Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients

• 1 pound Pasta Or Egg Noodles
• 5 whole Chicken Thighs, Skin On (can Use Any Whole Piece Chicken)
• Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• ½ cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1/2 whole Medium Onion, Halved And Sliced
• 1 whole Red Bell Peppers, Cored And Sliced (not Too Thin)
• 1 whole Green Bell Peppers, Cored And Sliced (not Too Thin)
• 2.5 cloves Garlic, Diced
• 12 ounces, weight Mushrooms (white Or Crimini), Sliced
• Italian Seasoning
• ¾ cups Chicken Broth
• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Or Diced Tomatoes (with Their Juice)
• Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
• Parmesan Cheese, For Sprinkling

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
Cook pasta according to package directions. Do not overcook! Drain and set aside.
Salt and pepper both sides of the pieces of chicken. Dredge chicken in flour. Heat butter in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Place chicken skin down in pan, four pieces at a time. Brown chicken on both sides, then remove to a clean plate. Repeat with remaining chicken. Pour off half the fat in the pan and discard.
Add sliced onions and peppers, as well as the garlic. Stir around for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and stir around for 1 minute. Add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add extra black pepper to taste. Stir, then pour in broth. Allow to bubble.
Pour in canned tomatoes and stir to combine. Add chicken back into the pan, skin side up, without totally submerging the chicken. Place lid on the pot and put it into the oven for 45 minutes. Remove lid and increase heat to 375 degrees. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.
Remove pan from the oven. Remove chicken from the pot and place it on a plate. Remove vegetables from pot and place them on a plate. Return pot to burner and turn heat to medium high. Cook and reduce sauce for a couple of minutes.
Pour cooked, drained noodles on a large platter or in a big serving bowl. Add vegetables all over the top, then place chicken pieces on top of the vegetables. Spoon juices from the pot over the chicken and pasta (amount to taste.)
Before serving, sprinkle on chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan.

Roast Beef

3 pound roast

Marinade 6 hrs in 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, lots of garlic, olive oil, and Italian seasoning.

Cook at 350, for 1.5 hrs (internal temp 140) on a rack or directly on oven grill with tray underneath to catch drippings. Rest a good 20 mins with foil vented.

Pumpkin Spice

I have an addiction to all things Pumpkin Spice

Pumpkin Spice Chip Cookies

2 cups of flour (I used a mix of white and whole wheat)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter melted
3 tbsp pumpkin puree
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 egg yoke

1 package of Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses quartered (maybe a little less than the whole bag...so it is ok if some disappear nom nom nom)

Sift/blend the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. In another bowl beat using an electric mixer the melted butter, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and both sugars. Add the eggs and combine, then add in the dry ingredients (switch over to a spatula for mixing). Add the kisses and mix until combined.

Place the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 1/2 an hour.
Preheat oven to 325°

Roll the cookie dough into balls, and place on cookie sheet a few inches apart. Bake for 15 mins, let cool on the cookie sheet, or on a wire rack.

They taste best after they cool. I know most cookies taste best warm and gooey, but trust me, let these cool down first!!

Italian Meatloaf

I love that once you add garlic, sauce, and cheese to something it is now officially an "Italian" meal. Case in point, my Italian Meatloaf.

Italian Meatloaf

1 clove garlic
1/2 onion chopped
1 cup of baby spinach
small carrot
3/4 cup of shredded zucchini

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup pasta sauce
3/4 cup shredded cheddar/mozzarella (I usually use the Kraft mozza/cheddar)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Italian seasoning
garlic powder
salt and pepper

1 egg

topping
more pasta sauce
shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375°
Dice, slice, and/or shred up the veggies, and then saute until soft. Put aside to cool down a little. Mix up the beef, bread crumbs, pasta sauce, cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoning (to taste, I don't measure until combined. Add egg last, and mix just until incorporated.

You can now shape into a loaf pan or muffin tins (muffin tin take 1/2 the time to cook!) Top with some pasta sauce. Cook about 70-80 min for the loaf and 30-40 mins for the muffin tins. Cook until you have an internal temperature of 165°F. Top with a little cheese and put back into oven until melted.



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