Chicken Tortellini Alfredo

From Simple and Delicious (March/April 2010), page 48.

Prep: 10 minutes / Total: about 30 minutes
Serves 4.

1 pkg. (9 oz.) refrigerated spinach or cheese tortellini
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup fresh baby carrots
3 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 large onion, cut into wedges
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
3/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 jar (15 oz.) Alfredo sauce
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano

Cook the tortellini according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute broccoli and carrots in 2 Tsp. oil for 5-6 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Stir in the mushrooms, onion, and garlic; saute vegetables 3-4 minutes longer or until the vegetables are tender.  Remove vegetables and keep warm.

In the same skillet, cook chicken in remaining oil over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until no longer pink.  Return vegetables to skillet.  Stir in Alfredo sauce and seasonings; heat through.  Drain tortellini; ad to chicken mixture.  Toss to coat.

Notes:
- I used half of a 19 oz. package of frozen cheese tortellini.
- I totally estimated my vegetable amounts.  My guess is I probably used at least 1/2 cup more each of broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms.
- Instead of tossing in the carrots whole, I sliced them.  Who wants whole baby carrots in a pasta dish?
- One large onion seemed like a lot to me, so I used what would probably equal a small onion (or a little less).
- I never measure garlic except by cloves.  I used one clove for this recipe, which I'm sure was less than what it called for.  Still, I think it was enough.
- Again, don't weigh my chicken--I count out chicken breasts.  This recipe was a two Costco-sized chicken breast recipe, which is usually how much I use when approximately a pound is called for.
- I didn't have a full jar of Alfredo sauce, so I used what I had and added a few spoonfuls of the chunky mushroom spaghetti sauce I had.  Mmmm.
- Perhaps I wasn't in a measuring mood--I didn't measure the spices either!  I think I used close to the right amounts for Italian seasoning and oregano, but I can never stick to the called-for amounts of basil because I love it so much.  I probably used about 1/2 tsp.
- I would really recommend timing your tortellini so it finishes cooking just in time to add it.  I cooked mine at the beginning without checking the package to see how long it would take, so it ended up hanging out in the strainer while everything else finished.  The pasta I used should probably have started cooking when the chicken did.
- To make meatless, omit chicken and increase vegetables, especially mushrooms.

Saucy Baked Chicken

Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 45 min.

Serves 6.

6 chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 lbs)

1 medium onion, sliced

8 oz sliced white mushrooms

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

4 Tbs. all-purpose flour

2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 450 F.  Pour oil into large roasting pan.  Add chicken, onion, and mushrooms, turning to coat with oil.  Bake 5 minutes; turn chicken over and stir vegetables.  Bake an additional 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl, whisk flour into chicken broth.  Add vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, stirring well.

When chicken has cooked for 10 minutes, add broth mixture to roasting pan, cover with foil, and bake 10 minutes.  Remove foil; stir vegetables and bake, uncovered, until sauce bubbles and is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Heat broiler.  Turn chicken over.  Place pan 6 inches from heat and broil until chicken just starts to turn golden, about 3-5 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Notes:

- I only used about 1 lb. of chicken breasts and cut them into smaller (though not bite-sized) pieces.  This made about 5 servings.

- Bottled lemon juice worked just fine.

- I had about 1/4 of a large red onion in my fridge, so I used that instead of 1 medium onion.

- I didn't have a lot of mushrooms on hand (5 medium), but the recipe worked just fine.  Still, we like mushrooms, so next time I'll go for the full 8 oz.

- We ate this over angel hair pasta, and it was good!  It would probably be good over rice or other pastas, too.

- I used a glass casserole dish instead of my roasting pan.  No big deal.

Delicious Salad

From Mom Larsen.

Serves 10.

10 servings salad mixture of romaine, spinach, or whatever greens you want
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
2 Tbs. sliced green onions
3/4 cup slivered almonds
Several teaspoons sugar

Dressing:
1/4 cup salad oil
1 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. almond extract

Heat almonds and sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring and tossing almonds.  Sugar will melt and coat almonds.  You'll know they're done when the almonds & sugar are a golden brown color and you can smell toasted almonds.  Cool on wax paper.

Mix dressing ingredients together until sugar dissolves.  Just before serving, pour dressing on salad and mix well.

Notes
- I used 1 bag hearts of romaine and 1 bag baby spinach
- I didn't measure my green onions; I just sliced up two of them.
- Since the package of almonds I bought was 1 cup, I used the whole thing.
- I've been experimenting with the vinegars I use.  The first time, I used rice vinegar.  The second time, I used half white wine vinegar, half rice vinegar.
- I also really like slicing up a bunch of mushrooms and adding them to the salad--I think it's great.

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake

From Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes, page 149

Makes 16 ounces.

Nonstick cooking spray
9 large marshmallows
1/4 cup whole milk
11 ounces premium vanilla ice cream (about 1 3/4 packed cups)
Toasted marshmallows, for garnish (optional)

Preheat the broiler.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Arrange the marshmallows flat on the baking sheet and place under the broiler until the tops are a deep golden brown color, about 40 seconds.  Remove from the oven, carefully turn the marshmallows over, and broil until they are a deep golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

Combine the marshmallows and milk in a blender and blend for 5 seconds.  Add the ice cream and blend until smooth, about 10 seconds.  Serve immediately.

Notes
- This is a very sweet, rich shake.  We divided it between four people, and that was plenty!
- It took longer than 40 seconds on each side for our marshmallows to get even slightly golden.  And by then we were impatient and called it good.  Just keep an eye on yours.
- Bobby must have a super blender--ours takes a little longer to get the shakes smooth.

Bolo Burger

From Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes, page 28

Serves 4.

Piquillo Pepper-Smoked Paprika Aioli
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 jarred piquillo peppers, drained
2 tsp. smoked sweet Spanish paprika
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Burgers
1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck (80/10) or ground turkey (90/10)
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. canola oil
4 sesame seed hamburger buns, split; toasted, if desired
8 slices Manchego cheese
8 paper-thin slices Serrano ham

To make the aioli, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, peppers, paprika, and salt in a food processor and process until smooth.  Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.  The aioli can be prepared 1 day in advance, tightly covered, and refrigerated.

Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (about 6 ounces each).  Form each portion loosely into a 3/4-inch-thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb.  Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper.  Cook the burgers, using 1 1/2 Tbs. of the oil (click HERE for Bobby's burger cooking times).

Place the bun bottoms on a flat surface and spread half of the aioli over them.  Top each one with a slice of cheese, then a slice of the ham, then a burger, another slice of ham, and finally another slice of cheese, in that order.  Spread the rest of the aioli on the bun tops and cover each burger with a top.

Brush the tops of the buns with the remaining 1 1/2 Tbs. oil and place on the grill, griddle, or saute pan, top side down.  Using a heavy-duty metal spatula, press down on the bottom of the buns and grill until the tops are a light golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.  Turn the burgers over and continue cooking, pressing down on the tops, until the bottoms are light golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 1 minute longer.  Serve immediately.

Notes
- We couldn't find piquillo peppers, so we used jarred, fire-roasted red peppers.
- We also couldn't find Manchego cheese (I was in a hurry and only checked one store for these things--later I found the cheese), so we used Monterey Jack.
- We don't have smoked sweet Spanish paprika, so I used plain old smoked paprika (still not the same as regular paprika).
- Like I've mentioned with all his other burgers so far, we make our patties thinner than he does because we buy big buns and want the burger to be in every bite.
- As with all the other burgers, I follow the beef requirement somewhat loosely.  Sometimes I get 80/20, other times I get 85/15 or even 90/10.  I don't always buy 1 1/2 lbs, either.  It just depends on how fattening I feel like we can make our burgers that particular day.
- The aioli reminded me a lot of the red pepper sauce a Quiznos.  So if you ever want their red pepper sauce on your homemade sandwich, make Bobby's aioli here!

Santa Fe Burger

From Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes, page 63.

Serves 4.

Burgers

1 large poblano chile

2 1/2 Tbs. canola oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck (80/20) or ground turkey (90/10)

4 hamburger buns, split; toasted, if desired

12 blue or yellow corn tortilla chips

Queso Sauce

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 Tbs. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Put the chile on a rimmed baking sheet, rub with 1 Tbs. of the oil, and season with salt & pepper. Roast in the oven until the skin on the chile is blackened, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the chile from the oven, place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the chile steam for 15 minutes. Peel, stem, and seed the chile, and then coarsely chop it.

To make the queso sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk, increase the heat to high, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese until melted; season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (about 6 oz. each). Form each portion loosely into a 3/4"-thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper. Cook the burgers, using the remaining 1 1/2 Tbs. oil. (Click HERE for Bobby's cooking times for beef burgers.)

Place the burgers on the bun bottoms and top each with a few tablespoons of queso sauce, chips, and some of the poblano. Cover with bun tops and serve immediately.

Notes

- We're trying to be a little healthier, so we used 1 lb. of 85/15 ground beef. The burgers were a little smaller and not quite as juicy, but with the queso sauce it wasn't a big deal.

- As with all of his burgers, we make the patties a bit thinner so they fit the buns we buy.

- We also use less oil because we cook in a nonstick skillet.

- We decided it would probably be a good idea to turn the chile halfway through the roasting time.

- The queso sauce is very mild but tastes great. Next time we might try mixing in some pepper jack cheese. The sauce is also great as a chip dip and would probably be good as fondue, too. (*Second time around: I like the queso sauce just the way it is, but a small amount of pepper jack would probably be good if you want more spice.)

French Dip

Adapted from Taste of Home (April/May 1996), page 29.

Prep: 5 min. / Cook: 6 hours
Serves 6

1 top round steak (2 lbs)

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup water

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 bay leaf

4-5 whole peppercorns

6 French rolls, split; toasted, if desired

Place steak in slow cooker. Add water, soy sauce, beef broth, and seasonings. Cover and cook on high 4 hours, then switch to low for 2 more hours or until beef is tender. Remove meat from broth; shred with forks (or slice if you can--mine fell apart) and keep warm. Strain broth; skim off fat. Pour broth into small cups for dipping. Serve beef on rolls.

Notes:

- Once I opened the crock pot, a lot of the liquid quickly evaporated. We only had enough of the broth for probably 3 sandwiches. I have a dry packet of au jus that we'll use for leftovers, but I think next time I'll mix it and the additional water it calls for into the broth after I remove the meat.

- We toasted our rolls with slices of pepper jack cheese.  Provolone would also be delicious, as I'm sure would be Swiss, Monterey Jack, or others.