AnnaChristie's

Foccacia Pesto Chicken Sandwiches

2008-10-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

An acquaintance of ours, way back when, made up these foccacia sandwiches, and they've remained a family staple since. They are the ultimate in easy lunches since you can freeze the leftovers, and great for traveling as they are just as good cold.

4+ whole chicken breasts
2 Knorr Swiss pesto sauce packets
Provolone cheese slices
2 red pepper, sliced
2 Foccacia bread rounds

Cook the chicken on the stovetop and slice thinly. Mix the pesto packages as directed and add sliced chicken. Thinly slice red pepper.

Slice the foccacia rounds open and spread the pesto-chicken mixture on the two bottom halves. Arrange red pepper on top and cover with a layer of sliced Provolone cheese. Top with remaining foccacia half. Spread tops of sandwich with olive oil and Kosher salt.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until top is lightly browned and cheese has melted.

Slice into wedges, 6-8 per round, for serving.

Blueberry Crisp

2008-10-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

This has been one of my dessert standbys since I was little and believed that cooking meant simple and sweet. You can't really beat dumping blueberries in a pan with drizzled lemon and crumbling the nummiest crisp on top.

3 c blueberries
2 T lemon juice
2/3 c brown sugar
½ c flour
½ c oatmeal
1/3 c butter, softened
¾ t cinnamon
¼ t salt

Heat oven to 375. Arrange blueberries in 8x8 pan. Sprinkle w/ lemon juice. Mix the rest and sprinkle on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Note: You can also make an apple crisp variation, by skipping the lemon juice and adding a pinch of nutmeg and allspice.

Cog au Vin Nouveau

2008-10-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

I am of the opinion that anything related to French cooking has to be good as a matter of course. This stew, literally, "chicken cooked in wine" does not disappoint. No ma'am! The beauty about this recipe is that everything is cooked in the same pot, so the flavor is intense. Recipe compliments of Ronda S.

2 T olive oil
4 oz. lean, smoked ham, chopped
8 chicken thighs, skinned
½ t salt
½ pepper
½ c flour
1 med. onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz. crimini or white mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
8 oz. shiitake mushrooms
1 cup fruity white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
1 (14 oz) can lower-sodium chicken broth
2 md. carrots, peeled and sliced ½” thick
2 celery stalks, sliced ½” thick
2 sprigs fresh thyme, or ½ t dried

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Add ham and sauté 5 minutes. Remove.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Cook chicken in same pan until brown. Remove.

Add onion, garlic and mushrooms; sauté 3 minutes. Add wine, chicken broth, carrots, celery, thyme and reserved chicken and ham. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove cover; cook about 10 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly.

Serves 4.

Quick Rolls

2008-10-09T19:41:00.000-07:00

Add whole wheat and honey to quick and easy, and these rolls are sure to become a standby.

4 1/2 t yeast
1 c flour
2/3 c powdered milk
1/3 c honey
1 t salt
1 1/2 c very warm water
2 1/2 T butter
2 c whole wheat flour
1 c white flour

Stir together yeast, flour, powdered milk, honey, and salt. Combine warm water and butter until butter is melted; add to yeast mixture. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.

Knead until the dough does not stick to your hands. Pat out dough to about 1 1/2" thickness and cut in 2" rounds (using a medium size glass).

Place in a greased 9x13" pan and let rise 20-25 minutes. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Brush butter over top of rolls.

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

2008-10-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

This has been a fall & winter staple at my house for years. There's nothing quite like a hardy stew to ward off the chill! Consider doubling (or tripling) this recipe - it tends to go fast!

2 lb. beef chunks/top sirloin, cut into 1.5" pieces
2 t olive oil
2 c boiling water
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove
1 onion, sliced
1-2 bay leaves
1 T salt
1 t sugar
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t paprika
dash of cloves/allspice
carrots
potatoes

Thoroughly brown meat on all sides, turning often. Add boiling water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, bay leaves, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika and cloves/allspice. Cover and simmer (don't boil) for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove bay leaves.

Add carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook until vegetables are cooked, about 30 minutes.

Note: My family generally doubles the liquid and spices, for even more flavor.

Chocolate Fromage-Blanc Brownies

2008-10-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

It's not every day you get to combine chocolate and cheese into the richest of rich desserts. Compliments of Martha Stewart.

1/2 c butter, cut into chunks
6 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 t vanilla
2 1/4 c sugar
5 lg. eggs
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
8 oz. fromage blanc*

In a large 2-3 qt. pan over low heat, stir butter and chocolate until melted and blended. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and 2 c sugar. Transfer to a bowl. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in flour and baking powder just until blended.

In another bowl, mix fromage blanc and remaining sugar and egg until well-blended.

Spread half the chocolate mixture level in a buttered and floured 9" square baking pan. Pour cheese mixture evenly over chocolate. Drop 1/4 c portions of remaining chocolate mixture on top, partially, but not completely covering cheese mixture.

Bake brownies until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 45-50 minutes. Let cool in pan on a rack for at least 20 minutes; then cut into 9-12 squares.

* Fromage blanc can be substituted with 4 oz. cream cheese and 4 oz. sour cream; beat together until smooth.

Tomato-Basil Pizza

2008-10-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

Toppings generally win the "best part of the pizza" in my book, but the creamy pizza sauce in this recipe steals the show.

1 pkg (10 oz) refrigerated pizza dough
2 c (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
10 oz (1/4 c) Parmesan cheese, grated
2 T fresh basil leaves, snipped or 2 t dried
2/3 c mayonnaise
1 garlic clove
4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 375. Roll pizza dough into a rectangle. Sprinkle crust with 1 c mozzarella cheese.

In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, 1 c mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil and garlic.

Arrange tomatoes in a single layer over pizza crust and cheese; top with cheese mayonnaise- cheese mixture and spread evenly.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.