Chicken Pillows (Packaged Food Free)

Rating: 5 stars

Prep time: Easy

The original recipe I had posted for this called for storebought crescent rolls and cream of chicken soup. Over the years, we've cut pretty much all packaged foods out of our diet, and so I've modified this recipe to suit our new way of eating.

6 oz. cream cheese

2 T butter

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

2-4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

2 batches of your favorite 8 or 9" pie crust
1/4 stick butter
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup milk

Soften butter and cream cheese. Mix in salt, pepper, and chicken. Roll out pie crust and cut into squares or rectangles; spoon filling into center and fold corners together to make a pillow. Cook at 375 for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve over rice.

For gravy: in small saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour. Cook 2-3 minutes until golden and bubbly, then stir in milk and cook for another minute (will thicken very fast). Add chicken stock and let cook, stirring frequently, for another 2-5 minutes or so or until gravy has thickened.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup Like Panera

Rating: 5 stars

Prep time: Easy

I love the broccoli cheddar soup from Panera bread. I found a copycat recipe on the internet, and made a few alterations. Now I like it just as much as Panera's! (Recipe updated with a few more alterations, as of 1/30/13)

1/4 cup butter

1/2 small onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup flour

2 cups half-and-half (or 1 cup milk, 1 cup cream, or 2 cups half-and-half substitute)

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 head to 1 full head broccoli, chopped

1 cup carrots, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups grated sharp cheddar
1/4 t nutmeg

Saute onion and garlic in butter; add flour and mix well. Cook until bubbly. Slowly add stock, continuing to stir. Add broccoli and carrots and bring soup to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat and add half-and-half and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat until the veggies are tender (20-40 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and purée at least half of the soup with a stick blender, or in batches in a regular blender (if you want to keep some of your veggies chunky, leave half the soup as-is).

Remove soup from heat. Add cheese, and stir until fully melted. Add nutmeg and serve immediately.

Alfredo Pasta

Rating: 5 stars

Prep time: Easy

8 oz. Fettucine or Penne pasta

3 T butter

1 T flour

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. black pepper

1 c. whole milk

2 oz cream cheese

1/3 c. fresh grated Parmesan

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter. Blend in flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring continually. Cook until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and stir constantly, until the cheeses melt. (An additional 1/4 c. milk may be added if needed.) Add sauce to prepared noodles and serve garnished with parmesan cheese. Makes 2 generous servings.

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins (Sugar-free)

Rating: 5 stars
Prep time: Very easy

I use no-sugar-added applesauce and whole wheat flour in these delicious muffins. The natural sugar and the high fiber content make this my current favorite snack - they seem to have almost no impact on my blood sugar. Awesome!

1/2 c. white flour*
1/2 c. wheat flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. rolled oats
3 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda
1 egg
1/3 c. milk
Just under 1/4 c. oil

1/4 c. honey
2/3 c. applesauce

Preheat oven to 350, spray pans with cooking spray. In medium-sized bowl beat egg, then add oil, honey, and milk; stir in applesauce. Add dry ingredients; stir until just barely combined.

Bake for 15-20 min. Yield: one dozen muffins.

*I tried these with a whole cup of wheat flour, but they ended up just too dry, so I usually do half-and-half.

World's Best Hot Chocolate

Rating: 5 stars
Prep time: Medium (as far as hot chocolate goes)

Trust me, after a few batches of this, you won't be able to go back to Swiss Miss!

2/3 cup sugar*

1/3 cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

5 1/2 cup milk

1 (12 ounce) can of evaporated milk or 1 1/2 cups cream

1 Tablespoon vanilla

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, and salt; add water. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Stir in milk and evaporated milk (or cream) and heat. Do not boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Makes 8 cups.

*The original recipe calls for a full cup of sugar, but I have never actually made it with that much. It is VERY overly sweet to me. I use 2/3 cups, which (oddly enough) doesn't make the cocoa taste darker, just brings out the chocolate flavor a little more and makes it healthier. 

Tuscan Chicken Pasta

Rating: 5 stars
Prep time: Very, very easy!

Recipe adapted from this blog.

6 Tbs. olive oil
1 clove garlic (or 1/8 tsp garlic powder)

2-4 chicken breasts (depending on size - the ones I get are big so I usually only use 1-2)
Salt and pepper
1 lb. penne pasta
Baby spinach (I usually use about half of a big bag)
1-2 T lemon juice (or juice from 1-2 lemons)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring water to boil in large pot. Meanwhile, combine garlic and oil in bowl and microwave 1 minute.

Transfer 1 Tbs. oil from bowl with garlic mixture to large skillet. Add chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper. Cover (unless you want to get spattered with oil!) and cook on medium-high heat until each side is browned; reduce heat to low and cook for about 10 more minutes. (I use frozen chicken - if you use fresh chicken, you won't have to cook as long.)

Add salt and pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and transfer to large bowl. Cube chicken and add to pasta, along with spinach, remaining oil, lemon juice, and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy

I also like to add things to this meal - it is DELICIOUS with peas fresh from the garden! I think sometime I'd like to try garbanzo beans as well.

World's Creamiest Macaroni & Cheese

Rating: 5 stars
Prep Time: Easy

Way back when I was nine or ten years old, I learned to make a homemade macaroni and cheese recipe from an old microwave cookbook my mom had. This was the first dinner I ever learned how to cook, and it has always been a favorite. Since I got married, I've been playing around with macaroni and cheese recipes and I think I've finally hit on the perfect one! This recipe is super creamy, flavorful, and even makes great leftovers. I always say that this is what macaroni and cheese wants to be when it grows up. The recipe I use now is sort of adapted from both the original microwave cookbook recipe and Ina Garten's mac & cheese recipe, but the final product doesn't bear a lot of resemblance to either. I can promise, though, it is DELICIOUS!

World's Creamiest Mac & Cheese

3/4 lb-1 lb elbow macaroni (or whatever smallish pasta you like—I love using shells, wagon wheels, and other fancy noodles). 3/4 lb makes for a cheesier, creamier dish, while a full pound makes more servings.
4 cups milk
4 T butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups grated fresh parmesan cheese (pre-grated parmesan won't add enough flavor). If you don't have parmesan, just add an additional 2 cups of cheddar... but it's not gonna be as good!
1/8 t pepper
1 t salt

2 T butter

Preheat oven to 375. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil; add pasta and cook until tender. In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until bubbly. Whisk in flour and cook until mixture is bubbling. Slowly add milk; cook for a few minutes until sauce is warm, thickened, and smooth. (It will not be as thick as a regular white sauce.) Remove from heat; stir in salt and pepper. Add cheeses and stir. If your pot is big enough, fold in pasta, mix well, and pour into large baking dish; if not, fold pasta into large baking dish, pour cheese sauce on top, and mix well. Dot remaining 2 T of butter over top of macaroni. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until top is brown and toasty. Enjoy!