Creamy Chicken Lasagna (a.k.a. Christmas Lasagna)

I can't even begin to describe how delicious this lasagna is - you'll have to taste it for yourself if you want an accurate assessment. It's good.

I made this for my oldest daughter's birthday dinner. She wasn't sure what she wanted that night, and I'd had my mind on this dish for a while, wanting to try it out. I showed it to her, and she enthusiastically agreed that she wanted me to test it out for her birthday meal. We are all very glad I did. I will also add that the leftovers of this lasagna were just as good, if not better, than the fresh-from-the-oven servings. It also lasted several meals because it's such a rich dish.

And why post this recipe when it's so late after Christmas? Because it's so good, for any time of the year. We didn't make this for Christmas, but with the pretty red, green and white colors this lasagna produces, I'm definitely considering making it during the season. We usually have chili on Christmas Eve with a Thanksgiving-type meal on Christmas day, but this dish is so good I may very well make this our Christmas Eve dinner, or at the very least make it sometime the week before Christmas in the future.

I adapted this recipe from the one here at my dear friend Ginny's blog, Cooking with Chopin, Living with Elmo. You should check her site out - it's filled with yumminess and heartwarming stories.

Projected prep time: 45 minutes; Projected bake time: 30-45 minutes
Chicken filling:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, pressed
1 pound cooked chicken, cut in small pieces or shredded (omit if vegetarian or replace with white cannellini beans)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

Tinkyada lasagna noodles

Cream sauce:
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend (I used blend of garfava, brown rice, potato starch, tapioca starch and sorghum flours. Use what you want, just make sure it's a blend that doesn't contain xanthan gum, salt, baking powder or soda)
3 1/2 cups gluten-free chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups shredded or crumbled Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
Handful chopped fresh parsley
1 4-ounce jar of diced pimentos
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups Monterey jack cheese

Grease 9x13 baking dish.

Prepare Tinkyada lasagna noodles according to package directions for the energy-saving method (boil for a couple of minutes and then let them sit) until they are al dente. You want them fairly firm. When they are ready, drain and rinse with cold water, then gently toss them with olive oil to prevent sticking and set aside.

While the noodles are cooking, start on your chicken filling. Heat olive oil over medium heat, add onions and cook until clear. Add pressed garlic (or minced garlic) and cook a few more minutes, without browning the garlic.

Add chicken, salt and Italian seasoning. Taste to see if more salt is needed. Mix in the spinach and cook for another 4-5 minutes, then set aside.

Now get started on the cream sauce. In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until bubbling. Add flour a little at a time, whisking continuously, until flour is well-incorporated and smooth with the butter.

Add the chicken broth a little at a time, quickly whisking the entire time, until smooth. It may seem to get hard and clump together at first, but if you continue to whisk and stir, it will smooth out. It's worth the little extra work. The end result will be a thicker, soup-type sauce.

Add whipping cream and one cup of Parmesan cheese. Stir in the salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Continue to stir until cheese is melted and incorporated into sauce. When you use the sauce, you may notice that some of the flour has settled to the bottom. Just stir it again to incorporate.

Remove from heat and add pimentos and parsley, stirring well. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate bowl, toss the mozzarella and Monterey jack cheeses together.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread a layer of the cream sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.

Sprinkle one cup of shredded cheese mixture on top of the sauce.

Layer lasagna noodles over the cheese, then spread half of the chicken/spinach mixture on top of the noodles. Top the chicken/spinach with one cup of the shredded cheese, and then add about a third of the remaining cream sauce on top of that.

Repeat with another layer of noodles, the remaining chicken/spinach mixture, one cup of the cheese mixture and one-third of the cream sauce.

Spread the remaining noodles in a layer on top and cover with the remaining cream sauce.

Sprinkle the remaining cup of Parmesan cheese over the top.

(*If you are making this ahead of when you are serving it, you can stop at this step and refrigerate it a day before you bake it. Add 10-20 minutes to the bake time if you do this.)

Bake for 30-45 minutes until the lasagna is bubbling, then remove from oven. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy every bite!

Please help out!

The FDA has been dragging their feet far too long on this issue. Please join the cause to put a stop to this, and support the great people behind this effort!

Thank you for your support, and to those who have put this effort together!

Product of the week

Sometimes on really busy days when you are low on groceries and you forgot to plan what you're cooking for dinner, a box of instant mac and cheese served with some quick veggies is a great solution. It may not the be healthiest, but the kids sure like it. Last night was one of those nights for us. This gets served around our house about once a month or so, and this Annie's gluten-free version is way better than the Kraft version and certainly just as acceptable. It's also the best gluten-free instant macaroni and cheese I have found, with the exception of Amy's frozen gluten-free macaroni and cheese. I fix it with two tablespoons of butter as well, which the box instructions don't call for.

Rich Roll Cookies

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, everyone!

How do you celebrate this special day? Growing up, it was a given that we would wear green. If we didn't, my mother would be sure to pinch us. She also made green milk (gross!) and green food.

I don't fix green milk, but I do make green pancakes for breakfast. I also like to make green clover cookies. I'm excited to share the recipe with you - because wouldn't you know that I got my luck with this recipe for St. Patrick's Day. It's almost the same recipe (adapted again) as the Classic Christmas cookies, which I am going back to edit this version into it. They are adapted from the Rich Roll Cookies recipe in the Joy of Cooking, 1975 edition, and as I state in the Christmas cookies post, they are excellent for any occasion. This particular ver are exactly how I remember them being before going gluten-free. I top them with a milk glaze recipe, also adapted from Joy of Cooking.

I also like to make "spotted dog" Irish soda bread, which I shared with you yesterday. And, more importantly, I like to read a little of the history behind this day with my children. There are several books out there, but I like the one you see pictured above, Patrick Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaola.

I don't know a whole lot about my Irish ancestors, but the older I get the more I want to explore the history behind all of my family and the countries and cultures that have influenced who I am today. That includes visiting those countries one day, as well. Until then, we'll have to read what we can and have fun in the kitchen.

And today as we celebrate, let's also remember Japan in our prayers.

Projected prep time: 25 minutes, plus chilling 3 hours; Projected bake time: 6-10 minutes
About 30 cookies (double recipe for more)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup organic sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1 1/4 cup Pamela's bread mix and flour blend (not the baking mix)
1/8 tsp. salt (optional)

Cream together butter and sugar, then beat in egg and pure almond extract.

Sift together flour blend and salt, then mix into butter mixture until all is incorporated and a smooth dough is formed. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about three hours.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Take a small amount of dough at a time and roll onto the sheet, then cut into desired shape and remove excess dough. This is how I eventually found success. Trying to transfer this dough is too difficult if you want to keep the exact shape.

Bake (top rack if gas oven) at 350 degrees for 6-10 minutes depending on type of sheet you use. The edges should be getting brown, and the bottom should be brown. These cookies will burn very quickly once they are done, so watch them.

Let stand on sheet for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool.

When completely cooled, top with frosting of choice or milk glaze (my preference).

Milk glaze
Total time: 5 minutes
(This will cover about two dozen cookies, so you'll need to make more if you have a lot of cookies)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. milk (warm will dissolve sugar faster)
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
Coloring if desired

Blend ingredients together and spread glaze over cookies or cake pieces

Transfer to wax or parchment paper lined sheets until glaze is set.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

"Spotted Dog" Irish Soda Bread

All these years I've thought I was making traditional Irish soda bread - only to discover earlier this week that it was actually "Spotted Dog" soda bread I was making. Apparently if you add raisins, fruits, seeds, etc. to the bread, it's no longer considered traditional soda bread.

So, I set out to make a gluten-free version of traditional Irish soda bread yesterday, only to bake up a tasty - yet crumbly and slightly doughy - soda bread. I stuck to the basics without even adding egg, only changing the flours but it flopped. Of course, I have to admit that even if I re-created a traditional version to be gluten-free, it still wouldn't be truly traditional, would it? I seriously doubt our Irish ancestors (my grandmother is half Irish) used gluten-free flours to make their bread. I'm sure it was wheat. So maybe I won't try so hard to re-create traditional Irish soda bread if it can't truly be done gluten-free anyway.

After the flop yesterday, I decided I'd just try to adapt the recipe I've used all these years. I tried last year and it was a flop, but now that I'm figuring out how to bake according to weight with the flours, I thought I'd try again with a greater variety of flours. It turned out really well. It had very much the same taste as I remember the gluten version having, but the texture was even better although maybe just a tad more crumbly. We deemed it a keeper, though. (And it's much less crumbly when completely cool!)

It's adapted from the Irish Soda Bread recipe in Cooking Down East by Marjorie Standish, a cookbook that you've seen mentioned here before. I always opt to omit the caraway seeds, though. You'll need a scale for this recipe.

Projected prep time: 15 minutes; Projected bake time: 50 minutes
56 grams potato starch
56 grams tapioca starch
154 grams brown rice flour
29 grams sweet rice flour
77 grams white rice flour
29 grams amaranth flour
48 grams teff flour
1/4 cup organic sugar
1 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup butter (I use salted for this recipe)
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 egg

Sift the dry ingredients together then cut the butter into it with pastry blender until crumbly. Stir in raisins.

Mix buttermilk together with egg and stir into flour mixture, mixing together by hand until all is moistened.

Place dough in well-greased Dutch oven or casserole dish.

Smooth out the top a little with the back of a wet spoon, and cut a large cross in the top about 1/2-inch deep.

If you are using a Dutch oven, cover with the lid. If you are using a casserole dish or cake pan, cover with a cake pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

Remove lid and slice through cross again if needed, then bake for another 10 minutes.

Enjoy, and have a Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Shrimp Casserole

I still vividly remember the first time this casserole hit my mouth - I remember everything about that first bite. I was 9 years old. We had moved from Louisiana to Illinois about a year before and I'd been missing my Cajun food, or more specifically, my MaMaw's cooking.

My cousins and I used to tell our grandmother that she needed to open her own restaurant. She was the best cook for miles and miles around - and everyone in the community knew it. We talked about the name she'd give it - my favorite was "MaMaw's Cajun Cafe." I loved to sit in the kitchen with MaMaw while she cooked. She'd ask me to taste test all of her cooking when I was there. She claimed that smelling all the cooking made her unable to accurately tell if it needed something else - and I can attest to the validity of this fact now that I cook so much as well. I would tell her if it needed more salt, pepper, garlic, whatever. I loved doing this, and still do. And I now ask my daughters to taste test for me when I'm cooking.

My MaMaw is still a great cook, and I have been so touched by her enthusiasm to want to make gluten-free food for us when we visit her now. I've been blessed to come from an entire line of good cooks. My other grandmother was also an excellent cook and I loved her recipes. I have been given several of her cookbooks, which I use often and adapt the recipes to fit our needs. Both of my parents are great cooks, as are all of my aunts. I'm a pretty lucky girl!

When MaMaw made this casserole for us in Illinois, it was the first time I'd ever tried it. It was a new dish for me - I'd been used to her crawfish bisque, etouffee, jambalaya and so much more. (She is an excellent baker, as well.) Shrimp casserole? Oh. My. Yum. That first bite was amazing. The garlic, onions and mushrooms combined with shrimp and rice in a perfect, creamy bite? *Sigh* The shrimp was curled just right, had the right color pink. The crispy, baked top of the casserole with such tender morsels beneath it? I couldn't get enough. The one thing I don't remember about eating the casserole that day was how many servings I had. I know it was a lot.

Of course shrimp casserole was one of the recipes I had to convert free of gluten. The problem was figuring out the perfect ingredients to replace condensed cream of mushroom soup and condensed cheddar cheese soup.

It's a great casserole to make ahead and freeze for later. It also makes a great dip (without the rice) as I explain below. Just because it's a casserole, though, doesn't mean it's an everyday-plain meal. It's company-special and many friends can attest to that fact. They'll want the recipe, too.

The downside of this recipe post is lack of a great photo to do the casserole justice. When I was making this recently, the lighting was terrible. I was already later than anticipated getting dinner on the table due to distractions from children, and had no time to garnish the top and put it on a pretty plate. Also, it was dark outside and the lighting inside isn't so great for food photography. Next time I make it, I plan to correct this and post a photo worthy of the recipe. I hope you'll try it anyway!

Projected prep time: 45 minutes; Projected bake time: 30-40 minutes
1/4 c. unsalted butter
4 green onions, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced (I use a garlic press)
1 medium white onion, diced
1 c. diced fresh mushrooms
1 c. shredded Colby-Jack cheese
3/4 c. milk
1 oz. cream cheese
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (may want more as needed)
Black pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. salt, then more to taste if needed
Watkins Cream Soup & Gravy base mix (or 1 1/2 c. prepared of another cream soup base )
2 lbs. cleaned shrimp, cocktail to medium size
3 c. cooked rice
2 slices Udi's bread (heel end is fine)

Saute onions and bell pepper in a skillet with the butter over a low-medium heat until the onions are wilted.

While these are cooking, dice your mushrooms and prepare your cream soup base. I like to use the Watkins Cream soup & gravy base and prepare it the thickest gravy base recipe provided on the container, but I half the recipe. You want about 1 1/2 cups of prepared, thick (basically like condensed) cream soup. If you don't have the Watkins mix, you can use another cream soup base recipe. The Watkins cream, chicken and beef soup/gravy bases are gluten-free. Other flavors are not.

Stir the diced mushrooms into the cream soup and set aside.

Now prepare your cheese "soup." Combine milk, cream cheese and shredded Colby-Jack in a saucepan.

Heat, stirring often, until the cheeses are melted and everything is incorporated. Set aside.

When the onions and bell pepper are finished cooking, add the minced garlic and cook for two or three minutes.

Add the mushroom soup, cheese mixture, shrimp, salt and peppers into the pan with the onion mixture and heat thoroughly on low heat for about 15 minutes. I usually use pre-cooked, frozen (and then thawed before use) cocktail shrimp or medium shrimp for this. I prefer to buy them that way unless I get them fresh or I trust they've been frozen from fresh.

While this is cooking, cube or tear your bread into small pieces and microwave on high for a little while. I usually stick them in there for about 30 seconds, stir a little and put in for a few seconds longer. The goal is to get them tough and a little dried out.

Continuing on with the casserole, when the shrimp mixture has finished cooking, stir in the rice and season again to taste if needed. Stir in the bread crumbs.

*Note: After the shrimp is thoroughly cooked and the mixture has been properly seasoned, if you stop there it makes an excellent hot dip. Mmmmm!

Pour into a greased 13x9 casserole pan, or two smaller ones if you plan on eating one now and want one for later. You can freeze it at this point before baking it.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

If you want to dress it up more, you can garnish each serving with a strip of pimento, a sprig of parsley and a cooked shrimp.

If you want to save time in making this, you can chop the veggies beforehand and make the soups ahead of time as well, refrigerating all until ready to use.

Enjoy!

Easy copy recipe format for your personal use:

Gluten-Free Shrimp Casserole

This is my grandmother's shrimp casserole recipe, converted to be gluten-free. Source: Mama Me Gluten Free

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 30-40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Yield: 8-10 servings
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  
• 4 green onions, chopped
  
• 1 bell pepper, diced
  
• 3 cloves garlic, mined or pressed
  
• 1 medium white onion, diced
  
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, diced
  
• 1 cup Colby-Jack cheese, shredded
  
• 3/4 cup milk
  
• 1 oz.cream cheese
  
• 1/8 tsp.cayenne pepper
  
• to taste, Black pepper
  
• 1/2 tsp.salt
  
• 1 1/2 prepared cups Cream soup & gravy base mix (I use Watkins)
  
• 2 pounds shrimp, cleaned
  
• 3 cups rice, cooked
  
• 2 slices Udi's bread (heel is fine)
  

Cooking Directions

1. Saute onions and bell pepper in a skillet with the butter over a low-medium heat until the onions are wilted.
   
2. While these are cooking, dice your mushrooms and prepare your cream soup base. I like to use the Watkins Cream soup & gravy base and prepare it the thickest gravy base recipe provided on the container, but I half the recipe. You want about 1 1/2 cups of prepared, thick (basically like condensed) cream soup. If you don't have the Watkins mix, you can use another cream soup base recipe. The Watkins cream, chicken and beef soup/gravy bases are gluten-free. Other flavors are not.
3. Stir the diced mushrooms into the cream soup and set aside.
4. Now prepare your cheese "soup." Combine milk, cream cheese and shredded Colby-Jack in a saucepan.
5. Heat, stirring often, until the cheeses are melted and everything is incorporated. Set aside.
6. When the onions and bell pepper are finished cooking, add the minced garlic and cook for two or three minutes.
7. Add the mushroom soup, cheese mixture, shrimp, salt and peppers into the pan with the onion mixture and heat thoroughly on low heat for about 15 minutes. I usually use pre-cooked, frozen (and then thawed before use) cocktail shrimp or medium shrimp for this. I prefer to buy them that way unless I get them fresh or I trust they've been frozen from fresh.
8. While this is cooking, cube or tear your bread into small pieces and microwave on high for a little while. I usually stick them in there for about 30 seconds, stir a little and put in for a few seconds longer. The goal is to get them tough and a little dried out.
9. *Note: After the shrimp is thoroughly cooked and the mixture has been properly seasoned, if you stop there it makes an excellent hot dip. Mmmmm!
10. Continuing on with the casserole, when the shrimp mixture has finished cooking, stir in the rice and season again to taste if needed. Stir in the bread crumbs.
11. Pour into a greased 13x9 casserole pan, or two smaller ones if you plan on eating one now and want one for later. You can freeze it at this point before baking it.
12. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
13. If you want to save time in making this, you can chop the veggies beforehand and make the soups ahead of time as well, refrigerating all until ready to use.

Prayers for Japan

The news out of Japan yesterday was so sobering, and continues to be so. My prayers are with all those affected by this devastation, and those working to help.

The first way you can help is praying if you are one who believes in prayer. Secondly, there are many organizations you can donate to that are helping with this cause.

We really like to give to World Vision to help out in disasters like these. They are already established in so many countries, and are one of the first on the ground to provide aid in situations like these. Here is the direct link to World Vision's donation section for the quake and tsunami in Japan: http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?funnel=&item=2200736&go=item&section=10324&

The American Red Cross is also, of course, actively seeking donations and is already providing help to this area. To donate through the American Red Cross, you can text 90999 to give a $10 donation or you can visit this direct link to give another amount online: http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main&s_src=RSG000000000&s_subsrc=RCO_FrontPagePanel

Please consider donating to a reputable organization providing help, and please pray for all those affected and those helping.