Chicken Breasts and Rice Casserole

1.5 - 2 lb Chicken Breasts
1 Can Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine or Sherry
3/4 cup uncooked Basmati rice

Stroganoff - Easy

abt 1 lb Leftover meat or Meatballs or Swedish Meatballs or
brown 1 lb ground beef or stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can beef broth
1 jar of mushrooms (try fresh - sautee with with onions and garlic)
1/2 cup dry red wine (Substitute 3 oz dry sherry & 1 oz. Shiraz)
1 lb uncooked egg noodles
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 - 1 onion (try with pearl onions)
2 garlic cloves sliced
2 TBS butter or Olive oil
2 TBS paprika (to taste)
1 Tsp Nutmeg
Ground Pepper to taste
Pinch - 1 Tsp Corn Starch to thicken
optional - 10 oz bag frozen peas

In a 2 Qt pot saute onions and garlic
cook noodles per instrux.
when tender add soup, wine, spices
Bring to boil, then simmer and add meat
Heat over medium 10-15 minutes, add cornstarch to thicken
optional Stir in peas
Stir in Sour cream
heat through


I found this through Wikipedia:

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodmeats.html#beefstroganoff

Baked Chicken Breasts

I should not be blogging at 0120.
But last night I baked the first chicken breasts I have really enjoyed. Need to work on my own breadcrumb mixtures. Back to Holiday Insanity Disorder.

Baked CHICKEN & Bacon PARMESAN

2 egg
2 TBS Heaping sour cream
1/2 c. Homemade Bread Crumbs
(1 stack Vegetable Ritz, 1 Tbs Paprika, 1 Tsp Italian seasoning, 1 TBS Szego® Chicken Rub, pinch Pepper
3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
3-4 chicken breast halves
4- strips bacon

Beat egg and stir in sour cream, set aside.
Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together. Dip each breast in egg mixture first, then coat with bread crumb mixture.
Place Bacon strips on bottom of baking dish (another way of greasing)
Place on Bacon in baking dish.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender. and/or done. Whichever you prefer.

Shepherd's Pie (Mashed Potatoes and Ground Beef)

One of my favorite dishes, dating back to college when I had an Oxford graduate for a roommate. Lamia (She was actually an Arab) introduced me to international food. And scotch. But her shepherd's pie was simpler than many of the ones I've tasted in Irish and English Pubs. This is the first time I've made it without a tomato paste base, and it seems more beefier (or better). You can substitute a small can of tomato paste + small can of tomato sauce for the beef gravy.

BEEF & VEGETABLES
1.5 lbs browned ground beef 90% lean
1 TBS butter
1 clove garlic
1 med. onion
1 LB bag of frozen carrots & peas
12 oz jar beef gravy
pepper and paprika to taste
1 TSP wocstershire sauce

MASHED POTATOES
3? lbs red skin potatoes (abt. 8 Lg potatoes.
1 stick of Butter
1 1/2 cups organic 2% milk
2 oz. half and half
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 tbs Parsley
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Wash and scrub potatoes. Remove eyes from spuds.
Peel only as much as needed to remove undesired skin.
quarter potatoes.
Boil until tender, drain.
Add butter, cover, allow butter to melt.
Mash.
Press Garlic over potatoes
Add salt, pepper, parsley
Add milk, 1/2 cup at a time.
Mash / Stir / Heat until soft.

Brown beef, pour off excess fat. Set aside.
Saute the garlic and onion in butter and grease until onion is translucent
Stir in gravy
add pepper, paprika and wocstershire sauce
Add frozen carrots, (or peas and carrots) heat over med. heat until simmering
Add frozen peas, heat until again simmering
Stir in ground beef
(if using peas and carrots- the carrots are cut smaller and will cook faster than crinkle cut carrot slices)
pour mixture into 9x13 baking pan

Spoon mashed potatoes over meat mix, abt. 1/2 in. deep
sprinkle with cheddar cheese

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes

Spinach Pasta

1 Bag of Frozen Spinach - (need to try fresh s/b 2-3 bags)
1 pkg refrigerated or dry Ricotta & Spinach Tortellini
Light Olive Oil
Extra Virgin dipping Olive Oil
1/2 small onion
1/2 stick Butter
2 cloves Garlic (4 TBS jarred)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Parmesean Cheese

Prepare tortellini per directions
Coat in light olive oil

Saute Garlic & Onions in Butter in large fry pan on med/lo heat until onions translucent
Rinse Spinach and add to fry pan cook until tender
Add Parmesean, Salt & Pepper to taste

pour spinach into shallow serving dish
pour tortelini over spinach.
drizzle with extra virgin olive oil
grate fresh parmesian over top.

bon appetit

Lemony Pasta Salad

1 Box Bow Ties (Farfalle)

Prepare per directions, but more to the alle dente texture
I find the dry holds up better than the fresh.

lightly coat pasta in light cooking olive oil

Lemon Juice - to taste
Prepared Mustard

Sweet Paprika, Parsley - 3 coats over a 2.5 Qt Round casserole
Garlic, Romano Cheese 2 coats over a 2.5 qt rd
Lemon Pepper, 2 coat over a 2.5 rd.
- I'm working on quantifying these to some standard measurement that the rest of the world uses.

1 can diced tomatoes w/ Basil, garlic and Olive Oil
1 small can olives

Options - whatever is available in the fridge/pantry
Artichokes Hearts, Asparagus, Bell Peppers,

Basalmic Pasta Salad

2 bags Tortellini Garlic/Cheese.
Prepare per directions, but more to the alle dente texture
I find the dry holds up better than the fresh.

Olive Oil 1/3 good dipping oil, 2/3 light cooking oil
lightly coat pasta.

Vinegar 4-5 parts Basalmic & 1 part Red wine - to taste

Basil, Sweet Paprika, Parsley - 3 coats over a 2.5 Qt Round casserole
Garlic 1.5 - 2 coats over a 2.5 qt rd
Pepper, 1 coat over a 2.5 rd.
- I'm working on quantifying these to some standard measurement that the rest of the world uses.

1 can diced tomatoes w/ Basil, garlic and Olive Oil

Options - whatever is available in the fridge/pantry
Artichokes Hearts, Asparagus, Bell Peppers, Olives