Apricot Chicken with Asparagus and Rice

This was an impromptu clean out the kitchen, fridge, pantry dinner turned delicious. My husband and I really enjoyed it. It's warm, tasty, and filling.

Ingredients: 

• 1 - 15oz can of apricot halves with juice/syrup (slice halves in half)
  
• 4 cups (approx) - chopped, cooked chicken meat (leftover rotisserie chicken works really well!).
• 1/4 - white onion (slivered)
• 1 - bunch of asparagus (trim off any hard ends)
  
• White Rice (I used 4 servings and it turned out well for my family, but it depends on how much rice you like with your meal).
• Soy sauce
• Cayenne Pepper
• Sea Salt (or regular table salt if you don't have sea salt)
  
• Olive Oil
• Minced Onion (it's ok if you don't have this, it just adds a little extra)

Directions:

• Start cooking your rice (I use butter and salt) according to package directions
  
• While the rice is cooking...Add the apricot halves, chicken, onion, and asparagus together in a large skillet or Wok.
• Drizzle olive oil over the contents of the pan and gently stir coating all.
• Saute on medium-high heat, covered. Stir occasionally.
  
• After 15 minutes, add the cayenne pepper (just a light sprinkle around the pan), sea salt (also a sprinkle around the pan) and soy sauce (Go gently around the pan like with the olive oil, but don't add too much. You can always add more later if you need more flavor).
• Cook another 15 minutes or until mixture is heated through, onions are transparent and asparagus is tender.
• Serve over a bed of white rice and enjoy!!
  

Cheesalicious Broccoli and Ham Casserole

Prepare the following recipe in a 9x13 baking dish.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients: 

• One small-ish bag of frozen broccoli (or buy a big bag, use your discretion and save some for later)
  
• About two cups of cooked white rice
• One brick of cream cheese (if you use lite or fat-free, I bet no one will notice)
• Four cups of shredded cheddar (don't skimp on the fat here)
  
• One sleeve of buttery crackers
• 2-4 Tablespoons of butter 
• A few shakes of onion powder (lightly dust the contents of the casserole)
• 1-2 cups of chopped cooked ham (it depends on how how much you like ham; leftover ham works really well)
• Ground black pepper
• Garlic salt (or minced garlic if you have it)
  

Directions: 

• Steam the broccoli until tender (an easy way to do this is to put it in a microwave-safe baking dish with about half an inch of water; cook in the microwave on full-power for about 5-7 minutes. Drain the water and it's done). 
• While the broccoli is steaming, put your cheese to work. In a sauce pan, melt the cream cheese and half of the cheddar together. Add pepper and garlic to-taste. If you turn your burner on medium-high and stir continuously, this should go rather quickly. Just keep stirring so the sauce doesn't stick or burn. Also, don't turn it on high...it's just too hot for a cheese sauce. If your broccoli isn't done by the cheese is finished, just turn the sauce down to simmer and keep stirring.
  
• Line the bottom of your 9x13 dish with a nice layer of broccoli
• Dish the rice out on top of the broccoli.
• Add the ham on top of the rice and brocoli.
• Sprinkle with onion powder
• Pour cheese sauce over the entire mixture and stir (carefully) until everything is well covered with cheese sauce. 
• Top all with remaining shredded cheddar.
• Set the casserole aside.
• Melt your butter in a sauce pan (you can use the cheese pan if you want). Crunch up the sleeve of crackers (don't make dust out of them, just crunch them up). Add the crunchies to the butter and stir.
• Once well mixed, cover the top of the casserole with this topping. 

Bake in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Watch the casserole the last 20 minutes or so. If the crackers are starting to get too brown or starting to burn, take the casserole out cover it (carefully) with foil and return it to the oven to finish baking.

I made this as a side-dish for a Christmas party the last two years. However, it has enough hearty business to it that you could use it for a main dish. :) Enjoy!!

Rotini with Spinach Meat Sauce

Here's a great way to get your leafy-greens with a traditional meat sauce recipe.


Feeds about 4 hungry adults. :)


Ingredients:

• 2lbs of Ground Chuck (approx)
  
• 3/4 of a Sweet Onion (sliced into thin slivers and slivers halved to resemble the letter "C")
  
• 1 Bag of Baby Spinach Leaves (washed and dried)
• 2 - 15oz Cans of Tomato Sauce
• 1 - 8oz Can of Tomato Paste
• 2 Paste Cans Full of Water
• 1/2 Cup of White Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon of Dried Sweet Basil
• 1/2 Cup of Romano or Parmesan Cheese (it's best freshly grated)
  
• 1/2 Box of Rotini Noodles (or your favorite pasta)

Directions: 

• Brown meat
  
• After meat has been browned, continue cooking it over medium-high heat and incorporate sliced onion. Cook until onion becomes transparent, add spinach (you may have to add half a bag at a time depending on the size of your pan - it will cook down).
• Once the spinach has cooked down, drain meat mixture and return to a pan (a stock pot is good).
• Add in sauce, paste, sugar, basil, pepper, cheese, and water and stir. Cook on high heat until sauce boils. 
• Once boiling, turn down to simmer for 30 minutes - stirring occasionally. 
• During this time, start boiling water for Rotini and Cook (about 9 minutes or according to box directions).
• After the sauce and pasta have finished cooking, take several large spoonfuls of sauce and mix with the pasta to keep it from sticking. 
• Serve sauce over pasta, top with additional Romano/Parmesan and enjoy! This recipe is great with a crusty bread from your grocer's bakery. :)

Enjoy!