The Easiest Chicken Cacciatore Ever

Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian. In cuisine, "alla cacciatora" refers to a meal prepared "hunter-style" with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, herbs, often bell pepper, and sometimes wine. Cacciatore is popularly made with braised chicken (pollo alla cacciatora) or rabbit. (Wiki Source)

Chicken Cacciatore is super easy to make with just a few staples that you (hopefully) already have on hand in the pantry and the fridge. This recipe has a bit of a twist and can be made in the oven or the slow cooker, whichever is handiest.



Easiest Chicken Cacciatore Ever
3-4 chicken breasts
1 can tomato soup OR 1 can Italian style diced tomatoes (with liquid)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
splash of milk

Veggies Used, all sliced:
green bell pepper
mushrooms (canned is fine; fresh is best)
1 small onion
tomatoes

NOTE: You can substitute any of these veggies with whatever you have on hand. Broccoli, green beans, squash, or even zucchini would be fantastic in this. Try not to skimp on the onions though--they really make the dish!

Herbs & Spices Used: rosemary, basil, parsley, garlic salt, pepper

---

Mix canned tomatoes with cream soup thoroughly. Add herbs and spices to taste. Stir together.

Spray baking pan or slow cooker insert with cooking oil. Place chicken in a single layer. Cover with soup/tomato mixture. Add veggies on top.

Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes for thawed chicken; 80-90 minutes for frozen chicken.

Alternatively, cook in the slow cooker on high for 4-5 hours or until the chicken is cooked through (registers 165 degrees in the thickest part of the breast).

Serve over rice or pasta noodles.

How To Make a Tomato Sandwich

Tomato lovers everywhere, learn how to make a tomato sandwich!

Yes, I realize a video was not totally necessary to convey this recipe, however it gave me an excuse to practice my video-editing skills. And it was fun.

Hope you are both entertained and informed.

--------------------------------------
Music: Kevin MacLeod

Easiest Chicken Cattiatore Ever

Cattiatore means "cooked in a casserole." I've mostly baked my chicken cattiatore, however this is one I cooked in the slow cooker. It worked great and was a lot less work than fussing over the oven.



The Easiest Chicken Cattiatore Ever

4-5 chicken breasts
1 can diced Italian-style tomatoes (tomato soup will do in a pinch, but it won't be the same)
1 can cream of chicken (or mushroom or celery, whatever you have on hand)
mushrooms
tomatoes (yes, more!)
onions
bell peppers
rosemary, basil, garlic salt & pepper, parsley
splash o' milk

Place chicken in a single layer in a large casserole dish (or slow cooker) coated with non-stick spray. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken. NOTE: If you're doing this in the slow cooker, feel free to just throw it all in without mixing. It will meld together as it heats.



Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 45 minutes if the chicken was thawed. If it was frozen (like my chicken usually is), bake for 80-90 minutes. If you're going the slow cooker way, give it at least 5-6 hours if the chicken is frozen, perhaps 3-4 if it isn't.

Serve over rice. The vegetation-liquid part of this dish is uber delicious after soaking into the rice on your plate. Mmm... Also great with Cheesy Garlic Bread.

Quick Tortilla Soup

I love recipes that can be made from food in the pantry, and this is based on one of those. My brother has a recipe for Tortilla Soup that's made entirely from canned items, but this one has a few fresh ingredients added.

Quick Tortilla Soup

Diced veggies (Onions, Celery, Bell Peppers)
Green Chilies to taste (canned are fine)
1 can corn n' peppers
1 can diced tomatoes (with green chilies)
1 can black beans
+ any additional veggies you like for tortilla soup (e.g. zucchini, yellow squash, more corn, etc.)
1 box chicken or beef broth
diced steak or chicken (cooked)
water
Garlic Salt & Garlic Pepper (regular S&P will do fine too)
Cumin
Shredded cheese
Tortilla chips

Sauté diced fresh veggies in the bottom of a large pot or dutch oven. Once softened, add canned veggies (including any liquid), broth, and meat. Add enough water to come up 1-2 inches above the ingredients. Add salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Serve hot with crumbled tortilla chips or strips (see previous post) and cheese. We like to put the tortilla chips with some cheese on the bottom, spoon soup over the mound, then top with more chips and cheese.

NOTE: The type of cheese is up to you. Any cheeses with gooey potential will be fabulous--cheddar, Monterrey Jack, "Mexican" blends, even mozzarella.

Chicken, Black Bean & Tortilla Casserole

Nobody really likes the word "casserole", do they? But they're easy... and often tasty too! So here's a recipe Heath got from work one day that we tried out:

2 chicken breasts (diced)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. cumin
1 chopped onion
chopped green bell peppers
14.5 oz. can diced Mexican-style tomatoes
3/4 c. salsa
2 15 oz. cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
6 7-inch tortillas
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (mozzarella might be good too)

In a large skillet, brown the chicken with a little garlic salt and pepper, the cumin, and the minced garlic. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook a bit longer.

Add undrained tomatoes and salsa. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the beans.

Spray a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick spray. Add 1/3 of the chicken-bean mixture to the pan. Sprinkle with a little cheese. Layer three tortillas on top. (I found that if you do a whole one first, then cut the next into fourths and put those with the corners in the corners of the pan, followed by another whole one atop that, then you get complete coverage. Clear as mud? Maybe I'll post an illustration if we get complaints. ;o)

Repeat the process: chicken-bean mixture, cheese, tortillas, then chicken-bean mixture. (Now stop because you've run out of tortillas!)

Top with the rest of your cheese (and a little more if you're feeling sassy). Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. (Needs to have that congeal-factor, like homemade pizza.)

This is a staple meal at our house. Dee-lish!

Angel Hair Pasta ala Weight Family

Here's one I just received from Tricia, one of our Fooblog fans... Sounds fabulous! :o)

---

TRICIA SAID: Try it-you might like it! Made it off the cuff (and the FAMILY went wild), so you'll have to figure out how much this-and-that to use!

1 Package Angel Hair Pasta
2 Med. Zucchini
2 Med. Tomatoes
Sandwich Ham cut into strips (use as much as YOU like)
1 Container Ricotta Cheese
1 Container Parmesan Cheese

Cook Angel Hair Pasta according to package.
Grate zucchini with the fat holes of a vegetable grater.
Add zucchini to Spaghetti for the last three minutes of boiling.

Before you empty pasta/zucchini into strainer, scoop out 1/2 cup of the spaghetti water. (You need this to thicken the cheese).

Put Ricotta and Parmesan in pan, add just enough left over spaghetti water to make a creamy sauce. (You should not need to use the entire 1/2 cup).

Add Pasta and zucchini. Stir. Salt and pepper to taste.

Dice tomatoes. Add tomatoes and Ham to mixtures and heat through. Top with Parmesan and Serve.

Hope you like it! Tricia PS. Love the FOO-Keep it up!

Gale's Lasagna Filling

Tonight I'm making a dish of lasagna. It's always a great way to get rid of your leftover cottage cheese, isn't it? Who cares if it's a week expired - it's getting cooked, right? ;o)

I'm using a modified version of a recipe that Gale, my friend from the office, used for a Ladies Luncheon a couple years ago. The recipe is basically the same as every other lasagna recipe, but for hers, the white filling at the top goes like this:

6 oz. cream cheese
1 c. sour cream
4 diced scallions

This is how I modified it:
8 oz. cream cheese (when it comes to cream cheese - the more the merrier, I say!)
1 c. cottage cheese (ran out of sour cream)
1 beaten egg (just cause that's how I always do it)
drained and squeezed chopped spinach (for added nutrition and to make it look "gourmet")

I used some leftover spaghetti sauce from last night. I made this wild recipe that calls for cinnamon and cocoa powder! There was only about a cup left though, so I added a 14.5 oz. can of Italian-style diced tomatoes and a small can of tomato sauce. It made the perfect amount. Now the lasagna is congealing on the stove until we're all ready to eat.

Chicken Recipe & Meatballs with Peas

Here are a couple recipes I just received from my old friend Erica. ("Old" as in, we've known each other since 6th grade - she's not that old!) - Dianna

---

ERICA WROTE: Making me hungry just reading those recipes. So I thought I'd submit a couple of my families favorites. The first one really has no name- my grandma cooks her chicken like this, and I always find it foolproof to make- takes 20- 30 min. as long as you have chicken defrosted.

GRANDMA'S NAMELESS CHICKEN
Ingredients:
3-4 Chicken Breasts (Bone in or out - if in, cooking time takes little longer)
2 T. Olive oil
1 T. Butter
1 chicken bouillon cube
1-2 fresh tomatoes diced, or 1 can diced
2 T. garlic - less if you prefer
parsley
basil
pinch of rosemary
salt and pepper
3/4 c water
1/4 c water

* Heat butter and olive oil over med. heat until warm - add garlic. (make sure you use a skillet with a 2" rim)
* Rinse and dry chicken, add salt and pepper to taste (remember bouillon is salty), then add to olive-oil/butter - remember to keep the heat on low-med. You don't want to have it completely browned or it won't suck up the juices
* Add 3/4 c water and bouillon cube
* Add tomatoes, garlic, parsley, basil, and rosemary
* Let it simmer 15-20 min. turning chicken occasionally.
* When the water has been almost entirely sucked into chicken, add the last 1/4 c. and let simmer 5 more minutes. You now have gravy for whatever else you serve with it.

I serve this with just about everything. Buttered noodles, leftover spaghetti, rice, biscuits, salad, and another of my families favorites, green beans cooked on a skillet. (2 T butter, melted in skillet over med. heat, add green beans, stir
often until cooked - watch though, they go from cooked to burnt fast!)

And because I know you are such a huge fan of peas here is another family favorite, handed down from my great-grandmother:

MEATBALLS & PEAS
1 Pd. gd. beef
1 can/bottle (or if you prefer otherwise) of mushroom gravy
ketchup
mustard
seasoned salt
bread crumbs
olive oil
1 bag of frozen peas(or again-if preferred fresh)

* Heat olive oil in large skillet over low-med. heat
* Take 1 pd. of ground beef, and in a bowl, add (you ready for this?) a squirt of ketchup, a squirt of mustard, about 1 tsp of seasoned salt, about 5T. of mushroom gravy, and enough bread crumbs to make the meatballs hold together.
* Scoop up meat and make into about 1-2" meatballs.
* Put in skillet and cook them, turning with a spoon often - try not to let them fall apart.
* Add the bag of peas, and the remainder of the mushroom gravy and about 1/4 c water (little less if peas are frozen)
* Cover and simmer until peas are cooked.

You can serve with noodles, but I prefer just a slice of buttered bread to soak up all the leftover gravy! My family can't get enough of their meatballs and peas!!!!!

---

Thanks for the recipes, Erica! They both sound wonderful! I'm always looking for ways to use my Rosemary. I guess I'm not sure which dishes it should go in. I'll let you know how they turn out. :o)

Tortilla Pizzas & How to Make Faux Sausage

Thanks for your comment, Tricia! Here's an idea for your dilemma of needing a quick dinner for teenagers.

Tortilla Pizzas
Take 6-8 flour tortillas and place them on the oven rack at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Pull them out and place on cookie sheets. Spray the outer edges with cooking spray to get that extra crispness you need when you pick up the pieces later.

Spread jarred spaghetti sauce on the tortillas.

Top with whatever you have around for toppings - minced mushrooms, diced green bell peppers, tomatoes, olives (not a personal fave, but my husband likes them), onions, etc. If you happen to have pepperoni around of have a moment to brown some ground beef*, all the better! (See below for a trick to making regular ground beef taste like sausage.)

Top generously with shredded mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned and melty.

Cut into wedges as you would a pizza and serve. Deee-licious!

Now granted, if you have teenage boys, it may take 3 or 4 of these mini pizzas each to satisfy the hunger. But they're so easy to make they could probably do it themselves. Hey, they could make you dinner!

I've often used this recipe for a quick snack when we have friends over. We've always got tortillas and most of the time I can get away with just putting the sauce and cheese on it. Heath used to be an avid video game player along with several of his friends. It was great to put these little darlings out on the table for the guys to munch while they played.

Oh and don't forget the power of the Crock Pot! If you need dinner in a hurry, there's nothing like coming home and just having to dish it up!

* Making Ground Beef taste like sausage:
It's so easy, you've probably already thought of it! Just begin browning the meat. Add garlic salt, garlic pepper, and "Italian seasonings" (or oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper - if you don't have all these, just use the ones that you have - though oregano and basil are key). Brown until all the oil has been mopped up by the cooking meat and it's very dark. I made this once when my mom was in town and she looked at it saying, "I thought you didn't have any sausage!"