Recipes

Family Dinner Faves: Braised Bone-In Chicken Thighs with Savory Veggie Sauce

September 25, 2021 The Dimestore Gypsy4 Comments

Hey friends! HAPPY FALL!! What better way to celebrate than with a comfort food recipe. I made this for dinner the 1st day of Fall & it was a hit!! So of course, I have to share with you guys. Check out the recipe & pics down below.

Ingredients:

4 bone in, skin-on chicken thighs

1 can of stewed tomatoes

1 can of Cambpells Harvest Carrot & Ginger sipping soup

1 can of chicken broth

2 chicken bullion cubes

1 cup canned baby carrots (drained)

1/2 white onion, (sauteed)

1/2 bag of frozen french style green beans, (cooked per instructions & drained)

Olive Oil

Plain Bread Crumbs

Seasonings-(Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Cumin, Oregano, Parsley)

Cooking Instructions

First, sauté the onion with a little bit of olive oil in a large frying pan, then cook and drain the frozen French style green beans according to package. Set that aside for later.

Clean & trim any excess pieces of fat from the chicken thighs. Season with salt & pepper. Add about 1/4 cup of Olive Oil to the pan you used for onions & add your chicken. You want to get a golden crust on each side. Cook for around 8-10 minutes on each side.

Next, add the can of soup, stewed tomatoes, & chicken broth. Add your 2 chicken bullion cubes, sauteed onions, and seasonings. Stir to mix. I used a generous sprinkling of each: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, & parsley.

Bring to a boil, then cover & let simmer on low for about 45 min.

After 45 minutes, add half the bag of drained French style green beans, & the can of baby carrots. Continue to simmer on low for 15 min.

After 15 minutes, remove the chicken & set aside. Add 2-3 tablespoons of plain bread crumbs & stir to thicken the sauce. Add the chicken back to the pan. Cover and let cook for an additional 5 min. After 5 minutes, remove from heat & let cool before serving.

Dinner is served!

I served this over warm Basmati rice with a side of Brussel sprouts. This dish is so filing, warm & comforting. It’d be perfect for a cold winter night! Look at those veggies & that sauce!

Hope you enjoy this recipe. Let me know if you decide to give it a try!

Thanks for stopping by,

Recipes

My Family Favorites: Mini Biscuit Pizzas

November 5, 2020November 5, 2020 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hello Friends! How are ya? Are you hanging in there?

I know election week has been crazy and emotions are high, so I thought I would share one of our family favorite comfort foods…Mini Biscuit Pizzas!

They’re so fast, super easy to make, & fun for the kiddos too! My 4 yr. old helped with the sauce & cheese…It’s that easy. Scroll on down for the recipe and instructions. I guarantee your family will love them!

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe!

Recipes

Chicken Alfredo Penne Loaded with Colorful Veggies!

July 8, 2019June 29, 2019 The Dimestore Gypsy2 Comments

Hi friends! Doesn’t this dish look delicious! Let me tell you…it was soo good and is one of our family favorites. Seriously, we never have any leftovers when this is on the menu.

This dish takes a little more prep time, but you can certainly quicken the process by pre-chopping veggies & having cooked chicken available on hand to add to your week night meals. I lightened it up with lots of colorful veggies, chicken breast, light alfredo sauce, and whole wheat penne. Read on for the recipe and instructions.

Chicken Alfredo Penne with Colorful Veggies

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 small squash, chopped
¼ purple onion, chopped
½ small bell pepper, chopped
1 cup shredded carrot sticks

3 chicken breasts, chopped

1 jar light alfredo sauce

½ box of whole wheat penne pasta (can sub regular penne pasta)

First I chopped up some fresh veggies. Here i used zucchini, squash, bell pepper, purple onion, and shredded carrot sticks.

Get all those good veggies in the pan and sauté them with a few tablespoons of oil and salt & pepper. You will notice they are ready to be pulled off the heat when your onions are slightly opaque.

Take your pan off the heat and chop up some tomatoes and add them to the pan. I didn’t want the tomatoes to cook and get soggy, I just wanted them to warm with the heat of the other veggies.

Transfer your veggies to a bowl and sauté your seasoned chicken in the same pan so you get all the flavors of the oil and veggies you just cooked. Once your chicken is cooked, drain the excess juice and add the chicken back to the pan.

While my chicken is cooking, I boil my pasta so it’s ready as soon as the sauce comes together. Drain the pasta, but don’t rinse it. You want that starch to stay on the pasta. It helps your pasta sauce “stick” to the pasta.

With your chicken back in the pan, add all those good veggies you just sauteed and 1 jar of light alfredo sauce. Season to taste. Gently stir so all the flavors melt together and your tomatoes stay intact. Heat through, and your sauce is done!

To serve it up, add a cup of penne to your plate and place a spoonful of that yummy sauce right on top. I sprinkled a little bit of Cajun seasoning on mine, and a nice little sprinkle of shredded parmesian cheese!

I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as we do! Thanks for stopping by today.

Recipes

Rustic Roasted Red Pepper, Chicken & Cheese Ravioli Casserole

September 5, 2018September 5, 2018 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

That’s a mouthful right? Let me tell ya, it is delicious! I needed a quick, hearty dinner this week so I put this together. It was really good and my family enjoyed it.

For this recipe you’ll need:

-ready made ravioli ( I used Buitoni sweet bell pepper & roasted chicken stuffed ravioli)

-your choice of marinara

-shredded mozzarella & grated parmesan cheese

-Italian bread crumbs

First you’ll want to pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees, and boil your pasta per the instructions on the package. Once that’s done, turn off the heat on the pasta and set aside. (I left my pasta in the water so they wouldn’t stick to each other).

Pour about a 1/4 of the marinara sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish and spread evenly.

Next, transfer the ravioli with a slotted spoon (draining excess water) to the dish overlapping each other like so.

Once you have arranged your pasta, pour the remaining marinara on top and spread evenly.

Now you can go as light or heavy as you want on the cheese! First I sprinkled about 10/4 cup of shredded mozzarella, then about 1/4 cup of grated parmesan. Lastly, I sprinkled 3 tbsp. of Italian bread crumbs evenly on top of the cheese.

Place it in the oven and bake for about 20 min. or until cheese is melted. Serve this up with a side salad or bread sticks and dinner is done!

Let me know what you think and if you guys enjoyed this recipe.

Thanks for reading,

~The Dimestore Gypsy

Recipes

My Family Dinner Favorites: Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole

July 11, 2018 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a family dinner favorites recipe so I thought I’d share one today. It’s a good one… Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole!! Can we same yum?!

It’s pretty simple and comes together quickly , and you can lighten it up by using low-fat/no fat ingredients. Serve with a side of cilantro white rice and you’ve got a complete meal. These are my favorite kind of week night dinner recipes!

Check out Liz over at realhousemoms.com for this delicious, printable recipe!

This casserole was a big hit and has become a week night favorite of ours. I hope you enjoy it too!

Thanks for reading,

~The Dimestore Gypsy

Recipes

Spinach & Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast

August 11, 2017September 19, 2017 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hi guys! Today I’m sharing my recipe for this yummy spinach & mozzarella stuffed chicken breast we had a few nights ago. Let me tell ya…it is so good!

Recipe:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

1 bag of frozen spinach, thawed & drained

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tbsp. olive oil for sautéing

3/4 cup of shredded low moisture, part skim mozzarella cheese

*seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, garlic power, & onion powder)

Cooking:

Pre-heat oven to 375. Start with sautéing the bell pepper on med high heat. Once softened, scatter the spinach around, add the chopped green onion, and season with salt and pepper. Sauté this for just a few minutes to let all the flavors mix together. Remove from heat and let cool while you prepare the chicken.

For the chicken make a pocket that you will add your stuffing to.

Transfer your spinach mix to a small mixing bowl. Then add the 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella, slightly beaten eggs, and salt & pepper. Stir to mix and it’s ready to add to the chicken.

Now divide the mixture evenly between the 4 chicken breast. Arrange on a 13 x 9 baking pan and season as you normally would. I used a sprinkling of salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder.

Bake at 375 for 40-45 min. or until juice runs clear.

Serve it up with a side of rice or mixed veggies and your meal is complete!

Hope you and your family enjoy this recipe. Let me know if you try it out and what you think!

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

~The Dimestore Gypsy

Recipes

My Family Dinner Favorites: Slow Cooker Shredded Salsa Verde Chicken

May 25, 2017July 11, 2018 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hey guys, today I’m sharing the easiest crock pot recipe you’ll ever need! It’s slow cooker Salsa Verde Chicken.

This recipe is simple with only two ingredients…that’s right! Two!

Start by adding 3 frozen chicken breast to your crock pot. *(This recipe is for a family of 4 and you can tailor it to your needs adding more chicken and sauce if need be.)

2. Add seasonings of your choice. I used a little salt, black pepper, onion powder, and cumin.

3. Pour about 1.5-2 cups of Salsa Verde over the top and let cook on high for about 4 hours, or on low for 8.

4. After the cooking time, pull the chicken breast out and shred. Add the meat back to the sauce and your ready to eat.

Serve over steamed rice & black beans, then add shredded cheese, lettuce, and pico for a DIY burrito style bowl.

Hope you enjoy this recipe and thanks for reading,

~The Dimestore Gypsy

Recipes

My Family Dinner Favorites: One Pan Cheesy Pasta Skillet

April 21, 2017July 11, 2018 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Friday is here and it’s a beautiful day! Today I’m sharing this one pan, cheesy pasta skillet recipe. It’s so quick and easy, and you only need a few ingredients. This is one of my quick, go-to meals on game nights.

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef (can sub lean turkey) *seasoning to taste

1 jar red pasta sauce of your choice (I used Classico four cheese red sauce)

1/2 box uncooked rotini pasta (about 2 cups dry) (can sub a similar shaped pasta) *I used garden vegetable rotini.

3/4 cup low moisture, part skim, shredded mozzarella cheese

To Make:

You’ll need to brown and season the meat to your liking. While browning the meat, boil the pasta according to the package directions. (I like to cook these at the same time so your pasta is ready to go as soon as the meat is done).

After the meat is browned, set your cook temp to low and add your cooked, drained pasta.

Now, add your pasta sauce and stir together to mix.

After it’s all mixed up you can turn the burner off and sprinkle your cheese on top. Pop a lid on for a few minutes and let the cheese melt. Once it’s all melted, your ready to serve.

To complete your meal, add a side of steamed veggies or a leafy green salad.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! It’s a weeknight staple in our home.

Thanks for reading,

~The Dimestore Gypsy

Recipes

My Family Dinner Favorites: Chicken and Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers

November 13, 2016March 15, 2017 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

It’s finally starting to feel like Fall here in Texas! We have been having some cooler weather the last couple of days and I’m loving it. I made these stuffed bell peppers for dinner last night and they were a big hit so I thought I’d share with you.

While out at the grocery store, these huge, bright green bell peppers caught my eye and I just had to get some. They looked so fresh and I have been wanting to try stuffed bell peppers. I’ve never tried them before so I thought these would be perfect. All together, I believe this meal was under $10 for a family of 3-4.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chicken (I used Purdue from Kroger)

1 cup of any rice you’d like (I used Knorr rice sides in cheddar broccoli)

1 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken condensed soup

1/4 cup chicken broth

1-1.5 cup shredded mozzarella cheese for topping

3-4 bell peppers ( I used 3 for my family)

*optional (frozen steamed veggies)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the tops off of your bell peppers and remove the seeds/ribs carefully as to not damage the pepper. Rinse inside and out. Set aside. (Test to see if they stand straight up to act as a cup for your filling. If not, you can cut just a small slice off the bottom to help it stand flat.)
Take a 3 qt. sauce pan and fill with water. Bring it to a boil and add your peppers for 2-3min to soften. Set aside when done.
Next, cook your ground chicken. Be sure to season to taste. (I used a sprinkling of each: salt, pepper, garlic pepper, chili powder, and oregano) While browning the chicken, I used the microwave directions to cook my rice so it would be done at the same time as the chicken.
Now add 1 cup of the cooked rice to your cooked chicken and mix.
Add about 3/4 of the can of soup, add the chicken broth, and mix.
Place your bell peppers standing up in an ungreased baking dish. (I used a small glass rectangular baking dish, but you can use whatever dish you prefer.) Add the filling to each bell pepper and really pack it in!
Next I added a small spoonful of the leftover cream of chicken soup to each bell pepper.
Top each with the shredded mozzarella and bake uncovered for 30 min.

I added a bag off Birds Eye Select steamed Brussel sprouts and our meal was complete!

These peppers were so good and so filling! I hope you enjoy. Let me know how they turn out if you decide to make these.

Thanks for reading,

~The Dimestore Gypsy