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Italian Sausage and Chicken Pasta Sauce

February 24, 2010 in Entrees, Pasta, Uncategorized | 8 comments

Hola Friends!  I love spaghetti with meat sauce.  Always have.   I make mine with brown sugar so it is a little bit sweet and uses a base of Prego.  Prego is one of the cheapest spaghetti sauces out there and I love it (with a few additions). On a side note, I am not sure why I do this and it is totally dorky, but I always say “She is prego-ragu”, if someone is pregnant.  Weird, but true.

 Anyways,  I used to think my recipe was the best – until I tried this one at our good family friends, Debbi and Steve’s house.  Debbi is a wonderful cook - not to mention a great singer, dancer and hula hooper :) .  She is the appetizer queen (I am hoping she will send me some of those recipes soon)!  Her and Steve very graciously organized my dad’s memorial reception and hosted an after party at their house…where they served this amazing chicken and Italian sausage pasta sauce.  Which is actually a recipe of Debbi’s friend Leslie.  As soon as I ate the first bit, I asked for the recipe.  I only made a few changes, which is really strange for me.  It is fantastic and super simple to make for a crowd.  I served mine with ravioli, but you could use your favorite pasta.  Caesar salad recipe will be posted next. 

 Italian Sausage and Chicken Pasta Sauce

Printable recipe here

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon butter

1 White onion chopped

10 Large mushrooms sliced

3 Garlic Cloves minced

5 Links of uncooked (spicy or mild)Turkey Italian sausage cut into ½ inch pieces

4 Skinless Boneless Chicken breasts cubed (sausage and chicken is easier to cut if it is a little bit frozen

16 oz can diced tomatoes

1 Quart Prego Spaghetti sauce

1 T. Italian Seasoning

¼  cup dried basil

¼ cup dried oregano

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

6-8 servings of your favorite pasta

In a large stockpot, saute onion and mushroom in the olive oil and butter until soft and onions are translucent.  Add garlic and sauté one minute more. 

Add the chicken and sausage pieces and cook over med- low heat until the meat is browned and cooked through.

  Add the tomatoes, sauce, seasonings, brown sugar and vinegar. 

Stir well.  Simmer over low heat for at least 20 minutes up to an hour stirring occasionally.  You shouldn’t need to season with salt because the sausage has quite a bit of salt already.

Use over cheese ravioli or your favorite pasta.  Sprinkle with parmesan and enjoy.

 

Love,

Lindzee

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Creamy Teriyaki Chicken Fettuccine

February 17, 2010 in Entrees, Pasta | 9 comments

 

Jav’s 28thbirthday was yesterday and we had a few friends over to celebrate.  He keeps thinking he is 29 and not 28, which makes me laugh since I am 29.  I keep trying to convince him that he is actually 29 – it seems to be working.  Since his favorite possession in the whole wide world (with the exception of his MacBook Pro) is his IPhone, I thought I would try and make an IPhone cake.  Well, I tried:

He was really happy when he saw it!  And here are his many faces from the night:

Other pics from the night.

Mavie and Katie had a great time too:

Too much fun:

Disclaimer: I don’t really give my dog alcohol.  Only chocolate. He likes chocolate.  :)

When Jav was in high school he worked a local restaurant called Smoky Mountain Pizza.  He is obsessed with their Teriyaki Chicken Fettuccine and asked me to make it for him for his birthday.  After a few test runs, I think I finally succeeded.  It was pretty darn good.

Happy 29thJav!! The first of many to come :) .

On a side note – here is a link on how to pound meat from Chef Doughty at Boise State Radio.  It had me in hysterics.  http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/idaho/local-idaho-885382.mp3

Creamy Teriyaki Chicken Fettuccine
Printable recipe here

 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2lbs Chicken Breast Cut into bite size pieces (cutting semi-frozen is easiest)
2-3 Cups Assorted Fresh Veggies Chopped (I used broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms and sugar snap peas)
6-7 Servings Cooked Fettuccini

Sauce
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Flour
2 Cloves Garlic Minced
2 Cups Half and Half (I bet it would work with 2% milk, but don’t hold me to it.  If you try it let me know)
1 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan
1 Cup Soy Vay Veri VeriTeriyaki Sauce (Must be this brand. Mmm. So good.)

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet and cook chicken breast pieces until browned and cooked through.  Add veggies and ¼ cup of water and cook 5 minutes more on medium. Set aside.

In a medium stockpot melt butter with garlic over medium heat. 

Add flour and whisk constantly for two minutes, but do not let the flour brown.  Like you would a roux for an alfredo sauce. 

Slowly whisk in milk and bring slowly to a boil while stirring constantly. 

This mixture will thicken up after about 5 minutes of cooking.  Once thick, slowly whisk in parmesan and teriyaki sauce. 

 Let cook for two minutes more while stirring and pour over cooked chicken and veggies in the skillet. (this was a test run and I used different veggies).

 Set heat to low and stir until warmed through.  No need to season, there should be plenty of salt from the sauce. Serve over fettuccini.

Enjoy!

Love,

Lindzee

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Sherried Mushroom and Apple Chicken Pot Pie

December 10, 2009 in Entrees, Soups | 2 comments

Sherried Mushroom and Apple Chicken Pot Pie

Mmmmmmm…Nothing like a warm hearty chicken stew covered in flakey puff pastry on a cold-ass freezing day.  Since it was 1 whole degree here outside last night, I figured we needed some warm comfort food.  Mavie was so cold!

 We had some apples and mushrooms on hand and I remembered a dish served at Campbell’s Resort on Lake Chelan, Washington.  Campbell’s has been on the shores of Lake Chelan since 1901 and is the quintessential vacation spot for Seattle peeps to visit throughout the summer. Growing up, we would always visit a few weeks during the summer and eat in the main dining room for a special occasion. 

I never failed to order the Country Chicken – Our famous breast of chicken dusted with seasoned flour, sautéed with golden delicious apples, shallots & mushrooms, simmered in sherry and cream. (description from their website).  It is sooooooooo freakin good!!!   If you are ever anywhere near Campbell’s, please try this dish.  Then order an extra plate and bring it to me in Boise.  Thanks for your cooperation in advance of this matter.

I thought this combination of flavors would be great as a pot pie.  It certainly was!  The leftover filling could even be eaten as a very rich and creamy soup – unquestionably not low-fat/calorie, but worth it! 

Sherried Mushroom and Apple Chicken Pot Pie

Serves 8 plus lots of leftover filling

 

What you’ll need:

6 Cups Chicken Stock

2 Teaspoons Chicken Base or 2 Cubes Bouillon

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Onion Chopped

1 Shallot Chopped

5 Carrots Chopped

4 Celery Stalks Chopped

2 Cups Sliced Crimini Mushrooms (any kind will do)

¾ Cup Dry Sherry

2 Apples Chopped (I used Golden Delicious)

4 Sprigs of Lemon Thyme Chopped

½ Chopped Parsley

½ Cup Butter

½ Cup Flour

2.5 Cups Cubed Herb Roasted Chicken (I used a store-bought (the horror!) roasted chicken)

¾ Cup Heavy Cream

Salt and Pepper

2 Packages Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets (Thawed. Must be Thawed.  I tried to do it frozen.  Trust me, it doesn’t work.)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees after prepping veggies etc.

In a medium saucepan heat chicken stock and chicken base until boiling.  Once boiling turn down to simmer.    

Over medium heat in a large skillet sauté onion, shallot, carrots, mushrooms and celery in olive oil.

 Once onions are translucent add sherry, apples, thyme and parsley.  Season to taste. Sauté for one minute more.  Set aside.

In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat then whisk in a flour to make a rue.  Constantly whisk for 2-3 minutes until flour cooks. The flour might clump up but that is ok.  Do not let burn. 

 Slowly add chicken stock whisking constantly until there are no flour lumps.  Add in chicken and sautéed vegetable/apple/sherry mix.  Stir.  Add in heavy cream.  Stir Salt and Pepper to taste.

Use 8 oven-safe ramekins. Fill ¾ of the way full.

 I made the mistake of filling up too far and the oven was a mess! Take thawed (very important) puff pastry sheets and cut roughly into squares with a knife into squares just larger than your ramekins.  Cover each ramekin with a square. Trim and crimp edges. I am bad at this part as evidenced by the photos. You will most likely have leftover filling!

Bake for 25-30 minutes until pastry is puffed, flakey and brownish. 


Enjoy!

Love,

Lindzee

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Cancer Fighting Chopped Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

December 8, 2009 in Entrees, Salad | 8 comments

Cancer Fighting Chopped Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette


My mom and I have recently researching cancer fighting foods to help aid my dad in his battle.  I am not a doctor, but I personally believe a combination of traditional medicine, diet and supplements is the best way to treat cancer. Since cancer is an epidemic in this country, it is important to not only eat well after you are diagnosed with cancer, it is also imperative to eat well for preventative measures.  Based on secondary research, I came up with a chopped salad that incorporates many ingredients that may prevent and smash cancer – It is also yumtastic too!

Cancer Fighting Chopped Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette


Serves 2-3

Chicken

What you’ll need:

2 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast (If possible, organic and free range)

1 Tablespoon Turmeric – Studies have show this spice slows the growth of some cancer cells

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Rub chicken with turmeric and salt and pepper and add to small baking dish.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until cooked through and golden.  Set aside to cool.  Once cool chop up chicken into small pieces.

Chopped Salad

What you’ll need:

Cooked roasted chicken from above

5 Cups Romaine Lettuce Chopped – Like other dark leafy greens, romaine lettuce is believed to fight cancer.

2 Apples Chopped – Apples have a lot of  phytochemicals and because they are inexpensive and available all year long, it’s easy to add them to a cancer fighting diet.

1 Avocado Chopped – Not just for heart health! Plus my 85-year-old grandma swears she is healthy due to eating ½ Avocado a day for the last 20 years.

½ Cup Dried Craisins – Studies show this superstar fruit battles cancer.

1 Tomato Chopped – Lycopene, which is naturally occurring in tomatoes, has long shown to lower risk of some cancers.

¼ Cup of Feta or Blue Cheese Crumbles

1 Recipe of Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette (see below)

Directions:

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Enjoy!

Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

¼ Cup Blueberries (I used thawed frozen) – Blueberries are high in antioxidants which act as a tonic for your cells.

¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar – Since good Balsamic is made from grape pressings it is also high in antioxidants.

1 Tablespoon Garlic Chopped – Garlic contains allium compounds, which have been found to prevent several different types of cancer.

1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard

½ Cup Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Blend up all ingredients in the blender. 

Pour over salad.

Hope this recipe helps add to your cancer arsenal!

Love,

Lindzee

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Antioxidant-Fest Maple Blueberry Chicken

November 18, 2009 in Entrees | No comments

A few weeks back, my parents came to Boise for a quick visit and to grab my dog Mavie for an extended vacation. My dad LOVES mavie. I think he may even like him better than the grandkids, but that is another story for another time. Here is a picture of them ‘nugglin:

 

Anyways, my dad has recently been going through cancer treatment and doesn’t always have the biggest appetite. I figured it would best to make something delicious, but also high in cancer-smashing antioxidants. I had some frozen blueberries (extreme antioxidantness) on hand and decided to search for a savory recipe that included them. I found a similar version to this recipe online and added some Cordon Pink flair to it. This recipe was a smashing success! My dad had two servings and everyone else had rave reviews. Jav said it tasted like pancake chicken, whatever that means. Even veggie girl Katie had a bite and said it was yummy even if it was meat! It may seem like an odd combo of ingredients but GO NOW and make this. I really mean it. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

Antioxidant-Fest Maple Blueberry Chicken

Blueberry Wine Mustard Maple Chutney (thank you for the name Hollan)


2 cups frozen blueberries
1 cup red wine (I used merlot)
1 cup pure maple syrup (must use real maple syrup. This is not the time or place for the Mrs. Buttersworth)
1/4 cup stone ground Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine blueberries, red wine, maple syrup, mustard and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Let boil for 2 minutes and reduce to a simmer for about an hour. The mixture should be reduced by a third.

Roasted Chicken

6 6-7oz skinless boneless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (parsley, sage, thyme)
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Crush herbs, paprika, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl with the back of a fork. Rub mixture on the chicken breasts and place in a roasting pan. Roast the chicken for 25 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and spread with the chutney. Return to the oven and cook for 10 minutes longer until cooked. Enjoy!!!

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