Poppy Seed Chicken

So a few days ago at work, we were discussing easy recipes that were loved by our families.  One of my co-workers told me about this recipe.  When she first said Poppy Seed Chicken, I automatically thought marinated chicken that was either grilled or baked.  However, when she started telling us the ingredients I knew it was a must try.


I made it and the family loves it.  :)  So yeah for me.  I then knew I had to share with you all.


So what is in this delicious dish?

5 cups of chicken, boneless, skinless
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 package of mixed veggies,  frozen
1 1/2 cups of round butter crackers, crushed
1 teaspoon of poppy seeds
1/2 cup of butter, melted

I started by preheating my oven to 350 degrees.  While the oven was heating, I cut up your chicken into bite size pieces.  I used two chicken breasts and 4 chicken thighs.  Then I seasoned the chicken and cooked it with a little oil.

In a large mixing bowl, I combined the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and frozen veggies.  I also melted the butter.

Combined the chicken with the soup/veggie mixture and placed that into a 9x13 pan.

Right before the dish went into the oven, I combined the melted butter, poppy seeds, and butter crackers in a small mixing bowl.  I mixed until the crackers were coated with the butter.  To complete the dish, I sprinkled the cracker mixture of the top of the chicken.

The dish cooked for 30 minutes.  I made sure the crust was lightly browned and the sauce was bubbly.

I served  on top of yellow rice (saffron rice).

My family asked not just for second but for thirds.

I hope you enjoy it.

Valentine's Day Dinner

This is not your typical Valentine's Day Dinner but it was good and I had a wonderful time eating dinner with Lovey Man and Scooter.

I got home tonight and a nice surprise awaited me.  Scooter had cleaned the house.  She is such a sweet girl.  So to reward her, I made Spaghetti Tacos.  She has been asking for them for awhile and I have been putting her off.  The thought was a bit off putting.  However, now that I have tried them.  They are actually pretty good.

Spaghetti Tacos = Noodles, sauces, and shells

Spaghetti Tacos

3/4 lb. of Vermicelli Noodles
1 lb. of ground chuck
1 pack of crunch taco shells
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
Shredded cheese

Bring a pot of water to boil.  While waiting on the water, preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Once the water is boiling, cook noodles according to package directions.

Cook ground chuck until brown; drain.

Place taco shells on a baking pan and cook in oven for 6-7 minutes.

Return the cooked ground chuck to pan and add all of the sauce.  Cook over med-low heat until sauce is heated all the way through.

Combine meat sauce and noodles; place in small amount in taco shells.  Top tacos with cheese (optional).

Makes 10 tacos

A Pinterest Recipe

Here is my version of this yummy dish.  I did not change the recipe too much.  However, since ricotta cheese is a no no in my house, I had to find a suitable substitute.  My family liked it alot, so I think I found it for us.

Chicken Spinach Lasagna Rolls


9 lasagna noodles, cooked 
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained 
14 oz of cottage cheese 
1 container of Philly Italian Cheese & Herb Cooking Creme
1 1/2 T. sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 
1 egg 
salt and fresh pepper, to taste
2 thinly sliced chicken breast, cooked and diced 
32 oz jar of Marinara Sauce 
3/4 c. part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded 

Preheat oven to 350°. Make sure you drain the spinach well. Combine spinach, cottage cheese, cooking creme, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, chicken, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry by patting them with a paper towel. Take 1/3 cup of chicken mixture and spread evenly over a noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Pour sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with mozzarella cheese. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. 

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.


Makes 9 rolls.

Cajun Shrimp Linguine Alfredo

So we  love pasta and spicy in our house.  This is the best of both worlds.

12 oz medium shrimp,  peeled and deveined
12 oz linguine, uncooked
1 1/2 T. unsalted butter
1/2 T. olive oil
1 jar of alfredo sauce
salt
black pepper, ground
garlic powder
Cajun spice blend

Place large pot of water on to boil.  While you are waiting for the water to heat up, season the shrimp with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Then season to taste with the cajun spice.  Put on a small sauce pan to heat up the alfredo sauce, place on low to warm up.

Once the water is boiling, salt the water and place the pasta in the pot.  Cook according to package directions.

Heat a cast iron skillet on med-high; add butter and oil.  Add shrimp and cook until pink.

Drain pasta.  Add back to hot pot, add sauce and shrimp.  Toss and serve.

Makes 6 servings.