Penne with Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheese

When I found this recipe, I was very excited, as it sounded delicious! 

But as I got farther into the recipe, I realized WHY it sounded so delicious, it's pretty much Chicken Alfredo.  

And let's be honest: Who doesn't love Alfredo pasta?

It was very easy to make, and you could add just about anything to it (veggie or meat wise, and it would still be just as tasty)

Let's Get to it!

The Crew
It called for white wine, but I just used chicken broth (which isn't pictured here) also it called for heavy cream (I just used fat free half and half, and added more butter) I know the picture shows cheddar, but I made the executive decision, that Italian Blend Cheese would be tastier (even though the recipe called for Gorgonzola) (Come to think of it, the Italian blend cheese might be why it tasted like Alfredo, but I'm sure Cheddar would have been tasty too) (So, I just realized that I changed the entire recipe around. LOL)

Cut up one cup of broccoli into small florets

Bring salted water to a boil, and dump the broccoli in and let it boil for two minutes

Strain and rinse under cold water.

Set aside to drain completely

Cut one chicken breast in half, width wise (so you have the same size, just thinner)

Then cut into strips

Crush two cloves of garlic

(I use the flat side of a knife, and hit it with the heel of my hand)

Melt butter in a large skillet, add chicken and garlic, with salt and pepper to taste, stir well.

Fry over medium heat for 3 minutes or until chicken becomes white

 

Meanwhile, on another burner, start cooking that pasta according to the directions

Pour wine (or Chicken stock) and cream (Or Half and half & Butter) over chicken mix, stir to mix, then simmer, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until sauce has reduced and thickened

(now, for some unknown reason, I have an extremely difficult time getting sauces to thicken, and I know that the half and half doesn't reduce as well as cream, but I just added some flour and stirred it in well, and that thickened it up nicely)

Increase heat, add broccoli, and toss to heat through

Drain pasta and add to sauce

Add cheese and toss well

Then add a bit more cheese

Top with parm (Even more cheese!) and serve immediately

It was a big success, and I served it with salad.

I don't think I would make it again, as it was kind of bland, and since it was just Alfredo, I have a better recipe for that.  But it was very good, and a hit with TheHubby.

Sorry about the quality of the pics, I had strapped TheIttyBitty into the BabyBjorn and was cooking dinner, so it was the ULTIMATE Multitasking

Find a printable version of this recipe here

The original recipe was from Don't Panic -- Dinner's in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Ma (Google Affiliate Ad)

Parmesan Garlic & Monterey Jack Stuffed Chicken

Now, after reading the last post, you may think that TheIttyBitty napped!  That is not the case.

We went to visit the InLaws and they wanted to keep him for a few hours, so I could get stuff done.  Well he napped so well yesterday that I got everything done that I wanted for the weekend.  It is truly amazing how productive you can be when you know you only have X amount of hours before the baby wakes up!  So I washed the three dishes that I had...and here we are...

So, I decided to take this opportunity to blog.

As is the norm, the Parm Chicken was a success for TheHubby.  He told me: I could *Literally*  eat this every day. What a goober

And that is nice for me, to know that I have something, that he will always eat, ready to go, in the freezer.  AND it's super easy to make!

This recipe makes 6, but I froze the rest.

The Crew:

6 Chicken breasts
1 Cup grated Parm Cheese
1 pack Italian dressing mix (you can make your own, which I did, as I didn't have any of the packs...and they're expensive.)(And you probably have all you need in your spice cabinet. The recipe I used is Here.  But if you google it you will find about 1000000 variations)
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 C Olive Oil

Directions: 

Mix the dressing mix, cheese and garlic
Dip the chicken breasts in the olive oil, then into the cheese mix.
Bake at 400 for 45-60 minutes (but I've found that 45 is the magic number with our stove)

That's it. 

Ta-da.

The rest of the chicken, wrap individually in saran wrap, and freeze.
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The cheese gets nice and crispy and it has an awesome flavor.

Now onto the Pepper Jack Stuffed Chicken

A little more time consuming, but still easy.

It also serves 6

The Crew:

6 Chicken breasts
10oz Pepper Jack Cheese (not shredded, you want the block)
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 C bottled salsa, not chunky
1/4 tsp Salt
2 Cups breadcrumbs
2 tsp Chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin (I left this out, as I don't particularly care for cumin)
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Directions:

Cut the cheese into 6 equal slices (length wise)
Cut a slit down the length of the chicken breast (TIP: Don't cut all the way through or to the ends, you want to make a pocket)
Place one slice of cheese in the pocket of each chicken breast (you may have to cut the cheese to fit the chicken breast)
In a shallow pan, mix eggs, salsa and salt
In a separate pan, mix breadcrumbs, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt and oregano
Dip each breast in the egg mix to coat, then into the crumb mix
Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes (or 400 for 30) (That's what I do, so that TheHubby and I both get to eat what we like :-)

To Freeze: Wrap the chicken breast individually in saran wrap.

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There you have it.

Sorry about the lack of pictures.  I will be doing better! I promise!

Both of these recipes were from "Don't Panic, More Dinner's in the Freezer, by Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell, and Bonnie Garcia

Chicken Parm

Seventh and final dinner on the pioneer.  It has been a week of excellency!  And obviously by week, it's stretched into nearly 3 months.  I know, I'm AWFUL!!  But it has been a whirlwind of a few months.  And to be honest, I've had this cooked for about 2 weeks, and just haven't gotten around to upload the pictures. Big Surprise...I Know.

So....

Chicken Parm...

There is a very funny story about this meal.  After TheHubby's parents got divorced, the only real meal that his dad knew how to cook was Chicken Parm.  I've heard tell that it wasn't too bad.

However

I've also heard tell that he made it JUST about EVERY day. It was his specialty

So I KNEW that TheHubby would be tickled when I pulled this recipe out.  And he was.  He verified that he really like Chicken Parm...just not every day.

I have actually never had any version of it, and was looking forward to trying it!

First: The Crew

Dice up the onion

And the Garlic

For the chicken:  Ree says to pound the chicken until it is super thin.  I just ended up fillet-ing it, so I had two thin breasts instead.

Season with salt and pepper

Add the olive oil and butter into a large pan.

Let the butter melt completely and the oil get hot

Dredge the chicken through some flour

And place into the oil

Fry until cooked through.

Remove to a plate for later use

Heat the oil back up and add the onion and garlic, sauteing for about 2 minutes

Do you see all of those brown crispies on the bottom of the pan?  Don't even THINK about scraping those out!! They are filled with flavor!

While the pan is hot pour in the wine, and scrape all of those crispies off of the bottom.  

Simmer until reduced by half

This also cooks off the alcohol

Pour in the tomatoes and sauce, if necessary.

Season with sugar, salt, and pepper to taste

Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes

Towards the end, add some fresh parsley to taste

Lay the chicken on top of the sauce

Sprinkle some basil on top (optional)

And completely cover with parmesan cheese

allow it to simmer until cheese is fully melted and the chicken is heated through

Plate with some noodles

And There You Have It!

IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!

TheHubby ranted and raved about it for the three days of left overs. He even gave his dad a hard time, telling him that mine was better.  

Well, There it is: My week/month/3months on the pioneer.  It was a good experience, There were much more recipes to choose from, and many more that we would eat again and again.  

Even though it is over, I still scavenge her cook books and website for new and delicious recipes

For a printable version, click here

For the original version, click here

Cajun Chicken Pasta

I'm down to the last two recipes on my week (which I know has been more like a month) on the pioneer.
I have been especially pleased with all of the recipes, they are tasty and crowd pleasers.
I am still debating on what the last recipe will be. I might give the hubby the cookbooks and have him pick one (or two if he's being nice to me) (j/k he's ALWAYS nice to me) (Even when I have the pregnancy krazy)(He spells it krazy with a K. because It's Krazy Kate)
But I digress

I love anything cajun!  Like for real.  Gumbo, jambalaya, crawdads, you name it I am on it! I could live in Louisiana,  except for the mosquitos....and the oppresive heat...and the yearly flooding... Ok, So I couldn't REALLY live in Louisiana.  I just like to THINK I could.

So when I get a hankering for some creole nothing hits the spot quite like cajun chicken pasta.  No matter where I get the recipe, it is delish

The Crew

Cook the fettucine until tender

Chop up the onion, green pepper, red pepper, and garlic

(I used a food processor, because TheHubby doesn't like big chunks of veggies....what a load of crap!!)

Dice the tomatoes

Slice the chicken

Sprinkle it with the cajun spice

(I didn't have cajun spice, so I used a mix of cayenne pepper, paprika, and black pepper) (Also, It could have definately used more, because it wasn't spicy AT ALL)

Fry the chicken in a skillet with a little bit of oil,  once cooked, remove and drain on a paper towel

Add the veggies and cook until tender, remove from pan.

Add chicken broth to deglaze the pan, (which is to say get all the crusted-on crispies on the bottom of the pan)

Add the cream, bring to a boil and reduce

Add the veggies and the chicken, and let it simmer for a bit to let the flavors percolate

Add the cooked fettucine and...

There you have it!!

As always, it was delicious, not very spicy, but TheHubby prefers it that way. :-\ 

I just added a dash or two....or four of cayenne on my serving and it was perfect!

It was definately a "Make Again Dish"

The things I would change:

Definately get some cajun spice! 

Not chop up the veggies quite so fine

And do chop the tomatoes a little bit smaller

But none of that ruined the dish, so all in all it was good!!

For a printer friendle recipe, clicke here
Original recipe can be found here

Chicken Spaghetti

I have made this several times over the past few months, and it is ALWAYS a hit here!  It is super easy to make, and can be made ahead of time.  It keeps for 2 days (uncooked) in the fridge, and significantly longer time in the freezer.

Another good thing, is that I typically have all of this stuff on hand, so it is an easy thing to make on a night where I didn't have the time or the inclination to go the grocery.

I now present:

Chicken Spaghetti

The Crew 

(I used Cream of Chicken soup, but you could definitely use cream of anything)

(I also used canned chicken, but the original recipe at the bottom will tell you how much fresh chicken you need)

Break the spaghetti into 2 inch pieces, and cook until al-dente

Chop up the onion and green pepper. I used a food processor, as TheHubby said last time the chunks were too big and were over powering

Combine the spaghetti, onion, green pepper, and seasoned salt

Then add the chicken

And the soup and cheese

Mix it together well

Put it in a greased casserole pan.  

It fits well in an 8x11 pan (if you use the full recipe)

(I cut it in half and it fit in an 8x8 pan)

Cover it with the additional cup of cheese

Bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes, or until the cheese starts bubbling

It was delicious.  I actually made it the night before and stuck it into the fridge and it gave all of the ingredients a chance to mingle and it gave it a really nice flavor.

TheHubby LOVED it!  He said it was a definite "Make Again" 

I could go on and on about how great this recipe is.  Easy, Ingredients *usually* on hand, able to make before hand, Easy (am I starting to repeat myself?)   

For a printable version, click here

Original recipe can be found here

Sweet Lime Chicken with Mexican Rice

This recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman's second book: Food From My Frontier.

The official recipe is Tequila Lime Chicken, but as we didn't have any tequila on hand, I just added some sugar instead.  Not a lot, just enough to give a hint of sweetness to the marinade.  This went great with Mexican Rice and some refried beans!

This was super easy to make, and the chicken didn't taste too Mexican-y, so you could pair it with just about anything. 

Without further ado:

Sweet Lime Chicken with Mexican Rice

<<Fanfare plays in the background>>

The Crew (Imagine a package of chicken) I have realized that I'm not very good about putting all my ingredients in the picture (probably because I have a hard time reading directions all the way through)

Cut the limes in half (obviously)

Squeeze the juice from the limes into a food processor

Add the garlic

And the red pepper flakes

And the cilantro

Add some olive oil (and I added just a spoonful of sugar, or you would add the tequila)

Blend until combined

Throw the chicken in with the marinade.  Let it marinate for at least 2 hrs, but up to overnight

Grill the chicken!

And there you have Tequila/Sweet Lime Chicken! 

Now onto the Mexican rice!  I did my rice a little differently, as the brown rice takes about an hour to cook, I just threw the rice into my rice cooker and let it go.

The Crew (I think I included everything this time!)

Chop up the garlic

And the onion

Add some oil to a big pan (I Used a wok) 

Cook the onion and garlic until soft

Add the whole tomatoes and the tomatoes with chiles

Add the rice, and let it simmer for about 10-ish minutes so that the flavors can mingle.  (If it gets too dry, you can add 1/2 C of more water at a time)

And there you have it!  Tequila Lime Chicken and Mexican Rice

It was Delicious!  

Just a heads up,  the tomatoes with chiles add quite a bit of heat, and the rice recipe makes about 8-10 servings as opposed to 6.  That turned out to be quite a surprise!

Printable recipe for Tequila Lime Chicken

Printable recipe for Mexican Rice

Original recipe for Mexican Rice