Simmered Tuscan Chicken

I collect recipes from everywhere -- books, magazines, friends, relatives, ads, websites. I'll try just about anything. By the same token, I'll change just about anything as well.


Sunday night I decided to do a variation on a recipe I'd tried once before. The recipe from a Ragu ad in a 1997 Better Homes and Gardens. I've had this piece of paper since 1997! Anyway. The original recipe is a stove top dish, but I put it all in a Pyrex baking dish and let it bake for 45 minutes. Or at least that was my plan. About 40 minutes into the baking process I heard a strange noise and then saw a lot of steam coming from my oven vent. Upon opening the oven door I discovered my dinner splattered all over the interior of my oven with lovely, sparkling glass shards intermingled! My Pyrex casserole had exploded.


After a little research, I discovered that this has become a recurring theme with Pyrex made since 1999. It seems they changed the formula to a basic tempered glass recipe, making the components less stable, which has led to exploding Pyrex. The company prefers to refer to it as "breakage", but obviously they weren't in MY kitchen on Sunday night!


Anyway I'll get back to you when I hear more from the Pyrex people.


For now lets focus on the food.


I decided to try the recipe again tonight, but in my Dutch oven instead, and on the stove top. It was pretty good, but I've tweaked the recipe a little more (albeit, without a test run) and I'm posting the updated recipe. 

1 pound boneless chicken tenderloins, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2" pieces

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

1 24-oz. jar Bertolli Vineyard Marinara (sorry Ragu!)

8 oz. fresh or frozen green beans

1 teaspoon dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a Dutch oven, saute chicken and garlic in olive oil until lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. When oven is preheated, turn off stove, place lid on Dutch oven, and place in oven. Bake 1 hour. Stir and check liquid level at least once during baking. If casserole is too dry, add additional marinara or chicken stock. Serve with Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

Serves 6-8

I'll let you know once I've tried this approach, but I think it should work better than the stove top version.

Happy Eating!

Mexican Pasta Salad

I love pasta salad. However, not those mixes they sell in the grocery store, or those containers they sell at the grocery deli. I love real pasta salad. The stuff where you cook your own pasta, toss in additional ingredients, and make the dressing yourself. Now that's what I'm talking about!


Several years ago I got a hankering for pasta salad, but of course I didn't have all the ingredients for any of the recipes I had. I improvised. This recipe is the result of that improvisation. A friend was coming for lunch that day and said she'd bring a loaf of Pepperoni Bread (oh yeah -- that's a post for another day!) and I thought pasta salad and Pepperoni Bread would make a pretty good lunch. She raved about the salad. I raved about the bread. And a lovely lunch was had.


This is the first batch for this spring/summer. I'm sure there will be many more.

Mexican Pasta Salad


8 oz. veggie rotini, cooked according to package directions (I like Hodgson Mill)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cam Mexi-Corn
1 cup chopped grape tomatoes (I just slice them in half)


Dressing:
2/3 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellman's Light)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon chives (optional)
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt


Mix salad ingredients in bowl. Mix dressing ingredients in a separate bowl. Toss dressing with salad and chill well. 


Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, chips and salsa (and Pepperoni Bread once I post the recipe!)


Happy Eating!