Pesto Chicken

Okay, remember that pesto pasta salad?

This one?

The only problem with it is that it only uses half a container of pesto. So you have a few options. You can:

A.) Double the recipe and have pesto pasta salad sitting in your fridge for weeks in that bowl you always want to use but can never find because it’s sitting in the fridge with pesto pasta salad in it

B.) Leave the half-used container of pesto in your fridge to “do something with,” forget about it, and find it two months later in an unusable state

C.) Make this pesto chicken

This was really good, really easy, and tasted awesome. JW commented several times how good it was. A huge thank you to Pinterest for this find (which if you are any sort of creative or foodie or fashion type and you are not on Pinterest, you are missing out on a whole world of new and exciting things), and of course, many thanks to Kalyn’s Kitchen for the recipe.

Baked Pesto Chicken (This is how I made it, when I didn’t have the recipe in front of me. Here is the original if you want to compare.)

• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 3)
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper for seasoning chicken
• Half of a 7-8oz container of basil pesto
• Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut chicken breasts into strips, or pieces. Whatever you prefer.

Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Lay chicken strips over the pesto, then spread pesto over the chicken. Stir it around a bit so the chicken is covered with the pesto.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil (or use a baking dish with a tight-fitting lid) and bake the chicken for 25-30 minutes, just until chicken is barely firm and cooked through. Don’t cook too much at this point, or the chicken will be overcooked by the time the cheese is melted and browned.

When chicken is barely cooked through, remove foil and sprinkle chicken with mozzarella cheese. Put dish back into the oven without foil and cook 5 minutes more, just until cheese is melted. (If your broiler is separate from the oven, start preheating it when you take the chicken out.) Kalyn’s note: After I melted the cheese for 5 minutes I switched my oven to broil and broiled for 5 minutes more, just long enough to get the cheese lightly browned.

We had this over the same tri-colored curly pasta I had used for the pasta salad, and the juice from the chicken dish was delicious over the pasta. You could also use angel hair, or even rice.

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Chicken Spaghetti Remake

Split chicken breasts were on sale at the grocery this week, and I thought I’d make a yummy chicken pot pie with a latticed puff pastry crust, like I saw somewhere on Pinterest. Now… JW does not like chicken pot pie. I know this. But I thought maybe he’d like it with the puff pastry.

So I cook, debone, and shred the chicken, and as I start to get the rest of the ingredients out, JW comes around the corner.

“What’s for dinner?”

“Chicken pot pie.”

Silence.

He walks over to the pantry, opens the door, glances inside for a brief minute, then proceeds to pull out a box of spaghetti noodles and lay it on the counter in front of me.

Okay, I can take a hint.

So chicken spaghetti it is. Except I don’t have any rotel tomatoes. What I do have is green salsa, which I decide will have to do. I also added a bit of sour cream. And do you know… it was great! And Kathryn loved it too.

Now I have some puff pastry to use. Oh, the possibilities! Love me some puff pastry.

Chicken Spaghetti Remake

• 1/2 lb spaghetti, cooked
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• Half of an 8-oz container sour cream
• 1 7-oz can green salsa
• Couple handfuls of cheese

Mix it all together and bake in a casserole dish until heated through and cheese is melted. Yum.

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PW’s Pizza Crust, Kind Of

We love making pizza at home. For the longest time I’ve been using the Olive Oil dough recipe from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, which is good and easy to make. But this time around I decided to try Pioneer Woman’s pizza crust recipe, which she raves about, and when have I ever made anything of PW’s that’s been less than stellar? Answer: never.

So I got started and I wasn’t too far into the recipe when I realized it called for 1/3 cup of olive oil, and I had… none. There was no going back at this point, so I used regular ol’ vegetable oil. Did it make a difference? No idea. The crust was awesome. A definite winner over the crust I’ve been making. But I shouldn’t have been surprised. When has PW ever steered me wrong? Answer: never.

This was supposed to be a pepperoni and olive pizza. Unfortunately as I started to put the pepperoni on, I realized they’d been in the fridge a little too long and had mold on them. Sad So we had olive pizza. And it was delicious! I really didn’t miss the pepperoni at all. You can use whatever toppings you like, of course. Even if it’s just olives.

Pioneer Woman’s Pizza Crust (from her cookbook)

• 1 tsp or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/3 cup olive (or vegetable) oil, plus more for drizzling

Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water.

Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.

With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the oil until just incorporated. Or, you can use a spoon. Which is what I did.

In a separate bowl, gently stir the yeast/water mixture, and drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture. Mix until the dough forms a ball. You can use your hands if you like, which I did here, until the dough comes together.

Drizzle a little oil into a clean bowl, or mist with cooking spray. Toss the ball of dough in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil.

Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

To prepare the pizza, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Divide the dough in half. Lightly drizzle olive oil on a pizza pan or baking sheet. Or use parchment paper and no oil.

Using your hands, stretch the dough to the desired shape. Spread sauce and/or desired toppings over the dough and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown.

The other half of the dough may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 3 days before use, or frozen for up to 6 months.

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Muenster Macaroni & Cheese

Sincerest apologies for the terrible photo – but I figured a phone photo would be better than no photo at all.

This was SO good. I love muenster, and I have Annie of Annie’s Eats to thank for turning it into a scrumptious mac & cheese. Plus its near-ridiculous simplicity just made it that much better. It isn’t diet food by any means, with a cup of heavy cream, 8 oz of muenster cheese, and a buttery Ritz cracker topping, but it sure is worth the calorie splurge!

Muenster Macaroni and Cheese (Original recipe here)

• 16 oz macaroni pasta
• 5 Tbsp butter, divided
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 oz Muenster cheese, shredded
• Salt and pepper to taste (Important – salt is hugely important in mac & cheese!)
• ¼ cup Ritz cracker crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions just until 1-2 minutes shy of al dente.

Meanwhile, dice 4 tablespoons of the butter and place in a large mixing bowl.  Warm the cream in a small saucepan or the microwave.  Cover to keep warm.

Once the pasta is cooked, add to the bowl with the butter and toss to coat well.  Stir in the warm cream and the Muenster until the cheese starts to melt.  Mix in salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the mixture into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish (or in my case, a regular ol’ 9×13).  In a small bowl, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.  Mix in the cracker crumbs.  Toss with a fork to coat evenly with the butter.  Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the pasta in the baking dish.

Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the topping turns golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.  Serve immediately.

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16-Minute Bean and Beef Burritos

I have thoroughly been enjoying Ree’s “boy-centric” week at The Pioneer Woman. A series of 16-minute meals that taste great? Sign me up!

This week we made the beef and been burritos, and JW declared them a smashing success. You can tweak her basic recipe however you like it (leaving onions out, for example, because you don’t feel like chopping one up), and although it looks basic and simple (and it is), it tastes beyond delicious. It’s kind of like individual enchiladas.

Here’s my modified recipe, but you can go back and look at Ree’s, or create your own version to your liking.

Ree’s 16-Minute Bean and Beef Burritos

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 can Mexican tomato sauce or enchilada sauce (I used El Pato enchilada sauce)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 can refried beans
• Grated cheese (cheddar, colby, or colby-jack), one handful for the beans and more for sprinkling on top
• Burrito-sized flour tortillas

Brown and drain ground beef, and add chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper if desired, and add enough sauce to make it moist but not wet. Simmer.

Heat refried beans in saucepan or microwave. Add cheese and stir until melted. Keep warm.

Heat tortillas in microwave.

Spread a small amount of beans on a tortilla, followed by meat. Fold ends in and roll up. Place on a microwave-safe plate, drizzle with additional sauce, and sprinkle with more cheese. Microwave for one minute, until cheese is melted and burrito is very hot. Serve immediately.

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Corn Casserole

I had never made corn casserole before last night. Eaten it? Sure. Enjoyed it? Absolutely. But never made it. And this one turned out great. What I like about it is that it is a nice starchy side that isn’t potatoes, pasta, or rice.

An added plus? JW, who does not like corn, cornbread, or sweet things, ate two helpings of this and said I should make it again. THAT, my friends, is success

I researched several recipes and this one kind of came together as a result of personal preferences and things that sounded good. Sorry… no picture… we ate it too fast.

Corn Casserole

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 (15-oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (15-oz) can cream style corn
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1 box (8.5 oz) Jiffy corn muffin mix
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used Colby Jack, but probably would be great with sharp Cheddar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8×8 baking dish.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and spread into dish.

Bake 45-55 min. or until golden brown and set.

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Macaroni and Cheese

What I loved about this macaroni and cheese is that it was quick, easy, delicious, and still homemade. I was in the mood for a creamy mac & cheese, so I used Velveeta, although in the future I may use a combination of Velveeta and cheddar, or something else, for a little stronger cheese flavor. That said, this was delicious and it will definitely be staying in my repertoire for future meals (although not too frequent as it’s not a dish for the super health conscious)!

Macaroni and Cheese (Recipe found here)

• 16 oz elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1 lb cheese, cut into cubes
• Breadcrumbs, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a pan, cook butter, salt, pepper, and flour, and stir until smooth.

Remove from heat and stir as you gradually add milk. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil 1 minute.

Remove from heat and add cheese. Stir until melted.

Pour over macaroni noodles, sprinkle with breadcrumbs if desired, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cover with foil before baking if you do not use breadcrumbs and you do not want a crust to form on top.

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Premium Thin Crust Pizza

JW has been asking for a thin crust pizza for a while, so I decided to dig up some new recipes and see what I could find. This one really stood out because of the great reviews, and I was intrigued by the preparation and rising times. I used the quicker sponge method, but it can also be made as an overnight dough.

I – the person who does not like to knead – actually did knead this by hand, and for the recommended 15 minutes (I KNOW! Aren’t you impressed?) I wanted to follow the recipe as closely as possible. I think it did take quite a bit more flour than originally called for in the recipe, but it really was very easy to work with, especially when it came to stretching it out.

I stretched it thin, but left some nice edge on the side. I prefer to use my hands to stretch so the edges don’t get too flat, which has been my experience with a rolling pin.

Speaking of rolling pins, mine has gone on the fritz and I haven’t bought a new one yet. When I told this to JW’s mom, she asked if I had whacked him too hard over the head with it

I brushed some olive oil over the edges and sprinkled with a mixture of garlic salt, Italian herbs, and parmesan cheese. It turned out a tad salty for me, so next time I may use garlic powder instead of the garlic salt.

Ready to go into the oven…

And here’s the finished product!

Do you see the mini pepperonis? Aren’t they cute?!

I really did like this dough. The only thing I wish I’d done differently is bake it on a pizza stone – which I normally do, but mine got apple pie juice on it, which bubbled up and then burnt, and if it had been more expensive I probably would have tried to clean it, but as it was I just threw it out when we moved. So the crust wasn’t as “crispy” as if I’d baked it on a stone, but I guess it means I’ll just have to try it again, eh?

Premium Thin Crust Pizza (Recipe found here)

• 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (or more)
• 1 tsp sea salt

OVERNIGHT COLD RISE METHOD: In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Stir in 2 cups of flour and salt; mix well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 15 minutes. Place dough in bowl dusted with flour cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

SPONGE RISE METHOD: In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour; mix well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until foamy, about 1 hour. Blend in remaining water, flour and salt; beat well. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 15 minutes. Place dough in bowl dusted with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 2 to 3 hours (less if rising in a warm place).

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Roll dough out to half of its final size. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes (while you prepare desired pizza toppings). Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, or higher (higher temp will cook more quickly).

Stretch out dough over your floured knuckles and stretch or toss until desired size is achieved. Place dough on a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with cornmeal or a lightly greased pizza pan. Spread with desired toppings and bake on a pizza stone in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I was sick with a stomach bug for a couple days, during which I obviously didn’t cook at all, and then we had an incident over the weekend involving JW and massive amounts of blood that took him to the ER — so blogging hasn’t exactly been at the top of my list lately

JW is fine, in case you’re concerned. He got a few stitches and was fixed up in no time. I wasn’t actually a part of all the drama because I was at home asleep (long story), and didn’t find out until I woke up the next day. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to go.

Also, the blood came out of the carpet. So we won’t have to explain that one to the apartment manager.

Now, on to these enchiladas! JW made a request a while back for some enchiladas with a sour cream sauce, and I dug this recipe up from Allrecipes. It was fantastic. I didn’t use quite as much cheese as the recipe called for, and for some reason I didn’t have the Monterrey Jack that I thought I did, so we went with Colby Jack instead. The sour cream sauce was excellent. I loved it, and JW loved it enough to eat a large dinner, and another helping a few hours later. So I’d say it was a success in the Sharp household!

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (original recipe here)

• 12 corn tortillas
• 3 cooked boneless skinless chicken breast halves, shredded
• Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 3/4 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• 2 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Warm tortillas in microwave to make them soft and pliable. Divide chicken, cheese, and onion among the 12 tortillas. Roll up each tortilla and place seam side down in a greased baking pan.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until mixture begins to boil. Slowly add the broth, stirring with a whisk until thickened. Mix in the sour cream and chiles, heat thoroughly but do not boil, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture over the enchiladas.

Bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining Monterey Jack cheese and bake for 5 more minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

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Ricotta-Stuffed Shells with Alfredo Sauce

This is by far one of the most calorie-laden dishes I’ve made all year. But also one of the most delicious

We went out to an Italian restaurant recently, and JW told me afterwards, “I’ll bet you could make a really good alfredo sauce.” I said, “Yes, probably.” And he proceeded to sketch out a dinner for me to try making, involving shells stuffed with ricotta filling, covered in alfredo sauce. Since JW doesn’t often have dinner requests, I decided to oblige. And this deliciousness was what resulted.

Here’s the big picture: Boil large pasta shells, and stuff with a mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, salt, pepper, and dried parsley [I needed JW's hands to hold open the shells while I squeezed the filling in]. Let them sit while preparing the alfredo sauce – butter (the shells are swimming in it, can you tell?), half & half, garlic, gruyere and parmesan cheeses, and fresh parsley. Pour over shells, cover, and bake.

There is NO way that a recipe with over a pound of cheese in it could be bad. Bad for you, but that’s a different story.

All things considered, it isn’t a difficult recipe to make, doesn’t call for meat, and certainly has the ‘wow’ factor going for it. JW took one bite and was in heaven. We served it with fresh string beans, and the presentation was lovely.

Note: This recipe is for a halved version. Double it all if you want to make a 9×13 pan size. Also, I recommend using quality ingredients for the alfredo sauce. Fresh cheeses are a must.

Ricotta-Stuffed Shells with Alfredo Sauce

Shells & Filling (adapted from this recipe)

• 1/2 (12-oz) box jumbo pasta shells
• 1 (15-oz) container ricotta cheese [I used lowfat, like it made any difference]
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 Tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• fresh ground pepper

Alfredo Sauce (recipe here)

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup half and half, or heavy cream
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan, Gruyere, or a combination.
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook shells in boiling salted water, according to package instructions. Meanwhile, combine egg, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper in a large bowl until well mixed.

Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and place in casserole dish.

Make alfredo sauce: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk constantly until heated through and cheese is melted. Stir in parsley.

Pour sauce over shells in dish, cover with foil, and bake 45-60 minutes, uncovering for final 5-10 minutes of baking.

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