Chicken-Sour Cream Casserole

Ashley, this is a recipe our grandmother gave to me. It is very similar to the "Hot Chicken Salad" recipe, but it uses fewer ingredients.

What you'll need:
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups cracker crumbs
3 whole chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
8 oz sour cream
10 3/4 can of cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Combine butter and cracker crumbs. Spoon half into a shallow 2-qt casserole dish (an 8x8 pan works too, but a 13x9 is too big)
3. Place chicken on top of mixture
4. Combine sour cream, soup, broth, salt and pepper; blend well
5. Pour the mixture over the chicken and top with remaining crumbs
6. Bake for 20 minutes

Enjoy!

Gorgonzola Chicken Pasta

Erin: I was feeling a little adventurous and a chicken pasta dish sounded really good. I found a recipe for Gorgonzola Chicken Pasta and decided to try it out. Sam absolutely loved it and I thought it was good but I'm not the biggest fan of gorgonzola. So beware, if you do not like gorgonzola, do not try this recipe. Also, it serves two so if you want to make it for more then just double the recipe

Cute place mats, huh?

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound dry pasta ( I used penne)
2 cups half and half
4 ounces crumbly Gorgonzola cheese
8 ounces sliced mushrooms, white button or you can use sliced canned mushrooms from the canned vegetable aisle like I did)
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

What to do:

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. and sear in a hot skillet with two tablespoons of oil over medium high heat.
2. Cook on each side for about 4 to 5 minutes or until completely cooked.
Remove chicken breasts from heat, and let rest for several minutes before slicing.
3. Saute the mushrooms (in the same skillet) on medium high heat until they are browned. While mushrooms are browning sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
4. Cook pasta according to instructions on the package.
5. Prepare sauce by combining half and half and Gorgonzola in a saucepan and heating through. The sauce should thicken slightly.
6. Slice chicken into 1/4 inch slices. Add sauteed mushrooms to the sauce, and stir to combine well.
7. Plate pasta by adding 1/4 of the pasta, 1/4 of the chicken slices. Drizzle with sauce, and top with chopped tomatoes and shredded Parmesan.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Ash- This recipe is SO easy! And it's pretty good. Check it out.

What you'll need:

1/2 cup Hellman's mayonnaise 

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

4 tsp. Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

2. Combine mayonnaise and cheese in a bowl

3. Put chicken halves into a pan and coat with mayonnaise/cheese mixture

4. Sprinkle with bread crumbs

5. Bake for about 25 minutes, but might take longer. Just check! 

I paired the chicken with linguini noodles and sprinkled cheese on top. Delish! 

Main Dish: Honey Mustard Baked Chicken

Erin: For Rosh Hashana, I wanted to stick with tradition and make something sweet to ensure a sweet New Year. I found this recipe for honey mustard chicken and it was really good. It was super easy and it complimented the kugel (recipe follows) and the wine very well. I will definitely keep this recipe around and make it again next Rosh Hashana (if not before then!)

Ingredients:
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I accidentally bought chicken breast tenders from the store but it turned out fine anyway)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley


What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste, and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, basil, paprika, and parsley. Mix well. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the chicken, and brush to cover.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and brush with the remaining 1/2 of the honey mustard mixture.
5. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Erin, it has been so cold in DC lately and I have been miserable. Being from Texas, I am not used to 45 degree weather the first week of October. Trying to stay warm, I finally decided to try a soup recipe I found awhile back. It was warm and hearty and really good!

Ingredients: 

1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced (I used a rotisserie chicken and it was super yummy!)

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1 quart half and half

1 14 ounces can of chicken broth

1/2 cup celery, finely diced

2 minced garlic cloves

1 cup carrots, finely shredded

1 cup onion, finely diced

1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoons extra virgin oil

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1 pound potato gnocchi ( I had so much trouble trying to find this at the grocery store! I've heard that you can find it either in the gourmet section of the store, or the frozen section in Kroger. At the Safeway in DC, I found it in the pasta aisle next to the pasta)

What to do:

1. Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. 

2. Add the flour. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.

3. Meanwhile, cook gnocchi according to package directions.

4. Add in the carrots and chicken to the flour/butter mixture

5. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth. 

6. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning;, simmer until soup is heated through.

I served this with a loaf of sourdough bread to dip in the soup and it was fab! Enjoy!

Brunch: Bourbon French Toast

Erin: Brunch is totally my new favorite meal. I love the fact that drinking alcohol (via mimosas) is completely acceptable before noon. Going out for brunch can be a little pricey so I decided to cook brunch at home this weekend. I found this recipe for Bourbon French Toast in my cookbook, "100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know" and it was fabulous! I will be making this again and again!

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon bourbon (I used Evan Williams Bourbon Whiskey from the local liquor store)
1 grated zest of 1 orange (I used 1 teaspoon orange juice)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon butter
Challah Bread (You can use regular bread but Challah is the BEST and totally makes the dish)

Bourbon Syrup:
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 tablespoon butter

What to do:
1. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, bourbon, orange juice, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well
2. In a skillet or griddle, melt the butter over moderate heat
3. Dip the bread one slice at a time into the egg mixture, turning to coat both sides and transfer the slices to the skillet
4. Cook over moderate heat until golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side
5. Meanwhile, make the bourbon syrup by combing syrup, butter and bourbon in a small saucepan and heat over low heat for roughly 3 minutes

:)