Loaded Potato and Chicken Casserole

Loaded Potato and Chicken Casserole

Ingredients Needed:
2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cubed (1")
8-10 medium potatoes, cut in 1/2" cubes
1/3 cup olive oil
1&1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
6 Tbsp. hot sauce

Topping:

2 cups fiesta blend cheese
1 cup crumbled bacon
1 cup diced green onion

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spray a 9X13" baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot sauce. Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat.
Carefully scoop the potatoes into the prepared baking dish, leaving behind as much of the olive oil/hot sauce mixture as possible.
Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy and browned on the outside.
While the potatoes are cooking, add the cubed chicken to the bowl with the left over olive oil/hot sauce mixture and stir to coat. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
Top the cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken. In a bowl mix together the cheese, bacon and green onion and top the raw chicken with the cheese mixture. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly delicious.

Verdict:

This recipe goes against everything I've learned about casseroles - throw it all in a dish, bake, and walk away until the timer goes off.  It was very tasty, but my potatoes didn't cook through well and ended up dry and crusty.  Next time I'll cube and boil the potatoes for about five minutes before chucking it all in the dish and baking at 400 degrees.

Roasted Chicken w/ Veggies

ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH TOMATOES, GARLIC, ASPARAGUS, AND MUSHROOMS


by PAM on MARCH 3, 2010





I picked up some chicken thighs recently and started looking online for recipe ideas. Suddenly, while perusing Tastespotting, I envisioned some simply roasted chicken thighs with roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, onions and garlic. Simple. Delicious. I loved this recipe, it was hearty and filling, yet fairly healthy. I served the chicken and veggies with some quinoa. This meal was a big hit with the entire family. Roasted Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes, Garlic, Asparagus, and Mushrooms: Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
4-5 skinless, chicken thighs
Garlic powder, to taste
Dried basil, to taste
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
7-8 cloves of garlic, SKINS LEFT ON
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced in quarters
1/2 red onion, cut into large chunks
8 asparagus spears, wooden ends removed
1 cup of cherry tomatoes





Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Coat a large glass baking dish with olive oil spray. In a large bowl, toss together the mushrooms, onions, garlic (the skins left on while roasting so they don’t burn) then season with garlic powder, dried basil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil over the mixture and toss with fingers until evenly coated. Place the mushroom mixture into the glass baking dish and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and asparagus to the bowl you used for the mushroom mixture and drizzle with the last 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and season with garlic powder, dried basil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet that has been coated with cooking spray, over medium high heat. Season the chicken with basil, garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper, to taste, evenly all over the thighs.


Once the pan is very hot, add the seasoned chicken thighs to the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown on one side, flip the chicken. Remove the baking dish from the oven and place the chicken thighs in with the mushrooms; add the tomatoes and asparagus. Place in the oven and roast for 9-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.


Remove from oven. Carefully, remove the garlic skin from the garlic cloves and toss them back in with the chicken and roasted vegetables. Place the chicken and roasted vegetables on the serving platter, sprinkle with the parsley and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

The Verdict:

This was tasty, but I'll omit the tomatoes next time.  None of us are overly fond of cooked tomatoes.  I may added a can of drained, diced tomatoes to give it some of the tomato flavor.  I also used breasts since they're what we prefer. I also just added the garlic, but peeled and minced instead.  That gave it a really nice flavor.

Stuffed Zucchini

Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:
3 zucchinis
1/2 large onion, chopped fine
1 Tbsp butter
5 - 6 slices crispy bacon, chopped
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 roma tomato, seeded and chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
fresh cracked black pepper

(you can also make these vegetarian and take the bacon out or use a meat sub. or replace with some olives or any other veggie)

Give the zucchini a quick wash for good measure. Slice in half lengthwise. Leave the ends on to keep the filling in. Scoop out the flesh with a melon baller or a spoon. Leave a ledge of zucchini around the edges. For the life of me, I couldn't make straight lines. That's okay. They were still delicious. Arrange the zucchini boats in a baking dish. Chop the zucchini flesh as small as you like.

Finely chop half a sweet onion. Chop up some good smokey bacon. You could leave this out for a vegetarian side dish (maybe add some chopped mushrooms).  Add the curry powder...cook until desired doneness of onions and remove from heat. To the zucchini flesh, add sour cream. Rough chop some fresh thyme leaves. Mix onion and bacon mixture with other ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Stir in the tomatoes. Seed them or else there may be too much moisture in the filling. You don't really want the filling to be all runny when you cut into it. Refill the zucchini shells with the filling mixture.

Grate some good aged Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top and sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper. 

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. 

Dr Who's Sonic Screwdriver

Ingredients:

1 shot vodka
1 shot blue curacao
1 splash Rose Blue Raspberry Mix
Fill glass with orange juice (to color)

Directions:

Add first three ingredients into a highball glass with ice. Fill the rest of the glass with orange juice. Say “Geronimo” and drink up!

“Ah! Big, flashy, lighty thing, that’s what brought me here! Big, flashy, lighty things have got me written all over them! Not actually, but give me time. And a crayon.” -The Doctor (A Christmas Carol)