Cheesy Macaroni With Chicken and Spinach

Do you have picky eaters in your family, especially children who are suspect of any food that has the color green to it?  Will they eat salad, or raw vegetables of any kind?  We were fortunate.  Our children were all adventurous eaters who loved crudite, salad, most every vegetable.  One of them didn't like green peas, and one of them didn't like lima beans.  Other than that, they would eat about anything.

Our grandsons on the other hand, do NOT fall into that category.  We have two who are pretty good eaters, two who are middle of the road, one who is only 18 months old and finding his way in the food world with a few texture issues and one who is suspect of any and everything that isn't "white".  Do you know what I mean?  He likes chicken, pasta, cheese, eggs, he will eat shrimp oddly enough, fish, turkey, rice - do you see the pattern here?  He just turned 10 and he has been like this since he was a little bitty fella.

I have seen him gag and retch at things his mother would make him taste and it was downright comical at times.  When he was about 4 his mother made him taste canteloupe during dinner.  I truly wish I had a video of his facial contortions, his gagging, shivering, and complaining.  Yes, he would literally shiver every time he got the canteloupe close to his mouth.  After probably 20 minutes, he finally licked it and I thought his dinner was going to end up on the table.  You know that "pre sound" that comes with regurgitation?  Yep, that's the one.  It still makes me laugh to think about it.  To our daughter's credit, she makes him try.  The pronouncement is usually, thanks, but I'll pass.

Their pediatrician said these are what they call "the white" kids who are suspect of colored foods and they think it is an evolutionary thing from the hunter/gatherer times when men did not always know which foods were edible.   Makes sense, but it does not make feeding such children easy.

All that was to say H will eat this dish AFTER he picks the spinach out.  He loved it otherwise and so did the other boys.  It is cheesy, and filled with chicken and pasta.   Perfect.  I added the spinach for some color and extra nutrition.  H is the only one who picked the spinach out, so you might luck out and get your family to eat it with the spinach.  You never know.

I made this dish using one of the herbed chickens I wrote about in my blog on August 19.  You can find the recipe there.  Or, you could use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery or cook the chicken breasts like in the recipe.  It is a great way to use leftover chicken.  The original recipe came from AllRecipes.com.  Here is what you need:

3 TBSP butter
salt and pepper
1/2 pound pasta (penne, fusilli, or bow tie, cooked al dente)
2 - 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts or leftover chicken from a rotisserie or roasted chicken
1/4 cup + 1 TBSP flour
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups milk
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella (I used one ball of fresh mozzarella from Aldi's)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups fresh baby spinach

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook pasta in boiling water just until al dente, drain and put aside.

If you are cooking chicken breasts, season the chicken with some salt and pepper and put some olive oil in a medium skillet.  Cook the chicken until it is no longer pink.  Remove and let sit for about 5 minutes.  Slice thin.  Put aside.

In a medium pot, melt the butter and add the flour and garlic.  Cook about 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste.  This makes your roux for the sauce.  Gradually add the milk, whisking continuously until thick.  Stir in the cheese and whisk until melted and sauce is smooth.  Remove from heat and add the pasta.  Pour into the prepared baking dish and add the chicken.  Add the fresh spinach and stir to incorporate the chicken and spinach.

Bake uncovered for 25 - 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.  Remove from oven and serve.

This is soooooooooo good.  The sauce is amazing with the mozzarella and parmesan.  One of the best mac and cheese type recipes I have found.  Yum.  Yum.  Yum.  The only thing I might add next time are some crushed red pepper flakes for just a little zing.   Feel free to leave the spinach out if you have eaters who are suspect of green things in their food.  Or, add some broccoli if they would prefer that, or green peas.   Spinach was just my addition and we loved it.  Next time, I might try another vegetable.

Serve this with a nice green salad and you have a complete meal.  Oh, maybe some crusty bread too.  Oh yeah.

This recipe is super easy to prepare, especially if you have some chicken on hand that is already cooked.  It reheats beautifully.  We had leftovers the next day and it was just as good as the first day.
Give this recipe a try.  I think it will be quite a hit.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Dude, macaroni and cheese if the food of the gods!  Haley James Scott

Gluten Free Lasagna Made With Zucchini - Fantastic!

Greetings friends!  Yes, I have been absent for a week due to a little hiatus.  We had to make a trip to the old home town to help  my sister after she had some surgery.  Then, we were without internet and television for a few days due to some unknown reason that AT&T had trouble figuring out.  Do you know what it's like to have no television during the Olympics?  Holy gymnastics, Batman, it is NOT fun.  After 5 days, many phone calls and several repairmen later, they finally got everything working.  Hallelujah!  I did get to see that sweet Gabby Douglas win her gold medal.  Awesome.

Our oldest daughter and her family have been on vacation for the last 10 days and just returned this afternoon.  I knew she would not feel like cooking after spending all day in airports with 3 young sons, so I offered to fix dinner.   Dan took them to the airport for their departure so their van had lived at our house during their trip.  He went to pick them up at 4:30 and I fixed dinner so they could literally eat and run.  The boys were F R I E D!  They got up at 5 am eastern time to get to Boston in time to catch their flight home.  They are very brave people.  During dinner, the two year old melted down and then the 5 year old was right behind him.  Mom and dad looked like they might cry.  Grandma and Pawpaw just laughed - been there, done that.

Our son in love has Celiac so I always fix something that is gluten free.  I was in the mood for lasagna (and who doesn't love lasagna?), but decided to make it with zucchini instead of pasta noodles.  Let me tell you, it's absolutely fantastic and I may like it this was better than with noodles.   This would be great for a meatless dish also.  Just leave the meat out of the sauce.  Easy peasy.

Here is what you need:

3-4 zucchini about 8 inches long, sliced longways in 1/4 inch slices
1 pound ground beef, turkey or sausage (I used beef)
2 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I use Trader Joe's tomato basil - it's gluten free and delicious)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8-10 cremini mushrooms (baby bellas)
1.5 containers fresh ricotta (15 ounce each)
3 eggs
1 16 ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese
1 fresh mozzarella ball
salt
pepper

First, slice the zucchini longways in 1/4 inch slices, salt on both sides and let drain in a colander.   Zucchini has a lot of water in it and you don't want it in your lasagna.

Brown the ground beef (turkey or sausage) with the chopped onion and garlic, salt and pepper to taste.  Throw in the sliced mushrooms and the two jars of pasta sauce.  Heat until it bubbles, remove from heat.

Mix 1.5 containers of fresh ricotta cheese in a bowl with 3 eggs.  Set aside.

Spray a 9x13 casserole with cooking spray.  Press the zucchini slices between paper towels to remove any excess moisture.  Line the bottom of the casserole with a layer of zucchini.  See, it works just like noodles.

  Cover the zucchini with 1/2 of the meat sauce.

Put 1/2 the ricotta mixture over the meat sauce in large dollops and then spread with a spoon.

Sprinkle 1/2 of the 16 ounce package of shredded mozzarella over the ricotta mixture.

Add another layer of zucchini over the mozzarella layer and repeat the layers - meat sauce, ricotta and shredded mozzarella.  Cover the last layer of shredded mozzarella with slices from the fresh mozzarella ball.

Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and put it in a preheated 325 degree oven for 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and increase the temperature to 350 degrees for another 15 minutes until all the cheese is melted.  Remove from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes.  Serve.  Super D-licious.

I would recommend putting your casserole on a baking sheet while baking, because now I get to clean my oven since the ooey gooey cheese and sauce dripped all over the bottom.  Ugh.   Oh well, it was time to do that anyway.

We had a lovely green salad and crusty bread with this lasagna.  I have to say, I think I may be a zucchini lasagna convert at this point.  It's also a great way to use bounty from your summer garden!  One more delicious way to use up that zucchini!

If you are gluten sensitive or allergic, this is a great way to enjoy lasagna without having to find gluten free noodles.  It is so worth the effort to slice those zucchini and you get the extra nutrition from that delicious squash.  Give it a try and see what you think.  You may become a convert too!

Everyday donna

Things to Remember:

“Once again, my life has been saved by the miracle of lasagna.”
'Garfield' (Jim Davis)

Salad Made With Romaine, Fresh Peaches, Blackberries, Mozzarella, Candied Pecans and Home Made Poppy Seed Dressing - This Is For You Jaley!

A very talented young friend of mine posted on Facebook that she had gone to the grocery last night and gone a little overboard on buying peaches and wondered what she could do with them.  I told her it looked like there was a cobbler or crisp in her future.  Or perhaps, a salad with peaches.

Jaley, this is for you!  I created this salad recently when our family came over for dinner.  I had lots of South Carolina peaches on hand and a pint of fresh blackberries.  I am always trying to think up new ways to makes salads because, let's face it, the same old vegetable salads get old and bo-ring!

This salad has romaine lettuce, fresh peaches, fresh blackberries, candied pecans and fresh mozzarella cheese that has been cut into bite sized cubes.  To go with it, I made a home made poppy seed dressing that is so good I could probably drink it with a straw.

Here is what you need for the salad:

1 head romaine lettuce
2 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced (or more if desired)
3/4 cups fresh blackberries (or a couple of handfuls if you don't want to measure)
1/2 cup pecans
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into bite sized cubes

First, you want to candy your pecans.  Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over medium to low heat.  Add the brown sugar, stirring with a wooden spoon until it melts.  Add the pecans and stir until the sugar starts to cling to the pecans.  Remove pan from heat and let cool.  Be careful not to burn your pecans.  They take on a wonderful toasted caramel flavor that is divine.  Just don't eat them all before you add them to the salad.

Cut or tear your romaine lettuce and add to a large salad bowl.  Peel, pit and slice the peaces, add to the greens.  Add the blackberries and the pecans.  Cut the mozzarella into bite sized cubes and add to the salad.  Toss.

Now, you will definitely want to make this fabulous poppy seed dressing.  Here is what you need:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp champagne vinegar (available at most groceries)
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp poppy seeds (available in the spice aisle, most groceries)
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp grated sweet onion

Mix the ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake, shake, shake.  Or whisk together in a bowl.  Serve in a small pitcher or bowl, or  you could pass out straws.

The crunch of those little poppy seeds with the tangy sweetness of the dressing is the perfect compliment to this salad.  Also, there are no preservatives or msg. like you get in bottled dressings.

If you have other greens instead of romaine, feel free to substitute.  Just don't overwhelm the fruit with greens.  You want a nice balance.  You could also substitute feta, blue cheese, or a nice smoked gouda for the mozzarella, but the creamy goodness of the mozzarella is so good with the fruit, you might want to reconsider.  It's your choice.

Who doesn't appreciate cool and crunchy food in this hot, muggy, humid weather?  This salad fits the bill.  There is no cooking required except for the pecans and you could leave them plain if you wanted -  it just wouldn't be quite the same if you know what I mean.

So Jaley, give this salad a try.  I think you will really like it and let me know what you think.  I've got your back girl!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

"An apple is an excellent thing -- until you have tried a peach."
George du Maurier (1834-1896)