Poppy Seed Chicken

About ten years ago a friend shared this recipe with me. We made it for a Relief Society dinner we were in charge of together. I remember we were so worried about having enough food that we made a bunch of side dishes to go with it. We had rice, peach jello, rolls, and salad as well as dessert. I remember we added the peach jello at the last minute to make sure we had everything covered. I think we, or rather I, stressed myself out a bit much on that one. Now I serve it over rice and have vegetable on the side. I precooked the chicken and put this dinner together in eight minutes the other night. It's one of Olivia's favorites. She always requests it for her birthday dinner.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 large family-sized can cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 cup sour cream

1 tube Ritz crackers, crushed

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions:

Mix chicken, soup, and sour cream. Spread in a 9 x 11 inch pan. Mix crackers, butter, and poppy seeds. Sprinkle on top of chicken mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 3o minutes or until bubbled and brown on top. Serve over rice.

*I sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and cook in the crock pot on high for a couple of hours. Also, you can crush the crackers right in their package. It can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to cook.

Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

I tasted a soup like this at a potluck dinner a couple of months ago and wanted to get the recipe. Then I forgot about it until my sister posted it on our family recipe blog. It's a new favorite. The Italian sausage adds so much flavor. Makes me feel like I'm sitting in a little European cafe in the wintertime.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian ground sausage (mild)

1 medium onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth

1 3/4 c. water

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 pkg. (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini

1 pkg. (6 oz) fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped

2 1/4 tsp. minced fresh basil or 3/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. pepper

dash crushed red pepper flakes

shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

Crumble sausage into soup pot; add onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender. Add garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add the broth, water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.

Stir in tortellini; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-8 minutes or until tortellini are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach, basil, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook 2-3 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted. Serve with cheese if desired.

Chicken Florentine Casserole

I adapted this from one of my sister Hannah's recipes. She is so creative with her chicken. Me, not so much. I usually throw it in the crock pot with some barbecue sauce or roast it, dice it up, and use it in something -- not as a main dish. Hannah's chicken recipes amaze me. You actually have to WORK with the chicken. And I don't really like to touch slimy uncooked chicken. But she has me stuffing, smashing, rolling, pinning, dicing and smothering chicken in savory sauce that's good enough to eat alone. Don't worry, you don't have to do all of that in this recipe. Trust me. This one is good. Real good.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup butter

3 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

8 oz fresh spinach

4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

2/3 cup bacon, crumbled

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken breast halves on a baking sheet; sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat, and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, mix in the garlic, lemon juice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, half-and-half, and Parmesan cheese.

Arrange the spinach over the bottom of a 9x11 inch baking dish. Cover the spinach with the mushrooms. Pour half the mixture from the saucepan over the mushrooms. Arrange chicken breasts in the dish, and cover with the remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with bacon bits, and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in the 400 degrees oven, until bubbly and lightly browned. Serve over pasta.

Slow Cooker Swiss Steak

I love to cook recipes like this that I can throw in the crock pot early in the morning and have ready for dinner immedietly after getting done with piano lessons. The smell permeates the house all day. I've made several different recipes of Swiss steak but this is my favorite because the sauce is isn't too thin. It's great over rice or mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds round steak, cut into small strips

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup flour

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 package onion soup mix

Directions:

Place meat in crock pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in the flour to coat all pieces. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cover and cook 8 to 10 hours on low. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Feta-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I bought the ingredients for this recipe before I went on my summer vacation but never had a chance to make it. And then, while I was visiting with family, my sister Hannah bought the ingredients to make it for everyone. And we never got around to it. And it is too bad, because this is so so good. I got home and saw my sun-dried tomatoes sitting in my pantry and decided for once and for all to give it a go. And now Olivia has requested it for her birthday dinner next month. I'm excited.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon snipped dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 to 1-1/2 pounds total)

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (1 ounce)

2 tablespoons softened fat-free cream cheese (1 ounce)

2 teaspoons snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil or cooking oil

Fresh basil sprigs (optional)

Directions:

Place tomatoes in a small bowl. Pour enough boiling water over the tomatoes to cover. Let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry; set aside. Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut a pocket in each chicken breast by cutting horizontally through the thickest portion to, but not through, the opposite side. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine feta, cream cheese, the snipped or dried basil, and tomatoes. Spoon about 1 rounded tablespoon into each pocket. If necessary, secure openings with wooden toothpicks. Sprinkle chicken with pepper.

In a large nonstick skillet (or grill), cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 12 to 14 minutes or until tender and no longer pink, turning once (reduce heat to medium if chicken browns too quickly). Serve warm. If desired, garnish with basil sprigs. Makes 4 servings.