FEATURED RECIPE ARCHIVE 10/9/05-10/16-05: Easy Chicken Cacciatore Prep: 10 min, Cook time, 10 min. Ingredients: 1 tsp. olive oil; 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips (I'm not fond of a lot of bell pepper so sometimes leave this out); 1 container (15 oz.) refrigerated marinara sauce; 1/2 cup water; 2 cups hot, cooked rice HEAT oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. ADD chicken and bell pepper, cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned. ADD sauce and water to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in cooked rice. Serve with a salad and garlic bread and you've got a quick and delicious meal! 10/16/05-10/24/05: Baked Oatmeal Prep: 5 min, Cook time, 30 min. Ingredients: 2 c. old-fashioned oats; 1/4 c. veg. oil (canola is good); 1/4 tsp. salt; 1 tsp. cinnamon; 3/4 c. milk; 1 tsp. baking powder; 2 eggs; 1/2 c. packed brown sugar Preheat to 350 degrees. Mix above together and press into 8-inch square pan (ungreased). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done, starting to brown and cooked through. (Optional: Serve with warm milk. Stewed or baked apples poured over it is very good, too, as is apples or dried blueberries baked into the cake.) This makes an excellent breakfast or snack. Very nutritious as well as delicious! It's a favorite in this house, especially on cold mornings. I don't care for regular oatmeal cereal, but this stuff is excellent! 10/24/05-10/31/05: Quick Drop Biscuits Prep: About 7 min, Cook time, 12-15 min. Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 3 tsp. double-acting baking powder (Sift these together in large bowl). 4 to 6 tbsp. chilled butter (real tastes the best). 1 cup milk. Preheat to 450 degrees. Sift the first ingredients together in large bowl, then cut chilled butter into dry ingredients (if you have a pastry blender this does the job quickly) to mix well. Then make a well in the center of the mixture and add the 1 cup milk all at once, stirring to mix until blended well for about a minute (you shouldn't need more time than this). Drop from a spoon onto an ungreased sheet or drop into ungreased muffin tins and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. These biscuits are the best! They really are very quick to make and they are SO GOOD! I use the muffin tins to make mine, and I cook on the top rack because my oven tends to cook the bottoms of muffins, biscuits and cookies a little too well if they aren't on the very top. If you are ever looking for a quick and easy supper, make these and serve them with butter and jelly along with some scrambled eggs. The family will love it and you will too! 10/31/05-11/6/05: Italian Lentil Soup Prep: About 15 min, Cook time, 45 min. Ingredients: 2 medium carrots, sliced (1 cup); 1 stalk celery, sliced (1/2 cup); 1 small onion, chopped (1/3 cup); 1 tbsp. olive oil; 5 cups water; 1/2 of a small head of cabbage, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups); 1 cup dry lentils, rinsed and drained; 1 cup tomato puree; 1 1/2 tsp. sugar; 1 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed; 1/4 tsp. pepper In a large saucepan cook carrots, celery and onion in hot olive oil for about 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in water, cabbage, lentils, tomato puree, sugar, salt, oregano and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until lentils are very soft. Ladle into bowls. Makes 5 main-dish servings. This a great recipe for a cold breezy day! This is one of my daughter's favorite recipes, but the whole family enjoys it. I don't care for celery, so I omit this from ours, and usually use a little less cabbage and a little more onion. Serve it up with some cornbread for a healthy and hearty meal! 11/6/05-11/13/05: Easy Taco Pie Prep: About 15 min, Cook time, about 15 min. Ingredients: An average size package of ground beef (about 1 lb.); shredded cheese of your choice (I use colby-jack); 1 can of refrigerated crescent rolls; 1 package of taco seasoning Preheat oven to specified temperature on crescent rolls package. Spread crescent rolls into a deep dish pie plate, letting some hang over the sides. Brown ground beef and drain, season with taco seasoning. Sprinkle cheese into pan, top with beef, sprinkle more cheese. Cover the beef and cheese with the rest of crescent rolls, pinch together. It should all be covered. Bake about the same amount of time it states for crescent rolls on package, or until the crust is done and starting to brown. Serve with sour cream, salsa, or any other taco extras! Quick and easy, this is a crowd pleaser to throw together for last-minute gatherings, or a no-brainer meal for the family if you serve it with some salad! If you like onions, you can add chopped onion to the beef while cooking and it tastes great! I've used this same idea with sausage, scrambled eggs and cheese and potatoes, scrambled eggs and cheese to make a delicious breakfast dish! Get creative and make your own filling! Easy Baked Macaroni and Cheese Prep: About 15 min, Cook time, 35-40 min. Ingredients: 2 cups macaroni noodles (just get average size bag of macaroni noodles, regular or large); 2 cups Velveeta cheese, 2 cups milk; 2 tbsp. butter or margarine Grease 9x13 pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook macaroni, drain. Melt cheese, milk and butter in microwave. Add macaroni to cheese mixture. Pour into pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes. This isn't the most healthy dish, but it sure is easy and a crowd-pleaser. It feeds several, also, so it's great for potlucks!