Delusions of Chefery

We're moving!

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 04:51:00 +0000

Since Google seems to be reducing its support of Blogger, this blog has been migrated to Wordpress!

You can still see all of the old posts, and hopefully some new ones at http://www.delusionsofchefery.com.

Creole Okra, Corn, and Tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 04:56:00 +0000

This recipe was one that I tried to use a variety of vegetables from my Spring CSA. It was simple and surprisingly healthy for a creole recipe.

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
4 ears fresh corn, scraped
2 pounds fresh okra, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes, broken up
1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

- Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large pot.

- Cook and stir celery and onions for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent.

- Stir in the corn kernels and cook for 3 additional minutes.

- Stir in okra, tomatoes, sausage, and Creole seasoning.

- Cover and cook over medium heat until the okra has lost all of its slippery texture, at least 45 minutes.

- Season with sea salt, black pepper, and more Creole seasoning if necessary.

- Cook, uncovered, to thicken, about 10 minutes.

Linda's Notes: - Frozen, thawed okra and/or corn can be substituted for fresh. - I substituted cajun-flavored turkey sausage for the pork sausage.
- I used fresh, chopped tomatoes instead of the canned since they were included in my CSA.

My First Seafood Gumbo

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 02:13:00 +0000

For Thanksgiving this year, my Mom and I took a week-long road trip down to New Orleans. While in the French Quarter, we enjoyed some of the best food we've ever consumed and the seafood gumbo was certainly as good as advertised.

For every meal, I had a bowl of gumbo at a different restaurant and considered in every bite how I would make my own pot of New Orleans seafood gumbo on a cold day back in Virginia. This recipe is what I came up with :)

1/4 cup oil
6 tbsp flour
1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 cup celery, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
6 cups chicken stock (seafood or vegetable will work as well)
1 tbsp concentrated chicken or seafood broth or base
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 cups cut okra (thaw if frozen)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained well (use the kind with onions or garlic for extra flavor)
1/4 lb of lump crabmeat
4 cups of cooked, peeled shrimp
1 cup of sliced andouille sausage (or cajun-style turkey sausage)

- In a large stockpot, mix the flour and oil and cook over medium heat until it is dark brown in color. Whisk the mixture constantly to remove all flour lumps and to prevent scorching.
- Add the onion, garlic, celery, and pepper to the roux and sauté for 3-4 minutes.

- Begin slowly adding the stock and soup base to the mixture, stirring constantly.
- Add all remaining ingredients, with the exception of the seafood.

- Cover pot and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Add seafood ingredients and continue cooking for 15 additional minutes.
- Serve gumbo in a soup bowl over hot rice. Garnish with green onions or parsley as desired.

Linda's Notes:
- I used Swanson's seafood flavor boost in addition to the liquid stock to add more seafood flavor
- I chose to only use a roux to thicken the stew, but if you prefer a very thick gumbo you can also add file powder.
- I used very well-drained chopped tomatoes that were infused with basil, garlic, and onion for added flavor. Crushed tomatoes could be used for more of a "red" gumbo.
- For a "healthier" gumbo, I used olive oil, turkey sausage, and served over brown rice with a dash of olive oil.
- This recipe could be easily converted into chicken, vegetarian, or vegan gumbo. This could also be prepared in a slow-cooker, with the roux prepared early and the seafood added later.

Crustless Vegetable Quiche

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:32:00 +0000

This is my favorite quiche recipe for making on the weekends for brunch, or for a potluck.

1 tbsp of olive oil
1 large or 2 small summer squash (zucchini or yellow)
1/2 of a tomato, chopped
1/4 of a sweet onion, chopped
1 small clove of garlic, chopped
3 large eggs
1/2 cup of Bisquick (or generic biscuit mix)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 cup of shredded cheese (any)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Fresh chopped herbs to taste, such as basil (optional)

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a skillet, saute the squash, onions, and garlic in the oil until soft.
- Mix the eggs, milk, and biscuit mixture in a large bowl.
- Put the sauteed vegetables, herbs, tomato, and cheese in a greased pie plate or casserole dish.
- Cover the vegetables and cheese with the biscuit mixture.
- Bake for 50 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Linda's Notes:
- Dried herbs can be substituted for fresh herbs, but the "fresh" taste is part of what makes this quiche so special.
- Spinach, asparagus, or okra are good substitutes for the summer squash mixture.

Eggs in a coffee cup

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:49:00 +0000

I assure you that these eggs come out really fluffy and delicious. And it's fast. And easy. Pass this on to every college student and single man you know.

2 eggs

2 tablespoons of milk (any kind - whatever you have to put in your coffee

2 tablespoons of shredded cheese (any cheese, measurement not exact)

Salt/Pepper/Garlic powder as desired

- Coat coffee cup with cooking spray.

- Add ingredients and mix until well blended.

- Microwave for 45 seconds and stir. Microwave until the eggs are fully set, usually another 45 seconds.

- Top with shredded cheese and serve.

Linda's Notes:

- I added a little hot sauce and chopped tomatoes to mine, but you could put anything in this that you'd like in an omelette or scramble.

- The eggs continue to cook a bit after they come out of the microwave, so after adding the cheese let them sit for 30 seconds before digging in.

Sausage Dip (Easy)

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:30:00 +0000

This might be the easiest dip to take to a work function or party (Superbowl??). I don't eat pork, but I substitute mild or spicy Italian turkey sausage and it's just as good.

1 lb of Italian sausage (mild or spicy)

1 can of Ro-tel, drained

2 8 oz packages of cream cheese

- Cook sausage on medium-hight heat in a skillet until fully cooked.

- Drain sausage well and return to the skillet on low-heat.

- Mix in Ro-tel and cheese and stir until well blended and hot.

- Serve warm with tortilla chips

Linda's Notes:

- If you're serving this at a party, use a small crockpot so it stays warm and creamy.

- You can use any kind of sausage as long as it has some seasoning, so soy sausage would even work.

- I have had this with just one package of cream cheese and it was just chunkier and less creamy, but still fabulous!

Stuffed Eggplant

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 21:09:00 +0000

Since all local CSAs are overloading us with many, MANY varieties of squash, this is a great opportunity to share my stuffed eggplant. This is loosely adapted from Food Network's Michael Chiarello.

1 eggplant (should be large to hold all the stuffing)
1/2 pound ground turkey (or beef)
1 onion, diced
1 red or green pepper, small diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley
1/2 cup freshly chopped basil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg
1 chopped tomato
About 2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out meat inside, leaving just enough for the shell to keep its shape.
- In a medium sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add ground meat seasoned with salt, pepper, and cumin.
- Cook meat until it is browning and no longer pink.
- Add eggplant meat, peppers, onions, and garlic to the pan and continue cooking until all vegetables are soft.
- In a bowl, mix together the cooked meat and vegetable mixture, herbs, cheese, bread crumbs, and the egg.
- Fill the eggplant shells with the bowl mixture, dividing it evenly among the two.
- Top with chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, place on an oiled oven tray or baking dish.
- Bake for one hour in preheated oven.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes and slice similarly to a meatloaf.

Orange White and Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Tue, 17 May 2011 03:04:00 +0000

This is a variation of my normal banana bread pudding, but instead using the fresh oranges from the local farmer's market. Not only is the orange flavor great with the chocolate, but the overall consistency of the bread pudding is better!

1 loaf of french bread, or other firm bread such as challah

Juice of one normal-size fresh orange (about 1/2 cup)

4 large eggs

2 cups whole milk, half and half, or light cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/3 - 2/3 cup white chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

- Cut bread into 1 inch pieces and toss in butter

- In a large bowl, whisk together milk, orange juice, eggs, and sugar.

- Gently stir in half of the chocolate chips and the buttered bread pieces

- Pour mixture into a baking dish and refrigerate for at least an hour

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- Sprinkle pudding mixture with the remaining chocolate chips and bake covered for 35 minutes.

- Uncover and bake an additional 45 minutes, or until inserted knife comes out clean.

Mexican "Power" Dip

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Sat, 14 May 2011 02:24:00 +0000

This is a tasty, easy and inexpensive appetizer to make for Cinco de Mayo!

1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed well)

1 can of chopped tomatoes (drained)*, or a cup of fresh chopped tomatoes

Juice of half of a lime

1/2 cup of corn (cooked frozen or canned)

Mexican hot sauce (to taste)

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 16 oz container of sour cream

1 8 oz package of cream cheese (softened)

1 package of taco seasoning

1 cup guacamole dip*

1/2 container of chunky salsa

1 cup of shredded cheese (Mexican, Pepper Jack, or Cheddar)

1/4 cup of feta or goat cheese

Layer 1:

- Mix together the sour cream, cream cheese, and taco seasoning

- Spread in an even layer in a large bowl

Layer 2:

- Spread guacamole dip over cheese layer

Layer 3:

- Spread salsa over guacamole layer

Layer 4:

- Mix together tomatoes, beans, corn, lime juice, hot sauce and onions

- Spread mixture over salsa layer

Layer 5:

- Sprinkle shredded cheese over vegetable layer

- Sprinkle goat cheese over shredded cheese

Optional: Make a refried bean or seasoned taco meat layer between layers 1 and 2

* I use organic, fire-roasted canned tomatoes and Wholly brand guacamole dip

Turkey Sausage and Cabbage with Leeks

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 03:54:00 +0000

Tonight's dinner was another installment of what I did with my CSA. The turkey sausage was also from one of the sales at Farm Fresh which made this meal about $2.50 + cost of produce.

1 1/2 cups of sliced leeks (wash these very, very, very well)

1 small cabbage, sliced

1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable broth

1 lb of sweet italian turkey sausage

1 pinch each of salt and pepper

1 tablespoon of olive oil

- Cook leeks in pan with olive oil over medium heat until soft

- Add turkey sausage and cook until fully cooked

- Begin adding cabbage in small batches and cook until tender and fully cooked

Eggs Presmov (aka that Egg and Cheese casserole)

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 03:38:00 +0000

This is a recipe that I love from my friend Susie. It's good right out of the oven and still good re-heated three days later. I recommend this for brunch or to make if you need to feed breakfast to house guests :)

Update: I love adding a can of Ro-Tel to this!

6 eggs, beaten

1 cup of milk

2 teaspoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking powder

4 oz of monterey or pepper jack cheese (1/2 of a package) , shredded

4 oz of cream cheese (1/2 of a package), cubed

8 oz of cottage cheese (1/2 of a package)

3 tablespoons of butter, cubed

1/2 cup of flour

chives or parsley for garnish

- Preheat oven for 325

- Whisk eggs, milk, sugar, and salt together in a bowl

- Add cheeses and butter and mix

- Add flour and baking powder just before baking

- Bake for 45 minutes in a greased 9 x 12 baking dish

Linda's Notes:

- I add a little more jack cheese than the recipe asks for, part of each variety so there is a little kick but not too overly spicy

- This can be mixed the night before, as long as the flour and baking powder are not added until the last minute

- You can add sausage that has been carefully drained, or a can of Ro-Tel for extra spiciness and tomatoes

Cornflake-encrusted Ranch Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 02:29:00 +0000

This chicken recipe is pretty awesome. I even accidentally left out the parmesan cheese when I made it and it was still great. I'd like to say it's healthy since it's baked and not fried, but not if you eat all four portions :)

4-5 chicken breasts (use organic or a good brand of chicken - it does make a difference)

1 cup of corn flakes, slightly crushed

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of butter or margarine, melted

1 packet of ranch dressing mix

- Mix the ranch, cheese, and cornflakes in a bowl

- Cut the chicken into smaller pieces and dip into the melted butter

- Coast buttered chicken with the cornflake mixture and place in a baking dish

- Drizzle remaining butter over all of the chicken

- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked

What I made with my CSA: Part Deux

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 02:18:00 +0000

Stir-fried Bok Choy

Although I was perplex as to what to do with Bok Choy (Chinese Cabbage) at first, I ended up preparing it in a similar fashion to the Kale (What I made with my CSA Part 1). However, I ended the Bok Choy much more because it was much softer and lacked the bitterness.

1 bunch of Bok Choy

1/2 cup of chopped onion

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon of garlic

S/P to taste

- Combine all above ingredients and stir-fry over high heat until Bok Choy is soft and onions are clear and soft.

Roasted Asparagus

several stalks of asparagus, cleaned and trimmed

olive Oil

grill seasoning to taste*

- Lay asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet

- Drizzle with olive oil

- Sprinkle with grill seasoning

- Roast for 15-20 minutes in a 400 degree oven until soft but still crisp

* This is just for the convenience of having onion, garlic, course salt and ground pepper in one shaker. Just simply salt and pepper will work fine!

What I made with my CSA Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:28:00 +0000

Friday I got my first Community-supported agriculture load of kale, turnips, grapefruit, cilantro, chives, collards, bok choy, and radishes. Some of that went to my Mom, but the rest I am trying to use each night. Here is the simple recipe (method, really) that I used for the kale!

Sautéed Kale

1 half of an onion
1 clove of garlic
Bunch of Kale, lightly chopped with hard stems removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar Salt and pepper to taste

- Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until soft.
- Add kale and sauté until wilted and soft, but not brown.
- Remove from heat, season, and stir in vinegar.
- Serve warm!

- Posted from my iPhone

Goat's milk, anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:56:00 +0000

After receiving several cases of goat cheese and feta from my dear mother, I am now forced to get my creative cooking juices flowing. Last night's creation was a pleasant mixture of this cheese and a few things I picked up during my Trader Joes shopping spree.

Honey BBQ Chicken Wraps

Approximately 2 tbsp of honey
1 cup of BBQ sauce
1lb of chicken breast
4 large tortillas
1 cup goat cheese crumbles
1 clove of garlic
Olive Oil

- Brown chicken in Olive Oil on medium high heat in a skillet.
- Reduce heat to medium and add clove, minced.
- Add honey and BBQ sauce and simmer until chicken is cooked through.
- Add chicken mixture to softened tortillas and sprinkle goat cheese.
- Fold tortillas and microwave for 30 seconds to melt cheese.

What's for dinner? BBQ glazed meatloaf

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:24:00 +0000

Tonight I decided to try something new and switch my sweet tomato sauce glaze with a sweet BBQ sauce. This is definitely a keeper.

Top your super-secret family meatloaf recipe with a cup of good Kansas City BBQ sauce mixed with a tablespoon of dark brown sugar. Save a little sauce to heat up and serve on the side. Sprinkle more sugar on top when meat is almost done.

-- Post From My iPhone

Chicken Sausage, veggie, goat cheese scramble

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:35:00 +0000

Breakfast burritos for brunch with ingredients on hand:

2 sundried tomato chicken sausages
8 medium eggs
Half of a yellow onion
1 small yellow squash
2 cups frozen hashbrowns
4 ounces goat cheese
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of smoked paprika
Dash of milk

- Brown hashbrowns, onions
- Add chopped sausage and squash; Cook until tender.
- Add eggs beaten with milk, garlic powder and paprika.
- Scramble mixture together until eggs are cooked.
- Stir in goat cheese and serve on tortilla.

The only change I would make would be to add some plum tomatoes and fresh ground pepper.

-- Post From My iPhone

Mobile Blogging!

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:18:00 +0000

I finally found a decent iPhone application for Blogger. Hopefully this will lead to more frequent posts!

-- Post From My iPhone

Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 19:41:00 +0000

This is my recreation of a delicious chocolate bread pudding I had at a local restaurant. I added the semi-sweet chocolate chips and lowered the sugar in this recipe. I also smash the bananas and stir the bread a little more than necessary so that it has more of a pudding consistency.

1 loaf of French Bread or any other firm white bread

3 not overly-ripe bananas

4 large eggs

2 cups whole milk, half and half, or light cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/3 - 2/3 cup white chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla

- Cut bread and bananas into 1 inch pieces.

- In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and sugar.

- Gently stir in bread, bananas. and chocolate chips.

- Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- Bake covered for 35 minutes.

- Uncover and bake an additional 45 minutes, or until inserted knife comes out clean.

Ranch Chicken Cheese Ball

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:57:00 +0000

This is another great recipe for parties and pot-lucks that I got from one of my co-workers. It's really easy, tastes great, and it much healthier than a lot of other holiday dip recipes.

1 (5 ounce) can chunk chicken, drained
1 (1/2 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

- Combine chicken, salad dressing mix and cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
- Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer just until blended.
- Chill in the refrigerator or freezer until mixture is more stiff and can be molded.
- Shape into a ball and roll in pecans.
- Cover and chill.
- Serve with wheat crackers.

Linda's Notes:
- You can use low-fat cream cheese in this recipe to cut a few extra calories.

Lemon-Raspberry Cream Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:32:00 +0000

This recipe is adapted from one of the older Betty Crocker quarterly cookbooks. I am definitely not a great cake baker and these squares turned out looking just like the picture in the book. The only tricky part is spreading the cake batter in the pan, but I used cooking spray with flour on the pan and a big silicone spatula and it was pretty painless. These can be made a day in advance and they taste even better after a night in the refrigerator.

1 box lemon cake mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
3/4 cup raspberry preserves
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
12 oz white chocolate
2 to 3 teaspoons powdered sugar

- Preheat oven 350°F.
- Grease bottom only of 15x10x1-inch pan with shortening.
- In large bowl, mix cake mix, butter and eggs with spoon until well blended.
- With greased or floured fingers or a spatula, press evenly in pan.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes.
- Spread evenly with preserves. Cool 30 minutes.
- In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and milk with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
- Heat white chocolate in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave until melted.
- Add warm melted white chocolate to cream cheese mixture; beat on medium speed until creamy (mixture may look slightly curdled).
- Carefully spread over preserves and refrigerate about 1 hour or until set.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar over top and cut into squares.
- Store covered in refrigerator.

Linda's Notes:
- Do not use reduced fat cream cheese because it will cause the icing to not fully set.
- You can use any flavor berry preserves for a different variation. I used no-sugar all fruit preserves to cut back on the sugar.

Confessions of a Salad Hater

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:10:00 +0000

Although they are generally healthy, and don't make you heat up your kitchen with an hour-long oven bake... I just don't like salads. I definitely like most of the ingredients in most salads, but the large amount of lettuce and lack of bread just kind of leaves me unfulfilled. If I do order a salad at dinner I like a nicoise or a crispy chicken salad because they are really a three course meal in a bowl. So this little confession leads me to this recipe idea... the cobb salad wrap. All the great things that make up the salad, but in a nice chewy, healthy wrap. The amount of wraps that this makes depends on how full you stuff the tortillas.

Cobb Salad Wrap

1 package of flavored tortillas (I like spinach)
4 hardboiled eggs, chopped
4 pieces of crumbled crispy cooked bacon
1 package of dark green lettuce in a bag (I like romaine mix)
1 diced tomato
appr. 1/2 cup low fat bleu cheese dressing
4 pieces of ham, diced
Salt and Pepper
1 cup shredded colby-jack cheese
1/2 cup of cooked chicken breast, chopped
1/2 avocado, chopped

- Combine all ingredients, except lettuce and tortillas in a large bowl.
- Mix ingredients well and salt and pepper to taste.
- Warm tortillas gently in the microwave until they are soft.
- Put a large spoonful of the salad mixture on each tortila and top with lettuce.
- Wrap up tortilla and cut in two pieces.

Whole wheat pasta... it's actually good!

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Wed, 21 May 2008 22:07:00 +0000

In the interest of being a bit more health-conscious and possibly losing those last 5lbs before a vacation to the beach, I've been substituting whole wheat in most of my pasta dishes. I've actually decided that in some cases I really like whole wheat pasta better. It's chewier, has a more earthy flavor, and holds up to almost all sauces.

During the week we barely have time to eat, let alone take artistic and appealing photos, but I wanted to share my whole wheat successes from this week even if I don't have a picture.

Nearly Sinless Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

1 (8-ounce) package uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 (8-ounce) packages mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15-ounce) containers light ricotta cheese
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained very well)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon pepper
3 large egg whites
1 -2 jars of marinara sauce (depends how saucy you like it)
Cooking spray
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

- Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.
- Head oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Add mushrooms to skillet and sauté 3 minutes.
- Add nutmeg and garlic to skillet and cook 5 more minutes.

- Combine ricotta and next 5 ingredients (ricotta through egg whites) and set aside.

- Preheat oven to 375°.

- Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
- Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over sauce.
- Top noodles with half of ricotta cheese mixture, half of mushroom mixture, 1 1/2 cups sauce, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat layers, ending with noodles.
- Spread 1/2 cup sauce over noodles.
- Cover and bake at 375° for 40 minutes.
- Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
- Bake 10 minutes and let stand another 10 minutes before serving.

Key Lime Mini Tarts

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:24:00 +0000

These are awesome little snacks for parties or dinner any time of the year courtesy of an old Betty Crocker cookbook. They're a great way to fulfill that key lime pie craving without all of the sugar, egg yolks, and guilt. They're really, really easy to make too, but the key is some pretty garnish to make them look like you spent more time baking. The filling is also really versatile and can be a great cake icing (add some coconut) or use it for a unique icebox cake filling.

The picture below is from my first try making these where I decided the food coloring was optional.

1 can sweetened condensed mil (14 oz)
1/2 cup Key Lime Juice (regular limes are fine too, but use key limes if at all possible))
3 drops green food color
1 container frozen whipped topping
4 packages frozen mini fillo dough shells (I substitute puff pastry shells because they hold up better after being in the refrigerator)
Fresh berries for garnish

- In a large bowl, beat together the milk, lime juice and food color with an electric mixer on medium speed until thickened and smooth.
- Spoon heaping teaspoonfuls of the mixture into the shells and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Garnish with pieces of lime and berries

Linda's Notes:
- I highly recommend not leaving out the food color. If not, people will think that you are just serving them scoops of Cool Whip in a pastry shell.
- The original recipe suggested raspberries for the garnish, which ended up bleeding red juice all over my nice green filling. I suggest blueberries or strawberry pieces.
- I use a cookie dough scoop to get the right amount of filling and use the end of a spoon to get the filling into the shell. This saves a little bit of time with the teaspoon.

Chicken Cordon Bleu for the Lazy

noreply@blogger.com (Linda) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:05:00 +0000

I updated this recipe and reposted it since it really is a nice quick winter meal. I also finally added a photo!

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 slices deli ham
4 slices swiss cheese
1 (10 ounce) can cream of chicken soup (yes, sometimes cream-of-something soup is good!)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 (6 ounce) box seasoned stuffing mix

- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Place chicken on bottom then layer with ham and cheese.
- Mix cream of chicken soup with milk and pour over chicken.
- Melt butter and mix with stuffing mix and place on top.
- Cover with foil and bake for approximately 1 hour or until juices run clear.

Linda's Notes:
- You can easily change this recipe for fewer calories and the same taste by using skim milk, butter substitute, and low-fat ham and cheese.
- Try to get ham and butter that is lower in salt because the seasoned stuffing will give you all the salt you need.
- I use provolone cheese also in this recipe and it's a nice variation.
- Take the cover off for the last 20 minutes if you like crunchy stuffing.