Chicken a la King

Source: Tammy's Recipes


Chicken a la King

1 cup butter (do not use margarine)
1-1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
4 cups (32 oz) chicken broth
4 cups (32 oz) milk
7 cups diced cooked chicken
16 oz canned sliced mushrooms, drained
1 red bell pepper, diced
*Chicken bouillon powder

1. In a large Dutch oven melt butter. Whisk in flour and salt. Add chicken broth and milk and cook and stir until thickened.**
2. Once thickened, stir in chicken, mushrooms and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes to let the flavors blend together.
3. Serve over hot rice, broken toast or egg noodles.

Makes 4 batches (so 4 separate meals worth) of 4 servings each.

*Taste as it’s cooking after the chicken, mushrooms and bell pepper are added and if desired, add some chicken bouillon powder to taste to create a stronger flavor. You may or may not need to add this depending on your preference.

**Make sure to let the base thicken before you add in the remaining ingredients or it will not thicken up afterwards.

To freeze: Let cool and divide into quart or gallon size freezer bags. Remove excess air and seal. Lay flat to freeze.

To serve: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Heat through and serve.

Cornbread

Cornbread
Source: Pennies & Pancakes (This site is awesome!!!)

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup oil*
1 egg
1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix cornmeal, flour, sugar and baking powder together.
3. Lightly beat egg.
4. Add egg, oil and milk to dry mixture. Mix until batter is smooth and there are no more lumps.
5. Pour batter into lightly greased muffin tins and bake for 18-22 minutes or until lightly golden.

Makes approximately 12 muffins.

******

This is a perfect cornbread. No more Jiffy cornbread mix for me!

Copycat Boston Market Tortellini Salad

Copycat Boston Market Tortellini Salad
Source: Taste of Home Forum

1 large pkg. (about 40-48 oz) cheese tortellini
16 oz. creamy Caesar dressing
1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3-6 tbsp. water
2 envelopes dry Italian dressing mix
2 tsp. Mrs. Dash original seasoning
1 red pepper, diced

Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain. Mix remaining ingredients together. Stir in the tortellini. Chill overnight for best flavors.

*****

My husband worked at Boston Market as a teenager - almost 20-ish years ago. He all of a sudden remembered that he LOVED their tortellini salad, and off to Google he ran. We cooked up this recipe really quick and threw it in the fridge to let the flavors meld overnight. This turned out great. My husband declared it to be just like he remembered and said to add it to our rotation of recipes. I thought that it was pretty good too. I'm not big on pasta salads of any kind, but overall, I thought it was really good.

*We buy frozen tricolor tortellini in 48 ounce bags.

Pizza/Calzone Dough

Pizza/Calzone Dough
Source: The Kitchen

1-1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp. active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. salt

1. Combine the water and yeast in mixing bowl, and stir to dissolve the yeast. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. The mixture should be light brown and milky.
2. Add in salt and flour. Using a stand mixer, mix the dough for about 5 minutes. The dough should be tacky but not stick to you like gum. If it does, then add a pinch of flour at a time until it no longer sticks to you and is just tacky to the touch.
3. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let dough rise for about an hour and a half. It will double in size.
4. Divide dough. You can make two pizzas with this batch.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
6. Stretch dough out to approximately a 10-inch round pizza on a pan. If dough starts to shrink back, let it rest about 5 minutes and then try again. Brush the edge of the crust with EVOO. Top with sauce, cheese and toppings. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until the crust starts to brown and then slide off of pan and bake and additional 3 minutes to crisp up the bottom of the pizza.
7. Remove from oven and eat once cool enough to enjoy.

Makes 2 (10-inch) pizzas.

*****

This recipe was orignally supposed to be for two thin crust pizzas. I had doubled the recipe - to the above amounts - and made two regular pizzas. The crust was perfect. Not too thick, and not too thin.

This pizza crust was declared a winner. My husband and myself both enjoyed this pizza crust much more than the previous recipe we have been using. It does require more planning since you need to let the dough rise and possibly rest, but it's definitely worth it. You can refrigerate this dough for up to three days before using (after letting it rise), and you can also freeze the dough. I prefer to make the pizzas and then freeze them before baking, if I'm going to freeze something pizza related.

Here are the two pizzas that I made last night: Turkey pepperoni and a buffalo chicken pizza. Yummy!!!

Freezer Biscuits

Freezer Biscuits
Source: Money Saving Mom

4 cups flour (I used all purpose)
2 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening, butter, coconut oil, or FF plain yogurt (I used butter)
1 to 1-3/4 cup milk (I used 1 cup)

Mix dry ingredients together. Add in the shortening or butter and mix until crumbly. (You can use a KitchenAid or food processor to save time and effort). Add in the milk and mix until a ball forms. (Not a wet sticky dough.)

Roll out onto a floured surface and cut into biscuits. (I rolled mine out and cut it with a pizza slicer. You can also roll the dough out and cut into biscuit shapes. Reroll the dough and cut again.)

To Freeze: Freeze on a cookie sheet for 1-2 hours. Then remove and place in a airtight freezer bag.

To Bake: Pull the desired number of biscuits out and let thaw for 30 minutes to an hour. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-12 minutes. You can bake them straight from the freezer but they won’t rise much. (Bake right away at 450 degrees for 8-12 minutes if baking from fresh.)

Makes 24 biscuits.

*****

Okay, I actually made these biscuits twice. The first batch I messed up somehow, but my husband and son stilled loved them and gobbled up the half batch that I baked.

The second batch I made with room temperature butter, and 1 cup of milk that was treated with vinegar to be used as a buttermilk substitute. The second batch turned out to be exactly what I was looking for.

I might try using shortening the next time I make them to see how they turn out. That's if I can convince myself to buy some shortening since it's soy based and I avoid soy products as much as possible.

Easy (Make Ahead) Garlic (Cheesy) Bread

We LOVE garlic cheesy bread. Problem is that we've been buying the premade frozen garlic cheesy bread at $3-$3.50/loaf of bread. That adds up and kills the grocery budget over time.


Easy (Make Ahead) Garlic (Cheesy) Bread
Source: Life As A Mom

1 large loaf bread, sliced lengthwise
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), softened
2 tsp. minced garlic (jarred, or two cloves minced)
1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
*Shredded mozzarella cheese (if making cheesy bread)

Mix butter, garlic and parsley flakes together. Spread in a thick layer onto bread. If making cheesy bread, add a thin layer of shredded mozzarella cheese and flash freeze*. *If just making garlic bread, you don't have to flash freeze before proceeding. Place the two sides of the bread together (making it whole again) and wrap tightly with foil.

To cook from fresh or thawed out: Bake at 375* for 25 minutes (wrapped in foil still if only garlic bread. If cheesy bread, open foil and lay bread side by side on baking sheet and bake until cheese is melted and bread starts to crisp - I'm not sure how long that will take at this temperature).

To cook from frozen: Bake at 375* for 35-40 minutes (wrapped in foil), or if making cheesy bread, unwrap and place bread side by side on baking sheet and bake at 400* for 9-15 minutes until cheese is melted and bread is starting to brown/crisp on edges.

*I always make ours and then cook at 400* for about 10-15 minutes. When freshly made, it takes about 10 minutes to start becoming crisp on the edges and when frozen, it takes about 15 minutes.

Chewy or Crunchy Granola Bars

We go through a LOT of granola bars in my house. Both of my older kids absolutely love chewy granola bars and both my husband and I have a soft spot for them too. Although my husband prefers crunchy granola bars the most, but that recipe is to be tried another day.

I followed the recipe as-is (except I didn't use gluten and dairy free products, and I doubled it to the quantities below), and we LOVE it!!! If you want Oats & Honey, just skip the chocolate chips. If you don't want chocolate chips, but another flavor, mix it up. These were extremely easy to make, and well worth it. I doubt that I'll be buying any more granola bars any time in the near future.

Oh, and next time I make these, I might add in one more cup of crispy rice cereal just to make them crunch a bit more. They were perfect as-is, but I want to see how they'll turn out with a little more crisp to them.


Source: Once A Month Mom

Granola Bars
(Oats & Honey or Chocolate Chip)

1/2 cup butter (needs to be full fat)
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups crispy rice cereal
4 cups quick cooking oats
4 tbsp. mini chocolate chips*

Combine butter, honey and brown sugar and melt together until bubbling. Cook for two more minutes. Add vanilla.

Combine crispy rice cereal and oats. Mix wet and dry ingredients together until well mixed/coated.

Spread into a greased jelly roll pan. Press down firmly. You must press this extremely well for the bars to hold together.

Sprinkle with chocolate chips and press them into the granola mixture.

For chewy bars: Cool for several hours at room temperature for several hours before cutting into bars.

For crunchy bars: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes or until edges start to brown. Cut into bars immediately and then wait for bars to cool (if you wait until cooled to cut, you will have an extremely hard time).

SOS Mix

Source: One Good Thing By Jillee

Tired of spending a ton of money on "cream of" soups? Me too. Not to mention the fact that by making your own, you eliminate all of the unnecessary ingredients.

SOS Mix

2 cups powdered non-fat dry milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup instant chicken bouillon (regular or low sodium)
2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
2 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a recloseable plastic bag or container, mixing well.

Equal to 9 (10.5 oz) cans of cream soup.

To prepare:

1/3 cup dry mix
1-1/4 cups cold water

Whisk together and heat over low heat until thick. Use in place of "cream of" soups in recipes.

*To make a specific flavor such as onion, mushroom, celery, etc., Saute 1/2 cup diced ingredients until soft and then add the mixture above before warming until thick.

Snow Cone Syrup

Snow Cone Syrup/Shaved Ice Syrup

3/4 cup water*
3/4 cup sugar*
1 packet unsweetened "koolaid" OR 1-2 tsp. flavored extract

Heat water and sugar together until the sugar is completely dissolved. This only takes a few minutes. Once that is done, mix in the koolaid or flavored extract. Allow to cool, and then use it for your shaved ice or slushee mix.

*The original recipe that I came across said to mix 1 cup of water and 2 cups of sugar with 1 packet of koolaid. For me, this was just WAY too much sugar for me to even consider making it. I made it with the proportions listed above and it was absolutely perfect. Sweet, but not rot your teeth out sweet.

Homemade (Quick) Pizza Dough

Source: AllRecipes.com

Homemade (Quick) Pizza Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (or 1 pkg)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (or olive)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add in warm water and oil. Mix together until a soft dough forms, adding additional flour as needed. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently kneed dough for 2-3 minutes.
3. If you desire a thin crust pizza, spread dough out onto a large pizza pan immediately, prick with a fork and bake for 5 minutes. If you want a thicker crust, allow dough to rest for 5-10 minutes and then spread the dough out onto a large pizza pan. Prick dough with a fork, and bake for 5 minutes.
4. Remove dough from oven and then proceed to top with sauce and your favorite toppings. Return to oven and bake for approximately 15-17 minutes or until crust starts to brown.

Makes 1 pizza.

*This dough is very yummy and one of the best "quick" doughs I have made so far. If you're like me and you need a dough that doesn't have to rest for several hours before cooking, because you forgot about it until the last minute, then this is the dough for you. I use my KitchenAid mixer to mix up the dough and it's ready in no time at all. I also prefer to make each batch of dough separately, even when making multiple pizzas, because then my crusts turn out better (and you don't have one that's a whole lot thicker/thinner than the other one). I normally mix up one batch of dough, and then when I am kneading the dough I have a second batch mixing up. Works well for me. A batch of this dough can be turned into several mini pizzas or calzones easily.

**I have since edited this recipe to reduce the sugar to 1/2 tablespoon (from 1 tablespoon) because I found that it works just as well with the reduced sugar, and it's a less of a "sweet" dough when the sugar is reduced. It's still very yummy and absolutely perfect for a "quick" pizza dough.

Homemade Pizza/Marinara Sauce

Source: AllRecipes.com

Homemade Pizza/Marinara Sauce

3 tsp jarred minced garlic
1 (29 oz.) can tomato puree
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients and simmer on low to medium heat, uncovered, for about 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Use as a marinara sauce or pizza sauce. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze in one cup portions for later use.

Chicken Pot Pie

If you're the type that buys pot pies from the store occasionally, if you try this basic recipe (that you can tweak any way you like), I practically guarantee that you won't go back to the store bought ones again. It took me all of 5 minutes to literally throw this recipe together and in the oven and it tasted just as simple and yummy as the store bought itty bitty ones that you need more than one of to feed a "healthy" person.



Chicken Pot Pie
Source: Never trust a skinny cook...

2 pie crusts (dough), uncooked (homemade or store bought)
1 cup shredded chicken breasts or 1-1/2 cups diced chicken*
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can of mixed vegetables***

1. Spray pie plate with cooking spray. Roll out one pie crust and fill the bottom of the pie plate and up the sides.
2. Mix together remaining ingredients and fill the crust.
3. Top with second pie crust, pinching edges/seams to seal.
4. Bake according to the pie crust directions (if store bought), until crust is golden brown and no longer doughy. ***I baked mine at 425 for about 30 minutes before it was done.

*I used 1 cup shredded chicken because that's what I had on hand. It's definitely more visually appealing with diced chicken, but still very yummy.

**You can substitute fresh of frozen veggies that have been steamed and add in about 1/4 cup water.

This recipe is very easily customized. Mix up what veggies you use. Change up how you season and cook the chicken that you use. Add in some seasonings that you like to change up the flavor, etc.

*****
11/07/12

I recently made this again and changed things up a bit. I used:

2 pie crusts (dough), uncooked (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded chicken breasts
1 large can cream of chicken soup, undiluted (or three small)
3 cans of mixed vegetables (drain 1 can, use 2 undrained)
1 can of diced potatoes, drained

I made this in a 9x11 casserole dish. One crust on the bottom of the pan, one on top of the filling. Worked great and spread the dish even farther. YUMMY!!!


On this pot pie, I cut apart the top crust to fit. You really don't have to do this, but that's why it looks so funky.

Uncrustable PB&J Sandwiches

"Uncrustable" PB&J Sandwiches

Per Sandwich:
2 pieces of fresh (aka very soft) bread
Peanut butter
Jelly/jam (I use jam because it spreads easier than jelly)

Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on both slices of bread (this keeps the bread from getting soggy on one side), in the middle of the bread slice leaving about 1/4" plain bread all around the outsides. On one piece, spread a layer of jam/jelly on top of the peanut butter. Place the two pieces of bread together with the fillings on the inside. Use an "uncrustable" sandwich sealer to cut the bread crusts off and seal the sandwich - a two step process, but is very easy. I use the "Wonder Sandwich Sealer N Decruster" (bought at Walmart), and with this particular one, there is very little bread lost (I turn the crusts into croutons or breadcrumbs) unlike the round sandwich sealers. I then bag and freeze the sandwiches. I make mine in bulk - at least one loaf of bread at a time, but the last time I made them I made four loaves of bread into uncrustables. It made about 48 sandwiches.

Makes 1 sandwich.


Peanut butter on both sides of bread.


Jam on top of the peanut butter on one side of the bread.


Line up the sandwich sealer and decruster. And press down to first decrust, and then to seal (white first, and then blue second).


Remove the excess bread.


Yummy homemade uncrustables!