June's Quick Chicken Casserole

Chicken Casserole

1 1/2 cup cooked chicken
1 pkg. herb stuffing mix
1 stick melted butter
1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
2 cups of broth or hot water

Put stuffing mix in bottom of 9x12 dish. Pour melted butter and broth over top reserving and 1/4 cup of broth, layer chicken. Pour soup, thinned with left over broth, over everything. Cover and bake 1 hour at 300 degrees

Aubrey's Baked Ritz Chicken

Aubrey's Baked Chicken

8 skinless chicken breast
2 cups Ritz Crackers
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 cup plain yogurt

Mix all together except excluding the yogurt, dip chicken in yogurt and then into Ritz mixutre and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

 Adapted from the following... http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Red-Bell-Pepper-Bisque-with-Shrimp-and-Romano-Cheese-103119

Roasted Red Pepper Bisque
Serves 4
Approximately 370 calories per serving

Ingredients: 

-5 large red bell peppers
-3.5 cups of chicken broth
-1 tsp paprika
-1 tsp sugar
-3/4 cup whipping cream
-1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
-olive oil
-16 large shrimp, can be precooked or uncooked, peeled and coarsely chopped into pieces
-basil

Instructions: 

Char red bell peppers in broiler until blackened on all sides, this step will take 10-15 minutes. Watch peppers closely in oven.  Enclose peppers in paper bag. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and seed peppers. Cut 1 pepper into matchstick-size strips and set aside. Coarsely chop remaining 4 peppers. Combine chopped peppers and stock in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer until peppers are very tender, about 5 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return puree to saucepan. Mix in paprika and sugar. Simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors.  Whisk in cream and Romano cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

If shrimp are raw, heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat, and sauté shrimp and reserved bell pepper strips  until sharp are cooked, about 3 minutes. Or if using precooked shrimp, heat with a small amount of oil until shrimp and peppers are warmed. Divide mixture into four bowls. 

Ladle soup into bowls and top with a small amount of shredded Romano cheese and basil. 

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

Homemade Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
Makes 8 buns
219 calories per bun

These buns are awesome! They have a great flavor and are a new favorite. They freeze great as well. 

Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon active-dry yeast

1/2 cup  warm water1/2 cup milk 1 large egg2 tablespoons olive oil2 tablespoons sugar1 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups  all-purpose flour 
1.5 cups whole wheat flour

In the bowl of your Kitchen Aid,  stir the yeast into the warm water and let it sit until dissolved about 10 minutes. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, oil, sugar, and salt. Add this to the yeast mixture and mix until combined. Add all the flour and stir until it forms sticky dough. Knead on the mixers low speed for 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and feel slightly tacky. 

Place dough in a greased bowl, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about one hour. If I am short on time I will sometimes turn the oven on to as low as it will go, let it heat up for 5-10 minutes, turn it off, and then place the bowl with the dough in the oven to rise. This will take about 30 minutes off of the time to rise. Be careful though, because if the oven is too hot it will kill the yeast. 

Next, divide the dough into 8 pieces, shaping into balls. Transfer the balls to a baking sheet and let rise until they look hamburger sized, about 30 to 40 minutes. 

Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.

Bake the buns 15-18 minutes.

Let the buns cool to room temperature before slicing and using. They are best if eaten within the next day or two.

To freeze the buns, wrap each individually in plastic wrap and then a layer of tin foil, placing in a ziplock bag. To unthaw the buns, remove from freezer for one hour then reheat in a 350 oven for 5 minutes.

Connor's Meatloaf

Servings: 2
I normally don't like meatloaf, but I really this version that Connor created.

Ingredients:

Loafs:
1/3 cup crushed croutons or breadcrumbs (I like to use the croutons that come in the big bag from Costco)
2 tablespoons milk
2 shakes parsley
1.5 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
3/4 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 pound of hamburger

Glaze:
1/4 cup ketchup
2 packed tablespoons of brown sugar
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 425, making sure the oven rack is placed in the middle of the oven.
2. Mix crouton crumbs, milk, parsley, worcestershire sauce, mustard, onion power, garlic powder, salt and pepper together.
3. Mix in ground beef until uniform with hands, mixing throughly.
4. Shape into patties.
5. Heat small amount of oil in pan until rippling, brown patties on both sides (3-5 minutes total).
6. Mix glaze ingredients together until smooth.
7. Place loafs in pan and cover with glaze.
8. Make 18-20 minutes until center of loaf reaching 160 degrees.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 cup of corn starch
2 eggs beaten
oil
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Cut chicken breast into small bite size pieces. Start to heat pan with a small amount of olive oil in it. Coat chicken in corn starch. Dip chicken in beaten eggs then place on heated pan. Cook chicken on pan until lightly browned on all sides, 1-2 minutes. Place chicken in baking dish. Lightly salt and pepper.

In a separate dish mix the sugar, ketchup, cider vinegar, soy sauce and garlic salt together. Pour over chicken.

Bake chicken for 1 hour, periodically turning the chicken while it is cooking.

Serve chicken over rice.

Italian Meatball Subs

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.
Makes 4-6 servings

Meatballs:
1 cup breadcrumbs
3/4 cup shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup fresh parsley or 2 tbs dried parsley
2 eggs lightly beaten
1.5 tablespoons oregano
3 cloves minced garlic
1.5 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons basil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pounds ground beef

In a large bowl mix all ingredients except the ground beef. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Mix in ground beef. Form into shape of meatballs. Dredge meatballs in flour and then bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve on french bread with your favorite red sauce with cheese melted on top.

These meatballs freeze great. Also, I have found that the meatballs taste better if you form them in the morning, place in refrigerator, and then bake later in the day.