Sage and Prosciutto Saltimbocca with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

Want to get a copy of the recipe that is commentary free?  Go here.

Every once in a while, I’ll be flipping through my food magazines and think “this is going to taste good!”  These recipes from Taste of Home practically screamed that when I turned to the page.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Sage & Prosciutto Saltimbocca with
Rosemary Roasted Potatoes & Asparagus

I love a good sautéed chicken and there’s nothing better than a butter sauce with a wine reduction.  I also love prosciutto and when it is sautéed to a crisp, it is even better.  I’m drooling just thinking about it.  The potatoes and asparagus with rosemary and garlic are a bonus.  I don’t think there are two vegetables I like more than that.

Lemon Chicken Soup with Salad

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – April 25, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Lemon Chicken Soup with Salad recipe originally published by Food Network Magazine – April 2012.

I really love a soup/salad or soup/sandwich combo, but my husband does not.  No matter what kind of soup I make, he never eats it.  Still I’m searching for a soup that he’s going to, at a minimum, eat a bowl.  I happen to love chicken and rice soup so when I saw this combination “lightened up” version of the soup with a refreshing salad, I decided to make it.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Lemon Chicken Soup and Salad

The soup was nice and creamy without being heavy.  In fact, there’s no cream or milk in it!  I’m terrible at the meat-to-soup ratio.  I always end up with more broth.  Still, it looks comforting and delicious.

Smothered Italian Chicken

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – September 7, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Smothered Italian chicken recipe originally published in Simple and Delicious – June/July 2011.

Alright, I’ll say it… chicken can be boring.  There is your basic sautéed in a sauce chicken and then a panko/breadcrumb breaded baked version.  Serve it on a bed of rice and you’re done.  True, it can be a quick, tasty and healthy meal, but it can be boring.  That’s why I’m always looking for different types of chicken recipes. 

When I came across this recipe, it was still your typical breaded chicken, but how it was breaded made all the difference to me.  The breading was tomato-flavored crackers and instead of an egg/flour wash, it uses an herbed mayonnaise.  Throw in some fresh, yummy and healthy spinach (something I’ve been trying to eat a lot more of lately) and mozzarella and it makes it hard to turn away.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Smothered Italian Chicken

I have to admit that I wasn’t sure if the mayonnaise alone was going to help the breading stick, but this recipe proved me wrong.  I don’t think I’ve ever had a piece of chicken turn out this pretty in terms of breading.  The spinach and cheese just make it look perfect.

Also, I was intrigued that there was no traditional “sauce” and kept my fingers crossed it would be juicy and delicious.

Cheesy Chicken Bagel Pizzas

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – August 23, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published in Cooking Light – September 2011.

I often look for recipes that I can use to spice up my leftovers.  Funny thing, though, I rarely have leftovers to spice up, especially when it comes to extra chicken.  Usually I buy just enough when I’m making a sauce or casserole.  If I’m not using an entire rotisserie chicken, I’ll cut up the rest as treats for my dogs.

My generosity to the dogs has not been without consequence.  The following has actually happened:

• One pug has drooled all over the floor to the point of having to wipe up the puddle.  He eventually looked like a rabid dog with the spit bubbles forming all over his mouth.
• While I was getting the rest of the groceries from the car, the sack that contained the chicken was drug from the kitchen to the living room by same pug.  The other pug was betting on another sack and was munching on the bread I had brought home.
• Our Chihuahua drew blood when I was trying to give her a piece of the chicken because one of the pugs made a move.  She decided it was going to be hers come hell or high water.  She got the chicken… and a little extra flesh.

Now when a chicken enters the house, I sense they all know part of it is for them.  I honestly don’t want to find out what would happen if they didn’t get a taste.

Even with the craziness of the rotisserie chicken, I decided that I wanted to try these chicken bagel pizzas because I usually have a lot of this stuff on hand.  I ended doubling the recipe using only the white meat of the bird.  I chopped up the rest of the dark meat as treats for the dogs… for which they gave me much love.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Cheesy Chicken Bagel Pizzas

It isn’t too far from the published photo with the recipe and it definitely looks eatable.  I think I let the cheese brown a little too long because it is starting to look a little charred.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – May 5, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published by Cooking Light via e-mail on May 3, 2011.

So we continue with the trend of cooking a lot of the same things with another one of my favorites – Mexican chicken casseroles.  I know what attracted me to this dish other than my love of Mexican food.  It is supposed to be a “healthier” version of a creamy chicken casserole.  The ingredient listing had all the right things and the picture looked fantastic, so why not?

© You Want Me to Cook?
Mexican Chicken Casserole

Okay, it looks tasty, but it isn’t what the recipe’s picture looked like.  I can’t figure out why it is so orange looking.  Okay, I can (enchilada sauce), but I used the same amount as specified in the recipe and the same type of cheese.

 

Chicken and Shiitake Marsala

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – April 28, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published by myRecipes.com via e-mail on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.

My obsession of mushrooms has spread to trying different types.  My Porcini Mushroom Soup was a success, so this time I decided to try shiitake mushrooms.  I tried them once before, but as a blend and in a heavy tomato sauce.  In this dish, there would be no hiding the taste.  This dish is all about the mushrooms.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Chicken and Shiitake Marsala

So the dish looks okay, but my chicken seems a little bland.  Lucky for me it takes a lot of mushrooms or it may not look appealing at all.  I served it with a chunk of bread, but it just didn’t plate well.  Thank goodness it smelled fantastic or I may have not wanted to eat it based on looks.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – April 17, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published by myRecipes.com via e-mail on April 8, 2011.

My husband and I went out to eat one night and he ordered tamales.  Now, I’ve traveled around the country and world, but I’ve never eaten a tamale.  Ever.  Even writing this, it makes me kind of sad.  Well he ate it right away and I didn’t get to try it, so I was left wondering until…

I started searching for tamale recipes and you know what?  They’re not easy to make.  I wasn’t sure I wanted to invest a lot of time in something I won’t want to eat.  When I came across this recipe, I decided to give it a shot.  The writer of the recipe said that she came up with the dish to “satisfy my cravings for the tamales I had at Mexican restaurants when I was growing up in Houston.” I figured someone from Texas would know a good tamale. 

Now, I’m not a fan of cornbread, but my husband is, so I decided to give it a try.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Chicken Tamale Casserole

The piece of casserole looks saucy, cheesy and I just want to eat it.  I took that as a very good sign.  It smelled pretty good too, but the cornbread was the most dominant thing in it, and I’m not a fan.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 18, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published by Kraft Food & Family – Fall 2008

Much like I became addicted to mushrooms after a lifetime of disliking them, I have suddenly felt the urge to eat as many tomatoes as I possibly can.  I don’t know if some switch got flipped in my brain that said, “Hey, you need to eat tomatoes now” but I can’t seem to get enough of them.  Of course, I still don’t like them on sandwiches, but I figure if I live to be 80, maybe then I’ll want them on my turkey and cheese.

Several things attracted me to this dish.  If I’m being totally honest with myself, one of the main reasons was the ease of the recipe.  While I enjoy cooking, there are days I just want to be able to throw something in a dish and cook it without a lot of preparation and fuss.  This dish definitely fit those criteria.  Next, I do enjoy bruschetta and was excited to try a variation on the appetizer.  Finally, I occasionally enjoy stuffing but never have a good reason to make it other than around Thanksgiving.  This gave me a perfectly good reason to buy it.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Bruschetta Chicken Bake

I caught this picture at the perfect moment when the heat was coming off of it.  The chicken looks juicy and tender and the topping looks crisp and inviting.  It didn’t have a very savory smell… you know the kind that makes you want to start scooping it into your mouth without utensils

Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 10, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published from Cooking Light – January 2011

There are only so many things you can do with a chicken breast, so I’m always on the lookout for recipes that have a different twist.  Does this one have that twist?  I’m not really sure it does, but it looked delicious.

I love shallots and mushrooms so I was excited.  But I’m usually not fond of a wine sauce, so I was skeptical.  Since the wine was used to basically deglaze the pan, I decided to go for it.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Does anyone doubt that my chicken looks juicier?  I’ll be honest, that’s what I look for in a chicken dish.  Chicken is one of those things that can dry out and be like eating cardboard.

Cajun Shrimp Lasagna Roll-Ups

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 3, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published in Simple & Delicious, December/January 2011.

I love lasagna.  I love Cajun food.  I love shrimp & cheese.  This recipe could have quite possibly been written with me in mind.

That being said, I hate having to make rolls.  They never turn out as pretty as they are supposed to be.  Also, it usually is ridiculously messy.  Add to that, REGULAR lasagna is time consuming to make because you have to cook the noodles, make the sauce, make the filling and assemble.  However, the attraction to the cheesy, Cajun, shrimp with lasagna noodles blinded me to all of this and I excitedly started this recipe.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Cajun Shrimp Lasagna Roll-Ups

Look at this picture and tell me you don’t think it looks delicious.  I’ve been flipping back and forth between my picture and the published picture and I gotta tell ya… it looks pretty close.

Asian Chicken Skillet

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook - February 25, 2011.

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published in Simple and Delicious, December/January 2011.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m kind of a cynic.  I am especially critical of the Fantastic-30-Min-That-Is-Good-For-You-And-Easy recipe.  When I see these types of recipes, I usually roll my eyes hard enough to make me dizzy.  That doesn’t mean I don’t try to get it done in the time specified though.  When I see a 30-minute meal, I find it a personal challenge to get it done.  See, I fancy myself a moderately good chef.  I can’t create recipes but I can cook (and yes, there is a BIG difference), so I should be able to cook a 30-minute-meal in the time specified.  Alas, that is very rare for me.

Now, I present to you a one-pan recipe with 7 ingredients that can be done in 30-45 minutes.  I know what you’re thinking.  My BS detector went off almost immediately.  However, it actually happened.  I think this is the first time on record (for me that is).  I actually finished making it in 41 minutes with minimal equipment.  Is it “good for me?”  Well, it isn’t the healthiest dish I’ve made, but it wasn’t bad either.  I think for using convenience foods, this is probably as good as it’s going to get.

My finished meal:

© You Want Me to Cook?
Asian Chicken Skillet

This dish looked and smelled fantastic.  In fact, I considered eating it right off the serving spoon.  The chicken looked great and that came as a surprise to me.  To me, it always seems to dry out in a skillet.  I was glad I bought a stir-fry blend that had red and green peppers in it.  It gave the dish a little color (and flavor – of course)

Curried Chicken Shepherd’s Pie

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – October 2010

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published in Taste of Home, June/July 2010.

Shepherd’s pie is one of those dishes my husband reminisces about.  He is usually talking about some crappy cafeteria food from high school or college, but he loved it anyway.  After we moved in together, I had a confession to make – I never had shepherd’s pie, EVER.  My mother never made it, I never ate it from the school cafeteria, and I didn’t go away to college.  His reaction was one of horror, so I made it my mission to find a recipe and make one for us both to enjoy.  I tried a couple different ones, which weren’t bad, but not good enough to get me excited about it.  Then, I stumbled upon this version which is has a curry base.  Absolutely scrumptious!!!

My Finished product

Picture published with recipe: (c) Taste of Home

Now I know what you’re thinking.  Mine looks like a pile of mush… and it has totally different vegetables in it, but more on that later.  It really tastes better than it looks.