Mix it Up! VI

Chicken San Remo
We really like this chicken dish. I do think the sauce is too thin, even after reducing. I usually try to add some cornstarch mixed in water to the sauce before pouring over chicken.
(The pasta is just angel hair pasta with olive oil, garlic, fresh basil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.)

3 T. olive oil

1/4 c. flour
Salt and pepper

1 large egg

1 T. water

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness

Sauce:

2 T. olive oil

2 medium shallots, minced

10 oz. fresh baby spinach leaves, rinsed & dried well

1 c. chicken broth

1 c. heavy cream

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Salt

4 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Heat oil in skillet. Mix flour, salt & pepper. In separate container lightly beat egg & water. Dredge each chicken piece in flour, then dip each side of chicken in egg wash. Place in pan in single layer & sauté to a golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking pan just large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer. Tent with foil to keep warm. Preheat broiler.

Wipe out the skillet & add oil over medium heat. Add shallots & spinach; sauté until spinach is completely wilted. Stir in chick broth and cream. Bring to boil & cook 12 minutes until reduced by half. Season with cayenne & salt. Remove foil & spoon sauce over chicken breasts. Divide the mozzarella over the tops of each piece of chicken. Broil chicken 4 to 5 inches from the heat 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese bubbles & is light golden brown.

Chicken Tetrazzini
I tried this for the first time. Alexander said he really likes it. It was just okay for the rest of us. I like more flavor or spice.

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 c. hot water

1/2 lb. thin spaghetti

2 T. butter

2 T. flour

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Cayenne pepper

1 c. milk

1 c. sour cream

1 c. cottage cheese

2 c. diced cooked chicken

1 (4-oz.) jar sliced mushrooms

2 T. chopped parsley

1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese

In a saucepan, combine bouillon cubes and hot water. Cook over low heat until cubes dissolve. Boil the spaghetti in the bouillon until cooked. Set aside.

In another saucepan melt the butter. Add the flour, salt, pepper and cayenne. Blend thoroughly. Pour in the milk. Add the sour cream, cottage cheese, chicken, mushroom and parsley. Mix thoroughly,and bring to a boil. Add the spaghetti. Pour the mixture into a large baking dish. Top with grated cheese. Bake at 350° for approximately 40 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Cheese and Potato Casserole

I like this crunchy on top so I put the ingredients in a greased pan and bake it in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes or until starting to brown on top. I'm not sure of the time. Then throw on remaining onion rings.

2 lb. pkg. frozen hash brown potatoes (partially thawed)

2 (10-oz.) cans cheddar cheese soup

1 (13-oz.) can evaporated milk

1 can French fried onion rings, divided

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine potatoes, soup, milk, and half the can of onion rings; pour into greased slowcooker and add salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or high for 4 hours. Sprinkle the rest of the onion rings of top before serving.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I love salads and this is one of my favorite. I first had it at the Steam Plant Grill on a fun trip to Spokane, Washington. They serve it with red onions, which I usually add, but I didn't have any last night. They also add delicious candied almonds. Soooo good. I didn't have time to do them, so I just threw pecans on mine. I also like to put Feta on it. You can serve it with a light vinaigrette dressing or it's great as is. I don't have exact measurements, just a list of ingredients. You can add as little or as much of each as you like.

Spinach, chopped

Strawberries, sliced

Can mandarin oranges, drained

Red onion, sliced

Almonds or pecans

Campton Place Coffee Cake

I made this for the first time and we give it 5 out of 5 stars! I didn't have enough batter using the given measurements of batter added to the pan to cover all the cherry filling on the last layer. I'm not sure what I did wrong. I used frozen cherries and the day after I made the cake, the cherries had leaked some of the moisture into the cake. That didn't stop us from eating it up!

3 c. all purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

6 oz. unsalted butter, softened at room temp.

1 1/4 c. granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temp.

2 c. sour cream
Filling:

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. light brown sugar, packed

1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 t. ground cinnamon

10 - 12 oz. pitted cherries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour or spray a 9- to 10- inch Bundt pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside dry ingredients.

In the bowl of stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
On low speed, in 3 additions of each, mix in the dry ingredients and sour cream, alternating the dry and wet ingredients until ingredients are just blended. Be careful not to over mix batter.
Make the filling by mixing the sugars, cocoa powder and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Scoop in 1 ½ cups cake batter into your prepared Bundt pan and spread evenly to cover the bottom. Sprinkle one-third of the filling and scatter one-third of the cherries over the filling. Scoop in 2 cups cake batter and spread evenly. Sprinkle one-third of the filling and scatter one-third of the cherries over the filling. Scoop in 2 cups of cake batter and spread evenly. Sprinkle the rest of the filling and cherries. Add the rest of the cake batter and spread evenly over the cherries.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until a cake test inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in pan for 30 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack, remove pan and let cool completely before serving.

Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Bars

I didn't realize when I made this for the first time yesterday that it is so much like another recipe I have. This is good, but not as chocolatey as I like. The topping is like a pecan pie, but it isn't as good as a chocolate chip pecan pie that my mom and sister Sheri make. If I make this again, I will probably try it with chocolate chips mixed into the topping. No one here tried any since my kids are allergic or don't like pecans so I don't know what others think about them.

1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar, divided into 3/4 cup portions
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 c. finely chopped pecans, divided into 1/2 cup & 1 & 1/2 cups
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
4 large eggs, divided
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/3 c. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13″x 9″ baking pan with foil. Grease or spray foil. Combine flour and 3/4 cup brown sugar. Cut in softened butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Press mixture into bottom of pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Using an elecrtic mixer on medium speed, combine cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth. Add 1 egg and beat until combined. Stir in chocolate and vanilla extract. Pour over baked crust. Bake 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Whisk together 3/4 cup brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, and 3 eggs. Stir in 1 & 1/2 cups chopped pecans. Pour over cream cheese mixture. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until center is set. Cool completely in pan. Cut into squares and serve.