Chicken Bake for Children

A friend of mine had injured her finger some weeks ago and wasn’t able to prepare any food for her family without suffering pain, so a group of friends offered to help her out for a few days. With the kids at school, she had a chance to relax a bit, but needed help with dinner, so I offered to help her out for two meals.

With no kids of my own, I was truly unsure what to make. I have heard that children have quite a few dislikes and can be quite finicky at times, so I really wanted to prepare something that the whole family would enjoy. From past experience, with other friends that have kids, macaroni and cheese or chicken nuggets always seem to be a hit, so a chicken bake should do the trick.

Photography by Heaven on Hearth

Not wanting to the kids to be turned off by too many spices, but also having the parents enjoy a nice meal, I came up with my plan: chicken thighs, pasta, creamy sauce and cheese. Children must love it! So I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

I used a six cheese Italian blend that has Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina and Romano Cheeses. It wasn’t too harsh in flavor that the kids wouldn’t enjoy it.

You will need:

6 cups of elbow pasta cooked

4 boneless chicken thighs (about 22 ounces) sliced in thin strips

½ of a medium sweet onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

4 ounces mushrooms chopped (Cremini and White button)

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup cheese Six Cheese Italian Blend)

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

8 ounces heavy cream

1½ cups chicken broth

1 handful of parsley finely chopped

1/3 cup of cheese for the topping

Begin with cooking the pasta as the directions suggest, as you will be requiring 6 cups of cooked pasta. By the time the pasta is cooked, the chicken and cream sauce will be ready. It’s so much easier when all ingredients are nice and hot so the baking time at the end will not be too long.

Prepare your ingredients before hand. So start by slicing 4 boneless chicken thighs into thin strips, then, finely dice ½ of a medium sweet onion. Finely chop 1 clove of garlic and roughly chop a mix of 4 ounces Cremini and white button mushrooms.

Chicken Strips, Onions, Garlic and Mushrooms

Heat a large skillet at medium high heat. Once the skillet is nice and hot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss in the chicken strips evenly in the skillet. Let it brown for 3 minutes on one side, then toss again after 2 minutes. Add the finely diced onions and the chopped garlic and let soften for 3 minutes, tossing occasionally. Toss the chopped mushrooms in the skillet, then season the chicken mixture with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper and toss occasionally for another 3 minutes before transferring the mixture into a bowl.

Creamy Sauce

Using the same skillet, over medium high heat, melt 5 tablespoons butter. Once the butter is melted and slightly bubbling, add 4 tablespoons flour and using a whisk, stir the butter and flour mixture so that it doesn’t burn for 1½ minutes. Turn the burner down to medium low, then add 8 ounces heavy cream and 1½ cups chicken broth and simmer on medium low heat till bubbling for about 4 minutes. Add chicken mixture and pasta to the cream sauce and toss well, ensuring that the pasta is well incorporated in the sauce. Turn the heat off.

Chicken and Pasta Mixture with Parsley

 Take a handful of parsley and finely chop. Add to the chicken and pasta mixture as well as ½ cup six cheese Italian blend. Toss the mixture well, again.

Chicken and Pasta Mixture with six cheese Italian Blend

I used 4 individual ramekins. Fill each with 2 cups of the mixture. Or if you wish, you can use two large ramekins and 4 smaller ones if you have little children. Top the ramekins evenly with 1/3 cup of six cheese Italian blend.

Ramekin filled with Creamy Cheesy Chicken Pasta

Since the mixture is still hot, turn the oven on to broil, on high. Place the ramekins on the top rack and broil until the cheese is golden brown. This will vary with each oven, but it shouldn’t take more than 2 minutes if as much.

Ready to be Enjoyed!

This serves 4. Voilà. The whole family enjoyed this and I was told that the kids didn’t even mind the parsley, so I was quite happy.

Read more...

Warm Pasta Salad with Basil Pesto, Tomatoes and Mozzarella

It’s summer and the heat is on. Here in Lake Mary, the weather has had its ups and downs. In the mornings the sun shines brightly, by midday, the clouds appear, offering us a shield from the blazing sun. Then, by one in the afternoon the skies open and we are showered with cooling rain. So, to make the day sunny during the rain, I love my summery pasta salad, with the fresh taste of basil, sweet vine ripened tomatoes and creamy mozzarella.

Photography by Heaven on Hearth

For the pasta:
3 cups dry Rotini pasta
1 gallon water
3 vegetable bouillon cubes (1 cube = 1 cup broth)
1 tablespoon salt


For the salad:
6 tablespoons Basil Pesto
3 medium sized tomatoes on the vine cut in half then in quarters
5 basil leaves, chiffonade
4 mozzarella bocconcini balls, cut in half and then in eighths


In a large pot, over high heat, bring 1 gallon water with 3 vegetable bouillon cubes and 1 tablespoon of salt to a rolling boil. This should take about 16 – 18 minutes. I like putting the bouillon cubes in the water so that the pasta has more flavor and it adds such a wonderfully full taste to the dish. 


Once the water has come to a boil, add the Rotini pasta and cook until al dente. Please look at the directions on the box. I like to check the pasta, just in case it may need to be cooked a bit longer.
The pasta should still have a nice bite, but shouldn’t have a raw flour taste. If you feel it’s not done, just boil a bit longer.

Bocconcini and Tomatoes

While the water is coming to a boil, rinse tomatoes and cut in half then in quarters, as well as the bocconcini. Cut the bocconcini in slightly smaller pieces.


The pasta should be ready by then, so drain the pasta. Once drained, add 6 tablespoons of Basil pesto and toss, then add the tomatoes and bocconcini and toss again. This pasta salad is also delicious when served chilled. This is such a great summer salad, the vibrant green of the pesto and the rich red of the tomato…it certainly lifts your spirit on a rainy day. 

Enjoying the last bite

Some shaved Parmesan on top will add a delicious salty kick to the dish. This serves for 4. Voilà. Grilled chicken or shrimp would go beautifully with this pasta salad. Bon Appétit!

Read more...

Chicken and Portobello Mushroom Stuffed Ravioli with Melted Tomatoes

We had invited some friends over who just love Italy and Italian food, so I thought an Italian dish would be appropriate for the occasion.

Photography by Robert Demetrius

For the fresh ravioli:

2 cups all purpose flour

¼ cup of flour for dusting

2 teaspoons salt

2 eggs

2 teaspoons olive oil

4½ tablespoons water

1 gallon and 2 cups of water

1 tablespoon salt

For the chicken and Portobello filling:

6 ounces ground chicken

3 ounces Portobello mushrooms, finely diced

3 ounces Marsala

2 ounces onion, finely diced

1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

4 large basil leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

¼ cup heavy cream

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the sauce:

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped

handful fresh basil, cut in chiffonade

32 ounces diced canned tomatoes, drained

½ teaspoon salt

freshly ground pepper

Browning Ground Chicken

Heat a skillet at medium heat before adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Brown 6 ounces of ground chicken, seasoned with ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper 

Ground Mince with Garlic, Onions, Thyme and Diced Portobello Mushrooms

and 2 tablespoons fresh thyme for 2 minutes before adding 2 ounces finely diced onions, 1 teaspoon garlic finely chopped and 3 ounces finely diced Portobello mushrooms for a further 2½ minutes. 

Deglazing with Marsala Wine

Then deglaze with 3 ounces Marsala wine for 1½ minutes, making sure that you scrape all the yummy bits from the bottom of the pan. Toss in 1 tablespoon bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese as well as 1 tablespoon of olive oil just to keep the mixture moist while it cools and take the skillet off the burner. Mix all ingredients well together and put aside to cool, as we will be putting the mixture in the food processor or chopper later on.

Drain two 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes. Leave them to drain until you are ready to use. Do not discard the tomato juice as you can use it for another dish, on another day.

Before commencing with the ravioli dough, prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper so that once the dough is done, you can put the cut out pieces of dough on the sheet.

Mound of Flour

Now to the ravioli dough, while the filling is still cooling down. On a clean surface, measure out 2 cups of all purpose flour, mixing in 2 teaspoons of salt and mound on a flat surface.  

Well filled with Eggs and Olive Oil

Form a well in the middle of the mound, so it looks a bit like a bowl so that you can pour in all the wet ingredients. Crack 2 eggs into the well, add 2 teaspoons olive oil and 4½ tablespoons water. 

Incorporating Flour into Wet Ingredients

Use a fork to whisk the wet ingredients, slowly allowing the flour to gradually incorporate into the mixture until it becomes sticky and heavy and are able to knead the dough with your hands. 

Wet Ingredients Nearly Completely Incorporated with Flour

Continue to knead until the dough is smooth. If the dough is too dry, add a bit more water, but just a little at a time.

Kneading Dough

Put the dough, covered, on the side for a few minutes while you finish the filling. First clean the surface, scraping off all the dried bits of flour if necessary. Use some of the ¼ cup of flour, that was set aside, to dust the surface, just before you start rolling out the dough.

Pulsing Chicken and Mushroom Mixture

The mixture should be cooled by now, so spoon into the food processor or chopper and pulse until you have a fine paste like consistency. 

Adding Remaining Breadcrumbs and Parmesan Cheese

Add the remaining breadcrumbs, Parmesan and 4 large basil leaves that should be roughly chopped. 

Adding Heavy Cream and Egg Mixture

Blend together ¼ cup of heavy cream and 1 egg then pour into the mixture and mix well. The filling is now ready to be used.

Take the dough that has been resting and place on the flour dusted surface and cut into 4 pieces, as it is easier rolling smaller pieces.

Rolling Out Dough

Take a piece of the dough, pressing it flat with the heel of your hand, then roll out the dough, with a rolling pin as thin as you possibly can. Place the other three pieces to the side, making sure you cover them so that they don’t dry out.

Cutting Pasta Pieces

Once the dough is completely rolled out, as thin as you possibly can, use a cookie cutter that is about 2½ inches in diameter and cut out the pasta pieces. Place the pieces on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet and start with the next batch, until they are all done.

Pasta on the Parchment Lined Cookie Sheet

I did two batches of dough, then filled them and created my chicken and Portobello mushroom stuffed ravioli then continued with the other two batches. The cookie sheet couldn’t hold all the cut out dough at once, so I did it in batches.

Each piece of dough should yield about 13 pieces of pasta.

Filling the Pasta

Take a piece of pasta, wet the edges with water then add a heaping teaspoon of filling, then cover with another piece of pasta. 

Closing Ravioli Edges with a Fork

Taking your thumb and index finger, gently press the two pieces together, then take a fork and press the edges close and your ravioli is done. Continue until all the dough and filling is done. 

Stuffed Ravioli

Keep on the cookie sheet until ready to drop into the boiling water.

In a nice large pot, pour 1 gallon and 2 cups of water with 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. That should take about 20 -25 minutes, so while the water is heating, start with the melted tomatoes. By now, the tomatoes should be well drained. Measure out 32 ounces of drained tomatoes. You may have some tomatoes left over so you can pour it back in the juice and place in the fridge.

Heating Olive Oil Slowly with Garlic

In a large skillet, pour ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic and heat slowly at low heat, as you want to infuse the oil with the garlic, but not burn the garlic.

Grab about 3 to 4 sprigs of basil and remove the leaves from the stems, that should give you a nice handful of basil, which you will need to cut in chiffonade, just before serving. Do not discard the stems, as you will need them.

Drained Tomatoes Seasoned with Salt and Basil Stems

Once you have finished separating the leaves from the stems, turn the heat up to medium low until you see the garlic starting to get golden which will only be a few seconds, then carefully pour in 32 ounces of drained diced tomatoes and mix well with the hot garlic oil. Add the 3 or 4 stems of the basil to the tomatoes so that while the tomatoes are melting away in the garlic oil, it is also being infused with the basil.  Season the tomatoes with ½ teaspoon of salt and freshly ground pepper.

Water Boiling

The water should be boiling now. Add the ravioli and cook for about 6 -7 minutes. 

Dropping Ravioli into Boiling Water

The ravioli will initially fall to the bottom of the pot and then float to the top. 

Ravioli Floating to the top

Since the pasta was done by hand, not all pieces will be exactly the same thickness and therefore you will need to check around the 4 - 5 minute mark. Just use a fork to stick the edges and if it is hard, you know you will need a bit more time.

Melted Tomatoes with Basil

While the ravioli is cooking, take the basil leaves, cutting them in chiffonade.

Remove the basil stems from the melted tomatoes and turn off the burner. Toss in the basil chiffonade.

Chicken and Portobello Mushroom Stuffed Ravioli with Melted Tomatoes

Use a slotted spoon to take out the ravioli and place 4 or 5 on each plate and spoon and mound of melted tomatoes in the middle of the plate. I also drizzled some olive oil over the ravioli.

It's time to have a bite!

You can also put the ravioli in the skillet with the melted tomatoes and toss gently, then spoon on a plate.

Voilà. Another easy home cooked dish that is so satisfying. Serves 4 to 6, depending on how hungry you are. I served 4 on each plate and my guests came back for more! Serve with a nice bottle of Italian wine. You can also end this wonderful dinner with a few scoops of gelato or sorbetto for dessert. Buon appetito!

Read more...

Spaghetti with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Shrimp

The sauce for this pasta is done in three steps, with 3 components, roasted cherry tomatoes, spicy tomato sauce and shrimp.

Using the stems of basil only, I infused the spicy tomato sauce for a more intense basil flavor than just adding the basil leaves just before serving. Adding sambal bajak, a very spicy ground chili and garlic oil paste of Asian origin, which should be used very sparingly as it really is extremely hot in taste, brought the desired heat and spiciness that I wanted for this sauce. Plump and tender shrimp gave added bite and texture. Adding the basil leaves just before serving, brought freshness and vibrant color to finish the pasta.

Photography by Robert Demetrius

For the roasted cherry tomatoes:

3 pints cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup chicken broth

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon sambal bajak, which can be found in the ethnic aisle of the grocery store or any Asian store

2 basil stems, free of leaves

9 large basil leaves, cut into chiffonade

For the shrimp:

1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt

freshly ground pepper from the pepper mill

For the pasta:

12 ounces spaghetti

1 gallon water

1 tablespoon salt

Cherry Tomatoes

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

To start, pre-heat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit. While the oven is warming up, rinse, drain and dry the cherry tomatoes, as they will take 20 to 25 minutes to roast. Pour the 3 pints of cherry tomatoes on a large baking sheet, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, making sure that all the tomatoes are covered with the oil and salt, so use your hands if necessary to give them a good toss before placing the sheet in the oven. If you see the skin bursting sooner than 20 minutes, remove the cherry tomatoes from the oven, as you don’t want them over done and mushy.

Fill a large pot that can easily hold a gallon of water and 1 tablespoon of salt, bringing it to a boil. This will take about 18 minutes, if covered and boiled at high heat, so you have time to start prepping the rest of the ingredients.

As the cherry tomatoes are roasting in the oven and the water is heating, start shelling and deveining 1 pound of shrimp, if they were not already shelled and deveined and set a side. Then start mincing 2 cloves of garlic.

Heat a large skillet at medium heat. While waiting for the skillet to heat, check the pot of boiling water, because at this point, the water could be boiling, is so, add 12 ounces of spaghetti and cook until al dente which should take about 10 minutes.

Your skillet should be nice and toasty at this point. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan, making sure the bottom is completely covered with oil, moving the pan around to ensure the oil slides all round. Add the shrimp, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt, freshly ground pepper from the pepper mill and cook shrimp for 1 minute on either side before taking out of the pan. 


Turn the heat down to medium low, using the left over oil and bits in the pan, add 2 more tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped, 1 teaspoon sambal bajak and 2 tablespoons tomato paste to the pan, stirring for two minutes before adding 1 cup chicken broth, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar and 2 basil stems, free of leaves and simmer for 5 minutes at low heat before adding the shrimp back to the pan. The sauce will start reducing to a thicker consistency.

While the sauce is simmering, drain the pasta, remove the roasted cherry tomatoes from the oven and slice 9 large basil leaves, that you stack on top of each other, rolling tightly together, slicing in fine slices, which will be tossed with the spaghetti just before serving.

Spicy Tomato Sauce with Basil Stems

Once the pasta has been drained, the roasted cherry tomatoes are out of the oven, the sauce should be finished. Remove the basil stems and discard. Add the shrimp and roasted cherry tomatoes and toss gently in the sauce.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Spicy Tomato Sauce and Shrimp

In a large serving bowl, pour the drained spaghetti, top with the spicy tomato and shrimp sauce and the finely sliced basil. Toss and voilà. A beautiful, simple and quick dish. Serves 4. Compliment this with a glass of wine and you are on your way. Buon appetito!

Spaghetti with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Shrimp

Read more...