Chicken Spaghetti

Last night was hectic to say the least. My kids were going crazy when Mike got home, and I spent over an hour trying to get them both to bed, while also making dinner and trying to catch tidbits of the Celtics game. Despite all the chaos, dinner still managed to turn out really well. My point in all this explaining? By the time we finished eating I realized that I didn't take a single picture while making the chicken spaghetti. So I hope you enjoy this humorously terrible picture of our leftovers. Additionally, I didn't keep track of what I was actually putting in the casserole, but I'll be sure to keep track next time!

TOO MANY LEFTOVERS!!!

I realize I haven't had a new recipe up in a few days, and it's not because I've been too busy. We just have so many leftovers in our freezer that I haven't had to cook in a while. So I'll just share a cute picture of some cheesecake I made us for dessert recently. It's a box recipe, all I did was make it into little cupcakes, and make some raspberry sauce. I do plan on trying a really awesome looking cheesecake recipe I found on allrecipes.com, so keep an eye out.

Italian Poor Man's Soup

I love this soup for several different reasons. It's incredibly easy, super cheap, great for even the pickiest of eaters, and it makes a ton of soup. I think this time around it cost me about $8 and I have enough for four meals. Depending on just how picky your little eaters are, you can grate, chop or puree the veggies. I prefer to chop since I have a veggie chopper on hand. Here's what you're going to need:

3 chicken breast halves

1 box orzo

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can chicken stock

1 large onion

3 carrots

3 celery sticks

3 cups corn

8 white potatoes

salt and pepper

parmesan cheese

(Cheese not pictured.)

Fill a large pot with about 4 quarts of water. Add chicken, salt, pepper, 1/2 can crushed tomatoes and chicken stock. Boil 1/2 hour.

Remove chicken and shred or chop.

Add shredded chicken, grated celery, carrots, and onion, diced potatoes, corn and 1/2 can crushed tomatoes. Boil 1 hour while adding 1/2 c. parmesan cheese.

Add orzo and let sit away from heat for 15-20 minutes. Top with parmesan cheese.

There you have it. I told you it was easy.

Lasagna

I probably tried making a dozen lasagna recipes before settling on this one. It's by far the most savory and authentic lasagna out there. I've served this for several different friends and family, and they all agree, it's the best! I won't lie, it's a bit time consuming. If you're looking for something you can just throw together quickly, I would not recommend cutting corners to get there. Simmering time is very, very important for this lasagna. That said, here's what you'll need:

1 lb. sweet italian sausage 1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 lb. lean ground beef 4 tbsp. fresh parsley

1/2 c. minced onion 12 lasagna noodles

2 cloves minced garlic 16 oz. ricotta cheese

28 oz. crushed tomatoes 1 egg

12 oz. tomato paste 1/2 tsp. salt

13 oz. tomato sauce 3/4 lb. shredded mozzarella

1/2 c. water 3/4 c. grated parmesan

2 tbsp. white sugar

1 1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tbsp. salt

I cheated with a couple of ingredients.

Cook sausage, ground beef, onion and garlic until browned. Stir in tomato ingredients and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tbsp. salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp. parsley. Simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Sauce

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook lasagna for 8-10 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water.

Combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 tsp. of salt.

Ricotta Cheese Mixture

Layer meat sauce, noodles, cheese mixture, mozzarella, parmesan. Repeat until ingredients are gone. Top with any remaining mozzarella and parmesan.

Ready to go in the oven!

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 25 minutes.

All done, yummy!

Chile Verde with Tortillas

I use to be in a recipe club when we lived in Kansas. I was lucky enough to know so many amazing people there, and they always had fantastic recipes to share. That's where this recipe originates from. (Thanks Deja!) It's spicy and delicious, and the tortillas are just to die for!

You'll need:

3-5 lb. pork loin roast

2 cans diced tomato

roasted green chiles (Fresh is best, but it's ok to use the ones in a can.)

garlic powder, to taste

3 c. flour

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1/3 c. oil

1 c. hot water

Put roast, tomato, green chiles and garlic powder in crock pot for 6-8 hours.

Mix flour, salt, baking powder, oil and hot water. (Don't over mix.) Let stand for 15 minutes. Make about twelve balls and roll them out into circles. Put them on a hot pan for about 1-2 minutes per side then place on a dish towel or cloth.

That's it! A simple and amazing recipe that you're whole family is sure to love. Be sure to add you favorite toppings like cheese, lettuce and sour cream!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I hadn't made this soup in at least a year and a half, so I honestly couldn't even remember what it was going to taste like. I'm glad I dug through my old recipes and found it though, because this is a delicious soup!

You'll need:

4 c. chicken broth (I make mine from bouillon)

2 c. water

2 chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded

1 pkg. long grain wild rice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. butter

2 c. heavy cream (half and half or skim milk will work but create a different consistency.)

(I double the recipe to have leftovers.)

In a large pot, combine broth, water and chicken. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and stir in contents of seasoning packet until bubbly. Reduce heat to low then stir in flour. Whisk in the cream until smooth and cook for five minutes.

Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook for fifteen minutes, or until heated through.

Getting Started!

I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you to my blog, The Picky Eater. It was inspired by my husband and two boys who refuse to eat anything that looks even slightly healthy. Just a little bit about me. I'm very happily married to the most wonderful husband. We have two little boys together, Phillip who is four, and Daniel who is nine months. I home preschool my four year old, along with another little girl and it is so much fun! I try to keep myself busy with the children, cooking, crafts, and hubby time. Here are a few pictures to get things started:

Banana Bread! I love the beautiful bread I get when baking with silicone molds.

Mike's favorite breakfast ever, so simple and easy but he goes nuts for it!

Mmmm, Mike's favorite meal in the entire world, chili! This is an amazing recipe that has won first prize!

What is the best gift a husband could give his wife who loves to bake? A stand mixer!

I absolutely love using fresh herbs when I cook. This is my first little baby herb garden, awe.

Mike and I hate store-bought ground beef, but home made is so good it can melt in your mouth!

My four year old's meal of choice, ha ha.

So, here is this week's menu. I'll be putting my weekly menu up every Monday and following up with the recipes and pictures once I've made them.

Monday: Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Tuesday: Chile Verde

Wednesday: Lasagna

Thursday: Italian Poor Man's Soup

Friday: Leftovers from Monday

Saturday: Leftovers from Tuesday

Sunday: Leftovers from Wednesday