broccoli chicken casserole

I know many people dread the end of Summer. I sympathize with them to an extent, but come every September, I'm more than ready to trade in shorts for sweaters. I also get excited for meals that were simply too hot to make for the past 4 months. The temps finally dropped this week - into the friggid 70s - imagine! - so I broke out the casserole dish and threw together an old standby, straight from the back of the Stove Top box. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 package of Stove Top stuffing (chicken), made per the box directions
• 1 lb. chicken
• 1 bunch of broccoli
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the chicken into 1/2" cubes and sauté for just a few minutes in a non-stick pan with a little olive oil. You only have to get it about half way cooked, as the oven will take care of the rest.

In a casserole dish, combine the broccoli, chicken, soup, milk and cheese. Top with a heaping layer of stuffing, and bake for 30 minutes. I like to do 25 minutes covered, and 5 minutes uncovered. This will give the stuffing a nice, crispy toast at the end.

That's seriously it. That's the beauty of most casseroles - you seriously just toss everything together and throw it in the oven. Thirty minutes later  you get a delicious, Fall-appropriate meal.

Bon chappétit!

peach ricotta spring rolls

Sorry for the prolonged absence. Way too much to do, way too little cooking going on as of late. In some odd twist of fate, I take a week off from blogging and make my return with ... something incredibly similar to last dish I posted! That's right, I'm back with another peachy dessert. I can't take any credit for this one though - it's lifted directly from Gabi over at BrokeAss Gourmet. Make sure you check out the site, it has tons of great looking food. As for the spring rolls, here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 peaches, cored and diced
• 3 tbsp ricotta cheese
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 8 large spring roll wrappers
• Oil for frying (you should probably use vegetable; Dan and I used olive, because it's what we had on hand)

Begin by warming up the balsamic vinegar over medium heat in non-stick pan. Stir often while you're preparing everything else, until it reduces to a nice, syrupy consistency. Remove and set aside.

In a small bowl mix together the peaches, ricotta and sugar along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Then assemble the rolls by placing a healthy spoonful of the mixture in the middle of a spring roll wrapper. Tuck in the sides and roll it closed.

Place about 2 inches of oil in a deep, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Gently place the rolls in the oil. You'll want to place them seam side down and hold them there for about a minute each until they start to harden in order to ensure that they don't just unroll (it happens really easily). Fry each for just a couple minutes until they turn crispy, golden brown. Drain on paper towels and let cool for about 5-10 minutes. Serve with the balsamic reduction drizzled on top.

Bon chappétit!

stuffed peaches

While perusing some cookbooks for a dessert recently, I came across a recipe for baked, stuffed peaches and was instantly reminded of how delicious my last venture into cooked peaches turned out. These were totally different, but nonetheless delicious once again (and it doesn't require a grill!) Here's what you'll need:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 5 peaches
• 1/4 sugar
• 4 amaretti cookies, crushed
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Begin by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Peel, halve, pit and chop up one of the peaches and place in a bowl. Halve and pit the remaining peaches. Scoop out a little flesh from the cavity of each and add it to the bowl. Stir in the sugar, amaretti, egg yolks and cocoa powder.

Divide the mixture among the peaches, placing it in the cavity of each and piling into a dome. Dot each with a slice of butter, and place the peaches into a greased baking dish. Bake for one hour and serve hot.

Bon chappétit!

pizza arrabbiata

Last night I wasn't in the mood to make anything intense, but I didn't want to do take-out either. I'd had a great pizza at Adrienne's this weekend that I was craving again, so I decided to take my own (lazy) stab at it. It was your basic margherita pizza but with pepperoncini added in. In case you didn't know, as my waiter this weekend made abundantly clear, pepperoncini are actually peppers, not pepperoni. Here's what you'll need:

• 10" whole wheat flatbreads (these came in packs of 5 for $2 at my market)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (I went for the roasted garlic variety)
• 1 ball of fresh mozzarella
• 10 pepperoncini

Begin by toasting your flatbread in the oven n 450 degrees for just a couple minutes while you prep the other ingredients.

Coarsely chop the mozzarella into thin slices. Slice your pepperoncini up as well and drain the liquid from your tomatoes.

Remove the flatbread from the oven and layer the tomatoes, cheese and pepperoncini on each piece. The above ingredients will get you about two 10" pizzas. Bake these for about 10 minutes each (still on 450 degrees) and let cool for a minute. Slice up and serve - delicious and done in under 15 minutes.

Bon chappétit!

avocado, tangerine and tomato salad

This Sunday's dinner with Dan had a dijon mustard theme. We tried out the new salad (below) and paired it with the dijon salmon with tarragon. The two went nicely together. We were especially pleased with how the flavors of this salad mixed. The tangy with the sweet was quite a pleasant surprise. Here's what you'll need:

• 2 avocados
• 2 mandarins or tangerines
• Arugula
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 1 scallion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Begin by peeling, halving and pitting the avocados. Cut each into strips and set aside. Next, peel and divide the mandarins/tangerines and remove all traces of the white pith.

Arrange the arugula on the plate. Make a layer of tomato and scallion slices on the leaves, cover with avocado and top with the mandarin/tangerine slices. Sprinkle with parsley.

For the dressing, whisk together the mustard and oil, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, to taste. Pour just a spoonful or two over the salad (it's potent!) and enjoy.

Bon chappétit!