Having a Brunch?

Here is a simple recipe that I came up with to make your next brunch a success.

Jody's Chicken and Broccoli Quiche
1 cup Cooked Chicken
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup cooked broccoli
Salt and Pepper
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 pie crust

Roast a chicken breast with olive oil, salt and pepper at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cook onions and mushrooms in 2 tbsp of butter until tender. Add broccoli, chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
In a bowl, whisk 4 eggs with milk and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add vegetable mixture, cheddar cheese, and mix well. Bake pie crust at 350 degrees for 5 mins. Raise temp to 400 degrees. Fill crust with egg/vegetable mixture and bake 15 mins. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees and bake until set at edges and slightly loose in center (around 30 - 40 minutes). Let cool and set.

TIP: Don't forget to cover your pie crust edges with foil if they are browning too quickly.

This is great served with your favorite salad. It's sure to make a great brunch treat for you and your guests.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

It's that time of year. Though cooler weather is always welcomed with much excitement at our home, unfortunately, sickness seems to accompany our wintry friend far too often. My kids and husband have been sick with colds and flu already. In each situation, the common request in our home has been for this recipe. It is great on a cold winter day. It is perfect for that little pick-me-up when someone is not feeling their best. I would eat it in a box with a fox any day of the year :) What ever excuse you can come up with, this meal is going to be a treat! This is just one of those little recipes you can keep in your back pocket to pull out for any occasion.



5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
half an onion, peeled
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced carrots
2 cups egg noodles
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 - 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 white wine (it's good with Sherry too)
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Put chicken breasts, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, bouillon cubes, and lemon zest in a large pot and fill with water 3/4 full. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken, onion, and bay leaves and set aside. Chop chicken and save to add at the end. Add chopped celery and cook for about 8-10 minutes. Then add your sliced carrots and cook another 5-8 minutes. Add the egg noodles and cook according to package (usually around 5 minutes is what I do so they do not overcook throughout the rest of the process). Slowly add your chopped chicken in, and then add the heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, white wine, and fresh parsley. Heat through for about 1 minute then turn off heat. Enjoy your yummy soup with a loaf of warm, crusty bread!

WestCoast Peaches' Homemade Peach Cobbler

In response to a request by Darlene of California for a cobbler recipe, here is a great PEACH COBBLER recipe that is sure to get your taste buds tingling. This cobbler is so simple to make, which is a very good thing. Because, once people taste it, you are going to be getting requests to make it often. As always, have fun in the kitchen!


PEACH COBBLER

1 stick of unsalted butter
2 29 oz cans of sliced peaches in syrup
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 Tbsp. sugar dusting over top of cobbler after cooking

Melt butter and place in dish
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt with whisk
Add in milk and mix well
Pour over butter in 9 1/2 x 11 baking dish
Distribute peaches evenly over batter using slotted spoon
Pour 1 can (approx. 1 cup) of peach juice evenly over the peaches
Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350 degrees
As soon as cobbler is removed from oven, dust the top of it with 1 Tbsp. of sugar

For a Fresh Peach Cobbler
Combine 4 cups of pealed, sliced peaches with 3/4 - 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Lower temperature and let simmer for 10 minutes.

It Pays To Prepare

Like most busy moms, I've spent many evenings standing in front of the refrigerator and pantry trying to decide what to fix for supper. One good idea is to make those infamous casserole's and store them for later use. The only problem I have with that is that I don't want to trade my one free day with my family in the kitchen preparing food for the next week. So, I thought I'd share some of my quick easy ideas that help me through the week.
*First of all, obviously, we have to think about the week ahead. What nights do we need a really quick meal and which nights do we have a little more time?
*I don't know about you, but I use onions and garlic in almost everything. Well, early in the week, chop extra and bag it. Then it's ready for the next meal.
*If you're having chicken one night, cook a couple of extra pieces for a salad later in the week.
*Like most women, I love pasta. If you always have some on hand, cook up a little following the directions on bag. In a small skillet, heat up 1/4 cup chicken broth, 2 Tbsp. heavy cream, and 1/4 Parmesan cheese. Drain pasta and mix with sauce. Add some fresh, chopped parsley at the end. (This is also good with fresh basil) If you don't have the cream, omit the broth and just add olive oil and the herbs and it's still very good.
Here's one more quick recipe that's great for a quick night meal. This recipe is from my great friend Gretchen.

Easy Meatball Subs
Take a bag of your favorite frozen meatballs (this plays into the planning part of your week) and put in a crock pot with your favorite spaghetti sauce. You can also add sliced onions and bell peppers if you like. Leave on low temperature and go about your day. When you're ready for supper, put meatballs on sub rolls with sliced mozzarella cheese and heat to melt the cheese. This makes a quick, easy meal and makes very happy kids.
I hope some of this helps during your busy week. As always, let me know what you think!

Bow-tie pasta with Chicken and sun-dried tomatoes

The recipe I thought I'd post today is one I discovered this past December. We were having a Christmas party here at the house and the plans were for a full spread. I had been on an Italian kick so I thought about things I had eaten in the past and kinda threw this together. It turned out to be a hit so I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

1/2 - 3/4 bag of bow-tie pasta
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; sliced across in 1-inch pieces
1 package fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced (packed in oil; this is very important)
basil
oregano
1 - 1 1/2 C. fresh Parmesan cheese
8 oz. heavy cream
fresh parsley
olive oil
kosher salt (I think the flavor is better than regular salt)
pepper

Heat water for pasta and cook according to package. Make sure you add salt to your water for the best flavor.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and herbs. Remember if you use fresh herbs, you will have to use more than the dried herbs. In a hot skillet, cook chicken in about 1 Tbsp of olive oil until browned. Remove the chicken and set aside.
In the same skillet, add about 1 more Tbsp of oil and saute onions, mushrooms, garlic and herbs. The mushrooms have a tendency to soak up the oil so keep a close watch in case you need to add more oil. When these are tender, add the heavy cream and sun-dried tomatoes and stir well. Slowly stir in the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It is important to use freshly grated. I've made this with the already shredded and it doesn't taste the same. It is worth the effort to buy the block of cheese and grate it yourself. I promise it makes all the difference. This is also where you have some room to play around with this dish. If you want more sauce, add more cream and cheese. If you're watching your waistline, use some chicken broth and less cream.
Add the chicken back to the dish and heat through.
Stir in the cooked, drained pasta and heat in the skillet so the pasta will absorb the sauce. Plate and sprinkle with fresh parsley and a little more Parmesan cheese. Serves 6
This works well for a party, served with nice crusty bread, and a salad.
It also works for an easy dinner at home for the family. It's very quick and very delicious. My kids, who can be picky really like this one.
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!