Saturday, February 20, 2010

WW Chicken or Turkey Tettrazini

10 oz uncooked vermicelli
2 tsp veg oil
1 lb turkey breast cutlets or chicken breasts
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp pepper, divided
2 tbsp dry sherry or white wine
2 (8 oz each) pkg sliced mushrooms
3/4 c frozen peas, thawed
3/4 c FF milk
2/3 c FF sour cream
1/3 c grated parm
1 can RF cream of mushroom
cooking spray
1/3 c dry breadcrumbs
2 tbsp melted butter
sauteed celery and onion

Preheat oven to 450. Cook pasta according to pkg directions. Drain. Heat a little butter or oil in a skillet, saute a little bit of onion and celery (the recipe is weird, it doesn't specify an amount, nor does it have the oil or butter needed for this step listed in the ingredients. I just use 2-3 stalks of celery and about 1/2 an onion, diced). Put celery and onion in a bowl and set aside. Heat oil on med-hi. Sprinkle turkey with 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Cook in oil til done, remove from pan. Add1/4 tsp onion powder, sherry, and mushrooms to pan. Cover and cook til tender, about 4 minutes. Combine peas, milk, sour cream, cheese, and soup in large bowl. Chop turkey (or chicken). Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, pasta, turkey, celery and onion, and mushroom mixture to soup mixture, tossing gently to combine. Spoon into greased 13x9 baking dish. Combine butter and breadcrumbs; sprinkle on top. Bake at 450 for 12 minutes or til bubbly and hot.

Baked Potato Soup

Made this a few weeks ago, best potato soup I've ever had!

3 bacon strips, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil (I did not add this, it just didn't sound like a tasty addition to me)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (looking at the recipe, I don't recall adding this, I think I forgot to)
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Minced fresh parsley (also didn't use this, didn't have any on hand)
In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.

Fall Apart Crockpot Chicken

This is from Hillbilly Housewife. Sounds a little weird, but it seems that some of the weirdest combinations make the most delicious food. We had it over rice, and it was tasty.

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 stick butter
1 pkg. dry Italian salad dressing mix

Cook on low in crock pot for 3-4 hours. Shred chicken. Then add:
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2-1 can of water (measure in the soup can)
Heat through; about an hour. Serve over noodles, rice, whatever you like.
In honor of my German heritage, I'll share a few of my favorite German recipes. I'll just keep them all in this one post.

Bratkartoffeln (Pan Fried Potatoes)
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cooked
3 tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch black pepper
3 ounces bacon, diced (optional)
1 medium onion, diced (optional)
For garnish, 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Cut potatoes into evenly thick slices (about 3/16 in ). Use a large pan that will hold potatoes in a single layer or use two pans. Heat oil over medium high heat. If using bacon and onion, fry together until onion is translucent. Add potatoes, stir once to mix and then be patient! DON'T stir until potatoes are nicely golden brown on the bottom, 3-5 minutes, only check for color occasionally. Sprinkle with half the salt. Use less salt when using bacon. Turn and fry the same way on the other side until nicely gold-brown. You might need to add a little more oil to the pan if all the oil is soaked up by the potatoes. Taste with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

German Meatballs with Cream Dill Gravy
1 1/2 lbs ground round
1 cup soft breadcrumbs (2 slices bread)
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup minced green onion
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 2 teaspoon dill weed
Combine beef, breadcrumbs, water, onions, egg, 1 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and pepper in a large bowl; mix lightly. Shape into 24 meatballs. Place on a jelly-roll pan. Bake in a hot oven (400°) for 15 minutes, or until browned. Meanwhile, heat butter in a medium-size saucepan. Add flour; cook until bubbly. Remove from heat; gradually stir in milk until smooth. Return to heat; cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in dill and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spoon over meatballs. Serve with hot buttered noodles, if you wish.


German Potato Pancakes:
6 lg Potatoes, cooked and mashed
2 Well-beaten Eggs
1 1/2 tb Flour
1/4 ts Baking powder
1 1/2 ts Salt
1 sm Grated onion
Mix above ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls into 1/4 inch cooking oil. Turn to brown on both sides. This makes about 12 (3 inch) cakes. Good served with applesauce.


Frikadellen (German Meat Patties):
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
3 small onions, diced and sauteed
1 tbl oil
8 tbls breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
2 tsps basil
2 tsps salt
2 tsps pepper
2 tsps flour
5 tbls oil
Mix ground meats together in a mixing bowl. Peel and dice the onions, then saute in oil until transparent. Add sauteed onions to meat mixture. Stir together breadcrumbs and milk and add to meat mixture. Add basil,salt and pepper and mix well. Dampen hands and form meat mixture into a palm-sized patty. Fry on both sides in oil until golden brown.


Rindergulasch (Beef Goulash):
3 tbsp Vegetable oil
3 Onions; medium, chopped
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Paprika
2 c Water; hot
1/4 c Water; cold
1 lb Round steak; cubed
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Garlic salt
1/4 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp Unbleached flour
1/2 c heavy cream
Heat vegetable oil in a large fry pan or Dutch oven. Add meat cubes and brown well, approximately 10 minutes. Stir in onions; cook until soft. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic salt, paprika, and sugar. Blend thoroughly. Pour in hot water; cover and simmer gently about 1 1/2 hours. In a small jar or container, shake or blend flour with cold water. Be sure to break up all lumps. Add to meat about 7 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Stir constantly until sauce is thickened and bubbling. Remove from heat; stir in cream. Serve with noodles.
Haven't been posting, completely forgot I had a food blog lol.
This is a tasty soup. I've only made it once so far, and I actually made it on the stovetop as opposed to slow cooker coz I had some already cooked and shredded chicken, so this was easy to throw together and not have to wait all day to eat!

Chicken Enchilada Soup
15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
10-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn (I used a drained can)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow, green, or red bell pepper (I used green, hate red)
10-ounce can enchilada sauce
10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese (I used cheddar or monterey jack, I don't remember which, but any will do)
2 chicken breasts (I used about 2 cups of shredded, cooked chicken that I had from leftovers)

In a 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker, combine drained beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place 2 chicken breasts on top of mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and soup. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker.Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Remove chicken and cut or shred into bite sized pieces. Add chicken back into soup. Top with pepper jack cheese and serve. Can also be topped with avocado, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips. Note: if the soup is too thick for you, just add a little more milk after it's all cooked.