Chicken, Bacon and Broccoli Fontina Bake

In January we unearthed a really good recipe from Cooking Light, Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta. We tried it, we liked it.

But to us, it was just the beginning. It was just a shell of what it could be. So we picked up some chicken, bacon and broccoli and tweaked a few things.

That's how we arrived at Chicken, Bacon and Broccoli Fontina Bake.



It's gooey -- thank you BelGioioso fontina -- and delightful -- kudos to Belgioioso, too. It's filling and hearty and helps for lasting in these long winter days in Wisconsin.

But when you get a bite of bacon -- we had Patrick Cudahy in our fridge -- that's when the dish really sings, and the cheese, broccoli and nutmeg dance.

Excuse me while I go have some more.



Chicken, Bacon and Broccoli Fontina Bake
adapted from Cooking Light
8 to 10 servings

14.5 ounces penne
3 small or 2 medium heads of broccoli, cut into florets
4 slices bacon, cut into rough chunks
2 chicken breasts, cut into half-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups fat-free milk
8 ounces fontina, shredded
4 ounces mascarpone cheese
salt and pepper to taste
dash of nutmeg
cooking spray
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1. Cook the pasta a few minutes less than directions suggest. A minute or two before that time, toss in the broccoli. Drain and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Cook bacon until brown; remove from pan to a toweled drying rack or paper towels on top of a plate. Add chicken and cook through; remove from pan.

4. In a separate bowl, combine flour and milk. Add to chicken pan. Stir continuously until sauce thickens up, then add fontina and mascarpone. Stir in salt and pepper; add nutmeg. Add the chicken and bacon and the pasta and broccoli; stir and fold to combine.

5. In a 13-by-9 baking pan sprayed with cooking spray, spoon mixture in. Add panko to the top. Cook in oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Garden Vegetable Omelette Burger

I have been craving a burger for so, so long. A nice, juicy grilled piece of meat, saddled between a pair of hearty Cybros: The Sprouted Bakehouse buns.

And that insatiable appetite for a filling burger led to me to think about how I could make it unique. For weeks I was anguishing over how to do so. Racking my brain here, racking my brain there. To no avail.

But then DudeFoods posted his recipe for Eggs Benedict Burger and I thought of my garden: Zucchini, tomatoes, broccoli, basil.

I harvested that idea and set to take those garden vegetables, combine them with a few other ingredients, and make an omelette atop a burger.

And I used other local ingredients (in keeping with the Eat Local Challenge) in the burger: Cybros buns and Arthur Bay Cheese Co. cheddar. I threw in a couple of slices of avocado for some creaminess, and:

It was a bit difficult to eat (the omelette and avocado slid around some), but it was well worth it. The broccoli and zucchini provided a nice crunch, the cheese provided a richness and the buns brought heartiness.

No recipe needed; cook burgers in your favorite method, and prepare individual omelettes just as burgers are near readiness. Pile it all between some hearty buns, and you're set for the night.

If you made an omelette with ingredients in your garden, what would be in it?

Sweet and Spicy Veggie Stir Fry

This summer we took a fun shopping trip to Johnson Creek Premium Outlets, where we visited one of our favorite stores, Corningware.

And we had picked out a recipe in our "America's Test Kitchen The Best Simple Recipes" book that we wanted to try after we bought a wok. That recipe was for Sweet and Spicy Veggie Stir Fry.

It was interesting for me because I had never tried tofu before (I think I was scared from watching "Clarissa Explains it All" growing up). The fried tofu was really good, and the cornstarch had enough of a bite to be texturally diverse.

And the rest of the stir fry was good, too, although we overcooked our rice and it was a bit soggy. We used fresh broccoli from the West Allis Farmers Market.

Asian Marinated Pork Loin with Roasted Garlic-Red Pepper Broccoli

Winter is the great freezer equalizer. It's the time when you need to hunker down and forage through that neglected space for any miscellaneous items.

That's what we did last week, and we saw we had some pork loin just lying around, waiting to be consumed. We would not argue with the pork loin that day.

Melissa made a lovely Asian-inspired marinade with lemon juice, ground ginger, low-sodium soy sauce, honey and orange juice. We simply marinaded the pork loin and then pan-seared and oven-finished, which allows for a good crust on the outside but just the right temperature on the inside.

There you have a juicy, tender Asian Marinated Pork Loin.


As a side, Melissa threw together an excellent spicy broccoli dish. To make it, Melissa drizzled olive oil over the broccoli and then seasoned it with garlic and red pepper flakes. She then roasted it in a lined baking sheet in a 400 degree oven. When finished she squeezed fresh lemon juice over it and then added salt and pepper to taste. We're calling it Roasted Garlic-Red Pepper Broccoli.

And that's how you get a nice, filling homemade meal during the work week.

Chunky Herb Broccoli Soup

It's that time. Winter hit us hard this week with snow, freezing winters and plummeting temperatures. And just in time: We had an abundance of broccoli just sitting in our fridge, waiting to be used.

So we decided to free-form some soup because we wanted something different than the last batch of broccoli soup we made.

We sauteed mirepoix in a bit stock pot in some butter. Then we added the broccoli and chicken broth. We thickened it up with flour and milk. And we infused flavor with a bunch of herbs: thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, pepper, salt and oregano. We topped it by adding some creaminess in the form of monterey jack and cheddar cheeses.


And the finished product, rife with large chunks of broccoli, carrots, celery and onion.


It wasn't quite what we were shooting for. However, the flavors came together; it was a tangy herb melange punctuated with bites of broccoli and some of the other vegetables. It actually proved to be a good recipe with the flavor imparted by the herbs and the texture stemming from the chunky vegetables.

Chunky Herb Broccoli Soup
(8 to 10 servings)
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
3 medium heads broccoli, chopped
flour
milk
60 ounces chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
1/8 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1. Saute the carrots, celery and onions in butter. Add the garlic and broccoli florets.

2. Add the chicken broth. In a serarate bowl, combine the milk and flour and then add to the mixture. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Add the thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, oregano, pepper and salt. Simmer another 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Add the monterey jack and cheddar. Simmer another 5 minutes. Serve.

Vegetable Lasagna

We are big fans of "America's Test Kitchen" and "Cook's Country," both of which you should check out on local public television. And we recently had an opportunity to buy one their cookbooks at reduced price.

And, as most other home cooks would do, we wanted to make something from it. So we choose Vegetable Lasagna.

We started by processing diced tomatoes in a food processor until they were almost smooth and then threw them into a pot with sauteed onions and salt in olive oil. Before the processed diced tomatoes, we also added garlic, tomato paste and pepper flakes. After the garlic becomes fragrant, we added another can of diced tomatoes with the processed diced tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaves, basil and black pepper. That sauce simmered for 45 minutes.


For the filling, we sauteed the mushrooms in oil and salt and let them release their liquid and it evaporates. Set aside those mushrooms.


Then simply repeat the mushroom step in the same pan, but using zucchini instead.


Then, in a separate bowl, we combined the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, basil, egg, pepper and salt.

Lay some sauce in the bottom of a 9-by13-inch dish and lay 3 no-bake lasagna noodles on top. Place the ricotta filling on and then add more sauce and the mushrooms. Then more sauce and more noodles, repeating the process for a separate layer of zucchini and broccoli.



We screwed up a bit in forgetting the ricotta mixture for the mushroom layer, so our lasagna had a bit more difficulty staying together on the plate. However, the flavors were great and it was a hearty meatless dish.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Even though we're at the tail end of several days' worth of unseasonably warm weather, it is undoubtedly soup season in our household. We've made a couple of different kinds in the past couple of weeks.

The first one we made was a Broccoli Cheese Soup since we had a bunch of broccoli from the farmers market.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
3 bacon strips
1 pound broccoli
3 cups chicken broth
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion
1/3 cup flour
1/4 pound Velveeta cheese
1/2 cup hot milk
2 tablespoons sour cream

We started by cooking the bacon and then patting dry of grease in paper towels.


We cooked the broccoli in chicken broth.


While the broccoli was cooking, we sauteed the onion and bacon in butter. Then we thickened the mixture with the flour.


After combining the sauteed onion mixture into the broccoli and chicken broth mixture, we added the Velveeta, cut up into smallish chunks to aid in the cooking process. Also add the hot milk and the sour cream.



It was definitely cheesy and the broccoli was cut into some nice big chunks, giving a good texture to the soup. It's fun to see that soup season is here, and it's fun to make these soups from plentiful stock of ingredients.

Broccoli and Tomato Pasta

Well, it's been a few days since we last blogged. But that's because we're at a good place in life: In one week, we'll be in our new house. And because of that, we've been neglecting our blog posting duties.

Yet we've still been cooking up a storm. Just the other day we indulged in a vegetarian dinner, Broccoli and Tomato Pasta from Light & Tasty Annual 2004, using up some spaghetti we had on hand, plus some broccoli from the farmers market.

First cook the spaghetti for about 5 minutes and then add the broccoli florets. They should finish at about the same time.

Then, in a skillet coated with some oil, saute the tomatoes, garlic and pepper flakes for a couple of minutes.


Drain the pasta and broccoli into the tomato mixture.


Then add some olives, parsley, Parmesan, salt and pepper.


It was a meal that tasted really fresh. The crispness of the broccoli lent well against the sauteed tomatoes and the olives. And it was quite filling.

Stovetop Mac and Cheese

About a week ago, I was craving some food from Noodles & Co., specifically their mac and cheese with broccoli.

So Melissa searched for a mac and cheese recipe -- this one from Cooking Light -- and we simply decided we would add whatever vegetables we want to the finished product.

Stovetop Mac and Cheese
1 1/4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (about 6 ounces)
1 cup low-fat milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 to 1 cup of vegetables

First, cook the noodles and make sure you take them out just a little al dente as they will cook later when combined with the cheese.

Combine the milk and flour and pour into saucepan and whisk constantly. When it's thickened (we used the same pot we cooked the noodles in, so it didn't take long), add the cheese, salt and pepper.


While the pasta is cooking, you'll want to throw the bread slices in a food processor until they are evenly ground. Throw the crumbs into a pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the butter and cook for another 2 minutes.


Finally, add the noodles to the cheese mixture and stir to coat.

Grab a bowl and get ready for supper. Spoon about 3/4 cup of noodles and cheese and combine with the vegetables. I used peas, broccoli and tomatoes while Melissa when just for tomatoes. Then add 1/4 of the breadcrumbs.


If you add the breadcrumbs right at the end, they will provide a great texture contrast. The multiple vegetables I used also provided a contrast; both the peas and broccoli were inserted warm, but the tomatoes were freshly cut and provided a bit of a cool contrast. The tomatoes also gave a good color contrast.

Carrot Broccoli Soup

For this Cooking Light 2008 recipe, we decided to mix it up a bit during the cooking process.

But just like the recipe, we began by chopping up some carrots, onion and celery and sauteing them in butter for a few minutes.


From there we started to deviate. We chose to skip adding the broccoli at this point because ours was previously steamed and then frozen, so we didn't want the vegetable overcooked. Instead, we added about 3 3/4 cups of milk, which is a cup more than what was called for. We also put in salt, thyme and pepper.

After bringing to a boil, reducing the heat and simmering for about 10 minutes, we added the flour-milk mixture to the pot.

Then we put in the broccoli and chose to add some cheese. We put in about 1 cup of reduced-fat cheddar, 1/2 cup of Monterrey and 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Then we brought that all to a boil and let it thicken.


We topped each serving with some homemade croutons. The cheesiness helped the flavor profiles and the extra cup of milk helped, too, since our base was a bit thick at that point. It was definitely filling also, as we added a bit more vegetables than the recipe called for.

Broccoli and Chicken Stir-Fried Rice

Previously, we tried the Hoisin and Lime-Marinated Grilled Chicken. It was very good. But there was somewhat of a bonus to that recipe: some of the leftover grilled chicken could be reused in the Broccoli and Chicken Stir-Fried Rice.

To prep, we first made 2 cups of cooked rice. Since it needs to be cooked rice, we did this in advance, about an hour or two before we started preparing the rest of the meal.


Then you need to put some broccoli and onions and cook them.

While that is cooking, prepare a wet mixture of chicken broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar and cornstarch. After the broccoli and onions were done, we set them aside and reheated our rice and chicken, which was cut into dice-sized pieces (the recipe calls for longer strips, however). After those ingredients were sufficiently reheated, we put the vegetables back in with the rice and chicken and also added the wet ingredients.


Let that sit and the flavors meld for a few minutes and you have some easy stir-fried rice with broccoli and chicken.