White Lasagna with Chicken & Spinach

Hello, hello! I am thrilled to be back on the blog-scene once again. It has been such a long time since I have had a single spare moment to devote to Rachel’s Vittles. Change is in the air (or kitchen) though. As difficult as it is for me, I will be delegating some of my responsibilities to others 🙂 so that I can spend a bit more time doing what I love, which is cooking and sharing about it here.

I truly hope that each and every one of you had a remarkable and memorable Christmas and start to this New Year! I am very much looking forward to the many new adventures and memories 2012 will bring my way. I thought it might be fun to reflect back and share with you what has been going on in my crazy-busy life.

My youngest child and only son, Richard (aka Bubba) is quite the busy body these days. He has not only mastered walking, but running as well and is quickly moving on to climbing. His appetite is tremendous, I still haven’t figured out how the little guy eats so much but, I am fairly certain he has inherited my love of food. He is the happiest little baby I know, and he seems to have his Daddy’s patience. The good Lord must have known he would need it in this home full of girls!

Gracie… where do I even begin. I have come to the conclusion that this little girl must be solar-powered. She doesn’t eat very much at all and sleep is something she rarely does for any decent amount of time. So, being that we live here in the Sunshine State she must run on the sun! lol. Our little girl has become quite a character at the ripe young age of 2. She is loving, hilarious, theatrical, silly, sarcastic, very particular, determined and so abundantly full of energy. We never have a shortage of entertainment around here. She is so much fun to be around and brings a constant smile to my face. She loves, Loves, LOVES her brother & sisters, and during this past year she has added horses to the list of who she loves. It is amazing to me that my tiny 24 pound girl doesn’t hesitate for a second before climbing on the back of a horse and riding off. In December she rode all by herself, not even with a lead rope, for the first time! She is the cutest little cowgirl.

Emily is doing phenomenal in school this year. I am so impressed with her accomplishments during her sixth grade year. She is playing the violin, and doing an amazing job at it. I love to hear her play! I look forward to listening to her make music with those strings for many, many years to come! Her 4-H project this year is a hog, which she named Pigsie (like Pixie) and she also has two miniature goats. Emily has taken her love for horses to a new level this past year. She is now a member of the NBHA (National Barrel Horse Assoc.) and is barrel racing every chance she gets. It is hard to believe that she will be 12 years old this month…time flies! I am so blessed to have her as a daughter!

Bailey, my oldest baby 🙂 will be 15 years old this upcoming Tuesday! I just cannot believe that so many years have passed since I became a Mommy for the first time! She has become a remarkable young lady who has so much going for her. She jumped on the 4-H wagon this year, and cannot wait to jump back off! Nepolian is the name of her swine, and fair time can’t get here quickly enough. Bailey is also a new member of the NBHA this year and is spending as much time on the horses as she can. She loves the horses and with her hardcore competitive spirit I know she will go far. New and exciting times are in store for her this year as she will be driving and getting her first job!

As you might can see my children keep me a bit busy, but I love every single moment of it and I wouldn’t change it for anything! I have days that I feel like I am going crazy (my husband thinks I am crazy), which I think is normal with two babies and two teenage girls!

Again, I am happy to be returning to my blog and I am looking forward to a year full of delicious vittles!

White Lasagna with Chicken & Spinach

Ingredients

• 4 cups of cooked chicken, chopped
• 1 – 14 oz. can baby artichokes hearts quartered drained
• 1 – box frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained
• 1 – box frozen chopped broccoli thawed and drained
• 1 box of lasagna noodles, boiled according to directions on box
• 3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg well beaten
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup parmesan or romano cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic
• 1 teaspoon each sea salt and black pepper (I usually add more, to tatse)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 to 3 cups of water
• 3-4 medium-sized tomatoes chopped

Directions:

• Beat egg well, add in the ricotta and parsley until combined and set aside
• In a skillet over medium heat melt butter, whisk in the flour to make a roux, do not allow the butter to burn. Continue cooking and whisking about 2 minutes, add the water, cream and milk, whisk until all of the flour/butter mixture has dissolved into the cream cook over low heat (don’t boil) until it has thickened.  Add the parmesan or romano cheese, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Place the artichokes, broccoli and spinach in a bowl and toss to combine.
• To begin building lasagna. Spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray. Start with a layer of noodles first, top with 1/3 of the cooked chicken, 1/3 of the vegetable mixture, 1/4 of the mozzarella, and then ladle on 1/4 of the sauce. Repeat this process two more times ending with noodles. Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove foil and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes or so.
• Allow the lasagna to sit on the counter, uncovered for 5-10 minutes. This lets the dish set so that you can cut and serve it, with minimal sliding 🙂
• Garnish with chopped tomatoes just before serving.

 

Tomato Cobbler

I cannot pinpoint the exact reason it took me so long to make this savory tomato cobbler. Learn from my mistake, do not wait to make this. The biscuits are full of cheesy, hearty goodness with a crispy top and melt-in-your-mouth body. The Gruyère is the perfect accompaniment to the juicy little tomatoes (which are oh so delicious!), the caramalized onions, the garlic & rosemary all work in harmony. * The only change I made to the recipe was swapping the rosemary for thyme and only because I didn’t have thyme, and you just can’t skip on the herbs.*  I also want to point out that it calls for 3 pounds of tomatoes, not 3 cups! I misread the ingredients the first go-round. One pint of grape tomatoes weighs 10 ounces, so you will need approximately 5 pints. I know it seems like a lot of tomatoes, but it makes a massive amount of delicious food.

I love tomatoes, they are a staple in our home. It’s safe to say we eat tomatoes everyday. I cannot think of a recipe, that has cooked tomatoes in it, that is better! This one takes the cake (or should I say cobbler), it is my new favorite side!  I am anxious to make this for our Thanksgiving Day dinner. Actually, I should probably make two because I know most of us will be making a trip for seconds. This savory cobbler will undoubtedly impress your family or guests at the dinner table. It is definitely worth the time it takes to prepare it. I found that my cooking time was significantly less, by about 25 minutes. I would keep an eye on it after about the 40 minute mark. * Note to self, check the accuracy of the temp in my oven*  This dish would also be a hit at any office party or your next “bring a dish” gathering, as it reheats well. Thanks to Annie, of Annie’s-Eats  who posted this scrumptious recipe last month! I would love to hear from you, let me know what you think!

Ingredients
For the filling
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 medium yellow
onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh thyme
3 lbs. cherry or grape tomatoes
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1½ tsp. coarse salt
Pinch of black pepper

For the biscuit topping
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
1½ cups heavy cream

Directions
To prepare the filling, combine the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions
and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked down and caramelized, about 20-25
minutes.  Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes
more.  Remove from the heat and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture, tomatoes, flour, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
To make the biscuit topping, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a
medium bowl.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the
mixture is crumbly and small clumps form. I used my hands, since I don’t have a pastry blender and the knife trick doesn’t work for me. Mix in the cheese.  Stir in the cream
with a fork until a sticky dough forms and the dry ingredients are
incorporated.

Transfer the tomato mixture to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  Using a large ice cream scoop or a ¼-cup measure, drop clumps of the biscuit dough evenly over the tomato mixture.  Sprinkle the top with
additional grated cheese.  Bake until the tomatoes are bubbling and the biscuits
are golden, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Let cool 20 minutes before serving.

Source: Annie’s Eats via Martha Stewart Living July 2011 via Pink Parsley Catering

 

Chicken & Yellow Squash Bake

For many years now I have had a few cooking magazines to which I am a faithful subscriber. Each month I look forward to my opening the mailbox and finding the latest copy of my culinary-inspiring reading material. It’s kind of like a birthday present to me every month! Yes, I really do get quite excited when there is a new magazine in the mail. Last year I was introduced to a new (to me) periodical, Clean Eating. This is a stellar publication and I would actually give up my other subscriptions in order to have this one. I am always trying to find ways to keep all of the flavor & texture in a dish while removing the ingredients that are less desirable and not good for our bodies. This magazine provides just that, page after page you will find delicious and healthy recipes! I found the recipe for this “Healthy Squash & Chicken Casserole’ in the Jan/Feb 2010 edition of Clean Eating, I made it exactly as the recipe called and it was good. I am a big fan of onions, squash & chicken so this dish was calling my name. I wanted to revamp the recipe to better suit my taste, and when I did I knew I had found a keeper that I would enjoy often.

The next time I make this casserole, I think I will add some mushrooms, red bell pepper, and maybe even top it off with some freshly diced tomatoes or sour cream. Let me know what you do to the dish!

Chicken & Yellow Squash Bake

INGREDIENTS
10 slices whole-wheat bread
Olive oil cooking spray & 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced (about 4 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/4 to 1/2 thickness and cubed
11/2 cup pre-shredded low-fat mozzarella
2 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
Sea salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Cut bread into cubes, then spread out onto a cookie sheet and let air-dry overnight. (If you do not wish to dry the bread, toast it instead in an oven for 10 minutes at 350F.)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Heat large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low, mist with cooking spray and add onion. Sauté for about 8 minutes or until caramelized. Add squash and garlic. Mist with more cooking spray, if needed, and sauté until cooked, about 5 more minutes. Remove vegetables from pan. Mist pan with cooking spray again and cook chicken until golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes total.

In a large bowl, mix together cooked vegetables, chicken, olive oil, and bread cubes. Mix in mozzarella, seasoning, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into an 8-cup casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and casserole is lightly browned on top.