Chicken Stronganoff

The last time that we were in Idaho, Justin's Mom made this yummy little recipe for dinner.  Justin and I loved it and the kids seemed to think it was all right as well.  We'll definitely be making it around here from time to time.  It originally came from the Taste of Home cooking site.

• 4 bacon strips, diced
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 jars (4-1/2 ounces each) sliced mushrooms, drained
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• Pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• Hot cooked noodles
• Additional paprika, optional

• In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings; set bacon aside.
• In the drippings, cook the chicken, onion and mushrooms until the chicken is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the broth, salt, paprika, pepper and bacon. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Combine flour and sour cream until smooth; add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with noodles. Sprinkle with paprika if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

I finally got around to making this recipe out of my Our Best Bites cookbook and it was fast, easy, and delicious!

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (I used fresh roma's from the garden)
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
8 ounces farfalle or bowtie pasta
1/4 cup pine nuts (we didn't have this)
1/2 cup pesto
1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bring a large pot of water to boil.
2.  Place tomatoes and mushrooms on a foil-lines baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss gently with fingers to ensure it's all coated.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Cook for 12-15 minutes or until tomatoes look plump and some of the skins just start to split.
3. When the water comes to a boil add 2 tsp. of salt and pasta to the water and cook.
4.  While pasta is cooking place pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat.  Stir frequently until nuts turn golden brown and look slightly glossy, about 7-9 minutes.
5.  Toss hot drained pasta with pesto and Parmesan cheese.  Top with tomatoes and mushrooms and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

Ranch Potatoes

Ignore the odd name (I didn't know what else to call these), these potatoes are hands down some of the best potatoes I've ever had in my life!  And as a huge potato fan I feel qualified to say that! I got this delicious recipe from my dear neighbor Lesley and I'd make them for dinner every night if I could.  Yes, they're that good!

6-8 russet potatoes, peeled and diced into  bite sized cubes
1 cube real butter, melted
1 package dry ranch dressing mixture

Boil cubed potatoes in a large pot until they are just starting to get tender.  If overcooked, they'll be a mushy mess, so err on the side of undercooked here.  Drain and mix with melted butter and ranch dressing.  Spread out on a sheet pan and pop in the oven to bake until they start to get slightly browned and crispy!

Sugar Cookie Bars

I made these for a church social this summer and they were a huge hit!   The only problem is that all of my favorite things to make don't qualify as dinner or health food.  I found this recipe on Real Mom Kitchen's blog.

1 cup butter; room temp.
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg.  Add vanilla and mix well.  In a separate bowl combine flour, salt and soda and stir with a whist to combine.  Add to wet mixture and mix until just combined.  Spread on a greased baking sheet (use a 13x18 pan). Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min., until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely and frost.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, room temp.
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 tbsp. milk
food coloring (if desired)

For frosting combine butter and shortening until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt.  Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk and mix until smooth.  Spread over cooled cookie.

Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip

My neighbor Tami, who's always cooking up something delightful, brought this delicious dip to a neighborhood BBQ.  I wanted to eat the whole thing--it was so yummy!  She made some fabulous bread to go along with it, but says it's great on crackers as well.  I ate it with some tortilla chips someone brought and it was super good that way!  I'm gonna be making some of this soon! 

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed, drained

3/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

3/4 cup KRAFT Light Mayo Reduced Fat Mayonnaise

1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

HEAT oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients; spoon into 9-inch quiche dish or pie plate.
BAKE 20 min. or until heated through. Serve with Triscuit Reduced Fat Crackers and assorted cut-up fresh vegetables. Can also serve with baguettes, focaccia bread, or tortilla chips.

Million Dollar Chocolate Cake

I got this recipe at a Relief Society meeting a couple months ago.  I finally got around to giving it a try and it was pretty good. I'm not usually a fan of homemade cake because it tends to be so heavy.  This was heavier than the mixes I usually use, but still pretty good and the raspberry filling and the ganache topping were awesome!

Million Dollar Chocolate Cake

1 c. boiling water
3/4 c. cocoa
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. cornstarch
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. any combination of buttermilk, plain yogurt and or sour cream
1 t. vanilla
raspberry preserves (I used freezer jam)
1 c. cream
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (I used semi sweet)
Sprinkles (if desired)

Pour boiling water over cocoa and stir until smooth. Set aside.
Cream butter 1 minute, then add sugar. Cream 3-5 minutes (may still be a bit crumbly).
Add in eggs and mix another 2 minutes.
Pour flour, cornstarch, powder, soda, and salt. Whisk well until it looks "lighter" or you could sift!
Add the dry ingredients and sour milk alternately to creamed mixture. (I did 3 dry and 2 wet). Mix well, but do not over mix.
Beat in cocoa and vanilla until well combined.
Bake in 2 greased and floured 8 inch cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Cool for 5 minutes, then turn out on a cooling rack. Cool completely.

When cooled, even out cake tops with a serrated knife (this allows you to "sample!)
Lay first cake right side up and spread with raspberry jam. Use as much or little as you want!
Top with the next cake upside down.

Put chocolate chips in a bowl and set aside. Heat cream in a saucepan until it simmers.
Pour hot cream over chips and let sit 5 minutes.
Stir until combined. Let sit 5 more minutes.
When cooled, slowly spoon over cake, seeing that it drips over to cover the edge!

Let set 5 minutes.
When done, place a cookie cutter on the cake and sprinkle with colored sugar.
Use a spoon to get to the edges. When filled in, lift off cookie cutter.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

One of the local restaurants has the yummiest lettuce wraps!  When I found this recipe on one of my favorite sites, I knew I had to try it!  It's so yummy!  And pretty easy too!

Asian Lettuce Wraps
Recipe by Our Best Bites


2 tsp canola oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 lb ground chicken*
3 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped (about 8 small mushrooms)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 C bagged coleslaw mix or thinly shredded cabbage
1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, and finely minced
1/2 C thinly sliced green onions
4 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 3-4 Tbs juice)
1/2-1 tsp sriracha or other hot sauce (1 tsp of Sriracha is fairly spicy in my opinion, so if you want less or no kick, just give it a little, or you can leave it out completely)
1/3 C roughly chopped cilantro
1-2 heads iceberg lettuce

*To prepare your own ground chicken, cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into large chunks and pulse in a food processor until ground.
*Callie's note: I had my local Macey's grocery store grind some chicken breasts for me!

Dipping/Drizzling Sauce
4 Tbs soy sauce
4 Tbs rice vinegar
3 Tbs water
2 tsp honey
1-2 tsp finely minced fresh ginger

Heat a very large skillet to medium-high heat on the stove top.  When hot, add vegetable  oil and then garlic and ginger.  Saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, and then add ground chicken, chopped mushrooms, and kosher salt.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until chicken is cooked through.  (*At this point, sometimes I have some extra liquid in the pan from the chicken.  If it’s quite a bit, I tilt the pan and spoon it out so the chicken can cook and not boil.) Add cabbage/coleslaw, water chestnuts, and green onions.  Cook for about 2 minutes, until cabbage starts to wilt.  Add soy sauce, sesame oil, the zest from the lemon and the lemon juice, and hot sauce to taste.  Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
To prepare dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and whisk to combine.
To serve, carefully remove the individual leaves from the head of lettuce.  (The closer you get to the center, the easier it becomes!)  Place chicken mixture in the leaves and serve with sauce.
Yield: about 5 C chicken mixture.  Makes 14-16 lettuce wraps.

---

Article printed from Our Best Bites: http://www.ourbestbites.com

URL to article: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/04/asian-lettuce-wraps/

Creamy Mints

My Mom used to make these little mints for special occasions when I was a little girl.  I loved them then and I still love them now!  This isn't her recipe, but  the end result is very similar.

Creamy Mints
30 minutes, makes about 3 dozen candies


3 tbsp. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp. mint extract
4-4 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
about 1/4 cup granulated sugar


1. Beat the cream cheese until soft and fluffy (2 min.) Add the mint and desired food coloring and mix until well blended.
2. Add confectioners sugar, 1/2 a cup at a time, until it forms a stiff mixture.
3.  Form balls with about 1/2 tsp. of  mixture.  Roll in suar and flatten with thumb or fork tines or press into mold. Store in the fridge.


Here's a second recipe I found online.

Barrington Mints
Makes 150 mints

Ingredients:
8 ounces soft cream cheese (I used Philadelphia regular)
6 tablespoons soft butter (I used unsalted)
3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract (NOT mint extract)
2 pounds sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 drops red food coloring (Mine is pretty strong, so I used only one)

Method:
Melt the cream cheese with the butter in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.  Turn off the heat, leaving the pan on the burner, and stir in about 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, food coloring, and vanilla. (My note: Add peppermint here as well.)  Stir in the rest of the sugar until well blended.

Line a large baking sheet with wax paper.  Push mint mixture into a pastry bag, icing syringe or squeeze bottle with a decorative tip.  Create desired shapes for mints.  Let set 1 hour.

Store between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, or in the freezer up to 4 months.  Do not store at room temperature.

Mexican Bean Dip

This is for you Emily!

1 can of refried beans
1-2 ripe avocados, remove seed and skin and completely smash the fruit, add a little lime juice (lemon works too)
1/2-2/3 cup sour cream mixed with a tbsp. or so of taco seasoning (start slow, taste it, you can always add more)
1-2 cups shredded cheese
2 finely diced tomatoes
sliced olives
finely sliced green onions or chives (I prefer chives, less of an aftertaste)

Spread in order listed above on a dinner sized plate or small platter.  Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy!