Better Than The Box

We've all had the "pot pie" out of a box. Admit it. You know you have! And every now and then I get a craving for a good 'ole turkey pot pie, so I'm not criticizing! But when I was brought into the Marshall family, I was introduced to a really easy recipe that tastes like it cooks all day, but is super easy. One reason being, is it uses refrigerated biscuits, not a traditional crust. Adam's mom always cooked it like a casserole w/ the biscuits on top, but the first time I made it, I discovered if you bake them separately, they don't become as soft, and you can serve the chicken mixture either on the top of opened biscuits or top the mixture w/ them and it tastes the exact same. Serving the biscuits on the bottom kind of gives it a chicken and dumplings feel, which I enjoy but either is equally tasty. So if want something your family thinks you slaved away at all day, but really you put together in less than hour, make this---and take all the credit for working so hard!

Chicken Pot Pie

2 cans Veg All- drained
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
3 c. cooked chicken ( Roasting method January 27, 2010)
1 can refrigerated biscuits

Mix chicken, Veg All, soup and broth together. Season w/ salt and pepper. Bake covered for 45 minutes @ 375. (If you make ahead, increase cooking time by about 15 minutes). Bake biscuits and assemble the way you prefer.

Campbells.....Mmmm Mmmm Good

Surprisingly though, this recipe contains absolutely no soup. However, it was inspired by a recipe I saw in a Campbells cook book. To be honest, it is an adaption from a few recipes I've come across and I'm putting elements of each into this, making my own original creation:) I don't have many recipes that I can call my very own, and I know all it takes is adjusting one or two ingredients to make them "mine", which I do a lot of the time, I just never think of them like that. But this one I'm taking all the credit for! Adam loves clam sauce, and I've done both white and red versions, but I'm hoping this is "the one". The ones I've made in the past were good, but weren't quite what I was looking for, so I've got my fingers crossed this one is just different enough to become a "go-to" in my repertoire.

Linguine with Red Clam Sauce

2 TBS olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves minced
1 large jar traditional spaghetti sauce
1/2 c. chicken broth or white wine (I will use broth)
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
2 6 1/2 oz cans minced clams, undrained (depending on the cans I can find, I might adjust this amount)
1 lb. linguine
Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in 2 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until tender, stirring constantly. Stir in sauce, clams, parsley, broth/wine, and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over cooked linguine and top w/ cheese.

Meal Plan April 10-15

* New Recipe
** New for you, not us
(Where to find on blog)

Sunday
BLTs
Baked Beans
Pasta Salad
Pumpkin Fluff (October 3, 2010)

Monday
Chicken Pot Pie**
Peaches

Tuesday
Spinach Salad (May 15, 2010)
Rolls

Wednesday
Linguine w/ Red Clam Sauce*

Thursday
Butter Bean Soup (October 25, 2010)
Bread

Friday
Fish Sticks
Cheesey Potatoes
Green Beans

Use It Before You Lose It

In my case, that is referring to the cookbook I gave away during my last contest. I have yet to mail out the prize to our lucky winner Emily ( I promise I haven't forgotten, but a wedding in FL last weekend, and Spring Break this week, I've been a little occupied.) But to be honest, I'm glad it isn't sitting in a post office quite yet b/c there are a couple recipes out of it that I have to write down before I give it up, and today's is one of them. When I first looked through this book and decided it would be the perfect prize, this was the first recipe that caught my eye and made me say "mmmmm" I have to try that. We're big pasta eaters in this house, you all know that by now. But I tire of anything we have too much, and our favorites are included in that. So any time I can find a new twist on something we already like, or a way to incorporate new flavors, I'm all for it. This uses one of our favorite veggies as well, asparagus and something Adam and I both enjoy tremendously, artichokes. So when you are combining 3 of your favorite things together on one plate, it has to be scrumptious, right!!??

Fusilli with Asparagus and Artichokes

1 large onion, chopped
1 lb. asparagus, rinsed, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 lb. thin sliced salami or prosciutto
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and cut into quarters
1/2 c. fresh parsley
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 TBS lemon juice
8 oz. fusilli
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat olive oil in large skillet on medium high heat. Add onion, asparagus, garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until vegetables begin to soften. Add the meat and artichoke hearts and cook for 1 minute. Add lemon juice and parsley. Cover and remove from heat. When pasta is cooked, drain and cover w/ sauce and top w/ cheese.

*NOTE* I would double this to feed our family. Except the onion. And I would use 1 1/2 lb asparagus.
I would also add 1 lb. mushrooms when I add in the onion

Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd

This past weekend, we traveled to one of our favorite places in the whole world, and we just didn't go for the beach, sun and 80º temps! We spent 4 days on beautiful New Smyrna Beach, Fl for Adam's sister's wedding! Amanda & Duke have been together for years and this weekend finally became husband and wife! We were so honored to be a part of their very special day and even more so, we were so happy Adam could help out by being their photographer! ( What a great job he did too! I don't know another wedding photographer out there that takes 1400 pictures!!!!) It was a fabulous 4 days filled w/ smiles, laughter, tears, good times, great food & many many happy memories to last a lifetime! And what the bride & groom probably didn't know was that one of the dinner choices at their reception was one of my favorite dishes of all time! All 3 entree choices were very delectable, but the one that caught my eye was Chicken Picatta, which I love more than other chicken dish! It's not something I make very often at home b/c it's such a treat when I get to have it "out", but I think I found a recipe I would be willing to try at epicurious.com. The one served during the reception at The Grille at Riverview restaurant was magnificent, as was everything else they provided for one of the nicest wedding dinners/receptions I've ever been too. Fantastic views of the water and sunset only added to the absolutely delicious food, and wine of course! So- Congratulations Amanda & Duke!!! We love you both so much and we are so happy for you. We wish you all of the happiness in the world, and God's blessings on your marriage all the days of your life together!

Chicken Piccata

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
3 TBS butter, room temperature
1 1/2 TBS all purpose flour, plus more
2 TBS olive oil
1/3 c. dry white wine
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. canned chicken broth
1/4 c. drained capers
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Place chicken between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap. using meat pounder or rolling pin, lightly pound chicken to 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle chicken w/ salt and pepper. Mix 1 TBS butter and 1 1/2 TBS flour in small bowl until smooth. Place additional flour in shallow baking dish. Dip chicken into flour to coat; shake off excess. Heat 1 TBS oil in each of 2 heavy large skillets. Add 2 chicken breasts to each skillet and cook until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to platter; tent w/ foil to keep warm. Bring wine, lemon juice, and broth to boil in 1 skillet over medium high heat. Whisk in butter-flour mixture and boil until sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in capers, parsley and remaining 2 TBS butter. Season sauce to taste w/ salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Capers
Sweet Lemon