White Chicken Lasagna

My family really loves lasagna; in my opinion my husband makes the best traditional lasagna I have ever had.  But, I really wanted to try white lasagna, when it comes to pizza I am a bigger fan of the white sauce over the red so I figured white sauce lasagna must be good too.  I think this was a great recipe but I would have liked a little more sauce so next time I will up the milk by another 1/2 c and also maybe instead of just using milk I might change to half and half for a more creamier sauce.  Other than that this lasagna really did taste wonderful, it was a very nice change from the traditional lasagna I am used to.

• 2 C. - Boneless Skinless Chicken (I used a store bought rotisserie chicken)
• 1 14oz. - Can Artichoke Hearts (chopped)
• 1/2 C. - Chopped Sun-Dried Tomatoes (I used some packed in herbs and olive oil)
• 8 oz. - Package Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)
• 1/2 C. - Parmesan Cheese (grated)
• 2 8oz. - Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1 C. - Milk (or 1 1/2c. half & half)
• 1 Tbs. - Garlic (minced)
• 2 Tbs. - Chopped Basil (I used the kind in a squeeze tube)
• 12 - Lasagna Noodles (cooked)

SIDE NOTE ON NOODLES: (generally we don’t cook the noodles first, but being not enough liquid to cook properly, it would be best to cook at least half way through, too ensure being done)

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Combine the chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, 1 c. mozzarella and the Parmesan.  Beat the cream cheese, milk and garlic with a mixer until well blended and smooth, then stir in the basil.  Mix half of the sauce with the chicken.  Spread half of the remaining sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish: cover with 3 of the noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture.  Repeat layers of noodles and chicken two more times then top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.  Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes or until heated through. Remove the foil and place under the broiler until brown and gooey.  Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

 Click here for Printable Recipe...

Spicy Meatball Ravioli Soup

During the cold, wet, and windy fall and winter months we really love to make a thick and hearty soup for dinner. This last Sunday I made soup in the slow cooker, I simply love anything that I place into the slow cooker and walk away while it does amazing things to the items you have placed inside. I found this recipe on Brandie's site, The Country Cook. I did however make a few changes to the ingredients to make it more our own. This soup went really well with the pumpkin cornbread that we posted last Sunday, but just some crusty bread or soft dinner rolls would have been great as well.

1 Lbs. - Frozen Mini Meatballs
1/2 Lbs. - Buitoni Frozen Braised Beef & Sausage Ravioli
32 oz. Box - Beef Stock
2 (15.5oz.) Cans - Cannellini Beans (do not drain)
1 (14.5oz.) Can - Italian Diced Tomatoes (do not drain)
1 Small - Onion (minced)
2 Tbs. - Garlic (minced)
1/2 Tbs. - Italian Seasoning
1/2 Tsp. - Celery Salt
1 Tbs. - Johnny's Garlic Seasoning (or garlic powder)
1 Tbs. - Dried Parsley
1/4 Tsp. - Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 C. Heavy Cream
Parmesan Cheese
Corn Starch

Pour the beef stock into the crock pot and add the beans, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, and all seasonings. Stir to combine, and then add in the meatballs; turn the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours. About 45 minutes before you are ready for simmer stir in the ravioli and allow them to cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes. When the soup is ready, thicken with the corn starch and heavy cream, ladle into serving dishes and enjoy.

Click here for Printable Recipe...

Mini Garlic Dill Flat Bread

My husband wanted to create a mini flat bread to be eaten either alone or alongside our Spicy Artichoke Dip or one of our Hummus Dips. He really loves to make things out of pizza dough, this coming from the many years he spent working at several of our local Beaverton Pizzeria's when he was younger. He toyed with many ideas of what to top them with, I think his final outcome was the perfect choice.

1 Lbs. - Pizza Dough (homemade, store bought, or local take & bake pizza place)
4 Tbs. - Butter
1 Tbs. - Johnny's Garlic Seasoning
1/2 Tbs. - Dill Weed
Kosher Salt

Roll the pizza dough out to your desired thickness, use a biscuit cutter to cut into small rounds. Lay the pizza rounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Mix the butter, garlic season and dill together in a small dish. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the pizza rounds then sprinkle with less than a pinch of kosher salt. Bake on a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Click here to Print Recipe...

Dunkin French Onion Soup

My husband and I stepped out of our box the other day and made something for dinner that we had only eaten once and have always wondered what it would taste like if we prepared it our way. We had each tried this item once on separate occasions and thought it was OK but of course new that we could put the Dunkin twist on it and make it our own ultimate version that we would absolutely love. We could not have been happier with the outcome, it was fabulous and oh so sinfully good.

1 - Large Onion (diced)
8 Tbs. - Butter
2 Tbs. - Oil
4 C. - Chicken Stock
4 C. - Beef Stock
8 Slices - French Bread (1 inch)
1 C. - Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 C. - Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese
2 Tbs. - Johnny's Garlic Seasoning
1 Tbs. - Montreal Steak Seasoning

Pepper to taste
Corn Starch to thicken soup

In a soup pot melt the 4 Tbs. Of the butter with the oil, sauté the onions until just slightly caramelized, this will take about 20 minutes. When tender and a golden rich color add in the chicken and beef stock along with the pepper, Montreal steak seasoning and 1 ½ Tbs. of the Johnny's garlic, simmer the soup for another 15 minutes. In the mean time use the remaining butter and Johnny's to turn your French bread into garlic bread, place onto a baking sheet and cook in a 350 degree oven just until the butter mixture has melted. Once the bread is ready remove the tray from the oven and turn the oven to broil, top each slice of bread with a mixture of the cheeses and return to the oven to melt and brown the cheese. While the cheese is melting thicken the soup to the consistency you like, we like a cross between a soup and a stew. Once the soup is thick and the toast is ready then you can ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a piece of the garlic cheese toast. We really think that by using both types of broth and caramelizing the onion gave this soup a very rich and silky taste.

Click here to Print Recipe...

Johnny's Great Caesar Garlic Spread & Seasoning Giveaway

In September I took it upon myself to write an e-mail to Johnny's Fine Foods telling them just how much I loved their products and if they took a look at our cooking site they would see that I use Johnny's Garlic Seasoning in just about everything I make. The very next day to my surprise I received an e-mail from Shavonne Conner (from Johnny’s) telling me that she did look at my site and loved what she saw and of course thanks so very much for taking the time to pass along how much I loved their products. About 3 days later I came home to find a package waiting for me from Johnny's Fine Foods, I was so overly excited and very surprised. I opened the package to find an actual hand written letter from Shavonne telling me and I quote (MaryBeth: Please enjoy the enclosed free sample from the president of our company. He also enjoyed your blog. Thanks again for your loyalty. Shavonne Conner.) I was so very surprised that just because I sent a simple e-mail telling them how much I loved their products that they felt compelled to send me a box of free gifts. Inside this wonderful box I had: 1 bottle French Dip Concentrate - 8oz , 1 bottle French Onion Concentrate - 8oz , 1 bottle Jamaica Me Crazy Seasoned Pepper - 2.25oz , 1 bottle Salmon Seasoning - 8.5oz and 6 bottles of my absolute favorite thing in the World Great Caesar Garlic Spread & Seasoning - 5oz . We have already used both jugs of French dip on some great roast beef sammies, wow was it wonderfully good. My husband and I decided to share the wealth of goodies with some of our blog friends, so leave a comment telling us“ What your favorite seasoning is and why” and 2 lucky winners will each get 1 bottle of the Great Caesar Garlic Spread & Seasoning – 5oz..

This contest will run from today 10-13-09 to next Tuesday 10-20-09 6pm pacific time.

Crock Pot Boneless Beef Ribs

I had mentioned to my husband that I really wanted to make some boneless beef ribs for dinner and he thought that it sounded great. However we wanted something a little different other than just cooking them on the BBQ. I looked on line and found some really wonderful sounding recipes but the one that really caught my eye was using a crock pot. We all know how much I love to use mine, this recipe has so many items in it that I have either never used or would have never thought to put together in the same dish. I must say though these were by far the best boneless beef ribs I have ever had, I bet they would be just as awesome if I used pork ribs too.

2/3 C. - Flour
2 Tsp. - Salt
1/2 Tsp. - Pepper
4 Lbs. - Boneless Beef Ribs
1/4 C. - Butter
1 Large - Chopped Onion
1 ½ C. - Beef Broth
3/4 C. - Garlic Red Wine Vinegar
3/4 C. - Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 C. - Sweet Chili Sauce
1/3 C. - Ketchup
3 Tbs. - Chopped Garlic
1 ½ Tsp. - Chili Powder

In a large zippy bag place the flour, salt & pepper, mix to combine. Add the ribs in batches and shake to coat. In a large frying pan melt the butter and brown the ribs on all sides, transfer the browned ribs to the bottom of a 5 qt crock pot. In the same frying pan combine the remaining items and bring to a boil, pour over the ribs. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or until meat is tender and falling apart. Serve hot over mashed taters then ladle some of the sauce over top.

Click here to Print Recipe...

Greek Shrimp & Feta Buttons

This Greek delight was found in a cook book my mother in law gave me, The Complete Step By Step Cook Book. This book has more than 800 full color recipes and as the title says with step by step instructions. I found this cute little appetizer that sounded so darn good and the picture in the book was so cute that I just had to give it a try. Of course as we do with so many of the recipes we make, we altered it from its original state. My husband took some to his Greek friend again today and just like the Baklava he simply loved this and wished that he had more.

½ - Medium Onion (diced)
1 Tbs. - Garlic (chopped)
1 Tbs. - EVOO
3 Tbs. - Butter (melted)
4 oz. - Peeled Diced Shrimp (cooked)
6 oz. - Aethnos Garlic Herb Feta Crumbles
1 Tsp. - Chives
6 Sheets - Phyllo Dough
Salt & Pepper

In a medium sized frying pan heat the EVOO over medium high heat, once the oil is hot sauté the onion and garlic for about 5-8 minutes. While the onion is getting tender add in the Diced Shrimp, chives, and salt & pepper. Remove from heat and mix in the feta cheese, remove 6 sheets of phyllo from the roll and put the rest in the fridge for another time. Cut the phyllo in half, then cut each half into half, cut each strip into 3 sections and this will yield you 12 sections. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, lay out 3 sheets of dough in a stack, brush with melted butter then lay the other 3 sheets on top at an angle and brush with more butter. Place about 1 Tsp. Of filling in the center of the dough then bring in the opposite corners to form the buttons bunching the dough together at the top. Carefully brush the entire button with melted butter and continue with the rest of the phyllo and filling. Once all buttons are made, cook in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden and crispy. Remove immediately and serve hot and watch them disappear.

Click here to Print Recipe...

White Asparagus 3 Ways

Just the other day my husband and I walked into our local Fred Meyer, the first thing I saw just inside the produce department was asparagus, but this was not your ordinary green variety. What caught our eye was white asparagus. Neither of us had ever seen anything like it before, I can honestly say I do not like the green asparagus but this white version looked a little different. We purchased one bundle and on the way home we tried to figure out just what we were going to do with it. I had so many ideas that I couldn't pick just one, so instead we did this white asparagus 3 different ways.

1 Bundle White Asparagus (about 30 stalks, trimmed)


Recipe 1: Roasted

10 Stalks - White Asparagus
½ Tsp. - Kosher Salt
1 Tbs. - Chopped Garlic
EVOO

On a baking sheet lined with foil lay out the asparagus. Drizzle with EVOO then toss gently with the garlic and kosher salt. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 13-15 minutes. Serve hot.

Recipe 2 : Deep Fried

10 Stalks - White Asparagus
¼ C. - Flour
¼ C. - Panko Crumbs
1 - Egg
Salt & Pepper

Dip the asparagus in the egg to coat, season the flour with salt & pepper and dredge the asparagus in the seasoned flour. Remove from the flour and coat in the egg again, let the excess egg drip off then coat in the Panko crumbs. Deep fry at 350 degrees for about 1 minute, turning while they cook, serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Recipe 3 : Sauté

1 Tbs. - Chopped Garlic
½ Tsp. - Kosher Salt
2 Tbs. - Butter
½ Tsp. - Pepper

Cut each stalk into 3 pieces; melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, asparagus, salt & pepper. Sauté over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes or until tender.

Click here to Print Recipe...

Thai Peanut Soup

I came across a very interesting soup recipe in my new cook book, The Best of Mr. Food Weeknight Quickies. The soup sounded very good and very different from anything I have ever seen before, it made me think of that wonderful peanut sauce that you dip chicken into. I love the flavor combination of the sauce and chicken, so I altered his recipe to create a whole new one.

¼ C. - Butter
1 - Small Onion (diced)
2 Tbs. - Flour
2 C. - Chicken Broth
1 C. - Milk
1 C. - Heavy Cream
1 C. - Smooth Peanut Butter
2 C. - Rotisserie Chicken (diced)
1/2 C. - Peanuts (chopped)
2 Tbs. - Thai Seasoning
1 Tbs. - Johnny's Garlic Seasoning
Salt & Pepper

Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, reduce the heat to low and add the flour, stir until well blended and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the chicken broth, milk and chicken, cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the soup is thick and bubbly. Stir in the cream and peanut butter and cook for another 5 minutes. Add in the seasonings and peanuts and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve hot garnished with black sesame seeds.

Click here to Print Recipe...

Cheesy Chicken Noodles

It has been another cold, windy and rainy day here in Beaverton again...imagine that! So I decided to use that wonderful crock pot again to create another quick, simple, easy and fabulous dinner. If I have not mentioned it before and I think I have, I just absolutely LOVE using my crock pot. It is just so much fun to gather single items from the pantry, cupboard, fridge and freezer and toss them into one pot and just be able to walk away. Then to return a few hours, later to a steaming, bubbly, hot and outrageously awesome smelling dinner.

6 - Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
2 Cans ( 10 ¾ oz) - Broccoli Cheese Soup
1 C. - Milk
1 C. - Heavy Cream
½ C. -Diced Onion
1 Tbs. -Chopped Garlic
½ Tsp. -Dry Basil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Cooked Pasta

Place the chicken into a greased crock pot. In a bowl combine the remaining items other than the pasta and pour it over the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour then reduce heat to low and cook for another 5-6 hours. Serve the chicken and sauce over the cooked pasta.

Click here to Print Recipe...

Garlic Parmesan Orzo

I wanted to make a new side dish for dinner the other night, you know step out of my box and try something new. I had box of Orzo pasta in the pantry so I figured why not use it. Orzo cooks so fast and when united with Garlic and Parmesan Cheese it just makes such a unique and wonderful side dish.

2 C. - Uncooked Orzo Pasta
2 Tbs. - Minced Garlic
½ C. - Butter (cubed)
½ C. - Parmesan Cheese
¼ C. - Milk
2 Tbs. - Parsley
1 Tsp. -Salt
¼ Tsp. - Pepper

Cook the Orzo according to the box directions, meanwhile in a large frying pan sauté the garlic in butter until tender. When the pasta is done drain it and add it to the frying pan, stir in the remaining ingredients then stir and heat through.

Click here to Print Recipe...