New Year, New Recipes!

I’m making it a goal to try one new recipe each week this year. We’ll see how that goes!

Here are some recipes from LDWers that sounded delicious. Hopefully you’ll be inspired as well!

Mushroom Asiago Chicken (http://www.bakeatmidnite.com/2013/07/mushroom-asiago-chicken.html#_a5y_p=2962718)

Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/pasta-with-pesto-cream-sauce/)

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken (http://damndelicious.net/2014/09/01/baked-honey-mustard-chicken/)

Vegetable soup (http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/10/vegetable-soup/)

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup (www.budgetbytes.com/2014/07/slow-cooker-black-bean-soup/)

Ground turkey and black bean enchiladas

Black bean & butternut squash chili (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Bean-Chili-with-Butternut-Squash-363715)

Salmon with Herbed Mustard Sauce (http://www.marthastewart.com/312586/salmon-with-herbed-mustard-sauce)

Chicken & Dumplings (http://mycrownedcreations.com/2013/09/12/chicken-and-dumplings/)

Fall Favorites!

Is there anything as good as fall food? Chili, apple pie, pumpkin-everything... It's my favorite time of the year!
Here are some dinner ideas if you're in a slump (as much as I love fall, I have to admit I don't enjoy cooking every day!):

• Skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, roasted rosemary potatoes, roasted lemon and parmesan asparagus, and baked zucchini fries.
• Sausage with peppers and onions, rice and green beans
• Spaghetti squash with ground turkey and sauce
• Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans.
• Pioneer Woman's chicken tortilla soup
• Chicken cordon bleu casserole 
• Garlic shrimp salad with veggies, eggs, garbanzos, and homemade sweet potato fries
• Chicken pot pie
• Lasagna roll ups made with turkey and a spinach cream sauce on top
• Chicken with quinoa and a big pan of roasted veggies
• Baked Orange Chicken and Rice 
• Quinoa and Spinach patties
• Sweet & Spicy Citrus Tilapia
• Tacos! Mix it up with turkey, fish, or chicken.
• Homemade pizza

FALL SOUPS! 

• Chicken and wild rice soup
• Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup  
• Creamy broccoli and cheese
• Corn and red pepper chowder
• Chicken n dumplings
• Butternut Stew with Pork and Spinach
  Crock Pot Sweet Potato & Bean Chili
• Potato Soup
• Pasta e fagoli

Coconut & Chicken Curry Soup

Toddler Meals

Oh... Toddlers. One minute they love broccoli, the next they are throwing that plate across the room for having something green on it. Here are some ideas from fellow moms of toddlers that are their go-to meals and will avoid the dreaded dinner meltdowns :)

• Chicken meatballs with hoisin sauce
• Spaghetti and meat sauce
• Grilled cheese (here are some fun ideas)
• Smoothies
• Buttered noodles
• Hamburgers
• Nachos
• Tacos
• Tuna casserole
• Tuna sandwiches
• Pasta with olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese
• Mediterranean Orzo (add chicken for protein!) 
• Breakfast for dinner--eggs, sausage, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, french toast, bacon etc.
• Quesadillas! Easy way to hide some veggies.
• Chicken & Rice
• Mac-n-cheese -- different add-ins can make it more healthy and fun:
• frozen peas
• hamburger
• hot dogs
• can of drained tuna
• This blog post has some amazing ideas as well!

Spring LDW Recipes

Who doesn't need a little help with dinner ideas?! The recipes below are all LDW-approved :) Hopefully it inspires everyone for the coming weeks.  I've  added a few to my own weekly dinner menu.

Dinner ideas:

• Homemade chicken salad sandwiches and fruit salad
• Honey Glazed Salmon with Browned Butter Lime Sauce served with fresh steamed green beans and brown rice 
• Pulled pork on onion rolls served with broccoli and Mac n cheese on the side 
• Slow cooker chicken caesar sandwiches 
• Tacos
• BLT'S
• Spinach chicken lasagna
• Philly cheesesteak sandwiches 
• Meatloaf with garlic mashed sweet potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts
• Homemade pizza
• Brinner! (Breakfast for dinner) 
• Alfredo bake with bacon
• Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork
• Rotisserie chicken, king's Hawaiian rolls, and fried green beans
• Grilled pork (marinated in soy sauce, brown sugar and rosemary) mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach with garlic
• Dry rubbed (brown sugar, paprika, cayenne, chili power, and cumin) pork butt in the crock pot with homemade ginger beer and onions, simmering it on low all day. Later on I'll shred it up and mix it with some locally made sweet barbecue sauce. Serve it on whatever you like! (Baked potatoes or sweet potatoes, salad, or buns.)
• Thinly sliced some flank steak, added black pepper, lots of garlic, and fish sauce, and cooked it in a pan with a little oil. Served over rice and a spinach salad.  
• Greek Shrimp and Quinoa
  
   

 
Crockpot:

• Lipton Soup Pork Roast
• Quinoa Chicken Chili
• Boneless Pork Chops: 
• 1 can of Campbell's golden mushroom soup, 1/2 can full of red wine, chopped mushrooms, and spices-- salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, etc. Serve with brown rice or potatoes and a veggie- oven roasted asparagus or steamed broccoli.
• Taco soup:  
• Mix together 1 46 oz bottle spicy hot V8, 1 packet Taco Bell taco seasoning, 1 drained can each black beans, dark red kidney beans, 1 can whole herbal corn, 2 cans Rotel. Add in either a lb of browned hamburger meat or a lb-ish of cooked shredded chicken breast. Cook on low at least an hour or 2, serve with assorted toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, black olives, jalapeños, and tortilla chips or Mexican cornbread.

 

Olive Garden's Chicken Gnocchi Veronese

The recipe can be found at Recipe Goldmine.

We didn't make our Gnocchi. I got it at Target and it was wonderful!

Servings: 4

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced (julienned)
1/2 zucchini, sliced (julienned)
Salt to taste
4 chicken breasts, sliced in 1/2-inch strips
2 small branches rosemary
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Veronese Sauce:
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
14 fluid ounces heavy cream

Gnocchi:
2 quarts water
6 ounces all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 pounds russet potatoes
2 teaspoons salt
OR
1 pound gnocchi (potato dumplings, cooked
according to package directions

Gnocchi: Wash potatoes and place in water. Cook potatoes until soft (cook time will depend on size of potatoes). Remove potatoes from water and cool in refrigerator.

Peel cooled potatoes and push them through a fine grater (rice grater) until mashed; do not over-mash potatoes or they will get tough.

Combine potatoes, flour and eggs in a mixing bowl. Mix well until dough does not stick to hands (add small amounts of flour at a time if needed).

Divide dough into 4 sections. Roll out each section into a long rope. Cut each rope into 1/2-inch pieces. Push fork tines on each piece for the classic gnocchi appearance.

Bring water to a boil in a sauce pot. Drop in gnocchi and cook until they float.

Chicken and Sauce: Combine garlic, lemon juice, rosemary and chicken slices in a mixing bowl. Let marinate for at least 2 hours.

Combine Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese and heavy cream in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Heat saute pan on medium high. Add extra virgin olive oil, onions, bell peppers and zucchini. Saute until onions are translucent (do not brown).

Add marinated chicken slices and cook until slices are brown on all sides and internal temperature is 165 degrees F. Reduce heat and add sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer.

Drain cooked gnocchi and add to pan with chicken, vegetables and sauce. Stir to coat gnocchi with sauce.

cheesy stuffed shells

Just wanted to share the recipe from dinner tonight. It was loaded with veggies (zucchini, carrots, celery, tomatoes, spinach) and included tofu for the protein. It was yummy and my kids ate it up.

Cheesy Stuffed Shells

Mozzarella Stuffing Chicken

Soooo, in looking for recipes I could double and freeze, I found this one (copied below) at Kelly's Recipes (author of Kelly's Korner).

****
Mozzarella Stuffing Chicken

4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
4 slices Mozzarella or Swiss cheese
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/4 cup white cooking wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup herb-flavored crushed up Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
1/2 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place uncooked chicken in shallow buttered casserole dish. Layer cheese on top. Mix soup, wine, salt, pepper; pour over cheese. Sprinkle stuffing mix on top and drizzle with melted butter. Bake uncovered for 1 hour.
****

Her recipe calls for either Mozzarella or Swiss cheese, so I used Mozzarella knowing that my kiddos would eat what I didn't use for the recipe (Swiss is too smelly for them-LOL). I also substituted the white cooking wine with chicken broth. And with the next batch, I will add a bit more than 1 cup of crushed stuffing mix (I *heart* stuffing) just to bulk up the 'gravy'.

IT WAS DELICIOUS! BOTH of my currently very picky eaters gladly ate ALL of it (this is huge). Kelly mentioned in her post that she prepared the recipe as directed and froze it raw before her daughter was born and it was just as delicious....I'm definitely adding this recipe to my baby preparation freezer meal list.

freezer-friendly casseroles

Hey Jess... Here are some dishes that we enjoy. I apologize for them all (but one) having pasta. It's got me curious now about casseroles I can make without noodles!

Here are a couple recipes from Pioneer Woman that we love:
Chicken Spaghetti
Lasagna

This is probably my favorite:
Baked Spaghetti

The picture looks a little um, weird but this is a good casserole too:
King Ranch Chicken Casserole

I miss this one. It has egg noodles and egg in it so I don't make it anymore. :)
Noodle and Spinach Casserole

Chicken Ole'

I got this in an email forever ago. My kids actually ate seconds and thirds. Whoa.

Chicken Olé

From the Kitchen of: Chris
Source: MasterCook

You might want to double this because it is never enough.

12 corn tortillas, torn into pieces
2 lbs. cooked chicken, coarsely chopped
103/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
103/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
7 oz. can green chili salsa
8 oz. sour cream
1 tbsp. onion, grated
11/2 c. Cheddar cheese, grated


Lightly grease sides and bottom of Crockery Pot.

In a separate bowl, mix together the soups, salsa, sour cream and onion.

In a Crockery Pot, arrange alternate layers of the tortillas, chicken pieces and soup mixture, ending with soup mixture on top.

Cover and cook on low 4 - 5 hours.

Sprinkle with Cheddar and cook for another 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

You guys can thank me later. This is SOOOOO good. And super fast and super easy. Here is the link:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/parmesan-crusted-pork-chops-recipe/index.html
Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Prep Time:
15 min
Cook Time:
12 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
4 servings
Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions
Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve with lemon wedges.
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