Chicken Tetrazinni for Comforting on Wine Down Wednesday

In the matter of one week my children have hit a milestone birthday, got their driving licenses, are now driving without me and started interviewing for jobs to save for a car...I have cried more in this one week than I care to admit and am pulling out gray hairs faster than I can keep up with coloring them.  I say a prayer every time they leave the house in our car and cannot believe how fast the time is passing before my eyes.

This, on top of the winter doesn't want to let up.  We still have lots of snow, chilled mornings and nights and icy roads mixed with wind here and there.  All I have wanted lately is comfort meals, hibernation (and wine of course)!  It's taking every ounce of resistance in me not to power down on a Blackjack Meatlovers Pizza, a bottle of Ferrari Carano Chardonnay (it is Wine Down Wednesday after all), Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream and a box of Kleenex.

I am doing my best to stay strong, trying to make the gym a few days a week and somewhat stick to a South Beach(esque) menu.  Trying....

Well, this casserole doesn't make the diet cut, but it hit my comfort zone for one night (and freezes well for individual work lunches), super easy and luscious flavors.

Chicken Tetrazinni

(1) 16 oz. package of angel hair pasta, cooked
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 chicken breasts cooked, shredded
(2) 10.5 oz. cans Cream of Chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbl. fresh parsley, chopped finely
2 Tbl. parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine melted butter, shredded chicken, soup, sour cream, salt, garlic powder, pepper and chicken broth.  Add the cooked angel hair pasta and mix well.

Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.  Sprinkle the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses over the parsley.

Bake covered in foil for 45 minutes.  (Tip: Spray the foil with non stick spray on the side that will be near the mixture/cheeses, so it doesn't stick.)  Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with more fresh parsley before serving.


One Year Ago:  Black and White Parfaits

Apple Of My Eye Dumplings

Fall is here...no wait, winter is here...no, now fall is back.  Once again our unpredictable Colorado weather served a whopping quick storm through here this week.  We woke up Friday morning to the biggest snowflakes I have ever seen.

The mornings are so crisp and there is a light layer of frost on the grass and farmlands.  The squirrels are feverishly trying to gather everything they possibly can, including my remaining garden items, thank you very much.  They are running around all over our yard, jumping from tree to tree and getting ready for the winter.

Not to worry though, the sun has burned off much of the frost and husband is playing in the season's last golf tournament this morning.  One teenager has slept in and the other early bird teen got up and wanted to cook together.

When fall sets in, I always go into my nesting mode, just like my friendly squirrels.  I want warmth and comfort aromas running through the house at all times.  I bake, bake and try to find fall harvest dishes to warm our bodies.

When the kitchen is not going full throttle, we build fires.  Last night we even had our first fire in our brick lined fireplace.  As my husband puts it though, he says I like a nice "bonfire" going all night.  Well perhaps I do go a little bit overboard on the logs and flames.  (You should see me when we go camping...you could land a plane with our campfires by the light that they give off).

This morning we made these wonderful buttery apple dumplings.  A little challenging for the teenager as the biscuit dough can get a little sticky, but she did great and they tasted amazing.  This dish is perfect for a brunch or overnight company.

Roll apple into blanket of biscuit.

Start lining up these little bundles.

Pour the vanilla-butter sauce.

Add a kiss of sugar and cinnamon.

Makes you forget the chill outside.

Apple Dumplings
Adapted from Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

2 Granny Smith Apples
1 Lemon
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup (1 stick) Butter
1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract
8 Canned Buttermilk Biscuits
4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Peel, core and slice the apples vertically into 8 slices each.  Squeeze the lemon into a bowl of water and add the apple slices to keep from turning brown.

In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup water, 3/4 cup of the sugar, the butter and vanilla.  Bring the sugar mixture to a boil over medium heat, so it thickens to a nice sauce.

Separate each biscuit into 2 layers.  Wrap a biscuit layer around a slice of apple, stretching the biscuit slightly to overlap and seal on the bottom.  Place the wrapped slices, sealed-side down in a 9x12x2 casserole dish.  Pour the hot sugar-butter mixture over the apple slices.  Mix the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture over the tops of the wrapped apples.  Bake until golden brown, approximately 35 minutes.