Monterey Chicken (or Turkey)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday!  We had a nice quiet day just our little family of 3.  It was close to 70 degrees in Colorado, and just a beautiful day.  I of course made way too much food, but how can you not on Thanksgiving!  I did buy the smallest turkey I could found, but even that was 13 pounds.  Needless to say we will be eating turkey for awhile! 

I made this chicken dish the other night,and it was really good.  You could easily use left over turkey for this and transform it into something completely new.  It was supposed to be topped with green onions (which would have been perfect), but I didn't have any.  Next time I am going use a few slices of real bacon to crumble on top, instead of the store bought ones.  I am sure with that and the green onions it will become a family favorite.  I promise, it tastes better than it looks!  I need to get the hang of taking pictures when it is completely black out!

Monterey Chicken or (Turkey)
Adapted from All the Simple Things
Printable Recipe

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup Barbeque Sauce
1/4 cup  real bacon bits
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 14 oz. can Rotel tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
Dash black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pound out chicken breasts to about 1/2 in thick.  Season each side with black pepper. Cook chicken (grill, saute, bake) until no longer pink.  Put on a baking sheet covered in foil.  Top each chicken breast with about 1 Tbls barbeque sauce, 1/4 c cup cheese, 1/4 cup tomatoes, 1 Tbls green onions and 1 Tbls of bacon bits. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. 

Taco Cups

Tonight is the last night in our house.  The movers come tomorrow to load up everything, and then we are on our way to Colorado.  My son’s teacher is throwing him a going away party at school today.  He is very excited for that, but he really is going to miss all of his friends and his teacher.  He is such a sensitive little boy, I feel bad for him today.  It is sad to leave everyone, but what is to come is so exciting.  Unfortunately, at age 6 you just don’t understand that.  He is very excited to get to see Daddy again, and for the separation to be over.  That part has been harder on him than I ever thought it would be. 

In my mission to clean out my kitchen I came up with these little Taco Cups.  I had leftover Wonton Wrappers and Taco Meat.  I thought the Wontons would make a great “shell”.  They didn’t get as crispy as I would have liked, but I think my impatience was the problem there.  There isn’t really a recipe here, so I will just tell you what I did.

I filled muffin tins with 2 wonton wrappers each.  I laid them at angles, so all of the sides were covered.  Spray with nonstick spray, and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.  You have to watch them, so they don’t burn.  Fill with whatever toppings you want!  I picked Taco Meat, Cheese, Guacamole, and Tomatoes.  I mixed the warm taco meat and the cheese together, so the cheese was nice and melted.  You could add in black beans, corn, salsa, black olives...the possibilities are endless!  This made for a quick lunch, so I could get back to packing! 

This would make a fun appetizer for a party too!  You could set up a little “bar” and everyone could pick their own toppings.  I love serving fun, finger foods at parties.  It always seems like everyone has more fun!

Taco Pizza

Pizza isn't my favorite.  Don't worry, keep reading!  I am still the same blogger you know and love :)  I eat pizza, and enjoy it, but I could also go without it.  Taco Pizza on the other hand, that I love!  Unfortunately my family does not agree with me, so I almost never get it.  For a girls night in, my friend Katie and I have been known to get Taco Pizza from a local place, along with a pack of Budweiser Select.  Only 55 calories a piece.....girl math (counteracts the calories in the pizza).   We may or may not play Just Dance on the Wii as well.  Just one of the things I am really going to miss with moving 800 miles away :(

My 6 year old loves to make pizza at home.  Recently, I got the brilliant idea to make myself Taco Pizza on these nights!  Genius! In the process of cleaning out my freezer, I found a couple balls of Naan dough.  These were the perfect size for our dinner.  My son made his a plain cheese pizza, but I topped mine to the max!  I am so excited to add this to our pizza nights. 


Taco Pizza
Printable Recipe

1 pound pizza dough (recipe found here)
Taco Meat
Refried Beans (optional, I don't use them)
1/4 cup Taco Sauce
1 cup Cheddar Cheese
1 1/2 cup Lettuce, chopped
1 Tomato, chopped
1/4 cup Black Olives, chopped
1 cup Nacho Cheese Doritos, crushed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roll dough out onto a greased baking tray.  Pierce dough with a fork.  Bake for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven.

Spread Taco Sauce over dough.  If using beans mix them in with the meat.  Spread meat over the sauce.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.  Top with lettuce, tomato, black olives and Doritos.  You can also top with more cheese and serve with additional taco sauce as desired. 

Chick Fil-A Chicken Nuggets

Today we finalized some plans for our move to Colorado.  On Friday November 11^th the movers will be here to load the truck and start the trek out there.  I am excited to have a plan and get to be a family again!  But, then I realize how much I have to do in the next 10 days, and I start to hyperventilate.  So if I am not around as much, you know why! 

I have mentioned this before, I love Pinterest!  If you are not on there, but want to be let me know and I will send you an invite!  Awhile ago, I found a recipe on Pinterest for Chick Fil-A chicken nuggets.  I have grown up in the Midwest my entire life, so my exposure to Chick Fil-A is very limited.  My sister-in-law lives in Florida, so we go there when we are visiting her.  But really, that is about it.  That being said, I am still a big fan of Chick Fil-A. And really, who doesn’t love the cow commercials?  So I was super excited to try this recipe.  Unfortunately, I didn’t think it lived up to Chick Fil-A (to be completely fair the recipe doesn’t say they taste exactly the same, just close).  They were great, and I will make them again for sure. My 6 year old and I ate all of them!  But, they weren’t Chick Fil-A to me. 

Chick Fil-A Nuggets

From My Name is Snickerdoodle

Printable Recipe

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
2 Tbls powdered sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Canola Oil for frying

Trim and cut the chicken into bit sized pieces.  Whisk egg and milk together. Place chicken in milk mixture, and cover. Let stand for 2-4 hours in the fridge.

Place 2 inches of oil into a deep pan.  Heat over medium high heat until the oil is hot (375 degrees).  If you don’t have a thermometer you can see the oil is hot enough by placing the handle of a wooden spoon straight up and down in the center of the pot.  If bubbles start to form around the spoon, your oil is hot and you are ready.

In a zip-lock bag mix together flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper. Remove chicken from mix, and place in the flour mixture.  Shake to coat.  Put about 8 nuggets into the pan.  It depends on how big your pan is for how many you can fit in.  Just be careful not to overcrowd.  Cook for about 1 minute on each side, or until golden brown.  Remove chicken and drain on a paper towel.  You could place on a rack in a hot oven to keep them warm if you are making a lot of them. 

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin and Sausage Baked Pasta

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween yesterday.  After the sugar coma I think everyone is in today, I am making you a healthy pasta dish.  It has pumpkin, which when made without all the sugar of a baked good, is really healthy for you.  I found this pasta recipe over at I was Born to Cook.  I have never had pumpkin with pasta before.  I have seen it before, but never been brave enough to try it  (I am a picky eater).  With my husband (non pumpkin lover) in Colorado and me here with my pumpkin loving 6 year old, I thought it was the perfect time to try it.  It was so good!  I will be making this again for my husband.  It doesn’t taste like pumpkin at all to me.  It just tastes like this rich and creamy pasta dish.  I really think that with all the sausage and sage in there, if I didn’t tell him it had pumpkin, he would never know.  My 6 year old ate it, but didn’t love it.  Now to be fair, he isn’t really a fan of noodles.  He did eat everything I gave him (I may have bribed him with these for dessert).  

Here are a few pictures from our Halloween.  My 6 year old was Perry the Platypus from Phineus and Ferb.  He was quite the hit with the teenagers who were answering the doors.

Pumpkin and Sausage Baked Pasta
Slightly adapted from I was Born to Cook

Printable Recipe

1 lb Italian Turkey sausage
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon dried sage
Salt
1/3 cup heavy cream (half and half or 2 % milk will work too)

1 box penne pasta, cooked
½ cup Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a large pan brown sausage, until cooked through.  Remove from pan and drain over paper towel.  Set aside.

Using any oil (up to 2 Tbls) from the sausage, sauté onion, garlic and crushed red pepper until soft.  Stir in pumpkin, chicken stock and sage.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt.

Stir in heavy cream and sausage.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce comes together and thickens slightly.  Remove from heat, and add pasta.  Toss everything together. 

Place mixture in a casserole dish sprayed with non stick spray.  Top with Parmesan Cheese.  Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Steph's Virtual Bridal Shower - Risotto and Cupcakes!

Have you heard?  Steph from Steph's Bite by Bite is getting married!  October 29^th is her big day!  Kita from Pass the Sushi had the wonderful idea of having a Virtual Bridal Shower for Steph to celebrate.  So today we get to share some of our romantic meals with Steph.  After 10 years of marriage I would like to think I know a little bit about romantic meals.  Today I am giving you my Sausage and Mushroom Risotto with Red Velvet Cupcakes for dessert. 

My husband and I had this risotto 6 years ago at my sister in law’s rehearsal dinner.  It was so good; I had to try to make it at home.  It isn’t quite the same, but it is rich, creamy, and delicious.  Serve with a glass of wine, and you have a romantic dinner, perfect for a cool night.  But you have to have dessert too, right?  Anything red just says sexy to me, so Red Velvet Cupcakes fit the bill.  Plus they are cute and little, so you don’t get too full.

Congrats Steph!  I hope you and Lucas have a long and happy life together!  I can’t wait to see pictures from your special day.

Sausage and Mushroom Risotto

Printable Recipe

3 cups chicken stock

3 cups beef stock

2 Tbls olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz Shitaki Mushrooms

½ tsp thyme

1 lb Italian Sausage

1 Tbls butter

Salt and pepper

2 cups Arborio Rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Combine Chicken and Beef stock in a sauce pan.  Warm over low heat. 

In a separate skillet, sauté mushrooms and the thyme together.  Sprinkle mushrooms with salt and pepper once lightly browned.  Set aside. 

In another skillet brown the sausage.  Discard the fat, and set aside. 

In a large skillet heat 2 Tbls oil over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic.  Sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice and coat well with the oil.  Lightly toast the rice, about 2 minutes.  Stir in wine, and cook until it is almost evaporated.  Ladle about 1 cup of warm stock into the rice and stir.  Once it is mostly absorbed add in more stock (1 ladle full each time).  Continue this process until the rice is cooked through and nice and creamy.  You might have a little stock left over, but not much. 

Once cooked through, add mushrooms and sausage to the pan.  Stir in the Parmesan Cheese and butter.  Top with additional cheese if desired. 

For the Red Velvet Cupcakes go to Dessert For Two for the recipe!  The recipe makes 4 cupcakes - how perfect is that!

Greek Cinnamon Stewed Chicken

It is that time again….Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day!  Don’t know what Secret Recipe Club is?  Go check it out here!  Amanda puts so much work into coordinating this fun event each month.  Thanks Amanda, you do a wonderful job!

This month I was assigned I Was Born To Cook.  Melissa has an amazing blog!  I had never seen her site before, but now I am so glad I found it!  Melissa was born and raised in New Jersey, but comes from a Greek/Italian family.  I think her tag line says it all “A journal of recipes, stories and more from the kitchen of a 1st generation Italian/Greek girl from New Jersey.”  I immediately decided I was going to try something Greek.  I had a really hard time picking; there were so many great looking Greek, Italian and Desserts recipes.  But I stuck to my guns, and went Greek.  And I guarantee I will be trying more of her recipes soon.

I finally decided on this Greek Cinnamon Stewed Chicken.  I must say, I loved this chicken.  Cinnamon is the Greek twist here for sure.  I hardly ever use cinnamon in savory dishes.  My husband didn’t like this as much as I did, but he ate a large piece, so he must not have had that many problems with it!  The recipe calls for skin on, bone in chicken.  I only had boneless skinless chicken breasts, but I think it worked well.  It was still crispy on the outside, and moist and juicy on the inside.  The sauce was amazing!  I liked it so much, I put it on my couscous too! 

Melissa got this recipe here by Cat Cora.  Being that I am not experienced with this type of cuisine, I did not make any changes to the recipe (well, aside from the kind of chicken I used).  I cut down on the amount of chicken I was making, because only two of us were eating it.  But I made the full amount of the sauce.  I had some leftover, but it was so good I am glad I made more than enough of it! 

 

Chicken in a French Pan Sauce and Polenta Fry Fail

What a great weekend!  On Friday afternoon my 6 year old and I drove to Minnesota.  We went to see my best friend Beth and her family.  We got to go out to my favorite pizza restaurant for dinner, and see some other great friends from when we lived there.  Saturday was the start of my girls family weekend!  It was so nice to spend time with my cousins and my aunts.  There was lots of laughs, lots of good food, and lots of shopping!  This afternoon was back to reality.  Time to drive back to Iowa, and arrive in our empty house.  My husband moved to Colorado on Saturday, so this is our new normal.  It will definitely take some getting used to. Thank goodness for Skype! 

This chicken has a fancy name, but it is super easy to make.  I saw this in Cooking Light about a year ago, and I have made it many times since.  My son will even eat this!  He calls it the chicken with the really good sauce.  I couldn't get this chicken to look pretty, but trust me you need to try it.  This is one of those posts where you aren't proud of the pictures, but the food is just so good you have to post anyway! 

I recently saw Polenta Fries on another blog, I can't remember where though!  Her fries looked great.  Mine on the other hand were a mess!  I believe the recipe is good one though, you can get it here.  The herbs were too much for our taste.  The fries didn't hold their shape, as you can see in the picture.  I will try these again without the herbs, and maybe cut them skinnier so they cook better.  I love the idea of them, I want them to work 

Chicken in a Classic French Pan Sauce
Adapted from Cooking Light
Printable Recipe

1 Tbls Olive Oil
4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup white wine
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup heavy whipped cream
1/2 tsp flour

Preheat Oven to 350. 

Heat an oven proof skillet over medium high heat.  Add oil to the pan.  Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.  Place the chicken in the pan.  Cook for about 4 minutes until browned.  Turn chicken over, and put the pan in the oven.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (will vary based on thickness of your chicken). Remove chicken from pan, cover with foil and let stand while you make the sauce. 

Return the skillet to medium high heat.  Add wine and bring to a boil.  Cook for 1 minute or until it is reduced to about 2 Tbls.  Scrape the brown bits into the wine.  Stir in mustard.  Stir together heavy cream and flour until smooth.  Add to pan, and bring to a boil.  Cook until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Pour sauce over chicken to serve.  Enjoy!

Citrus Garlic Chicken with Coconut Lime Rice

Coconut Oil is all the rage lately.  So many people have tried it, and are posting great looking recipes with it.  I must admit, I am not a fan of coconut.  But this oil has peaked my curiosity.  So when Jen from Kelapo contacted me, I was super excited to see what all the hype was about.  When it arrive the first thing I had to do was smell it.  It smelled exactly like what I thought it would...Coconut Heaven!  I could just sit with that jar next to me all day, taking sniffs every minute or so.  It is like vacation in a jar!

I have tried a couple things with it, but this rice was so good.  The chicken would have been really good as well, but it needed more citrus.  I will post the recipe as I made it.  But I think if you used the juice of the fruit just before serving, it would brighten it up and give it great flavor.  Or even marinate the chicken in some citrus and coconut oil before cooking.  This is a great dinner for fall or winter, when you are wishing you were on a tropical vacation!



The great people at Kelapo have something for you as well!  They are offering you 20% off your order.  Use the coupon code "Dinners20" at Kelapo to take advantage of this offer.  It is case sensitive, so make sure to enter it correctly.  The offer expires 10/21/11.   Be sure to visit them on Facebook or at their Blog for other great recipes! 

Coconut Lime Rice
Printable Recipe

1 cup Coconut Milk
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 Tbls Coconut Oil
1 cup Long Grain Rice
1 lime, lested and juiced

Heat Coconut Oil in the bottom of a pan.  Stir in rice to coat.  Add Chicken Stock and Coconut Milk.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook for about 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.  Stir in lime zest and juice before serving. 

Citrus Garlic Chicken
Printable Recipe

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbls Garlic, minced
1 Tbls Ginger, minced
1 Lime zested
1 Lemon zested
1 Cup Chicken Stock
3 Tbls Coconut Oil

Heat 2 Tbls Coconut Oil in a skillet over med - high heat.  Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.  Add chicken to the pan, and brown on both sides.  Remove from pan (it will not be cooked through). 

Add the garlic and ginger to the pan.  Cook for a minute or until soft.  Add in chicken stock.  Return chicken to the pan.  Cover and simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan.  Stir in the zest and 1 Tbls of coconut oil.  Pour over chicken.  Enjoy!

**I received a jar of Coconut Oil from Kelapo.  The opinions are completely my own. 

Taco Pasta

I think this was one of the first things I pinned when I joined Pinterest!  That site is amazing, so much better than just bookmarking.  It is addicting, which can be a problem!  I love following new people, so join me over there!

I am always struggling for dinners that all of us can enjoy. We are all picky in our own ways, that is undeniable.  But my 6 year old is kind of over the top.  So if I can get something all of us will eat 75% of the time, I am doing amazingly well.  Tacos are one of those that is always a hit! So when I saw this recipe for Taco Pasta I knew I had to try it. 

I was so excited for this!  I will say that if you do not like spicy foods you really need to use just plain diced tomatoes.  I didn't have plain tomatoes, so I used the can of Rotel that I had.  It was fine for hubby and I, but not for my son.  We were adding shredded cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips to try to cool it down for him.  I think he drank 3 glasses of milk during dinner that night! He did like it though, and said if it wasn't spicy he would eat it again.  My husband topped his with cheese too, but that is just because he likes cheese.  Don't mind the mix of pasta shapes, I didn't have enough macaroni, so I broke some lasagna noodles to fill in.  I am looking forward to making this again without the heat.

Taco Pasta
Recipe The Girl Who Ate Everything
Printable Recipe

1 pound ground beef
10 oz small pasta shapes
1 small onion,diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can Rotel tomatoes (or plain diced if you don't like spicy)
1 packet taco seasoning
3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to the package directions.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water. 

Meanwhile, in a large skillet  brown ground beef, and onions over medium-high heat until cooked through. Once the meat is cooked, mix in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning.  Let simmer over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes.

Stir in the pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce.

Kara-Age Chicken - Tastemaker

I was so excited when I got home the other day and there were packages on my doorstep, that had my name on them!  Usually it is my husbands name on the boxes (he has a slight amazon addiction).  But I didn't order anything, what could it be?  Foodbuzz had sent me a box of Kikkoman Kara-Age Soy-Ginger Seasoned Coating Mix as part of the Tastemaker Program.  I am a huge fan of Kikkoman, I love soy and I love ginger, what could go wrong?! Kara-Age is a popular cooking technique in Japan.  Basically it is Japan's version of a Chicken Nugget.



Inside the box was 2 packets of the seasoning mix.  It was so simple to make.  You open the season mix, pour in a bag, add in your protein and shake!  Pan fry in oil, and you are done.  It was so good too!  I was very pleasantly surprised.  There was so much flavor in this.  The chicken stayed super moist and delicious.  I am hesitant sometimes with flavored breadcrumbs and other mixes, because I think they are bland and fall short.  This one definitely had the soy and ginger flavor bursting through.  I sprinkled with chopped cilantro, drizzled with a little lemon juice, and made a quick Ponzu sauce to dip the chicken in. Served with with a small green salad, and we had a great dinner.  Next time I might try to bake/broil the chicken to see if I can make it a little healthier. 

I didn't remember to take pictures of my Ponzu Sauce, but it was 1/4 cup Kikkoman Soy Sauce, juice from 1/2 orange and 1/2 a lime, and a splash of rice vinegar.  It was the perfect tangy pairing for the chicken. 

**This post is part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program with Kikkoman.  The seasoning was provided through this program.  The opinions in this post are all my own.

Hyderabadi Biryani

This has been a crazy busy week and weekend!  I haven't even turned on the computer in the last 3 days!  The start of this week does not look any better, but hopefully by Wed I will be back to normal.  At least that is what I keep telling myself!  But there is an end in site, so that is good.

So what do you do when you are so busy?  Do you rely on takeout, frozen meals, cereal?  What?  I try to plan ahead for the week, so even in busy times I have a plan and can still eat real food.  But I do rely on some convenience items.  That is not a bad thing either!

This is one convenience item that I LOVE!  It is quick and easy, but it is amazing.  The brand Kitchens of India sells premixed season pastes for a variety of Curry and other Indian dishes.  We love them!  They are authentic in flavor, without all the work.  We have tried the Butter Chicken Curry, Chicken Curry and the Hyderabadi Biryani.  All 3 of them are truly wonderful, and we eat them even when we are not in a rush!

This one is the Hyderabadi Biryani.  You mix in some lemon curd, so it has some sweet and tart and spice.  Cook up some rice, and you have an excellent dinner.  You could even get some store bought Naan bread and have a full Indian dinner!

Hope you had a great weekend!  Hopefully I will be catching up on blogs by the end of the week!

Italian Turkey Cutlets

I love Turkey Cutlets.  They are super easy, fast, and affordable.  And best of all, they don't taste like Turkey.  Those of you that don't like Turkey will get what I am saying.  The Turkey you get at Thanksgiving is Turkey to me.  I am good with having that once a year, but after that, I am good.  Turkey Cutlets though, don't taste like that.  The texture is way different, and I just like them. 

In going through my freezer I found that I had 2 packs of Turkey Cutlets. Score!  I have 2 stand bys that I make with turkey cutlets.  One is you coat in seasoned flour, lightly brown in a tiny bit of oil, top with salsa and cheese.  The other is this Lemon Turkey.  Both good, but I wanted to do something different.  I had one lonely tomato from my garden to use, so I got to thinking.  Then I remembered I also had pesto in the freezer.  I like to freeze it in ice cube trays.  Once frozen pop them out of the tray, store in a bag, and you are good to go.  So this is what I came up with.  The name isn't all that great, but I couldn't come up with a better one!

Italian Turkey Cutlets
Printable Recipe

2 Turkey Cutlets
1 cube pesto (approx 1 Tbls)
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup Mozarella Cheese
Drizzle Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Heat skillet over medium heat.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Season both sides of turkey with salt and pepper.  Once the pan is hot, brown one side of the turkey.  Turn over and top with pesto, tomatoes and cheese.  Cover the pan, leaving a slight opening.  Cook until cheese is melted, and turkey is cooked through.  Approx 5 minutes per side. 

Enjoy with roasted potatoes and a salad for a yummy dinner!

 

Creamy Penne with Sausage

I saw this recipe on That Skinny Chick can Bake awhile ago.  I was immediately sold!  I had tomatoes and rosemary in my garden, and this was the perfect thing to use them in.  Well, I couldn't wait for my tomatoes - they just aren't turning red!  So I used canned tomatoes, and it awesome! As I told you the other day, I am cleaning my kitchen.  That doesn't just include getting rid of magazines and glasses that that were my parents, and haven't been used in 10 years.  That means my freezer and pantry as well.  So I had tomatoes that had been in the pantry forever, I have box upon box of pasta, and I had heavy cream from making this ice cream, that needed to get used.  So I was set! 

I wanted to lighten the recipe up just a tad - so I used turkey sausage, and cut back on the cream and cheese.  If you can't find Italian Turkey Sausage you can use just plain turkey sausage and add Italian seasoning while cooking.  I was out of onion, so I didn't use that part.  I will leave it in the recipe though, because normally I would have put it in!

My 6 year old absolutely LOVED this!  He was skeptical at first, took his first bite....immediately I heard "mmmm"!  I just started laughing, and he didn't get it.  He had no idea he vocally told me he liked it.  He told me he wanted me to dare him to eat leftovers the next day (he hates leftovers), but this he ate.  So thanks Liz for a great recipe!

Creamy Penne with Sausage
From That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Printable Recipe

1 small onion, diced
Drizzle Olive Oil
4 Links Italian Turkey Sausage, casings removed
1 Tbls fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 can Diced Italian Tomatoes
1 pound Penne
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Cook Pasta according to the package directions. 

Saute the onion in the olive oil until soft.  Add the sausage.  Brown for a few minutes.  Add rosemary, bay leaves, and crushed red pepper.  Add the tomatoes.  Cook until bubbly and hot. 

Add the cooked pasta, cream and cheese to the tomatoes.  Toss until well combined.  Serve with additional cheese if desired. 

Pasta Carbonara with Corn and Chiles

This is a great use for those couple extra ears of corn you always have left.  Or maybe that is just me.  You have to buy it by the dozen, and there are 3 of us in my house.  Before it goes bad, it is hard for 3 of us to eat 12 ears of corn.  Especially when one of us has 2 very loose teeth that make biting into an ear of corn virtually impossible.  I am secretly hoping that if I keep feeding him corn, it will actually knock the teeth out.  But he is just too careful, and tries to eat it with his side teeth instead.  Darn smart kids!

This dish was a hit at our house.  I was a little nervous my husband wouldn't like it, but he did, and asked that I make it again.  My 6 year old ate a little, but it was kind of spicy for him.  Next time I will use less jalapeno (I think 1/2 would be just about right) so he can eat it too.

Pasta Carbonara with Corn and Chiles
Adapated from Everyday with Rachael Ray
Printable Recipe

1 lb Egg Noodles
1/3 lb Bacon, diced
4 ears of corn, kernels scrapped (or 2 cups frozen)
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbls fresh thyme
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, over Med-High heat brown the bacon.  Add the corn and lightly brown the edges.  After about 5 minutes add the jalapeno, garlic, and thyme.  Stir for 2 minutes.  Add the parsley and wine.  Simmer on low heat.

In a small bowl beat the eggs.  Slowly add in the reserved cooking liquid to temper them.  Add the pasta and egg yolks to the corn mixture and toss.  Remove from heat, add the cheese and toss vigorously to form a silky sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.

Top with extra cheese and chives if desired.

Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce

We had a great time this weekend at my family reunion.  There was lots of time in the water, and it was great visiting with family.  We drove part way there on Friday and got to see some friends we never get to see. Our friend Tony is Vietnamese, and makes fabulous Vietnamese food!  He made us traditional Egg Rolls and Pad Thai for dinner.  It was amazing!  He is not a blogger, but I am hoping I can convince him to do a guest post on our dinner that night! 

This chicken is great too.  I must admit I was skeptical when I saw Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover of Bon Appetit, but she really can cook.  This Peach BBQ sauce is wonderful.  I have never put fruit in my BBQ sauce before, but it was great!  Served with summer Sweet Corn and you have a wonderful dinner! 

Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce
From Bon Appetit
Printable Recipe
 
1 cup chopped peeled fresh peaches (could sub frozen)
1/2 cup ketchup 
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
2 garlic cloves, minced 
1 1/2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles in adobo
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 
Vegetable oil

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan. Season lightly with salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer until peaches are very soft and flavors meld, about 10 minutes.

Remove pan from heat; let cool. Pour peach mixture into a blender and purée until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place half the sauce in a medium bowl; add the chicken and turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes, or cover and chill for up to 8 hours, turning occasionally. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce.

Prepare a grill to medium-high heat.  Grill chicken until browned and almost cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side. Brush on all sides with reserved sauce; grill until glazed and cooked through, 1-2 minutes per side. Slice crosswise. Serve remaining sauce alongside.

BLAT's and Award

BLAT's are one of my favorites in the summer.  It isn't traditional I know.  People think I am strange, and don't know what I am talking about.  But the A is for Avocado!  It goes perfect on a BLT.  But then it really isn't a BLT anymore is it? So I have to call it a BLAT.  Fresh garden tomatoes, buttery avocados, crispy lettuce, salty bacon all on toasted bread....delicious!  Serve with sliced cucumbers from the garden and my new favorite crackers (Cashew Nut Crisps), and you have the perfect lunch!

There isn't really a recipe here, just stack slices of everything on your favorite toasted bread.  Skip the Mayo!  First, it is gross (sorry, personal opinion).  Second, you have creamy avocado...who needs Mayo?  Third, there isn't an M in there is there?  If you want to add Mayo then it would be a BLMAT! 



Now on the Award.  Tina over at Flourtrader passed this great award to me a few weeks ago.  I have been very bad about passing it along, sorry about that.  Tina is a wonderful blogger, with all sorts of great recipes on her site.  Make sure you check her out!! 

Congrats to the following bloggers I am passing this along to!  (You can pass it along to a few of your favorites as well)

Cassie at Bake Your Day
Carloyn at All Day I Dream About Food
Wendy at The Weekend Gourmet
Sawsan at Chef in Disguise
Janet at From Cupcakes to Caviar
Dee at Deelicious Sweets
Laura at A Healthy Jalapeno
Julie at SugarFoot Eats
Erin at The Spiffy Cookie
Valarie at Simple Fare, Fairly Simple

Thanks to everyone who reads my blog!  It really means a lot, and I appreciate each and every one of you!!