Some of Em's stand-bys...

Here are some recipes I posted a few months ago on my blog. Enjoy!!

Chicken Helen (There is a scene in Madeline that where Chicken Helen (very French pronunciation) is served- Josh and I decided this was my version.

You need:

whole chicken

rosemary

olive oil

6 or 8 carrots- sliced

10 red potatoes- quartered

2 onions (maybe less)- sliced

a few stalks of celery- sliced

1 or 2 lemons- quartered

Prepare the chicken- take out any gizzards or yucky stuff like that. Stuff the chicken with the lemons and celery. Make sure you stuff it tight so that the lemons squeeze. Not all will fit. Put carrots, pot's, and onions (and any left-over celery) and smear with olive oil. Arrange around chicken and squeeze any left-over lemons. Sprinkle rosemary on chicken and veggies. Cook 425 for 20 minutes. W/o taking chicken out of oven, turn down to 350 for another hour and 20 minutes. Altho it takes awhile to cook, very little prep time! Great to get going while kids are napping. Also good with buttered bread/rolls and sald or green beans.

Mediterranean Chicken

You need:
4 chicken breasts, raw- sliced in strips
1 1/2 c raw basmati or white rice
3 c chicken broth
olive oil
tomatoes- cut in big pieces
cucumber- sliced and then halved
red onion- sliced
Feta cheese- a package
Mediterranean herbs (at least oregano)
lemon
1 T balsamic vinegar
Greek style yogurt

Okay- heat skillet and drop in some oil. Coat chicken with oregano or whatever Greek or Med spices you have. Squeeze some lemon on it, too. Cook chicken in skillet til done. :) At same time, put rice in a pan by itself with a tablespoon of oil. Stir it up so each piece of rice is shiny. (makes good rice). Add broth (instead of water) and cook according to directions on pkg. On side, combine tomatoes, onion, cucumber, 1 T balsamic vinegar and 1 T olive olive oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle Greek spices and Feta on top (can mix feta in). Add some lemon juice (maybe juice of one lemon0 to yogurt and sprinkle a few spices on top. Toasted pitas are delicious but mine had gone bad so we compensated with rice. The chicken can go on a pita or by itself. Either way, the yogurt is for the chicken. We also like Feta and the tomato salad on the pita with the chicken. It's up to you!

Chicago-style pizza

I don't have the energy to type the cake. If you want that recipe, ask for it in the comments!

Pizza- you need (I am breaking this into steps, so keep reading for rest of ingredients):

Dough:
1 t sugar
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 c warm water
3 c flour
1/4 t salt

Disolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a bowl- let sit for 10 min. Combine flour and salt. Add 1 c flour/salt to yeast mixture and stir w/ whisk. Stir in 1 3/4 c flour until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes- you wnat smooth and elastic, slightly sticky (put flour on hands to prevent stickage). Add most of remaining flour as you need it and as it gets sticky. Put dough in alarge bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it sit for 1 hour. Punch it down after an hour and let it sit for 5 more min.

Topping:
4 links Italian sausage
1 onion, shopped
1 pkg sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pkg pepperoni
olive oil
1 T tom paste
1 t dried oregano
1/4 t fennel seeds (this adds spice)
a few chopped basil leaves- fresh if you have it, or 1 t dried
you cna make your own sauce, but it's easie to use jarred pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce and just jazz it up as I suggest :)
1 T cornmeal
1 pkg mozzarella
2 T shredded Parmesan

Okay- here's what I do- squeeze the sausages out of their casings and cook in a skillet with onion and garlic. When nearing being done, add mushrooms and all seasonings (oregano, fennel, and basil). then, add sauce.

Take a 9x 13 pan (the recipe says to use an iron skillet, but this is what you can do w/o one- I used an oval dish b/c it's hard to fine 1, much less 2 9x13 pans in the UK and I already used it for the cake! Anyway- take your dish and spread cornmeal on it after spraying with Pam or greasing it with oil. Once dough is done (after 1 hr, 5 min), spread it out on pan- it should stretch out to fill it. Sprinkle mozzarella, then do sauce, then do pepperoni, then do Parm. (That's what I hear is special about Chicago-styloe pizza- the sauce is on the top and the main cheese below it). Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Great with Caesar salad and garlic bread if you like carbs!

Chicken Pot Pie and smashed potatoes

Crust:
3 c flour
1 1/2 t salt
1 c crisco
8 T cold water

Mix flour and salt. Add crisvo- use pastry blender or fork to cut in the crisco and mix up. Add water 1 T at a time and toss it in as you go, 1 T at a time. Make into a ball. Divide into roughly 2/3 and 1/3. Roll out each part on a floured surface. use 2/3 for bottom and sides of a 9x13 greased pan. (1/3 will go on top after filling).

Filling:
3-4 chicken breasts
3 1/2 c water
frozen mixed veggies
1 onion, chopped
4 T butter
1/2 c flour
Boil chicken in water. Meanwhile, saute onions in butter. When chicken is done, save broth and dice chicken. Add chicken, all of broth and flour to onion. Then, add veggies (maybe half the bag of frozen will be enough...). Use a whisk if lumpy. Add mixture to pan. Top with rest of crust. Cut slits. Cook 35o for 1 hr.

Smashed pot's:
make your normal mashed pot's and add cheese, cooked bacon, and sour cream- then use a mixer to get it all smashed in there.