Chicken Divan

This is a family favorite that was given to me from my aunt, but as with every recipe I have edited it to create a recipe that fits with my families taste. It is a good recipe to use up leftover cooked chicken and rice. We eat this fairly often in the fall and winter. I always have everything for this recipe.....as I like call it "My Fall Back Recipe".

9x13 Pan

2-3 C Cooked Chicken (or 3-4 Chicken Breast seasoned/cooked/chopped)

4-5 C Cooked Rice

1 160z bag Frozen Broccoli

1 10 3/4oz Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 Cup Mayonnaise

1-2 Lemons, juiced

1 tsp Curry Powder

2 C Cheddar Cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Layer cooked rice on the bottom, then Chicken and then frozen broccoli in a 9x13 pan, set aside. In a medium bowl mix soup, mayo, lemon juice, curry powder and 1/2 c of the Cheddar cheese, pour over the casserole. Top with the rest of the cheese and bake in the oven for 30-35min until cheese is melted and hot throughout.

Meatballs w/ Creamy Sauce

I made this last week when it was cool and rainy outside....I think it would be a good fall or winter meal. This recipe came about when I had some leftover frozen meatballs and wanted to do something different then Italian fare.....As with all my recipes feel free to edit and change....for instance I would normally use real onions instead of onion powder but my husband doesn't like the texture of them....So get creative! This recipe is great over egg noodles or rice....

6 Servings or so

2-2 1/2 lbs of your favorite Meatballs (Frozen or Homemade)

1/4 C Flour

1/4 C Butter

Onion Powder

1 C Milk

1 C Heavy Cream (for lighter omit cream and use another cup of milk or even half/half)

2 C Beef Broth/Stock

1-2 Lemons, Juiced (we like it lemony and use 2)

1-2 T Fresh Chopped Parsley

1 tsp of Fresh or Dried Dill

1/4 C or more Sour Cream (extra for garnish, optional)

Salt & Pepper

Green Onions, Chopped optional for garnish

If meatballs are raw & uncooked fry them up and set aside, if they are frozen then you can add them in the sauce as is. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Sprinkle flour over butter and cook 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat, whisking until a roux or paste forms. Season with Salt, Pepper and Onion Powder. Add cold milk and beef broth whisk until dissolved and bring to a light boil for 1 min. Add the meatballs, stir. Cook over medium low heat (slow simmer) for 20-25 min, until sauce has thickened and meatballs are hot all the way through. Stir in the cream and heat for another 5-10min until hot stir in fresh parsley, dill and lemon juice, heat 3-5 more min. Stir in Sour Cream and serve over Egg Noodles or Rice and top with green onions. (If sauce is not as thick as you like it can be thickened with Flour or Cornstarch or use more equal parts Flour & Butter at the beginning of the recipe)

Sweet Sixteen Bean Dip

This dip came about watching March Madness last year....as you can see we love College Sports in our house. We were watching the Cougs play Vandy last March and we were hoping the Cougs would make it to the Sweet Sixteen.....but we all know the outcome....Anyway I threw together a bunch on ingredients that I had in the pantry and fridge and it turned out pretty good.......I feel its always good to have a few chip and bean dip recipes....

1 16oz Can Refried Beans

1 8 0z Package Cream Cheese, room temp

1 14.5 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes, drained

1/4-1/2 C Nacho Style Jalapenos (depends on how spicy you want it)

1 Packet of Taco Seasoning

Hot Sauce to taste, I use Tapatio

2 C Mexican Cheese (Blend of Cheddar and Pepper jack)

Mix all ingredients except 1 Cup of the shredded cheese in a bowl and then pour into an 8x8 baking dish or a similar size. Top with the remaining cup of cheese...more if you like. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 min, until cheese is melted and dip is hot all the way through. Serve with Tortilla Chips.

Chile Con Queso

One of my family's favorite party time dips. We love to enjoy this one during College Football Season and after watching College Football Live last night on ESPN I was inspired to blog about a few snack/appetizer recipes. This one is super easy.....and can be easily altered to accommodate tastes and heat.

3 15oz Cans Chile w/No Beans
1 7oz Can Diced Green Chilies (or Jalapenos if you like it spicy)
1 Bunch of Green Onions, Chopped

16 oz of Velveeta Cheese, Cubed

3+ Dashes of Tabasco (or your favorite hot sauce)

Combine all ingredients into a crock pot put the lid on. Turn on high and let cook until cheese it totally melted and dip is hot and bubbly, stirring occasionally. It usually take about and 1 and 1/2 hours or so. You can serve it two ways......pour over a pile of tortilla chips or serve in a bowl along side a bag of tortilla chips. If you don't have a crock pot you can do this on the stove as well on a med to med-low heat.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I love Banana Bread and back in the day Starbucks use to have a banana loaf that had chocolate chips in it and boy was it good. It was my favorite thing to get there along side my morning mocha (Yes, I love Chocolate). Well they have since done away with it. So I have gone out and edited a few of my banana bread recipes to accommodate a little bit of chocolate. Chocolate makes most things better, Right?

9x5x3 Loaf Pan

1/2 C Butter, room temperature

1 C Sugar

2 Eggs

1 1/2 C Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

1 C Mashed Ripe Bananas

1/2 C Sour Cream

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 C Mini Chocolate Chips

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating well. Stir dry ingredients (Flour, Soda, Salt) together and then combine with butter mixture. Mix well. Add mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Blend well. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Pour banana bread mixture in to a prepared loaf pan. Bake 1 hour until a toothpick can be inserted and pulled out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool and enjoy!

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes

Inspired by our breakfast today I thought I would bring you the best buttermilk pancakes I have ever had. I was not a pancake person and I use to detest all and any pancake....that was until these came about....I have made a few changes as my family and I like a thinner pancake.....for thicker use less buttermilk. Kid tested and mother approved!

Makes 10-12 Pancakes

2 C Flour

1 1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt (I use Kosher)

1 T Sugar

2 Eggs

2 1/2-3 C Buttermilk (I eyeball for thickness)

1/4 C Butter, Melted

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Add remaining ingredients to dry ingredients & stir until moistened. Batter will be slightly lumpy and as thick as you want it. If it is too thick add more buttermilk. Pour, grill and enjoy with butter & warmed real maple syrup.

Summertime Sangria

After sipping or should I say gulping sangria at the old Spazzo's in Bellevue a few years back (since closed) I was dying to get a good Sangria recipe, with the help of some friends and some buttering up of old bartenders we were able to get pieces of the recipe and create a similar tasting one....

Makes 1 1/4 Gallons (Easy to double)

1.5 liters of Chianti Wine (1 Big Bottle or 2 Bottles of 750ml)

1/4 bottle of Dubonnet

3 oz Brandy

3 oz Peach Schnapps

6 oz Triple Sec

8 oz Rock Candy Syrup or Simple Syrup

32 oz Orange Juice (1 Quart)

6 oz Pineapple Juice

Lime Slices

Orange Slices

Mix all ingredients in a large pitcher. Serve over ice with Lime and Orange slices. Enjoy!

K's Cosmo's

A crazy girls weekend, a few cosmopolitan recipes and lots of experimenting created this recipe. It's a slightly sweeter Cosmo recipe then the original but very tasty!....

1 Shaker = 2 Drinks

3 oz Vodka
1 oz Cointreau
4 1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
1/2 tsp Simple Syrup
Squeeze of Lime Juice

Pour ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake and pour into martini glasses. Serve with a lime wedge.

Invention of the Breezy Cook...

I have been meaning to start this blog for sometime. I have been asked to share some of my recipes and this seems to be the easiest way for me to get them out there and also have some fun at the same time....Check back daily or weekly or monthly or anytime to find fun recipes to add to your rotation......Enjoy!