Things I Love: 40-Clove Garlic Chicken

So the wonderful thing about getting married (besides, you know, the whole love-of-your-life thing) is that people get you gift cards to amazing places. I still have a considerable amount of gift cards to Williams-Sonoma, and every once in a while I go in there and buy different sauces and bases and cake mixes to try out. This week I got one I had tried before: the 40-Clove Garlic Chicken Braising Base. Let me just say, it is amazing. I make it in the Dutch Oven/Oven and follow the directions exactly (except when browning the chicken, I add a bit of Tony Cachere’s Cajun Seasoning and some Italian Seasoning as well). I love it, because it’s one of the few dishes where I don’t feel compelled to change it up and do my own thing. When it comes out of the oven, the chicken literally falls apart, and I serve it with a baguette (you can find them whole or pre-sliced in the bakery section, or you can buy really good ones at Panera).

Also, when we are all done eating, I store the leftover chicken in one container, and the leftover sauce in another. Sometimes for lunch, I’ll just warm up some of the sauce and dip my bread in it (I’m not a big meat-eater). And my husband doesn’t eat a lot of bread, so he loves just having the chicken ready to go. Also: I know the price tag looks a bit hefty, but believe me, you can make this sauce go a LONG way. It would even be great to add the leftover sauce to a white bean chili, or chop up some green tomatoes to make a fun sauce and serve over egg noodles!

One more thing? Yes, there is a TON of garlic in there, but after you eat, the garlic smell goes away. No garlic breath, no garlic hands, no garlic kitchen – it’s great!

Oh and since I was in there, I also bought Williams-Sonoma’s Brown Sugar Bundt Cake Mix, and topped it with some whipped cream cheese frosting. Sorry they didn’t have a picture, and I didn’t take one. But it was delicious, I promise!

Brunch Casserole

I made this last weekend for a football watch party and it was amazing. My favorite part – unlike most breakfast casseroles, you don’t need to refrigerate this overnight! The secret? I think it’s the fact that this recipe uses hash browns instead of eggs. Whatever it was, this was delicious!

Brunch Casserole

Ingredients:

- 1 pkg. sliced bacon

- 1/2 cup chopped onion

- 2 small cans green chiles, diced

- 12 eggs

- 1 cup milk

- 1 pkg. frozen hash browns, thawed (16-oz. pkg.)

- 1 cup shredded cheese (American, Colby-Jack)

- Salt & Pepper

- 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning

- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt

- dash of garlic salt

Directions:

1) In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp (to save time, I cooked 5 slices of bacon in a skillet to get the grease, then microwaved the rest). Crumble bacon and set aside. In same skillet, sautee onion and green chiles in drippings until onions are tender and extra liquid from the chiles has cooked away.

2) In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. Stir in hash browns, cheese, salt, pepper, Tony’s, celery salt, garlic salt, onion mixture and bacon cumbles.

3) Transfer to a 13 x 9 baking dish (grease if it is not nonstick). Spread evenly. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Tip: I baked it at 350 for 35 minutes, then at 400 for 10 additional minutes and it was the perfect consistency.)

Serves: 6-12

Suggestions:

I served this with salsa and jalapenos, and fat free sour cream on top. I also served cinnamon rolls, so you get the sweet and salty effect.

The great thing about this is that you can change it up based on the occasion and how you feel. For instance, next time I will probably put more veggies in there (bell peppers probably, maybe some broccoli).

Also, my husband doesn’t eat anything with more than 4 carbs, but he made an exception for this dish and the hash browns. Afterward, he suggested that I sub french fried onion strings for the hash browns. They’re healthier, and taste just as good.

I am always an advocate of more cheese. For 12 eggs PLUS a package of hash browns, 1 cup of cheese didn’t seem like enough.

Sausage is always interchangeable with the bacon. Just be sure it’s done before you mix it in.

Let me know how you change it and what you think!

-C-

Recipe: Easy Turkey Chili

This recipe is super easy, and kind of a cheater, but it makes great-tasting chili that’s perfect to eat in cold weather with some cider or a nice beer!

SUPER Easy Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

- 2 cans of Wolf brand turkey chili

- 1 lb. of ground turkey

- 3 or 4 tomatoes

- 1 or 2 red onions

- 1 bag cheddar/colby jack shredded cheese

- 1 tub light or FF sour cream

- 1 bottle of an IPA beer, such as Thunder Head Indian Pale Ale

Instructions:

1) Brown turkey. Add spices such as salt and pepper, ground red pepper, garlic salt, and Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning, to taste. Drain liquid, transfer to soup pot.

2) Add both cans of turkey chili. Cook on medium heat. After a few minutes, add the whole bottle of beer. Stir occasionally.

3) While chili is warming, chop tomatoes and onions. If you’re like my husband, you’ll want to leave the tomatoes on the side. However, if you like tomatoes, go ahead and add them and a handful of onions to the chili.

4) Stir the chili occasionally, leaving on medium heat, for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend. You can also do this in a slow cooker. Basically, the longer you cook it, the better the flavors blend.

5) Serve 1 cup in a large bowl. Top with a spoonful of red onions, a handful of cheese, and a dollop of sour cream.

I also recommend cornbread to dip in the chili. I’ve made jalapeno corn bread before, and last night I served it with crescent rolls and a beer.

Bon Apetit!

-C-

Mexican Casserole

This recipe is amazing! I make it at least once a week and it is the only dish I make that GUARANTEES my husband goes back for seconds. I send it to any friend when they ask for a new recipe or something to take to a party or that easily feeds a lot of people. It is amazing and you can do so many variations on it! So, without further ado…

CATIE’S MEXICAN CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

1 can Enchilada Sauce

1 onion, red or white, chopped

1 pkg. colby-jack or mexican-blend cheese

1 jar jalapeno relish (look in the Latin food section)

1 pkg. flour tortillas

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garlic to taste

Cumin to taste

Directions:

1) Brown meat and onions on stove top. Preheat oven to 350. When meat is cooked, drain liquid off.

2) Add garlic, about 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Stir in and let saute a bit to add flavor. Add cumin, salt and pepper sparingly and mix in as well.

3) Stir in enchilada sauce and jalapeno relish. Turn heat up and bring to a boil.

4) Layer enchiladas, meat mixture and cheese in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Be sure you finish layering with the cheese on top.

5) Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is bubbling. Serves 4 to 6.

 

***Some variations***

- You can use any meat you like. Shredded chicken is good, too. 1 lb of meat is great for this recipe.

- My husband doesn’t eat carbs, so I leave the tortillas on the side. However, this means I’m just baking the meat mixture and cheese, so I use 2 lbs. of meat instead of 1 lb. I also usually use ground turkey because it’s less fattening and adds great flavor.

MAKE THIS FOR DINNER AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

Stuffed Bell Peppers, a la Catie

So, you may or may not know, but I have recently realized that my passion is cooking. I love coming up with new recipes and, after watching Mamma Mia (if you have to ask, you don’t need to know), I have decided that when I grow up I want to write cookbooks. SO, I have decided to start sharing my recipes with my blog readers (all 5 of you). My goal is to keep the recipes easy, healthy and delicious, as well as adaptable (i.e. use beef if you don’t like chicken, etc.). Without further ado, here is my first recipe post. I made this dish last night and it got resounding reviews – which means my husband went back for seconds!

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Ingredients:
 
3 large cans Chicken OR 2-3 lbs. ground beef
1 small can of enchilada sauce
1 cup of colby-jack cheese or cheddar cheese
1 red onion, chopped
6 bell peppers, any color (I used green)
1 T minced garlic
1 T cilantro
Salt & Pepper to taste
Cumin to taste (optional)
1 can green chiles (optional)
Salsa (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
 
Directions:
1) Cut the tops off the peppers, pull out the pith and seeds and rinse with cold water. Trim the bottoms if necessary so they stand upright in a baking dish.
2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put peppers in baking dish and let them bake while you make the chicken mixture (this makes the peppers soft).
3) In a pan over medium-high heat, saute the chicken, onion and garlic. When the onions are soft, add the enchilada sauce, cilantro, salt and pepper, and cumin (and green chiles, if using). Bring to a boil.
4) Take the peppers out of the oven and spoon chicken mixture into them evenly. Set in baking dish and evenly cover the top of each pepper with cheese. Spoon any leftover mixture and/or cheese over the tops and around the sides of the peppers.
5) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. If you want crispy peppers, broil on high for an additional 5-10 minutes.
6) Serve, with salsa and sour cream on the side.

 

IF YOU MAKE THIS, PLEASE COMMENT BELOW! I love feedback!

**Next time I make it, I’ll take a picture!