the BEST (and easiest) homemade Mac & Cheese (with Bacon!)

I have tried all sorts of homemade macaroni and cheese, the kind where you make a white sauce gravy then add cheese, the kind you bake, with crackers breadcrumbs, etc...

I FINALLY found the BEST tasting and easiest to make Mac & Cheese recipe. It is SO yummy you'll never go back to the boxed kind (well you might in an emergency, but you won't enjoy it)! I made mine with bacon and asparagus, but you can make it plain or add your favorite meat & veggie combo.

Creamy Potato Soup (with ham)

Black Bean Chili with Avocado Salsa

Summer Corn Cakes with Avocado Salsa

Whole Wheat Navajo Tacos (fried in coconut oil)

Navajo tacos were one of my favorite things to eat as a kid. There are dozens of ways to eat them but my favorite is Mexican style: refried beans, cheese, avocado and tomato. Thanks to coconut oil, I can still indulge in them from time to time.

Whole Wheat Navajo Tacos
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups whole wheat flour (one half cup at a time as needed)
coconut oil for frying
toppings- refried beans (I love mine mixed with salsa and sour cream), cheese, avocado, tomato

Dissolve yeast in warm water with honey. When yeast is bubbly, stir in melted (cooled) butter, salt and 1 cup of flour. Continue mixing and add 1/2 cup of flour at a time until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl- you want it to be soft but not sticky.

Cover and let rise until double. Roll dough out into 2 thin rectangles (about 1/4" thick) and using a pizza cutter slice into squares (I cut each into 12 small squares) and let rise until double.

Heat coconut oil in a small pot (the smaller the better). I don't like to waste a lot of oil so I used about a 1/2 cup but it's easier if you have more oil. I also make mine smaller due to less oil. Dip the corner of one piece of dough in the oil- when it bubbles right away the oil is ready.

Fry one piece of dough at a time, using a spoon, scoop oil over the top of the dough until it puffs up (or you can tip and rotate the pan around in circular motions so that oil covers the top of the dough). When the top has puffed, flip over and cook until brown. Drain on a paper towel and repeat for all pieces of dough. Top with desired toppings and serve warm.

For sweet dough, dip in powdered sugar, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar or drizzle with honey.

BLT {the best sandwich on earth}

I think bacon is my favorite food. If I had to choose between dark chocolate and bacon...I think bacon would win... I like my bacon super crunchy and my favorite way to eat it is in a big fat BLT.

I don't think anyone really needs a recipe for a BLT, but some things I add to make it better than your average sandwich, is ranch dressing on one slice of bread (instead of mayo) and smashed ripe avocado on the other. Throw in some havarti cheese and swiss chard (along with tomato and bacon, of course) and you have one tasty (and healthy) sandwich.

Perfect for lunch or dinner, especially in the summertime when you need something quick and easy.

Oh- and bacon cooking- the way to get it super crunchy is to bake it in the oven at 425 degrees. Place bacon strips side by side and bake until all the fat has been cooked away and the bacon is a dark color and looking crispy (or until your smoke detector goes off), about 15-20 minutes, turning half way through (don't burn!). Then when the bacon grease cools down, pour into a jar and refrigerate for later use. Bacon grease is great for cooking eggs, potatoes, popcorn and more. Refrigerate or freeze any extra bacon.

Quinoa Salad with pears, spinach and chickpeas

If you haven't yet visted the Gluten Free Goddess website yet, I highly suggest you do. I'm not gluten free and don't plan on ever going gluten free, but she has some amazing real food recipes that cannot be passed up. Such as this salad- the pears and apples are so sweet it gives a great contrast to the quinoa and spinach. A great summer salad!

Quinoa Salad Recipe with Pears, Baby Spinach and Chick Peas in a Maple Vinaigrette
*Recipe from Gluten Free Goddess

1-2 cups cooked quinoa (I use rice cooker, otherwise follow directions on box)
2 handfuls of organic baby spinach leaves, washed, drained (I used a full package of organic girl)
1 large ripe pear, washed, stemmed and cored, cut into pieces
1 sweet apple, sliced into pieces
1/2 cup chilled chick peas, rinsed, drained
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
A handful of pecans, pan toasted and salted to taste
Feta Cheese, crumbled

Maple Vinaigrette Dressing:

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Fluff quinoa with a fork and scoop into a large salad bowl.

Add the baby spinach, pear, apple, chick peas, and chopped parsley to the quinoa and fluff.

Whisk together the vinaigrette, pour it over the quinoa salad and toss gently. Season to taste with sea salt and ground pepper.

Just before serving, add the toasted pecans and feta and lightly combine.

Chicken Florentine Bowtie Pasta

This is a really yummy way to introduce kids to spinach- it's so creamy and cheesy they'll love it.
*Modified recipe from Picky Palate.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3-4 tablespoons milk
1 pound whole grain bowtie pasta or other small noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring pasta to a boil and cook according to package directions.

In the meantime, heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add spinach leaves, chicken, salt and pepper. Cover and cook until wilted, about 2-3 minutes.

Add cream cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in milk to thin the cream and prevent sticking to the pan.

Drain pasta and stir into chicken mixture. Transfer to baking dish and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Quinoa and Black Bean Burritos

If you are a lover of Mexican food, you HAVE to try this. It is amazing. I modified the recipe from the Cooking Quinoa blog (a fabulous site for incorporating this superfood into everyday meals). This is fabulous by itself, with chips or in a tortilla. I didn't add meat to mine and didn't miss it a bit. Seriously, couldn't get a healthier, tastier burrito. We used the leftovers to make quesadillas and they were just as great. This is definitely being added to my regular meal rotation.

Quinoa and Black Bean Burritos

Olive oil
1 small onion, diced
Diced green and or red pepper (I used both)
1-2 cups black beans (or one can)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (less if you use canned beans)
2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 lime (or 1/2 lemon)
1/2 bunch cilantro (I forgot to add mine and it still tasted fabulous)
diced avocado, tomato

Heat 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil in pan and saute onions and peppers. Stir in black beans, salt, cumin, chili powder and garlic powder. Stir in quinoa just until heated through. Remove from heat and toss with lime or lemon and cilantro.
Serve with avocado and tomato. I had mine with whole wheat tortillas. I didn't add any sour cream or cheese, but that would also be a nice addition.

Creamy Potatoes with Asparagus

I saw a recipe for these cheesy potatoes on the Get Off Your Butt and Bake website. The pictures were mouthwatering and the recipe simple. All I did was add asparagus to make it a meal rather than a side dish. It really is amazing.

Creamy Potatoes with Asparagus

5-6 large potatoes (I used red)
1 pint whipping cream (2 cups)
Salt & pepper
1/2 bunch fresh chopped parsley (I forgot mine)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 bunch asparagus washed and broken into pieces (bend the asparagus and it will snap into sections)

Wash and cut potatoes into thin strips (or slice thinly) and layer into a 9x13 baking dish. Mix in asparagus and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the cream over the pan. Top with cheese and parsley.

Cover pan with tin foil, cutting a few slits in the top and bake 400 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove tin foil during the last 15 minutes.

Lemon Chicken with bacon, potatoes and roasted asparagus

Wow. I think this might have been the best meal of my entire life. Seriously, it is so yummy. These pictures don't do it justice at all. I thought the other roasted chicken recipe was pretty fabulous, but I think this beats it. Not only is the taste out of this world but the smell is so amazing, don't be surprised if your neighbors invite themselves to dinner...

Lemon Roast Chicken with Bacon and Red Potatoes

1 whole chicken

4-5 lemons

3-4 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon Sea salt

1 teaspoon Pepper

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme (you can also use dried italian seasoning if you don't have any fresh herbs)

3-4 slices of uncooked bacon (the least processed kind you can find, nitrate free of course!)

4-5 Red potatoes washed and chopped, tossed with olive oil or butter, salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice one lemon in half and the other lemons into thin slices. Peel the cloves of garlic and slice in half lengthwise. In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper and thyme (or italian seasoning).

Layer half of the lemon slices on the bottom of your roasting pan. Wash chicken, pat dry and place breast down on top of the lemon slices. Rub with melted butter inside and out. Squeeze the ends of lemon over the top of the chicken. Rub with seasonings inside and out. Fill cavity of chicken with two of the garlic cloves (cut in half) and both halves of one lemon.

Put all lemon slices and ends around chicken (for added lemon flavor, place slices on top of chicken). Cover the top of the chicken with bacon slices.

Toss chopped red potatoes with olive oil or butter, salt and pepper and arrange around chicken. If you choose not to cook potatoes (which you really should- the bacon drippings mix with the olive oil and make perfectly browned and delicious potatoes), I recommend putting 1/4 to 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the pan to keep the chicken most.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is no longer pink.

Remove bacon strips, chop and mix in with potatoes (or just eat plain- it will be the best bacon you've ever had- the chicken flavors soak in and make it seriously amazing). Remove the lemon halves from the chicken cavity and squeeze over chicken slices before serving. Save a bit of lemon juice to squeeze over asparagus.

Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Dash of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (or place in oven next to chicken during last 20 minutes of baking).

Wash asparagus and prepare each stalk by bending it until it snaps. Discard the bottom half and place the top half on baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender but still crisp. Squeeze with a dash of lemon juice.

And, in case you missed my previous post on making chicken stock with the leftover chicken- click here, it can stretch one meal into 3 or 4.

Honey-Lime Enchiladas

I saw this recipe on the Sisters Cafe a while ago and recently a few friends have recommended it, so I finally got around to trying it. It was much tastier than I expected! My husband just laughed at me for finding a way to sweeten up everything, even enchiladas...but he enjoyed them!

Cooked, shredded chicken, pork or beef

Honey Sauce
1/3 c. honey
Juice of one lime
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

10oz can green enchilada sauce
Mozzarella & cheddar cheese, shredded
Corn (or flour) tortillas

Mix honey sauce ingredients together with cooked, shredded meat and set aside for 20-30 minutes.

Pour half can of green enchilada sauce in the bottom of 9x13" pan. Heat corn tortillas in microwave 15 seconds or until soft. Spoon meat mixture and shredded cheese in the center of each tortilla, roll up and place in pan. Continue until pan is full. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and smother with cheese.

Bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Then turn oven to broil and continue cooking 2-3 minutes until slightly brown and crispy.

Chipotle style burritos: Black Beans, Cilantro Lime Rice, Pico de Gallo & Guacamole

I think I've mentioned before how much I LOVE Chipotle. Sadly, we don't have one near us, so the only time we get to indulge ourselves is when we travel. SO we like to make our own version at home. I am pretty close on everything except the chicken- I am not willing to spend the time to figure out those complex flavors, so for now I just go with grilled chicken marinated with a little lime juice and montreal seasoning or zesty italian dressing.

The cilantro lime rice recipe I posted previously here http://ldsbaker.blogspot.com/2010/10/cilantro-lime-rice-with-black-beans.html  the image shown is with barley, but you can also use white rice (pictured above). I also added a little chopped green onion to the version shown above.

Black beans...Squeeze the juice of one lime, stir in some salt, cilantro and cumin to flavor your beans. See below for simple instructions on cooking these in the pressure cooker- takes only 30 minutes!

Simple Pico de Gallo: This is my simply "wimpy" version of pico de gallo- simply chop a bunch of tomatoes, some green onions (including white part), cilantro and juice of one lime. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Guacamole: I never measure these spices, just add a bit here and there until you reach the flavor your tastebuds desire... 1-2 ripe avocados, salt, pepper, fresh lemon or lime juice, garlic powder, diced tomatoes, cilantro.

Serve in warmed tortilla with or without grilled chicken.

Cooking Black Beans in Pressure Cooker:

I have been asked a few times how to cook beans in a pressure cooker. It is really simple. I just take 2 cups of dried beans- sort and rinse, (no soaking necessary) add to pressure cooker and fill with water to the 2/3 full line. Turn stove on medium high and as soon as you hear the whistle, turn it down a bit so that it still whistles softly but isn't steaming it's top off. Continue cooking for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit on the burner while you prepare the rest of your food. I, as you know, am impatient and if I need them fast, I use a fork or knife to lift the release valve and let the excess steam out. Once the steam is all out you can open it, rinse the beans and eat.

Fresh cooked beans have a different flavor so you may find that you need to salt them, although after time you'll get used to not having so much salt on them. There is a great chart about how long to cook different types of beans at this website http://www.fabulousfoods.com/articles/27942/how-to-cook-beans-in-a-pressure-cooker

Enjoy!

Pasta al Pomodoro

This is my favorite version of spaghetti. Doesn't look like much, but the flavor of fresh basil and creamy butter is so scrumptious. It's another one of my last minute go-to meals.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3-4 fresh tomatoes, diced (or canned- using juice to thin sauce)
Salt, to taste
handful of fresh basil leaves
12oz whole grain spaghetti or angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons real butter
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
2-3 tablespoons milk, to thin sauce

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain.

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until soft. Stir in garlic and cook for one minute. Dice tomatoes (You can puree if you prefer a smoother sauce). and stir into onion mixture. Season lightly with salt. Add basil leaves, cover and cook stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and flavors meld, about 20 minutes. Add additional diced vegetables if desired.

Stir in milk to reach desired consistency. Remove basil leaves and toss tomato sauce with pasta, stir in butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

*Recipe modified from Bon Appetit

Barley Jambalaya

I got this recipe a few years ago from my friend Elysa and it is so yummy! It makes a HUGE pot and even tastes better the next day when the spices have had a chance to meld. The kids love it and it's super healthy.
2 cups barley
5 cups chicken broth or water
2 bay leaves (optional)
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (can use canned) or shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 cup diced fresh peppers (I prefer red & yellow)
1 cup diced celery (4-5 stalks)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15oz can diced tomato (or two large fresh tomatoes, diced)
2 8oz cans tomato sauce (or 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I never add this, I'm wimpy when it comes to heat and I don't have any)

1. In a large stock pot cook barley, chicken broth or water and bay leaves, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 1 hour.

2. In large pan heat olive oil and saute vegetables and garlic. Stir in meat, spices, tomates and tomato sauce and cook over medium heat until boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer on low until barley is done.

3. Remove bay leaves from barley. Stir vegetable/tomato mixture into barley. Serve warm. Tastes great reheated the next day- add a little water or spaghetti sauce to thin if desired.

Roasted Chicken, with vegetables

I've posted a time or two before about how much I love rotisserie chicken...I decided to be brave and try roasting one myself. I was actually very intimidated by the thought until I saw an episode of the Food Nanny that featured someone with an even greater raw meat phobia than I.

I determined then to conquer my fear. And I'm glad I did, it turned out fabulous! Moist, juicy, tender chicken. Even better than from the store. Not only that but for less than $5 we had a yummy dinner, enough leftover for another dinner plus after making chicken stock and "picking the bones" had enough left to make our new favorite chicken taquitos, not to mention the chicken stock and gravy I will freeze and use for later. It's the tastiest budget meal, I just wish I'd known years ago how easy it was to do!

Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

1 whole chicken

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon

3 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon thyme

1 cup water

1 onion, diced
4 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
5-6 potatoes, cubed

Pair of rubber gloves (if you're wimpy like me)
Large roasting pan (I picked mine up for only $30 at BB&B)

Chop all veggies and mix all dry seasoning ingredients in a small bowl. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Then don those gloves unless you're brave enough to touch raw meat (I finally am!) Now, remove and discard giblets from chicken (this is the gross part but fortunately I discovered mine were neatly packaged in a bag so I didn't even have to see them!) Rinse chicken cavity and pat dry with paper towel.

Give the chicken a good rubdown with some olive oil and then rub the seasoning mixture inside and out. Set chicken in roasting pan and place chopped veggies all around it. It's recommended to refrigerate this for a few hours or overnight, I didn't because I didn't plan ahead- and it still turned out perfectly tender and juicy, so don't worry if you miss this step.

It is recommended to place the chicken breast side down but honestly I have no idea which is the breast and which is the back and since you rotate it halfway through cooking it really doesn't matter (details, details). So just put the thing in however you want and after about 45 minutes turn it over. I also added a cup of water at this point to keep the veggies tender and help the chicken stay moist. I baked for another 45-50 minutes. It should take about an hour and a half for the entire cooking process. Just cut into the center to make sure the pink is gone- but do not overcook or it will be dry. The vegetables are flavored nicely by the drippings so no need for extra seasonings.

After spooning out the vegetables I poured the leftover drippings into a saucepan and made some delicious gravy by just adding some flour and thinning it with milk to make it creamy. There are some pretty good instructions for that here http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_gravy/

Then took the remaining chicken bones and skin and made some chicken stock to use later (see below. It freezes really well so you don't have to use right away and is much more flavorful than storebought stock). So there you go, a good 2-3 meals (soup, chicken taquitos, chicken salad sandwiches, etc.) for $5.

Chicken Stock

Chicken- bones, skin and all, including pan drippings

1 onion chopped- with skin

1-2 stalks celery roughly chopped

Other stray vegetable parts

I'm sure there are lots of ways to make chicken stock, but I'll share the way I do it.

After you've removed the meat you want to eat from the chicken, put the entire thing in the pot including any pan drippings and vegetable trimmings, and fill the pot to almost cover the chicken (the more water the thinner the stock will be).

Add all ingredients into large stock pot and fill to cover two thirds of the chicken.

Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer on low for 1-2 hours. You'll know when it's ready because your entire house will start to smell like chicken noodle soup. Turn heat off and let sit on the stove until cooled (just don't be like me and forget about it until the next morning!)

Strain the liquid into a container- it will look something like this (right). Throw away the vegetable trimmings and pick the meat off the chicken bones- it will be soft and come off easily. You'll be surprised- you should get around a cup or so of shredded chicken which is perfect for taquitos, adding to soups or making chicken salad sandwiches.

Put the liquid in the refrigerator overnight. It will solidify into a jello-like substance which looks /7kind of  gross- but that means you did it right. Now you can either freeze it or add water to thin it out and use in your favorite recipe- everything you make with this will taste SO much better than with storebought stock. Here are a few of my favorite recipes that use chicken stock:

Lemon Chicken Picatta

White Chicken Chili

Chicken Noodle Soup (simply add noodles and veggies!)

Barley Jambalaya

Chicken Tortilla Soup (perfect for using this leftover chicken)

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

My friend Melissa posted this on her blog a few weeks ago and I finally made them. They are so delicious! Definitely being added to my regular meal rotation...

Creamy Chicken Taquitos
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3oz cream cheese
1/4 cup salsa verde
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1 cup grated cheese (I used 1/2 pepperjack and 1/2 monterrey jack)
12 small flour tortillas
Oil for misting

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat cream cheese in microwave safe bowl for 20-30 seconds until soft. Stir in salsa verde, lime juice, cumin, chili powder and garlic. Stir in cilantro, green onions, chicken and cheese.

Heat 4 tortillas at a time in microwave for 20 seconds to soften. Scoop 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture into the middle of each tortilla, keeping the mixture 1/2 inch from edges and roll tightly. Place seam side down on metal baking sheet. Line up but don't let them touch.

Spray tops lightly with oil and bake for 15 minutes or until crisp and ends are golden brown.

Lemon Chicken Picatta with Roasted Potatoes

Do you get this magazine? If not, you totally should. It has amazing yummy eay recipes. Then again...you could just read my blog because a good portion of the yummies I make come from this magazine. Like this chicken picatta with roasted potatoes I made for dinner last night. So delicious...

Lemon Chicken Picatta

3 large lemons

2 large chicken breasts

1/4 cup mayo (or 1 egg beaten)

1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs seasoned with italian seasoning & garlic salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
Whole wheat pasta

Slice chicken breast in half width-wise to make four thin pieces of chicken (mine was actually thick enough to be cut into 4 large and two small pieces). Spread mayo on both sides of each chicken slice (the Pampered Chef silicon brush works great for this) and coat with bread crumbs.

You can make your own bread crumbs by broiling bread in the oven for 2-3 minutes, flipping to brown on both sides. Bread should be very crisp. Add to food processor to fine crumbs.
Cut 4 thin lemon slices from half of one lemon; squeeze juice from remaining lemons (can microwave for 30 seconds to make it easier). Set aside.


In a large pan cook half a box of angel hair pasta according to package directions, drain.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken for 5 minutes, turn and cook for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

In the same pan add lemon juice and chicken broth and cook over medium high heat 6-8 minutes or until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally. Add butter and lemon slices and cook 3 to 4 more minutes.

Place chicken over pasta and pour lemon sauce over top and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Roasted Potatoes

4-5 medium potatoes cubed (or sliced for smaller potatoes)

6 slices of bacon chopped
3 tablespoons Italian Dressing

2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400.

Put potatoes on 15x10x1" pan. Top with bacon and zesty italian dressing. Bake for 45 minutes stirring halfway through.

Top with parmesan cheese and parsley.

*the original recipe had a sauce of mayo, lemon juice and garlic to pour over the top but these potatoes were so flavorful I didn't think it needed the extra step...

Chicken Potpies

When I was in Nashville I picked up this great kids cookbook from Williams Sonoma: Cooking Together. There are so many fun and healthy recipes dressed up to appeal to kids. Ethan loves to help me in the kitchen and one of his favorite things is to get the recipes from the Highlights High Five magazine and make them. So this book is perfect. He can flip through and choose what he wants to make. Our first selection was chicken potpies and they were YUM. I didn't have any puff pastry so I just made a pie crust, but I think puff pastry looks prettier and would be more fun for kids (and certainly easier for you). I also used homemade chicken stock which added incredible flavor, I'll outline how to do that below the recipe...

Chicken Potpie

3 T. olive oil

1 chicken breast, diced

1/2 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 potatoes, peeled & diced

3 T. flour

4 cups chicken broth (or 3 cups chicken stock)

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 heavy cream

1 cup frozen peas

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

2 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add chicken and cook until browned. Set aside. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and cook onions. Stir in carrots and potatoes and cook until they start to get soft- about 5 minutes.

Stir in flour. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook until vegetables are tender and mixture has thickened. Add salt and pepper and stir in cream, cooked chicken and peas. Pour chicken mixture into six 1-cup oven safe dishes.

On floured surface roll out puff pastry. Cut out six 3" circles with biscuit cutter. Using small cutter (or knife) cut out a hole in the top of each round. Top dishes with pastry rounds and pinch around the edges. Brush the tops with melted butter.

Bake until crust is puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes.

How to make Chicken Stock

One of my favorite things to buy is a rotisserie chicken. We eat the chicken with some mashed potatoes and french bread the first night. Then we can use the rest to make chicken noodle soup and/or homemade chicken stock.

For the stock, bring remaining chicken bones to a boil in a large pot filled with water. You could add onion and celery for additional flavoring. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours. Strain chicken mixture and put the juice in the refrigerator. The remaining chicken will have fallen off the bones and you can use this in soup- I used mine in the potpies and it was excellent.

The next morning your chicken juice should look like chicken jello. It will kind of freak you out at first- but that is a sign that it was successful. You can then thin it with water to make chicken broth or use it as chicken stock. I used about 3 cups of chicken stock and thinned it down with an additional cup of water and it was the best potpie filling I've ever had. You can also freeze this and use it for later. A great way to get the most out of a $5 chicken!

Chicken Ranch Pasta

Being a busy mom, I usually don't feel like cooking at the end of the day, so I LOVE meals that don't require much preparation, are quick to cook and include lots of veggies.

I got this recipe from my friend Joann and it is a perfect kid-friendly and mom-friendly meal. It will be added to our regular meal rotation. And FYI- I don't like cottage cheese in the slightest- but when it melts you cannot tell that it's cottage cheese, so don't let that ingredient stop you from trying it.

I halved her recipe because I only had half the cottage cheese required, we fed all 5 of us and still had a bowl of leftovers... so I'm including the halved version here...but she says it freezes well, so check out her site if you have a big family or are doing freezer meals.

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper
1/2 box Farfalle pasta (or any other pasta)
1-2 carrots, diced
1 crown broccoli, chopped
1 cup frozen peas or lima beans
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/4 cup ranch dressing (made from packet or other high quality brand)
Parmesan cheese, grated

Cube chicken and cook in saucepan over medium heat with a dash of olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic, and about 1/8 teaspoon of salt and pepper or other garlic seasoning. Cover and cook until chicken is no longer pink- about 10-15 minutes.

In a large pot, cook pasta according to directions. Add carrots and broccoli and cook until tender. Drain.

Add cottage cheese to the saucepan with the chicken. Stir until cheese is completely melted (mixture will be runny). Add ranch dressing and stir in pasta and veggies. Let sit 5 minutes until thickened.

If you have small children, this is where I stir in the frozen peas because they act as little ice cubes and cool the meal down. If you don't have heat-sensitive munchkins, go ahead and add the peas when you first stir in the pasta to the sauce.

Top with grated parmesan cheese (I didn't have any on hand and used feta- tasted just as delicious).