All posts by Sharon

Bruschetta & Cheese – Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Looks fancy, tastes great!

1 14 oz. can Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 package Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken

8 skinless boneless chicken breasts, small

1/3 cup Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesean Salad Dressing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the basil and dry stuffing mix. Stir until just moistened. Place 2 chicken breast halves in large freezer-weight zip top bag. Pound chicken with meat mallet or side of heavy can (or if you’re Danielle, your fists), until chicken is 1/4″ thick. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding two at a time to bag. Place chicken, top sides down, on cutting board. Spread evenly with stuffing mixture. Starting at one of the narrow ends, tightly roll up chicken. Place seam sides down in 13×9″ baking dish. Drizzle evenly with dressing. Bake 40 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F), and cheese is melted.

Variation:

For South of the border style dish, simply use diced tomatoes with bell or jalapeno peppers, Mexican style shredded cheese, instead of mozzarella cheese, and chopped cilantro instead of basil.

Serves 8

Beef Lombardi

Get gourmet beef sent right to your door!

1 pound lean ground beef

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped tomatoes

1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1 (6-ounce) package medium egg noodles

6 green onions, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

Garnish: fresh parsley sprigs


Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat 5 to 6 minutes, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain.

Stir in chopped tomatoes and next 4 ingredients; cook 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and bay leaf, and simmer 30 minutes.

Cook egg noodles according to package directions; drain.

Stir together cooked egg noodles, chopped green onions, and sour cream until blended.


Place noodle mixture in bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with beef mixture; sprinkle evenly with cheeses.


Bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover casserole, and bake 5 more minutes. Garnish, if desired.

Note: Freeze casserole up to 1 month, if desired. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bake as directed.

To lighten: Substitute low-fat or fat-free sour cream and 2% reduced-fat Cheddar cheese. Reduce amount of cheeses on top to 1/2 cup each.


Yield: Makes 6 servings

BBQ Chicken Pizza


You could use a prepared pizza crust such as Boboli, or make a homemade crust.


pizza crust

1/2 cup barbecue sauce, Sonny’s Sweet Sauce or Bullseye Mesquite work well

1 cup cooked chicken, finely shredded

2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1 onion, thinly sliced and sauteed

1/4 cup red bell peppers, chopped and sauteed, (optional)

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, smoked


Top pizza crust with the barbecue sauce, and remaiming ingredients in order listed. Bake in 400 degree oven until cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Barbecue Pot Pie with Cheese Grits Crust

1 large sweet onion, diced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups thick barbecue sauce

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 pound shredded barbecued pork*

Cheese Grits Crust Batter*

Cheese Grits Crust Batter*

2 cups water

2 cups milk

1 cup quick-cooking grits

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon seasoned pepper

2 large eggs, lightly beaten


Preparation:


Bring water and milk to boil in a large saucepan; add grits, and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese, salt, and pepper; remove from heat.

Stir about one-fourth of grits mixture gradually into beaten eggs; add to remaining grits mixture, stirring constantly.

Spoon hot grits mixture evenly over hot Barbecue Pot Pie mixture.

Bake at 425° for 15 minutes.

Yield Makes 1 (13X9 inch) crust

Sauté onion in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually stir in barbecue sauce and beef broth; cook, stirring constantly,

3 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Stir in pork, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Spoon Cheese Grits Crust Batter evenly over hot barbecue mixture.

Bake at 425° for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and set.

*1 pound shredded beef may be substituted for pork.

Yield 8 to 10 servings

Asparagus and Ham Casserole

Because of the delicate flavors in this dish, we preferred using a mild baked ham to a smoked one.


1 (1-ounce) slice white bread

3 3/4 cups uncooked extra-broad egg noodles

2 1/2 cups (1 1/2-inch) sliced asparagus

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup whole milk

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed ham (about 8 ounces)

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese


Preheat oven to 450°.

Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form to measure 1/2 cup.

Cook pasta in boiling water 7 minutes, omitting salt and fat. Add asparagus; cook 1 minute. Drain.


Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place flour, thyme, salt, and pepper in medium bowl; gradually add milk and broth, stirring with a whisk until well-blended. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion; saute 4 minutes. Add milk mixture; cook until thick (about 4 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in juice. Combine the pasta mixture, milk mixture, ham, and parsley in large bowl; spoon into a 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese.

Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)


NUTRITION PER SERVING

CALORIES 250(26% from fat); FAT 7.1g(sat 3.4g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 16g; CHOLESTEROL 52mg; CALCIUM 114mg; SODIUM 835mg; FIBER 2.7g; IRON 2.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.9g