Honey Apple Brie Bites

Ingredients:

1 lemon
1 cup toasted walnuts
2 med red baking apples (jonathan, gala)
1/4 cup honey
1- 4 inch round of Brie or Camembert cheese with rind
2 pkg prepared mini phyllo shells (30 total)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Zest lemon to measure 1 tsp zest. Coarsley chop walnuts. Finely dice apples. Combine zest, walnuts, apple and honey in bowl, mix gently.

2) Cut brie into 30 1/2 inch cubes. Arrange phyllo cups on sheet pan. Place one brie cube into each cup. Using a small scoop, top brie with a level scoop of apple mixture. Bake 6-8 minutes or until Brie is melted.

Chili Lime Meatballs

From the Pampered Chef Appetizers cook book :)

Ingredients:

Glaze:
1/2 cup teriyaki baste and glaze
2 TBSP lime juice
2 TSP Thai red curry paste
2 cloves garlic, pressed

Meatballs:

1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1 egg
2 TBSP asian seasoning (2 tsp grated ginger, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 pressed garlic clove, and 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper)

2 Tsp Thai Red Curry Paste
2 green onions, sliced

Directions:

1) Prepare Glaze. Whisk together baste and glaze, lime juice, curry paste and garlice in bowl.

2) Prepare Meatballs. Combine beef, breadcrumbs, egg, seasoning mix and curry paste in bowl; mix well. Using small scoop, form into 40 meatballs. Place meatballs in skillet, cook over med-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until brown, turning frequently. Remove skillet from heat.

3) Finish and Garnish. Pour glaze into skillet. Stir meatballs to coat. Place meatballs onto serving platter and top with green onions.

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients:

9 lasagna noodles (I buy the ready to use so I can skip the step of pre cooking them)
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms (give or take)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk (skim)
4 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese, skim
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion, mushrooms, and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.

3.Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, the ricotta, and the chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken, and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach, and the remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

4.Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

Pineapple Enchiladas/Burrito's

Ingredients:

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
3/4 cup sour cream (light or fat free)
4 oz light cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I use 2%), divided
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce, divided
6 (8 inch) flour tortillas
*optional- small can of sliced black olives

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.In a medium bowl combine pineapple, sour cream, cream cheese, and 1 cup cheese.

3.Pour 1/4 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

4.Fill tortillas with pineapple mixture, roll and place in baking dish. Pour on remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese and black olives.

5.Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Uncover, and cook 10 more minutes.

*sometimes, I put shredded chicken inside the burritos/enchiladas. Either way, they are always devoured! I serve with saffron rice.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

This is a great dinner to make when you get near the bottom of your bag of tortilla chips. You know, when you have a bunch of crunched up leftovers? Below is the perfect way to use them :)

Ingredients:

1 can diced tomatoes*
1 small can green chilies*
about 1 cup diced cooked chicken
1 can beans- pinto, kidney, black, chili- whatever you have
1 can cream of chicken soup, low sodium
1 can sliced black olives
1/4 cup sour cream, low fat
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp taco seasoning
salt to taste (I never need the salt!)
Fresh Cilantro

* instead of using separate cans of diced tomatoes and green chilies, you can use 2 cans of rotel. I use one can of rotel and one can of diced tomatoes.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Drain most of the liquid from the tomatoes and pour in an 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle tomatoes with seasonings. Drain and rinse beans and spread over tomatoes.


Crush chips and layer over the beans.

Sprinkle black olives over chips.

Combine all liquids and chicken, and mix thoroughly. Pour over the chips.

Place shredded cheese over top evenly. I usually use a bit more than 1.5 cups. Towards the last 3 minutes, I sprinkle some fresh cilantro over the top of the cheese for some extra flavor :)

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

Crock Pot Vegetable (Beef) soup

Ingredients:
(Ground Beef/stew meat/leftover roast beef)
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can green beans
1 (15 ounce) can carrots with juice
1 (15 ounce) can sliced potatoes with juice (or frozen potato cubes)
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (16 oz) pkg frozen lima beans
1 (1.25 ounce) package beef with onion soup mix
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pour all ingredients into crock pot, cook over low for 6 hours.

Ladle into bowls, top with parmesan cheese and croutons. Serve hot.

The Lehmann Family Tradition- Christmas Breakfast

Growing up, my mother always made "Monkey Bread" for christmas breakfast, and as I got older (in college) we got to have mimosa's with it. Now that I'm married, it's time for our family to make our own traditions. So, our tradition for Christmas Breakfast is this menu:

Praline Pull Apart Bread
Modern Mimosa's

Praline Pull Apart Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
1 (2 lb) package frozen bread roll dough (I use Rhodes White Dinner Rolls)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Directions:

Stir together granulated sugar and 3 tsp cinnamon. Coat each roll in butter, dredge rolls in sugar mixture. Arrange in lightly greased 10 inch tube pan. sprinkle with pecans. Cover and chill 8-18 hours.

Next morning: Preheat over to 325. Beat whipping cream at high speed with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Stir in brown sugar and remaining cinnamon. Pour mixture over dough. Place pan on foil lined baking sheet.

Bake at 325 for one hour, or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, invert onto serving plate, and drizzle with remaining glaze in pan. Enjoy :)



Modern Mimosa's

Ingredients:

1 turbinado sugar cube*
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice or pomegranate syrup
1/2 cup Champagne/Asti Spumante, chilled

Directions:

Place sugar cube in a Champagne flute; add 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice and 1/2 cup Champagne. Serve immediately.

**1 rock candy stirrer or granulated sugar cube may be substituted.

Cracker Barrel's Hashbrown Casserol

This is a copycat recipe. It is fairly close, and has always gotten rave reviews when I make it for potlucks! The guys in my husband's squadron never leave a bite in the pan, and always tell him what a great cook his wife is when I make this :)

Ingredients:

2 lbs Ore Ida Frozen Shredded Hashbrowns
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 can low fat cream of chicken/mushroom soup
1 pint sour cream, low fat preferable
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
8 oz mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an 11 x 14 baking dish with cooking spray.

Mix the above ingredients together, place in prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until brown on top.

Stirring about halfway through, and adding a tad more cheese help the top crisp up.

Citrus Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 3/4 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
1 cup orange juice, separated
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup (uncooked) regular long-grain white rice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
sugar
Orange slices
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Sprinkle chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and fresh ground pepper. Place in bag, pour in 1/2 cup orange juice. Marinate 4 hours.

Cook chicken in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until browned. Set chicken aside.

Add broth, 1/2 cup orange juice, onion and rice. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes. Return chicken to skillet. Replace cover.

Cook 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in parsley and top with orange slices.

Baked Sea Scallops

16 sea scallops, rinsed and drained
5 tablespoons butter, melted
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, chopped
3 pinches ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup bread crumbs
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Place scallops, melted butter, garlic, and shallots in a bowl. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir gently to combine. Transfer to a casserole dish.

In a separate bowl, combine bread crumbs and olive oil. Sprinkle on top of scallops.

Bake in preheated oven until crumbs are brown and scallops are done, about 11 to 14 minutes. Top with parsley, and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dressing

I made this for our Christmas Dinner, and it was wonderful!

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup oil
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sage
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1-2 cups white bread (day old)
8 cups corn bread
2 cans cream of chicken soup (use low fat)
2 cans chicken broth (use low sodium)
3 eggs
1 tbsp vinegar
3 chicken breasts

Directions:

Stew chicken breasts until done; cook the onion and celery until tender in the oil. Add salt, sage and poultry seasonings; combine the breads in a large mixing bowl.

Stir in the cooked onion, celery, salt, sage and poultry seasonings.

In a small bowl combine the soup, broth, eggs, and vinegar. Combine with other ingredients in a large bowl, mix well. Pour into Crock-Pot and cook on high for 30 minutes.

Turn heat down to low and cook 3-4 hours. About 1 hour before it's done, add the broken pieces of chicken.

Fried Rice with Shrimp or Chicken

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked basmati or jasmine rice
1 cup water
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen carrots
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 eggs
3-4 tablespoons canola oil (or peanut oil)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2-1 lb chicken, cubed OR shrimp

Directions:

Cook your rice with 1 cup water, 1 cup chicken broth. You want it a bit on the crunchy side, so even though you might want to add more water, DON'T. You either need to cool this completely, or cook it the day before. If you don't, it will be gloppy.

Cook chicken or shrimp in a little bit of oil/butter. Set aside.

Heat a wok over high heat with 1 tbs. of oil. Add eggs and scramble until cooked. Add peas and carrots and fry for about a minute.(You can add or omit any veggie/meat combo you want.)

Remove omelet from wok. Clean the wok out a bit so the leftover egg doesn't burn while you're heating up your wok and oil again.

Add remaining oil to the wok and heat over high heat until it is very hot. Add your cold rice to the wok and stir to coat every grain. (You can add some more oil if you want; it just depends on how greasy you like it.).

Stir fry for a while, stirring constantly until there is no liquid left, then chop up your omelet and add it, along with the soy sauce. Stir. You can add more or less soy sauce according to your taste.

Add in chicken/shrimp and green onions. Stir. Serve.

Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg Good Seasons Zesty Italian dressing mix
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup white wine
splash of vinegar
splash or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8oz pkg low fat cream cheese
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup

Rice or Egg Noodles

Directions:

Place chicken in crock pot

Mix together Italian dressing mix, water, vinegar, EVOO, and wine. Pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours OR low for 8 hours (low is better, the chicken will fall apart on it's own. So tender!)

Mix together cream cheese and soup in separate bowl.

Carefully remove chicken from crock pot to plate. Pour cream cheese/soup mixture into crock pot and mix together with dressing in bottom.

Return chicken to crock pot and mix gently to shred the chicken.

Cook on LOW until heated through (20 mins).

DUring the last 20 minutes, cook your egg noodles or rice (I always use egg noodles). Spoon noodles into plate/bowl and cover top with shredded chicken and sauce.

Kickin' Creamy Chicken Stew

Ingredients:

3 FROZEN Chicken Breasts
1 16 ounce jar Salsa Verde
2 cans Black Beans
1 can Sweet Corn (no salt added)
1 can Diced Tomatos (no salt added)
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 small (4 oz) package of low fat cream cheese

Directions:

Place frozen chicken breasts or tenders in bottom of slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients except cream cheese.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. At this point you can remove about 1/2 the liquid if you want a thicker soup, or you can leave all the liquid if you want a "soup". Add cream cheese, cook on warm setting for 30 minutes, then stir.

Shrimp and Cheddar Grits

In the South, and along the Southern East Coast, shrimp and grits is a famous dish. This is Bobby Flays version without any changes, and it is absolutely DIVINE!

Ingredients:

4 cups water
salt and pepper
1 cup stone ground grits (NOT INSTANT!)
3 TBSP Butter
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (you can use any cheese, but I find that sharp cheddar has had the best flavor with the shrimp!)
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 tsp lemon juice
2 TBSP chopped parsley
1 cup thinley sliced scallions/green onions
1 large clove garlic, minced

Directions:

Bring water to boil. Add salt and pepper. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.

Meanwhile, rinse shrimp and pat dry. Fry chopped bacon in large skillet until browned. Drain well. In grease, add shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes. (this whole process only takes about 7 minutes total as shrimp cooks quickly, so wait until the grits are almost done to do this step!!)

Spoon grits into serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture on top. Serve immediately.

Greek Penne and Chicken

Ingredients:

16 oz pkg of Penne Pasta
2 TBSP Butter
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size cubes (I often use less)
14 oz can artichoke hearts in water/brine
14/16 oz can Italian Diced tomatoes (I use no salt added)
1/2 cup crumbled feta (I use a different flavored feta each time)
2 TBSP chopped fresh, flat leaf parsley (which can be left out if you don't have it)
2 TSBP Lemon Juice
1 tsp dried oregano
salt to taste (I never use it!)
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot with boiling salted water, cook penne pasta until al denta. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add onions and garlic. Cook ~ 2 minutes. Add cubed chicken and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until golden brown (about 5-6 minutes).

Reduce heat to medium low. Drain and chop artichoke hearts. Add artichokes, diced tomatoes (juice, too), feta cheese, parsley, lemon juice and dried oregano. Cook until bubbly, and sauce has reduce a little bit (it will not be very saucey, like a marinara).

Add penne to skillet and let heat all together. Serve topped with crumbled feta or parmesan if you prefer.

If you want a saucier version of this, add 1 tbsp of tomato paste and 1 tbsp more of lemon juice when all ingredients are added to the sauce.