One pan chicken, sausage with Sage and onions & Potatoes

This is a Nigella Lawson recipe - so good! It is a great week night meal with quick prep time and very little clean up.

1 large sweet yellow onion
1/2 cup olive oil (not extra-virgin)
2 teaspoons English mustard (Coleman's or a spicy mustard )
1 tablespoon dried sage
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 lemon
10 Chicken pieces (I used legs, breast & thighs)
12 sausages (I used italian sausages)
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped

Peel and cut the onion into eighths, and put into a freezer bag with the oil, mustard, dried sage, a good grinding of pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Cut lemon in half, squeeze juice into bag, and then cut the halves into eighths and add them. Squsih everything around to mix (the mustard needs help to combine) and then add the chicken pieces. Leave to marinade in the refrigerator overnight, or for up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature in its marinade. Arrange the chicken pieces in a roasting tin skin side up with the marinade, including all the bits and pieces, and tuck the sausages around them. Sprinkle the fresh sage leaves over the chicken and sausages and then put the the pan (I use a big disposable pan) into the oven to cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the sausages over half way through to color them evenly. In the last 40 minutes add potatoes to the pan.

I use Tyler Florence's Roasted Fingerling Potato recipe. I move the chicekn & sausage to one side so there is room for the potaoes. The recipe says to have the oven at 500 when the potatoes go in, I cook them at 425 for 40 minutes.

Blueberry Dessert

My friend Niki made this for a women's leadership meeting at church. It was so comforting and delicious. Super easy! To kick it up - serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. Yum yum yummy!

Method:
Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking oil
Pour an undrained 16 ounce can of crushed pineapple in the bottom of pan
Sprinkle with a yellow cake mix
Put 3-4 cups fresh/frozen blueberries on top
Sprinkle the blueberries with a little sugar
Pour 1 cup chopped pecans on top
Drizzle with one stick of butter
Cook around 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees....

Hot Chicken Salad

Karen remember this one? Darlene made this for us at our luncheon concluding our very first Beth Moore study (Jesus the One and Only).

2 C cooked, diced chicken (or 2 cans of chicken)
1 C sliced celery
1/2 C sliced almonds
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 T lemon juice
2 t grated onion
3/4 C mayonnaise
1/2 C grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 C crushed potato chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Combine all ingredients (except last two) in bowl. Put mixture into casserole dish. Next add cheese and then top with chips. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve immediately.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

3-4 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 can cream of mushroom soup(I use Campbell's Healthy Request)
1 can cream of chicken soup (again Healthy Request)
1 can Rotel (I used mild)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I use reduced fat)
1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded (again red. fat)
1 Bag Nacho Doritos (going to try the baked version next time)

Directions:
Break up bag of Doritos - set aside. Mix together the soups, rotel, cheddar cheese and chicken. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with vegetable spray, cover bottom of dish with a thin layer of chips and half of the chicken mixture. Layer again with chips (reserve half a cup of chips), chicken mixture- them top with the Mexican cheese blend. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. When there are about 3 or 4 minutes of baking time left add the reserved half cup of to the top. Just watch it because the chips on the top will burn quickly. Once done let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

When serving have sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, and green onions - let everyone add what they want to their individual serving. For a topping add a dollup of light sour cream and few avocado slices. Side dish recommendations salad and black beans.

Side note- could use ground turkey or lean ground beef instead of chicken. Make "taco meat" out of it by sauteing an onion (or use onion powder), brown meat then add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Ham Delights

My friend Allison who gave me this salad and this salad made these little sandwiches for our Superbowl party last year. I have made them a few times for family gatherings and for teacher work day. FYI the recipe uses Sister Schubert's® Parkerhouse Yeast Rolls (find them in the frozen isle at the grocery store) and the ham mixture makes a lot - enough for three trays of rolls.

3 pan Sister Schubert's® Parkerhouse Yeast Rolls
1 cup finely chopped honey ham
1 t Lea & Perrins worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 T prepared mustard
1 t poppyseeds
1/3 cup swiss cheese, grated
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup asiago cheese, grated
1/3 cup chopped green onions

Directions:
Allow rolls to thaw. Remove rolls from pan and slice rolls in half. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl. Place a small amount of filling in each Sister Schubert's Roll. Put rolls into pan, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350°F or until desired warming has occurred. If desired garnish with lettuce when serving.

Side note you can make the Ham Mixture ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator until ready to cook in rolls.

Blueberry Dessert

Another recipe I tried at a leadership meeting. Niki said she normally likes to serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. This was so comforting and delicious. As a matter of fact the night we had this was on our first snow day of the year.

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking oil
Pour an undrained can of crushed pineapple in the bottom of pan
Sprinkle with a yellow cake mix
Put 3-4 cups fresh/frozen blueberries on top
Sprinkle the blueberries with a little sugar
Pour 1 cup chopped pecans on top
Drizzle with one stick of butter
Cook around 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees....

Super easy!! Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Gooey Cake Bars

A lady at church brought this to a leadership meeting I attended in January. I am not usually a coconut fan, honestly I did not know it was in there until she sent me the recipe. These are rich so you may want to cut the bars small.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2 (8-oz.) cans crushed pineapple (undrained)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Coconut Icing recipe below

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 13x9 baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, pineapple, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Using the end of a wooden spoon poke ½ inch deep holes in top of cake at 1 inch intervals. Pour Coconut Icing over hot cake. Cut into squares to serve. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Coconut Icing
1 cup butter
1 (5-oz) can evaporated milk
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

In medium saucepan, combine butter, evaporated milk and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Mix in nuts and coconut pour over cake.

Hashbrown Casserole

These recipes are from friends that I have been meaning to post instead of cluttering my inbox. They are not WW friendly, but some that would be good for special occasions. Here is the first one.

This was brought to Bible Study by a lady in our church. Everyone wanted the recipe -it is really good.

2 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese (optional - use regular jack cheese if you prefer)
8 oz sour cream
1 can soup - your choice pick one (cream of celery, chicken or mushroom)
1 small can diced green chilies
2- 1 lb frozen potato ( O'Brien southern style, or any brand diced) defrosted in fridge overnight
1/4 cup green onions
1/4 tsp butter optional


Preheat over 350; grease a 9x13x2 casserole dish
Mix together two types of cheeses - set aside 1/2 cup for top of dish at the end. Melt together soup, sour cream, cheeses, chilies in the microwave. Mix onions, butter (optional) and potatoes together in large bowl, pour melted ingredients over potatoes -gently blend. Pour potato mixture in in greased pan. Add 1/2 cup cheese to the top and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 45 min to 1 hour. Might want to take foil off the last 10 minutes to brown top a bit.

Chinese Chicken Salad

My friend Allison (of Allison's Salad) brought this salad to our small group meeting last night. She said is was very easy and I can tell you it was very yummy!!

3/4 cup vegetable oil
5 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
3 teaspoons soy sauce
3 (3 ounce) packages chicken flavored ramen noodles
1 large head cabbage, shredded
1 head iceberg lettuce – rinsed dried, and shredded
1 bunch green onions, chopped
12 ounces canned chicken, drained
1 cup toasted and sliced almonds
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the vegetable oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and ramen noodle flavor packets. Bring dressing to the point of boiling, remove from heat and refrigerate until chilled.

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, lettuce, green onions, broken noodles, chicken and almonds. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve. Serves twelve

Allison's Salad

My friend Allison makes this as her go to salad. After having it at several functions, I had to get the recipe. It is very easy and oh so delicious.

Butter Lettuce or Spring Greens (Bag)
Romaine Lettuce (Bag)
Red Onion (thin slices)
1/2 cup of Toasted Almond Slivers

Dressing:
Mix the following in a container with a lid:
½ lb feta
½ lb green & purple grapes
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ t fresh minced rosemary
¼ cup Brianna Blush Wine Vinaigrette

Combine all things for dressing and let mixture set. In salad bowl, toss spring greens & romaine lettuce. If you like red onion you can also thinly slice this and toss with the salad. Toast sliced almonds and sprinkle on top.

Toss with above dressing right before serving.

Note: Toast almond slivers in a single layer in a pan at 350*. Check after six minutes, shake pan to rotate almonds. Cook for about 2 more minutes. Do not get them to brown.

Special K Cookies

When my grandma would make these - she would sit sheets of waxed paper on her washer and dryer to let them harden. Then she would place the cookies in this orange Tupperware container. She also made a mean pimientos cheese spread and used this container to store it - I will have to post that recipe sometime. I love that I have this container along with many other wonderful things of hers.

1 cup sugar
1cup white corn syrup
12 ounce jar peanut butter (smooth
4 cups Special K cereal

Combine sugar and syrup in a small pot. Boil for one minute. Take out of pot and place in a bowl. Add peanut butter. Add cereal. Drop from a teaspoon onto waxed paper. Let cool.

Texas Yum Yum Cake

My grandma made this recipe while I was growing up. It is so easy, but I always get rave reviews.

Crust:
1 cup flour
1 stick salted butter
1/2 cup pecans (finely chopped)

1st Layer:
1 - 8 ounce cream chesse
1/2 - 9 ounce carton of Cool Whip
1 cup powdered sugar

2nd Layer:
1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups of milk

3rd Layer:
1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups of milk

4th Layer:
1/2 - 9 ounce carton of Cool Whip

Optional topping:
1/3 cup pecans (finely chopped) - I do not do this step.

Preheat oven 350*

Crust: Blend together and press into 11x14 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes; remove from oven and allow to cool. Mix first layer together and spread over cooled crust. For the next two layers you can use the same bowl that you mixed the first layer in, just scrap bowl well before making pudding layers. To make pudding layers with your mixer combine the pudding and milk. Add the vanilla pudding layer, followed by the chocolate layer. Spread the remaining cool whip on top and if desired sprinkle with nuts. Chill thoroughly before serving. Can be made ahead (morning but not day before).

Mashed Sweet Potato Casserole

I use to never eat sweet potatoes, but that all changed seven years ago at a church small group Thanksgiving celebration. Our dear friend Mary brought this recipe and I could not get enough of them. Now, I will only eat sweet potatoes baked (topped with butter of course) or Mary's version.

4 lbs fresh or 3 large cans (drained) Sweet Potatoes
3 Eggs
1 small can Evaporated Milk
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Butter
1 tsp. Salt
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. All Spice

Topping-
½ cup flour
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup chopped walnuts
2/3 stick butter

If using canned sweet potatoes, warm them with the butter in the microwave. If using fresh, boil as you would regular potatoes for mashing. Mash potatoes, add ingredients to potatoes. Whip all together with electric mixer until very smooth.

Once whipped smooth pour potatoes into a greased casserole (I use a 2 qt. casserole dish). If you would like to prepare a day before stop at this point, add topping right before cooking.

Preheated oven at 375 degrees

Melt butter and mix with above topping ingredients. Mix until crumb mixture is achieved.

Pour topping to cover the sweet potatoes completely. If the casserole was prepared a day ahead, take out of refrigerator 15 minutes prior to putting on topping and baking. Bake for 30 minutes or until heated completely through.

Corn Casserole

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup onion (chopped)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
4 tablespoons pickled jalapeno slices (finely chopped)
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 (8.5 ounce) package dry corn muffin mix
1 1/2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

In a small skillet melt butter on medium low heat, once it starts to melt add onions. Cook until onions are soft and translucent. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, cream style corn, sour cream and melted butter w/ onions. Stir in whole kernel corn, cheese, jalapenos. Stir in the corn muffin mix until just moistened.

Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 75 minutes; or until an inserted knife comes out clean and the top is golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Mexican Lasagna

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt and Pepper – to taste
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can refried beans
½ - 8 ounce container of Sour Cream
1 cup mild taco sauce
1 cup frozen corn kernels
Salt and Pepper to taste
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas or corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar
2 cups Mexican blend cheese
2 scallions, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and red onion – cook until translucent. In the pan (with the onions) brown the meat, once browned, drain (if needed) the meat and onions to get rid of excess liquid.

Season with chili powder, cumin, taco sauce, salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. In a small pan warm the beans, sour cream and a hand full of the Mexican blend cheese – stir until blended together. Warm the Corn in microwave so it is not frozen before it is layered in the dish.

Coat a 9x13x2 pan with non-stick spray. Cut the tortillas in quarters to make them easier to layer. Build lasagna in layers of tortillas, then ½ meat, beans, corn, then Mexican cheese blend. Repeat with tortillas, rest of the meat and top with cheddar cheese. Bake lasagna 15 to 20 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with the scallions and serve.
Adapted from Rachael Ray’s recipe

Mom's Lasagna

You can make this lasagna one to two days ahead; let it sit on counter for at least 15 minutes before baking.

1/4 Cup Oil
1/2 Cup Onion (chopped)
2 Med. Cloves of Garlic (chopped)
1 pound ground beef
3 Tbsp Parsley (dried)
1 Tbsp Basil (dried)
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Pepper
1 Tbsp powdered Oregano
16 Ounce Can Stewed Tomatoes (diced)
1 small can Tomato Paste
1 Pound Box of Lasagna Noodles
16 Ounce Container Cottage Cheese
3 Cups shredded Mozzarella
Grated Parmesan to cover the top

Cook oil, onions and garlic over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add beef and brown with onions and garlic. Add next 7 ingredients to pan and simmer for 45 minutes.
When the meat is almost through simmering cook noodles until al dente. Drain from water and rinse so they do not stick.

Preheat Oven to 350*

Assembly-
My mom puts all the noodles in the bottom of a 13x9x2 pan. (If you want layers, you will need to double your meat sauce, as you will not have enough meat as the recipe is written.) Next, add half of the meat sauce, cottage cheese and then the mozzarella. Put on rest of the meat sauce and then top with paremesan cheese. Cook for 30 minutes or until it starts to bubble. Let it sit on the stove for 15 minutes so it can "sit up" before serving. Serve with salad and garlic bread.

Baked Pasta

1 pound ground beef
1 to 2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 to 2 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 - 16 oz. pkg. Penne pasta
1 - 26.5 oz. jar prepared spaghetti sauce
6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
6 oz. sliced provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
Grated parmesan cheese

Put 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium low heat and sauté the onions and garlic. Keep heat low enough to not brown garlic- cook till onions are translucent. Brown ground beef in onions and garlic. Add salt, pepper, spaghetti sauce, basil and oregano. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions for al dente (want pasta to have a “bite” to it as you are baking it later and do not want it over cooked when you serve it). Drain.

In a buttered 9x13 baking dish layer 1/2 of the pasta, provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 spaghetti meat sauce, remaining 1/2 of the pasta, mozzarella cheese and remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top to cover dish.

This can be assembled ahead of time. If assembled the day before set out on counter 10 -15 minutes before baking.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.

Serves 8 - 10 very heartily; great for a crowd or split in half serve one tonight and freeze other half for later. Serve with salad and bread.

Image from penzeyzone.com

Creamy Chicken Bake

I made this last week at my grandparents home. I was given this recipe by my friend Ann several years ago and it is a favorite at our house. The original recipe is definitely not low cal or low fat but you can adjust some things (low fat sour cream, fat free soup, etc.) to make it a little healthier. When I take meals to friends (i.e. new baby, sick family members) this is one of the meals I make - everyone likes it and the dish transports well.

So good...

4 or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (boiled and shredded)
1 cup warm broth (saved from boiling chicken)
8 ounces sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 to 2 sleeves Ritz crackers
1 to 1 ½ stick butter; melted

Place shredded chicken in the bottom of a buttered (I use butter not Pam) 9X13 pan. Salt and pepper chicken to taste. Whisk together sour cream, 1 cup broth (warm) and soup. Pour over chicken. Crush crackers and sprinkle over the top. Drizzle melted butter over crackers.

Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes or until bubbling. Serve over white rice along with a salad. Serves 6