Well, week 2 wasn't any more crafty than week 1. I stuck to a new recipe again this week. I have the materials for a couple projects I hope to complete in the next week though.
So, this week I chose a recipe that I pinned weeks ago, and just never got around to actually making. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I'd ever make it, because it has artichokes and it's a lasagna, and Brian is not a huge fan of either (I am though!). I was pleasantly surprised when I asked if it was something he'd eat and he said yes. As soon as I got the go ahead I put it on my menu for the week. It turned out pretty good, but not as good as I thought it would be. :( I'm pretty sure it's my fault, and not the recipe's though. I made a couple minor changes, and I'm not one for sticking to precise measurements, so it wasn't as creamy as it should have been. I don't want to discourage anyone from trying this recipe, because I did enjoy it! I just need to learn to follow the recipe sometimes. :)
You can find the original recipe here. Below I have the recipe along with where I made changes:
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts *I increased the chicken to about 3 cups. I think this decreased the creaminess. I also cooked my chicken in the crock pot all day. Do not do this! It was overcooked and the chicken mixture ended up with a weird texture.1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA, divided *I used fat free mozzarella
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA, divided *I used fat free mozzarella
1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened *I used neufchatel
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped, divided *I couldn't find any fresh basil at Kroger, so I used dried
12 lasagna noodles, cooked
Directions
HEAT oven to 350°F.
COMBINE chicken, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and tomatoes. Beat cream cheese, milk and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.
SPREAD half the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture and mozzarella; cover.
BAKE 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.
Directions
HEAT oven to 350°F.
COMBINE chicken, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and tomatoes. Beat cream cheese, milk and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.
SPREAD half the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture and mozzarella; cover.
BAKE 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.
If I had stuck with the recipe I think this would have been delicious. The taste was great, it was just the texture of the chicken that really got me. I've learned something though! Don't cook 3 chicken breasts in a tiny bit of water in the crock pot for 9 hours! I think I will make this again. I'll follow the recipe next time, and I'll probably cut the recipe in half. It made 8 servings, and as good as it tasted, I was pretty tired of it by day 3! The best part of this recipe...I got to use my new mixer! Now that I've broken it in I can get to baking. I see some sort of cupcakes in my near future :)
I'm always suspicious of anything called lasagna that doesn't have spaghetti sauce in it, but this does sound pretty good. :) But here's my thought: anytime a recipe calls for cooked chicken and I don't have any on hand, I just boil a couple of breasts in a pot of water for 10-15 minutes. You can put a little salt and pepper in with it or even use chicken broth too if you think the chicken will need a little more flavor, but I usually don't put anything in but water. The chicken can easily be shredded or cubed then and it's totally quick and easy. May sound overly simple, but it works :)
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