Mexican Lasagna

This is another Rachael Ray recipe, and it so soooo yummy!  I've made it before and it's easy to throw together.  We usually have all these ingredients already in my house, which makes it even easier.  It's also one of my mom's favorites!  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds ground chicken breast, available in the packaged meats case
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 cup medium heat taco sauce or 1 (14-oz) can stewed or fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• Salt
• 8 (8 inch) spinach flour tortillas, available on dairy aisle of market
• 2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or shredded pepper jack
• 2 scallions, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - twice around the pan. Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add taco sauce or stewed or fire roasted tomatoes. Add black beans and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to your taste.

Coat a shallow baking dish with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese. Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with the scallions and serve.

I usually leave out the scallions at the end, but they're more for color anyway, and I'm all about taste!

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan is one of my favorite dinner foods and has been for as long as I can remember.  No matter how much my pallet may (or may not) mature, this oldie is always a goodie.  I made this on Sunday before I went back to school after Thanksgiving.  I used:

6 chicken breasts (cut in half so they cook faster)

flour for dredging

seasoned bread crumbs for dredging

extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of your pan)

3 eggs

3 tablespoons of water

salt and pepper

your favorite canned tomato sauce

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 thickly slice piece of provolone for each piece of chicken

Preheat oven to 350 F

To make this as easy as possible, I set up 3 shallow bowls next to my pans.  I fill one with flour that i lightly season with salt and pepper.  The next bowl has the eggs and water, whisked together to make an egg wash.  The last bowl has the seasoned breadcrumbs.  Before I start the chicken assembly line I put the oil in my man and medium heat and let it warm up.  

Now that the prep work is done, its go time.  Coat the chicken completely in the flour, then in the egg wash, and then in the bread crumbs.  Cook for about 6 minutes per side and then put in the oven for ten minutes.  Then take out and put a spoonful or two on each piece of chicken and top with the provolone cheese.  But under the broiler until the cheese is golden brown, bubbly, and yummy.  

Serve with pasta.

Brie En Croute

I made this an as appetizer for Thanksgiving this year.  I found it on the food network's website, the same way I find many of my recipes.  I knew I wanted to make this the second I saw it.  Brie is one of my favorite cheeses and puffed pastry is just, hands down, delicious.  Pastry layered with butter, layered with more butter, layered with more pastry...holds up a good match with cheese.
I remember my aunt making something similar to this during one of our florida visits, and I've been obsessed ever since.  This was the one thing I made on Thanksgiving where there were NO leftovers.  This made my mom happy because she always thinks we make entirely too much food for the small family gathering we have.  I argue-there is NEVER too much food on thanksgiving.  Here is Paula Dean's Brie En Croute Recipe:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, pre-packaged
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (8-ounce) wheel Brie
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• Crackers, for serving

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Defrost puff pastry for approximately 15 to 20 minutes and unfold.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the walnuts in the butter until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon and stir until walnuts are coated well. Place the walnut mixture on top of the Brie and sprinkle the brown sugar over the mixture. Lay the puff pastry out on a flat surface. Place the brie in the center of the pastry. Gather up the edges of the brie, pressing around the brie and gather at the top. Gently squeeze together the excess dough and tie together with a piece of kitchen twine. Brush the beaten egg over top and side of Brie. Place Brie on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes until pastry is golden brown.

Serve with crackers.

 There is a video that I watched on the food network's website before making this.  Click HERE for the video!

Gorgonzola and Crackers

I have a Wegmans store at home and was excited when I found out that there was one close to school.  For those who are unfamiliar, Wegmans is a grocery store, but don't put it in the same category as Shoprite or A&P.  It is way way way better.  There is an area to eat, pick up freshly baked breads, sushi being made in front of you, and a candy isle bigger then some candy stores.  And of course, what I was interested in, one of the largest cheese sections I've ever seen.  We can call it a cheese section, or heaven on earth, which I find more appropriate.  HERE is the link to their site  so you can see if they have heaven on earth by you.  

One thing I love about Wegmans is that they frequently have samples available to try.  During my trip they had an extra creamy gorgonzola dolce.  They described it as, "milky, buttery, and sweet with subtle blue flavor.  Less aged than the traditional gorgonzola dolce. So creamy it needs to be scooped!  Melt over pasta or just indulge with a spoon!"  This was so delicious that I ended up buying a similar gorgonzola dolce and just eating it with crackers.

Cheesecake!

Photo from juniorscheesecake.com

What's better than a huge slice of cheesecake?  Cheese cake layered with devils food cake and fudge.  My boyfriend took a trip into New York City with his work and brought me back the best present ever.  Two slices of cheesecake from the famous "Juniors."  He brought me one regular slice and a slice of their devil's food cheesecake.  Being a cheese lover, cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts and when you throw chocolate into the mix...to die for!  The devil's food cheesecake had a layer of chocolate cake, then a layer of cheesecake, then a layer of fudge frosting to top it off.  The outside is completely covered in chocolate chips and chocolate shavings.  This was my first Juniors experience, and I was anything but disappointed.  This was, by far, better then any piece of jewelry as a present.  I'm going to try to make this when I get home for thanksgiving!  Check out all the different kinds of cheesecake they have on their website HERE...try not to drool on your keyboard.

French Onion Soup

As it is getting chilly out what can be more perfect then to sit down with a bowl of soup...covered in melted cheese.  I originally started making this recipe from a cookbook that my aunt's temple published.  It is simply delicious and has become a go-to recipe in my house.

6 tablespoons butter
6-8 sliced onions (depending on size)
1 1/2 of the BIG cans of beef broth
3 slices of mozzarella cheese per bowl

Melt the butter in a large pot and add in the onions.  Let them cook low and slow until caramelized, about forty minutes.  Make sure you mix it every once in a while to cover the onions in the butter.  It will look like a ton of onions, but will cook down to the perfect amount.  It is french ONION soup, so I like lots of onions!  After the onions are caramelized pour in the beef stock (salt and pepper to taste).  Cover and lower heat for 2-3 hours.

When you are ready to serve, spoon your soup into an oven safe bowl.  Put the bowls onto a cooking sheet so there is no mess when the cheese melts in the oven.  Put your cheese slices over the soup and place under your broiler.  You want to leave it in for about 45 seconds, or until it is melty and bubbly.  Keep an eye on this because it happens fast!

Most people put a crouton  in the soup, which is an easy addition.  I stopped putting it in when my dad went on a lob carb diet and no one missed it!  To make the crouton just toast up two slices of a french baguette and put in the bowl before you cover it with CHEESE.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Roasted Grape Tomatoes

I originally got this idea from watching an episode of "30 Minute Meals" with Rachel Ray.  Her recipe had a few too many ingredients for the simple dish I was looking for, so I made this similar one.  Everyone in my family loved it, even my brother who can be a picky eater.  This is all you need:

6 chicken breasts
2 eggs
2-3 cups shredded parmesan (not grated)
3 cups of grape tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil

First trim the fat off of the chicken.  I like to cut my chicken into smaller pieces so it is easier to handle and crust.  Pour just enough extra virgin olive oil into your pan to fully coat the bottom.  Next you are going to prepare your egg-wash and the parmesan.   In a shallow dish, mix together the eggs with a little bit of water. Add some pepper to the eggs.  I do this instead of seasoning the chicken( salt is not needed because of the salt content in the cheese).  In a separate shallow dish pour the cheese out.  Let the assembly line begin!  Cover the chicken in the egg-wash, then the cheese and then into the pan.  Make sure you give the chicken enough room because the cheese is going to melt and spread out a little bit.  Cook about 6 minutes on each side.  When you take it out of the pan, place it on paper towels to let the oil drain.

Next for the tomatoes!  Cut the bigger ones in half and lightly salt and put on a baking dish.  You don't need to grease the pan because the juices in the tomatoes will prevent it from sticking.  Put under the broiler until just browned on top, about 3 minutes.

Plate the tomatoes over the chicken and serve!