Family-Style Calzone

This is another Pampered Chef-inspired recipe... And a think ahead note: if you're not particularly fond of pepperoni and/or black olives, substitute chopped chicken and basil pesto! YUM!!

Ingredients:
1 egg, separated
1/2 C chopped pitted ripe olives (small can, already chopped works perfect!)
1 container (about 15 oz) ricotta cheese (part-skim if desired)
1 1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1/4 C snipped fresh parsley
1 box Krusteaz Country White bread mix (including yeast packet)
1 T Italian seasoning
1 C very warm water
4 oz sliced pepperoni

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Separate egg, dropping white into a medium bowl. Reserve the yolk for later use.
3. Add olives, ricotta cheese, 1/2 C mozzarella, parmesan and parsley to the bowl and mix well. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, prepare bread as directed on the box, adding the Italian seasoning with the water.
5. After kneading, divide the dough in half. Roll out one piece to fit the bottom of your baking dish. (I use a stoneware baker. If you use a regular baking dish, you should lightly grease and flour it 1st.)
6. Sprinkle 1/2 C mozzarella to within 1/2" of edge. Layer 1/2 of pepperoni then spread ricotta mixture evenly over pepperoni. Top with remaining pepperoni and mozzarella.
7. Roll out remaining dough and place over filling. Press dough all around to seal the edges.
8. Beat the reserved egg yolk and brush over dough with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with some more parmesan (I like to use shredded here.)
9. Cut slits in top crust. This is easiest to do with kitchen shears.
10. Bake for about 18 minutes, until deep golden brown. Keep a close eye so that it doesn't burn! Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

I've been bored with the same old things so going through my cookbooks... found a great and different way to do lasagna (courtesy of Pampered Chef, but I of course changed it up a bit)!! Following is the basic recipe but you can pack it full of vegetables - zucchini, squash, etc. for a healthy, hearty meal.

Ingredients:
8-10 No Bake Lasagna noodles I like Barilla
1 jar (about 16 oz) white Alfredo pasta sauce
1/4 C milk
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
3 C coarsely chopped cooked chicken (see Notes below)
--Leftover roasted chicken could be substituted as well!
14 oz can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
1/2 C chopped red bell pepper
1/4 C finely chopped onion
1 (or 2) garlic cloves, pressed
12 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
2 C (or as much as you want) fresh baby spinach leaves

Ok, 1st of all I found that it's very quick and much easier to prep everything 1st, using a food chopper to get all the chopping done rather than the old fashioned way... if you don't have one, they're a great investment!

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a bowl, whisk together Alfredo sauce, milk and oregano. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine chicken, artichokes, bell pepper, onions and garlic. Add cheeses and mix together well.
4. Assemble lasagna:
--Apread 2/3 C sauce mixture over bottom of a deep dish baker.
--Top with 1/2 of the noodles, overlapping where necessary.
--Layer 1/2 of the spinach, then 1/2 of the chicken mixture. (Here is where you can add whatever chopped veggies you prefer.)
--Repeat layers, starting w/ 1/2 of the remaining sauce.
--Top w/ remaining sauce.
5. Cover dish with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes until bubbly.
6. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting to allow it to "set up".

This yields 6-8 big servings!

CHICKEN NOTE: To easily prepare chicken, place boneless, skinless breasts in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat. By the time you have your veggies chopped, the chicken should have finished cooking. You can also use the food chopper for the chicken!!

Chunky Chicken Stroganoff

I love this one! Quick, easy and tasty!

Ingredients:
12 oz wide egg noodles
About 1/2 C flour, divided
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
About 1 1/2# boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into big bite-sized pieces
5 T butter, divided
8-10 mushrooms, roughly chopped (about 1 C)
1 C chopped onion
1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 C chicken stock
1 C sour cream
1 tsp ketchup

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, mix about 1/3 C flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in large bowl and toss chicken pieces to coat.
3. Heat 3 T butter in large skillet over medium/med-high heat. Brown chicken, 6-8 minutes.
4. Stir in onion and mushrooms and cook another 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl, reserving any pan drippings.
5. Add remaining 2 T flour and 2 T butter, mixing together. Stir in dry mustard and mix well. Gradually add stock, bringing to a bubble and stirring frequently until sauce begins to thicken.
6. Stir in sour cream & ketchup. Return chicken to skillet, heat through and serve over hot noodles.

Sloppy Turkey Joes

These are delicious... and a great, leaner alternative to ground beef. Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray, with a few tweaks of course. :) This is also a great recipe for the kids to help with!

Ingredients:
2 T EVOO
1# lean ground turkey
1/2 red onion, chopped (about 1 C)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 C)
1 T grill seasoning, I use Tone's Canadian Steak Seasoning
2 T brown sugar
1-2 T Worcestershire sauce
8 oz tomato sauce
Your favorite sandwich rolls or buns, toasted

1. Heat EVOO over medium high heat and brown the turkey, breaking up into bits as it cooks.
2. Add veggies and stir together.
3. In a small bowl, mix grill seasoning, brown sugar, W-sauce and tomato sauce. Pour over meat and stir together.
4. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. Taste to adjust seasoning if needed then serve!

Gobble-icious Turkey Burgers

If you're a turkey burger fan, you'd actually be surprised at how much fat is in those restaurant "healthy" burgers! This recipe IS relatively low in fat, about 10g per patty... and super good! I like to serve it with acorn squash for an a healthy alternative to burger and fries. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (choose the lowest fat content when buying)
2 tsp paprika
1 T McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning
About 1/4 C chopped parsley
About 1 C yellow onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped (about 1 T)
EVOO
Your favorite hamburger buns or bread, toasted
Your favorite burger toppings

1. In a mixing bowl, combine meat, paprika, steak seasoning, parsley, onion and garlic.
2. Heat about 2T EVOO in a non-stick skillet over med-high heat and make a small, quarter-sized patty. Cook it up and taste to check the seasonings. Adjust seasoning and/or heat if needed.
3. Divide meat into 5 large, thin patties. Cook about 5 minutes on each side.
4. Serve on toasted bread.

Roasted Potatoes

If you've never had sweet potatoes made this way, it's a must-try! A great side dish for any meal!

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato
2 white potatoes
2 red potatoes
EVOO
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Scrub and peel sweet potato, scrub red and white potatoes (can leave skin on), then cut into cubes. Place in a pot and cover with water. Add a little salt.
2. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes, then drain.
3. Transfer to a large nonstick baking pan and spread into a single layer.
4. Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. (Doesn't have to be exact measurements, just shake them on.)
5. Give them a toss to coat and spread out evenly again. Into a 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Not Red Pasta Sauce

This is a very easy and yummy sauce to serve with any of your favorite pastas! The amounts listed are appoximate. I kind of followed a recipe but didn't really measure precisely, just threw stuff in!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground Italian sausage (use your favorite: mild, hot, sweet, whatever)
8 oz. baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 stick of butter (the real kind!)
3-4 green onions, chopped
About 1 lb. zucchini, sliced and halved
1/2 C white wine
2 cubes chicken bullion
About 1/4 C heavy cream or half 'n half (eyeball it)
Hot, cooked pasta

1. Cook sausage over medium heat, crumbling to bits as you go. Drain, return to pan and add mushrooms and butter. Stir in butter until its melted.
2. Add onions and zucchini. Continue to stir occasionally until zucchini is tender.
3. Add wine and bullion, bring to a simmer, stirring until bullion is dissolved and wine reduces some.
4. Stir in cream and bring to a bubble.

NOTE: Add cream then taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. If your initial taste is too salty, just add a little more cream.

5. Serve over hot pasta!