
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Place each chicken breast half between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound the chicken so the breasts are an even thickness.  Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken evenly. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the chicken breasts smooth side down but do not crowd the pan.  Cook the chicken for 4 to 5 minutes on the 1st side and then turn the chicken and cook an additional 4 to 5 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, grate the lemon zest to make at least 1 teaspoon.  Note: If you have additional lemon zest try adding it with a little dried dill to fresh sautéed vegetables such as asparagus or zucchini to form you vegetable side dish. Then juice the lemons and collect 1/4 cup of juice.  Be sure to strain the lemon juice to remove the pulp and/or seeds. Next pour the chicken broth or stock in a small bowl and add the corn starch whisking until it dissolves and the liquid thickens.  Add both the reserved lemon juice and zest to the corn starch mixture. Thinly slice the green onion.

Once the chicken is fully cooked, move it to a plate and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.  Pour any remaining oil out of the pan.  Add the whisked cornstarch mixture to the pan as well as any juices that have accumulated with your resting chicken.  Whisk the mixture in the pan until the sauce looks thick and glossy, roughly two minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat and add the 2 tablespoons of butter.  Lightly salt and pepper the mixture to taste.  If you have white pepper use that as it will keep your sauce looking opaque and glossy without the black speckles.  Lastly, spoon the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with the sliced green onion.

*This recipe is a variation I created over the years from a recipe found in Monday to Friday Chicken by Michele Urvater © 1998.

For those meat lovers in the Birmingham, Alabama area DJ’s Fine Meats is the place to go for the highest-level quality meat choices, delicious sides and friendly service.  This locally owned and operated butcher shop helps the Birmingham residents turn their “homes into steakhouses”.  I have been visiting DJ’s Fine Meats for over two years now and though it is an across town drive for me to Alabaster, I wouldn’t buy my meat goods anywhere else. My all-time favorites are the Tortilla Encrusted Tilapia, the Ribeye Steaks, and their Applewood Smoked Bacon.  I literally buy a dozen of the tilapia filets just to have on hand on any given night.

This week’s theme is Tailgate Specials. 

• GAME DAY – $89.00
  • 8 x 12 oz Ribeye Steaks
• FIRST DOWN -$89.00
  • 8 x 12 oz NY Strips
• FIELD GOAL – $99.00
  • 3 x 12 oz Ribeyes
  • 3 x 12 oz NY Strips
  • 3 x 8 oz Filets  
• TOUCHDOWN – $129.00
  • 6 x 12 oz Ribeye
  • 6 x 12 oz NY Strips
  • 6 DJ’s Steakburgers
  • 6 Jalapeno Sausages
• SAFETY – $13.00
  • 2 Tuna Steaks
  • 2 Chicken Breasts
• P.A.T. – $10.00
  • 4 x 3 Cheese Potatoes  OR
  • 1 x 32 oz Loaded Potato Salad and 1 x 32 oz Deviled Egg  Salad
• FREE TWO POINTER
  • All Beef Packages come with 2 lbs of sausage.

*As always call-ahead orders are encouraged and appreciated.

Currently, DJ’s has new extended spring/summer hours and they are open seven days a week. Check out their website www.djsfinemeats.com for their daily specials, store hours and savings discounts.

Chika-pot, chika-pot, chicka-pot-piiieee!  Yesterday, I came home from the office with the full intention of creating my own chicken pot pie recipe.  After checking the mail, I saw that I had my new Pillsbury magazine waiting for me.  Wouldn’t you know that this month the title of the magazine was Pot Pies & Casseroles.  I flipped through and realized I couldn’t make a single pot pie they had listed because I was missing one ingredient or another.  So I was back to the drawing board, or cutting board as it would have it.  Here was my yummy creation. 

I cut up one skinless, boneless chicken breast into 1”x1” bite sizes (that is all I had defrosted – two would have been better).  I salted and peppered the chicken and added it to a med-high skillet with a little vegetable oil.  I cooked the chicken for about 4 minutes and then pulled it out draining it on a paper towel.  I drained and rinsed a can of diced new potatoes and threw those in the hot skillet.  I cooked them for a minute or two to brown a little and then I added about 1 cup of frozen veggies.  For my veggies I had the carrots, peas, lima beans, green beans and corn mixture but any combination of a pea and carrot mix will work for this recipe.  I stirred those for a short minute.  Then in a bowl I whisked together one can of cream of chicken and herb soup with 1/2  cup of milk. When I thought the mixture looked thin enough, I added it to the skillet.   I returned the chicken to the skillet and added a tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley and 1 1/2 tablespoons of my Italian Seasoning (recipe on this site). I seasoned with salt and pepper. I let the mixture bubble slightly and then I divided it into 6 small ramekins.  I opened a can of Pillsbury flaky biscuits and tugged them each slightly so they would cover the majority of the ramekin. I then brushed the tops of the biscuits with a tiny bit of butter and sprinkled a little more Italian seasoning on top. I baked them in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. The biscuits came out high and crispy with a wonderful flavor.  I suppose you could leave all of the mixture in your skillet and put all the biscuits on top to bake and this could be a one-dish meal.  I would definitely make sure that the biscuits are cooked all the way through the sauce mixture and aren’t still raw in the middle. Also, please be sure to use a oven-safe skillet… plastic melts in a hot oven. 

As a new mother, I often crave dishes that I will never conceivably have the time to make.  Last night I wanted Chicken Parmesan and dog-gonnit, I was gonna make it.  This is a straight out the fridge recipe so bare with me.

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Preheat over to 350 degrees. I had three defrosted chicken breasts, so I had to make it work.  First, I pounded the chicken out to 1/2 inch thick.  I dipped them in seasoned flour then, egg (2 beaten eggs with a tablespoon of water), and then dredged them in Italian breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese.  I put them on  a cookie sheet that I had sprayed with cooking spray.  I baked them in 10 minute intervals until they reached 180 degrees.  It took about 25 minutes.

In the meantime, I made some spiral pasta.  When the chicken was done, I put 2 tablespoons of pre-made pasta sauce onto each chicken breast and then I covered them in shredded mozzarella cheese.  I put the three chicken breasts under the broiler on high for about 90 seconds until the cheese was melty and bubbly.  (Actually, I cooked mine a few seconds too long as you can see by the photos, but 90 seconds should be perfect). 

I poured more of the pasta sauce from a jar onto the pasta right after it was drained so that the pasta would soak up some of the flavor.  I dished out the pasta onto two plates for Adam and I and added a piece of chicken to each. I then grated some fresh parmesan cheese over the top and sprinkled the plates with fresh cut basil that I happened to have left over from yesterday’s meal. 

The meal took about 35-40 minutes in all and was absolutely delicious.  Today, I prepared the last chicken breast with the cheese and cut it in half to serve over pasta for lunch.  Adam and I were able to enjoy a smaller version a second time around.

Fast and easy and always pleasing, that’s New Mommy Chicken Parmesaney!