Thursday, July 23, 2009

southwest chicken pie

1 10 oz pkg pillsbury refrig pie crust (there should be two in there)
about 10 oz cooked chicken breasts, more or less
1/2 cup uncooked instant rice
1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
1 11oz can mexicorn drained
1 21/4 oz can sliced olives drained
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
2 cups colby-jack cheese

1 egg beaten
1 tsp parsley

Prepare pie crust as directed on box for a 9 inch pie pan (don't cook, just set out to get to room temp then line bottom of pan with one crust). In large bowl combine all ingredients except egg and parsley. Mix well. Pour mixture into crust lined pan. Top with 2nd crust, flute, cuts slits in several places. Brush top of crust with beaten egg and sprinkle with parsley.

Bake 400 for 40-50 minutes. Cover edges of crust with foil after about 20 minutes. Serve with chips, guac, sour cream or whatever garnishments you wish
Shared by Kimberly Levitan, Leawood, KS
Recipe Source: my neighbor

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Zucchini chocolate muffins

Clearly I am on a zucchini kick these days. I could have eaten this entire batch myself! But instead, I shared one or two...

Preheat oven to 325

2 1/2 c flour
4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c milk
1/4 tsp white vinegar
1/2 c or 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 3/4 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c peeled, finely grated zucchini
1 c (or more for chocolate lovers) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c chopped pecans, optional

Spray or line muffin tins (about 24). Preheat oven to 325

In medium bowl, blend flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

Stir together milk and vinegar in small bowl and set aside

in large bowl, beat butter, oil and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy

Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add milk mixture and beat well

on low speed, gradually add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Stir in zucchini and 1/2 the chocolate chips. Fill muffin tins about 2/3 full then sprinkle with remaining chips and nuts if you are using them

bake 20-28 minutes. Cool on wire wrack

recipe shared by: Kimberly Levitan, Leawood, KS
Recipe Source: Family Circle magazine

Zucchini Cheddar Bread

It's not often I can say that I make food that actually looks pretty. But this bread is truly something that was so yummy and pretty. I would serve it for company with a brunch or lunch. Wondering if it could be made as biscuits instead of a loaf...

Position rack in center of the oven. Preheat to 350. Grease 9x5 inch or 8 cup loaf pan.

Whisk together thoroughly in large bowl:
3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Add and toss to separate and coat with flour mixture (above):
1 cup (or more) coarsely shredded zucchini
3/4 c (or more) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 c scallions, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh dill

Whisk together in another bowl:
2 large eggs
1 c buttermilk
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) melted butter

Add to flour mixture and mix with a few light strokes just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix- the batter should not be smooth and will look lumpy. Bake about 55-60 minutes. Let cool before taking out of pan

Next time I would add a bit more zucchini and cheese than called for but this was yummy!

Recipe shared by: Kimberly Levitan, Leawood, KS
Recipe source: Joy of cooking cookbook

Friday, July 10, 2009

Kool-Aid Play Dough

Play dough is always such a hit. Here's a recipe I use to make it from scratch using Kool-Aid!

2 ½ cups flour
1 cup salt
2 packages of unsweetened Kool-Aid
3 tbp. Vegetable oil
2 cups water

Mix all ingredients in large sauce pan on med-low heat. Continually stir until dough forms a ball. (This will take awhile). Remove play dough and place on wax paper. Knead dough for several minutes then store in zip-lock bag in fridge. *The Kool-Aid will naturally color the play dough, but if you want a more vibrant color add food coloring while mixing dough.

shared by: Megan Barron, Alexandria, VA
Recipe source: too frazzled to remember

Chicken Picatta

2 lemons, sliced thin
6 chicken breast ( I had 4 and used the thin sliced boneless, skinless)
1/3 c. flour
1.5 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. margarine
1/4 c. lemon juice
parsley
jar of capers (optional but I like it in there)

Dunk the chicken in the dry mixture and place in a skillet with the melted butter. Cook until ready. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel, keeping chicken warm. Add lemon juice, lemon slices, capers and lemon juice to the skillet. Saute it with the left over chicken bits and butter from cooking the chicken. Heat through. Pour over chicken and serve. I use rice.

Shared by Megan Barron, Alexandria, VA
Recipe Source: too frazzled to remember