Left Over Chicken Noodle Bake

I can't think of a better title for this entry but this one of the fun things I have done so far.
We had a get together, my friends and I, and had left overs. We had about 8-10 store-bought dry fried chicken which no one wanted to eat even after the event. I didn't want to throw it away so I had to think of something to make this more appealing using what ever I had in the kitchen. First, I thought of mixing everything with cream of mushroom, noodles and cheese to bake. After taking the meat from the bones, one can will not make it. Luckily, I had a few cans of diced and stewed tomatoes and that did the trick. :)

8-10 pieces of left-over fried chicken
5 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
3 tbsps. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning or italian seasoning
4 cans of any combination of diced tomatoes, stewed sliced tomatoes*
1 - 1/2 tbsps. soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley or basil leaves
500 grams of dried pasta noodles, cooked
grated cheese

Remove the meat from the bones and dice the meat. Set this aside.
In a large pot, heat the oil and butter then saute the garlic and onions. Once the onions have caramelized and the garlic slightly brown, add the meat and saute for another 5 minutes until it is heated through. Pour the canned tomatoes and stir. Add about 1 cup of water and season with the italian seasoning, salt, soy sauce, and pepper. Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid the bottom from burning. Adjust the seasonings.
Cook the noodles using the package instructions. Drain. Place the noodles in a baking dish and pour the chicken tomato mixture over it or mix the noodles into the chicken tomato sauce and gently mix everything together then pour into a baking dish. Top with the chopped parsley or basil. Sprinkle over the grated cheese and bake in a 350 pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes.


Notes:
This can be any flavor of your choice. I used 2 cans of roasted garlic and basil and 1 can of basil and oregano and 1 can of stewed Italian seasoned tomatoes.

Prune Raisin Nut Bread Pudding

When I was staying in Florida, my landlady had too much bread that would be put to waste. I decided to make it into bread pudding. So aside from making use of the excess bread, I had the liberty to search the pantry for other ingredients that I can use. I saw an open can of prunes, a small box of raisins, a bag of chocolates, a couple of biscuits, and a tiny pack of peanuts. So I went to the grocery to get a few more items to start my mini project. And the outcome went pretty well. The top was crunchy while the center was moist and dense. I didn't add any caramel sauce since it was sweet enough as it is.



2 cups granulated sugar
5 large beaten eggs
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups cubed Italian bread, allow to stale overnight in a bowl
1/3 cup prunes and raisins combined
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl; add vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.
In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter, and pecans.
Pour bread mixture into prepared greased 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan. Add the prunes and raisins. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes in a preheated oven at 350F, or until set. Remove from oven.

You may serve this with caramel rum sauce. To make the caramel sauce, mix 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 beaten egg and 1 tsp. vanilla extract in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is melted. Add 1/4 cup rhum and stir well until it reaches to the desired consistency. Pour over pudding or serve on the side.