Skillet Chicken with Broccoli, Pasta, and Parmesan Cheese (Jean)

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 ounces ziti (penne makes a great substitution - I've used both with great results)
4 1/4 cups water
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4-5 cups broccoli florets (depending on how much broccoli you want)
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped coarse
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (asiago was the cheese in the original recipe and can be interchanged, but I always have parmesan on hand so I used that)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Stir the chicken and continue to cook until most, but not all, of the pink color has disappeared and the chicken is lightly browned around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the pasta, 3 cups of the water, and the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is very thick and syrupy and almost completely absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and the remaining 1 1/4 cups water. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and is almost tender, 2-3 minutes.

Uncover and return the heat to medium-high. Stir in the cream, parmesan, and reserved chicken with any accumulated juices and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing more grated parmesan at the table, if desired.

Lemon and Garlic Grilled Chicken (Jean)

Juice of 1 lemon, approximately 3 tablespoons
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 2 medium cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound chicken breasts (I usually cut really thick chicken breasts down to thin them out and make the pieces a little smaller so they absorb the marinade better)

Combine all marinade ingredients. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag and place in fridge overnight. Grill (or cook in frying pan). Serve with sides of your choice or cut into bite sized pieces and add to desired recipe (I'll be sharing a few with you soon). Note: If you cut your chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces and then marinate it, you can get away with only letting it marinate for 5 or 6 hours instead of overnight.

Lemon Cream Pasta with Chicken (Jean)

3 cups shredded or cubed Lemon Garlic Chicken
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (16 ounce) package tube pasta (I used rigatoni)
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, season the chicken broth with the garlic powder and pepper. Bring to a boil and add lemon juice and pasta. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.

Stir chicken into cooked pasta, along with the cream, parmesan cheese and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir thoroughly before serving.

Lasagna Casserole (Celise)

1 lb ground beef
¼ c. chopped onion
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper, divided
1 lb medium shell pasta, cooked and drained
1 lb (4 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 carton (24 oz) small-curd cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp parsley flakes
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce

In skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain. Sprinkle with salt and /4 tsp pepper; set aside. In a large bowl, combine pasta, 3 cups mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, parsley, and remaining pepper. Stir gently. Pour into greased 13x9 baking dish. Top with beef mixture and spaghetti sauce (dish will be full). Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered 15 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Sloppy Joes (Celise)

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onion. Stir in remaining ingredients, simmer covered, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If Joes appear too'loose', leave cover off and let moisture evaporate. Cook until it's the consistency you like for serving on toasted buns, with french fries and cole slaw.

Mexican Casserole (Celise)

2lbs ground beef
Small onion
16oz tomato sauce
Can of corn
½ cup water
4oz diced green chilis
10oz enchilada sauce
½ lb grated cheese
5 corn tortillas

*Mix together. Bake 25-35 min at 350.

Jeanie's March Chicken recipes

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU II (allrecipes.com)					serves: 6
6 skinless, bonelss ch breast halves				6 T butter
6 slices swiss cheese				1/2 c ch broth
6 slices ham				1 T cornstarch
3 T flour				1 c heavy whipping cream (or half and half)
1 t paprika
Pound ch breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2"
of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the
flour and paprika in a small bowl and coat the chicken pieces.
Heat butter and cook chicken until browned on all sides. Add the bouillion. Reduce heat to low,
cover, and simmer for 30 min until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove the
toothpicks and bag in freezer bag.
COOKING DAY: Heat the chicken in the oven at 350 10-20 min till heated through. While the ch
is heating, put cream mixture in small saucepan and whisk slowly until thickened. Pour over the
chicken and serve warm.
HOT'N'SPICY BUFFALO CHICKEN SALAD Serves: 6
1/3 c crumbled bleu cheese					2 T butter
3/4 c Ranch-style salad dressing					1/4 c Louisiana-style hot sauce
4 large skinless, boneless ch breast halves, cut into 1-in cubes
1 T vegetable oil					1 T salad seasoning mix
					3 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
Combine crumbled bleu cheese and ranch-style dressing; put into storage container. Season
cubed chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil. Just before the oil starts to smoke, add the chickne
and cook to brown evenly, about 3 min. Reduce heat to low and add butter, hot sauce and salad
seasoning mix. Simmer until chickne is cooked through, about 5 min. Bag chicken, label and f
freeze.
COOKING DAY: Thaw and heat chicken (can serve cold if desired). Stir the dressing and
pour over the lettuce. Top salad with chicken and serve.
BOB'S MEXICAN STUFFED CHICKEN allrecipes.com Serves: 6
3 c crushed corn flakes				1/2 c finely chopped fresh mushrooms
1 T chili powder				1/2 med red onion, finely diced
1 (1.27 oz) packet dry fajita seasoning				6 skinless, boness chicken breast halved, pounded
1/3 c finely chopped red bell pepper				thin
1/3 finely chopped yellow bell pepper				1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/3 c finely chopped orange bell pepper				1/3 c salsa
				4 oz cream cheese
				toothpicks
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking dish. In a bowl, mix corn flakes, chili pwder
and fajita seasoning. In a separate bowl, mix the peppers, mushrooms and onion. Dredge the
chicken in the corn flakes mixture to evenly coat. Drop 1 t cream cheese, sprinkle 2 T
cheddar cheese, and 1/6 of the vegetable mixture. Top with equal amounts of salsa. Carefully
roll the breast halves over the filling. Seal seams with toothpicks, then dredge again with corn
flakes mixture. Arrange the chicken in the baking dish. Bake 30 min. Top with remaining cheese
and bake 10 min or until juice runs clear. Allow to cool, bag, label and freeze.
COOKING DAY: Bake 350 20 min or till heated thoroughly.