Pasta With Pesto Cream Sauce

As it seems to be par for the course, since I've been back blogging. I changed up this recipe a bit....But NOT too much!  And it was mostly with the pesto sauce.  Traditional pesto is made with basil. HOWEVER...

It is out of season, and basil is SUPER expensive.  An acceptable alternative is to use spinach instead.  So that is what happened.

I'm Excited to either have basil come back in season, or to try to grow it...again (it is like the surface of the sun on our patio, so IDK if I'll EVER be able to grow anything with any type of satisfaction)

So let's get started!

Firstly, The Crew

Next get that pasta cooking!!

Then, start on the pesto!

Toss some spinach (or basil if you're a traditionalist) into the food processor

Then some parm

Then the garlic

(Then if you are rollin in the dough ;-) you can add some pine nuts, but at MY co-op it was 7$ for 1/2 cup.  No thanks.  lol. I'm not THAT hippie )

Blend it up.

Add some olive oil to form a paste.

Now, at this point, if you aren't SUPER excited...you may need to check yo-self

Moving onto the sauce...

Heat up some half-and-half (or heavy cream if you must) and some butter (use more if you are using half-and-half, and less if you are using heavy cream)

Once that is melted, the magic really starts

Toss that pesto into the pot!

Stir it together and add some parm (or Italian blend cheese)

Drain the pasta, and pour it into a bowl.  Add the sauce, and stir to coat the pasta.

Add some diced tomatoes

Top with even more parm....

and There You Have It.

An incredible dinner.

TheHubby LOVED IT!  He ranted and raved about it all evening, and all the next day...and the next. That's RIGHT ladies (and gentlemen, if you are reading this) I got him to eat leftovers for THREE days!  Which is a feat, as of now, unheard of!

The spinach and tomatoes give it a bruschetta-like flavor (as per TheHubby)

I imagine the basil would give it an INCREDIBLE taste, which is why I am SO excited for basil to come back into season!

For the Printer Friendly Version, Click here

For Original Recipe Click Here

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier by Drummond, Ree [Hardc (Google Affiliate Ad)

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

Oh My!

An entire EIGHT MONTHS has passed since I posted last!  What happened? 

Oh you know... Life...Work...BABY!

That's rights, as I type this laying on my stomach, a pleasure I haven't been able to enjoy for a while, I had the baby!  A bouncing, big, baby boy.  And by big I mean close to 10 pounds big...  Literally.

He is such a joy!

 Even when he does this:

Mainly because he is still so stinking cute!

Even when he pouts

I learned the hard way that he doesn't like raspberries blown on his cheeks.  This is the face I ALWAYS get.

But as we are now on an even tighter budget, I will get back into cooking.

If it wasn't for my Amazing In Laws, and take out, my husband would have starved.  

Because I Sure as Heck wasn't cooking!

Who wants to do that with a 10 pound baby in your belly?  Riddle me that!

On the food Front:

I have found a life saver! Especially if you work long hours, like me.

Two cookbooks:

Don't Panic, Dinner's In the Freezer

And 

Don't Panic, More Dinner's In the Freezer

It gives recipes and the conversions you need to know how much to buy to make a big batch, in order to freeze. (It also has thawing instructions, and single serving sizes.)

So that is where I got the recipe for dinner tonight:

Garlic Parmesan Chicken (For TheHubby)

And Pepper Jack Stuffed Chicken (For me)

TheHubby's reflux doesn't appreciate it when we ply it with spicy food.

Maybe, if TheIttyBitty naps tomorrow, I will be able to provide you with aforementioned recipes, minus pics

But Alas, we struggle with nap time.

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