Buffalo Chicken Dip

It's Superbowl Sunday!  Although I wish the Saints were playing again this year and feel that they were ROBBED of being in this year, I am excited to go watch the game with our dear friends from Care Group.  We are having a potluck of sweets and dips and all good football food, and I can't wait.  I love snack foods...it's my favorite type of gathering because you get a great variety of lots of different foods.  Chips and dips.  Brownies.  Cookies.  Veggies and more dip.  YUM!  Can't wait!

Anyway, tonight I am bringing my new favorite dip:  Buffalo Chicken Dip.

I have been slightly obsessed with Buffalo sauce since my last pregnancy.  Jonathan and I even split some wings for lunch today after church.  Anyway, I heard about this dip and tried my hand at it for the first time for a Christmas party.  It was gone in a matter of minutes and I have been waiting for an excuse to make it again.  I'm sure you and your friends will love it too!


Buffalo Chicken Dip


Ingredients:
2 (8-ounce) cream cheese blocks, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
1 rotisserie chicken, deboned and chopped (or a package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and chopped)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
chips or crackers for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, Ranch dressing and hot sauce until smooth.  Fold in chopped chicken until combined.  Pour into a greased baking dish.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Return to oven and allow to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and dip is bubbly.  Serve hot!


**** For the Christmas party, I served the dip with Fritos and I also cut up carrots and celery into sticks to serve with it.  I thought this was a way to make it seem like Buffalo wings.  Also, you could have a small dish of Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing for extra dipping. 

Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Oh. My. YUM.

I saw this recipe on Tasty Kitchen just last week, and I instantly purchased the ingredients to make it. Seriously, it couldn't be easier, and we loved it.

Four ingredients + Crockpot + 6-8 hours = BBQ heaven!

Check out the original post here, or follow this easy recipe:

Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

 Ingredients:

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, defrosted
• 1 whole onion, roughly chopped
• 1 can (20 Oz. Size) pineapple (I used a small can of crushed pineapple and its juice, and a small can of pineapple chunks with the juice drained.  I wanted a variety of pineapple sizes, not just all chunks.  Altogether, I had approximately 20 oz. of pineapple.  I will do it this way next time too).
• 1 bottle (18 To 20 Oz. Size) BBQ Sauce Of Your Choice (I used Sweet Baby Rays).
• Hamburger Buns Or Kaiser Rolls

Directions:
Place chicken in bottom of crockpot.  Add onion, then pineapple, and finally cover with the entire bottle of barbecue sauce.  Once you are finished with those four exhausting steps, put the lid on a cook on low for 6-8 hours.  At hour 7, pull chicken breasts out and shred meat, putting chicken back in the sauce afterward to finish cooking.

Serve on buns.  We also had baked beans and some veggie chips with our meal!  E-Z!


**Check the original post for other ideas on sauces or using frozen chicken and different recommendations with the pineapple.  Above is how I prepared our Hawaiian BBQ Chicken!  We loved it this way and will have it plenty more in the future!

Can I just say:  CROCKPOTS RULE!

Thanks.

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Fingers

I saw this recipe on the back of a Bisquick box, and I thought I would love to try it and see if the kids love it.  My children love chicken fingers, and this was a yummy recipe that was baked instead of fried AND it included cheese!  I mean, HELLO!? I whipped these up last night for supper and it was a huge hit.  The kids enjoyed chicken fingers along with macaroni and cheese and green beans, while JB and I cut our tenders up and served them on top of a delicious Caesar salad! Two wins!

I adapted the original recipe just a little bit, but it's basically the recipe on the box.  Give it a try! Chances are you have a box of Bisquick in your pantry.

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2/3 cup Original Bisquick mix
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.  Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper; spray with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl (or in a gallon-sized ziploc bag) combine Bisquick mix, cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.  In another small bowl, beat egg and add milk.  Stir till combined.  Dip half of the chicken strips into egg mixture, then place in the Bisquick mixture to thoroughly coat each strip.  Place chicken on cookie sheet.  Repeat with other half of chicken.  Drizzle melted butter over chicken.

Bake 12-14 minutes, turning halfway through baketime, until no longer pink in center.  (My strips were pretty thick, so I ended up cooking mine about 20 minutes total).

Servings: 4

Chicken Taco Soup (Crockpot Recipe)

Here's what's for dinner at the Bradshaw house tonight!  It's cold.  It's damp.  It's "supposed" to snow.  Sounds like soup is in order to me!

Picture courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Chicken Taco Soup
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained (forgot)
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer (I used a Corona)
• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained  (I used mild)
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning (Again, I went with mild for the sake of the children)
• 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Directions:

Place onion, beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer and tomatoes in crockpot.  Add taco seasoning mix and stir to combine.  Add chicken breasts to crockpot, being sure to submerge them in the soup ingredients.  Bake on low for 5 hours.  After five hours, remove three chicken breasts onto a plate.  Shred with two forks, then place the shredded chicken back into slow cooker.  Continue cooking on low for an additional two hours.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips if desired.


Couldn't.Be.Easier.

Chicken Fajitas

 

Every now and then, my hubby gets a hankering to get in the kitchen with me.  Typically on a day off or a relaxing weekend, he'll start craving something and he wants to "cook" it.  He does really well in the kitchen, but it's definitely a team effort most of the time.  A few weeks ago, we decided to make some homemade chicken fajitas (one of our restaurant favs when we go out for Mexican).  So, I found this recipe on This Mommy Cooks and decided to give it a try.  It was amazing!  Definitely something we will make again, and to make it even better, both of my children LOVED the chicken.  We served our fajitas with some PW Guacamole and Pico de Gallo and beans and rice.  YUM!

Chicken Fajitas

Adapted from This Mommy Cooks

Ingredients:
Marinade:
¼ cup lime juice (about 3-4 limes or use bottled)
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons apple cider or red wine vinegar (I used red wine)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon Liquid Smoke*
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder (I didn't have this, so went without)

*Note: Liquid Smoke may seem like an unnecessary, optional ingredient but it adds a good flavor and smokiness.

Fajitas:
2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips
1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red (or orange) pepper, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon lime juice (a quick squeeze of a cut lime)
dash of salt and pepper

Directions:
Begin by marinating chicken by combining all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Either place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over the top or add the chicken to the bowl that you mixed the marinade in. I used a bowl covered with foil.  Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 2-5 hours. The longer you marinade, the better flavor you'll get.  (Mine actually marinated for about 24 hours....we had a quick change of plans and decided to cook the following night).

After marinating, take chicken out of the bag or bowl and discard the marinade.  Cook chicken over medium-high heat in a large skillet,  4-5 minutes per side.  It will cook fast since it is cut into strips. Remove from pan and tent with foil to keep warm.  You could also grill the chicken if you preferred.

Once chicken is removed from skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat and add the onion and peppers. Stir fry until softened but still crisp tender. Add soy sauce, water, lime juice and salt and pepper.  Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Toss cooked chicken stips with the vegetables in the skillet. Serve immediately with flour tortillas and top with tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream.


***As you can see above, this dish is so beautiful!  We absolutely loved it, and had plenty for a leftover lunch the next day.  I plan on making this again very soon.  I hope you enjoy.

Poppy Seed Chicken

Image from myteenytinykitchen.com

Oh, this recipe is satisfying a pregnancy craving BIG TIME!  I was first introduced to this dish when I moved to Jackson, MS, for college, and I instantly fell in love.  It is definitely a casserole, but it is so comforting and delicious and buttery.  Oh, I can't wait til mine gets out of the oven.

Poppy Seed Chicken

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
8-10 oz. of sour cream
3 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crumbled

Directions:

First: I boiled nearly 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in water with salt and pepper until the chicken was cooked and cooled.  Then I cleaned and chopped the chicken.

Place chopped, cooked chicken in a bowl, add chicken soup, sour cream and poppy seeds.  Stir to combine.  Pour chicken mixture into the bottom of an 11x7" greased casserole dish.  In a small bowl, combine crumbled Ritz crackers and melted butter.  Pour over chicken mixture.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serve over rice.

Adapted from Southern Living.

 

Honey Curry Chicken

This is an oldie, but a goodie!

I first saw this recipe on the GirlTalk Blog several years ago, but I never had it until a friend from church brought us this delicious chicken dinner shortly after we had Nora.  To be honest, this was my first experience with curry.  We instantly fell in love with this yummy chicken, and when I got the recipe in my hands and saw how simple it was to throw together, I knew it would be an instant family favorite.  I'm sure several of you have come across this recipe before, but if not, give it a try!  So yummy!

Honey Curry Chicken

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a shallow baking dish, arrange chicken pieces.  In a separate bowl, combine butter, honey, mustard, salt and curry powder.  Pour over chicken pieces and bake 30 minutes, or until chicken is done.  Baste several times during cooking. 

Serve over hot white rice. 

***The sauce on this chicken is SO delicious.  You could even double the sauce to make sure you have plenty for pouring over your rice or broccoli or bread or just to slurp with a spoon.  Seriously good.

Chicken & Creamy Chive Sauce

This is sooooooo one of my favorite meals!   It is absolutely delicious, and I am going to put this under the "fancy" category because it calls for white wine in the sauce which totally knocks it up from everyday to "fancy" (in my opinion, anyway).  This is a crockpot meal, which makes even better for busy mommas like me!  I love to cook this on a busy day, and I have also been known to put it together before church on a Sunday morning so that it is ready and waiting for us when we get home.  It's a great meal to serve to guests as well!

Chicken & Creamy Chive Sauce

Ingredients:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts  (approximately 1.5 lbs.)
1/4 cup butter
1- 0.7 oz. package of dry Italian salad dressing mix
1 can condensed golden mushroom soup (very important to use GOLDEN mushroom)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2  of an 8 oz. tub chive/onion flavored cream cheese

Directions:

Place chicken in slow cooker.
In a small saucepan, melt butter.  Add dressing mix, soup, wine, and cream cheese.  Stir and heat on low-medium heat until cream cheese is melted and all ingredients are combined well.  Pour over chicken. Cook 4-5 hours on low in slow cooker.  Serve over pasta.

***You can easily substitute chicken broth in place of the white wine, BUT I think the wine adds a great kick to the flavor!
***For an even fancier touch, snip fresh chives over the chicken and pasta before serving.

Easy Easy Crockpot Italian Chicken

The other day I defrosted some chicken breasts to cook for the kids and I one night over the weekend.  Well, as our weekend unfolded, I realized that I wasn't really going to have time to cook a meal, unless I used the crockpot.  Another problem seemed to unfold because I realized that I still hadn't gone to the grocery store since we've returned from our trip to New Orleans, so I had to come up with some way to cook the chicken breasts in the crockpot with things I already had on hand in my pantry.  So, here's what I did.  Seriously simple!


Easy, Easy Crockpot Italian Chicken

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (I'm sure you can add any other dried or fresh herbs that you like)
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:  Place chicken in bottom of crockpot.  Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken.  Add garlic powder, oregano, and other seasonings.  Stir a bit to combine.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

***I let mine cook all day Saturday.  After church on Sunday, I put the chicken and sauce in a large skillet and heated it up, breaking up the tender chicken into pieces.  Meanwhile, I boiled some whole wheat rotini pasta, then combined the chicken and pasta covering it with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  It was delicious!

Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken

SO, the husband has just recently started a diet.  I won't go into the details, but basically I am going to be cooking some meals for just the kids and myself for the next several weeks.  Can I tell you how hard meal-planning seems to me, now?  How do I fix meals for 1.5 people?  I guess it'll be like going back to our newlywed days!  Anyway, I came across this crockpot meal over at Easy Meals for Busy Moms, and it sounded delicious.  For one thing, I love all things that include the words Hawaiian.  Barbecue.  Chicken.  Another thing, I love using my crockpot, particularly on busy days.  When I saw how unbeLIEVably simple this recipe was to throw together, I knew I had to give it a try.  So I did.  I will have to say that it's not my favorite crockpot meal, but it was pretty yummy and definitely worthy of making again.  Give it a try and tell me what you think!

Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken

Ingredients:
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  (I used three large breasts, trimmed and cut into six smaller breasts)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp mustard
1/2 cup crushed pineapple w/juice  (I only had a can of pineapple chunks in juice.  I used 1/2 cup juice, then added about 1/2 can of pineapple chunks.  I will do this again, instead of using the crushed as recommended).
1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Place chicken in bottom of slow-cooker.  In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.  Pour sauce over chicken, and cook for 4-6 hours on low.  If you don't have time for the crockpot version, cook in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.  Serve over rice.

Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce

This dish is divine.  Fancy, schmancy it may seem, but this is simple to make and is so delish!
I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman (see her version called Penne a la Betsy.  And, as usual, it is so wonderful, and don't fret if shrimp is not your thing.  Try it with chicken and get another great meal!

Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 lb. of large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 cup of half and half (PW uses heavy whipping cream, which is that extra touch of richness)
1/2 cup of white wine (optional)
6-7 fresh basil leaves
fresh parsley (I used dried)
salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 lb. of short cut pasta (Penne, rigatoni, fusilli, etc.)


Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, but be careful not to over cook!

Peel, devein, and rinse 1 lb. of large shrimp.  (Keep in cool water until ready to use).

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Pat shrimp dry with paper towel before putting in heated skillet so that they will sear instead of steam.  Place shrimp in skillet and cook on each side approximately 2 minutes, until the outsides are pink and most of the shrimp are opaque.

Remove from saucepan.

Add the other 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to skillet and heat.  Add onion and garlic, cooking until translucent (about 3 minutes).

Add 1/2 cup of white wine and deglaze the pan, stirring gently.  Allow the white wine to evaporate a bit, then add the tomato sauce. Stir gently until combined.

Reduce the heat to low.  Slowly add the half and half, gently stirring until your sauce turns that creamy peachy color!

Add in fresh basil and parsley.  Allow sauce to simmer on low for several minutes.

(Quick tutorial on how to chiffonade basil.
Place basil leaves on top of each other.

Roll leaves up and hold together with your fingers.

Cut small strips of basil using a sharp knife.

While sauce is simmering, cut your shrimp into bite-sized pieces. 

Add to the sauce and tenderly stir.  Taste, then add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, either add cooked pasta to saucepan and stir until combined.  Or plate pasta, then generously pour Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce over the pasta.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Oh, man, is this good!

I saw this a few weeks back on---can you guess?---The Pioneer Woman's website. (I know, I'm obsessed. But seriously, she hasn't proven me wrong about a recipe yet!)

Anyway, I saw her recipe for Cajun Chicken Pasta, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Simple. Delicious. Cajun.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

1-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, uncooked, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (I, naturally, used Tony Chachere's)
1 lb. fettuccine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 whole green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 whole red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1.5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine (if you don't have white wine or don't wish to use it, just increase your chicken broth to 2 cups)
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste
parsley, for sprinkling, if desired

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente; do not overcook!

2. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.

Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat.

3. Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for several minutes, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional minute. Remove all vegetables from the pan.

4. With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!

5. Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.

Top with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

This was so delicious! I had some of the leftovers for lunch today, and I think they tasted even better than it did last night. Since the hubs will be out of the house for dinner tonight, I think I might finish it off for my supper. Shh, don't tell!

Preparing this recipe gave me an inspiration for another one that I hope to try out sometime next week. If it comes out tasty, I'll be sure to share it with you guys.

YEAH for PASTA!!!!!

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Nothing says New Orleans like a big ole bowl of Jambalaya.

First, let me explain how you SAY this word.

It's NOT Jam- (as in Strawberry Jam)- ba-lie-ya.

It's Jum-ba-lie-ya.

Chicken and Sausage Jum-ba-lie-ya to be exact.

This dish is so yummy and delicious, plus it makes a ton of food which makes it perfect for a large crowd. I often fix this dish when I am making supper for another family (maybe they just had a baby or there was a death in the family). This recipe makes so much that I can give half of it, or more, to the family I'm making it for plus have PLENTY leftover for my family to eat for two meals. Seriously. TON.OF.FOOD.

Now, there are several variations of jambalaya. Some have a red/tomato base, but not this one. Honestly, I like this brown version of jambalaya because it's really not at all spicy which sometimes turns people off who aren't from New Orleans. We love spice, but I understand that not everyone feels that way. This recipe isn't spicy at all, but there are a few ways you could add some kick if you wanted.

Here we go:

Ingredients:
1/2 stick of butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1.5 lbs. chicken, uncooked and cut into bite-sized chunks
2 packages of smoked sausage, sliced into medallions or half moons
2 lb. box of white, long grain rice (I use Uncle Ben's)
3 cans French Onion soup
3 cans beef broth
Cajun seasoning, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Saute onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic in butter until vegetables are softened, approximately 5 minutes.
3. Transfer sauteed vegetables to whatever pan you will be cooking the jambalaya in. You will need something quite large. If I am making an entire batch of jambalaya, I typically buy a disposable aluminum roasting pan.
4. Add the chicken, sausage, and rice to the vegetables in roasting pan. Pour three cans of French Onion soup and two cans of beef broth over the ingredients. Stir gently with a spoon, sprinkle with Cajun seasoning, and cover tightly with foil.
5. Bake jambalaya for approximately one hour. Remove foil and check the moisture level of the rice. Add the final can of beef broth and stir. Recover with foil and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
6. Remove foil and stir. Check the done-ness of the rice. Cook, uncovered, for an additional 30 minutes or until all remaining liquid is gone. (Your total oven cooking time is approximately 2 hours).

Serve with some hot, French bread and a green salad. Set out a bit of Cajun seasoning for sprinkling on a bit of heat if desired.

***One way to kick up the heat in this recipe is to use hot sausage instead of smoked sausage.
***Another alteration is to use Turkey sausage instead of pork or beef for a lower fat version. Still wonderful (honestly, you can hardly tell!)

This is what we'll be having as we watch the SAINTS win the Superbowl!!!!!

Chicken Corn Chowder

I saw this recipe on a friend's cooking blog called This Mommy Cooks. When I say "friend," I guess I should clarify a bit. Amber and I have actually only met in person one time. However, before we met face to face, we got to know each other through this great world wide web as we had some mutual friends. Some of the friends are from our church because Amber and her husband used to live here in Knoxville, but she also knows some of my friends from college. I think she used to live in Memphis? (Correct me if I am wrong, Amber). Anyway, regardless of how we met, I just know that if Amber and I ever happen to live in the same city again, we would be fast friends! She seems like such a sweet person, she loves to cook, and she is a great momma to her two beautiful boys. Seriously, I still ideas from her blog all the time.

Amber posted this recipe for Chicken Corn Chowder a week or so ago, and as soon as I saw it I started drooling. Something about it...the name, the picture of her bowl of soup, the list of ingredients. I don't know. I just had to have it.

I finally got around to making it last night. It was so delicious, so warming, so comfy. Ugh. I loved it! Apparently, Amber adapted the recipe from one of Paula Deen's recipes, and I am so glad she did! (There was an absurd amount of butter in Paula's *gasp* ). This was wonderful without the additional butter, and I will definitely be making it again in the near future.

Chicken Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped (I only have baby carrots in my fridge, and I chopped up about 10 of them for my pot of soup.)
1 small celery stalk, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can corn, drained (Amber recommends 1.5 cans, but I thought one was sufficient.)
3 cups chicken broth (I used two cans)
1.5-2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 can evaporated milk
pinch of Nutmeg
salt and pepper

Directions:
Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook until the roux is lightly browned. Remove roux from pan and set aside to cool.

While roux is cooling, combine the corn, chicken, and chicken broth in pot, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour roux into the corn and chicken mixture(a little at a time), whisking briskly so it doesn't lump. Return the pot to medium heat and bring to a boil. The mixture should become very thick. (You can continue on to adding the evaporated milk at this point and continue with the rest of the recipe, but I let my soup simmer for about 20 minutes more to let my flavors meld and my vegetables cook a little longer).

Stir evaporated milk into the thick corn mixture. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste. Return to boil and simmer for 5 more minutes.


MMMMMmmmmm. I am having the leftovers for dinner TONIGHT! The whole time I was eating my bowl(s) of soup last night, I kept thinking to myself, "This tastes familiar." I think I figured it out. This Chicken Corn Chowder tastes like a chicken pot pie in soup form to me. Serve it up with some scrumptious crescent rolls or homemade bread, and there you go! Comfort food, to the max!

Chicken Stroganoff

I made this new recipe for supper last night, and it was absolutely delicious! Jonathan said it is one of his new favorites. It is actually a Weight Watchers recipe that I printed out months ago and it just resurfaced earlier this week. Try it!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs of chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 package of Lipton's Onion Soup mix
1/4 cup water
1 8 oz. fat free or low fat cream cheese, softened
1 can fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 4 oz. can of mushrooms, drained

Directions:
In crockpot, combine chicken, soup mix, and water. Cook on low heat for 4 hours.
In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, mushroom soup, and mushrooms. Combine with cooked chicken in crockpot. Continue cooking for one additional hour. (5 hours cooking time total). Serve over angel hair pasta.

***The pasta is what the recipe called for. That is what I had my stroganoff with. However, we had some mashed potatoes in the refrigerator that Jonathan tried it with and he said it was delicious. Also, I think it would be great over rice. Anything goes! Whatever your family enjoys the most.

***If anyone is interested in the Weight Watchers points information: The recommendations were to divide the chicken mixture into 6 portions and serve over 1/2 cup of cooked angel hair pasta. 1 portion of chicken sauce and 1/2 cup pasta equals 7 points.

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

Creamy Chicken Lasagna
I got this recipe from one of my close friends, Amy Louise Townsend. It is so yummy and it is one of Nora's favorite things to eat EVER.

CREAMY CHICKEN LASAGNA

Ingredients:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
6 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 cube chicken bouillon
1/4 cup hot water
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (26 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce


1. Bring large pot of slightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for 8-10 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, & set aside.

2. Place chicken in saucepan with just enough water to cover & bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes, or until no longer pink & juices run clear. Remove from saucepan & shred. I put mine in my food processor for about 20 seconds and it's done!

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve chicken bouillon cube in 1/4 cup hot water. In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the bouillon, cream cheese, & 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

4. Spread 1/3 of spaghetti sauce in bottom of 9 inch square baking dish. Cover with chicken mixture, & top with 3 lasagna noodles; repeat. Top with remaining sauce, & sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake for 45 minutes in preheated oven until golden and bubbling.

Enjoy!

Chicken Marsala

This is one of our favorite dishes at Italian restaurants. We really fell in love with it at the restaurant that used to be in Turkey Creek called Vinny and Me. Unfortunately, I think the economy got to the owners and they closed down after we had only just discovered it. Anyways, Jonathan and I came across this recipe on weightwatchers.com the other night and I gave it a whirl for supper. It is delicious and is very simple to make. Jonathan said, "This would be something I'd love to eat even if it wasn't on Weight Watchers." So, here it goes!

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup mushrooms, fresh, sliced
1 lb. uncooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (four 4 oz. piece)
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup Marsala wine (I bought Marsala cooking wine)
1 1/4 cups canned beef broth, reduced-sodium, divided
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute until tender and releasing liquid, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place chicken on a plate and season both sides with thyme, salt, and pepper. Move mushrooms to outer edge of skillet once cooked. Place chicken in center of skillet and saute until golden, about 2-3 minutes per side.
3. Add wine to skillet; simmer 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of broth and simmer, uncovered, until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 8 minutes. (I scraped the bottom of the pan to get all the good stuff off of the bottom and into the sauce, just like Rachael Ray tells you to).
4. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/2 cup of broth in a small bowl; add to skillet. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring constantly and incorporating mushrooms into the liquid, about 1 minute. Serve chicken with mushroom sauce spooned on top. Yields about 3 oz of chicken and 1/3 cup of sauce per serving.

***I served this with roasted asparagus and whole grain pasta mixed with butter and parmesan cheese. It was yummy!
***For anyone interested in the weight watchers points here, one serving is 4 points (chicken and mushroom sauce only).

Cranberry Chicken

Tomorrow is the first day of Fall! YEAH! I love fall in Tennessee!

Speaking of fall, here is a delicious and simple supper idea that reminds me of fall weather! There's just something about cranberries that makes me think of cooler weather, Thanksgiving, changing colors. My neighbor, Anne, made this meal for us for dinner a few weeks ago and I made it myself for our supper tonight. It was so yummy!

Cranberry Chicken:

1-2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce
1 package of dry onion soup mix
8 oz. of Catalina salad dressing (I used Kraft Light Catalina to cut back on fat and calories)

In a bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, soup mix and dressing. Place chicken in a casserole dish and cover chicken with sauce mixture. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour, or until chicken is cooked through. I served this with white rice and turnip greens. The sauce is so yummy and tastes great over the rice!

This is definitely one of our new favorites!

P.S. Jonathan brought home candy corn yesterday, and I have already eaten way too much! I just love this time of year!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Here is a yummy and easy supper to fix that I tried out last night! Jonathan and I really enjoyed it, and I will be adding it to my repertoire! I found the recipe on the $5 Dinners blog! This is a great website with lots of great money saving ideas and delicious dinner recipes.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast, diced
2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, with juice
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger


Directions:
1. In large skillet over medium high heat, brown the diced chicken pieces in oil.
2. Add diced green bell pepper and garlic and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. In small bowl, whisk together corn starch and soy sauce, then pour the mixture into skillet along with the pineapple chunks, pineapple juice, vinegar, brown sugar, and ginger. Stir together and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes, or until sauce reaches desired consistency/thickness.

Serve over brown or white rice.
***I used white rice and added just a few splashes of soy sauce to the water to add a hint of salt.
***This meal was wonderful, but I like lots of sauce, so I doubled the sauce portion, minus the pineapple and pineapple juice. I added some water to replace the liquid that the pineapple juice added.
***Jonathan mentioned that this recipe would probably be equally as tasty using shrimp instead of chicken. I think I may try that sometime soon as we love us some shrimp in this household. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Hope you enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

And by cheesy, I mean dairy. Not corny or silly.

Does Velveeta really qualify as cheese?

Moving on.

A good friend of ours from dental school, the one and only Lauren VanBebber (now Lauren Davis) gave me this recipe. She is from Hot Springs, AK, and is such a great cook with soooo many recipes up her sleeve. When we all lived in Baton Rouge following Hurricane Katrina, Lauren lived in the same apartment complex as Jonathan and I. The three of us, along with a few other friends, would get together weekly for a supper club. We would rotate homes, and if it was your week to host, you provided supper for everyone in the club! I loved eating at Lauren's place because she always had the most wonderful, comforting food! Here is one of our favorites:

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. chicken, cooked and shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use reduced fat)
1 smallest package available of Velveeta cheese (not certain of the number of oz.), diced into small pieces
1 large can of Veg-all mixed vegetables (I use the Homestyle)
1 can corn, drained
2 refrigerated pie crusts
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot, boil chicken in water with butter, salt and pepper. Once chicken is cooked, let cool and shred. Return chicken to pot along with soup, cheese, and vegetables. Mix together and stir frequently until cheese is melted and everything is combined. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place one pie crust in bottom of pie plate. Pour chicken filling on top, then cover with the second pie crust. Pinch the two crusts together. Bake in oven until pie crust is golden brown, approximately 45-60 minutes. Enjoy!

***This meal is so yummy and so comforting!