Cheesy chicken pasta

I started with this recipe as a guide. However I decided medium cheddar would be much better then sharp, I exchanged green chillies for pimentos, doubled the onion, added garlic, and added corn, oh and I changed the pasta. Rob devoured it, I took it to work and everyone loved it. Not to mention it freezes beautifully.

5 Chicken thighs bone in skin on
2 Cans condensed Cream of Mushroom soup
1 Pound Medium cheddar cheese grated
1/4 Green onion diced
1 Small white onion diced
1 Small can mild green chillies
2 Cloves garlic chopped
1 cup frozen white corn
1 Tsp season salt
1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp pepper
12 Oz small shells pasta
3 Cups water


Preheat oven to 375. Boil water and chicken for 20 minutes or until nearly finished cooking. While chicken is cooking chop and dice all ingredients and add to large bowl. Add in 2/3 of your shredded cheese, canned soup, green chillies, and seasoning. Remove chicken and set it aside to cool. Remove two ladles full of broth and add it to the bowl. Add pasta to water and cook until mostly soft. Remove and discard skin and cut chicken from bone. Shred chicken and add to bowl. Drain pasta and add to bowl. Combine all ingredients and place in large baking dish. Top with remaining 1/3 cheese and bake for 15 minutes.

This makes an enormous amount of food. However if you want to freeze it do so after you top with the cheese before putting it in the oven. I would freeze half and cook half. Simply cover with foil, or place in freezer safe Tupperware. This will make about 7-10 servings depending on portion size. I got close to 10 cups of food and it made great left overs.

At this point, I started mixing with my hands.

Printable version
(Click to enlarge)

Smokey mozzarella chicken

4 Pieces chicken
1 cup tomato basil tomato sauce
1 Tsp garlic powder
1 Tsp Chicken seasoning
1 Tsp chicken rub
1 Tsp favorite house seasoning
2 Pinch crushed red pepper
5 Cloves garlic chopped
6 Slices smoked mozzarella
Fresh basil ribboned
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Preaheat oven to 375. Drizzle baking dish with olive oil. Chop garlic. Mix seasonings in small bowl and season both sides of chicken with seasoning, salt, pepper and olive oil. Place chicken presentation side down (for me its skin down) and surround with chopped garlic and cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Slice mozzarella. Once it is sliced remove outer layer of tough skin (pictures below). Remove foil and check chicken, when it is just about done flip so it is presentation side up (skin up) and top with about 2 tblsp tomato sauce for each piece and 2 slices of cheese. Bake uncovered for 8 minutes or until chicken is done. Turn oven onto broil and broil for 2 minutes or until cheese is melty and bubbly. Plate chicken and scoop out pieces of garlic and pan juices and drizzle over the top and top with basil.

My favorite new seasoning (salt, sugar, black pepper, paprika, nutmeg, sage, cayenne, and crushed red pepper)

To remove outer layer of cheese cut just the edge and peel around to remove tough layer of smoked cheese.

** I found the smoked mozzarella tasted very very smokey when I ate it raw. However after it was cooked it melted into a very buttery subtle smoke flavor and was delicious. You do want to remove the outer rind because the smoking process makes the outer layer very tough.

Asparagus and potatoes

1 bunch asparagus trimmed
2 potatoes thinly sliced
1/2 red onion thinly chopped
4 cloves garlic chopped
salt
pepper
olive oil

Heat sauté pan with olive oil over medium heat. Chop veggies. Trim asparagus (pictures below). Add asparagus, potatoes and onion to pan. Season with salt and pepper. Toss and leave, stirring every few minutes allowing potatoes to brown up. Halfway through add in garlic and toss together (you add it later so it doesn't burn). Cook for about ten more minutes and serve.

Hold asparagus from each end and bend it until it snaps. Once it snaps lay it next to your bunch of asparagus and cut it to the same length. That gets rid of the woody tough ends. These can be saved for making soups later.

Snap

Line up and cut

Perfectly trimmed asparagus

Thin sliced potatoes

Roughly chopped garlic

Thin sliced onions

Toss in pan

Yummy

Salmon

Serving size 2
Olive oil for drizzling
2 Tbsp salted butter (optional omit for health purposes if neccessary)
1/4 Tsp Old Bay
1/4 Tsp your favorite fish seasoning
1/4 Tsp garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
2 Cloves garlic slivered
2 Pieces salmon skin on
1/8 Cup water
Foil

Drizzle both sides of salmon with olive oil. Lightly coat non stick pan with oil and turn onto medium heat (add butter here if you want it). Combine all seasonings reserving slivered garlic and dust pink side of salmon. Place fish in pan skin side down and cook for 5 minutes until fish lifts from pan. Flip for 1 minute to slightly brown top. Place fish back skin side down and top with slivered garlic. Pour water in pan in small amounts and loosely cover pan with foil allowing salmon to steam. Cook until desired doneness (trying to achieve crispy skin). Serve with rice and fresh lemon.

Tomatillo Chicken

(I know the pic is unappetizing but it is sooooo tasty)

**This meal can also be made in the crock pot, simply throw everything in the crock pot after you have blended your veggies and cook on low for 8 hours.

Ingredients:
4 pieces bone in chicken
2 Tsp ground coriander seed
2 pinch crushed red pepper flake
1 pinch cayenne (more if you like it hot)
3 cups of chicken stock (won't use it all)
9 tomatillos rough chopped
1 medium yellow onion rough chopped
7 cloves garlic cracked
1 tbsp salt + 1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp pepper + 1 tsp pepper
1-3 pasillo peppers (depending on your heat level)
olive oil
Shredded mozzarella for topping

Season chicken with 1/8 tsp salt & 1 tsp pepper, and olive oil. Coat large, deep sauté pan with oil. Cook chicken on medium high heat and flip halfway through. While chicken is cooking dice up onions, garlic and tomatillos and place in food processor or blender with salt, pepper, cayenne, crushed red pepper and coriander. If you need liquid add 1/2 cup of your chicken stock. Blend until ingredients are combined and are about salsa consistency. Turn on broiler, or if you have a gas stove turn that on, and place your peppers on the flame to char the skin, rotating to char all sides. When peppers are charred place them in a paper sack and close it to allow the skin to steam off and loosen. After about 10 minutes remove peppers an scrape most of the char off with the back of a knife. Cut off the tops and dice your peppers (I left the seeds in this is a pretty mild pepper). When chicken is about 2/3 of the way done, remove it from the pan and drain out all oil and fat. Pour in your tomatillo mixture and bring it to a boil. Add chicken back in and cook over medium until chicken is done. If your sauce is too thick add more chicken stock half a cup at a time. As it cooks the sauce will reduce and you will need more chicken stock. Throw in your chopped up peppers and stir. Cook until the juices in the chicken run clear when you cut into it. Top with mozzarella and serve.

I think cooking it in the crock pot would develop the flavor of the tomatillo much better, but if your in a pinch for time doing it this way works great. If you do it in the crock pot add in all 3 cups of your chicken stock as it will reduce down.

(Skip this step for crock pots)

At this point pour all of this, and your chicken in the crock pot. (you will want to prepare your peppers at this point so they can be in the crock pot and flavor your sauce more.)

Chili Suizas Bake

INGREDIENTS
3 large poblano peppers
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
12 large or 16 medium to small tomatillos, peeled, rinsed and halved
1/4 cup cilantro, a handful
2 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons honey
salt
pepper
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup creme fraiche
3 cups lightly crushed tortilla chips
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the broiler to high. Place the poblanos under hot broiler and char until blackened an all sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Leave the door of the oven cracked to allow the steam to escape. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to cool enough to handle.
2. While peppers char, heat extra-virgin olive oil in a high sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and lightly brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in onions, jalapeno and garlic and cook to soften onions about 5 minutes.
3. While onions cook, place tomatillos and cilantro in the food processor and process until smooth. 4. Pour the tomatillos into the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Stir in chicken stock and honey, season with salt and pepper and simmer chili 10 minutes.
5. When poblano peppers are cool enough to handle, remove seeds and chop, stir into chili. Remove chili pan from heat and stir in lime juice. Add dollops of creme fraiche on top of the chili, placing spoonfuls evenly across the pan. Cover the pan with a layer of crushed chips and top with Swiss and Pepper Jack cheeses.
6. Place under broiler until brown and bubbly. Serve from hot skillet.