2010 January — Cooking During Stolen Moments

Chicken & Broccoli Macaroni

January 31, 2010 By Kate 8 Comments

This is another one of those meals that comes together super fast, tastes great and the entire family eats in a hurry.

It will probably seem a little familiar to several other recipes that I’ve posted here. But I do that on purpose. For me, sometimes the easiest way to decide what to make for dinner is to opt for something I already know we like and just mix up the seasonings, meat and/or veggies.

I used a blackening seasoning in this recipe to give a little kick to the whole dish. It was a tasty addition that gave everything a great flavor without being overly spicy. I also used some chicken stock in place of some of the milk to give the sauce a thinner texture.

Chicken & Broccoli Macaroni

1/2 T. oil
1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 t. blackening seasoning
3 T. butter or margarine
3 T. flour
1 c. milk
1 c. chicken stock
1 t. blackening seasoning
2 c. frozen broccoli, thawed
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 – 1 lb. elbow macaroni (or other pasta shape), fully cooked and drained

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Season chicken with blackening seasoning and add to skillet. Cook until chicken is browned and fully cooked, about 5-8 minutes. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Add butter or margarine to skillet and melt. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk and chicken stock. Bring to a slow boil until thickened slightly. Stir in remaining blackening seasoning, broccoli and cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese is fully melted. Add chicken back into skillet and then add cooked noodles. Stir until heated through. Serve and enjoy!

Print This Post

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake

January 28, 2010 By Kate 11 Comments

My husband’s birthday was this week and it’s always a little tricky to come up with a good dessert for him. He’s not a huge fan of traditional cakes and I’m not a huge fan of making the same desserts over and over again. So I always try to find something that will taste great to him yet not be the same German Chocolate Bars we usually opt for.

This cake was the perfect solution. It’s dense and moist and packed with loads of chocolaty goodness. It is definitely not like any traditional cake. And since my husband’s favorite combination is chocolate and raspberry, I decided to add a layer of raspberry preserves to give it that extra something special.

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake

1 1/2 c. butter or margarine
3/4 c. baking cocoa powder
1 c. sugar
1 T. flour
2 t. vanilla
4 eggs, separated
1/3 c. raspberry preserves
1 8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Melt butter or margarine in a medium saucepan. Stir in cocoa powder and sugar until combined. Remove from heat and cool. Stir in flour and vanilla.

2. Separate eggs. Place yolks in a small bowl and whites in a large mixing bowl. Pour the yolks into the chocolate mixture and stir until blended. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

3. Pour into a greased springform pan and bake at 425 degrees for 16 – 18 minutes, until the edges are firm but center is still soft. Cool cake completely. (The center will sink a bit while it cools.)

4. Remove cake from the pan and place on a plate or serving platter. (If the bottom does not come off easily, just leave it in place. You can easily serve the pieces right off there.) Spread raspberry preserves over the cake. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

5. Just before serving, spread the whipped topping. Cut and let the cake come to room temperature before serving for best texture.

I would love to show you a picture of a cut slice of the cake. It looked as good as it tasted! Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), I just couldn’t convince anyone to hold off on digging in so that I could get a picture. So I guess you’ll just have to make it for yourself! And if you do, don’t forget to tell me what you think about it.

This post is being linked to Foodie Friday at Designs By Gollum.

Print This Post

Maple Glazed Chicken

January 27, 2010 By Kate 8 Comments

I love marinades. They are so easy to put together and they’re perfectly stolen moments friendly since I can let the meat sit in the marinade all day.

I’ll admit that as much as I love these easy meals, we don’t do a lot of meat-based meals like this. It’s harder to stretch the meat, so the entire meal ends up not being as frugal. However, I have been loving the bags of frozen chicken breasts lately.

Our stores seem to run a special on their bags of frozen chicken on a regular basis and I always stock up. Two 6 lb. bags of frozen chicken breasts from Sam’s Club cost $26 and that lasts us the whole month. I tend to use about 75% of the chicken for casseroles and skillet meals – things where it’s really easy to make that meat stretch. Then I use the rest of the chicken for “splurges” such as this one.

Now a word about this recipe. It has a bit of a sweet undertone, but the sweetness of the maple syrup is not all overwhelming. Instead, the maple marries perfectly with the garlic, pepper and lemon juice to create a super flavorful marinade.

Maple Glazed Chicken

1 – 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 c. maple syrup
Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 c.)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1. In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, lemon juice, garlic and seasonings.

2. Place chicken in a plastic freezer bag or bowl. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

3. Spread chicken on a baking sheet or in a casserole dish. Spoon any remaining marinade over the chicken. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked. About halfway through the cooking time, spoon any marinade that has collected on the baking dish on top of the chicken.

If you want, reserve some of the marinade before adding to the chicken and then drizzle over the chicken when serving.

Print This Post