Chicken Lasagna Rolls

Italian....yummy!!!!! This dish satisfied two things I was hoping for. One, my craving for Italian without going out and paying the bill at a nice restaurant. And two, my efforts to use up random things in the pantry (in this case, half a box of lasagna noodles, a jar of spaghetti sauce, and some chicken breasts).

This was fun too make-the mixing and assembling, and I was totally in a cooking/kitchen mood, so that helped. Seriously, I even cleared out the dishwasher BEFORE I started, so I could promptly place the things I dirtied up into the dishwasher as soon as I popped these in the oven. I may have a fever...haha! Usually I either ask Brett to clear dishes out before I start cooking or to be prepared to do it after, so he can then clean up the kitchen when we are done eating! He better appreciate and like this meal!!!

I've never had lasagna (or spaghetti for that matter) with chicken in it, but it sounded pretty good, and really simple. To me, any recipe that's variation of lasagna looks like it takes a lot of effort. It's a fancy looking meal to me, and before I ever made any type of lasagna, I always wondered what the special, unique concoction was in the middle of the layers. Then I realized that it's not so hard! The thing that makes or breaks it to me is the sauce...I don't like too much, and I don't like it chunky. I also go with a very simply flavored sauce-sometimes sauce overpowers all the goodies in the middle!

On to the recipe...this came from http://lovedeliciousness.blogspot.com/

Ingredients
6 lasagna noodles, uncooked
6-8 oz. chicken breast strips (cooked; I then shredded/picked mine apart with my fingers)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (more or less if you like-I like more!)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook noodles as directed on package. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Mix chicken, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg and seasoning; spread 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto each noodles. Roll up tightly. Place seams sides down in a baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over roll-ups; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until heated through.

My notes...
1) Make sure your noodles are not only cool, but dry when you start to fill them. I made a second batch for leftovers and got in a hurry and my last three noodles sort of made a goo of the filling because they were wet/warm. That and they also slip out of place/unrolled a little.

2) I don't know the exact measurement of the pan I used, seems an 8x4 or something odd like that-anyway, make sure to use a dish where the rolls fit next to each other and are snug. This holds them in place and allows the sauce and mozzarella cheese to sit in all the perfect places without falling into empty space in the dish. Mine happened to be a perfect fit. As I was putting them in I was glad it worked out that well. All the sauce would have just run off had I used a 9x13.

Dorito Casserole

Must love cheese...that's almost all there is to say about this one. It is so rich and delicious. I don't make it often; it isn't exactly light and healthy...but I figure every once in a while it's ok, and I always justify those times by saying I'm using healthy options as far as ingredients. You know-low fat cheese, healthy choice soups, lean beef, etc. Ok, ok, as if it matters with this one?? Anyway, I really like it, and look forward to it when it does come around on my weekly menu!

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef, browned

1 small onion

1 small can (4.5oz.) of diced green chiles (don't worry about draining them)

2 cans of cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup

1 can (14oz.) of red enchilada sauce

1 bag of nacho cheese Doritos, crushed

1 bag of finely shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions:

Brown the ground beef with the chopped onion and green chiles. Drain, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine soup and red sauce. Add the ground beef mixture and stir together. In a 9x13 glass pan, layer Doritos, meat mixture, cheese, Doritos until you've used all your ingredients...be sure to END with Doritos on top (mine is about two layers of each, but a third layer of Doritos on top). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. I cover mine for 20 minutes then take the foil off and bake the last 10 minutes uncovered.

Oh, and my one and ONLY complaint...I never know what to serve with this dish as a side. It obviously needs a veggie. Wait, you DO agree, right? Yeah, the meal is that deleicous! No I don't WANT a veggie, but I have to get one in darn it, or the guilt overtakes me!

It doesn't seem quite "mexicany" enough for beans, and it isn't "american" enough for peas or green beans...get what I'm saying? I do like to get a veggie in, so I don't only consume a large portion of this dish, but rather a small portion of the dish, and a small portion of veggies. Corn seems to be the only happy medium I can find, and I don't really like corn at all. I try to dress it up with some salt, pepper, paprika, and a little cayenne. Let me know your thoughts for a side for this Dorito Casserole!

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

This was such a hit with my husband, his has made a recommendation. For each new post there should be a photo of him. He will either be all smiles, and thumbs up, or a frown and thumbs down. But really, would be ever give his wife a thumbs down??? No food review specific photos came about, BUT, for future reference, this is my Brett!












For this recipe, he was definitely all smiles and a full tummy. He said "I can't stop myself from eating!". That's a shocker for Brett...he has lots of self control and resists unhealthy temptations with ease. He had planned on only one quesadilla, but before he knew it he had eaten the second one, which was supposed to be his lunch tomorrow! Here's the best part, this was so easy, I think I can describe it in pictures. Well, pretty much...see the description below.

Here it is in a nutshell. I took leftover chicken (from the couple already cooked rotisseries birds I got at the Wal-Mart deli), mixed in some chopped purple onion and BBQ Sauce (our very favorite is Sweet Baby Rays-it is hands down the best). Then I just made a quessadillas as usual, in a skillet on medium heat. Buttered tortilla (whole wheat for us, and I used spray butter because it's easy and its not heavy so you get a real crispy tortilla), layer of cheese, then the chicken mixture, some more cheese, another tortilla (buttered)...I think it was about 3 minutes on each side. Just depends on the heat and such. I like a high heat so I get that perfect crisp, but not so fast that it isn't heated throughout.


I really think the purple onion and a good quality BBQ sauce make this recipe what it is. I don't think I would even try it without the purple onion-it's just a perfect fit to me. And again, that Sweet Baby Ray's....SO GOOD! I bet any cheese wouldn't make too much of a difference...experiment with that aspect. Brett ate his with some additional BBQ sauce, while I had a couple of bites with some chunky salsa. Next time I might add some sliced jalapenos to the chicken mixture, and serve this with sour cream for dipping.

Pizza Casserole

When I saw this recipe, I knew it would be cheaper and quicker than calling Papa John's and having a pizza delivered. It isn't a traditional pizza "pie", but my taste buds didn't know the difference! I always appreciate a recipe that agrees with my budget, AND leaves leftovers for the next day. Who doesn't like cold pizza??

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves

1/2 can of tomato sauce (about 7 oz.)

1 Package of Pepperoni
Cooking Spray

10 oz. can of refrigerated pizza dough

8 oz. part skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a non-stick skillet cook onion and garlic until softened. Add meat and brown. Drain well.

Add tomato sauce to meat and heat through. You will want your meat more on the dry side as opposed to the saucy side. While the meat cooks, coat a 9x13 cooking dish with cooking spray. Unroll pizza dough and press into the bottom of the dish and half way up the sides. Pre-bake in oven for 5 minutes.

Remove crust from oven. Sprinkle a layer of cheese, then a layer of hamburger meat, a layer of pepperoni, then add a layer of cheese. Finish with a final layer of pepperoni.

Bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 12 minutes until crust is browned and cheese is melted. The easiest way to cut this was with a regular pizza cutter!