Rachael Ray's Chicken & Green Bean Casserole

Chicken and Green Bean Casserole with Fried Shallots

Chicken and Green Bean Casserole without topping

 Last year at Thanksgiving,

 I attempted to make 

Green Bean Casserole 

from scratch 

I made several mistakes:

1. Attempting to try a new recipe on Thanksgiving Day
2. Not allowing enough time to cook it  i.e. getting stressed, too many people in the kitchen ( need I say more? )
3. Using way more fresh green beans than I had sauce for - result, a very crunchy and dry casserole.  

It did not make a very good impression

 

Needless to say,  I knew I needed to try it again before our next Thanksgiving as I really like the idea of using fresh green beans and making my own creamy mushroom sauce.
  
I turned on the Food Network last weekend, and Rachael Ray was preparing this dish.   This is a perfect dish to prepare now since it has chicken in it; it's like a full meal.  

This is really amazing.  First of all, it has Boursin Cheese.  One of my favorites. 

Since I was doing it all from scratch, I even made my own onion rings.  If you have the time, it's so worth it... as Rach would say "YUM-O!"  

This is definitely my "go to" Green Bean Casserole recipe (without the chicken) for Thanksgiving!

 
 

Chicken and Green Bean Casserole

Rachael Ray's Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs green beans, trimmed & cut into thirds
• 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 4 TBSPs butter
• 1/2 lb button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large shallots, sliced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• Pepper
• 2 TBSPs fresh thyme, chopped
• 4 TBSPs flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock or poaching liquid (if you poach your chicken)
• 1 cup cream or half-and-half
• 1 wheel Boursin or other garlic and herb cheese (5.4 ounces)
• 1 1/2 lbs cooked, pulled chicken either poaches or store bough rotisserie
• For Fried Onions (store bought are fine as well to save time)
• Frying oil
• 1 small to med onion, very thinly sliced ( I used 3-4 shallots)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup flour aggressively seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika

Directions

•  Bring a few inches of water to a low boil in a skillet.  Add salt and the green beans.  Cook 3-4 minutes until tender-crisp; drain
• Heat the EVOO & butter in a large, deep skillet over medium to medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms & lightly brown them, 7-8 minutes.  Add the shallots & garlic, season with salt, pepper & thyme.  Stir for 2-3 minutes more; add the flour, stir in for a minute, then add the wine. 
• Stir in the stock and thicken. Add the boursin cheese, green beans and chicken & thicken a bit
• Transfer into a casserole dish.  Bake at 375 degrees until bubbly about 45-60 minutes.  Top with the homemade or store-bought fried onions.
• For homemade fried onions:
• heat frying oil to 365 degrees F in a countertop fryer or
• 2-3 inches of oil in a deep, medium pot over medium to medium hight heat
• Separate the onions into rings and soak in the buttermilk
• Toss a few rings at a time into the flour & fry until crips
• Drain on paper towels and repeat with the remaining onions.

NOTE: I fried the shallots first before preparing the casserole.   Also, I think next time I will use half-and-half instead of cream.  The Boursin cheese is pretty rich.  

The Temptress - Stout Beer Chili

Lakewood Brewing Co Temptress Chili

Chili Pot

Bowl of Temptress Stout Chili

This chili recipe is adapted from my dad's chili recipe

About 3 years ago, I had him show me how he made his chili

Back then I used whatever beer was in the house (miller lite)

I think I even used bud light lime once 

Over time, I've tweaked it into something of my own

He hasn't tried it yet, but I think this is the recipe to share with him 

Now.. here in Texas.. a good chili recipe is GOLDEN

Not many are likely to share if you're competitive

But the whole purpose of this blog is for me to share my recipes with the masses

So I can't possibly keep this to myself

So, if you make it and you like it and you enter it into a chili cook-off

and you win.. 

just cut me in! (JK)

Sandi & Pat's Stout Beer Chili

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lb stew meat
• 1 1/2 lb ground chuck
• 2 white onions, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced (optional - I just think it looks pretty)
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• 3-4 jalapeno peppers, whole
• 1 1/2 - 2 bottles of Imperial Stout (I used Lakewood Brewing co. Temptress)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder (I use gerbhardt)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS

• Dice the stew meat into smaller, bite size pieces (remove any fat) - Salt and pepper the meat
• In a large pot, heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil over medium high heat, brown the stew meat; once browned; remove from pan and set to the side
• Turn the heat down to medium, place the ground chuck (salt/pepper) and diced onions in the pot; once the meat is browned, drain the excess fat.
• Return the stew meat to the pot; add all the green, red and poblano chopped peppers.  
• Now, depending on how hot you like  your chili, add the number of jalapenos (whole not chopped).  You'll be tasting it alot, so if it gets too hot, just remove them.
• Add the beer.... now the beer I used is very strong- but I used it all.  It tastes really strong at first, but I promise as it cooks, the flavor of the beer gets better
• Add the seasonings - chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and cayenne pepper)
• Stir together well, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer on low for a hour and a half to 2 hours; stirring and tasting about every 15 minutes or so. You want the stew meat to be tender before serving. Also, you might want to remove the jalapenos if it's too spicy, or you may want to add.   If the chili becomes dry, add more beer (or you can add water)

Italian Drunken Noodles

As with most of the recipes I post lately, I found this one on Pinterest

I used to clip recipes out of magazines, now I just go see if it's online

if so, I pin it to my recipe board

Pinterest ROCKS...

This latest recipe originated from the cozy apron blog

What caught my eye on this recipe was the pappardelle pasta

I've been wanting to cook with them for a long time

Just had not really found a recipe

Besides,  I use italian sausage in all my italian dishes that call for meat

Also, I love the brightness of onions, red, orange & yellow bell peppers

Finally, who doesn't love cooking with wine?

Pappardelle Pasta



Drunken Noodles with Italian Sausage, Peppers & Onions

Drunken Noodles
(recipe from the cozy kitchen)

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces Pappardelle noodles, uncooked
• olive oil
• 4 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed (I had mild italian sausage that I seasoned with cayenne pepper)
• 1 1/2 teasp salt
• 1 teasp italian seasoning
• 1/2 teasp cracked black pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press, or minced
• 1/2 cup white wine (preferably dry, like chardonnay)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 tablesp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned, divided use

DIRECTIONS

• Place a large, heavy bottom pan or braising pot over medium-high heat
• Add 2 tablesp olive oil, once the oil is hot, crumble the italian sausage into the pan in small chunks (you want to keep the sausage fairly chunky); allow it to brown in the oil for a few moments on each side; once it's browned, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon, place into a small bowl
• Add the sliced onion to the pan with the sausage drippings; allow it to carmelize & become golden for roughly 5 minutes or so, stirring to keep it from burning (add a touch more olive oil if necessary)
• Add the salt, italian seasoning, & cracked black pepper - stir to combine
• Add in the bell peppers & allow those to saute with the onion about 2 minutes until slightly tender and golden
• Add the garlic, once its aromatic (just takes less than a minute), add the white wine and allow to reduce for a couple minutes until almost completely reduced
• Add in the diced tomatoes in their juice
• Return the italian sausage to the pan
• Gently fold to combine all ingredients
• Allow to simmer for about 3-4 minutes to blend the flavors, then turn the heat off
• To finish the sauce, drizzle in about 2-3 good tablesp of olive oil to create a silky reach flavor
• Add in the chopped parsley and half of the basil, stir
• keep warm while preparing the noodles
• Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions (I actually did this step after I browned the sausage)
• Drain the noodles very well, add them directly into the sauce, using tongs to gently toss and combine them with the sauce; check seasoning for salt or pepper
• To server, add equal portions of the "drunken" noodles to bowls, garnish with remaining basil.   You can even top off with shaved parmesan, if desired
• Add an extra drizzle of olive oil 

Zabars - Kate Spade Tote Bag



Kate Spade Tote Bag



Last month, I was reading this article

on Kate Spade's blog

about Zabar's

I've only been to New York once

back in 1998 for one evening

So, I've never been to Zabar's

but I know it's a place I want to go to when I do 

visit New York someday

So, of course, I simply had to order this 

Kate Spade Tote Bag from Zabar's 

The bagels are amazing.  I ate one the next day, then put the rest in the freezer.

I still have one left.

I took the Chocolate Babka to a winery with a friend.

It was lovely with red wine and conversation

 

I am not a coffee drinker, but my son loves it

My 11 year old niece and I shared the NY cookie - so awesome!

The tote is too cute for school...

I love carrying a piece of New York with me to the market

This was so fun that I ordered one for my bestie in North Carolina!!!  

Using Chalkboard Labels

A while back I shared with you my

DIY Pepper and Spice Blends

I decided to take the "suga" shaker theme

&

continue it throughout my kitchen



Chalkboard Labels from World Market



I've seen on the cooking shows how everyone has clever bottles to store their oils.

I'm sure it to hide the product name but still it's cute none the less

I bought the veg oil and olive oil bottles

at Target in the bath section for 12.99

The labels were like at World Market for 3.99

I just use a gold marker that I got to write on wine glasses

The vanilla bottle was bought at Ross for 1.99

I made my own vanilla about 2 years ago

I've been doing so every since! 

I've started using these labels on all containers in my kitchen

(flour, suga, dawg biskits, etc)

Test Kitchen - Cooking with Local Dallas Beers

Woke up Sunday morning with that slight chill in the air that represents Fall

I've been over the heat and humidity now since August

So much so that I put out my Halloween decorations Labor Day weekend

in hopes of nudging that cool air along

That chill in the air makes me want to cook soups, stews and chili's

I hesitated thinking that maybe it's not quite that cool yet

but remember we're doing all we can to nudge that cool air in 

Beer Chili sounded really good to me!

craft beers and local breweries are all the rage right now

(All who know me  KNOW I'm more of a wine girl with little interest in the better beers)

  

Lately, I've gotten adventurous and starting trying out different beers

(other than miller lite or michelob ultra)

My new favorite is Blood and Honey by Revolver.



Temptress Beer Chili - Punkel Pumpkin Cake - Blood & Honey Jalapeno Cheese Muffins



So, I actually did a little research

I knew I wanted to make

chili, jalapeno muffins and a pumpkin cake

I needed to determine what type of beers would go best in each

and then...

find the local beer that would be perfect

One of my favorite sites right now is

The Beeroness

She not only provides the "411" on all things beer

but uses beer in very interesting ways in recipes

I learned quickly that I've been using the wrong beer in my chili

miller lite just won't do

It's needs to be STOUT

Boy, is the Lakewood Brewing Co's Temptress

the BEST beer for chili

I made the chili from scratch. I will provide the recipe in a post later in the week

I love jalapeno corn bread with cheese

I was at Sissy's Southern Kitchen for dinner a couple of weeks ago

The jalapeno cornbread muffins were amazing

They were crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside

I tried my own version using Revolver's Blood & Honey

I admit that I cheated and used a box mix

I cooked them in melted butter so they were crunchy and fluffy like Sissy's

but

 they came out very sweet

next time I will make them from scratch

I have all Fall/Winter to perfect them



Blood & Honey Jalapeno Cheese Muffins



The pumpkin cake is also from a box

Pillsbury  has been making seasonal cake mixes lately

I cannot help it, I see something new in the store, I have to try it once

This is a perfect test kitchen tool

I wasn't sure which pumpkin ale I was going to try

Decided to go with Lakewood Brewing Co's Punkel

as I already had them on my list for the chili

I substituted the 1 cup of water with the beer

I also tried something I had read on The Beeroness site

cooking the beer down to an extract

I poured the rest of the bottle of Punkel into a pan

I let it boil down into a syrup

I mixed 2 cups powdered sugar to about 1/2 cup of milk

then added the beer extract

I'm not going to lie

It was VERY strong.. but the sweetness of the icing calmed it down



Punkel Pumpkin Cake



DIY - Canvas Art Part 2

I have 2 nieces! 

One turned 9 back in July 

She came to stay with me

&

 we had fun with paint

(This is all inspired by Pinterest) 

Well, my other niece is turning 11 next week

so she came to stay with me this weekend

We went to Hobby Lobby

She picked out the size canvas she liked

(I love the 2 pack)

Abby's Musical Painting

Abby's Stained Glass

Aunt Sandi's "breathe" with pearls

Aunt Sandi's "ode to Kate Spade"

Fresh Flowers

I love fresh flowers! When I was young, I thought girls only got flowers from boys! 

Then, as I got older, flowers were something you received on special occasions. ( birthdays, anniversaries, Valentines Day, childbirth, etc)

One day, I just decided that I am not going to wait to receive flowers! I am going to buy my own! It was very liberating for some reason! 

Back in the late 90's, I started buying gladiolas for my breakfast room table. They were so tall and dramatic. 

 Now, I just buy these sweet simple flowers. I got these at Whole Foods. I usually just pick up whatever catches my eye, is seasonal, and fits my budget at the time. Sometimes just some simple white roses or hydrangeas.  I picked these as they remind me of the last days of summer!

I just place them in little nooks around the house!

They make me smile ! 

Do you have fresh flowers in your home? 

Sundried Tomato and Goat Cheese Nachos

Fried Wonton Chips with Parmesan Cheese

Sundried Tomato and Goat Cheese Nacho

Terelli's is one of my favorite restaurants

here in Dallas

They have these amazing

 "Italchos - Italian Nachos"

They make homemade pizza chips

&

you get to choose your own toppings

I've been dying to make these at home

but I did not want to try to make

my own homemade pizza chips

 I decided to try wonton wrappers

I tried baking them first, but it just was not crunchy enough

I do not like to fry food, but

I really wanted a "chip" for my italian nachos

Once I fried them in canola oil,

I think the angels started singing

These are delicious

There isn't really a fancy recipe for this

Just buy a package of wonton wrappers

(usually in the produce section of most grocery stores by the tofu)

Fill the bottom of a skillet with canola oil, heat on medium high

Cut the wonton wrappers into triangles

Once the oil is hot, place them in the skillet 

(do not overcrowd)

Cook until just slightly golden and crispy

Drain them on a paper towel

Sprinkle with grated fresh Parmesan Cheese

(taste if you want)

Then add the toppings of your choice:

(pepperoni, prociutto, pancetta, bacon, meatball, salami, shrimp, anchovies, artichokes, roasted garlic, capers, sundried tomatoes, onions, mushrooms,spinach, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, ricotta, feta, goat cheese, basil, parsley, pine nuts, etc)

Broil for about 2-3 minutes - watch closely

You just want the cheese you choose to melt!

Next time, I'm going to add proscuitto and roasted garlic

What are your favorite italian toppings?  

Grilled Italian Sandwich

I was inspired to grill this sandwich after watching Curtis Stone make an outdoor grilled cheese sandwich on The Chew last week!

The only ingredient I copied from his recipe is the ciabatta bread. I knew the'd be no way my son, Ryan would even attempt to eat a sandwich with gruyere, Brie and nectarine chutney. I love all these ingredients so I will have to attempt that one another day. 

Now, on this sandwich, we had to divide it as we like different things! Ryan used red pepper mayo, salami, ham, tomatoes, red onion, and cheddar cheese!  I used fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and fresh basil from my garden. I drizzled my side with balsamic vinegar. 

Before we "dressed" our sandwich, I brushed the bread with olive oil, rubbed a garlic clove on it, and sprinkled it with salt & pepper. Ryan grilled it until just lightly toasted. We "dressed" it, brushed a light coat of olive oil on the outside of the bread, then put it back on the grill just long enough for the cheese to melt. 

The bread was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Ryan did not like his bread so crunchy, but he did eat his entire half of the sandwich. Mine was delicious. The creaminess of the mozza cheese with the tomato and basil complimented the crunchy bread. I think I might try French bread or a baguette next time, though! Just because! 

Pie Carrier

Vonny Pie Carrier

 My life is now complete!

I've been coveting

this Vonny pie carrier for about a year

(last summer I went through cream pie phase

and wanted something pretty to carry them in )

Just recently, my dear friend, Misty

surprised me with this beautiful St Charles carrier

It's almost too pretty to put a pie in

but...

Vonny Pie Carrier (inside)

 this lovely pink  (insulated interior) is so easy to clean

Now all my pretty desserts have the perfect traveling attire!

Glitterville Cupcake Carrier

I already had this lovely cupcake carrier  

from Glitterville

World Market Let Them Eat Cake Carrier

As well as this vintage looking 

cake carrier that I bought 

at World Market earlier this year

Do you have fun "accessories" for your traveling desserts?

DIY: Pepper and Spice Blends

Back in 2008, I posted about my favorite spice shop

Penzey's

It has every spice and dried herb imaginable,

they are fresh, and they provide several quantity options

so you aren't spending 7 dollars for a spice 

you will only use once

With that said, there are 2 products that I use all the

time so I decided to come up with my own blends 

Mainly because I bought these cute rustic 

salt/pepper shakers at Target

I didn't really need them

I just like them

Sooooooooooo

As I realized that I'm running out of 

cinnamon sugar

&

how much we use it on EVERYTHING

(pancakes, cookies, cupcakes, toast, etc)  

Cinnamon Suga

 I decided that my salt shaker would become 

a cinnamon suga shaker

I mixed about 3/4 cup sugar

with

 3 tablespoons of Penzey's Cinnamon

but

I did not stop there

I was also running out of 

black & red 

which is a blend of black & cayenne pepper

I use this in all my savory dishes 

SOOOOOOOOO

Black n Red Peppa

my pepper shaker became a

black n red peppa shaker

 

I combined black pepper with cayenne pepper

(sorry Penzey's - I like your peppers, but I was out of cayenne

and picked this one up at Target)

Now, I didn't take the time to measure

I believe I will regret this

a little bit of cayenne (red) pepper goes a very long way

very long

so, mix this one at your heat tolerance discretion

if you so dare to try it

So, do you have a favorite spice or pepper that you can't cook without ?

Mozza Pizza on the Grill

Mozza Pizza on the Grill

Mozza with Basil

Cooking pizza on the grill

has become our favorite thing to do

This time I thought I'd try something different

Using Mama Mary's thin pizza crust

(they carry this at most of the local grocery stores here in Dallas)

I just brushed the crust with olive oil

sprinkled it with some garlic butter flavored sea salt (lightly)

Mozzarella Company Cheeses

Then,  I used both of these cheeses

(that I picked up a couple Saturday's ago at the White Rock Local Market)

It's been a while

since I tasted

Mozzarella Company's mozzarella cheese

It melts in your mouth like BUTTER

Fresh Basil

I used fresh basil from my herb garden

I have to say that this pizza was amazing!

Swayze

Swayze @ 6 Months Old

Here is the latest addition to my family

Swayze (aka Batman Swayze-notice his black mask, Swayzers, Swayzeeeeeeee, Swayz)

(Yes, that's right.. after Patrick Swayze from the Road House movie)

He is my son's dog

but I get to love on him

He turned 6 months old on Saturday

He is a rhodesian ridgeback, australian cattle dog

black mountain dog and boxer mix

He weighs about 45lbs

He will probably get up to about 60ish lbs

He seems to get taller every day though

DIY - Canvas Art

My neice just turned 9 years old  

For her birthday,

she came over on Saturday

to spend the night.

After a shopping trip to Hobby Lobby,

we tried our first arts and crafts project.

We bought 2 different size canvas

They each had 2 in the pack

We each had an 8x10

&

 an 11x14 canvas

Of course, all inspiration came from Pinterest

Where else ?

 We just kind of "winged" it

We had the following:

acrylic paints

paint brushes

canvas

mod podge (sparkly)

My neice embraced the project with full force

She knew what she wanted to say

&

She knew exactly the colors she wanted to use

 

Me on the other hand..

Not so much...

I used copper & brown to match my room

I first started with a cute saying

but couldn't really commit

So, I just put random letters on after I painted the copper

Then I painted "expresso" over them

Then I wasn't thinking, and I peeled off the letters...

So... I had to improvise and paint gold over the DREAM letters

looks like it was meant to be that way, right???

This is both of our attempts of doing hearts.

I say for our first attempt at being artist,

we did pretty good...

since they are just going to hang

in our rooms for us to see



Stuffed Summer Squash Boats

 I watched Jamie Deen make this on his show

Home for Dinner with Jamie Deen



Stuffed Summer Squash Boat



The Filling - Italian Sausage, Red Onion & Cherry Tomatoes

I used the "chocolate" cherry tomatoes from my farmers market find this weekend



Stuffed Squash

Stuffed Squash with Breadcrumbs

The only change I made is that I used spicy italian sausage

not turkey italian sausage

I thought the Thai Rice Noodles recipe

 I made several weeks ago was one of the best dishes I had made in a while, but no

This one wins - hands down!  Even my son agreed

Stuffed Summer Squash Boats

adapted from Jamie Deen's Stuffed Squash Boat Recipe - Food Network

Ingredients

4 large yellow squash (straight-neck variety)

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the breadcrumbs

8 ounces italian sausage (you can use turkey)

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Put the squash in a 12-inch high sided skillet, cover halfway with water & bring to a simmer. Turn to low, cover with a lid, and cook until tender crisp, about 8 minutes.  Set the squash aside to cool.

3. Drain the water from the skiller, wipe dry and place over medium-heat. Add oil if using turkey sausage.  If you are using italian sausage, you do not need the oil.  Cook, stirring until almost cooked through, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes more.  Toss in the tomatoes, season with a big pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook until the tomatoes start to break down a bit, 1 more minute.  Set aside to cool.

4. While the mixture is cooling, trim the ends of the squash, slice in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon, making a boat shape.  Chop up the centers and combine with the sausage filling.

5.  Spoon the mixture into the boats, mounding them high.  Place on a baking sheet.  Mix together panko, parmesan, chopped parsley and olive oil in a small bowl.  Sprinkle on top of the stuffed squash.  Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes.