Friday, April 8, 2011

April Meals

Pork Caritas and Black Bean Burritos - Britta

French Onion Salisbury Steak with Cheese Toast - Cheryl

(Cafe Rio) Sweet Pork - Jeana

Zesty Cream Cheese Chicken - Kim

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes - Kimberly

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas and Egg Free Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies - Naomi

Artichoke and Mushroom Chicken Pasta - Tawnee


Tater Tot Casserole - Tamara

(Cafe Rio) Sweet Pork

Place pork roast in crock pot and fill half way up with water.
Cook on high for 5 hours.
Drain water and cut into thirds.

Mix:
1 can coke
16 ounces of salsa
2 cups brown sugar

Place in crock pot for 3 more hours, shred and serve in tortillas with your choice of toppings. I use cheese, rice, and black beans.

Artichoke and Mushroom Chicken Pasta

1 lb chicken (2-3 breasts)
6 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
6.5 ounces Artichoke Hearts (chopped)
2 T basil
1/8 cup white wine (I used the non-alcoholic cooking version)
½ package bacon (cooked crispy and crumbled)
1 cup chicken stock or heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste
Farfalle (bow tie) pasta

Grill the chicken add the mushrooms until soft. Add the rest of ingredients and serve over pasta.

Egg Free Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix:
1 cup Margarine, softened
1 cup Brown Sugar
½ White Sugar
¼ cup Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla

Sift together and then add:
2 ¼ cup Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
12 oz. Chocolate Chips (I like to double the batch and mix kinds - my favorite is white chocolate and milk chocolate!)
½ cup Coconut or toffee chips (optional)

Drop onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes. Let rest 1 minute on the pan. Transfer to wire rack.

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Pace Picante Sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 2 ounces)
6 flour tortillas (8-inch), warmed
1 small tomato, chopped
3 green onions, sliced

Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.

Stir 1 and 1/2 cups of the soup mixture, chicken and cheese in a large bowl.

Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place seam-side up in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Pour the remaining soup mixture over the filled tortillas. Cover the baking dish.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with the tomato and onion.

French Onion Salisbury Steak With Cheese Toast

1 ¼ lbs ground chuck
¼ c minced fresh parsley
2 Tb scallions, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp pepper
2 Tb flour
1 Tb olive oil
2 c onions, sliced thin
1 tsp sugar
1 Tb garlic, minced
1 Tb tomato paste
2 c beef broth
¼ c dry red wine/apple juice
¾ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp dried thyme leaves
2 Tb flour
4 slices French bread
1/3 c shredded swiss or mozzarella

Combine chuck, parley, scallion, salt and pepper. Divide evenly into 4 portions and shape into ¾-1 inch oval patties. Place 2 Tb flour in shallow dish; dredge each patty in flour. Heat oil in pan over med-high. Brown patties 3 minutes each side; remove from pan. Add onions and sugar to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste; sauté 1 minute, or until paste begins to brown. Sprinkle onions with reserved flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in broth, wine, salt and thyme. Return meat to pan; boil soup. Cover and simmer on med-low 10 minutes, or until beef is fully cooked. Sprinkle cheese over bread and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Serve meat over toast with soup ladled over.

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun- Dried Tomatoes

Courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients
6 tablespoon(s) butter, plus more for baking dishes
Coarse salt
Ground pepper
1 pound(s) penne rigate
1 teaspoon(s) olive oil
2 (8 ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
4 clove(s) garlic, minced
6 cup(s) whole milk
1/2 cup(s) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cup(s) (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella
1 cup(s) (4 ounces) finely grated Parmesan
Optional: 10 ounce(s) white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter 9x13 dish. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Cut into pieces.
3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with cup Parmesan.
5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
6. To make ahead, prepare through step 4; let cool. Cover tightly with foil, and freeze, up to 3 months. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and bake (still covered in foil) on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil; bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

Tater Tot Casserole

1 bag tater tots
1 lb hamburger
1 chopped onion
1 16 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken
1 cup of milk
1 Tbsp parsley
salt/pepper to taste

Brown hamburger in a large pan, add chopped onion to hamburger mix about five minutes before the hamburger is done. Add all other ingredients and cook until warm. Place mixture in 9x13 glass pan and add tater tots on top of the mixture. Cook uncovered for 375 for 30 minutes or until tater tots are crispy and casserole is bubbly. Enjoy!