it's been a while....

But I have returned today.  For the first time I made a Chicken Lasagna.  I don't think I have ever eaten it before either, but I had some spaghetti sauce in the fridge I needed to use, so that's what I cooked.  I have used the Virginia's Easy Lasagna recipe for years.  I got it off a box of Skinner Lasagna noodles and you can find it on the box today.  I had to adapt the recipe a little but it really turned out great and it really s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d  the one whole chicken to feed about 12 people.  You could use canned chicken if you want but I had a chicken in the freezer I needed to use.

 For Chicken Lasagna

2 T olive oil

2 T butter

1/4 C diced Bell pepper

1 small onion diced

1 C sliced mushrooms

1/8 t crushed red pepper of more if you like it spicier

1-3 cloves of Garlic diced

1 t Italian seasoning

1/4 C sliced black olives

3 C diced cooked chicken

3 C   Spaghetti Sauce

1 1/2 C  Water

1 3/4 C  Ricotta Cheese

2 C  Mozzarella Cheese -- grated

1/2 C  Parmesan Cheese

2 Eggs

1/4 C Fresh Parsley -- chopped

1/2 t  Salt

1/4 t  Black Pepper

1- 8 Oz Package  Lasagna Noodles Uncooked

For For Beef Lasagna

1 lb  Ground Beef

Directions:

Heat oven to 350*

For the Chicken Lasagna

• In a large skillet melt oil and butter
• Add bell, pepper, onion, mushroom saute till tender stir in red pepper, black olives, garlic and Italian seasoning then add chicken, spaghetti sauce and water.   Simmer
• In  bowl mix together the ricotta, 1/2 of mozzarella,  Parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper

For Beef Lasagna

• In 3 qt. sauce pan brown hamburger, drain fat.  At this point you may add bell pepper, olives, pepper, onion, mushrooms, garlic and Italian seasoning if you wish
• Stir in the spaghetti  sauce and water cook 10 minutes
• In bowl stir together ricotta, 1/2 of mozzarella,  Parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper

To assemble:

• Pour about 1 cup sauce on bottom of 9 X 13 pan, start with a layer of pasta, then more sauce,  1/2 ricotta mix repeat. finishing with sauce over noodles.  Top with remaining mozzarella

• Cover and Bake 45 min  Remove foil bake an additional 15 min
• Let stand 10 min before cutting

Note:  if you prefer you may cook the noodles before hand, if you do, omit the 1-1/2 cups of water

Later today I am going to take my Chocolate Chip Treasure Cookies (6th recipe down) and try to turn them into Smore's cookies...Wish me luck.

Bar-B-Q Chicken....

On the menu for today is bar-b-Que Chicken using a sauce recipe that allegedly my uncle Tracy bought from Savannah Bar-B-Que restaurant, one that Paula Deen eats at occasionally and has used a couple of times for a show of hers.  It is my favorite recipe fixed as is, but it is also good with a few alterations.  This time of the year a full recipe is a good idea, because it keeps well and like a good wine it gets better with a little age, but frequently I will cut the recipe in half.

Bar-B-Que Sauce     
42 oz   Catsup

8   oz   Mustard

1   pt  Vinegar

1/4 C  Worcestershire sauce

2  T   Lemon Juice

1 1/2  t  Sugar

1  T  Salt

2  T  Black pepper

1/8 t or more  Crushed Red Pepper to taste

1 stick  Oleo

Mix all ingredients (except for peppers and oleo) in a larger sauce pan. 

Mix well.  When heated add peppers and oleo. Cook until oleo is blended.

Allow to cool and pour into jars.  (I use Catsup bottles) Refrigerate.

Note:  add 1/2 C of brown sugar(or more), if you like your sauce on the sweet side

              1/4 C liquid smoke in the winter when it's to bad outside to grill

              an aversion to heat leave out the red pepper and maybe some of the black

              

I put my chicken in a salt and sugar brine last might. I don't like dry chicken.  Just before it goes on the grill I will give the chicken a good sprinkling of lemon pepper and about 15 minutes before the chicken is done I will slather on the BBQ sauce until it is ready to serve.  As you can see by the picture above I also made some No-Knead French Bread (3rd. recipe down).

The sides for this will be cold slaw and Butter Sauteed Corn.  The slaw is already made and in the fridge.  I have no "recipe" for this, so here is what I usually do.  Buy a bag of shredded cabbage with carrots, a small can of crushed pineapple.  Drain the pineapple saving the juice, dump the drained pineapple on top of the cabbage that is in a large bowl, start dropping in the mayonnaise (I don't like salad dressing, but if you do...) a heaping spoonful at a time, drizzle in a little of the pineapple juice, stirring well as you go when it looks, and taste right, sprinkle in a little celery seed.  But this time I had the bright idea to use some cream cheese.  So I let the cream cheese come to room temperature then I whipped in some mayonnaise, some pineapple juice and the celery seed until it looked and tasted right, then I stirred that into the cabbage and pineapple. Refrigerate until time to serve.
For the corn, just put about a 1/2 a stick of butter in a skillet when it meltes add a couple of tablespoons of chopped pimento, toss in a couple of cans of corn that have been drained or you can use frozen corn.  Add a little chopped onion, (I used the dried chopped)and some salt and pepper.  I would have added some chopped bell pepper but I was out. Saute all of this till the corn has been "pan roasted".  This tasted almost as good as fresh corn on the cob.

As a treat for desert I made some cupcakes...are you surprised?  This recipe I found on my favorite recipe website, but of course I had to make a few little changes.  I took Golden Oreo Vanilla Cupcakes and changed it to Oreo Cupcakes, by using a chocolate cake mix and Chocolate Oreos.  Don't you think lemon would be awesome, or peanut butter....I tried to cut one in half to show the cookie on the bottom like on the website, but I made a mess and had to eat the cupcake...Oh darn....

My Favorite Chicken Dinner

James aka Chipper

Chipper and Mari Ann 1979

This has been a favorite at our home for many years, my mother made it first years before I had my son James, aka Chipper.  This recipe was a favorite of his, when he was a child and still is.


Quick Chicken and Rice
4        T   margarine
1/4    C   Chives (or green onion tops)
1/4    C   bell pepper -- chopped
1        sm can Mushrooms 
          curry powder -- to taste (I use about a 1/2 t)
1        C   rice

1        can  cream of chicken and Mushroom soup

1        can  chicken bouillon

1        chicken -- cut-up

           lemon pepper       

         

• Sauté chives, mushrooms and peppers in butter/oleo till tender, stir in curry powder

• Add rice Cook apx. 5 min. stirring often. 

• Add soup and stock mix well
• Pour into 9X13 prepared pan

• Sprinkle chicken pieces with lemon pepper and place on top of rice

• Cover and bake at 350* 30 min. uncover and continue to bake 30 min. more

Today, I tried to do it from memory, this is what I did:
Quick Chicken and Rice II

This is all that was left....

1 stick butter/oleo
 1/4 C Chives
1/4 C chopped bell pepper
1/2 C canned mushrooms stems and pieces or 1 C fresh sliced
1 1/3 C uncooked long grain rice
1/2 t curry powder
2 C chicken stock
1 can crm. of chicken Soup
Lemon Pepper
                                                     8-10 of your favorite chicken pieces
Same as original except do not cover, bake apx 1 1/2 hours.

                                                    

I also made these this weekend: Once again I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen web site, it is a version of Oatmeal Whoopie Pies, by The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.  Allison and Sara Ann love'em.
Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
2 cups Brown Sugar
½ cups Butter, Softened
¼ cups Shortening (Crisco)
2 whole Eggs
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t maple flavoring (optional)
½ teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
3 Tablespoons Boiling Water
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2-½ cups Flour                                                                                      2 cups Quick Oats
                                                                                       18 Marshmallows

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream brown sugar, butter, and shortening. Add eggs and mix. Add salt, flavorings, and baking powder, mix. Mix baking soda and boiling water, then add to the bowl, mix. Add flour and oatmeal,  mix well.

Using small ice cream scoop for uniformity, scoop dough onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, being careful not to burn. Remove from oven, place 1/2 of them on a cooling rack, flip the other 1/2 over on the cookie sheet, top with a marshmallow, return to the oven for 1-2 minutes, just enough to soften the marshmallow, remove from the oven top with another cookie, twisting slightly as you sandwich them together. transfer to a cooling rack, and let the cookies cool completely.  Makes 3 dozen cookies or 18 sandwiches.

A little under the weather...

It seem I have picked up an upper respiratory infection from some where.  I don't feel that bad but when I cough, it's like someone is ripping the hide off my throat, and my middle is so sore from the coughing.  I think I need a good bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup.  Now get this I usually do NOT like chicken noodle soup, and keep a can in the pantry only for emergencies, like when someone can't eat anything else...like when you have a stomach bug....you know the one I'm talking about.  This recipe was a totally accident, a lady at church had told me she used flour tortillas for dumplings.  I couldn't believe they would puff up enough for me but I decided to try making chicken and dumpling using flour tortillas.  Chicken n dumpling is wasn't, but an awesome Chicken Noodle Soup it was.

Chicken Noodle Soup

If you look closely you can see the steam rising from the bowl.

1 Can cooked Chicken

4-8 cups chicken broth use water if you must to reach 6-8 cups

2 can crm of chicken soup

1 can crm of celery soup

1 Diced onion

Frozen mixed veggies

Salt and pepper

Parsley apx 2 T.

A sprinkle of poultry seasoning

Garlic

Flour Tortilla cut into strips

Dump all ingredients into a soup pot except for tortillas, simmer until flavors blend, maybe an hour or longer, just watch your liquid level.  Just before serving add tortilla cook for about 10 min

This would probably be even better if made by boiling your own chicken, thus creating your own broth.

Also you could leave out the mixed veggies, use corn and maybe some black beans, add a can of Rotel tomatoes, perhaps some green chilies,  and some Mexican spices/herbs, top with grated cheese and or sour cream and you would have a really good Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Think I will make this tomorrow, I'll post a picture then.

Bringing them home for supper

If I ever wanted everyone home for a meal, all I had to do was say  chicken and dumplings were on the menu.  My family wanted more of the soup and dumplings, than chicken, so many times I used backs and wings to make the stock, which made this a very inexpensive meal, as well as, a warm up the insides, comfort food.  You can make it with canned chicken and broth if you wish, but this recipe has worked in my family for 2 generations, starting with Mama Byrd, it brought me and my 5 brother home for supper every time (even after they were grown and married).  Think I'll make some for supper Thursday night, it has the same effect on my son-in-law.  Merry Christmas all...

Grandmaw's Chicken'n Dumplins

For the soup:

1 3-4 lb whole Chicken or 3-4 chicken backs

Water to cover chicken

Salt

Pepper

Poultry seasoning

Parsley

1 Chopped onion

1 or 2 grated carrots

3 stalks chopped celery

Cream Soup  (chicken, Chicken & Mushroom, or Mushroom use what you have on hand) I would not use celery soup or any other strong flavor

• Put chicken, water, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, parsley, onion, carrots, and celery in a large soup pot.

• Bring to a boil and cook till chicken is done, remove chicken from water, allow to cool until easy to handle, remove all meat from bones, chop into bite size pieces if necessary, return meat to chicken stock

• Add cream soup, stir till mixed well.   At this point you can add some extra veggies if you wish, sometimes I add frozen peas or a bag of mixed veggies.

For the dumplings: (I usually make a recipe and a half,  Measurements in ( )

3 C   flour   (4 1/2)

2  T   baking powder   (3 T)

3  T   sugar    (4 1/2 T)

3/4 C  Crisco    (1 C + 2 T)

3/4 t  salt   (1 t+ 1/2 t)

3/4  t  cream of tartar  (1 t+ 1/2 t)

1 C   milk   (1 1/2 C)

• Sift dry ingredients together
• Cut in shortening
• Add milk stir till just moistened

• On floured surface, knead briefly, then roll out to about 1/4 inch thick

• Cut  into squares  (I use a pizza cutter)
• Drop into rapidly boiling stock one or two at a time, cover, lower heat, cover and cook about 10 min
• Don't worry about the extra flour on the dumplings it will help thicken the broth