I really love the simplicity of this recipe and have made it several times. This evening, I decided to kick it up a notch. I had made tacos a few days ago, and had taco seasoning left over (recipe from this site.) I liberally sprinkled the taco seasoning on the breasts, then pan cooked them for about 15 minutes. I opened a can of red kidney beans, drained them, and poured them on the bottom of the casserole dish (I used a 9x11 dish). I placed the chicken breasts on top of the beans, added the salsa and the cheese. I then spooned about 1/2 can of diced tomatoes between the breasts. Since I like hot spices, I took a large jalepeno pepper from the garden, sliced it into circles, laid them on the breasts, then added more cheese to cover. Served with Spanish rice, this was a huge hit.

Very good recipe - I would suggest grilling the chicken breasts on the gas grill instead of poaching them to give them a deeper flavor. I also added about 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1/2 cup of salsa to the chicken mixture to take it up a notch. If you have a gas stove, place the tortillas on the burner of the stove for about 20 seconds to gently char them before filling and rolling them.

Very good, comforting soup. I substitute 1/2 cup sour cream for 1/2 cup of the milk. Add some fresh basil and use an immersion mixer to puree it all. Freezes very well.

This is one of my most favorite soup recipes ever, but credit should be given where due. This is from the Moosewood Cookbook and was first published about 30 years ago. One suggestion is to vary the types of mushrooms in the soup - porcini, button, portabello, etc.

This is very close to a recipe I have been using for the past 30 years or so. The only changes/suggestions that I would make are to add a tablespoon of Worchester Sauce and use all butter instead of the olive oil. Make sure that you saute the onions well. (Also, make sure that you slice the onions into fairly wide slices, about 1/2-3/4" wide.) You don't want them burnt, but you do want them browned. I use Campbell's Double-Rich Beef Consumme and 1/4 cup of Sherry. For the cheese, I put a tablespoon of FRESH shredded Parmesan cheese on the bottom of the bowl, then ladle on the soup, then top with a large homemade crouton, then the swiss cheese, and another tablespoon of the fresh Parmesan. For the croutons, take a large wine-glass and press into a slice of thick bread to get the perfect circle for your soup bowl. Spread with butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Put in the oven at 250 for about 1/2 hour or until they are dried and crisp.

This is just a variation of the German "Krauter Butter" or herbed butter. Soften a stick of butter and add the garlic, freshly ground pepper, and combination of herbs that you like (thyme, rosemary, parsley, etc). Place the butter on foil and roll up. Let it harden in the fridge and just slice off a pat to put on grilled food. Everytime I've ordered a beefsteak in Germany, it comes with a piece of this melting "Krauter Butter" on it.

Just a tip if you live near a meat market. I have one down the street and their deli section sells ham slices from spriral cut hams. When most of the meat is gone, they package up the ham bone with still a lot of meat on it and sell them for 99 cents. I usually buy one a week and always have frozen soups in the freezer. Excellent for this recipe.

This was an excellent pork chop recipe. I read some of the other reviews which claimed it was "bland" - so I sprinked the chops with salt/pepper/garlic powder/and cajun spice before browning. I also added about a tablespoon of dijon mustard to the soup mixture, together with some worchestshire sauce. Fall off the fork tender, a bit of a spicy nip, and an all-around hit.

A nice soup for a crisp autumn day; however, I found that, even with the four McIntosh apples, it still seemed rather bland. I added 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1/3 cup of heavy cream and a pinch of nutmeg and it developed the flavor I was looking for. It's nice topped with roasted pumpkin seeds instead of croutons.

I thought this was a terrific recipe for something as banal as "beef stroganoff" - I used a flat-iron steak for the meat - there's no fat on it to trim, just slice n' dice . . . When browning the meat, I didn't do the "push to the side" thing - just added the green onion and half of a chopped small white onion. I substituted a bit of red wine for the liquid amount of the broth, added about a teaspoon of worchestshire sauce and used half sour cream/half cream cheese. Using the flat-iron steak speeds up the cooking because it is such a tender cut of meat. This whole dish can be ready in about 30 minutes that way.

For a little extra "oomph" - substitute Bloody Mary mix for the tomato juice.

This recipe is a great "let's use what's on hand" pleaser. I used a combination of low-sodium beef broth, as well as a tablespoon of mushroom stock base. In addition, you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand. I added fresh green beans, chopped banana peppers, some chopped cauliflower, and a package of frozen chopped spinach, in addition to spinach-cheese tortellini. Once the tortellini is added, you'll probably have to add additional water, broth, wine to compensate for the absorption of the liquids. Using fresh tomatoes reduces some of the salt complaints. I used a mixture of tomatoes from the garden, including the yellow variety. This soup freezes well for an easy meal when you're too tired, lazy, or busy to cook.