Super-Sticky Chicken, Holy Haluski and Creamy Garlic Dressing

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been struggling with headaches for longer than I want to think about. Last week my husband was travelling. As a result of him being gone, I had a busier week and my headaches were worse - so my kids fended for themselves at mealtimes.

If I haven't mentioned it before - I am collector of recipes, recipe books and recipe magazines. I love them all. I love to try new recipes on a regular basis. I knew I needed to get back into the swing of cooking meals and blogging. So...here we are.

Super-Sticky Chicken

2 lbs of chicken pieces (I used quarts - legs with the back attached)

3 garlic cloves, crushed (I used minced garlic in the jar)

3 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp ground ginger

Place chicken pieces in large dish/roasting pan.

Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Pour over chicken, turn and coat. Leave to marinate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and back chicen for 30 minutes. Turn to coat and bake another 30 minutes. Check for doneness. May need a few more minutes depending on size and number of chicken pieces.

Because of my busy day, I was unable to marinate the chicken for an hour. In the future I would marinate it at least an hour - and possibly overnight. It wouldn't hurt. This has nice flavor.

Holy Haluski

This recipe is from the November issue of Food Network Magazine. My husband and son are fans of the show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri. This is a traditional Polish recipe he experienced while visiting Kelly O's Diner in Pittsburgh, PA. He made some adjustments and I did the same. I left out a couple of ingredients and was very happy with the results.

3 tbsp butter

4 oz thinly sliced pancetta, diced (bacon can be used - but I like the flavor of the pancetta)

2 large onions, sliced

1 medium head of cabbage sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 cup carrots, cut in 1/4 inch julienne

1 tsp kosher salt (regular salt works the same)

2 tsp black pepper

8 oz. wide egg noodles

3 tbsp minced garlic (again, I used the minced in a jar)

1/4 cup while wine

1 tbsp lemon juice

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the noodles.

In a large pot, melt 1 tbsp of the butter over medium heat and add the pancetta. Cook, stirring, until crisp - 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the pancetta to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.

Add 2 tbsp butter to the pancetta fat and melt. Add the onions, cabbage and carrots. Season with the salt and pepper. Stir to coat the vegetables with the butter. Cover and cook til the cabbage is wilted and almost tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer til the cabbage is very tender, about 10 more minutes.

While the cabbage cooks, add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the directions on the package.

Increase the heat to high , stirring until the cabbage and onions are golden, 10 - 12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan (stirring to release the yummy bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan). Stir in the lemon juice. Add 3/4 of the pancetta, combine well and remove from heat.

Drain the noodles and add to the pot with the cabbage. Toss well to coat the noodleswith the cabbage mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining pancetta and serve immediately.

This dish was amazing. There are very few recipes that I make that all 5 of us love. I encourage everyone to "critic" a new recipe. What would they change, add, take away...They are not so much critical of the cooking - but the recipe. For this one - they all loved. It is an interesting dish...unusual - but sooo yummy. Definitely a keeper - one for the binder JD.

Creamy Garlic Dressing

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp minced garlic - yes, from the jar :0)

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all ingredients; shake well. Chill.

Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 1 2/3 cup.

I used a dish and whisked the ingredients. I used about 1/3 of the dressing on romaine lettuce with some chopped mushrooms (yes JD mushrooms) and cucumber. Any lettuce mixture and add -ins can be used. Nice flavor.

Classic Meat Loaf, Rice Dressing, Asian Salad & Apple Crisp

Tuesday afternoon I got a call from Julie (one of my best friends), she had gotten word that one of the ladies in our small group at church was in hospital - we decided to go visit that evening. God was in the moment. She had been alone all day due to them having 6 children, her husband trying to keep it all together and his Dad also being in the hospital. It was a good visit with lots of laughter. Something our small group does it try to help each other during these times, so I am coordinating meals for the family. My day was today and I am posting about the meal that I took them. My family??? they ate leftovers - lol -but they know that reaching out to others is more important than having a home cooked meal. Here are the recipes of the meal I took:

Classic Meat Loaf:

1 large egg

3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup minced onion (or 1 tbsp dried minced onion)

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef

1/4 cup ketchup

Combine first 8 ingredients in large bowl. Add ground beef. Mix well. Press into greased loaf pan. I put the mix into two smaller pans. Spread ketchup on top of loaf. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. Serves 6 (I adjusted the recipe a small amount to serve 8)

Rice Dressing:

4 cups chicken broth, divided

1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice

2 cups chopped onion

2 cups chopped celery

1/2 cup butter

2 cups chopped mushrooms [sorry JD :0) ]

3 tsp parsley

1 1/2 - 2 tsp poultry seasoning

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp sage

1/2 tsp thyme

In saucepan, bring 3 1/2 cups broth and rice to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or til tender.

In a saucepan, saute onion and celery in butter until tender.

Stir in mushrooms and continue to saute til softened.

Stir in rice, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, sage, thyme and the remaining broth. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 350 degree for 30 minutes. Serves 10

Asian Salad:

2 pkg oriental Ramen noodles, crushed (or whatever flavor you prefer)

2 seasoning pkgs from Ramen noodles

1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil (olive oil will work - but the sesame adds good flavor)

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds (pine nuts, sunflower seeds or pecans also work)

Put everything in a saucepan and toast over medium heat. Stir often til browned. Set aside to cool.

I use a spring mix of greens and Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing. Put them in a bowl and mix well. Add enough of the above mixture to coat greens. Soooo yummy. I make several recipes at once and store in either a Ziploc bag or container so I always have it on hand. It is a nice quick tasty salad to add to a meal.

Apple Crisp:

5 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples (about 1 1/2 lbs)

1 cup flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup softened butter

In 11 x 17 baking dish arrange apple slices in an even layer.

In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and nutmeg. Using pastry blender or with fingertips, rub in til mixture is crumbly.

Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over apples.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 35 - 40 minutes til topping is lightly browned and apples are tender and bubbly. Serve warm.

I used all disposable containers so that the family could just toss things when they were done and didn't have to worry about trying to return things. This is one of those "comfort meals" that I like on these cool fall days. Let me know what you think? Did you try any of these?

White Mac & Cheese and Greek Style Chicken Salad

Mac & Cheese Recipe:

1-1 lb box penne pasta
2-12 oz. cans evaporated milk
2 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
3 - 8 oz. pkg shredded italian blend cheese
2 - 5 oz. pkg. shredded parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Cook Pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

In a large mixing bowl combine evaporated milk, salt, pepper, cheese and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Stir in cooked pasta until well combined. Spoon into prepared baking dish.

In a medium bowl, stir together reserved parmesan and panko. Spread evenly over top of pasta and bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

Below is the finished product. It was cheesy, ooey, gooey goodness - oh so yummy. This makes 8 - 10 servings.

Salad Recipe:

1/2 red onion, diced fine

1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt (in my store this is called "Fage")

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill (or 2 tsp dried)

Grated peel of 1 lemon

Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs

3 romaine hearts, chopped

1 English cucumber, chopped

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved

In a bowl combine, onion, yogurt, dill, lemon peel, lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and put in fridge til ready to serve.

In a large bowl toss the romaine, cucumber and tomatoes, set aside til chicken is ready.

Preheat a grill (I have a small indoor grill that I used). Brush the chicken with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook on grill - about 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice.

Combine dressing with salad and mix well - this is a rather thick dressing but quite easy to mix - be patient. I decided not to combine the chicken and salad so that both would keep if there were leftovers. We served the salad and topped it with the chicken individually. Below is the salad with the dressing combined.


This was a yummy meal - we got our starch, our dairy, lots of veggies and some protein as well. The salad was a nice change. For anyone that enjoys Greek food - especially Tzaziki sauce - this dressing is a similar flavor along with a fresh splash of lemon. Hope you give it a try and enjoy.