Chicken Cannelloni

I have had a box of cannelloni noodles for a long time just sitting around with my other noodles. I could tell they were getting jealous of all the other noodles being used but them. SO, to be fair, I decided to make some Chicken Cannelloni for supper and use them up.

Here is what I did (**some of the ingredient amounts may not be accurate as I was experimenting... aka 'dump & pour')

Chicken Cannelloni:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked & finely chopped or shredded
2 carrots, peeled & grated
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. EVOO
1 Tbsp. your favourite seasoning (I used Red Garlic Sansel by Epicure, Salt & Pepper will work as well or Italian seasoning, or a mix of dried Basil and Oregano. TOTALLY up to you. Lol)
2 cups meatless spaghetti sauce
1 small tub ricotta cheese (approx 1 cup worth)
handful fresh parsley, minced
8-10 dry cannelloni noodles
1 1/2 cups grated cheese

Cook carrots, celery, onion, garlic & seasoning with EVOO until very soft and cooked through. Meanwhile, boil water and cook noodles until just al dente. (If you over-cook your noodles they will be difficult to fill), drain and immerse in cold water to stop the cooking process. In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, parsley, cooked chicken, 1/2 the cooked pan veggies and a dash of chicken or veg broth if it looks too thick. Meanwhile add the spaghetti sauce to the remaining pan veggies and just warm it up, stirring occasionally. Put a bit of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 glass dish and fill the cannelloni noodles with ricotta/chicken filling. Top with more spaghetti sauce and top that with grated cheese. Bake at 425'F for 15-20 mins. Mmmmmm I made homemade garlic/onion bread to serve with it. SO amazing.

Petition Loblaws Canada to remove GMO's from their products

To all my friends, family and blog followers: please help me get the attention of Loblaws Canada by e-mailing their Chairman Galen Weston at customer_service@weston.ca. I have sent the following e-mail, you may feel free to copy & paste and insert your own concerns and information. Thank you.

Dear Mr. Weston;

I have recently become concerned about the use of GMO's in our food products here in Canada. After do...ing some in-depth research I have decided that because I love your President's Choice brand so much, I should e-mail you regarding this matter.

I would love to continue to shop at your stores, and to do so I would have to see a significant effort on the part of Loblaws to do 3 things:

- Commit to the removal of genetically engineered (GE) ingredients from President's Choice, No Name and other Loblaws brand name products.
- As an interim measure, immediately begin labeling products which contain GE ingredients and stop preventing suppliers from labeling products "Non-GE."
- Instruct suppliers that Loblaws will begin to phase out all products in their stores that contain GE ingredients.

Retailers around the world have stopped experimenting on their customers and have refused to sell GE foods. Sainbury's in England, Carrefour in France and Trader Joe's and Whole Foods in North America have all committed to the removal of GE foods in their brand name products. PC Organics is a step in the right direction - so let's work together to make President's Choice the People's Choice!

Thank you for your time sir. Have a great week.

Sincerely,
______Name______
___City, Province___

Broccoli Salad

This is a staple salad at all family functions in my family and absolutely delicious! It is also easily made vegan-friendly by using vegannaise in place of Miracle Whip. The original recipe came from a friend of my grandmother's.

Broccoli Salad:

3/4 cup Miracle Whip
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vinegar
2 broccoli heads, finely chopped
1 small cauliflower, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup plumped* raisins
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tin mandarin orange segments, drained


Combine first 3 ingredients and stir into remaining ingredients. Chill in refrigerator 3 hours to 1 day before serving to allow flavours to blend.

Penny Carrots

My grandmother is my cooking inspiration. She has cooked thousands upon thousands of delicious meals in her kitchen over the years and has published two cookbooks. I got this recipe from her after she made it for a family function. It's so delicious and easy I just had to share it with you.

Penny Carrots:

Photo courtesy of yummly.com

2 lbs. carrots, sliced into 1 cm chunks, cooked al dente and drained

1 can tomato soup

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. mustard

1 onion, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

Place cooked carrots in a bowl. Bring all other ingredients to a boil. Pour over carrots. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 2 days. Serve cold.

Beef Bourguignon Pot Pie

Beef Bourguignon also called Beef Burgundy, is a well-known, traditional French recipe. The dish originates from the Burgundy region (in French, Bourgogne) which is in the East of present-day France, as do many of the more well-known French dishes such as coq au vin, escargot, persillé ham, oeufs meurette, gougères, pain d'epices, epoisses, etc. It is a stew prepared with beef braised in red wine, traditionally red Burgundy, and beef broth, generally flavoured with garlic, onions and a bouquet garni, with pearl onions and mushrooms added towards the end of cooking.

I can't remember where I found this recipe, but it's definitely a keeper!

Beef Bourguignon Pot Pie:

Beef Bourguignon Pot Pie (minus the topping)

1/4 cup butter, divided
3 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Burgundy wine (I use whatever red wine I happen to have in the house... Lol)
1 Tbsp. coarse grain Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tsp. dried thyme
2 - 17 oz. pkgs refrigerated cooked beef tips in gravy
1 cup beef broth
4 croissants, split in half horizontally

Preheat oven to 375'F. Coat a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. In a large skillet heat 3 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat, until melted, add carrots, celery, onions and pepper. Cook 10 mins, remove from heat. Add mushrooms, Burgundy, mustard, garlic and herbs. Return skillet to heat, bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer 5 mins. Add beef with gravy and broth. Heat through, cover to keep warm. In a bowl, microwave remaining 1 Tbsp. butter until melted. Brush cut sides of croissants. Cube croissants. Transfer hot mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with cubed croissants. Bake, uncovered, 20-25 mins. Serves 8.

I recently served this to company with Caesar salad and homemade garlic toast, and they loved it! Not super kid-friendly, as the flavours are a bit strong, but sometime you just gotta make something just for mommy & daddy's taste-buds.

Chicken Hurry

This is such an easy recipe to make when you're in a 'hurry!' Lol. It only takes a few ingredients but the flavour is awesome. I serve it with rice & vegetables on the side.

Chicken Hurry:

Chicken Hurry

3 lbs. raw chicken pieces, thighs are best
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 envelope dry onion soup mix*

Arrange chicken pieces in bottom of greased casserole dish or roaster. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake at 350'F for 1 hour.

*If you sometimes don't have an envelope of onion soup mix on hand, here is the recipe I use to substitute:

Lipton Dry Onion Soup Mix:

1/4 cup dried minced onion
2 Tbsp. beef bouillon powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder

This is equivalent to 1 pkg. soup mix.

Carmen's Caper Casserole

My mom used to make this all the time when I was a kid, and since I am making it for my kids tonight for dinner, I thought I would share it with you all. I believe the original recipe came from Jean Paré's Company's Coming Cookbooks. It's super easy to double or triple for a crowd.

Carmen's Caper

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 lb. dried spaghetti noodles, broken into smaller pieces
1 - 19 oz. can diced tomatoes (flavoured tastes better, like Italian or Garlic & Olive Oil)
1 - 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Brown beef & onions, sprinkle with salt & pepper. Stir. Transfer to bottom of 2 quart casserole dish. Cook spaghetti according to pkg directions., drain. Layer over meat. Break up large tomatoes chunks, pour over top. Spoon soupy goodness over that. Cover with cheese and bake uncovered at 350'F for 30 mins, or until hot & bubbly! Serves 6-ish.

PICTURE TO COME AFTER I'M DONE COOKING TONIGHT ;P