Friday's Fare - Two Types of Roasted Vegetables

In the past week, I've made both of the following recipes & they were a hit. You could probably use any of your favorite seasonings in either recipe...chili powder, garlic, onion, etc. I just started simple this time.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts
1 lb fresh brussel sprouts
2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. kosher salt
black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off brown ends & any yellow leaves from the brussel sprouts. Clean them, then cut them in half. Coat w/ olive oil, kosher salt, & pepper. (You can adjust these amounts per your own taste.) Bake about 35-40 minutes, shaking occasionally.

* I baked mine a bit too long & the outer leaves were blackened, but still quite tasty. The insides were so sweet & tender.

******************

Kale Chips
1 bunch of fresh kale
2 T. olive oil
no salt seasoning, to taste
salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Clean kale. Cut leaves from stems & cut into bite size pieces. Coat w/ olive oil, no salt seasoning, & salt. Bake about 20 minutes or until crisp...be sure to stir them around halfway through baking.

* We LOVED these! The Prophet, The Princess, The Saint, & I just stood at the kitchen island eating them...we never made it to the table! The leaves just melted in our mouths. I can't wait to get more kale to make a whole batch of these.

Friday's Fare - Cheesy Chicken Casserole

This is a recipe that I think came from a magazine ad for Campbells soups. Of course, I've tweaked it a bit! Isn't that one of the best parts of learning new recipes? You do it exactly as it says the first time, but then make it your own from then on out!

Cheesy Chicken Casserole
1 can of chicken or 3 chicken breasts (cut in bite size pieces)
1 can of condensed soup (see my note below!)
1 1/3 c. water
3/4 c. uncooked rice
garlic powder & pepper, to taste
8 oz. pkg. shredded cheese (colby jack is great, but others can be used instead)

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Place rice (still uncooked) in 9x11 size baking dish. Mix in water & soup. Spread chicken evenly over top, then sprinkle w/ garlic powder & pepper to taste. Bake for 45 minutes. When done, sprinkle cheese evenly over top. Let it melt some, then serve.

Note on condensed cream soups: This recipe originally called for cream of chicken soup. I've found most of them to be interchangeable, which is esp. good when a recipe calls for cream of mushroom (BLECH!) My favorite is cream of celery & it really makes this dish taste great.

As you can see, this recipe is very versatile. If you're wanting a Mexican flair to it, you could add some chili powder & pepper jack cheese. I've never tried it w/ tuna, but it would probably be good too. The possibilities are endless. Be creative & enjoy!

Friday's Fare - Beef or Turkey Noodle Casserole

This is a recipe a friend gave me over the phone one evening many years ago when I couldn't come up w/ an idea for dinner. She asked if I had the following ingredients on hand & told me what to do. It quickly became a favorite dish!

Beef or Turkey Noodle Casserole
1 lb ground beef or turkey
2 cloves of garlic, minced (opt.)
1 can condensed cream of celery soup (I guess you can use mushroom...if you like it!)
8 oz. sour cream
1 pkg. egg noodles

Brown the ground meat in a skillet w/ the optional garlic. While doing this, cook egg noodles as directed on package, then drain. Once the meat is browned, add soup & sour cream. Bring to a light boil then turn down heat & let it simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After you've drained the noodles, serve the meat mix over the noodles. Add a salad, veggies, &/or fruit & you've got a complete meal!

Friday's Fare - Parsnips

"Parsnips?" you say. Why yes, indeed! They are a new discovery for me & depending on how they are prepared, they can be quite delicious! They are similar to carrots, but have a bit of a bite to them...great flavor, IMHO! Here are three recipes I use. All make great side dishes.

1) Parsnip Mash (I found this recipe in a recent copy of Prevention magazine.)
Cut 1 lb of parsnips into small pieces. Cook in boiling water until tender (about 20 minutes). Mash to desired consistency with 1 1/2 tablespoons each of olive oil & grainy mustard. (I used stone ground.)

2) Roasted Parsnips & Carrots
Cut desired amount of parsnips & carrots into matchstick-type pieces. Coat w/ olive oil, salt, pepper, & any other seasonings of preference. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until tender.

3) This last recipe is my favorite of all three, another roasted parsnips recipe. To save space, I'm just going to link to the recipe on Simply Recipes' website. I love, love, LOVE this recipe!

Roasted Parsnips

Enjoy!

Friday's Fare - Chicken Enchiladas

This is a recipe from my sister years ago. It is a bit time consuming, but not hard & the results are delicious. It's also flexible in some of the ingredients (can use beef or pork if you prefer). Enjoy!

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 c. water
2-3 T. cornstarch
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce, green chile or red (I prefer green, but both are good)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) shredded cheese (I use the Mexican blend, but any would work)
2 large chicken breast halves, cooked & diced OR 2 cans (8 oz.) chicken
1 pkg. (8-10/pkg.) tortillas
sour cream (optional)

Boil water, then add bouillon cubes. Once they are dissolved, pour into a med. saucepan with corn starch. Stir constantly until thickened. Add taco seasoning, enchilada sauce, 1/3 cheese, & all chicken. Heat 5 minutes. Heat tortillas until pliable. Lightly grease or spray 9x13 in pan. Fill each tortilla w/ about 2 T. chicken mix & some cheese. Roll up & place in pan. Top w/ remaining cheese & sauce. Bake uncovered @ 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Sour cream can be spread lightly on top before baking or dolloped when served.

Friday's Fare - New Orleans Beef & Bourbon

This is a recipe HelpfulGrammy used to make when I was younger. The flavor & tenderness of the beef is just incredible & delicious! I made it a couple of weeks ago & it was a hit.

New Orleans Beef & Bourbon
3 lb. pot roast
salt & pepper to taste
2 celery chunks
1/3 c. bourbon
2 cans (10 1/2 oz) condensed chicken gumbo soup

Sprinkle pot roast w/ salt & pepper; put into Crockpot. Add remaining ingredients. Cover & cook on High 9-10 hours or on Low 16-18 hours. Remove meat, slice, & keep warm. Skim off excess fat from top of juices. Spoon juices over meat to serve w/ rice or potatoes & a salad. Makes 6-8 servings.

Friday's Fare - Cincinnati Chili Over Pasta

I've had some requests for recipes of dishes I've mentioned lately, so I thought I'd start a new meme here. So, without further ado, the first recipe for "Friday's Fare" is...

Cincinnati Chili Over Pasta

1 med. onion, chopped in small pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into small pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled & sliced
1 lb. ground meat (beef is better, but I used turkey)
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
3/4 c. beef broth
1 T. chili powder
2 T. honey
1 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. oregano
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, drained
water
8 oz. thin spaghetti
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat skillet for 2 minutes on med-high heat. Add beef, onions, celery, & garlic, stirring until beef is brown & vegetables are tender. Drain fat.

Stir in tomato sauce, paste, beef broth, chili powder, honey, cumin, cloves, & oregano. Bring to boil, lower heat to simmer, cover, & cook 30 minutes...stirring occasionally.

Add kidney beans & cook 15 minutes more. While beans are cooking in the chili, fill a stockpot 2/3 with water & bring to a boil. Add spaghetti & boil according to package directions. When done, drain.

Divide spaghetti on plates or bowls. Top with chili & shredded cheese. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Note: This recipe is a a modified version of one I found in the book, The United States Cookbook by Joan D'Amico & Karen Eich Drummond.