Well, I posted about one recipe and had a request for how it's made, so here goes. I also experimented with a quick rice dish the other night, and it was a sucess so I'm including that, too....I'm warning everyone I don't feel so great right now, so if something doesn't make sense post and let me know....LOL!!!
CHICKEN CASSEROLE:
One whole chicken
3-4 c rice
broccoli flourets
cheddar cheese
1-2 cans cream of mushroom soup
A diced onion (sorry kodiakchicken, forgot to mention that!)
Seasonings
(I use salt, pepper, garlic, curry, sage, onion powder, seasoning salt, and some zatarain's blackened seasoning.)
FYI: The onion can bee added to the broth while you're cooking the chicken, or sauteed and added to the rice and chicken mix at the end, or added to the rice and chicken mix raw...It's up to you!
Boil the chicken with the seasonings in enough water to cover the top of the bird. I use 1-2 tsp of each seasoning except the curry and sage, I use about 1/2 tsp of those...When the chicken is done remove from the broth and allow it to cool, then remove the skin. I don't like soggy chicken skin, so I feed the skin to the dogs.
Pull the meat from the bones and set aside.
Skim the fat off the top of the chicken broth (I'm not too good at this, but I try anyways) and taste the broth. If it needs a little more seasoning go ahead and add some, and if it taste too seasoned don't worry about it, you're gonna use the broth to cook the rice and the rice tones down the spiciness.
Cook the rice. The general rule of thumb is one cup rice to one cup liquid, but I always add about 1/2 c extra liquid cause the rice seems to take longer to cook with the broth.
When the rice is done mix it with the shredded chicken, a few handfuls of cheddar cheese (I like cheese so I use a lot, but you can use however much you want), the broccoli, and the cans of cream of mushroom soup. Cover with more cheddar cheese and bake at 350 till the cheese is melty and good...
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Easy Sorta-Cajun Rice
2lbs of sausage, I used breakfast sausage cause that's all I had and it's relatively cheap.
4-5 cups of rice (the first time I made this I used a box of Zatarain's Jambalaya rice with 2 cups of regular rice to make it go further)
1-2lbs of broccoli or other mixed vegetables
An onion
Cajun seasonings (I used zatarain's blackened seasoning), salt, pepper, seasoning salt, garlic (You don't need much of these if you use the zatarain's rice mix)
butter (you don't need butter if you use zatarain's rice mix....)
Cook the rice, if you're not using zatarain's add the seasonings to the rice before cooking it. You'll need 1-2 tsp of each, or just season how you think you'll like it. If you don't add enough seasonings you can always add more after the rice is cooked, except garlic powder cause that tends to taste funny if it's not cooked with the food.....
Cook the sausage in a frying pan with the onions. When the sausage is done add the vegetables with the sausage and a little water for steam. When the vegetables are hot turn the heat off and cover the pan till the rice is ready.
When the rice is done add some butter (the Zatarain's has some oil in it, but regular rice needs some butter in my opinion...you don't have to use butter if you don't want to.) Taste the rice and if it needs more seasonings add them and mix well...take it easy on the salt, cause the sausage has salt in it.
In a large bowl combine the rice and the sausage mixture, mix well. Serve.
Hubby likes this with some chopped fried Jalepenos...
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Quick Italian Casserole
Well, the sauce for this one is an old Sicilian family recipe that I'm not allowed to divulge, but I'll get as close as I can....The sauce can be eaten over pasta or in the casserole.
Two 16oz cans of tomatoes (This is an approximate guess, we don't use the small cans...we just throw some tomatoes in there and add as much paste as we need to thicken it...)
1 small can of tomato paste (6oz)
1 diced onion
seasonings:
Garlic/garlic powder (I use the jar of diced garlic from wal mart...it's pretty cheap and lasts a long time, and some garlic powder...)
oregano
basil
thyme
rosemary
salt
pepper
red pepper
Meat - Any one or combo of the follwing:
Italian sauage (Sliced or taken out of the casing)
Ground beef
Chunked beef
Chunked pork
Olive oil
Mozzarella/parmesan cheese
Pasta: rigatoni or shells for casserole, and pretty much whatever u wanna use if you're putting the sauce over the pasta.
Instead of buying the oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary individually you could just go to the spice section at wal mart and get one of the $.50 cans of "Italian Seasonings" LOL...that's what we do in a pinch. It doesn't have quite all of them in the mix but it works. You're pretty much on your own as to how much of each seasoning you use. I usually toss in a few tsp of each or however much looks good and then taste the sauce, then add more as needed. If I used the minced garlic from wal mart I usually use a tbsp of it plus the garlic powder.
pre-cook whatever meat you decide to use. Whole sausage can be baked in a dish half-filled with water at 350 for 30-45 minutes, sliced and pan cooked, or taken out of the casing and pan cooked.
Sautee the onions, and seasonings in a few tbls of olive oil. Add the cans of tomatoes and stir. Add the tomato paste, then the meat. Cover and simmer over a low heat until the color of the tomatoes changes from red to an orangy color, about 20-30 minutes. If more tomato paste is desired add some a half can at a time, and if too thick add a little water 1/4-1/2 cup at a time. It takes about 10-15 minutes to really get a feel for each adjustment, so add carefully! Be sure to stir occasionally to prevent the sauce from burning!!!!!
When the sauce is ready remove from heat.
In a separate pot boil enough water to cook your pasta. For casserole you'll need enough pasta to fill a casserole dish, about a pound or so. When the pasta is done drain it well, then mix the sauce into it. Put the pasta/sauce mix in the casserole dish, then cover with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 till the cheese is melty and browned.
This is a very basic sauce, and can be adjusted however you want. The only thing I really don't like is chicken added to it, but even then this sauce can be used as a base for chicken cacciatore, pizza, whatever...just remove the meat. Use your taste buds and experiment, add mushrooms, green peppers, whatever...Let me know if you have any questions!!!
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Well, guys, that's it...I hope you like the recipes, and I hope it makes sense
Good luck, and feel free to ask questions!!!
CHICKEN CASSEROLE:
One whole chicken
3-4 c rice
broccoli flourets
cheddar cheese
1-2 cans cream of mushroom soup
A diced onion (sorry kodiakchicken, forgot to mention that!)
Seasonings
(I use salt, pepper, garlic, curry, sage, onion powder, seasoning salt, and some zatarain's blackened seasoning.)
FYI: The onion can bee added to the broth while you're cooking the chicken, or sauteed and added to the rice and chicken mix at the end, or added to the rice and chicken mix raw...It's up to you!
Boil the chicken with the seasonings in enough water to cover the top of the bird. I use 1-2 tsp of each seasoning except the curry and sage, I use about 1/2 tsp of those...When the chicken is done remove from the broth and allow it to cool, then remove the skin. I don't like soggy chicken skin, so I feed the skin to the dogs.
Pull the meat from the bones and set aside.
Skim the fat off the top of the chicken broth (I'm not too good at this, but I try anyways) and taste the broth. If it needs a little more seasoning go ahead and add some, and if it taste too seasoned don't worry about it, you're gonna use the broth to cook the rice and the rice tones down the spiciness.
Cook the rice. The general rule of thumb is one cup rice to one cup liquid, but I always add about 1/2 c extra liquid cause the rice seems to take longer to cook with the broth.
When the rice is done mix it with the shredded chicken, a few handfuls of cheddar cheese (I like cheese so I use a lot, but you can use however much you want), the broccoli, and the cans of cream of mushroom soup. Cover with more cheddar cheese and bake at 350 till the cheese is melty and good...
~~~~~~~~~
Easy Sorta-Cajun Rice
2lbs of sausage, I used breakfast sausage cause that's all I had and it's relatively cheap.
4-5 cups of rice (the first time I made this I used a box of Zatarain's Jambalaya rice with 2 cups of regular rice to make it go further)
1-2lbs of broccoli or other mixed vegetables
An onion
Cajun seasonings (I used zatarain's blackened seasoning), salt, pepper, seasoning salt, garlic (You don't need much of these if you use the zatarain's rice mix)
butter (you don't need butter if you use zatarain's rice mix....)
Cook the rice, if you're not using zatarain's add the seasonings to the rice before cooking it. You'll need 1-2 tsp of each, or just season how you think you'll like it. If you don't add enough seasonings you can always add more after the rice is cooked, except garlic powder cause that tends to taste funny if it's not cooked with the food.....
Cook the sausage in a frying pan with the onions. When the sausage is done add the vegetables with the sausage and a little water for steam. When the vegetables are hot turn the heat off and cover the pan till the rice is ready.
When the rice is done add some butter (the Zatarain's has some oil in it, but regular rice needs some butter in my opinion...you don't have to use butter if you don't want to.) Taste the rice and if it needs more seasonings add them and mix well...take it easy on the salt, cause the sausage has salt in it.
In a large bowl combine the rice and the sausage mixture, mix well. Serve.
Hubby likes this with some chopped fried Jalepenos...
~~~~~~~~~
Quick Italian Casserole
Well, the sauce for this one is an old Sicilian family recipe that I'm not allowed to divulge, but I'll get as close as I can....The sauce can be eaten over pasta or in the casserole.
Two 16oz cans of tomatoes (This is an approximate guess, we don't use the small cans...we just throw some tomatoes in there and add as much paste as we need to thicken it...)
1 small can of tomato paste (6oz)
1 diced onion
seasonings:
Garlic/garlic powder (I use the jar of diced garlic from wal mart...it's pretty cheap and lasts a long time, and some garlic powder...)
oregano
basil
thyme
rosemary
salt
pepper
red pepper
Meat - Any one or combo of the follwing:
Italian sauage (Sliced or taken out of the casing)
Ground beef
Chunked beef
Chunked pork
Olive oil
Mozzarella/parmesan cheese
Pasta: rigatoni or shells for casserole, and pretty much whatever u wanna use if you're putting the sauce over the pasta.
Instead of buying the oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary individually you could just go to the spice section at wal mart and get one of the $.50 cans of "Italian Seasonings" LOL...that's what we do in a pinch. It doesn't have quite all of them in the mix but it works. You're pretty much on your own as to how much of each seasoning you use. I usually toss in a few tsp of each or however much looks good and then taste the sauce, then add more as needed. If I used the minced garlic from wal mart I usually use a tbsp of it plus the garlic powder.
pre-cook whatever meat you decide to use. Whole sausage can be baked in a dish half-filled with water at 350 for 30-45 minutes, sliced and pan cooked, or taken out of the casing and pan cooked.
Sautee the onions, and seasonings in a few tbls of olive oil. Add the cans of tomatoes and stir. Add the tomato paste, then the meat. Cover and simmer over a low heat until the color of the tomatoes changes from red to an orangy color, about 20-30 minutes. If more tomato paste is desired add some a half can at a time, and if too thick add a little water 1/4-1/2 cup at a time. It takes about 10-15 minutes to really get a feel for each adjustment, so add carefully! Be sure to stir occasionally to prevent the sauce from burning!!!!!
When the sauce is ready remove from heat.
In a separate pot boil enough water to cook your pasta. For casserole you'll need enough pasta to fill a casserole dish, about a pound or so. When the pasta is done drain it well, then mix the sauce into it. Put the pasta/sauce mix in the casserole dish, then cover with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 till the cheese is melty and browned.
This is a very basic sauce, and can be adjusted however you want. The only thing I really don't like is chicken added to it, but even then this sauce can be used as a base for chicken cacciatore, pizza, whatever...just remove the meat. Use your taste buds and experiment, add mushrooms, green peppers, whatever...Let me know if you have any questions!!!
~~~~
Well, guys, that's it...I hope you like the recipes, and I hope it makes sense
