Mom's Catalina Cranberry Chicken

During this time of self isolation we all need to take care of each other. When I dropped off groceries and some cooked meals for my 92 year old Mom she had this awesome chicken cooked for me to take home! Still taking care of us ♥♥♥ 
(If you read this at some later date this refers to the covid19 pandemic)

Ingredients:
4 lbs bone-in chicken pieces
1 - 398ml can whole berry cranberry sauce (or homemade)
1/2 cup catalina salad dressing
1 env (39 g) dry onion soup mix

Place the chicken in 13 X 9" baking dishes. Mix all the ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Easy right?

Bake at 400°F for 50-60 minutes

I believe Mom used a Kraft Canada recipe for this one.
Thanks Mom!

Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies

These might possibly be the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cookies you have ever tried! 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsps vanilla
1 egg
2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix (store bought or homemade)
1 cup chocolate chips

You can use store bought Bisquick or make up your own with the recipe link I included at the end of this one.

Cream the butter, brown sugar and vanilla together. Then add the baking mix.

Stir in your choice of chocolate chips. I used a combination of Hershey's 50% dark chocolate, Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet and some milk chocolate chips too.

Drop heaping tablespoons of cookie dough onto lined baking sheets 2" apart. You could also gently roll the sides up for a more uniform shape.

Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes

Makes 22-24 and they disappear pretty fast!

Here's the link to Homemade Bisquick Baking Mix:
https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2016/03/homemade-bisquick-baking-mix.html

Apple and Maple Chia Pudding

Are you tired of binge watching everything and eating all the junk food in sight? Me neither ; )  
But just so we don't fall completely off the nutritional rails I thought I'd whip up this healthy pudding that takes no time to make and is packed with all kinds of good stuff! It's good for breakfast, dessert or just snacking.

Ingredients:
4 tbsps chia seeds
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup water or juice
2 tsps maple syrup
pinch cinnamon
2 dates, chopped

In a container combine the milk, chia seeds and cinnamon. Stir them together then cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 5 days. I like to leave them overnight.

Next day peel the apple and chop. I had a Macintosh here so I kept the pieces a bit bigger. You might chop a harder apple like a Granny Smith into smaller pieces. Put the apple, water or juice, maple syrup, cinnamon and dates in a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat 2-5 minutes or until the apple is tender but holding it's shape and not mushy. Add some extra liquid if needed until the apple is cooked. Cool.

Remove the chia pudding from the fridge and stir. You'll see it has thickened. Stir 1/2 the apple mixture into the pudding.

Then spoon into serving dishes and top with the remaining apples.

Serves 2

French Onion Fusilli

Caramelized onion pasta with a creamy, cheesy sauce... need I say more? 

Ingredients:
2 cup fusilli pasta
5 tbsps butter
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 tsps sugar
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsps dry thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup beef broth
1 heaping tsp dry onion soup mix
3 tbsps flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tbsp parmesan
1 cup shredded cheese (swiss, gruyère, mozzarella)

Start with the onion, they are kind of the star of the show here. Heat 2 tbsps of butter in a large skillet. You don't want your onions crowded in but have lots of room to spread out. So, add the onions and sauté about 3 minutes.

Add the sugar, worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt and pepper and cook on medium heat 8-10 minutes. They are starting to look golden.

While the onions cook start boiling the fusilli.

Ok, back to the onions...Mix the dry onion soup mix into the broth and pour into the skillet. Bring to a boil scraping any brown bits up, then simmer and stir for 20 minutes until nicely golden brown and caramelized. The liquid will all be absorbed. Set aside.

To make the bechamel or white sauce melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. Add the milk and whisk until thickened, then add salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Remove from heat.

To assemble:
Oil the bottom of a baking dish. I used a 10" corning ware here. Place the drained fusilli in the bottom. Top that with those beautifully browned onions and pour the bechamel over everything.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.

Bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes and broil 2-3 if you want a bubbly cheese. Next time I might make individual servings in French onion soup bowls...why didn't I think of that before?!?

Serves 4

Adapted from: https://www.climbinggriermountain.com/2016/11/french-onion-gnocchi-casserole.html

Chicken Legs Piccata

No I haven't been out to the grocery store for a fresh lemon since my last post when I used my last fresh lemon for Lemon Lime Loaf. And it's day #*&%@-teen of social distancing re: covidvirus. But I did find that green bottle of lemon juice when I cleaned out the fridge the other day re: self isolation activities!

Ingredients:
3 chicken legs, split
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps butter, divided
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup chicken or turkey broth
1/2 cup lemon juice
zest of lemon (if using fresh lemon)
3 tsps capers and some of the brine
2 tbsps chopped fresh parsley

Heat 2 tbsps of olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Salt and pepper the chicken legs, cover and brown on one side for 5 minutes. Flip them over, season again, and brown 6-8 minutes. Then remove to a plate.

To the same skillet add garlic and scrape any brown bits off the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the broth, lemon juice and, if you have it, zest of lemon. Add the capers with brine and the remaining tbsp of butter. 

Sit the chicken back in the sauce and cook 25-30 minutes.

Spoon juices over regularly.

The sauce will reduce and turn a golden colour. And juices from the chicken should run clear.

Serve topped with fresh parsley.

Lemon Lime Loaf

Is breakfast dessert a thing? I think it should be a thing. 
This simple citrus loaf with syrup is just sweet enough for dessert but when it's called lemon bread it's acceptable for breakfast. Who are we kidding....it's all cake right!!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup milk
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
4 tbsps lemon juice
2 tbsps lime juice
zest of 1 lemon
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

syrup:
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp water
2 tbsps reserved lemon/lime juice from above

Cream the butter and sugar together first.

(If you don't have room temperature butter here's a little trick. Place the butter on a plate, find a bowl that will fit over it. Boil some water and fill the bowl, let it sit a couple of minutes. Pour the water out of the bowl and place the warm bowl over the butter. Leave it awhile (maybe 20 or 30 minutes) and the butter will have softened but not melted.)

Sift the flour and baking powder together and add the salt.

Add the eggs to the butter/sugar and beat until fluffy. Add some of the milk, some of the flour and mix together adding each until well combined.
Mix the lemon and lime juice together then reserve 2 tbsps juice for syrup. Add the rest of the juice and the lemon zest to the batter. (If you don't have lime juice use all lemon, or lemon and orange, or just orange)

Line an 8 X 4" loaf pan with parchment and pour the batter in.

Bake at 350°F for 1 hour 20 minutes. Check with a cake test.
Leave in pan to cool for 10 or 15 minutes then pierce the cake with same cake tester or a skewer all the way through to the bottom. Make a bunch of holes all over. Don't go crazy though or you'll just have crumbs!!

Heat the syrup ingredients together in a microwave until the sugar melts then spoon it over the loaf. Leave the loaf to cool completely in the pan.

Then unmould and admire!

Slice and enjoy!

Adapted from: lovefoodies.com

Taco Stack

This Taco Stack is an easy meal for Taco Tuesday or taco any day. And if you are in Covid19 isolation and don't have all the ingredients then I have included plenty of substitutes. Like, if you don't have tortillas you can use pitas. Then, instead of Taco Tuesday it could be a Pita Party. But don't invite me to your pita party...don't invite anyone!! We're in self isolation!!! 

Ingredients:
8 small tortillas (or large ones, or pitas, split)
1 lb ground beef (or pork, chicken or turkey)
1 onion chopped (or green pepper, or leave it out)
2 tbsps taco seasoning (or make your own, recipe link below)
1/2 cup refried beans (or leave them out)
1 cup black beans (or kidney or pinto or whatever)
You can even substitute kernel corn for the beans
1  1/2 cups salsa (or canned tomatoes and jalapeño peppers)
a couple of squirts sriracha sauce (or any hot sauce)
3/4 cup shredded cheese (Monterey Jack, cheddar, mozzarella)

Brown the beef in a skillet then add the onion and cook until onion is tender. Add the taco seasoning and remove from heat. Stir in the black beans, sriracha, 1/2 cup salsa and 1/4 cup cheese.

To start the stack spoon some salsa into the bottom of a baking dish. This will keep the tortilla from sticking. Lay a tortilla on top.

Roughly divide the meat in the pan into 6 portions (or 8 if not using refried beans) Add 1/6 of the meat mixture on top of the first tortilla. Add another tortilla and more meat.

After a couple of meat layers add 1/2 the refried beans (or more meat if not using refried beans) and continue stacking... a couple of meat layers and a refried bean layer.

End with meat on top then ladle the rest of the salsa on.

And the rest of the cheese piled high!

Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes then let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Great with a side of salad!

Serves 4
And don't forget to check out the recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning below ↓

Here's the link to Homemade Taco Seasoning

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2016/05/homemade-taco-seasoning.html