Spinach, artichoke & chicken penne

*Salt
* 1 pound penne rigate or whole wheat or whole grain penne rigate
* 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 small pieces)
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 3-4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
* Black pepper
* 2 slightly rounded tablespoons flour
* 1/2 cup dry white wine (I didn't have any on hand..so i just used extra chicken stock)
* 1 cup chicken stock
* 1 cup cream or whole milk
* A few grates of nutmeg
* 1 box chopped frozen spinach (10 ounces), defrosted, wrung dry and separated
* 1 can artichoke hearts in water (14 ounces), drained well and chopped
* 1 cup grated Asiago or provolone cheese (I used asiago)
* Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water and cook the pasta to al dente.

Meanwhile, poach the chicken: Place the chicken in small pan and add water to the top of the meat, but do not cover completely. Add the bay leaf and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and gently simmer to cook through, 10-12 minutes. Shred the meat into small pieces with forks or dice into small pieces. Set aside.

While the chicken cooks, heat the olive oil in large, deep sauté pan over medium heat. Melt the butter into the olive oil, then add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle the flour over the cooked onion and garlic and stir for 1 minute, then whisk in the white wine. Add the stock and stir for 1 minute, then stir in the cream and season with nutmeg. Thicken the sauce for a couple of minutes over low heat, then stir in the spinach and artichokes and heat through. Melt the Asiago or provolone cheese into the sauce and turn off the heat.

Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce and chicken to combine, adjusting the salt and pepper to your taste. Garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup egg beaters (or 1 egg)
1 cup skim milk*
2 tablespoons canola oil

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.  Combine the egg, milk, and oil.  Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened-may be lumpy.  Makes approximately 10 smallish pancakes.

Substitute buttermilk and use 1 cup buttermilk, reduce to 1 teaspoon baking powder and add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.

Navy Bean Chicken Chili

Navy Bean Chicken Chili
White Bean Chili
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
1 pound dried navy beans
5 cups chicken stock
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¾ cup diced onion
1 ½ cups chopped green chiles (fresh or canned)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 to 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
½ teaspoon white pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
½ bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
Rinse beans well, cover with cool water, and soak for 2 hours. Drain. Place beans in large pot with chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat. In a saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and chiles and saute for 5 minutes. Add chile mixture to pot with beans. Add chicken, cumin, oregano, pepper, white pepper, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Lower he.at to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 1/2 hours. Serve with cornbread, if desired.
Les’ version - I used 2 pounds of small white navy beans, I soaked them overnight, about 10 hours, Add water just to the top of the beans and simmer for about 8 hours in the crock pot, low setting; Add two cans of chicken broth; I sautéed one large white onion in about two tablespoons of butter, I used all of the oregano and maybe 1 teaspoon of cumin, and 11/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 1 / 2 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, because I used water to cook the beans I added bullion power to compensate for the water. I cubed the chicken breasts, and did not use the garlic or the chilies. I added the cilantro at the end and cooked on high for another 2 hours.

Junior Mint Brownies

I have dessert as my assignment for my dinner group this week and I couldn't think of a single thing I wanted to make. When I was at the store I bought a box of Junior Mints because they sounded really good and thought that there must be a recipe somewhere that included them...here is one of them I found! Sooooo good!

5 1/2 ounces *Junior Mints
1 1/2 cups butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
5 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.

In a large bowl, stir together melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, and whisk until well blended.

Sift in cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add flour, baking powder and salt and blend well.

Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Arrange Junior Mints in a single layer over batter. Carefully spread the remaining batter on top, covering the Junior Mints. Use a knife or spatula to smooth the top of the batter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.

* use mini York Peppermint Patties instead of Junior Mints. Part of the white mint will remain unmelted, so your brownies will have a nice white stripe in the centre when you slice them into squares.