Chicken Parmesan Lasagna

This recipe is lightened up, but has big Italian flavor!

I use ground chicken here, which is hearty, and full of protein.  I also cut the ricotta cheese waaaaaay down. Many recipes call for up to 2 pounds! I used 2 cups in this recipe, and still found it plenty creamy. I also cut calories by only using the Parmesan and Panko on top of the lasagna.

P.S. For the sauce in this recipe feel free to use your favorite store-bought brand, or try making it homemade!

Ingredients

For the Ground Chicken:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil (I used extra virgin but use whatever brand/variety you like best)
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, optional (but they give a nice kick!)
• 1 lb. Ground Chicken
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

For the Panko:

• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/3 cup Whole Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs

For Lasagna:

• 12 Lasagna Noodles, boiled according to package
• 2 1/2 cups Ricotta Cheese (I used whole-milk here, but you may use skim)
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 3 1/2 cups Marinara Sauce, Store-bought or Homemade will work OK
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, finely grated

Garnish:

• Fresh Basil and Parsley, chopped

Instructions

For the Ground Chicken:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-heat. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes (if using); saute for 2-3 minutes. Add in ground chicken, salt, and pepper and cook - breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon - until golden brown and cooked all the way through; 6-8 minutes. Transfer the chicken mixture to a clean plate; set aside. Return empty pan to the burner - you will use this again for the panko.

For the Panko:

1. Heat the olive oil (in the same skillet you used for the chicken) over medium-high heat. Add in the panko bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until crispy and golden. Remove from heat and transfer breadcrumbs to a small bowl; set aside.

For the Lasagna:

1. Boil 12 lasagna noodles according to package directions. While they're boiling, prepare the ricotta cheese.

For the Ricotta:

1. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, egg yolk, salt, pepper, parsley, and basil; set aside.

Assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Spread a 1/4 of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Layer with 4 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the chicken mixture, 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce, and 1/2 cup of the ricotta cheese, and a 1/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat this two more times, topping the final layer of noodles with remaining meat, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, panko bread crumbs, and finally, the Parmesan cheese, in that order. Cover the lasagna tightly with a piece of lightly oiled foil. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake uncovered for 15 more minutes. Allow the lasagna to rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Garnish with fresh parsley and basil.

This recipe by https://bakerbynature.com/lightened-up-chicken-parmesan-lasagna/

Creamy Herb Chicken

Quick And Easy Creamy Herb Chicken, filled with so much flavor, ready and on your table in 15 minutes! You won't believe how easy this is!  Perfect served over rice or noodles.

Ingredients

For The Chicken:

• 4 chicken breasts (pounded 1/2-inch thin)
• 2 teaspoons each of onion powder and garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon each of dried thyme and dried rosemary*
• salt and pepper , to season

For The Sauce:

• 4 cloves garlic , minced (or 1 tablespoon minced garlic)
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon each of dried thyme and dried rosemary
• 1 cup milk (or half and half)*
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water , until smooth

Instructions

1. Coat chicken breasts with the onion and garlic powders and herbs. Season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken breasts until opaque and no longer pink inside (about 5 minutes each side, depending on thickness). Transfer to a plate; set aside.
3. To the same pan or skillet, heat another 2 teaspoons of olive oil and sauté garlic, with parsley, thyme and rosemary, for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.
4. Stir in milk (or cream); season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Bring to a boil; add the cornstarch mixture to the center of the pan, quickly stirring, until sauce has thickened slightly. Reduce heat and simmer gently for a further minute to allow the sauce to thicken more.
6. Return chicken to the skillet. Sprinkle with extra herbs if desired. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

*If you don't like Thyme or Rosemary, substitute these with Basil and Oregano, or use Tarragon.
**For a dairy free option, I find Cashew milk the best in flavor. You can also use almond milk or rice milk.
Yes, heavy cream can be substituted!

This Recipe comes from CafeDelites

Queso Chicken Bake

Boneless, skinless, chicken breast fillets are on sale this week, in a value pack for just $1.59 lb. - Feb 28 - March 6, 2018, at 6 Harter House locations.  Check out our weekly ad flyer to see everything on sale this week.

This Queso Chicken Bake takes a few simple ingredients and blankets them with the rich and creamy cheesiness of queso for a quick and easy one pan meal that your whole family will love.

The whole thing takes only a few minutes to mix together, so it makes a perfect weeknight meal.

You can serve it over some rice and top it off with fresh diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and cool sour cream if you’re feeling fancy, but that moist chicken and creamy cheese is all you really need. 

Queso Chicken Bake

1 hour, 15 minutes to prepare serves 6-8

4 boneless skinless chicken breast fillets from Harter House

1 jar (23 oz) salsa con queso

1 can (15 oz. ) black beans, drained

1 can (15 oz.) fire-roasted diced tomatoes and green chilies

1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 package (1 oz) taco seasoning mix

Sour cream, to garnish (optional)

Tomatoes, diced, to garnish (optional)

Cilantro, chopped, to garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. Season both sides of chicken with taco seasoning and place in baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, combine beans, bell pepper, tomatoes and green chilies, and salsa con queso and stir until incorporated. Pour over chicken, spreading out with a rubber spatula if needed.
4. Top with shredded cheese and cover dish with foil. Place in oven and bake 30 minutes.
5. Remove foil and continue baking until sauce bubbles and chicken is cooked through, 10-15 more minutes.
6. Remove from oven and garnish with sour cream, tomatoes, and cilantro, if desired. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Pinning Mama.

Whole Wheat Honey Banana Muffins

"These Whole Wheat Honey Banana Muffins are so good people won’t even notice they’re healthier, my kids had no idea! Instead of being made with plain white flour they are made with healthier white whole wheat flour, then instead of being made with granulated sugar they are made with honey and about half the amount in comparison to the typical amount of sugar that’s normally added. Then another healthier swap is the coconut oil in place of the butter. I’m not normally someone that’s into healthier baked goods but when they’re this good then I’m all in!"

 

 

Ingredients

2 cups white whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting*

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup  honey

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups well mashed overripe bananas

1/4 cup buttermilk or plain Greek yogurt

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray the holes of 16 muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray and dust lightly with wheat flour. Shake out excess flour, set aside. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together white whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt for 20 seconds. Set aside.

Add coconut oil to a large microwave save mixing bowl. Heat in microwave until it's just melted. Stir in honey then whisk in eggs. Whisk in bananas and buttermilk. Add wheat flour mixture and whisk just until combined (batter will be lumpy). Divide batter among prepared muffin cups filling each about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few crumbs, about 16 - 20 minutes. Run a butter knife around muffins to loosen. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store muffins in an airtight container.

*Whisk flour in container before measuring, then scoop using a measuring cup and level top using a butter knife.

Yield: 16 muffins

Recipe source: Cooking Classy

http://www.cookingclassy.com/healthier-whole-wheat-honey-banana-muffins/

Tailgate Chili

This weekend I will prepare this Tailgate Chili.

This is the recipe that

I've decided to use.  ~Shelly

 

I will cook the chili the night before and then reheat the next day. This is a combination of many different tomato-based chili recipes.

 

Ingredients

2 pounds Harter House fresh Ground Chuck

1 pound bulk Harter House Homemade Sweet Italian sausage

1 (15 ounce) can Black beans, un-drained

2 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce

2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon bacon bits

4 cubes beef bouillon

1/2 cup beer

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon fresh (or dried) oregano

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco)

1 teaspoon fresh (or dried) basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos(R)

1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

Green onions to garnish

Directions

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
2. Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.
4. To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.

The Harter House Fresh Bakery

Nicole has been working at Harter House on Republic Road for almost two years.  She is part of large family and grew up in the kitchen.  Her parents owned a restaurant for 10 years in Camdenton, called Artisan Baking, where she spent a lot of time honing her trade.  Later, Nicole worked for a bakery in Lebanon, Mo, called Jane D'Jango's Coffee where she was the pastry chef.    Additionally, Nicole did catering and specialty baking on her own and cooked for numerous churches over the years.

Today, Nicole has new products to offer us every day, because she loves baking from scratch and she also loves a challenge.  So if you're looking for something special or out of the ordinary, even wedding cakes, Nicole is truly up for the task. 

Special Order your King Cake

Last year for Mardi Gras, as I walked through the bakery, I saw Nicole boxing up this amazing product.  She tells me, it is King's Bread.  "The King Cake is a New Orleans tradition that involves a pastry, a small plastic baby, and a party.  The King cake is baked with a small plastic baby hidden inside, the person who gets the slice with the baby in it has to host the next party."

Nicole was able to find these little plastic babies somewhere, to insert inside her King's Bread.

The King's Bread is what prompted me to write this blog and share it with you, because I was SO impressed.

This is Cyndie.  She has a passion for baking as well.  As customers discovered all the fun new treats at our Harter House Bakery, Nicole was challenged to keep up.  Cyndie has been an amazing addition to our team.  The two work together perfectly.  Not only are they GREAT at their job, but they are amazing, fun women as well, and we really LOVE them both.  Check out that smile.  Cyndie loves her job! 

We've always done specialty sheet cakes with custom designs.  Now, these girls are doing a variety of custom cupcakes that change with the seasons. 

This week, I see Nicole making Fresh Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce.

they also have a traditional bread pudding.   These are in an 8x8 pan and sell for $4.99 each.

Also, this bread is best to special order. 

It is called Challah. 

Challah is a Jewish Celebration bread usually served around the holidays.  Nicole plans to carry it all the time if customers are interested in it.

Then, I spy these yummy looking bagels, fresh out of the oven.  These are Asiago & Jalapeno Cheddar topped bagels.  These delights sell for .99 each.

You know the girls made homemade fruitcakes over the holidays too.  Nicole said she soaked the fruit in rum for a month before preparing them.

Next time you are in the Republic Road Harter House store, be sure to stop at the bakery and see what wonderful, freshly made in-house treats you can't live without.    

1500 E. Republic Road

Springfield.

Hot Roast Beef Po Boy Sandwich

Have a hankering for a Po Boy?

The ingredients that go into a po-boy are virtually limitless, depending on one’s imagination: hot roast beef with gravy, ham and cheese (known in New Orleans as a “combination”), fried seafood (oysters, shrimp, soft-shell crabs, catfish), hot sausage, meatballs–even a French Fry po-boy can be had at most corner grocery store deli’s around the city of New Orleans. In addition, the counter sandwich maker typically will ask you… “And do you want that dressed?” When the New Orleans po-boy is “dressed”, the reference has nothing to do with fashion: “dressed” in New Orleans means that lettuce, tomatoes, and mayonnaise are added, and pickles too on some!

If you enjoy a hearty roast beef sandwich, you'll certainly enjoy this Po Boy recipe.

It's a simple recipe for your at home dining pleasure.

This recipe can actually be done in 30 minutes or less.

What follows is a southern Po Boy recipe shared by RJ Jaramillo.

Yield: Feeds a family of 4

Shopping List / Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. of thinly sliced Harter House Roast Beef (Estimate ½ pound per serving)
  Tri-Tip, Brisket, Tenderloin, or even Deli Roast Beef, etc.
• 1 Large, French Bread Roll, (Cut and Quarter)
• 1 Can of French Onion Soup
• 1 Pkg. of Au Jus Gravy Mix
• 1 Can of Whole Green Chilies
• 12 oz. Jar of Peperoncini (Chopped Fine)
• 1- Medium Tomato (Chopped Fine)

Optional Items: Cheese, Tabasco Sauce, Shredded Lettuce

Equipment: 2-Quart Pot, Cookie Sheet, Oven Pre-Heated to 300 Degrees F

How to Make a Po Boy Cooking Steps

Step 1: Make Gravy Mix

Open your can of french onion soup and pour it into your 2-quart pot. Add 1 can of water. Open package of the au jus gravy and mix with the soup and stir gently on stove with a low-medium setting. You want to have a thick sauce, so if you feel that you put too much water in your sauce mix just add a teaspoon of flour while stirring the mix over the stove (this should thicken the sauce). Keep sauce warm and start to pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees F.

Step 2: Preparing Your French Bread, the Key to a Delicious Po Boy

The bread means everything to this recipe. Make sure you get a large French bread roll baked fresh at our Harter House Bakery and cut it into four pieces. If you are feeding a family of four, you only need one loaf of French bread.

The next step after cutting your bread is to take the gravy mix off the stove and begin the “dipping” process. To do this, take your slices of bread and place them on a cookie sheet so they are laid out flat. Then, take your meat (the roast beef) and dip into the sauce, placing the meat on top of the sliced French bread after its been soaked in the gravy. Make sure you dunk your meat thoroughly through the gravy before placing on top of the bread.

Step 3: Heating and Topping the Po Boy

At this point, you can add a green chili on top of the beef and place all of the sandwiches that are top of the cookie sheet into the oven for 12- 15 minutes.

Other Topping Options for Your Po Boy

I like a little crunch with my Po Boy Sandwich, so I take a medium tomato and chop it fine into a bowl. Next, I take four to five Peproncini’s (pronounced, pepper-chini) and chop them fine and add to the bowl of tomato. You can alter this recipe by using regular pickles instead of the peperoncini and you will have the same crunchy, sour effect that this topping makes. You can also add cheese to the topping of the sandwiches to add a cheesy flavor to your Po Boy.

ENJOY!