Chicken Whatchamacallit

Chicken Whatchamacallit, slow-cooker style

Happy Halloween month, all! 

Sometimes, when the creative cooking muse hits, you simply can't figure out a name for a dish. I could have called this chicken stew or chicken soup, but how bland is that for a delicious fall (defallicious?) dish ? So I crowned it "Chicken Whatchamacallit" and I hope the name catches on, especially since I have now typed it so often that my spell checker is no longer correcting it  :)

This dish was made in the slow cooker, using a bunch of stuff I had around the house after a bulk shopping binge a couple of weeks ago. Now that the food is dwindling, it's time to get going using what we have. And I do love my slow cooker, so here we are: Chicken Whatchamacallit. Smells good already and it's not even cooking yet!

I love Halloween

CHICKEN WHATCHAMACALLIT 

Ingredients

• Leftover cooked chicken or turkey pieces [got mine from my freezer]
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 2 14.5 oz cans of Mexican ir Italian style diced tomatoes
• 1 can of Salsa style fire-roasted stewed tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 c of chopped squash (I had frozen some summer squash, so...)
• 1 c chopped baby carrots
• 1 can sweet corn (not creamed)
• 1/2 c chopped celery (if you have it)
• 1 c water or so (I used a tomato can to measure)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tsp salt and pepper
• 1 - 2 tbsp white granulated or light golden sugar
• 2 - 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar [you could also use wine or cooking sherry]
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tsp paprika (or so) [for color and sweetness]
• 1/2 tsp rosemary [because I like it]
• 1 cup orzo pasta (depends upon how thin the concoction is at the end)

Preparation

• Spray slow cooker with cooking spray and set on "HIGH" 
• Cut onion and place on bottom of slow cooker. 
• Place cooked chicken or turkey pieces on top. Doesn't matter if they are sliced or whole parts, boneless or 'bone in'
• Add chopped carrots, corn and squash
• Sprinkle with cinnamon, salt, pepper, sugar,  parsley, paprika, rosemary, oil and vinegar
• Cover with cans of diced and stewed tomatoes, corn and water
• Stir all together and let cook for 2-3 hrs on high, then reduce to low for another hour, or so to simmer and blend flavors.
• **Reserve orzo for the last hour of cooking**

Let it bubble and simmer, stirring every now and then to make sure nothing sticks.  Reduce to low for an additional hour to cook the orzo and blend flavors. If it gets too dry, add a bit more water. If it's watery at the end, you have created a stew and can add a bit of cornstarch mixed with water to make it less runny. Just don't do that before you add the orzo (pasta) because that should thicken it to a Spanish Rice consistency. Since the meat is already cooked, you are more concerned with the vegetables cooking thoroughly and that the orzo cooks. Easy peasy pumpkin neezy (or something like that).

Baked Ziti

The Little Cook's Baked Ziti

I have found dozens of recipes for baked ziti, but for some reason I keep trying new ones. As you can tell by the photo, this latest one turned out pretty dang good! So here is The Little Cook's latest variation on the theme of Baked Ziti.

Ingredients

• 1 lb of your favorite type of pasta, precooked as to package directions
• 1 tub of ricotta cheese
• 1 large (20 oz?) jar of your favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce - I used home-made
• 1c water
• 1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 pkg (about 6 - 8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 pkg (about 6 - 8 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 small jar/can of black olives, cut in half

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 9x13 inch lasagna or cake pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
3. Place cooked pasta in a large mixing bowl. Add ricotta cheese, 3/4 of the jar of spaghetti/marinara sauce and water. Mix in parsley and salt (about 1 tsp). Fold mixture until blended.
4. Cover the bottom of the baking pan with the remainder of sauce. Spoon pasta mixture on top, evenly spreading with a spatula. Sprinkle cheeses evenly on top to cover. Sprinkle olives over the cheese.
5. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the top is slightly golden in color.
6. Let set for about 10 minutes, for the pasta to settle, before enjoying. Serve with a green salad, additional olives and some good fresh bread. Mangia!

Quick 'n Easy Lasagna Rolls

Here is another "Mike-approved" recipe that doesn't take very long to prepare, but looks impressive on a plate. It's a great way to use up those extra lasagna noodles that always seem to be rattling around in the box. An adaptation of a Weight Watcher's recipe.

Quick 'n Easy Lasagna Rolls

Quick 'n Easy Lasagna Rolls

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained 
• 1/2 carton (approx. 8 oz) ricotta cheese
• 1-2 tbsp parsley
• 1-2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
• salt (2 grates of sea salt or 1/2 tsp iodized salt)
• 1 small jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• approx. 1/4 c water
• parsley (for sprinkling on top)

Preparation

1. Cook lasagna noodles until almost done (approx 6 minutes) in 6-8 c boiling water and 1 tsp oil. Drain in colander under cold running water.
2. Mix ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and Italian seasoning in medium bowl.
3. Lay out the strips of lasagna noodles and spread cheese mixture on, just as though you were buttering bread. Roll each noodle from the narrow end, being careful not to squeeze out the filling. Place seam side down, in a prepared loaf pan or casserole dish, sprayed with cooking spray.
4. Repeat with all the noodles, and spread with the spaghetti sauce. Pour water into the empty jar, shake and pour carefully over the top of the saucy noodles. Sprinkle parsley on top.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 -30 minutes, until thoroughly heated.
6. Serve with green salad. 

Ta-da! Serving complete