Roasted Red Potaotes

3 pounds small red new potatoes, halved

1/4 C. olive oil

1 tsp. salt freshly ground

black pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss potatoes with oil, salt and pepper. Arrange, cut side down, on a large lipped cookie sheet or jellyroll pan.

2. Roast until tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes (check after 20 minutes.) Transfer to a serving dish.

Chicken Sonora

Layered chicken enchiladas with a chili cream sauce.

3 lb chicken breasts, baked and chunked

1 dozen flour tortillas, torn into quarters

1/2 lb. monterey jack cheese, shredded

1/2 lb. cheddar, shredded

olives and sour cream optional

Mix Sauce together:

1/2 c. mild taco sauce

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can chili without beans

1/2 c. milk

1 small can chopped green chili peppers

1 small onion chopped ( I use onion powder instead)

These ingredients will give you a bit more then you need. Use your best judgment when building this casserole so that it doesn't overfill your pan.

Layer in a 9x13 un-greased pan:

1/2 chicken, 1/2 tortillas, 1/2 sauce, 1/2 cheese

Repeat layers. Place dish on a jelly roll pan lined with aluminum foil to catch any drips! Bake at 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes, until bubbles. Let sit for a few minutes before serving with sour cream.

Puff-Pastry Pot Pie

2 medium potatoes, diced (2 Cups) Puff Pastry (found in freezer section)

2 large carrots, sliced (1 cup)

3 TB. olive oil, divided

2-4 chicken breasts cooked and cubed

1/4 C. plus 2 TB. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper divided

2 C. sliced mushrooms

1 large onion diced (2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 C. chicken broth

1/2 C. milk

3 Tb. red cooking wine

1 Tb. chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp. hoisin sauce

1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce

1. To make filling: Cook potatoes and carrots in large pot of boiling water 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat 1 TB. oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until done. Stir in 2 TB. soy sauce, 1/4 tsp. garlic and 1/8 tsp. pepper and cook until liquid evaporates.

Add onion, broccoli and garlic and saute 6 to 7 minutes or until onions soften.

3. Push veggies to side, add reaming 1 TB oil to bottom of pot. Stir flour into oil with fork make roux. Stir until smooth. Stir roux into vegetables.

4. Stir broth into vegetables. Once gravy is smooth add chicken, potatoes, carrots, milk, remaining soy sauce and wine. Stir gently, then add thyme, sage, hoisin sauce, worcestershire sauce, remaining cayenne. Remove from heat set aside or transfer vegetables mixture to a large casserole dish.

5. Lay puff pastry on top, covering entire dish. Bake 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Rice Curry

'Golden Curry' sauce mix (found in oriental section)

1-1/3 lbs. lean beef, chicken or shrimp

17 oz. onions ( I never use onions)

2 TB. cooking oil

2 1/2 C. water

1 can coconut milk

(other options: carrots, broccoli, potatoes)

Cook meat and veggies in heated oil. Add curry sauce cubes and water and let melt. Stir until smooth. Add coconut milk. Serve over rice. ('Botan' rice found in oriental section is the best. Kind of a sticky rice, makes a big difference!)

Chicken Crescent Turnovers

(8 oz.) cream cheese 4 T. margarine (or spray with pam)

1 can cream of mushroom or chicken soup 1 c. seasoned stuffing mix crushed

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 c. chicken, cooked and cubed

2 pkgs. refrigerator crescent rolls (16)

Cream together cream cheese and can of soup, pepper and cubed chicken. For large turnovers, separate crescent rolls in 4 sections, leaving 2 triangles of dough attached for each turnover. Pinch the 2 triangles together at seam. Spoon mixture onto one end of flat dough and fold over the half. With tines of fork, crimp 3 sides of dough together. Brush or dip turnover with melted margarine or spray with Pam spray, then roll in crushed stuffing mix. Bake at 375* for 25-30 minutes. For small turnovers, use only 1 dough triangle and fold it in half after filling and sealing with fork. Bake at 375* for 20 minutes. Turnovers must be at room temperature before baking.

Ratatouille

1 C. sliced mushrooms 2 tsp. italian season

1 C. diced onions 1 C. parmesan

1/2 C. roasted red bell pepper, minced 1 C. low-fat cream cheese

1/2 C. sliced olives 1 C. non-fat sour cream

1 C. chopped whole artichoke 1 C. beef broth

2 C. sausage cooked and crumbled

1 C. canned diced tomato

2 tsp. chopped garlic

1 tsp. salt and pepper

1/4 C. olive oil

Cook onion and garlic in olive oil. Add sausage and cook until done. Put in a crock pot with pepper, olives, artichoke, tomato, beef broth, salt and pepper, and italian season. Simmer for 6-8 hours. Just before serving add: parmesan, cream cheese, and sour cream. Stir until melted and smooth. We love to eat this with toasted baguette bread.

Poppy Seed Chicken

4-5 chicken breasts 1 TB. poppy seed

2 cans cream of chicken soup garlic salt

1/2 C. sour cream salt and pepper to taste

3/4 tube ritz crackers 2-3 cups egg noodles cooked

2 TB. butter

In a large ziplock bag crush ritz crackers and add garlic salt and 1/2 tbs poppy seed. Coat chicken with egg then put in bag and shake until coated with cracker mixture. Cook chicken in oil for 2-3 minutes each side. In a separate bowl mix together soup, sour cream, and salt and pepper. Put mixture in bottom of glass baking pan, add chicken then drizzle with melted butter. Top with any extra crackers and poppyseed. Cook covered at 350* for 25-30 minutes. Serve over cooked noodles.

Slow-Cooker Golden Potatoes and Ham

6 C. Potatoes 10-3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup

2 1/2 C. cooked ham, cubed 1/2 C. evaporated milk

1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

In a slow cooker, layer one-third of potatoes, ham and cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times. Combine soup and milk and blend until smooth; pour over potato mixture. Cover and cook on low setting for 7 to 8 hours. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Baked Penne with Chicken, Broccoli and Smoked Mozzarella

Topping:
3/4 cup bread crumbs (store-bought or make your own)
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), stalks cut off, florets trimmed into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
6 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
3 ounces smoked mozzarella, shredded
8 ounce jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped into pieces

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and butter and set aside. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make sure the oven rack is placed in the middle of the oven. In a large pot, bring the water for the pasta to a boil. Stir in one tablespoon salt and the broccoli. The broccoli cooks quickly so stay close! Cook the broccoli for 1 minute, until it is bright green. Quickly remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon to a plate. Return the water to a boil and add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than how you would eat it normally (it will cook a bit more in the oven while baking). Drain the pasta in a colander and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Leave it in the colander and set it aside.

Wipe the pot dry. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the flour, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and smoked mozzarella.

Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce; stir to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

*The casserole can be prepared in advance with the following steps: after the broccoli is removed from the boiling water, plunge it into a bowl of ice water and cool completely. Assemble the casserole following the directions in the recipe. After the casserole is spread in the prepared baking pan, let it cool for 5-10 minutes before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating for up to 8 hours. To bake, preheat the oven to 375 and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

White Chili

1 lb. chicken
1 med onion
2 Tablespoons garlic, minced

Saute these ingredients in oil in soup pan. Season chicken with Salt and Pepper, Cumin, Chili Powder and Cayenne Pepper. After chicken is cooked through, remove from pan and let cool.

Add the following to onion and garlic mix:
2 14 oz cans Great northern Beans, drained
2 cans chopped green chilies
2 cups chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
splash of milk

Shred or finely chop chiken. Add to soup. Simmer for 30 min. uncovered. Add 1 cup of sour cream.

Beef Stroganoff

1 lb hamburger
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. margarine
1 bouillon cube
1 T dry buttermilk salad dressing mix
1 can mushrooms (opt)

Brown hamburger and onions.  Drain if necessary.  Add chicken soup, sour cream, margarine, bouillon and buttermilk seasoning.  Heat and serve as a topping for baked potatoes or noodles.  If it is too thick, add a little milk.