Ma What's For Dinner?

Move over CPK!  This one is a keeper.

It’s quick, easy, and sooooo delicious.

Don’t feel like calling out for pizza tonight?

Stay in and make this one yourself.

Keegan told me that this was his best dinner ever.

Give it a try and let me know if your kids think so as well.

Serves: 8  Prep time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1  T olive oil, divided

S&P

4 slices bacon chopped

1/2 small onion chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 t dried thyme

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup ketchup

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 t dried mustard

1 T molasses

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 store bought pizza dough

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced thin

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 shallot sliced thin

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Drizzle your chicken with 1/2 T olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 20 minutes at 425.  Meanwhile get started on your BBQ sauce.

In a medium saucepan heat remaining 1/2 T of olive oil over medium heat.  Add chopped bacon and cook until crisp.  Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel.  Set aside.

Pour off all but 1 T of bacon fat.  Add in your onions and allow to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add in garlic and cook for an additional minute or two.  Season with salt and pepper and thyme.  Deglaze the pan with the vinegar being sure to scrap up all the good browned bits on the bottom.

Next add in your ketchup, tomato sauce, mustard, molasses, and Worcestershire sauce.  Turn the sauce down and allow to simmer until your chicken is ready.

Once the chicken is done remove it from the oven and slice it thinly.  Lay out your pizza dough and stretch it to fit a baking sheet.  Spread a think layer of sauce leaving a one inch border around the dough.  Arrange your chicken neatly around the pizza dough.  Then arrange jalapeno (I only put this on half so you get a half spicy half wimpy pizza) and shallots evenly around the dough.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.  Top with plenty of cheese and bake at 425 for 17-19 minutes.  Top with cooked bacon and more cilantro if desired.  Enjoy!

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Ok, so this was a recipe I found on a great foodie website, The Ungourmet .  Her site is amazing and her photography…oh, well let’s just say I worship at the altar of her awesomeness!

As many of you may know, I am not a lasagna fan.

GASP!

Yes, it’s true…

I don’t do ricotta.

And before you say it, yes I’ve had lasagna without ricotta and still, it doesn’t work for me.

It makes no sense.  I like everything in there, but alas, I can’t do it.

BUT…

I kinda liked this one.

AND my family LOVES lasagna, like most normal human beings in the world.

Not to mention the fact that the boys had  a BLAST helping me construct these little towers of yummyness.

They are a much healthier alternative to the kind your granny made so give these a whirl…

You’ll be glad you did.

Serves: 4   Prep Time: 25 minutes  Cook time: 40 minutes

1 lb ground chicken

2 cloves minced garlic

8 oz canned petite diced tomatoes undrained

8 oz canned tomato sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp cracked pepper

8 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente

1 beaten egg

2 cups ricotta cheese

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and well drained

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 tbsp dried parsley

1/4 cup shredded or grated Parmesan

Thoroughly cook the ground chicken in a large skillet. Add the tomatoes, sauce, garlic, spices, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Combine the egg, ricotta, and parmesan.

Using a glass or cookie cutter that is close to the size of the muffin cups, cut 3 circles out of each noodle for a total of 24 circles.

Place 1 noodle circle in each muffin cup. Layer meat sauce, ricotta mixture, and shredded mozzarella. Repeat. Top with a bit of parsley and grated Parmesan.

Cover loosely with a piece of foil that has been sprayed with oil and bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes to brown on top.

Let the “cupcakes” sit for at least 10 minutes for easier removal.

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As many of you know we just moved to the Northeast from my home town of LA, CA.  Being a bred a So Cal girl, anytime I’m back east I immediately begin to crave some good ol’ Mexican food.  Oh, yes, I love me some spicy hometown grub.  Sadly, since we now live here year round that means I’m usually out of luck.  Now if you’re familiar with the East then you know, it’s really really hard to find good authentic Mexican food here.  Even the Tex-Mex is suspect.  Here in CT, the options are downright bleak.

See I love the good ol’ fashioned, hole in the wall, homemade salsa so spicy you’ll have heartburn for a week but it’s worth it, kind of places.  All I have here is a Taco Bell, and a bunch of terrible places with names like Caliente Rico’s or the like.  Needless to say, I’m dying.  So what do the kids and I do when we’ve already had Fitz Family Taco Night three times this month and we don’t feel like another run for the border???  We switch things up to a fabulous Chicken Ole Casserole!

Here’s what you’ll need.

3 chicken breasts cooked and chopped

3 whole wheat tortillas

2 cups tortilla chips

1 onion chopped

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 T cumin

1/2 T corriander

1/2 T chili powder

1/4 T cayenne pepper

1/2 T dried oregano

S&P

1 can red enchilada sauce

1 can olives

1 can diced green chiles

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 375.  In a large bowl combine chicken, sour cream, mayonnaise, cumin, corriander, chili powder, cayenne pepper, S&P and oregano.  Mix well.  Line the bottom of a baking dish with tortillas.  Add a layer of your chicken mixture, next a layer of half of your green chiles and half your olives.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Add a layer of half of your tortilla chips. Repeat the layer process with the remaining ingredients.  Pour the enchilada sauce on top.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional five minutes.  Remove from oven and serve with sour cream, diced scallion and tomato.

This does the trick and takes care of our cravings for the southwest.  Sometime you just have to take matters into your own hands…Ole!

Are there any foods that you can’t find in your area that you really miss?

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Sangies…Ahhh, the sangie.  Oh how I love the sangie.  See back in the day, oh gosh, it’s waaaay back in the day now, when I was beating the streets in Beantown during college I used to frequent this great little pizzeria called T. Anthony’s.

It was the best!

The kind of place that kept a tab for you when you didn’t have any money, the kind of place that forgave your tab when you really had no money, the kind of place that can spot your little brother and give him a slice a pizza when he comes to visit you in a snow storm even though they’ve never met him before.

It’s the kind of place where everybody who works there has been there since they were born and everyone knows your name and what you want to eat before you’ve even ordered it.

It’s kind of like Cheers, but with food.

Anyway there was this guy, we’ll call him Tony, and he was this big ol’ italian guy who worked the day shift and he used to get me my coffee and bagels in the morning and he’d make us our sandwiches at lunch time.  I was partial to their chicken salad with honey mustard, OH EMM GEE!!!!  But when Tony would call you when your sandwich was up he’d say “Hey Al, your saaaangwich is ready.”  It was so weird.  And he’d always ask if you wanted “onjuns” on it.  That’s onions to you and me.

So henceforth all sandwiches in college became Sangies.  Even the “Jean Sangie”  in which we not so affectionately referred to the denim sandwich look of denim jeans on the bottom and a denim shirt on top.  Oh jeez, don’t get me going on the fashion choices of the early to mid 90s!  Reverse fit jeans and half boots anyone?  Why did I spend my hot 20s years wearing mom jeans???  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller????

Ok, so here it is my recipe to use up those leftover meatballs.  This one’s for you Tony…”Al, your Meatball Saaaangwich is up.  You want onjuns?”

MAma Mia Meatballs recipe

4 hoagie rolls

1 T spreadable butter (or margarine)

2 t garlic powder

1/2 cup marinara sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

basil leaves

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Open up your hoagie rolls and spread evenly with butter and sprinkle on your garlic powder.  Toss open faced into your oven for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile heat up your meatballs.  Truth be told I totally do this in the microwave.  It’s easier and faster.  Okay, once their are warm get your bread out of the oven and build your sangie.  Bread, little bit of sauce, meatballs, cheese…repeat.  Place them on a baking dish and stick under the broiler until the cheese gets nice and melty.  Top with basil leaves and serve.  And onjuns if you want.

Thanks Tony!

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When you’re craving some good ol’ fashioned stick to your ribs creamy gooey goodness then throw this bad boy together.  You and the family will not be disappointed.

Serves 6 Prep Time:  20 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes

1/2 cup butter

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 garlic clove, diced

1 small onion, diced

S&P

1 can condensed cream of mushroom and garlic soup

1 8 oz package cream cheese, cubed

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup chicken stock

1 T italian seasoning

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3 cooked boneless chicken breasts, cubed

1 lb fettucine pasta

Topping:

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

3 T butter melted

2 T parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Heat a large pot of water over high heat and cook fettucine to al dente, about 12 minutes.  Drain.

While the pasta cooks, heat butter over medium high heat.  Add in mushrooms and onions and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes.  Add in garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Season well with S&P.  Stir in cream cheese, soup, cream, and italian seasoning.  Allow cream cheese to melt and add in chicken stock. Stir in remaining cheeses and turn the heat down to medium low.  Season to taste with S&P.  Fold in chicken and allow to heat through.  Pour in pasta and mix well.  Pour into a greased 13×9 baking dish.

Combine the ingredients for the topping and sprinkle over dish.  Cover and cook at 375 for 25 minutes.  Uncover and bake and additional 5 minutes until topping is golden brown.

This was inspired by a dish I saw in Taste of Home magazine by Rochelle Brownlee .  I thought her use of cream cheese was a stroke of genius!  Thanks Rochelle.

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