Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Penne With Chicken Thighs ~ by Sarah

I saw this on The Pioneer Woman's website the other day and wanted to try it because it looked quick, easy, and good!  It was delicious--who knew chicken thighs could be so tasty?!?

**Note...make sure you remember that you need to allow for 1 1/2 hours of baking time!

Click here for her step-by-step instructions with pictures all along the way: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/10/penne-with-chicken-thighs/

Ingredients

  • 8 whole Chicken Thighs, Bone-in, Skin-on
  • Salt And Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
  • 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 2 jars (24 Ounces Each) Marinara Sauce
  • Fresh Basil - To Taste
  • Parmesan Cheese, For Sprinkling
  • 16 ounces, weight Penne Or Rigatoni

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown chicken thighs quickly on both sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a separate plate.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon grease/oil. Add onions and garlic to pan and stir around to cook, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in marinara sauce and stir to heat. Add chicken thighs back into the sauce. Cover and place pan in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. (You may also simmer on the stovetop on the lowest heat possible.)
Cook the pasta according to package instructions Serve 1 chicken thigh with sauce over pasta, adding more marinara if needed. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve. (For smaller children, you can cut the meat off the bone for them. Chicken is very tender!)

(Pioneer Woman photo)

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Crunchy Rice Casserole~by Kelsey

This comes from my Taste of Home Ground Beef Cookbook, it's a must-have cookbook that I use ALL the time.  The kids LOVED this casserole, which is rare, and it disappeared so fast that I didn't even get a picture.  I will take one next time I make it.

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups cooked long grain rice
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups corn flakes, coarsely crushed
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

In a skillet, cook beef, onion, and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.  Add the ketchup, mustard and salt.  Mix well.  Transfer to a greased 2-qt baking dish.  Top with cooked rice.  In a bowl, combine the cheese, soup, milk, and Worcestershire sauce.  Pour over rice.  Combine cornflakes and butter, sprinkle over top.  Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until heated through.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Chocolate Muffins~by Kelsey

This recipe is from allrecipes.com.  They are called "muffins", but lets be honest, it's cake for breakfast.

Ingredients:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  In another bowl, beat the eggs, sour cream, water, milk, oil and vanilla.  Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.  Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for five minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.