Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Stuffed Tomatoes, Romaine & Grape Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing & Dutch Apple Pie...enjoy! :)

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Romaine & Grape Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Stuffed Tomatoes

Dutch Apple Pie

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup chopped onion

1 (12-ounce) package mixed vegetables, thawed

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper

1 tablespoon chicken granules

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 can chicken broth

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

10 Ritz crackers

Dried thyme and pepper

Heat oil in a large pot and sauté onion and frozen vegetables.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Meanwhile, place crackers on a cookie sheet, spray with cooking spray and sprinkle a little dried thyme and pepper on top of each cracker.  Broil for 1 minute or just until browned on top.  Ladle soup in bowls and top with crackers.

Romaine & Grape Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons green onions, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

8-10 cups chopped romaine

1 cup red seedless grapes cut in half

¼ cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds

Mix the first 6 ingredients together and refrigerate at least an hour.  Toss romaine, grapes and sunflower seeds together and lightly dress the salad.

STUFFED TOMATOES

4 medium tomatoes

1 box frozen spinach, thawed and all moisture squeezed out

½ cup onion

2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced

Olive oil and butter

3 tablespoon mayo

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

¾ cup Swiss, grated

1 teaspoon Parmesan

Breadcrumbs or Panko

Olive oil

Cut the tops off of each tomato and carefully scoop out all of the pulp.  Sprinkle a little salt in each tomato, and place upside on paper towels for 30 minutes to draw the moisture out.  Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a pan and sauté the onions for 4 or 5 minutes.  Next add the garlic and sauté for just 1 minute.  Add the spinach, mayo, seasonings and cheeses.  Stuff each tomato with mixture, and place in an ovenproof dish.  Sprinkle breadcrumbs and/or panko over each tomato and drizzle a little olive oil over the breadcrumbs.

Bake at 350 20-25 minutes or until browned.

DUTCH APPLE PIE

Crust & Topping:

2 cups flour

½ cup oatmeal (I use quick-cooking oats)

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 stick plus 4 tablespoons real butter, melted

For the filling:

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 ¼ cups water

3 cups of apples, sliced and peeled (I use Granny Smith)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the first 5 ingredients, mixing well.  Set aside 1 cup (this will be for the topping).  Press the rest of the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate.  For the filling, place the water and cornstarch into a small saucepan and stir until the cornstarch has dissolved.  Add the sugar and place the saucepan on the stove and bring to a boil.  Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or just until mixture begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and stir in the apples, cinnamon and vanilla.  Pour this mixture into the crust and top it with the 1 cup of the reserved crust/topping mixture.  Bake at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown.  Let it cool for about 20 minutes before serving.  Add a dollop of vanilla ice cream before serving, if desired J  Enjoy!

Ravioli Lasagna, Caprese Pizza and Nutella cookies for this morning's show :)

RAVIOLI LASAGNA

CAPRESE PIZZA

NUTELLA COOKIES

RAVIOLI LASAGNA

2 (23-ounce) jars red sauce (I use Home-style Ragu)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 (20-ounce) package 4-cheese ravioli

1 (16-ounce) Ricotta Cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Brown the Italian sausage, drain and set aside.  Heat the sauce, brown sugar and Italian seasoning just until warm.  Cook the ravioli according to directions and set aside.  Mix the ricotta, Parmesan, egg and salt and pepper together.  Now you are ready to assemble.  Place ¼ cup of the sauce in the bottom of  an 8 or 9-inch baking dish,  Place a layer of ravioli on top of the sauce.  Place dollops of the ricotta mixture over the ravioli.  Next sprinkle with some sausage, then ladle about ½ to ¾ cup sauce over sausage and sprinkle with mozzarella.  Repeat layers 2 more times.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle a little mozzarella evenly over the top and bake for 5 minutes more or until the cheese is melted.  Let it rest 10 minutes before cutting.

CAPRESE PIZZA

1 large thin pizza crust

Pizza sauce (I like Ragu)

Fresh mozzarella, sliced

5 to 6 Campari tomatoes, sliced thin

Salt

Fresh Basil, chopped

Olive Oil

  Place the thinly sliced tomatoes on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Let them sit for about 30 minutes to get most of the moisture out.   Brush the pizza crust with olive oil and spread 3 to 4 tablespoons of sauce onto the crust.  Place the tomato slices evenly over the crust and top with mozzarella slices.  Bake at 425 for 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle fresh basil over the top.

NUTELLA COOKIES

1 cup Nutella

1-cup all-purpose flour

1 egg

½ cup white chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together.  Take a teaspoon full and roll it up in a ball.  Place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 9 minutes.  Makes about 14 cookies.

My shortcut chicken and dumplings, crunchy peas, creamy mashed potatoes and sour cream biscuits! Enjoy :)

MELISSA FRIDAY’S SHORT-CUT CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

CREAMY MASHED POTATOES

CRUNCHY GREEN PEAS

SOUR CREAM BISCUITS

MELISSA FRIDAY’S SHORT-CUT CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

2 packs chicken tenders or 6 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Chicken broth (enough to cover chicken, about 48 ounces)

1 large (family –size) can Cream of Chicken soup

1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder (add more if you like)

1 tablespoon chicken granules

1 teaspoon Zatterans (optional)

Place chicken in a large pot and sprinkle with seasonings.  Cover chicken with broth and bring to a boil.  As soon as it is boiling, stir and turn down the heat as low as it will go.  Cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer on low for 35 minutes.  Now add soup and seasonings and let simmer for 15 minutes.  Break the dumpling strips into bite-size pieces and add half to the pot, gently stirring frequently for about 10 minutes.  Add the rest of the dumplings and simmer on low for another 30 minutes.   Serve over biscuits or mashed potatoes.

DUMPLINGS:

½ box (24-ounce) frozen dumpling strips (I use Anne’s or Mary B’s)

CREAMY MASHED POTATOES

2 lbs. potatoes, peeled & cubed

Salt & pepper to taste

½-3/4  cup half & half

3 tablespoons cream cheese

½ stick butter

Boil the potatoes for 20 mintues or until they are very soft.  Remove from heat and drain well.  Place the cooked potatoes in a large glass bowl and add the remaining ingredients.  Use a hand mixer and mix for about 2 minutes or until creamy.

CRUNCHY GREEN PEAS

1 bag frozen green peas

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 2 minutes.

SOUR CREAM BISCUITS

4 ½ cups bisquick

4-ounces sour cream

1 cup club soda

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 stick butter, melted

Mix the first 4 ingredients well.  On a floured surface roll out the dough and use a small glass or  biscuit cutter to cut out round circles in the dough.  Pour half of the melted butter into a 13x9x2-baking dish and place the biscuit dough on top of the butter.  Brush the tops of each biscuit with butter and bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until browned.  Brush with a little more melted butter when you take them out of the oven.

It's the little things in life that sometimes gives us great joy! I just made a batch of homemade mayo.....OMG! I don't think I'll ever buy store-bought again!

HOMEMADE MAYO

1 egg (you want to use a high-quality, organic egg for best results)

Juice of half a lemon

¼ teaspoon stone-ground mustard

½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper

1-tablespoon sugar (optional)

1 cup of 100% olive oil (not extra-virgin)

Tools needed:

4 to 6 cup glass measuring cup

Immersion Blender

Place first 5 ingredients into a deep, glass measuring cup, and then add the olive oil.  Blend for 1 to 2 minutes with the immersion blender.  Remove the immersion blender and use a wire wisk to finish blending all the ingredients very well.  This will change the way your sandwich, chicken salad, tuna salad-- and any other salad you make with mayo-- will taste!  Last up to 5 days in the fridge. Enjoy! J

Recipes from today's show :)

OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN

CREAMED CORN

FRIED OKRA SALAD

FIELD PEAS WITH SNAPS

OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1-quart warm water

¼ cup kosher salt

Pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika

2 tablespoons melted butter

In a large bowl, place the salt in 1 quart of warm water and stir until the salt dissolves.   Place the chicken breasts into the bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour but no more than 6 hours.  (I feel like 4 hours is the magic number).  Remove the chicken from the salt water, rinse and pat each chicken breast dry.   Brush each side of the chicken with melted butter and season each side.  Place into a greased ovenproof dish, and bake for 15 minutes at 450.  The chicken breasts should reach 165-170 degrees.  Let sit 10 minutes before slicing.

MELISSA’S CREAMED CORN

8 ears of fresh corn, shucked, cleaned and cut off the cob or 1lb. bag frozen corn

½ stick butter

4 tablespoons sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup half and half

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, melt butter and add corn stirring often for about 8 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes.  I like to use my hand blender and mash a little of the corn right in the skillet.  If you don’t have a hand blender, you can scoop half of the corn mixture into a blender

then place it back in the pot.

FRIED OKRA SALAD

2 lbs. frozen breaded okra, fried according to directions

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup white vinegar

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

½ cup green onions, chopped

½ cup fried bacon, crumbled (optional)

Combine sugar, vinegar and oil in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat and let simmer for about 8 minutes until the sugar dissolves.  Place the fried okra in a large bowl and toss with tomatoes, green onions and oil mixture.  Delicious!

FIELD PEAS WITH SNAPS

2 lbs. fresh or frozen field peas with snaps

1 pound thick-sliced peppered bacon, chopped

1 onion

4 cups water

1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

1 or 2 teaspoons Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning

In a heavy-duty pot, sauté the chopped bacon for about 8 minutes then add onion.  Sauté’ until the bacon becomes crispy.  Add the peas, water and seasonings and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered on very low for about 45 minutes or until the peas are tender.  Feel free to add more seasonings to your liking.  This is so good with a roast, rice & gravy and cornbread or ham and cabbage.