Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Skillet

1 tsp plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil, divided (I use evoo)
1 can Mexican-style corn
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tbsp Southwestern Seasoning Mix
2 cups uncooked instant white rice (we used brown, it's a little more healthy)
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups salsa verde
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Add 1 tsp of the oil to a skillet; hear over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Meanwhile, drain corn; pat dry with paper towels. Add corn to skillet in a single layer. Cook without stirring 5 minutes or until caramelized on one side. Remove from skillet; set aside

As corn cooks, cut chicken into 1 in pieces using knife. Combine chicken and seasoning mix in a bowl. Add chicken to skillet. Cook over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes or until center of chicken is no longer pink. stirring occasionally. Remove chicken from Skillet; set aside.

Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to skillet. Add rice; stir until well coated with oil. Add broth and salsa; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover skillet; reduce heat to low. Simmer 5 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, snip cilantro using shears.

To serve, spoon chicken over rice mixture in skillet. Sprinkle with cheese and corn. Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro.

The Pampered Chef: 29 Minutes to Dinner pg 31

Beef Stroganoff

• 1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin fillet
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef consomme, available on soup aisle
• 2 teaspoons prepared Dijon style mustard
• 1/4 cup sour cream, eyeball it
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan in a slow stream
• 1/2 small onion, sliced
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped cornichons (I leave this out)
  
• 1 pound extra wide egg noodles, cooked to package directions
• Chopped parsley leaves, garnish
• Thickly sliced pumpernickel bread, optional
• 5 mushrooms
  

Slice meat into 1/2-thick by 2 -nch long very thin strips and season with salt and pepper. Set in freezer (I don't normally do this, I just cook it and set it aside).

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and cook with flour 1 minute. Whisk in consomme. Thicken 1 minute. Stir in mustard and sour cream, thicken 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season sauce with salt and pepper.

Heat a second skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter, then add the meat and onion and cook over high heat until brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Then add the chopped cornichons and stir to combine.

Arrange meat on a bed of egg noodles and top with Stroganoff sauce and parsley. Serve with thickly sliced pumpernickel bread.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/beef-stroganoff-recipe/index.html

Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte

1 /2/3 cup devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup nutella
1 egg
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
8 oz whipped topping
Mini peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350. Spray torte pan with nonstick spray. In a bowl, combine cake mix, sour cream, nutella, and egg. Spread batter into cake pan. This is thick batter and you to spread it. Bake 12-15 min. Remove from oven let set of 10 min. Invert and let cool completely.

Crush about 10-15 mini peanut butter cups. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and peanut butter. Reserve 3/4 cup of whipped topping for garnish. Fold in remain whipped topping and crushed peanut butter cups. Spread filling into well of cake and garnish.

Orange Dream Torte

1 sm pkg 9 oz of yellow cake mix (I have trouble finding this size so you can use 1 2/3 cup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup melted orange sherbet
1 egg
1 orange
4 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup powered sugar
2 tbsp melted orange sherbet
8 oz whipped topping
1 can mandarin orange segments

Preheat oven to 350. Spray tort pan with baking spray. Place an 8in circle of parchment paper over center of pan (I don't this and it turns out just fine). In a bowl combine cake mix, sour cream, sherbet and egg. I add orange marmalade one time and it really made a difference. Whisk until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading to edges. This batter is think and you will have to spread it. Bake 12-15 min or until center feels firm to touch. Remove from oven let stand for 10 min. Invert cake, remove parchment and cool completely. I normally make my cake the day before, and the filling the next day.

Zest orange to measure 1 tbsp. Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, sherbet and zest. I also juice the orange a little, drain some of the can of mandarin oranges into it, and some orange marmalade also; whisk until smooth. Reserve 3/4 cup of whipped topping for garnish. Food remaining whipped topping into cream cheese mixture.

Spread filling into well of cake Refrigerate 1 hour or until read to serve. Granish with reserved whipped topping and mandarin orange segments just before serving. I like to brush my cake well before adding in the cream. Take some orange juice from the orange or the can of mandarin oranges, mix it with some melted orange sherbet and using a pastry brush, brush it all over the well.

The Pampered Chef: Simply Sweet 56 Irresistible Desserts pg. 93

Lasagna Casserole

Salt
1 lb campagnelle (curly pasta)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb ground beef, pork, and veal mix
1 carrot peeled and grated
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves grated
black pepper
1 (28oz) can Italian plum tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded or torn
a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a couple of handfuls

Bring a pot of water to a boil. When it boils salt the water liberally, add the pasta and cook just shy of al dente 6 to 7 minutes; there should still be a good bite left to it.

While pasta water comes to a boil heat the EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat and break it up into small bits; brown it lightly 3 to 4 minutes. Add carrots, onions and garlic; season with salt and pepper; cook for 5 to 6 minutes to soften. Add tomatoes to the pan and use a wooden spoon to crush them up. Add the stock. Simmer for 15 minutes, then fold in the basil and parsley.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl. Add the sauce and ricotta cheese and mix well, then transfer to a casserole dish and top with the Parmigiano cheese. Bake for 15 minutes to get the top a bit crusty. Serve with a green salad that you can prepare while the pasta is in the oven.

We used just a pound of ground beef, fresh tomatoes and add some tomato sauce. I add the tomato sauce because when use fresh tomatoes, there is no juice from the can and for these recipe the juice is needed for the sauce. James isn't a big fan of ricotta cheese, so we used cottage cheese instead. I also add Italian seasoning and paprika to the meat. I had some leftover cheddar so that went into the mix too. We also add mushrooms into the mix.

This came from Rachael Ray's Just in time! It's one of her 60 minute meals.

Road Trip snacks

James and I went over to Atlanta, GA to see the aquarium. It's about a 4 hour drive, so I thought it would be nice to have something to munch on along the way, and not really have to worry about breakfast. I made ham and cheese crescent rolls. We went to the deli and picked up a pound a ham deli lunch meat. We had some cheddar and a crescent roll sheet. We cut up the sheet like the crescent rolls would have come. I sprinkled cheese on the rolls, took some ham put some cheese on top and then rolled up the ham. I rolled the ham up in the crescent roll then rolled the crescent roll in some cheese. I put them in the oven for about ten minutes and I had our road trip snack.

Steak made yummy

With the impending departure from Fort Rucker and each other, James thought he would surprise me with a steak dinner. However, I didn't get dressed up, I didn't put on makeup and do hair, nor did he take me out. No, he brought home 2 very nice steaks and some veggies. So I rubbed 'em, soaked 'em and the grilled 'em up.

Ok, so here's the secret for making a rub. If you like it put it in. I take a saucer and sprinkle stuff on it mix it together and rub it on. Here's what I used: garlic powder, ground cayenne pepper, smokehouse maple, black peppercorn grinder, curry powder, Italian seasoning, spicy Montreal steak seasoning, southwest chipotle seasoning, chopped onions, dill weed, and cilantro. Marinades are pretty much the same. For mine this time: Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinaigrette dressing, red wine vinegar, sesame oil, beef gravy and some extra virgin olive oil. I also put whatever is leftover from the rub into the marinade. We grilled the steaks and steamed some veggies and that was dinner. James thought it was awful that we can't go to a restuarnant and have that great of steak.