Lemon-Zucchini Fettuccine

Ingredients
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 lemons, divided
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 medium zucchini
salt and pepper
5-6 cloves garlic
8 ounces fettuccine
fresh basil (about 1/2 cup)
fresh oregano (about 1/4 cup) or about 1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Prepare grill. You could also do this on the stove top in a skillet or a grill pan.

2. Place chicken in a zip-top bag with the juice of one lemon, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and the red wine vinegar. Seal the bag and gently squish the bag to make sure the ingredients are incorporated and surrounding the chicken. Set aside for 15-30 minutes.

3. In a large pot, bring water with about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Press or finely mince garlic cloves. In a small sauce pan on the stove, place 1/4 cup olive oil and add garlic. Turn the burner to medium-low heat. It shouldn’t be popping and frying, the oil should just slowly warm, infusing the oil with the garlic and removing that zing fresh garlic has. 

5. When the water is boiling, add pasta.

6. Remove chicken from the bag and salt and pepper both sides. Place the chicken and zucchini on grill. 

7. While the chicken and zucchini are grilling and pasta is boiling, chop herbs and prepare the cheese. Zest both lemons and juice the one that hasn’t been juiced. 

8. When the zucchini and chicken are done, remove them from the grill. Allow the chicken to stand for 5 minutes and then chop the zucchini and chicken. 

9. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain the pasta and immediately place in a big bowl. Place the chopped zucchini and chicken on top. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese, herbs, and garlic-olive oil mixture.

10. Now take some tongs and give everything a big toss. If you feel it needs more moisture, add a little of the pasta water or a little more olive oil. 

11. Garnish with a little more Parmesan on top and another squeeze of lemon if you have any left. 

Source: Our Best Bites cook book. Original recipe is still online at Our Best Bites.

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. margarine or butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. milk
1 can (13.75) chicken broth
1 1/2 c. water
1 head (2.5 lbs) cauliflower, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
6 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded

Directions
In a 4 quart sauce pan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth and water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender (about 10 minutes). In a blender (with center part of lid removed for heat to escape) in small batches, blend cauliflower mixture at low speed until smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to sauce pan. Heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove sauce pan from heat; stir in mustard and almost all of the cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with the remaining cheese and serve.

Notes: We had this a year and a half ago (that's how far behind I am on posting recipes) and I honestly don't remember it very well. Brittany says it was okay, but that she prefers our Creamy Vegetable Soup recipe to this one.

Source: Prairie 4th Ward Recipes & Remembrances Cook Book, 2nd Edition

Baked French Toast

Ingredients
1 loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1-inch slices
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Directions
Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange bread slices in the bottom of the pan; set aside. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, half-and-half, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour over bread slices, cover, and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Heat until bubbling. Pour over bread and egg mixture. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Serve with butter, syrup, and powdered sugar. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Notes: Super delicious! We like to have baked French toast for breakfast on special occasions and so we've tried several variations. This one is a simpler version of the Baked Apple French Toast with Caramel Sauce recipe that we posted a long time ago.

Source: Lion House Christmas cook book.

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup
Ingredients
3 cups sliced onions
1/4 cup butter
2 cups beef stock (or 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons beef soup base)
2 cups chicken stock (or 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons chicken soup base)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 recipe Parmesan Toast Cubes (see below)

Directions
In a medium saucepan, saute sliced onions in melted butter until golden brown. Add beef stock,  chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan Toast Cubes just before serving. Makes 4 servings.

Parmesan Toast Cubes
Ingredients
1 loaf French bread
Butter, room temperature
Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
Slice French bread into thick slices and place on a large baking sheet. Spread each slice with enough softened butter to cover each slice. Sprinkle liberally with Parmesan cheese. Place slices under broiler and toast until light brown. Remove and cut into large cubes.

Notes: Simple and very tasty! The photo in our cook book shows the toast in strips or slices, so we did not cube ours.

Source: Lion House Christmas cook book

Turkey Tetrazzini

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups diced cooked turkey breast
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can fat-free chicken broth
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can low-fat cream of mushroom soup
2 teaspoons sherry wine or 2 teaspoons cooking wine
1/2 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
8 ounces canned mushroom slices, drained
1/4 cup pimento stuffed olive (optional)
12 ounces uncooked spaghetti or any type of noodle
parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions
Place all ingredients except spaghetti, Parmesan, water and cornstarch into crock pot; stir. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over cooked spaghetti; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Prior to serving, you'll probably want to thicken this a little more. Mix lukewarm water and cornstarch in a bowl until corn starch is dissolved. Add to crock pot mixture. Stir until thickened. If it it not thick enough you may repeat this step.

Notes: The blog we got this from mentions this is a good way to use leftover turkey from a holiday meal, and I agree.

Source: Crock-a-doodle-do.

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Ingredients
3 c. quick oats
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. milk
1/2 to 1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (could substitute other berries or fruits)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together in one bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce, vanilla, eggs, and milk. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then add fruit. Spread in a greased 9" x 9" baking pan. Bake at least 20 minutes. If you prefer it to be a more cake-like texture, you can bake it up to about 45 minutes. Serve as-is or with milk.

Notes: We don't have too many breakfast recipes on here, but our family loves this one so much that we figured we better post it. I have started doubling the recipe and baking it in a 9" x 13" pan so we can have leftovers for later on in the week.

Source: This recipe comes from my sister Melanie.

Quick & Easy Noodle Stir-Fry

Ingredients
1 12-oz. package linguine (whole wheat or regular)
1-2 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Asian sweet red chili sauce (Thai Kitchen makes one that’s great and easy to find; this is not the chili sauce you find near the ketchup)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 small red onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced or pressed
1 large or 2 small orange, red, and/or yellow bell peppers, seeded and sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen green sugar snap peas, snow peas, edamame, or green beans
1 medium zucchini, julienned or chopped
Optional: Grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak, black sesame seeds, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When it is boiling, add the noodles and cook al dente. When the noodles are done, drain them and toss in 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil.

2. Whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, sweet chili sauce, and dark sesame oil. Set aside. 

3. While the noodles are cooking, heat a large skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sliced onions, garlic, and ginger. Stir fry 1-2 minutes or until fragrant, but the garlic isn’t burning. 

4.Add the peas (or beans or edamame) and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add the zucchini and peppers and stir fry for another 30 seconds or until the veggies are crisp-tender. Add the noodles and stir fry until the noodles are well-combined with the vegetables. Give the sauce a quick whisk and then drizzle it evenly over the noodles and stir fry the entire mixture for about 30-60 seconds or until everything is well-coated in the sauce. Serve immediately–if you want, you can garnish individual servings with chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and black sesame seeds. Serves 6-8.

Notes: It has been several months since we had this that I don't really remember too much about it. I do love stir-fried bell peppers, though, and I'm sure this was tasty.

Source: Our Best Bites

Barbecue Ribs

Ingredients

4 lbs pork ribs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon hickory smoke salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce (we've tried Sweet Baby Ray's and a cinnamon apple flavored sauce)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees f.
2. Peel off tough membrane that covers the bony side of the ribs.
3. Mix together the sugar and spices to make the rub.
4. Apply rub to ribs on all sides.
5. Lay ribs on two layers of foil, shiny side out and meaty side down.
6. Lay two layers of foil on top of ribs and roll and crimp edges tightly, edges facing up to seal.
7. Place on baking sheet and bake for 2-2 1/2 hours or until meat is starting to shrink away from the ends of the bone.
8. Remove from oven.
9. Heat broiler.
10. Cut ribs into serving sized portions of 2 or 3 ribs.
11. Arrange on broiler pan, bony side up.
12. Brush on sauce.
13. Broil for 1 or 2 minutes until sauce is cooked on and bubbly.
14. Turn ribs over.
15. Repeat on other side.
16. Alternately, you can grill the ribs on your grill to cook on the sauce.

Notes: When we first tried this, it was our first ever attempt at making ribs. We've now had it twice, the first time with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce and the second with a cinnamon apple BBQ sauce we found at a specialty store. I think it turned out really well both times and we will be having this again.

Source: Food.com

Creamy White Chicken and Artichoke Lasagna

Ingredients
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a touch of cream cheese, divided
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped, divided
12 lasagna noodles, cooked

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine chicken, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and tomatoes. Beat cream cheese, milk and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.
3. Spread half the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture and mozzarella; cover.
4. Bake 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

Notes: This was a tasty lasagna, but in my mind I was comparing it with the Alfredo Chicken Lasagna recipe we had not too long ago (which was awesome), and I just didn't like this one quite as much. Brittany used diced tomatoes and added spinach.

Source: ~Tasty Tidbits~

Italian Chicken

Ingredients

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
16 Ounce Bottle of Italian Dressing
1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese
Italian Seasoning
4-6 Potatoes scrubbed cut in half or wedges
1/2 bag of mini carrots

Directions
Spray crock with Pam. Squirt a small amount of Italian dressing at bottom of crock pot. Place two chicken breasts in crock. Pour some of the Italian dressing on the chicken. Sprinkle half of cheese onto the chicken. Sprinkle Italian seasoning onto the chicken. Place next two chicken breasts into crock-pot, if possible not directly on top of the first breasts. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of chicken. Pour carrots on top. Pour more of the Italian dressing on top of chicken and carrots. Sprinkle Italian seasoning onto the chicken and carrots. Place potatoes on top. Pour the remaining Italian dressing on the potatoes. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on the potatoes. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Notes: I thought this was tasty at first, and the chicken was really tender, but the Italian seasoning was a bit too strong to eat a lot of it. I prefer Creamy Chicken Italiano.

Source: Crock-a-doodle-do.

General Tso's Chicken with Chow Mein

Ingredients
1 Lb. chicken breasts (cut into 1" pieces)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. "lite" soy sauce
1/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 c. white distilled vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with 3 Tbsp. water
4 green onions, sliced

Directions
Dredge chicken in flour and fry in oil over medium heat (in a wok or a skillet) until golden brown and crispy. Drain excess oil. Sprinkle cayenne over the chicken and keep warm on low heat. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine sauce ingredients (sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, and ginger) and heat gently. When sauce is smooth and sugar has dissolved, SLOWLY add cornstarch mixture and stir constantly until sauce has thickened to desired thickness. Pour sauce in the wok and stir to coat chicken. Stir in green onion and hot red pepper flakes (optional). Remove from heat and serve with fried rice.

Notes: I think this may have been the first time I have ever had General Tso's chicken. I enjoyed it but have no idea what it should taste like. We had ours with chow mein (see below) instead of rice.

Source: Favorite Family Recipes


Chow Mein
Ingredients
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
ground black pepper, to taste
2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 (5.6 oz) packages refrigerated Yaki Soba noodles
2/3 c. chopped celery (chopped diagonally)
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
2 c. chopped cabbage

Directions
1. In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and black pepper. Set aside.

2. Remove Yaki Soba from packages and discard included flavoring packets. Rinse noodles well, drain, and set aside.

3. Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Add celery and onion and saute for about 1-2 minutes or until onions start to become soft and transparent. Add cabbage and saute an additional minute or so.

4. Toss Yaki Soba noodles and soy sauce mixture with the vegetables over medium-high heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until noodles are heated through.

Source: Favorite Family Recipes

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana

Ingredients

8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each
1/2 cup whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
6 tablespoons egg whites or egg beaters
5 oz frozen spinach, squeezed dry of any liquid
6 tbsp part skim ricotta cheese
6 oz part skim mozzarella
olive oil non-stick spray
1 cup pomodoro sauce or your favorite marinara sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Wash and dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp grated cheese in one bowl and 1/4 cup egg beaters or egg whites in another.

Shred or finely chop 1.5 oz of mozzarella cheese and combine with remaining grated cheese, spinach (make sure you squeeze it dry), 2 tbsp egg beaters, and ricotta cheese.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 2 tbsp of spinach-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.

Dip chicken in egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spray with olive oil.

Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven, top with sauce then cheese.

Bake until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 3 more minutes. Serve with additional sauce on the side and grated cheese.

Notes: Tasty. Check out the source for some much better photos. I wasn't happy with any that I took.

Source: skinnytaste.com