Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Cormbread Casserole

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 c. chicken stock + 2/3 c. water
1/2 c. (scant) Frank's RedHot Wing Sauce
1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled from bones, shredded
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/3 c. water
1/2 c. blue cheese crumbles

Preheat oven to 375F. In a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add carrots, onion and celery and cook until vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Push vegetables to the sides of the pan. Melt the butter and add flour. Cook for about 1 minute. Add stock and hot sauce to the pan. Bring to a simmer, and add the chicken to the pan. Simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 2-3 minutes. While the sauce is thickening, prepare the cornbread with egg and water (not milk), and fold in the blue cheese. Drop the cornbread batter on top of the sauce in spoonfuls. Bake until the cornbread is done, about 20 minutes.

(Originally from Rachael Ray, here)

Sausage, apple and cornbread stuffing

¾-1 lb. Italian sausage
3 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 med. red apple, diced
1 med. green apple, diced
1 med. onion, diced
6 oz. fresh cranberries, whole
¼ c. white wine or apple cider
½ - 1 c. chopped pecans or slivered almonds
½ (or more) 8x8 pan cornbread, day old
1 c. shredded parmesan
1 c. chicken stock
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the Italian sausage in a 10” skillet. Move browned sausage to a large bowl. Add 1 Tbsp. butter and oil to the remaining sausage grease in the skillet. Sauté the onion and apples for about 10 minutes. Add the cranberries and wine, partially lid the pan, and sauté until the cranberries pop. Move to the bowl with the sausage and let cool. Add chopped pecans or almonds. Break up cornbread into 1” cubes---it will break up more as you mix the stuffing. Add about ¾ c. parmesan, and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Mix in enough stock to bind it together. Pour into a 2 quart casserole. Top with the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter and the remaining ¼ c. parmesan. Bake at 400 for 45 minutes. (This recipe is very flexible. It can also be prepared in a crockpot or in a lower temperature oven.)

Stuffed peppers

4 large green bell peppers
3/4 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 c. long grain brown and wild rice mix
1 jar Classico spicy tomato and basil sauce
1/2 c. shredded cheese

Heat 3/4 c. water to a boil and add rice. Stir, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30-40 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, cook the sausage. Right before you pull the sausage off the stove, add the tomato paste and cook for an additional minute. Cut off the top of the bell peppers, clean out the seeds and ribs, and trim the bottom so they stand up straight, if necessary. Pour half the jar of pasta sauce in an 8x8 pan. Put the peppers in the pan, cut side up. In a small bowl (or the rice pot), mix the rice and sausage. Fill each pepper about halfway. Put in 1-2 Tbsp. tomato sauce and 1 Tbsp. shredded cheese. Fill the peppers with the rest of the mixture. Top with 1-2 Tbsp. tomato sauce, and pour the rest of the sauce in the pan. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Pull from the oven and top with an additional 1 Tbsp. cheese. Bake until cheese is golden brown (an additional 5-10 minutes).

Snow day!

Guinness braised roast beef

Mock tender roast (about 2 lbs)
1/2 can Guinness
1 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning
1 Telma mushroom cube
1 Tbsp. instant coffee

1/2 lb. fingerling potatoes
20-30 baby carrots

Put the roast with seasoning in the crockpot on high for about 2 hours, turn to low for 4-5 hours. About an hour before supper, add fingerling potatoes and baby carrots.

Crockpot chili

1 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 pkg. McCormick Chili Seasoning
1/4-1/2 can Guinness
1 14.5-oz can Bush's chili beans, medium sauce
1 14.5-oz can stewed tomatoes with celery and onions

Brown ground beef, drain excess fat. Add tomato paste and chili seasoning, deglaze with Guinness. Cook for a few minutes until the seasonings are well-combined. Pour in a crockpot with beans and tomatoes. Cook on low several hours.

Wellmark Blue magazine recipes

Three Bean Chili
*untested*

1 lb ground beef, buffalo or turkey
1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 14-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 14-oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 14-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 14-oz can chicken broth
1 c. prepared salsa
1 tsp. cumin (or chili powder)
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine meat, pepper and onion over medium-high heat until cooked through. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, salsa, cumin and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 1 to 2 hours.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
*untested*

1 lb chicken, cooked and chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 10.5-oz can low-sodium chicken broth
1-1/4 c. water
1 4.5-oz can chopped green chili peppers
1 15-oz can black beans
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top with baked tortilla chips, low-fat sour cream or cheese.

America's Test Kitchen Better Bran Muffins

*untested*

1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon water
2 1/4 cups All-Bran Original cereal (5 ounces)
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (2 1/2 ounces),
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar (4 2/3 ounces)
3 tablespoons mild molasses (or light)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups plain whole-milk yogurt

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray standard-sized muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine raisins and water in small microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Let stand, covered, until raisins are softened and plump, about 5 minutes. Transfer raisins to paper towel-lined plate to cool.

Process half of bran cereal in food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute. Whisk flours, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to combine; set aside. Whisk egg and yolk together in medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar, molasses, and vanilla; whisk until mixture is thick, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and whisk to combine; add yogurt and whisk to combine. Stir in processed cereal and unprocessed cereal; let mixture sit until cereal is evenly moistened (there will still be some small lumps), about 5 minutes.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix with rubber spatula until batter is combined and evenly moistened. Do not overmix. Gently fold raisins into batter. Using 1/3-cup measure or ice cream scoop, divide batter evenly among muffin cups, dropping batter to form mounds. Do not level or flatten surfaces of mounds.

Bake until muffins are dark golden and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out with a few crumbs attached, 16 to 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Sun-dried tomato stuffed chicken

After spotting a delicious stuffed pork recipe in Nadia G's new cookbook, I wanted to make stuffed chicken. Of course, I didn't have enough of the ingredients to replicate the stuffed pork with chicken. I decided to wing it and make up a new recipe.

2 chicken breasts
1-1.5 Tbsp. sun-dried tomato pesto
2 Tbsp. Blue Moose of Boulder roasted red pepper spread (basically, whipped cream cheese with red peppers)
3 slices provolone cheese
1/4 teas. crushed red pepper
several dashes of tabasco

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim excess fat from the chicken and split open like a book. Mix the sun-dried tomato pesto and the roasted red pepper cream cheese together. In each of the split chicken breasts, arrange 1.5 slices provolone and half the mixed spread. Season with salt and pepper. Pre-heat an 8" skillet. Lightly coat the bottom with canola oil. Sear the chicken on both sides. After you flip the chicken, put the lid on the pan. Cook approximately half-way through on the stove top, and then put in the oven to finish - about 15 minutes. Once the chicken is done, remove the chicken to a plate. Return the pan to the stove. Add about 1/4 teas. of crushed red pepper and a half-dozen dashes of tabasco. Cook over medium low heat until the sauce is reduced.