Busy, Busy!

I've been very busy lately with my new job, newish baby, and updating my cookbook software. I bought a software program last year called Living Cookbook. I've slowly been adding my recipes to it. The software can be used for meal planning/grocery shopping so I'm eager to get my recipes added. It's a fairly quick process, but still eats away at my time. Needless to say there has been a lack of new posts on this blog lately.

If you're into meal planning, check out Dinner Tool for a free online meal planner. It doesn't appear that you can add your own recipes, but you can do meal planning on it.

Check back soon for new recipes!

Triple P (pesto, Parmesan, pasta) Chicken

1 lb boneless/skinless chicken (cut into bite-sized pieces)
1/3 box mini-penne pasta (or other pasta of your liking)
1 package (10-12 oz) frozen Parisian vegetables
2 Tbsp pesto sauce
1/3 c. grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
fresh ground pepper to taste
1-2 Tbsp olive oil

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat oil in nonstick skillet. Cook chicken until no longer pink inside. Remove chicken from pan. Drain oil from pan. Cook vegetables until tender. Combine chicken vegetables, and pasta. Stir in pesto and Parmesan cheese. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.

This was a completely on the fly meal. I started out thinking I was going to make a chicken stir-fry and then decided to do this instead, just grabbing from my pantry (pasta) and freezer (vegetables and some pesto I had made a while back). The vegetables I used were a Kroger brand so if you don't live near a Kroger/Fry's Market, you will have to find a substitute, but really any vegetables (fresh or frozen) will work. This is just a quick easy throw together meal, but is tasty and beautiful enough for company...and healthy too!

Chicken Rose

2 large boneless/skinless chicken breast halves
3 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp flour
2-3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1 tsp dried tarragon leaves, crushed

Place garlic powder, salt, pepper, and flour in a large Ziploc bag. Cut chicken into uniform strips, about 2x 1/2x1/2-inch. Place chicken in back. Shaking bag to coat chicken with flour mixture.

In a 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter (do not brown). Add wine, tarragon and chicken. Stirring constantly, cook for 5 minutes or until pieces are golden brown and no longer pink inside.

This recipe was modified from a recipe in "Express Lane Recipes".

I LOVED THIS, and so did my family.

Tuna Pot Pie

1 sheet puffed pastry, thawed
milk
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (2 cups)
1 package (10 oz) frozen peas and carrots
*1 package mushroom sauce mix
1 1/4 cups milk (for sauce)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can (9.25oz) chunk tuna (drained)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place puff pastry on a sheet of waxed paper. Press seams together. Invert a 9 x 2 inch round baking dish onto pastry and cut out a 9 inch circle. Place circle on ungreased baking sheet. Brush top with milk. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool.

Meanwhile, in a 2 qt saucepan, cook potatoes in boiling salted water for 5 minutes or until partially tender. Add peas and carrots. Return to a boil and simmer over low heat 5-7 minutes or until all vegetables are tender; drain well. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, prepare sauce using 1 1/4 cups milk, salt and pepper. Stir into drained vegetables. Stir in tuna. Pour mixture into baking dish. Top with baked pastry. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are bubbly.

This recipe came from "Express Lane Recipes", a little cookbook my aunt lent me.

*I used a mix for "mushroom gravy" and did not add any extra salt or pepper.

Ham and Cheese En Croute

8 slices (1 oz each) boiled ham
Dijon Mustard
3/4 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 can (8 oz) refrigerated cresent roll dough
Butter or Margarine (melted)-optional
sesame or poppy seeds -optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Spread four of the slices of ham with a thin layer of mustard according to taste. Sprinkle each with about 3 Tablespoons of the cheese. Cover with a second slice of ham, making 4 stacks; set aside.

Divide dough into 4 rectangles along perforations. Press diagonal perforations together to seal. On a lightly floured surface, roll each into a 8x6-inch rectangle. Place a ham/cheese stack in the center of each rectangle. Fold dough over ham , pressing seams and edges to seal. Transfer, seam side down, to baking sheet. Brush tops with butter and sprinkle with seeds (optional).

Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

This recipe comes from a little cookbook called "Express Lane Recipes" that my aunt lent to me.

I did not put the mustard on the ham before baking, but instead served them with mustard and mayo for dipping. My husband and I both agreed you could put a variety of different ingredients in the center (broccoli and cheese, pizza toppings, chicken, etc) and it would be equally as yummy. I used reduced-fat cresent rolls and they still turned out just fine.

Club Pizza

1 can (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust
1/4 cup KRAFT Mayo with Olive Oil Reduced Fat
1/2 cup KRAFT Ranch Dressing, divided
1 1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Triple Cheddar Cheese
1 1/2 cups finel chopped cooked chicken
8 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
1 1/2 cupes finely shredded lettuce
1 tomato finely chopped

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Unroll pizza dough onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. press into a 15x10 inch rectangle. Bake 10 minutes.

Mix mayo and 1/3 cup ranch dressing; spread onto crust. Top with 1/2 the cheese. Top with chicken, remaining cheese, and bacon.

Bake 5 minutes of until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted. Top with lettuce and tomatoes; drizzle with remaining ranch dressing.

This recipe is from my sister-in-law. I think she said it's a KRAFT recipe (which makes sense based on the ingredient list).

It was delicious! Not low-fat/low-calorie, but yummy! BONUS... our 3 year old gobbled it up and wanted more! I did use low-fat ranch dressing and probably a little less than a cup of cheese. You could skip the ranch drizzled on top too if you're trying to cut calories/fat. I think you could do this on any pizza crust (store bought or homemade) and it would be just as good and probably less fat and calories too. I know we'll be making this one again!

Taquito Enchiladas

1 box frozen beef taquitos
1 pouch Uncle Ben's Ready Rice "Spanish Style" (cooked)
1 can (19 oz) enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a 9x13 pan, place a layer of taquitos (you should be able to get a full layer out of 1 box). Pour enchilada sauce over the taquitos. Spread the rice over the sauce. Top with cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

*You can add other toppings like onions, and black olives on top of the cheese if desired.
*You can use chicken taquitos and green enchilada sauce instead of beef.

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law. She was one of the few who answered my call for recipe help. I will have to say it's probably not the healthiest dish, but it's easy and relatively quick. We found it to be a bit spicy (could have been the taquitos, rice, or sauce), but it was good and I'll probably make it again.

Modificatiosn I made:
*I was unable to find the Spanish Style Ready Rice at the store I went to (though I did see it at Walmart today). I substituted a different quick cooking Spanish rice.
*I did not put 2 cups of cheese on top. I only used about 1 cup.
*I did put some thinly sliced green onions on top.
*We ate our enchiladas off a bed of shredded lettuce, and topped them with a little sour cream.