Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole

I got a new job!! My training starts at the end of August and while the position is going to be part time, so I will have plenty of time to fix dinner every night, the training will be full time for 6 weeks M-F, so this means I won't be getting home until dinner time for 6 weeks. So in order to prevent my husband and I from eating fast food for 6 weeks, I decided I was going to try to stock our freezer with "freezer friendly" meals so we can de-thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and then when we come home from work, we can just put the entree in the oven and bake while we work out or just veg out. I made my first trip to the grocery store today for this project and this afternoon I made our first "freezer friendly" meal. I stocked up on disposable/freezable  8 x 8 casserole dishes and cooked 15 chicken breasts and cut into cubes for my prep work for the next day as I make more meals. It is so relieving to me that we will have dinner during the week already made and it will be healthy too! My husband is happy about this too, saying it will relieve alot of stress from both of us. Here is the recipe for the first "freezer friendly" meal I tackled. 

Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole


Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen broccoli florets
2 cups of cooked, cubed chicken breasts
1 can of cream of broccoli soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can cheese soup
2 bags of instant white rice, cooked according to directions on box
2 8x8 disposable/freezable casserole dishes

In each casserole dish, put 1/2 bag of frozen broccoli florets, 1 cup of cooked chicken, 1/2 can of cream of broccoli soup, 1/2 can cream of chicken soup, 1/2 can of cheese soup, 1 bag of cooked white rice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix all of the ingredients together. Cover tightly with foil, label, and place in freezer.

Baby Shower Favors - Baby Bird Theme

My sister is having her first child due early this fall and it's a girl! I am a pround Auntie and  this will be my seventh niece - that is alot of pink! The nursery decor is pink and green and the crib bedding is from Pottery Barn Kids that has baby birds on it. So when my other sister and best friend decided to throw Baby Girl a shower, I knew I wanted to tie in the "Baby Bird" theme into the favors that I was going to make and came up with this delicious and adorable favor idea. Oh, and even better - it was SUPER easy!! CAUTION - prepare yourself for cuteness overload.
I made cake balls covered in chocolate into the shapes of eggs, and made chocolate/shredded wheat nests for the cake balls to rest in.

 I used strawberry cake mix and vanilla icing for the cake ball "eggs" and then used pink and white speckled chocolate melting chips from Michael's. I followed the directions on the back of the Duncan Hines cake mix box to bake the cake. Once baked, I let the cake cool for several hours uncovered. Once completely cool, I crumbled the cake into a mixing bowl as seen in the picture above, and added a half a container of white icing a mixed together. Once mixed all together, I formed egg shapes and dipped the cake "eggs" into the melted pink and white speckled chocolate. A tip I found helpful in the chocolate dipping process, was to freeze the cake "eggs" for about 15-20 minutes before dipping in the melted chocolate. This helped a lot to coat the cake "eggs" well with the melted chocolate, especially since it was 100 degrees the day I was making these.

To make the chocolate  nests, I melted a bag of chocolate chips in the microwave and mixed in a half of a box of shredded wheat that I crushed in a ziploc bag. I then filled greased muffin tins with the melted chocolate and shredded wheat mixture and used the back of a spoon to create the shape of the nest i was going for. I then refrigerated the nests over night to set up.

ta-da! chocolate  nests and cake ball eggs

I found white boxes with a lid on them at Michael's that were perfect for the nest and eggs to fit in. I printed labels on my computer with everyone's name on them, attached a thank you note and wrapped with a pink ribbon and used the favor box as a place card for the tables at the baby shower.

Linguine with Spinach, Artichokes, and Red Lentil Sauce

When I first read this recipe on the Whole Foods website, I thought it sounded really good, but the title sounded a little intimidating and I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but it tasted delicious and was pretty simple to make. I did make a HUGE mess in the kitchen while making this recipe- some pots may have boiled over onto the stop top leaving a mess that took some lots of elbow grease to remove and there may have been chopped spinach and onion all over the floor but that is OK :)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons brown mustard seeds
1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
3/4 cup dried red lentils (I found them in the international aisle at my grocery store in the mediterranean section)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (add some more or some less, depending on your taste)
6 tablespoons lemon juice (I used the juice of a whole lemon)
1/2 pound whole wheat linguine (If you don't have linguine on hand - I didn't- use angel hair pasta)
1 jar artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained, quartered

In a medium pot heat mustard seeds over medium heat until they begin to pop,  2 to 3 minutes. Carefully add broth, 1 cup water, onion, lentils and garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until lentils are very tender and falling apart, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and stir until lentils break apart to make a sauce. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add linguine and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain and return to pot. Immediately add spinach and lentil sauce to hot pasta, toss well. Top with the artichoke hearts.

 Red Lentils

 Red Lentils. Once they cooked down they lost their color.

Ta - Da! Linguine with Spinach, Artichokes, and Red Lentil Sauce

Sirloin Tips with Smoky Pepper Sauce

This recipe for Sirloin Tips with Smoky Pepper Sauce came from Better Homes and Gardens "Anyone Can Cook Magazine".  I picked it up while waiting in line at the grocery store, after I flipped through the pages of the Soap Digest - had to see what Bo, Hope, Stephano and Victor were up to on Days! It was super easy, and super good - a hearty, winter meal that I will definitely fix again. I served it with a side of mashed potatoes and they were the perfect side to soak up the smoky pepper sauce. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2  pounds boneless beef bottom sirloin (tri-tip) steak trimmed of fat
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 12-16 ounce jar roasted sweet red and/or yellow peppers (I used red peppers)
1/2 cup hickory or mesquite flavor bbq sauce
1/4 cup snipped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsely

Cut meat into to 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces; sprinkle with paprika. In a large skilled heat oil over medium high heat. Add meat; brown for 5 minutes or to desired doneness, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet.
Meanwhile, drain roasted sweet peppers, reserving the liquid. Cut up peppers. Measure 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid (if necessary) add enough water to equal 1/2 cup.
Add roasted peppers and the reserved liquid to the skillet. Stir in bbq sauce. Cook uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring frequently. Return meat to skillet; heat through. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 4 servings.

 

Sirloin Tips With Smoky Pepper Sauce 

Corn Chowder With Chipotle

This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman Cooks  - Ree Drummond. If you haven't checked out her blog/website or read her cook book - get on it! She has delicious recipes that are all crowd pleasers - and I love her photography blog too. This Corn Chowder With Chipotle is sooo good. The flavors of bacon, sweet corn and the smokiness of the chipotle peppers with a kick go together perfectly. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 slices of bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces or smaller
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 whole yellow onion diced
5 ears corn, shucked (about 4 cups)
2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely diced
1 whole 4 ounce can diced green chilies
32 ounces fluid low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (more to taste)
3 tablespoons cornmeal or masa
1/4 cups water

Carefully slice the corn kernels off the cob. Set aside. Add bacon pieces to a pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes. Throw in diced onion and stir, cooking the onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add butter and melt. Add corn. Stir and cook for one minute. Add both kinds of chilies and stir. Pour in chicken broth and cream. Add salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat. Combine cornmeal (or masa) with water. Stir to combine, then pour into the chowder. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat. If chowder needs more thickening, add another tablespoon or cornmeal mixed with water. Cook for another ten minutes. Serve crusty sourdough bread or in a bread bowl.

Corn Chowder With Chipotle 

(this is the last of the cell phone pics - yay!)

Chicken Orzo Salad

It has been in the mid to upper 60's here- and its February - I have spring fever and this recipe is the perfect meal to make to go along with the warm(er) weather! It is a Whole Foods recipe I found online. All of the fresh vegetables make you think of spring and summer - this dish would be great to take to a picnic or cookout.

Ingredients:
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of orzo
1 zucchini cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 yellow squash cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 cup of grape tomatoes halved
2 cups packed baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup kalamata olives (pitted)
1 cup broccoli florets

Cook chicken in skillet and cut into bite size pieces. Set aside. Cook the orzo in boiling water according to directions on package. Set aside. Saute squash, zucchini and in a little olive oil until tender. Combine cooked chicken, orzo, and all of the vegetables in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Add lemon juice and toss to combine thoroughly. Enjoy!

 Chicken Orzo Salad

Valentine's Day Dessert - Chocolate & Strawberries

Happy Valentine's Day! I don't know what goes together better for this special occasion than chocolate and strawberries. I made this simple and delicious dessert for my husband for our Valentine's Dinner celebration and he LOVED it. I found the heart shaped chocolate shells (white chocolate and dark chocolate) at World Market. They came packaged with dark AND white chocolate shavings too! Here is the recipe for this yummy dessert. I made up the chocolate filling recipe, and don't have an official name for it, so I am going to call the filling "Chocolate Goodness" :)

Recipe:
Heart Shaped Chocolate Shells Filled with Strawberries and Chocolate Goodness

Ingredients:
4 heart shaped chocolate shells (I found them at World Market)
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries (washed and rinsed)
1 teaspoon sugar (sprinkle on the strawberries once sliced)
1/4 can sweetened condensed milk
1 package of Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips
1/2 container of cool whip

For the "Chocolate Goodness"
Melt the package of chocolate chips in sauce pan with the sweetened condensed milk. In a large mixing bowl, fold this into the cool whip.
Put a layer of sliced strawberries on the bottom of each heart shaped chocolate shell. Spoon mixture of "Chocolate Goodness" on top of the layer of strawberries. Top with the rest of the sliced strawberries and then sprinkle the chocolate shavings on top. I only used the white chocolate ones because that is my husband's favorite.
Refrigerate for about 30 minutes prior to serving.

 Heart Shaped Chocolate Shells from World Market

 "Chocolate Goodness" Mixture

 YUM!!

 They look professionally made - but they are so simple to make!

 Serve with your favorite bubbly drink and enjoy!

 Make these anytime - not just Valentine's Day!

P.S. My camera is back from the repair shop! YAY! No more cell phone pictures :)