6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL NOVEMBER 8, 2017
Fall Heating
Tune-Up
CREAMY CHICKEN BAKE
Cook's Corner
Betty Kaiser
W
e eat a lot of
chicken at our
house. Cluck.
Cluck. I often buy a whole
chicken and cook it in my
crockpot or roast it in the
oven. With only two of us a
whole chicken makes at least
three meals. The fi rst is al-
ways served with mashed
potatoes and gravy. The sec-
ond meal is usually a dinner
casserole or chicken salad sandwiches. The last (if there’s any left)
goes into a soup.
I also buy individual packages of chicken breasts or thighs de-
pending on how I’m going to use them. Gone are the days when one
could ask the butcher to cut a chicken into parts that included the
prized wishbone. Instead, today’s meat counters (and freezer sec-
tion) hold large packages of chicken legs, thighs, wings or skinned
and naked chicken breasts.
Most of those packages hold way too much chicken for a family
of two. So, I take them home, divide and wrap them into smaller
quantities for the freezer. I imagine that many of you do the same
thing—especially if you shop at the big box stores. I really don’t
think the product is as good once it has been frozen and cooked but
it is convenient.
Frankly, I am somewhat appalled at the size of today’s chicken
parts—especially the breasts. Even the so-called organic ones look
like they’re on steroids. Poor chickens! Still, I buy them and we eat
them. They are particularly convenient to put in casseroles or soups.
I post a weekly meals menu on my refrigerator. It is convenient
and saves my sanity when I wonder what’s for dinner. I am some-
what a creature of habit. Fridays, we always have fi sh. Saturdays,
we always have tacos or something Mexican. That’s a throwback to
when our kids were growing up and they could all invite a friend
to dinner.
My fall and winter menus always include a casserole or a soup.
They are warm and comforting in cold weather and we like left-
overs. This week I used one of the giant chicken breasts in the
freezer for my husband’s favorite creamy chicken casserole. The
original recipe for this came off a package of 12 ounce, extra-wide
noodles. Years ago, I changed it up a bit because we like the thicker
country-style noodles and the seasonings were a little blah.
Recipe #2 is an Alfredo that you can make quickly and easily on
the stovetop. Only two pans are used—one to boil the fettuccine
and the other to make the sauce. Enjoy!
FYI: My last column included a recipe for a Flourless Chocolate
Cake. It is a single layer cake that fl attens a bit when it comes out
of the oven, serve topped with powdered sugar. Unfortunately, the
wrong picture of a two-layer frosted cake ran with the recipe. You
can see what the cake really looks like on my Cook’s Corner blog:
https://bettyscookscorner.blogspot.com/
6 ounces Country Style Noodles
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup onion, minced
1 cup celery, diced
½ cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, chopped
1 (10 ¾ ounce) can cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup milk
½ cup sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (4 ounce) jar pimiento, drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 white or lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon
12 cup toasted slivered almonds
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Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. In a
large skillet heat oil. Sauté celery, green pepper and onion
until tender. Add carrots. Stir in soup, milk, sour cream and
cheese. Heat on low until cheese melts. Combine noodles,
cheese sauce, chicken, pimiento and seasonings. Pour into a
3-quart baking dish and top with almonds. Bake in the oven
40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Refrigerate leftovers.
Serves 6.
EASY CHICKEN FETTUCCINE ALFREDO
1/2 lb. fettuccine, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 tablespoons butter (more if needed
4 tsp. fl our
1-1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (extra for garnish)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon. pepper
Cook pasta as directed on package.
Meanwhile, cook chicken in large nonstick skillet on medi-
um-high heat 5 to 7 min. or until done, stirring occasionally.
Remove from skillet. Mix fl our and broth in same skillet with
whisk. Stir in cream cheese, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, gar-
lic salt and pepper; cook 2 min. or until mixture boils and
thickens, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken.
Drain pasta; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; toss
to coat. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Serve hot to 4
hungry people.
Contact Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner at 942-1317 or email
bchatty@bettykaiser.com
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Sweet stuff: New bakery opens in CG
a Cottage Grove resident by way
of Medford, said she would try
her best to fulfi ll her daughters’
cake orders, giving her a start in
baking.
These Lovely Cakes –a nod to
her daughters’ initials - has been
open three months and had its
grand opening last Saturday.
The bakery sits on the left side
of Childs’ house in a comfortable
nook she hopes replicates coming
home from school to the warm
smells of freshly baked treats.
“A lot of times, we don’t have
that anymore,” she said. “I want
to recreate that feeling here.”
Here, is a space that could easi-
ly be confused with a living room.
Anita Childs stands in her new bakery, These Lovely Cakes.
A large leather couch invites cus-
tomers to lounge while they enjoy
Anita Childs' four daughters loved the
their baked treats or chat and set
television show Cake Boss that chronicles a their food on the coffee table in front of
Hoboken, New Jersey bakery and the fam- them. The home environment can partially
ily that runs it. Now, they have their own be attributed to the fact that the bakery is a
cake-making boss: Mom.
home; Childs.’
“We would watch the show and they
“We were going to move to the country
would say, ‘Mom, can you make this but then we found this place,” she said of
cake?’” Childs, originally from Canada and the location. A large house located on S. 6th
St. “It had enough room for the girls and we
had business ventures we could pursue in
the space and so we bought it.”
The space now churns out Childs' cre-
ations. Previously working as a fl orist has
contributed to what Childs’ hopes becomes
her defi ning product.
“I call it Face in a Cake. It looks like a
fl ower arrangement,” she said. She also of-
fers wine-soaked petals dipped in chocolate
and does custom work. Her favorite job
so far? A cake she made for local business
Shampoo Dolls.
“Eventually, I would like to move to Main
St.,” Childs said, noting she had a location
in mind. “I want to get this location up and
running fi rst.”
She has plenty of help. Her daughters,
now 17, 15, 14 and fi ve still offer their ser-
vices. “I don’t have employees yet, it’s just
the girls who help,” she said. “But eventual-
ly, we’ll grow.”
These Lovely Cakes is located at 325 S.
6th St.
Shopping Spree Winner
Carol has won a $500 Shopping Spree to 7 of our local businesses.
Thank you to all that participated.
A big thank you to: Brad’s Cottage Grove Chevrolet, Toreros, Rogers & Son,
Shweitzer’s Casual Wear, Cascade Home Center and Territorial Seed.
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Effective immediately,
Cottage Grove Garbage Service
will no longer accept plastics as
recyclable material.
If you are a residential curbside recycler
or a commercial recycler using a cart,
please use the new instructions.
How to Recycle in Cottage Grove
Step 1: All material must be clean – no food residue in glass or tin cans, no
soiled paper or cardboard, no waxed coated cardboard, no lids or caps.
* No plastics.
Step 2: Commingle only these items together in your bin or cart:
• Paper: Phone books, magazines, junk mail, newspaper & box board.
• Tin & Aluminum: Cans and Foil only.
• Cardboard: Flatten & place in or next to bin.
Step 3: Set these items next to the bin or cart:
• Glass: Food and beverage glass only.
• Used engine oil: Must be in leak proof plastic container no larger than
5 quarts. No transmission luid, cooking oil or antifreeze.
Contaminated commingle will be left at the curb.