What I Made: June 16 & 17, 2012

Ah, the weekend.  I often try to take it a little easy on the weekends since I cook a lot during the week.  For some reason this weekend, I was incredibly motivated to cook and bake.

Okay, well I wasn't motivated ALL weekend.  Saturday morning was spent running errands and I wasn't in the mood to make lunch, so we picked something up.  I kicked it into high gear for dinner.

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Portobello Mushroom Burgers

I got the recipe for Portobello Mushroom Burgers from All You.  Initially, I was looking for a Mushroom-Quinoa Burger I found in January's issue, but for some reason it was nowhere to be found on their website.  Since I recycle my magazines as soon as I've read them, the recipe has been lost (to me at least) forever.

What I Made: June 14, 2012

Yesterday was another busy day that started off right... with breakfast!

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Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

These Strawberry-Banana Smoothies from Food Network's April 2011 issue were fantastic.  The creamy Greek vanilla yogurt was healthy for us and tasted great!  

Lemon Chicken Soup with Salad

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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

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

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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.

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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.

Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

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

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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.

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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.

Pecan-Crusted Turkey Cutlets with Wild Rice and Mushrooms

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? on February 18, 2011

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Find just the Pecan-Crusted Turkey Cutlets recipe here.

Find just the Wild Rice and Mushrooms recipe here.

Pecan-Crusted Turkey Cutlets recipe originally published in Taste of Home, December/January 2011.

Wild Rice and Mushrooms recipe originally published by Pillsbury.

Usually, when I’m putting two dishes together, it is driven by the entree.  Not so in this case.  I found the recipe for the Wild Rice and Mushrooms and didn’t know what to do with it.  Ordinarily, when I have a breaded poultry dish, I look for a potato, but I decided to break from what I usually do and pair it with the rice.  I’m a daredevil like that – rice or potato, what will she choose?!?!?!

I also learned a couple things while making this meal.  One was very interesting and the other was a cooking lesson I will keep with me always.

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Pecan-Crusted Turkey Cutlets with Wild Rice and Mushrooms

I was proud of how pretty the dish looked.  Okay, I was most proud of how the breaded turkey looked, and I really felt like I needed more green or red on my plate, but I still didn’t think it turned out too bad.

Hot Chicken and Chips Retro

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? on February 4, 2011

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Recipe originally published in Cooking Light’s weekly e-zine on Friday, January 30, 2009.

I am a sucker for all things retro, so the title caught my eye.  The premise of this recipe is a tart chicken casserole with a crunchy topping.  I was sold.  Cooking Light also took the time to “thin it out” a little, so I didn’t have to deal with all the pesky fat and calories that usually comes with a recipe like this.

My finished product: © You Want Me to Cook?Hot Chicken & Chips Retro

Picture published with recipe: © Cooking Light

Unfortunately, Cooking Light didn’t take a picture of their dish as a serving (although their picture does look awfully pretty).  However, comparing the two, my chips are golden and you can see the lovely green and red of the vegetables poking through.  So I passed the visual test, now I had to worry about taste.

Southwestern Turkey-Tater Casserole

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – January 5, 2010

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Recipe originally published in Pillsbury, December 2010.

Not too long ago, I blogged about Tater-Topped Casserole, or as a friend asked me to re-name it, “See Ya Later, Tater Casserole.”  It was a fun recipe that wasn’t necessarily the healthiest, so when a turkey version of the dish, with a Southwestern twist, came up, I couldn’t wait to try it.

My finished product: © You Want Me to Cook?

Picture published with recipe: © Pillsbury

I know… I know… I have French fries on top of my casserole.  Well that was because of a slight misplacement of my tater tots.  I resorted to what I had, which was seasoned fries.  But I’ll elaborate on that more in a bit.  Other than that, my casserole turned out almost exact to theirs and it was delicious.

Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Dijon Sauce

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – January 26, 2011

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Recipe originally published in Cooking Light, January/February 2011.

Believe it or not, on occasion I want something easy and even boring to make for dinner.  Not every day needs to be a fancy-schmancy risotto or croissants made from scratch.  No, sometimes I just want a piece of chicken with a sauce and maybe a potato or salad.  So when I was flipping through my January issue of Cooking Light and saw their long list of quick dinners, this one screamed out at me.  I’ve made Dijon-based chicken dishes before, but this one appealed to me with the shallots (garlic-onions) so I decided to give another one a try.

It certainly wasn't boring.  It was absolutely delicious - yet still easy!

My finished product: © You Want Me to Cook?

Picture published with recipe: None

Because this was in a quick cooking section, they didn’t have any pictures.  I have to tell you I was really proud of the way this dish looked and tasted.  The chicken browned beautifully and the sauce had a nice texture and a fabulous taste.  The shallots and rosemary truly added something unique to the Dijon and cream base.

Tastes Like Thanksgiving Casserole

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – November 30, 2010

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Recipe originally published in Taste of Home, November 2007.

I found this recipe and filed it in the “to make” pile.  You know, when I have left over turkey (most likely from a holiday).  One day, after being tired of having to play every meal, I told my husband to go through the pile and pick out something to eat.  I wasn’t very nice about it.  He selects this.  *sigh…

Now one of the main issues with this dish is where you’re going to get the turkey.  Of course, you’re not going to cook a whole turkey, although I guess that is an option.  The other obvious choice is to make a turkey breast, but that is not the best option either.  They are large and kind of expensive to buy and make for a casserole.  After rooting around the poultry section, I found some turkey tenderloins.  I bought two and decided to go with it.

My finished product: © You Want Me to Cook?

Picture published with recipe: © Taste of Home

Okay, I’ll admit it.  I used more cheese than I was supposed to.  I guess I can’t really hide it since mine looks so cheesy.  So I guess I won’t be too angry that they clearly put peas in their casserole.  If those aren’t peas, their stuffing looks a little green.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – June 22, 2010

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Recipe originally published in Taste of Home, April/May 2008.

I enjoy a good enchilada, but I’m not crazy about red enchilada sauce.  This recipe really spoke to me.  What’s not to love about chicken in a cream cheese and chili based sauce?  Of course, I had to contend with the fat and sodium content, but I worked on it… at least a little.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Taste of Home

Now, I was really confused about the result of my enchiladas as compared to Taste of Home.  Now, granted, I used low-fat/no-fat ingredients (more on that later) but even factoring that in, there was just so much more sauce.  Also, the instructions direct you to pour it over the chicken.  They clearly didn’t do that.  Not to mention that their chicken doesn’t even look moist!  Obviously they garnished with some red peppers, so it is very possible that they altered the recipe without re-writing it for the web.  That is one of my pet-peeves.

Turkey & Bean Chili

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – November 17, 2010

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Recipe originally published by MyRecipes daily e-zine “Dinner Tonight”.

First, I am going to say that I really didn’t “change” the recipe.  I just elaborated on the ingredients and listed all of them in the instructions.  I hate it when they say, “the next six ingredients” and make you count them.  Now on to the recipe… I love chili and have a favorite recipe that I used to make often.  I realized, one day, that my husband was not eating it with me, and although he won’t admit it, I get the feeling he just didn’t like that dish.

Chili isn’t that healthy of a dish, so I started searching for a turkey chili that would rival my favorite ground beef chili recipe.  This was one of the first turkey chili recipes that had a tomato sauce.  I was excited.  I printed off the recipe and it sat for a long time.  Then I got that craving for chili again.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © myRecipes.com

I didn’t plate mine with the cilantro bunches.  I’m just not that big of a fan of that much cilantro in one place.  And of course, the obvious difference is the sour cream.  I love sour cream in a hot bowl of chili, so I ate it that way anyway, but that’s not the point.  The point is, the recipe didn’t say that, and if you’ve read any of my other posts – that annoys me.  If you look at the chili, it is pretty similar.  Mine is a little more “juicy” but that is how I like it.

Cheesy Chicken Empanadas

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – December 15, 2010

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Recipe originally published in Kraft Food and Family – Holiday 2010.

I subscribe to a lot of food magazines.  One of the biggest issues I have is that I’ll make lists of everything I want to try, and then when I revisit the recipe to make it, I’m not so sure it is all that appealing anymore.  This was one of those dishes.  Originally published as an appetizer, I didn’t feel like going through all of the work for finger food.  So I made the decision to make them larger so they could be a meal and move ahead with cooking.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Kraft Foods

Part of the problem was the amount of chili powder I used on top of the empanadas.  One teaspoon would have been appropriate to sprinkle over 16 of them, but way too much for 8.  You probably also noticed that mine are more triangular.  That’s because I quartered the pie crusts instead of using a biscuit cutter.  Didn’t affect the taste and really doesn’t look “ugly” in terms of food standards.

Quick Chicken & Dumplings

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – August 30, 2010

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Recipe originally published by myRecipes daily e-zine “Dinner Tonight”.

I love chicken and dumplings, but it isn’t one of the easiest dishes to make.  When I saw “Quick” and “Chicken & Dumplings” in the same title, I was game.  I have to admit, when I saw that the dumplings were made out of tortillas, I was a little skeptical.  I am certainly glad I decided to give it a try.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: MyRecipes.com

Pretty close, right?  I’m not sure if I just scooped out too much broth for my picture, but it wasn’t thinned out or watery.  Now, I would never say that tortillas are an exact substitute for dumplings, but it definitely mimicked it well enough that I didn’t mind.

Linguine Pesto with Italian Chicken Strips

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – October 25, 2010

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Recipe originally published in Taste of Home’s weekly e-zine “Menu$aver Newsletter”.

On occasion, I’ll look for light recipes to make for lunch.  Unfortunately, there aren’t many of them out there.  This recipe wasn’t meant to be a lunch recipe.  It was meant to be a quick option for dinner; however, I think it would do much better as lunch fare.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Taste of Home

Put aside the fact that I don’t have the ability to plate a dish as beautifully as Taste of Home – I mean look at the perfect positioning of those noodles! – my end result came really close to that of Taste of Home.  I used wheat pasta, which gives the dish a darker appearance, but other than that, I seemed to have nailed it.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – October 14, 2010

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Recipe originally published in The Daily Dish e-zine.

Now I have to get this out of the way:  I’m not from Texas.  I’ve never eaten “authentic” King Ranch Chicken.  I’m sure King Ranch Chicken is just like Philly Cheesesteaks & Chicago Style Pizza – there’s a million ways to make it, what is in it varies from person-to-person, and everyone thinks their version is the right one.

What I’m getting at is this – I have no intentions of arguing with anyone about this not being “real” King Ranch Chicken Casserole.  It looked yummy and I decided to make it.  It wasn’t until I started to write this blog post and decided to read through some of the comments that I saw the “this isn’t the way you make King Ranch Chicken” and “this is an abomination to anyone from Texas” posts.

Now that the unpleasantness is out of the way, let’s get back to the recipe.  Chicken is a staple in my kitchen so when I stumble on a chicken casserole, I’m all in.  What intrigued me about this recipe is the subtlety of the southwestern flavors.  What I did was I used some of the suggestions from all of the variations that were listed below the original recipe to create a final product.  Part lightened King Ranch Chicken and Quick-and-Easy King Ranch Chicken. 

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © MyRecipes.com

Pretty close, but I do have a complaint.  First, it looks like they left their corn tortilla chips whole instead of crushing them.  Second, WHAT THE HECK ARE THEY DOING IN THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!  Again, a photo is taken of a recipe that clearly doesn’t use the same ingredients.  If they followed the initial recipe, they should have used corn tortillas cut into ½” strips.  I guess I shouldn’t complain since I chose to use the corn tortilla chip option, but that’s not the point.  Wait, what is my point?  Oh, never mind.

Basil Chicken Meatballs with Ponzu Sauce

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – January 20, 2011

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Recipe originally published in Cooking Light, January/February 2011.

I enjoy finding double-duty dishes.  This dish is meant to be an appetizer; however, I cooked up some brown rice and made a meal out of it.  Perfect, especially when it comes to appetizer dishes.  Since it is just my husband and I, we don’t get a lot of use out of appetizers.  Of course, on occasion, I’m asked to bring one somewhere or we have people over.  Well I’m not a big fan of making something that I’ve never made before for a special occasion or for guests.  Thus, appetizers I can make for dinner are exactly what I’m looking for.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Cooking Light

I was really proud of the way the meatballs turned out.  Browning them in the pan was a lot more difficult than I had anticipated.  Set off the fire alarm a couple of times too.  But I held them together and went forward & they looked great in the end.  Had the rice not been there, I think the pictures would have looked VERY similar.

Chicken Milanese with Spring Greens & Parmesan-Browned Butter Orzo

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – June 15, 2010

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Recipe for the menu originally published in Cooking Light, May 2010:

Chicken Milanese with Spring Greens

Parmesan-Browned Butter Orzo

This is a total meal.  Other than possibly needing some crusty bread, you’re set with the evening’s dinner.   Of course, as much as I love Cooking Light creating a complete meal, they also chose to not publish all of the recipes together… or put both recipes in the step-by-step formatting… or even LINK to the Orzo dish from the Chicken Milanese.  THAT, lovely readers, is very annoying.  I had to search high-and-low for both since I forgot to print them out after I made it.

As is usual for me, I began to panic over attempting another breaded chicken dish.  I struggle with breading and frying – ALWAYS cooking the breading unevenly and USUALLY burning at least one of the pieces of chicken.  This was also my first attempt at cooking orzo, but that shows you how easy this recipe was… no problems with perfectly cooked chicken, a great salad and delicious orzo.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Cooking Light

Pretty close!  Of course, I used a different salad blend (see below) and my orzo looks a little creamier than Cooking Light.  I even think, and of course I’m biased here, that my chicken looks more evenly browned than theirs.  Succeess!!!