the Lanfords » Cooking

BBQ Chicken & Cornbread

skye — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:39:27 +0000

1 tbsp EVOO
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 each: red & green bell peppers, diced
1 small jalapeno, diced – optional (I left it out this time)
3 c. shredded chicken, cooked
1 c. BBQ sauce
1/2 c. chicken broth
1-8.5oz box cornbread mix
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp skim milk
1/2 c. shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a saucepan, combine EVOO & onion over med-high heat.
Cook til onion is soft. Add peppers, jalapeno.
Cook about 5 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat.
Stir in chicken, BBQ sauce and broth. Mix well.
Transfer mixture to 1.5-2 Qt baking dish.
In a bowl, combine cornbread, egg, milk & cheese.
Stir until combined. Spoon over chicken.
Bake 25-30 minutes.
When you take the dish out of the oven, place a pat or two of butter on top of the cornbread.

TexMex Lasagna

skye — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:50:39 +0000

2 large flour tortillas, cut in half
1 cup salsa
1 can black beans, rinsed
1/2 each: red and green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup sliced scallions, divided
1/3 cup diced red onion
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
1 seeded, diced jalapeno pepper
EVOO
2 cups shredded Cheddar Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced
1 bunch fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Saute bell peppers, half of scallions, onions, garlic & jalapeno in about 1 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil).
Spread about 1/3 cup of salsa on bottom of 9×13″ baking pan.
Layer one halved tortilla. Cut the other half again and position in pan to cover bottom.
Spread bell pepper mixture on top. Spoon sour cream on top and spread evenly.
Sprinkle 1/3 of cheese on top of the bell pepper mixture.

Mix chicken, black beans, salsa, cilantro (to taste) in a large bowl. Mix well.
Spread in baking dish. Sprinkle 1/3 cheese on top. Layer with tortillas again.
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and scallions.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Serve with fresh cilantro, scallions and sour cream.

Serves 6-8.
And is equally (if not more) delicious the next day!

Friday Feast & Surgery rescheduled

skye — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:49:10 +0000

Chad’s surgery has been rescheduled for 7am Saturday.
And Chad can eat for a few hours….which is great news in itself.
That’s all the news I have to report…unless you want to hear about the goings on of the Neuro floor. NO? I don’t blame you.

I’m off ff to get some dinner….which reminds me to share the Friday Feast with you – click to go to recipes.
And surprise – there are two for you this week. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Chili

Le Petite Lasagna

Friday Feast: Cheeseburger Quesadillas

skye — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:39:26 +0000

This meal came to me as I was craving a cheeseburger the other night.
I love good, all-American cheeseburgers — who doesn’t?!?
Diabetes slows me down a bit in the kitchen, so I try to reinvent my favorite meals with less carbs.
Sometimes I create something good. Sometimes, well. It’s just not quite as good. This little recipe is a win-win for everyone, though.
My husband loved this easy meal — and my kids couldn’t wait for me to make it again. And I got the meal I was craving without the insane spike in blood sugar.
I hope you enjoy!

Cheeseburger Quesadillas

1 pound ground beef
seasonings you would use for burgers on the grill
pickles, chopped fine
1/4 onion, chopped fine
tomatoes, sliced or chopped fine
shredded cheese, your favorite variety
flour tortillas
condiments

Crumble beef in a skillet. Add your favorite burger seasonings; A-1, steak seasoning, salt & pepper – whatever you like.
Brown completely, drain & set aside.
In a different large skillet or griddle, prepare tortillas. I like to spread a teeny layer of margarine on one side. Chad likes to use Pam. Whatever your preference.
Build quesadillas to your liking.
To keep everything in place during the flip, I found it helpful to spread a little mayo on one side on the tortillas, face up. Layer beef, pickles, onions, tomato. Sprinkle cheese. Squirt ketchup & mustard if desired.
Fold the other side of the tortilla over to form a half-moon.
Cook on medium heat until cheese is melted and tortilla starts to brown slightly.
Flip to the other side and brown it, too.

You can also add a little lettuce after you cook the quesadillas. Just lift one side & slide the lettuce in.

All done!
Yummo!!!

Friday Feast: Lemondrop Cookies

skye — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:15:17 +0000

I had a request for lemon sugar cookies for an event. I tried to lemonize my favorite sugar cookie recipe, but it didn’t quite turn out as I’d hoped. After a little research and some trial and error, I have found a delectable lemon cookie – a perfect Summer treat. Cool, crisp and perfectly lemony! They’re slightly crispy on the outside and wonderfully tender on the inside.

And you won’t believe how easy they are to whip up.

Lemondrop Cookies
1 box lemon cake mix
1 small tub of Cool Whip (8oz)
1 egg
grated rind from 1 lemon
1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
powdered sugar for rolling

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, mix all ingredients except for the powdered sugar.
Drop by rounded teaspoon into a plate of powdered sugar.
Roll into a ball and place the dough on a greased cookie sheet.
You may flatten them if you wish, or they will bake into cute little mounds.
Bake for 11-13 minutes.
Cool on rack and enjoy!

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

You can check this recipe, along with others, over at the Friday Feast.
I’m trying to get back into trying new recipes more frequently than I have been lately – so feel free to email your favorites to me — I’d love to try it out!

Too Sweet (preview for you, Shannon)

skye — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:05:44 +0000

This weekend, we joined the Knox Family to celebrate sweet Bradon’s first birthday.

Shannon asked me to make the birthday cake, which I happily agreed to.
I love making cakes — and I especially like trying new things.

Bradon had a Sesame Street theme, so we agreed on Elmo.
She didn’t really care what I did.

I have to say it went a lot smoother than I expected.
Two layers of marble cake, fresh butter cream. It was severely delicious.

I also made him a Smasher – a little cake just for him.

He was a little hesitant to dive in, at first.

He got the hang of it quickly though.

My largest feat was transporting the thing – it was huge. I definitely couldn’t ask Carys to hold it in her lap for the 45-minute drive. Thankfully, it survived the trip…only to be demolished by a few hungry people a few hours later.

Happy Birthday, Bradon!!!

Now, off to my next cake challenge this week: Cailyn’s 3rd birthday!
Can’t wait to share that one with you….stay tuned.

Friday Feast on Wednesday: Oatmeal Bars

skye — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:04:27 +0000

I love to snack. I love to bake.
And my kids do, too.
I try to find new snacks and baked goods that are healthy, too.
Sometimes, it’s struggle.
Sometimes, I happen upon something like these tasty treats.
They’re packed full of oatmeal and dried fruit – and they’re delicious!
They pack well into school lunch boxes, and they’re handy to have on the go.

Oatmeal Bars
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 cup wheat germ (If you have it, great! If not, don’t worry!)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 cup dried fruit
(cranberries, raisins, apples, whatever you wish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter with wooden spoon until creamy.
Stir in sugars and beat until light and fluffy.
Stir in egg and 1 tablespoon of water.

In a medium bowl, toss oats, wheat germ, flour, cinnamon and salt.
Add fruit.
Stir dry ingredients into butter mix.
Firmly pat dough into greased 9×13″ pan.

Bake for 25 minutes.
Let cool completely and cut into 24 bars.

Friday Feast: DIY Donuts

skye — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:59:24 +0000

My apologies for skipping the Feast last Friday. I thought about it, and before I knew it, I was washing dishes Sunday evening.
A few weeks ago, I made these donuts for breakfast. Every time I make them, I’m reminded of being in a gaggle of 9-year-old girls, extremely sleepy from a night full of movies, popcorn, make up trials (and misses), prank phone calls and gossip. These donuts were a staple of my childhood. Sleepovers were planned around them; and my friends and I devoured them. By the dozen.
My mom was always happy to make more, and I love passing this recipe onto my girls.

I don’t make these often, because they are so poppable. You make ‘em, and you pop ‘em in your mouth. Before you know it, you’ve eaten a whole batch by yourself.
And the possibilities are endless. I just dust them in powdered sugar. But think how tasty it would be to drizzle honey or chocolate with (or without) sprinkles. I’ve also thought about leaving the middle intact, and piping in some Bavarian cream. And then dipping the top in chocolate.
Oh. My.
I can feel my blood sugar rising just thinking about it!

I’ll leave you to your own devices with the toppings and fillings. The recipe is simple as can be – and kids can help, too.
Just keep two things in mind: buy the generic brand of biscuits. It works better for some reason.
And don’t buy the flaky biscuits; buy the butter-me-not variety. The flaky version just doesn’t do this recipe justice.

Here’s your starter recipe. Enjoy!!!

DIY Donuts
1 container refrigerated biscuits, “butter-me-not” variety
Powdered sugar (or other toppings as you see fit)

Heat canola oil in a large skillet; enough oil to cover half of the donuts.
Remove biscuit dough from cans.
If you wish, you (or your kiddos) may remove the middles with the twist-top of a soda bottle (wash it thoroughly first).
Save the holes – they’re tasty, too!

Place biscuits & holes in oil, fry until golden brown. Flip. Brown the other side.
This should take less than 2 minutes per side if your oil is hot enough.
Remove from oil and place on paper towels to remove as much oil as possible.
Once cool (about 10 minutes), dust with powdered sugar – or other toppings.
I find it’s easiest to place the powdered sugar in a large ziploc bag and add a few donuts at a time.
Let the kids shake it – it’s fun!

These don’t keep very well – so don’t make a ton if you’re not sure you can eat them in the first day or two.
But trust me, you shouldn’t have a problem…

Teacher Appreciation: Cupcake Jars

skye — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:24:18 +0000

Since things have been a bit stressful around here, it completely slipped my mind that it was Teacher Appreciation Week. A mom from Carys’ class mentioned this morning, and I rushed home, hoping to have enough time to bake a little something for Carys’ teacher.

Then I remembered a clever little gift my friend Christine made. I saw it and thought, “How cute!”, but it never dawned on me that she had made them this week for Teacher Appreciation. This week.
So, I baked. I frosted. I sprinkled. I jarred. I ribboned. (And if that’s not a word, it should be.)

Voila!
Thank you Christine – you always have the best (and cutest) ideas!

Make it yourself:
Thoroughly clean & dry half pint Mason jars.
Bake cupcakes normally.
When cool (I put mine in the fridge since I was short on time), cut cakes in half and place one portion in jar.
Layer with icing, then sprinkles.
Repeat layers.
You should be able to fit 2 cupcakes, maybe 1.5.

I placed a piece of scrapbook paper on the top, and added a ribbon.
I also added a small notecard, not shown.

Friday Feast: Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

skye — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:04:59 +0000

After a longer-than-anticipated hiatus, we’re back on track with the Friday Feast.
And so many of our friends and family members were generous to provide fabulous meals to us the first few weeks after Chad’s surgery. We are forever thankful.

I’ve been back in the kitchen for a while now, but my exhaustion didn’t do much for a real menu. We’ve been eating out of convenience. If it was quick and easy, it was on the table. After all, our family can only eat so many cans of Spaghetti-os before the day-glo orange food coloring starts to affect your vision. I’m pretty sure that my children don’t have an orange glow reminiscent of Oompa-Loompas.

Last week, I made one of my favorite meals. It felt good to prepare something from scratch, and even though this recipe can be a little labor intensive in the beginning, it’s well worth it in the long run.
Make it. You’ll see what I mean…

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

Alfredo Sauce Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
2/3 medium onion, chopped
2/3 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
2/3 cup Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground pepper

The Rest of the Ingredients
Lasagna noodles
1 1/3 cups Ricotta cheese
1 1/3 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
10 oz fresh spinach
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 small carton fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp parsely

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cook noodles 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Sauce: Melt butter in a large sauce pan.
Saute onions and garlic.
Stir in flour and salt, simmer until bubbly.
Mix in broth and milk, stirring for 1 minute.
Stir in 2/3 cup of Mozzarella and 1/2 c up Parmesan.
Season with herbs. Stir well. Set aside.

Filling: In another saucepan, saute peppers in EVOO.
Saute until crisp-tender. Add mushrooms and chicken.
Saute for about 3-5 minutes.

Spread 1/3 sauce on bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
Layer noodles, chicken mixture, ricotta,
Layer noodles, sauce, spinach.
Add remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan.
Top with remaining noodles, then sauce.
Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Bake 45 minutes.