Friday, August 14, 2009

Chicken and White Cream Pasta

Posted by Jamie Y at dinners ready

2 c uncooked penne pasta
2 c sliced fresh mushrooms
1 c sliced green onions
2 Tbs butter
½ c chicken broth
1 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbs flour
1/3 c water
1 c heavey whipping cream
2 c chicken, cooked and cubed
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Shredded parmesan cheese (not grated)

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet, saute mushrooms and onions in butter for 4-5 min or until tender. Add broth and garlic. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 min. Combine flour and water until smooth; gradually add to mushroom mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir until thickened. Stir in cream. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 4-5 min. Add the cooked pasta, chicken, salt and pepper to cream sauce. Cook for 3-4 min or until heated through. Sprinkle with lots of shredded parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

Sausage and Spinach Penne Skillet Supper

Recipe Source:my kitchen cafe- adapted from The Best Skillet Recipes

**The original recipe only used 8 ounces of pasta. I knew that wouldn't be enough for our family so I adapted the recipe to make a bit more. It makes for a very full skillet, but if you have a 12-inch skillet, it will still be big enough. This serves 6 easily. If you don't want to make as much, scale down the amounts in the recipe (use 8 ounces pasta and 5 1/2 cups liquid total).**

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian-style turkey sausage, casings removed (I couldn't find turkey sausage so I substituted mild pork sausage)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced finely
3 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounces (about 3 1/2 cups) penne pasta
1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot and add in the sausage. Cook until lightly browned and no longer pink about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the water, broth, sun-dried tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then add in the pasta. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook at a strong simmer, stirring often, until the pasta is tender and the liquid has thickened, about 15-18 minutes (if you find the liquid is absorbing too quickly and the pasta is still undercooked, add a bit more water in small amounts until the pasta is cooked thoroughly).

Stir in the spinach, a handful at a time, and cook until wilted. Off the heat, stir in the cheese and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste adn serve immediately.

Dijon Pork Chops

the sisters cafe
submitted by Erin


4 1/2 inch thick butterfly pork chops
6-7 T. flour
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 c. butter
2 T. finely chopped green onion
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 c. cold water
2/3 c. dry white wine (I used chicken broth, or water with bouillon)
fresh chives to garnish


Pound pork chops with a meat mallet to 1/4-inch thickness. (I skipped this step, fyi.) Combine 5 T. flour with pepper, seasoning salt, and poultry seasoning in shallow dish. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge chops in flour mixture and then brown in melted butter on both sides. Remove chops from skillet and set aside. Add green onion to skillet and cook until tender, about 1 minute. (I didn't have any green onion on hand, so I omitted this, but I'm sure it would have been even better with it.) Stir together wine (or broth) and mustard. Add to skillet and stir to combine with meat juices. Return chops to skillet. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer about 8-10 minutes or until tender. (I wrote in my recipe, "Check at 5 minutes" because it cooked faster than I had anticipated.) Remove chops to warm platter. Combine water and 1 T. flour in a small bowl and mix well. Add to skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until thickened, about 1 minute. Pour sauce over chops and garnish with chives before serving.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Chocolate Mint Brownies

from my kitchen cafe
adapted from Cooking Light (via Kylie)


Bottom layer:
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, beaten (FYI: the original recipe replaces two of these 4 eggs with 1/2 cup egg substitute)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup


Mint layer:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring


Glaze:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter


1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare bottom layer, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt; stir with a whisk. Combine granulated sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons water, vanilla, eggs, and chocolate syrup in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until blended. BATTER WILL BE VERY THIN! Pour batter into a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

3. To prepare mint layer, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, and next 3 ingredients (through food coloring) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread mint mixture over cooled cake. (Kylie prefers the non-mint version: she substitutes vanilla extract for the mint extract.)

4. To prepare the glaze, combine the chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 20 pieces.

Deep, Dark Chocolate Brownies

from my kitchen cafe
adapted from Cooke Madness

2 sticks (8 oz) butter
8 oz good-quality semisweet chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13×9 inch metal pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray. Alternatively, you may use parchment. These are pretty sticky at first!

Melt butter and chocolate in a 3-qt heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Add 1 cup of the sugar to the hot chocolate mixture. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.

Whisk in remaining 1 cup sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time until mixture is glossy and smooth. Whisk in salt and cocoa powder, then add flour and stir until it disappears (do not overbeat).

Spread in pan and bake until a pick inserted in center comes out with crumbs, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature then chill for an hour or more. Lift from pan, place on a cutting board, cut into squares.

Makes 1 13×9 inch pan (yield depends on how big you cut your brownies, but they are rich, so small is fine

Easy Sugar Cookies

found on real mom kitchen

2 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 cup butter, SOFTENED
1 1/2 C white sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract

1. Preheat to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks. (I think it made around 2-3 dozen)

Black Bean Salsa

from on my menu

Ingredients:
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
¼ c. green onions, chopped (including some green tops)
2 T. fresh cilantro, snipped
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 T. lime juice
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
2 T. sugar

Directions:
Chop tomatoes and green onions. Coarsely snip cilantro and combine w/ tomatoes and green onions. Press garlic into tomatoes. Add lime juice, then beans, sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours to blend flavors. Serve with warm Toasted Cornbread Slices (I just use tortilla chips – the little bowl/scoop kind work well).