Mushroom Asiago Chicken 

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (about 2 large)

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 garlic clove, minced

3 springs fresh thyme

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

2 tbs butter

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4-1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese

1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)

Seasoned Flour:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Cut into serving-sized pieces (2 or 3 pieces per breast). Pound the chicken breast so that pieces are about the same thickness.

Heat the butter with *1* tbs of olive oil in deep, heavy skillet or saute pan over medium heat.

Toss chicken in seasoned flour, I used a Ziploc bag and tossed chicken in bag with flour and shook it around for good even coverage.  Add to hot oil/butter in skillet.  Saute until golden on each side, about 5 minutes per side.  Remove from pan.

Add another tbs. of olive oil to hot skillet and sauté mushrooms and garlic until mushrooms begin to brown.

Add white wine to skillet, scraping up all the browned bits that are at the bottom of the pan . Bruise the fresh thyme by twisting it between your fingers.  Add thyme to mushroom/wine mixture in pan.

Put the chicken back in the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Remove the chicken from pan, add the cream and heat through. Then slowly add the asiago cheese. You can use less cheese if you don't want too strong of a flavor. (You can also substitute Romano or Parmesan for the Asiago as well.) 

Cook over low heat until cheese melts. (Make sure to continually stir so that cheese melts evenly and not in clumps) Continue cooking until sauce is reduced by about 1/2 and thickens up

Add chicken back to pan and heat through.

Serve over pasta or my favorite....polenta. 

Bon Apetit!Buon Apetito! Buen Provecho!Douzo Meshiagare!

Hashbrown Casserole

Here's another great, easy, filling, "financially friendly" meal, perfect for winter or for breakfast anytime. It was so good that the next night we had the leftovers with a sunny side up egg on top! Delicious!!!

Tips: I only used 3/4 of a bag of hash browns and it was plenty. Also, 1 Lb. of ham is more than enough. Also, I did mine in the oven and it came out great! Next time I think I will add broccoli florets or bell peppers!

Hashbrown Casserole with a Crockpot Trick

Ingredients

• 1 bag frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• ½ cup butter, melted
• onion, chopped fine (about ½ a small onion)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or a bit more if you like)
• 1-2 lbs. ham or smoked sausage wrapped in foil

Instructions

1. Stir all the ingredients together.
2. Place ham or sausage in foil on top of potatoes, if you are making meat.
3. Bake in an oven at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Or cook in the slow cooker 5-6 hours on 
4. high for 7-8 hours on low.

Bon Apetit!Buon Apetito! Buen Provecho!Douzo Meshiagare!

One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

So here's a great Winter meal and talk about "finance friendly"! Sounds better than "cheap eats", right? Anyway, I must give credit where credit is due, I thank my oldest, my son Jordan for this recipe! He's away at college in Boston and if he knows anything it's how to eat well on a budget and eat something warm and filling on those cold winter days...especially with the crazy winter Boston has been having!

One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 onion, diced 
• 8 ounces ground beef 
• 4 cups chicken broth 
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes 
• 3/4 cup canned white kidney beans, drained and rinsed 
• 3/4 cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed 
• 2 teaspoons chili powder 
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
• 10 ounces uncooked elbows pasta 
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and ground beef, and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat. 
• Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer and stir in pasta. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13-15 minutes. 
• Remove from heat. Top with cheese and cover until melted, about 2 minutes. 
• Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Bon Apetit!Buon Apetito! Buen Provecho!Douzo Meshiagare!

Korean BBQ Beef Ribs

Uggh, I know, I know....I've been seriously lagging. However, in my defense, I've been tackling a lot of home projects as well! I would say that I should start a DIY blog, but since I can't even regularly post on my food blog, it's best I keep my trap shut! Maybe I'll mix it up a bit and add my home DIY projects to my food blog, just to mix it up a bit.

Anyway...on to bigger and better things! These are the BEST ribs I've ever made! Seriously, this recipe was so "off the hook" I didn't even adjust anything! Even got rave reviews from one of my sister-in-laws! :) Best part of this recipe....it goes in a slow cooker!!!

So here you go.....

KOREAN BBQ BEEF RIBS

Ingredients:

5 lbs. of beef short ribs
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1/2 cup of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup of light brown sugar
3 tablespoons of minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds 
3 green onions, trimmed with the light green and white parts only thinly sliced
3 cups of cooked white rice

Instructions:

You will want to place your short ribs in the bottom of your Slow Cooker. Then take a medium sized mixing bowl and add in your sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes and whisk your ingredients together. Now pour your mixture over the ribs thatare in the slow cooker. Now cover your slow cooker and either cook on low for 8 hours or cook it on high for 6 hours. Your ribs are done then they are nice and tender.

Now turn your slow cooker off and remove the ribs and place them on a serving plate. You will want to let the cooking liquid sit for about 5 minutes so that the fat can rise to the top. Then skim and discard the fat from liquid. Now take a saucepan and add in your cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water. Whisk them together and then add in the cooking liquid from your slow cooker and mix your ingredients together. Now place your saucepan over a medium high heat and bring your mixture to a boil and then cook for 2 minutes making certain to whisk while cooking. When your sauce has thickened remove it from the burner and then add and stir in your sesame seeds. 

Now pour your sauce over the ribs and then sprinkle your green onions on top. Serve over white rice.

Bon Apetit!Buon Apetito! Buen Provecho!Douzo Meshiagare!

Chicken Tandoori Burgers

Okay, so this is probably a better meal for warmer weather, as it's light but filling, but I'm one of those people who just LOVES Indian food in the winter! The warmth from the different spices is enough to keep my tummy warm on a cold winter's night, so I decided to try this recipe and it was a hit! Will make it all four seasons it was so yummy! Enjoy!

CHICKEN TANDOORI BURGERS

Ingredients for Chicken Burkers:

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken breast
4 green onions
3 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for Burger Topping:
Naan bread
cucumber
cilantro
red onion sliced thinly

Ingredients for Yogurt Sauce:

1 small container fat free plain Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon fresh mint chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium size bowl, combine together all the ingredients for the chicken burgers and form into roughly 6 patties. You can make them bigger and get about 4 patties, but the size I made them was perfect for 6 and fit into the Naan well without exploding! Grill the patties for about 3 minutes or so on each side, until you get a nice golden brown color.

Meanwhile, mix together in a small bowl, all of the ingredients for the yogurt sauce, and place in refrigerator until ready to assemble. 

Take the cucumber and slice thinly and set aside, do the same with the red onion. Chop some cilantro, I like a lot, but you can chop as much or as little as you like. 

Once your burger patties are ready, you can either throw the Naan bread on the grill really quick or put in oven at about 250 degrees for a few minutes until warm. Take the yogurt sauce and spread on warm Naan bread, lay down the cucumbers and onions first, next goes the burger, then top with cilantro and enjoy! 

Bon Apetit!Buon Apetito! Buen Provecho!Douzo Meshiagare!

Asian Style Chinese Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1 Large Chicken Breast, Grilled and Sliced

1-2 packages of Chicken Flavored Ramen Noodles

1/4 cup of Butter

1/2 SesameSeeds, Toasted

1/2 Blanched Slivered Almonds

1 Large Head of Napa Cabbage, Shredded 

6 Green Onions, Chopped

1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil

1/4 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar

1-2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

1/8 Cup of White Sugar

Directions:

Season chicken breast with your favorite seasonings, I used powdered garlic, fresh ground pepper, very little salt and ground ginger. Grill it up, and slice into smaller pieces

Break up Ramen noodles into smallish pieces and brown them in a skillet with butter over medium heat. Add the almonds and sesame seeds and stir often so as not to burn them. Add the seasoning mix from the noodles and cool. ( I suggest using 1 1/2 of the noodles, as I like mine crunchy, but you can use as much as you like, but remember to use equal amounts of seasoning to equal amounts of noodles, i.e. 1 1/2 packages of noodles + 1 1/2 packages of seasoning ) Set aside to cool. Once cooled, toss in a large bowl with the shredded cabbage, green onions and chicken pieces

Next prepare the dressing by whisking together both the vegetable and sesame oil, rice vinegar,soy sauce and sugar. Once thoroughly blended, poor over salad, toss and serve.

**Additional Note: I sometimes add about a cup of mandarin orange slices to change it up a bit. Also, can easily be made into a vegetarian dish by omitting the chicken! 

Bon Apetit!Buon Apetito! Buen Provecho!Douzo Meshiagare!

I know, I know I didn't want to be one of those bloggers who starts slacking off his/her duties to post and update their blogs!! But not to make excuses, my kids were home from college, we had family in from Arizona, and a Christmas baby (Grand-Nephew) was born! Yup! Right on the 25th!! Anyway, enough excuses....I'm back with a vengeance!! The short time our kids were home, both my hubby and I must've gained 20 Lbs., or at least that's what it felt like! Gone were the days of our yummy homemade soups and hearty salads, gone were the days of trying different recipes! It was rice with this and pasta with that, and carbs, carbs, carbs, carbs, carbs! Mind you, I am not adverse to carbs, believe you me! It's just that we had gotten used to eating without rice and pasta with every meal, so we felt like we gained a ton of weight. But again, enough of the belly-aching...no pun intense, back to our adventures with cooking! Enjoy!