Delicious Casserole, Salad or Dessert?

Question

Out-of-town relatives dropping by and would love some delicious and easy recipes. No seafood please. Needs to be healthy. If any of it can be done ahead of time would be great. Thanks!

Answer 1

Here is a great casserole for a Broccoli Chicken bake, substitue ingredients for light or fat free to ease up on the calories.

Broccoli Chicken Bake With

Creamy Cheesy Sauce

2 Roasted Chickens

3 cups fresh broccoli crowns, cut up

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 stick unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups cubed Velveeta cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp pepper

1/2 cup crushed club crackers

13 x 9 glass baking dish

Lightly grease the baking dish. Take chicken

off bone, shred, spread evenly in dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut up broccoli, use all the stem, just cut

any brown areas off ends. Boil water, add

broccoli and cook for about 4-5 minutes.

You want crisp, yet tender broccoli. Cooking

to long with make mushy broccoli. Drain in

colander, run cold water over broccoli for

about 1 minute. You want to slow the cooking

process. Lay broccoli on paper towels to absorb

excess water. Spread evenly on top of the chicken.

In medium sauce pan on low heat add

soup, sour cream, and butter. Stir occasionally.

When mixture is warm, add the cheese. Stir

until cheese is melted. Add garlic powder

and pepper, mix.

Pour cheese sauce over broccoli and chicken.

Sprinkle with crushed crackers. Bake for 35 minutes

or until bubbly.

Follow the link for a great Greek Salad:

http://www.cooking-is-easy-and-fun.com/G...

How about a Raspberry Jello Salad.  Good for a couple of days in the refrigerator.

http://www.cooking-is-easy-and-fun.com/R...

Easy recipe for a chocolate cake.

http://www.cooking-is-easy-and-fun.com/C...

Answer 2

Here are some ideas for a special meal:

Jenny's Christmas Pie:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 pint heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

1 can cherry or raspberry pie filling

1 graham cracker crust

Mix milk with lemon juice and stir to thicken.  Whip cream with extracts until stiff peaks form.  Fold into milk mixture and spoon into crust.  Top with pie filling.  Chill several hours or overnight before serving.

Easy Spinach Salad:

1 container baby spinach or baby lettuces

1 4 oz container feta cheese

5 slices crumbled cooked bacon

1/2 cup chopped candied walnuts

1/2 cup low fat Catalina dressing

Toss ingrediants and serve immediately.

Chicken and Artichokes:

4 - 6 boneless, skinless chicken b*****s

1 can artichoke quarters, drained (reserve liquid)

1 tsp fresh thyme (use dried if necessary)

1 4 oz container feta cheese

1 tsp chopped parsley

1/2 cup white wine

1 T dijon mustard

3 T low-fat margarine

Season b*****s with salt and fresh ground pepper.  Saute in butter to sear meat and place in baking dish.  Chop artichoke hearts and sprinkle over b*****s. Sprinkle crumbled feta.  Mix wine with reserved artichoke liquid, thyme and mustard.  Pour over b*****s, cover, and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees. Sprinkle with parsely before serving. Serve with wild rice pilaf.

The chicken and pie can be made ahead of time, and the salad only takes a minute to assemble.  You can use packaged bacon crumbles in place of fresh ones for a similar effect.

Bon Appetit!

Answer 3

http://www.ichef.com/recipe.cfm/category...

Answer 4

I love to make this salad- its called THAT GOOD SALAD

dressing-

mix in jar or container with sealable top (tupperware works)

3/4 oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

minced garlic (I like a lot, but do how ever much you want, fresh is better since jarred has no flavor)

salt & pepper

shake well to mix and I put in freezer to chill briefly while I make the salad

1 large head romain lettuce chopped

4-5 chopped tomatoes

1 cup shreded swiss cheese

1 lb cooked chopped bacon (nice and crispy!)

crutons

toss with dressing just before serving and enjoy!

here is a great website I use all the time to find yummy recipes- they all have ratings from users and tips on how to make them all better http://allrecipes.com/

Answer 5

INGREDIENTS:



2 tbsp pine nut kernels

½ pack fresh parsley, stalks removed

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

finely grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon

2 tbsp black olive paste

4 tbsp olive oil

40g freshly grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

350g dried linguine or 2 x 250g bags fresh egg linguine

pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

  



PREPARATION:



1. Lightly toast the pine nut kernels in a dry frying pan over a gentle heat until golden brown. Transfer to a food processor with the parsley, garlic, lemon zest and black olive paste. Switch on and drizzle in enough olive oil to form a thick paste. Transfer to a large bowl, stir in the Parmesan and season to taste.

2. Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions: 3 minutes for fresh and 10 minutes for dried. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking liquid and toss with the olive pesto. Add a little of the cooking liquid so the pasta is well coated in the sauce, check the seasoning and stir in lemon juice to taste. Serve with extra parmesan.  







PREP/COOK

INFORMATION:

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4





or  

INGREDIENTS:



3 skinless chicken breast fillets, weighing 125g-150g each

1 tbsp cornflour

¼ tsp Chinese five-spice powder

4 tbsp vegetable oil

125g unroasted, unsalted cashew nuts

2 medium carrots, halved and cut into strips

4 spring onions, sliced diagonally

1 medium courgette, halved and cut into strips

125g sugar-snap peas

1 ripe medium mango, stone removed, quartered, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tbsp dry sherry

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

boiled or fried rice, or Chinese noodles, to serve

  



PREPARATION:



WARNING - sesame seeds are not suitable for small children who can choke on nuts.

1. Cut each chicken breast in half lengthways, slice very thinly and place in a bowl. Mix together the cornflour and Chinese five-spice powder. Sprinkle over the chicken and toss well together.

2. Heat 2 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a wok and stir-fry the chicken pieces for 3-5 minutes until cooked and lightly browned. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

3. Add the remaining oil to the pan and quickly stir-fry the cashew nuts until lightly browned. Add the carrots, spring onions and courgette and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the sugar-snap peas and mango slices and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.

4. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and add the dry sherry and soy sauce. Stir-fry for a further 3-4minutes, then serve at once with boiled or fried rice or Chinese noodles.  







PREP/COOK

INFORMATION:

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4





or

INGREDIENTS:



2 medium aubergines, weighing about 300g each

3 tbsp olive oil

4 slices cooked British ham from an 8-slice pack, cut in half

300g mozzarella, sliced

fresh basil sprigs to garnish (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

350g fresh arrabbiata sauce and crusty bread to serve

  



PREPARATION:



1.Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Cut each aubergine lengthways into 4 even slices (removing the rounded side of the first and last slices so that they will lie flat).

2. Use some of the olive oil to grease a baking tray, then arrange the aubergine slices on the tray in one layer. Brush with the remaining oil and season. Cook in the top of the oven for 10 minutes, then turn and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Switch off the oven and preheat the grill to maximum. Lay a piece of ham on top of each aubergine, then top with the cheese. Season and place under the grill until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Garnish and serve with warm arrabbiata sauce and crusty bread.  







PREP/COOK

INFORMATION:

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4





hope it helps

Answer 6

I think the crockpot might be your friend in this case. One of my fave recipes is a "pepperoncini" beef which basically tastes like authentic tacos and is pretty healthy.

Get a big cheap roast (chuck, whatever) and cut most of the fat off. Rub a packet of italian seasoning (or your own basil, oregeno, salt/pepper, whatever you like best!), add a few tsp of chopped garlic and a jar of pepperoncinis with the stems/seeds removed. Cover it and cook it on low for 8 hours or until the beef shreds apart. Then simply heat some corn tortillas (on the bbq, in the oven, or frypan no oil), put a scoop of the shredded seasoned meat, sprinkle some onions and cilantro and it's DELISH...you can do some guacamole and chips on the side, or a nice salad.

I also find having company a great time to do a really nice chowder or other type of soup in the crockpot - serve with some crusty bread and/or a nice small salad.

Salads in general are a great idea. Make this a time to stock up on fruits and veggies. Do a lot of the preliminary chopping before the company arrives and bag and refrigerate so it's ready to go. I do a big salad with black beans, corn, romaine, onions, lightly sprinkled blue cheese, homemade croutons and some chopped bbq chicken or steak...then just use a regular balsamic vinaigrettee and add a little bbq sauce to give it a zing, it's awesome! You can also do a nicoise (tuna, hard boiled egg, green beans, olives) or any other salad that is a bit off the beaten path.

Also, any roasted dish could work well...you could even roast a variety of veggies in advance (zucchini, onion, squash, sweet potatoes etc) so they are mostly done and then just broil a salmon or chicken b*****s and serve with some quick cous cous and roasted veggies. I love to cut a salmon (you could use chicken instead) into individual pieces and wrap with very thin slice of procscuitto , drizzle with a little olive oil and broil. On the side, precook some lentils, season, toss with a bunch of herbs (i buy the prebagged salad herb) and drizzle with a sauce of your choice (tzaziki sauce or another yogurt based sauce is delish - just season it heavily).

If you like asian, i tried a great recipe the other day. Basically pick up a rotisserie chicken, some soba noodles, scallions, pickled ginger...puree together a bunch of cilantro with some honey and a jalapeno. Pull apart and coursely chop a rotisserie chicken and throw into a pan with the green sauce and heat through. Toss the soba noodles with some sesame oil, scallions and chopped pickled ginger, then pour the chicken mix over it. It's exotic and delicious!!

And you know, if your company is casual, it's a fun time to switch it up - do breakfast for dinner one night! You might also think of some regional foods that are popular in your area and stores, but maybe not so hard to prepare and focus on that since out of towners don't always get to experience that stuff. (be it scrapple, bbq, collard greens, or sf sourdough, etc..)

Answer 7

Great Summer Salad....CHEF'S SALAD.

Bag of prewashed mixed lettuces, tomato wedges, black olives, cucumber slices, shredded turkey - ham - roast beef and swiss cheese, onion rings, croutons.  Arrange nicely and serve with Italian dressing or ranch dressing or a selection.