Easy Does It!
BOURSIN CHICKEN AND PASTA
Crock pot cooking.
No oven heat.
No stove top flames.
INGREDIENTS
-1 1/2 lb skinless, boneless chicken
-Seasoning to taste
-1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes
-2 cups chicken broth, water would suffice although not as rich as broth
-1 cup orzo pasta
-2 (5.2 oz) packages garlic and herb Boursin cheese, found in deli
-5 oz baby spinach
-1 tsp lemon juice, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
-Place chicken in slow cooker.
-Season with salt and pepper.
-Top with tomatoes.
-Pour in chicken broth or water.
-Cook on High for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.
-Remove chicken from slow cooker.
-Cut it into 1-inch pieces.
-Return chicken to slow cooker.
-Stir in orzo and Boursin cheese.
-Cook on High until pasta is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 35 to 40 minutes.
-Stir in spinach until wilted. I like mine well wilted.
-Check for seasoning.
-Stir in lemon juice if using.
-Serve immediately.
-Orzo’s rice-like shape makes it perfect ingredient in casseroles such as this.
-With only 15 carbs and 29 fat grams, this recipe provides 40 grams of protein per serving with 448 satisfying calories making it a winner.
Boursin cheese is a staple in our refrigerator with the garlic herb our favorite. It has a good shelf life and is delicious as a dip right out of the box. Put the unwrapped round on an attractive saucer or dip plate surrounded by Frito scoops or Lay’s Ruffles. Good to go!
For a similar recipe in less time, the following instructions will get you there.
MORE BOURSIN
Need a meal in a hurry? Try this. With the ingredients and cooked chicken on hand (which I always have), this meal can be ready in less than an hour.
INGREDIENTS
-1 (16 oz) package angel hair pasta
-1 (5.2 oz) package Boursin Garlic and Herb spread
-3/4 cup grape tomatoes, sliced (Optional)
-1/2 cup reserved pasta water, or as needed
-Cooked chicken (Optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
-Mise en place.
-Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
-Cook whole package pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender, firm to the bite, 5 or 6 minutes.
-Drain pasta reserving 3/4 cup of water. You may not need it all.
-Pour 1/2 cup reserved water into sauce pan.
-Add Boursin cheese whisking to combine until smooth.
-Add grape tomatoes
-Cook no longer than 2 minutes. Although optional, these tomatoes add a big punch to the finished meal.
-Add cooked chicken now to make this a perfect main dish. Leftovers of a rotisserie chicken would be perfect.
-Add pasta back into sauce.
-Check for seasoning.
-Add pasta stirring until all ingredients are completely coated.
-Pour in more of reserved water if pasta seems dry.
-Serve meatless pasta as a flavorful side dish or light lunch.
-With the chicken you have a tasty main meal. Add a salad, and you are ready for company.
ICE CREAM SANDWICH CAKE
Cold treat for hot weather.
INGREDIENTS
-24 vanilla ice cream sandwiches, unwrapped
-2 (8 oz) containers whipped topping, thawed
-1 (12 oz) jar hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
-1 (12 ounce) jar caramel topping (Optional)
-1/4 cup chopped pecans, to taste (Optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
-Mise en place.
-Arrange a layer of ice cream sandwiches in the bottom of a 9x13” glass dish.
-Top with a layer of whipped topping.
-Cover with hot fudge topping.
-Now add caramel topping if using.
-Continue layers with remaining ice cream sandwiches, whipped topping, chocolate, caramel, ending with whipped topping last to be the top of cake.
-Sprinkle with pecans if using.
-Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
-Freeze until set. Allow several hours in the freezer. It’s a mess if not completely frozen.
I learned the hard way. The recipe I used then advised “about 30 minutes.” My cake was not frozen after an hour when I brought it to an afternoon get together. The recipe came out of the Sweet Potato Queens Big A Cookbook, and the full name of the cookbook, which can be funny, cannot be printed here. That bit of comedy helped lessen my embarrassment.
-Slice and serve with your favorite toppings.
I don’t use the caramel topping in the cake, because of my personal preference. I do make it available when serving.
A week in Pass Christian, mostly watching the rain from the glass porch, gave me time to make banana loaves. Tasters decided flour and sugar make a better banana loaf than cake mix.
Boo tested his new outdoor burner Saturday night, the first time we have fried food at home in 30 years, not even French fries. I don’t remember fried food while growing up - except French fries. Moma did fry chicken outdoors on Sundays and special occasions.
Our neighbors, especially Steve, gave Boo instructions for frying, and son Vance provided a recipe for the batter. Dip the seasoned shrimp in butter milk, then dredge in flour. Appetizing fried shrimp and frozen fries were the main course. Heavy appetizers of smoked tuna dip, mango salsa, and chicken wings were prepared in case the fried shrimp did not score well. No worries, Boo scored an A+. Lemon cobbler was the dessert. So simple: 2 cans lemon pie filling in 9x13” dish, a box of cake mix sprinkled across, and melted butter poured over, baked and
enjoyed by all.
NEW TOY FOR BOO
With the ham bone left from my trip to the beach with my friends, I made, well Boo made, white bean soup. After soaking the beans overnight, he added a ham steak, carrots, celery, onions, and a can of stewed tomatoes. Without Ro-Tel tomatoes in the pantry, stewed tomatoes turned the soup pink. Quite delicious, but PINK!
With Sunday being our 57th anniversary AND Fathers Day, I suggested one of Boo’s favorite things. We crossed St. Louis Bay in the boat, docked at Bay St. Louis, and enjoyed a delicious meal on the deck at The Thorny Oyster. Only glitch on the whole day was losing my prescription sun glasses when climbing out of the boat onto the dock. They are lost forever to the depths of Bay St. Louis. Two hours without glasses, which has not occurred since I was in third grade, was not the catastrophe I thought it would be. Everything, everybody looked heavenly hazy. The amazing breeze protected us from a hot sun, and the Bay was totally calm furnishing a pleasant ride home to and from The Pass. Homemade peach ice cream with friends topped off the day.
Jusqu’a la semaine prochaine!