Thursday, January 24, 2008

Chicken Florentine

Submitted by: Adrienne

(this amounts feed a lot of people, so you can cut this in half)

6 Boiled chicken breasts, shredded (boiling them makes the shredding easier)
Cooked spinach, amount can vary
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken)
1 c. mayo
1 c. sour cream
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
¼ c. lemon juice, or to taste
Salt and pepper

Topping:
Bread crumbs
Grated Parmesan cheese
Butter

Shred the cooked chicken, set aside in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients (except for the topping, of course). Pour the mixture over the chicken and fold. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan. Mix bread crumbs with parmesan cheese in any amount you want (I’d do ½ cheese and ½ crumbs). Sprinkle on top and dollop with butter. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Note: Cream soups, mayo, and sour cream are a terrific base for almost any casserole. I use the exact same ingredients when I make Beef Stroganoff, Scalloped Potatoes, Chicken and Rice Casserole, etc. Try this as a base and be creative!

Roasted Chicken Oreganato

Submitted by: Adrienne

(for those who aren’t tomato fans, you can do as little as you want here, but they cook up so well that they don’t even taste like tomatoes)

3.5 lbs chicken, cut into 10 serving pieces (you can do more or less, cut however you want, really)
4 medium potatoes, cut in medium-size chunks
4 tomatoes, cut into medium size chunks
1 large onion, cut into medium size chunks
¼ c. olive oil
¼ c. oregano (or Italian Seasoning)
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with the rack in the upper third. Combine all ingredients, mix and toss. Put chicken on top of the veggies, skin side up. (If you use boneless, skinless breasts from the freezer like me, being on top doesn’t matter at all.) Roast about 35-45 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Stephanie's Steak Broiling Recipe

Submitted by: Adrienne


Beef Tenderloin Steaks
Seasoning (She recommends McCormick Steak Seasoning, but others will do)
Olive Oil
Tongs
Broiler Pan

Set thawed steaks out of the fridge for 25 minutes. At the same time, place your oven rack 6" below the top of the oven (should be the top rack). Preheat the oven to BROIL with the broiler pan in it to heat it up. Trust me, you'll want it preheating for the whole 25 minutes.

After the meat has set out for 25 minutes, brush both sides with olive oil and season both sides. NOTE: Don't puncture the meat at all. Use tongs. Take out the hot broiler pan and place steaks on it. Broil for 3 minutes on each side. Then, leaving the steaks in the oven, turn the oven temp to 500 degrees. If the steaks are less than 2" thick, leave them in for 4-5 minutes. If they are more than 2" thick, for 6-7 minutes. Enjoy!

Cheesy Biscuits

Submitted by: Kristl


2 c. Bisquick
2/3 c. milk
1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together and drop onto greased pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 mintues.

After baking brush the top with the following mixture:
1/4 c. melted butter
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Lebanese Garbanzo Salad

Submitted by: Adrienne

1 bunch of parsley, leaves only (the more, the merrier)
about 1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice to taste
1 can Garbanzo beans (also called chick peas)
Optional: 1 TBS dried or fresh mint
Optional: green onions (scallions), chopped (as many as you'd like)

Rinse the parsley and take off the stems as close as you can and dice it up. It's okay if you still have stem pieces in there, you won't notice them once it's chopped. (Be careful not to dice it too fine or it will be mushy. I'd reccommend doing it by hand with a knife and not with a food chopper).
Put the chopped parsley into a serving bowl. Add the olive oil and toss. You want it to coat the parsley well, but not have so much that it will collect in a puddle in your bowl.
Add a couple pinches of salt and pepper and lemon juice (I'd say about 1/4 cup to start with). Add the mint if you like and toss again.
Taste it and see if you need to add any more liquid or spice.
There shouldn't be too much lemon taste unless you want it that way.
Add the onions and chick peas and give it one more toss.

It chills very well and will stay good for at least 3 days or so.