In a Rut? Try These Recipes

I had told the Mrs. that I would send her some recipes via Facebook since she had blogged about being in a cooking rut. Instead, I thought I would share some of our normal rotation recipes that don't take a lot of time and ingredients to make. These are also recipes that are great for freezing, as our freezer is stocked with these items as we await for Helmette to arrive. It also isn't a coincidence that most of it is wintertime comfort food, since we haven't seen our lawns since, oh, the beginning of November. Enjoy!

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole (courtesy of Betty O., plus some tweaking)

4 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sauteed in a little butter
1 1/2 c. celery, blanched
2-3 bunches broccoli, blanched
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 c. mayonnaise
2 c. herb stuffing mix
1/2 c. butter

Spray 9x13 pan with Pam. Combine stuffing mix and butter. Combine all ingredients together and put in pan. Top with stuffing/butter mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Tip: I usually cook the chicken first, then mushrooms, then blanche the celery and broccoli, and put in a big bowl as it finishes. Then I mix everything else together. I also omit the butter on the top of the stuffing mix, and you'd never even know the difference. Delicious!

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Hamburger Stroganoff

1/2 c. minced onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (in true Rachael Ray fashion, I eyeball it, or use real garlic)
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c. margarine (I usually only use half this amount)
1 lb. ground beef
2 Tb. flour
1 can sliced mushrooms
1 c. sour cream
salt, pepper, and parsley

Saute onion in butter until golden. Stir in meat, garlic powder, flour, paprika, mushrooms, and salt and pepper; saute five minutes or until meat is browned. Add soup (undiluted), and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve over rice or egg noodles.

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Chili Mac (courtesy of Rachael Ray)

2 lb. ground beef or sirloin
2 Tb. EVOO
1 onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tb. dark chili powder
2 Tb. cumin
2 Tb. cayenne pepper sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot)
1 cup beer (or beef broth, but a good dark beer tastes great in this!)
1 - 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 - 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 lb. corkscrew-shaped pasta, or any pasta or macaroni, cooked al dente
salt and pepper to taste
scallions, shredded cheese for garnish

In a deep pot, brown meat in EVOO over medium-high heat. Add onions, peppers, and garlic, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt and pepper. Cook together 5 minutes, then stir in beer and reduce liquid by half, 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and simmer. Add hot pasta to chili pot and stir to coat pasta. Reduce heat and garnish with chopped scallions and cheddar cheese when serving.

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Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (courtesy of Pampered Chef)

1 c. carrots, sliced
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 Tb. butter
1/2 c. flour
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
1 can (12 oz) low-fat evaporated milk
1 1/2 c. cooked wild rice (I use Uncle Bens wild rice mix)
1 c. diced cooked chicken (or turkey)
1/4 c. slivered or sliced almonds, toasted

Melt butter in soup pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, mushrooms, and onion; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until veggies are crisp-tender. Stir in flour. Gradually add broth and milk, whisking in until blended. Bring to a boil, then stir in cooked rice and chicken. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.

Meanwhile, heat almonds in a pan on low heat until the almonds begin to brown, then remove from pan. Stir almonds into soup just before serving.

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Chicken Noodle Soup (super easy! Courtesy of Rachael Ray)

1 1/2 c. carrots, chopped
1 1/2 c. celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. thyme (I use herbs de provence (sp?), because I didn't have thyme one time and I think it tastes better!)
4-14 oz. cans of chicken broth
2 chicken breasts
1/2 package egg noodles
salt and pepper, to taste

Dice chicken and cook in the bottom of a soup pot with a little EVOO until cooked through. Add veggies and seasonings and cook 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook 10-12 minutes, or until noodles are tender.

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Crock pot recipes that we use regularly:
Pot roast with potatoes, onions, and carrots
Pork roast that is shredded for sandwiches, topped with BBQ sauce and served with baked beans and cole slaw

And, if you're feeling really decadent and have a ton of time, this is a recipe that I would strongly recommend.....

Farmer's Pasta (courtesy of Giada DeLaurentis)

Butter, for greasing pan
2 Tb. olive oil
6 oz. pancetta, chopped
4 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 c. flour
7 c. whole milk
8 oz. fontina, grated
4 oz. mozzarella, grated
3/4 c. grated parmesean
6 oz. provolone, grated
1 lb. rigatoni pasta
3 Tb. chopped parsley
3 Tb. chopped basil
salt and pepper
2 c. coarse bread crumbs
EVOO for drizzling

Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat 1 Tb. oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and saute until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer pancetta out of pot. Keep 1/4 c. of oil/pan drippings (add more oil if necessary). Reduce heat to medium, saute garlic 30 seconds, then add flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in all the cheeses.
Meanwhile, cook rigatoni until almost al dente. Drain pasta and add directly to cheese. Add parsley, basil and pancetta and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to baking dish.
Heat remaining 1 Tb. oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add remaining garlic and saute 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add bread crumbs and toss to coat. Sprinkle bread crumbs over pasta. Drizzle top with EVOO and bake until sauce bubbles and bread crumbs are golden, about 20 minutes.