Chicken Tetrazzini

A great way to use leftover chicken. I never seem to have any leftover, so I often start with fresh. You can boil a couple chicken breasts with bay leaf if you're in a hurry, but cutting the breasts into strips and sauteing it gives the chicken a better flavor.

Ingredients:
3 to 4 cups cooked chicken
salt and pepper
8 ounces thin noodles or spaghetti, cooked and drained
6 tablespoons of butter
8-12 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup flour
1 cup cream or half-and-half
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
paprika

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Cook noodles according to directions. Meanwhile, in a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over med-low heat; saute mushrooms until golden.
• In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter; stir in flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir until smooth; add chicken broth and cream. Cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened. Add chicken, mushrooms and sherry; heat through.
• Place noodles in a buttered baking dish; pour on sauce. Top with Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with paprika
• Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes

Servings: 8

Fluffy Yellow Cake

A light and fluffy yellow cake that is great with a chocolate buttercream frosting. This is birthday cake at our house!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
10 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks, room temperature
3 large egg whites, room temperature

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch pans with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper and dust with flour.


• Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and 1 1/2 cups sugar in large bowl.


• In medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, oil vanilla and yolks.


• In a large mixer bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, 30 seconds. With mixer running, gradually add 1/4 cup sugar; continue to beat until stiff peaks form, 60 seconds. Transfer to bowl and set aside.


• Add flour mixture to mixing bowl. With mixer running, gradually add butter mixture until almost incorporated, about 15 seconds. Scrape bowl and beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer stand.


• Stir 1/3 of the egg whites in to the batter, then fold in remaining whites. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.


• Bake until toothpick inserted in center come out clean, about 22-25 minutes. Cool pans on rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto greased rack to remove parchment paper. Invert again and cool completely on rack, about 1 hour.


• Frost with a chocolate buttercream frosting.

Sausage, Tomatoes and Goat Cheese Pasta

I love the strong flavors in this dish. Use a milder cheese or sausage if you like.

Ingredients:
1 (10 ounce) jar sundried tomatoes in oil (chopped, reserve oil)
3 links of Hot Italian chicken sausage
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
12 ounces angel hair pasta
salt and pepper
2 ounces soft goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Directions:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the reserved oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Cut the sausage from the casings and brown in skillet, breaking into small crumbles as it cooks.
• Add onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute.
• Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the wine and tomatoes, simmer 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta 5 minutes until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.
• Add the pasta to the tomato mixture and toss to coat, adding some of the reserved liquid to moisten.
• Season with salt and pepper. Mound into bowls and sprinkle with goat cheese.

Servings: 4

Homemade Noodles

Homemade noodles are a favorite dish of my entire extended family. My Mom made beef and noodles as a special meal when we were kids. The grandkids begged them to be included in holiday meals, so now they're a side dish at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It takes a few tries to get them just right, but they're worth the effort.

This is more of a "how to" than a recipe. The recipe begins with flour and eggs. I start with about 3 cups of flour and mix in 6 eggs. Add flour as needed to make a workable dough. Roll out about 1/3 of the dough onto a floured surface, dusting with additional flour to keep it from sticking. Roll to about 1/8 of an inch.

Roll up the dough into a tube, dusting with flour as needed.

Continue with remaining dough until all dough is rolled into tubes. With a thin, sharp knife, slice tubes into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pinwheels.

Unroll pin wheels into strands of dough and lay on a large flat surface to dry. I use my kitchen island. My mom used the kitchen table. Let dry about 3 hours, turning noodles once, until no longer sticky.

When dry, place noodles in gallon size freezer bags and freeze until ready to use.

For a main dish: Boil 1-2 pounds of stew beef in enough water to cover. Simmer for 2 hours. Add water and beef broth and return to a boil. Add a bag of noodles and boil 30 minutes stirring often. Excess flour on the noodles will thicken the broth.

For a side dish: Bring beef or chicken broth to a boil. Add desired amount of frozen noodles. Boil 20-30 minutes stirring often.

Macaroni and Cheese

This is not the stuff in the "blue box". This is real mac and cheese. Vary the cheeses for different flavors or use a combination of them.





Ingredients:

2 cups macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/4 cups milk
3 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, american, etc.)



Directions:

• Cook the macaroni according to package directions; drain.


• In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Cook onion in butter until tender.


• Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Add milk all at once and stir until thickened and bubbly


• Remove from heat and stir in 2 1/2 cups cheese until melted


• Combine cheese and macaroni and pour into a 9'x13" baking dish coated with cooking spray.


• Sprinkle with remaining cheese


• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

I've always liked brussels sprouts, but just boiling them was a little blah. This Emeril recipe with carmelized onion and bacon is the key to my family's favorite side dish this winter. You can find more "green" recipes at www.planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health

Ingredients:
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper
1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved and ends trimmed
1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions:

• Heat a saute pan over medium heat; add bacon and oil. Cook for 10 minutes until bacon begins to crisp.
• Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper
• Cook for 5 minutes; add the Brussels sprouts and chicken stock. Cover with a lid and cook 15 minutes.

Cinnamon-Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes

It's a cold and snowy day in Ohio. What better way to start the day than with yummy pancakes. Be careful when combining ingredients--too much air makes for less fluffy cakes.


Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup quick oats
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon cooking oil
6-8 ounces fresh blueberries



Directions:

• Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and oats.


• Combine egg, milk and oil; add all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until blended, but still slightly lumpy.


• Pour 1/4 cup batter onto a hot (375 degree) lightly greased griddle. Sprinkle with blueberries. Cook until pancakes have a bubbly surface and slightly dry edges. Turn and cook other side.

Servings 4

Apple Walnut Dessert

This simple cake was the first "from scratch" dessert I ever made. I was in junior high and wanted to make something special for our family. I didn't read the ingredients carefully and used baking soda instead of baking powder. Two teaspoons of baking soda!! My family took one bite of it and realized it was awful. My step-dad, however, kind man that he is, ate every bite of his. Thirty years later, I still check the ingredients twice whenever I make this and remember the kindness of a good dad.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1 ½ c sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ c flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped tart apples
½ cup walnuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine eggs, sugar and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to egg mixture. Stir well. Stir in apples and nuts.
• Spread in a greased 11 x 7 baking dish for 40 minutes.

Stroganoff

There's nothing fancy about this dish, but it's a great comfort food entree on a cold winter evening! I like it with steamed broccoli.

Ingredients:

12 ounces uncooked noodles
1 teaspoon olive oil

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup onion, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

12 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup beef broth

1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon sherry

Directions:

• Cook noodles according to package directions; rinse in cold water and drain.


• Heat oil over medium-high heat; add beef and cook 4 minutes, crumbling into small pieces. Add onion, garlic and mushrooms and cook 4 minutes.


• Sprinkle with flour, and cook 1 minute stirring constantly.


• Stir in broth, boil; reduce heat and simmer 1 minuted until slightly thickened. Add salt and pepper.


• Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and sherry. Serve over noodles.

Servings: 4-6

Marinara Sauce

I love this sauce! It works with meatballs, in a baked ziti casserole, or just over spaghetti. It takes some time, but it freezes well. The secret is carmelizing the onion to give the sauce a richer flavor.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups chopped onion, about 3 med
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4-1 cup red wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 (28oz) cans crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 (6oz) cans tomato paste

Directions:

• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over med heat; add onion and sugar. Cook 30 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally.


• Stir in wine, cook 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
  
  Cool completely before freezing. Yields 9 servings (1 cup each)
  
  

Nana's Brownies

My daughter named these brownies after my mother, but the recipe is really from a 1960's cookbook from Marion General Hospital in Marion, Ohio. The cookbook is long gone, but the recipe lives on! These are good with a dusting of powdered sugar, but some prefer the richer flavor of the buttercream frosting.



Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter, melted
4 squares chocolate
4 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flour
2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

• Stir sugar, butter and chocolate together. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Stir well. Add flour and nuts. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into batter. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
• Dust with powdered sugar or frost with buttercream frosting when cool

Frosting:

2-3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
½ stick butter, softened
2 squares melted chocolate
2 teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt

Beat until creamy.

Cranberry-Pistachio Scones

My family really enjoys these scones for breakfast. Substitute any nut or dried fruit. Dried cherries and almonds are also good.


Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped pistachios, toasted
1 egg white
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar


Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees


• Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Cover and chill flour mixture 10 minutes.


• Combine buttermilk and next 4 ingredients (through egg), stirring with a whisk until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir until dough is moist.


• Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Pat dough into an 8-10 inch circle. Cut dough into 8-12 wedges. Place wedges 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush egg white over dough; sprinke with turbinado sugar.


• Bake at 400 degrees for 13 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan and cool 2-3 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Servings: 8-12

Nutrition info: for 12 servings--191 calories; 6.4 g fat; 1g fiber