Chicken Daniel (Divan)

Our son spent 10 weeks in Basic Training this summer and just about every letter we received listed the food he was missing (in addition to his family). The number one menu item he wanted to eat as soon as he got home was Chicken Daniel. A simple casserole I do with chicken or turkey leftovers... or when I don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Imagine, this is what he wanted FIRST after 10 weeks of tough training! Without further ado, here is my version...

INGREDIENTS:
- Enough turkey or chicken leftovers (already cooked) and cut into bite-sized pieces to layer in a 10x13 baking dish OR 1 grocery-store cooked chicken, meat pulled off the bone and skin removed OR 3 boneless chicken breasts, seasoned and baked and cut into pieces
- 1 pkg frozen broccoli, steamed in microwave for 5 minutes
- 1 jumbo can of Cream of Chicken Soup (or 1 1/2 small ones plus a small Cream of Celery)
- 2+ cups mayonaise
- the juice from 5 squeezed lemons
- 1 large onion, sauteed
- Kosher salt & ground pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Rice

STEPS:
1. Layer the steamed broccoli in the bottom of the large baking dish, followed by the chicken pieces. Be sure everything is covered.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the soup, mayonaise, sauteed onion, lemon juice with salt and pepper. Pour this over everything in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, or til top is golden and cheese has melted.

3. While the casserole is baking, make the rice. We like to make our rice with two parts chicken broth to one part rice. Use a larger pot and cook on medium-low for 18 minutes (or so) with a wooden spoon propping up the lid. The rice is done when you see "pock marks" in the texture and the liquid has been absorbed.

Spot gives this 4 paws and for comfort food, so do we. I have even quinteppled this recipe and made it for a church youth gathering of 60. Yum city!

Skillet Pizza Part II

We couldn't decide what we wanted for dinner the other night so I looked through my own cooking blog and was reminded about a Cast Iron Skillet Pizza I made so often last year the skillet remained on the counter for months. So down I went to the utility room to find that seasoned ol' skillet. Here's my latest version.

INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 packages of refridgerator thin pizza dough
1 - 24 oz. jar of Classico Four Cheese pasta sauce
1 - 14 1/2 oz. can Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano
2 medium Vidalia onions, chopped and sauteed
1 lb. ground round, browned, seasoned with Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
5 oz. (about 1 1/4 cups) shredded 3 Cheese Italian cheese (Parmesan/ Aisago/Romano mix)
8 oz. Gouda cheese, sliced thin
2 fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced

WHAT TO DO:
Preheat oven to 400. Fit the pizza dough in the skillet, tearing it to cover the bottom and sides. Remove excess dough from edges, fill any thin areas with the excess dough. Press firmly.

Layer in order:
Half the parmesan, half the ground beef, half the onions, the entire can of diced tomatoes, half the 3 Cheese Italian, Half the tomato slices, half the jar of Classico, half the spinach leaves and cover with half the sliced Gouda.

Repeat the layers one more time. Note: diced tomatoes are used only once. Finish with tomatoes and Gouda on top and sprinkle with remaining shredded parmesan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. This will serve up to six generous servings. Keeps well for leftovers the next day too.

Because onions were involved, Spot "hid" under a table in our bedroom. We loved the new verson even better than the first! More of a winter dish so we'll wait til Fall to try it again.

Seattle Nanaimo Bars

The Sunday Seattle Times posted a "you've gotta try this" dessert recipe a few years ago. It was named after an area island or town, I forget. But what I can never forget is how worth it this one is to make for something special. These are very rich so cut them very small.

BOTTOM LAYER
1/2 cup unsalted butter
5 TBSP Cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup coconut flakes

Melt butter, sugar and cocoa together in top of double boiler over simmering water. Add the egg and stir constantly til thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut and almonds. Press firmly into ungreased 8 x 8 pan.

MIDDLE LAYER
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp
3 TBSP whipping cream
2 TBSP Vanilla custard powder (Like Jell-O)
2 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter, cream, custard and sugar. Beat til light and spread over bottom layer.

TOP LAYER
4 squares (1 oz each) semi-sweet chocolate
2 TBSP unsalted butter

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Cool. When cool but still liquid, spread over middle layer and chill in refrigerator about 15 minutes. Cut into bars before serving. Small bars. Like 1 x 1.

You can make this 3-4 days ahead of time. Keep covered in refrigerator if there are any left.

Spot loves chocolate and loves standing in hope at my feet while making this one.

10 Layer Chicken Parm

Apparently I haven't made my famous Chix Parmesan in 18 months. When I looked up the original recipe I decided to change it up a bit this time. Hence the "10 layer" title. It goes to show that chicken parm is a recipe to keep on the menu radar a bit more often.

INGREDIENTS
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs, whisked and placed in Ziplock bag
2 cups Panko placed in another Ziplock with Kosher salt and Ground pepper
Fresh basil leaves
1 can flavored diced tomatoes
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Classico tomato sauce with basil
1 red onion, diced and sautéed
Up to 8 garlic cloves, minced and sautéed
3/4 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
1 - 2 sliced fresh Roma tomatoes
1/2 package Fettuccine pasta, cooked al dente  cooked with 1 TBSP kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Unsalted butter
Oblong baking dish

DIRECTIONS
Get the Fettuccine cooking. When it's done, drain and dollop with 1 TBSP unsalted butter. Put a lid over the pot to keep it warm til the rest of the meal is ready.

Sauté the onions and garlic, adding the mushrooms. When done, drain over paper towels and set aside.

Dredge each breast in eggs, then Panko mixture. Pack the Panko to the chicken. Cook on medium heat with pre-warmed extra virgin olive oil til both sides of each piece is golden brown.

Preheat oven to 350. Layer in the following order and bake tented  with foil for 25 minutes. Uncover and continue baking another 10-15 minutes til cheeses have melted. Serve over Fettuccine.

10 LAYERS from bottom to top:
1.  Spread the diced tomatoes on the bottom of the baking dish
2.  Place the browned chicken breasts over the tomato base
3.  Sprinkle half the mozzarella over each breast
4.  Place several fresh basil leaves on top of each breast
5.  Sprinkle half the parmesan over each breast
6.  Pour the sautéed ingredients over all
7.  Add the Classico tomato sauce plus a generous pinch of kosher salt on top
8.  Add remaining mozzarella
9.  Top each breast with the Roma slices
10. Cover all with the rest of the parm

Beats the other recipe. Juicy and totally yum. 4 paws! 

My Fav Mac

This recipe for a version of white cheddar mac n' cheese was morphed from one the HyVee Grocery chain uses. Once you taste this one, you will throw out all your yellow cheese. This is great on its own or as a side dish. It makes a lasagne-size pan full or you can mix and split in half. The guys in my life love love love this one.

INGREDIENTS

Pkg large elbow macaroni
4 cups sharp White Cheddar cheese, shredded (16 oz.)
8 oz shredded Gruyere cheese
8 oz shredded Asiago or Fontina cheese (both are great)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
4 1/2 cups 2% milk at room temp
1 cup low fat chicken broth
5 TBSP unsalted butter
5 TBSP Wondra
Kosher salt
Ground pepper

Boil pasta according to package, drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 425. In large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter and stir in Wondra to make a paste. Boil briefly. Slowly whisk in milk and broth. Add salt and pepper to taste (be generous) and heat until mixture thickens, about 5 min. Stir frequently. Add 3 cups White Cheddar cheese, 1 cup Gruyere, all the Fontina/Asiago and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Add more salt and pepper now. Whisk well and stir in the pasta.

Pour the mixture into one large baking pan or two smaller pans. Top with remaining cheeses and cover with Panko. Set pan on top of baking sheet to catch any drippings. Bake 30-35 min or til golden. You can also turn off the oven while you finish the rest of the dinner, it will keep nice n warm for 10 minutes at least.

Spot gives this 4 paws because she loves what a sloppy shredder I am. Yum yum for the pieces that land on the floor. I ask you, how many dogs do you know that like Gruyere cheese?

My First Beef Tenderloin

Oh. My. Gosh. After mentioning to a cooking friend that I had never attempted beef tenderloin, she emailed me her recipe. I tweaked it just a bit and have to say this is so moist and tasty you will want to make it more often than is affordable. It's not as expensive as prime rib, but it is right up there. I made this for our anniversary last week.

Serves 4-6 depending on portions.

A day ahead, kosher salt and pepper both sides of 3 lbs beef tenderloin and marinade in a ziplock bag with lite soy sauce

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
Fresh thyme sprigs
3 TBSP unsalted butter
3 shallots, thinly sliced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups merlot wine
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
4 cups low sodium beef broth

DIRECTIONS:
Let beef sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 250. Re-salt and pepper both sides, lay meat on top of fresh thyme in roast pan (let marinate liquid sit in bottom of pan), cover top with more thyme sprigs. Bake for one hour and check meat temperture. Using instant read thermometer, place in thickest part of meat. Continue to bake until temp rea
ds 130 for medium rare, approximately 30 more minutes.

RED WINE SAUCE:
Melt 3 TBSP butter in large skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in garlic and shallots until translucent, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Heat turned to high, add the wine and vinegar and boil til syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add broth and heat another 20 minutes. (My friend's recipe called for the sauce to be strained, we didn't do that. It also called for more thyme to go in the sauce. We didn't do that, either.)

We sliced this thin and served it with garlic mashed potatoes, lemony green beens and red-tip lettuce with a vinegrette. I am salivating as I write this.

One of Spot's new fav's! 4 paws for sure.

Gourmet Mac N Cheese

This is a recipe I morphed off a cable talk show recipe that my son really digs. My hubby has even come to like it. A variation of mac n' cheese (using blue cheese) and sliced tenderloin or steak.

While your choice of meat is on the grill, prepare your mac:

Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste

2 TBSP unsalted butter

3 cups heavy cream

1 TBSP minced garlic

1 lb hollow pasta (I use Ditalini or mini shells)

3/4 cup blue cheese (at least)

2 TBSP fresh chopped parsley

Melt butter with garlic, briefly cook. Add cream, heat and then simmer 20 minutes, covered. Stir in blue cheese, whisk til blended and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to use.

Cook pasta al dente. Toss with sauce and serve with slices of steak or meat. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

This also makes a great party dish - serve it in martini glasses for fun. Of course Spot loves this one, meat is involved and no onions sizzled.