Sunday, January 29, 2012

Chicken and Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups

Mix the traditional lasagna up a bit...

9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 carton ricotta cheese
4 oz. cream cheese
4 cloves garlic
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 shredded rotisserie chicken (I like dark meat) OR 2 cooked shredded chicken breasts
1 small jar mushrooms
salt and pepper
1 jar spaghetti sauce OR Alfredo sauce
1 c. mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles according to package. Drain, then lay on paper towels to dry. Mix spinach, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese,chicken, garlic, mushrooms, and salt and pepper in bowl. Spread a scoop of mixture onto each noodle, then roll up. Place rolled noodles in a sprayed 9 x 13 dish, then pour over sauce. (When I did it, I did spaghetti sauce, but I think it would be really good with Alfredo sauce also.) Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Monkey Bread

3 cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, divided
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 c. packed brown sugar

Mix sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon in small bowl. Cut uncooked biscuits into fourths with clean scissors. Roll each biscuit piece in sugar mixture and start filling a greased bundt pan with pieces. In small saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Pour over biscuit pieces. You can refrigerate overnight or bake right away. Bake for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees. If the top starts to get browned, but the middle is still a little gooey, just put aluminum foil over top and bake for a few more minutes. Cool a bit, then flip onto a serving platter or cake plate. Enjoy!

Breakfast Casserole

8 eggs
2 c. milk
8 thick slices French bread
1 lb. sausage, cooked and drained
2 c. cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Whisk milk and eggs together. Stir in bread, sausage, cheese, and salt and pepper. Pour in 9 x 13 dish. Refrigerate overnight. Bake the next morning for about an hour at 350 degrees.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Potato Soup

Great soup recipe. I got it from the Neely's on Food Network and adapted it a little for myself. I thought the beer in it was odd at first but went with it anyway and it turned out very good! It has a depth of flavor to it!

1 lb. bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 T butter
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper
1/3 flour
3 c. chicken broth
1 12 oz. can light beer
1 c. half and half
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
dash of Worshershire sauce
little more salt and pepper to taste
dash of cayenne pepper

Brown bacon in large pot. Remove bacon pieces and pour out all but a little bacon grease from pot. Add butter, then saute onion, carrot, celery, and garlic for a few minutes. Salt and pepper then sprinkle in flour. Combine flour well for about 1 minute. Add liquids: broth, beer, and half and half. Add potato cubes. Bring to a light boil for about 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. (I had to keep stirring mine every few minutes because it was starting to stick to the bottom.) Use an immersion blender to liquify the chunks to your desired consistency. Add in Cheddar cheese and stir until all is melted. Add Worshershire sauce, salt & pepper, and cayenne pepper. Serve into bowls then top with bacon pieces. You can also top using green onions and some more cheese if you want.