Cheesy Rotisserie Chicken & Bowties

Cheesy Rotisserie Chicken & Bowties (from She's Becoming DoughMessTic)
makes 6 to 8 servings

• Store bought rotisserie chicken, chopped or pulled into pieces
• One standard box Bow Tie Pasta (or, in my case, half a bag of veggie spirals)
• 1 bag shredded cheese (I used taco flavor, but any strong cheese will do)
• 1/2 Sweet onion, diced
• 1 Pepper, any color (I used orange this time)
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom (regular size)
• 1 can Cream of Chicken (regular size)
• 4 Tbsp. Melted Butter
• 1 tsp dried cilantro (I didn't have any in the house, so I used poultry seasoning instead. I realize that it's a completely different spice, but it worked.)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325.
Cook pasta in water and can of chicken broth until nearly done.
You will be baking this pasta, so take care not to over cook it now.
Reserve a cup of the broth from the pasta to add in to the mixture.
In large bowl, combine the broth, chicken, cheese, peppers, onions, melted butter, both creams, salt, pepper & cilantro.
Stir it well and pour it in a large baking dish.
Bake covered
at 325 for 45 minutes.

We served it with biscuits. I considered adding a ritz topping, but wanted to try the recipe as it was (basically) first. Next time, I'll definitely add a topping for a little extra oomph.

Irish Chicken & Dumplings

I was very pleased with the results on this one. The house smelled irresistible by the time it was nearly ready, and the taste lived up. It was great Sunday evening comfort food. Of course, anything with a stick of butter is pretty much guaranteed to satisfy in our household. We added a little shredded cheese on top too. It wasn't necessary, but it was delicious.

Irish Chicken & Dumplings (from She's Becoming DoughMessTic)

1 large can Cream of Chicken or Mushroom Soup
4 Boneless Chicken Breasts, cut up
1 bag frozen peas & carrot mix
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cans crescent roll dough, butter flavor
1 stick butter
salt & pepper to taste
other seasonings, to taste

Boil chicken and onion until tender, about 30 minutes.
Don't drain. Add cream of chicken and butter, seasonings and potatoes.
Reduce heat to low-medium and cook for 20-30 minutes
Add peas & carrots, continue to cook for 10 minutes, then add crescent rolls, torn into medium to large pieces and cook until dough is cooked through (this takes a while -maybe half an hour).

Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken & Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Creme Fraiche (from Joy of Baking)

Ingredients

1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
Note: If possible, use pasteurized heavy whipping cream, as ultra pasteurized will take longer to thicken. (Mine must hve been ultra-pasturized, because it definitely took it's time!)

Directions

In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the cream to 105 degrees F (40 degrees C).

Remove from heat and stir in the buttermilk.

Transfer the cream to a large bowl and allow this mixture to stand in a warm place, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until thickened but still of pouring consistency.

Stir and taste every 6 - 8 hours.

This process takes anywhere from 24 to 36 hours, depending on your room temperature.

The creme fraiche is ready when it is thick with a slightly nutty sour taste.

Chill cream, in the refrigerator, for several hours before using.

Creme fraiche may be made and stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Roasted Garlic and Herb Creme Fraiche (from What We're Eating, as are the following recipes)

Ingredients

4 large cloves roasted garlic

1/4 cup creme fraiche

1 tsp fresh tarragon (optional)

1 fresh sage leaf

1/2 cup fresh chives

juice from 1 small lemon

kosher salt

fresh finely ground white pepper (optional)

Directions
Add all ingredients except kosher salt into the bowl of a blender. Blend at a high speed until sauce is completely pulverized to for a silky smooth puree.
Strain herbed creme fraiche through a fine mesh sieve to remove any leftover larger chunks.
Adjust the seasoning of the sauce to taste with kosher salt and, if desired, freshly ground white pepper. Enjoy!

Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped in 1" cubes

3 tbsp butter

1/3 cup whole milk, plus extra if necessary (amount will vary as size of the potatoes vary) (I used cream instead... because I had that or skim milk)

kosher salt

freshly cracked black pepper

juice from 1/2 a lemon (I thought this was what made this dish perfect)

Directions

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat.

Once the water has reached a boil, add the sweet potato cubes.

Boil potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes.

To test the done-ness, stab a potato with a butter knife - if the potato is easily pierced and slides right off, the potatoes are done.
While the potatoes are boiling, add the milk and butter to a bowl of a stand mixer or to a large mixing bowl.
Drain the potatoes than add them to the bowl with the milk and butter. If using a stand mixer or hand-beater, whip the potatoes at a medium-low speed until smooth and fluffy, adding more milk if necessary to achieve a smooth but moist texture. If using a potato masher, mash until smooth, adding more milk as necessary.
Add lemon juice and a small pinch of salt and pepper to the potatoes.

Stir to combine.

Taste the potatoes. Adjust the seasoning as desired with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Serve immediately.

Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

1/3 lb thinly sliced proscuitto ham

4 small chicken breasts

3 tbsp canola oil (or other flavorless oil)

kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees with a rack placed in the middle of the oven.
Liberally season all areas of the chicken breasts with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Wrap thin slices of proscuitto around the seasoned breasts, covering nearly all surface area with the ham.
Heat a large oven-safe saute pan over medium high heat.

Add canola oil to the pan.

Let the oil heat for about 2 minutes or until there are small ripples in the oil but before it begins to smoke.
Place the chicken breasts into the pan with the proscuitto seam-side-up.

Allow the chicken to cook, undisturbed, for approximately 3-4 minutes or until the proscuitto has released itself from the pan and is evenly browned.

Flip the chicken and place the pan onto the rack positioned in the middle of the oven.
Bake the breasts for approximately 15 minutes or until breast are just cooked through.

Remove from oven and allow breasts to rest for at least 7 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

I added fried okra (I just bought the frozen stuff, already breaded and ready to go) and biscuits (again, I went with the canned stuff, because there were some great coupons last week). Then there were madelines from The Gourmet Cookbook for dessert. As I'm headed out of town for a few days and leaving Mr. L to fend for himself, I thought I should end on a good note. ;)

Grilled Chicken And Sweet Potatoes With Orange Glaze

Mr. L has been sick (he thinks it's just a cold, I think it's flu), so I almost made chicken soup with this chicken, but he was feeling well enough to sit down to dinner tonight, so my planned menu was saved! This was pretty quick and easy, but I think I'd stick to the grill for it in the future. Cooking it under the broiler made the house quite smoky (even after I moved it down away from the broiler a touch. I liked the glaze, but I got a couple of bites of the sweet potatoes with overpowering glaze. Still, I think that variations of this will become a regular occurrence in our home.

Grilled Chicken And Sweet Potatoes With Orange Glaze (from Food Lion)

Ingredients
4 chicken leg quarters (I just used thighs... that's what was on sale)
3/4 cup orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 Tbs fresh rosemary, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into 1" thick rounds
1 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp pepper, divided

Directions
Preheat broiler.

In a small bowl, mix orange juice concentrate, maple syrup, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Place chicken and potatoes on the grill or on a sheetpan under broiler.

Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Grill or broil chicken and potatoes for 25 minutes, turning all pieces at least once.

Brush chicken and potatoes with one half of orange juice mixture, let cook 30 seconds and turn.

Brush second side, cook one minute and turn all pieces again.

Cook for one more minute.

Remove from heat and serve.

VtV - spinach

Another one of my favorite veggies! I do not like iceburg lettuce. I think it is a silly veggie (although I am loathe even to elevate it to the level of veggie), and should not be tolerated, much less allowed to be passed off as a 'salad' in restaurants across the country. It makes me sad.

Because of this, I became close friends with caesar salads early on in life (because at least there was some green in romaine lettuce), but thankfully, sometime in my early twenties, I discovered that you can have a salad with a non-lettuce base! This was truly a glorious day! It's sad that I can't remember the exact date, so that I can celebrate this glorious anniversary. :( I discovered the spinach (and more often, baby spinach) salad. Glorious! There were months of law school in which the healthiest thing I consumed was a salad of baby spinach, craisins, and raspberry vinegarette. Occassionally, I would add a hard-boiled egg, a bit of grilled chicken, and/or some cheese. Basically, I was addicted (and I still believe that dried fruit and spinach is a combination ordained by God).

Now, after all that, I wanted to make a cooked spinach dish for VtV this week. And another kind blogger (The Picky Apple) inspired me by cooking chicken and spinach stuffed shells. Yummm! It was meant to be. So, thanks to The Sisters' Cafe, here's this weeks VtV -I'll let you get the recipe from them.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

I know I missed VtV's deadline for the week. I was bad. Well, I was travelling. But I love broccoli, so I went ahead and made chicken and broccoli casserole, even though I missed the deadline. Mostly because it sounded wonderful.

This is my mom's recipe, and one of those comfort foods that I grew up with, and will always like.

Mom's Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

1 bunch of broccoli, steamed in microwave, and chopped down to florets I cheated, and used steam-in-bag broccoli florets from Target

1 box of stuffing

1-1.5 lbs chicken breast, boiled (about 20 min, or until done) and shredded a little

2 cups of shredded cheddar

1 large can of cream of mushroom

Preheat oven to 350.

Layer chicken, broccoli, soup, cheese and stuffing in a casserole dish.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Fruity Chicken Salad

I've been feeling particularly savory of late (this is indeed a rare occurance)! Today I made yet another exam staple, fruity chicken salad. This is the perfect chicken salad for plopping down for an afternoon with the giant bowl of chicken salad and a sleeve of Ritz. I recommend only pulling one sleeve out at a time for portion control. ;)

Fruity Chicken Salad

4 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

1 (-2) cups sliced grapes (I cut a large grape into 6 pieces)

1 medium apple (the original recipe calls for peeling, but I've never thought it needed it), sliced (I dice it fairly finely)

1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp celery salt
1 cup (or more, to taste) of mayo (I use light miracle whip)

Mix everything together and add more mayo as needed, to moisten.