Left Over Chicken Pasta

Ingrediants:
Left over chicken (grilled or otherwise prepared... perferrably with no strong seasoning)
Pasta (I used whole wheat... choice is yours)
Maranara Sauce (or any other choice)

Pre-time: 2 seconds
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ok... no pictures. (sorry becca-boo, dont hate)
BUT, have you ever made a bunch of chicken cause you (OR YOUR HUSBAND) are too afraid to re-freeze a package of chicken once its thawed? No you say? Me either, but my husband is, so needless to say... I bought this HUGE package of chicken breast and because he thawed it to grill two pieces, we had to grill the whole dang thing (pretty sure I learned what a run-on sentence is and I just did an example).

So we had BBQ chicken on Sunday... plain chicken on Monday (lunch)... and yesterday I was going to go gag myself if I had to eat a tasteless three day old chicken breast.
SO, I decided to mix things up a bit. I pulled out some pasta and set it to boil. Then I took some maranara sauce (that I made from Rebecca Hunts recipe a few months ago and kept it in my freezer) and put it in an oversized pan on medium heat.
I pulled out my food processor and cut up the rubbery chicken into smal chuncks. I shredded the chicken up to medium size chunks and placed it in the sauce pan.

Once the Pasta was cooked I poured out the water and put the sauce (with chicken) in the pasta pan. I let it all cook together (no heat... the heat of the pasta and sauce will continue to cook it all together) for a few minutes.

It was perfect... you got chicken in each bite without having to chew through it and remind yourself that its left-left-left overs. :)

Not really a WOW-ZER of a recipe. But if your like me, then your looking for things to do with left overs that youll end up throwing away cause you are OVER eating it for the fourth meal. :)

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Glazed Pork Chops

Easy, QUICK & delish! Another from my good pal, Martha.

Ingredients:

4 bone-in pork chops (about 9 ounces each)

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Then...

1. Heat broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and Dijon.

3. Place pork on sheet; season with salt and pepper. Broil until pork begins to brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Spread sugar mixture over top. Broil until glaze is browned and pork is opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes.

I served it with Green Beans & Mashed New Red Potatoes (Like Martha suggests HERE)

Thanks again Ms. Stewart!

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Herb Crusted Salmon & Spinach Salad

I know its been a minute since my last post.... but this summer has been insane. Its so nice to be cooking again! Here is a recipe I found on Martha Stewart's site... Love me some Martha. Its really easy, healthy & tastes delish!

Ingredients:

3 slices white sandwich bread (I used wheat, didn't seem to make a difference)
1 cup fresh parsley (I used dried, seemed to work alright...)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 skinless salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 ounces baby spinach
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

And the "How To"...

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. In a food processor, combine bread, parsley, and 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Pulse until coarse crumbs form.

2. Place salmon on prepared sheet; season with salt and pepper. Spread top of fillets with Dijon; top with crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Roast until salmon is opaque throughout, 11 to 13 minutes. (I cooked mine for about 12 min & they were perfect!)

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine lemon juice and remaining oil; season with salt and pepper. Add spinach and onion; toss to combine. Serve salmon with spinach salad.

Click HERE for the Recipe right from the source, Martha Stewart.com

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Skillet Chicken Parmigiana

This recipe comes from Betty Crocker's Quick and Easy Cookbook. Every recipe takes 30 minutes or less. LOVE IT! And this one is all done on the stovetop which makes it even better.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lbs)
1/3 cup Italian-style dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 TBsp olive or veggie oil
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2 oz)
spaghetti noodles

Start by cooking the noodles according to package. Meanwhile, flatten each chicken breast half to 1/4 inch thickness between sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip chicken into egg, then coat with bread crumbs mixture. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken in oil 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink in center. Pour spaghetti sauce around chicken in skillet; heat until hot. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over chicken. Serve over spaghetti noodles.

Tada!!




Quick, easy and so yummy!

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Chicken Pot Pie

This is my husbands absolute favorite thing that I cook.

Use your favorite crust recipe ( I use pre-made pillsbury pie crust)
1-2 potatoes, peeled and diced
Baby carrots ( chopped)
1/2 head of broccoli (diced)
Boil until soft, drain.

In a saucepan heat up:
1/3 Cup butter

When Melted add:
1/3 Cup flour
1/2 Cup onion (chopped)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 3/4 Cup chicken broth
2/3 Cup milk
2-3 chicken breasts cooked and chopped. ( I use canned chicken)
Stir together, adding vegetables and heat to boiling, about 1 minute. ( If sauce does not seem thick enough, just add a little more four to get the right consistency)

Pour into crust and cover with remaining crust.

- Cut an X in the middle of the crust
Bake at 425 for 35 min or until golden brown.
Sorry there is no final picture, but trust me when I say it was SOOOO good! Enjoy

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Vegetarian Fajitas

Earlier this week, my husband was really sick and I could not take care of him much because I had to work all day. On my way home from work, I was brainstorming with meal ideas that would be quick (because I was really hungry) and that would help fight his illness (because he was really sick). By the time I got home, this delicious meal popped into my head! Because everything is cooked in a pan, it was quick to prepare; and because of the ingredients, Chris started feeling better the next day! The combination of the onion and peppers provide a very powerful antiviral and antibacterial quality to this meal, not to mention the nutrients from all the other whole foods!

You will need (for 4-5 servings):

1 large onion, sliced

1-2 peppers, chopped or sliced (the more colors you have, the more nutritional variety you have!)

2/3 cup of sliced mushrooms (amount depends on your preference really)

1 roma tomato, chopped

1 lime, quartered

3-4 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1-2 Tbs of oil (preferably oil that is refined for high heat, like sesame oil, to avoid free radicals in your meal)

Multi-grain tortillas

1 can of black beans, heated, rinsed and drained

On Low-Medium heat, add oil to pan. When oil is heated, add onion, peppers and mushrooms. Stir frequently, until vegetables begin to soften. Do not overcook! Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, heat black beans on low heat.

When vegetables have softened, add tomato. Stir frequently for a few minutes until tomato is slightly cooked. Then remove pan from heat.

On a tortilla, layer: small amount of black beans, small amount of vegetables. Garnish with cilantro, and juice of lime quarter.

Wrap and enjoy!

Note: My husband and I each had 2, and they kept us full for quite a while!

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Sunday Stew

Ok, I found this one on some cooking blog and I LOVE it! I absolutely love coming home from church and having my house smell of delicious food, and NO clean up! Plus this is super easy. I prepare it the night before so that it will be done the next day.

1 1/2-2 lb. lean stew beef
4-5 medium red potatoes, chopped
4-5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped ( I do about half of a large onion)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced i just do 1 Tbs. of minced garlic
2 12-oz. cans or 3 c. vegetable juice cocktail (like V8)
1 10-oz. can condensed tomato soup
10 oz. water (just use the can from the tomato soup to measure)
1 tsp. basil
2 beef bouillon cubes (or 2 tsp. beef base)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Dump all the veggies into your crockpot... Stir in the meat ( also cut any pieces of the meat that are too large.)
Then set your crock-pot on low for 10-12 hours.

I love to have some really good french bread to go with this, and it tastes even better when you eat it in bed. ENJOY!

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OK...

OK so I think we should keep going with the random themes that we do, but if you have a recipe that does NOT fit the category, post it anyway! If ya'll are not cool with that, just let me know. Any other ideas guys? PS- Thanks for letting me know about how many are still checking in. Summer is busy and family life definitely can be crazy sometimes, so just post when you can!

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Crock Pot Red Potatoes and Ham

This is a husband-favorite, but it's none to friendly on the waistline. (comfort food- it does that)

2 lbs. red potatoes- quartered
2 c. pre-cooked cubed ham (from the deli-section)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of potato soup
1 envelope dry ranch dressing
8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Put potatoes and ham in crock pot. Mix soup and ranch mix in a separate bowl then stir it into potatoes and ham. Cover and cook low for 8 hrs. Add cream cheese during the last hour. Stir before serving.

Only makes 2-4 servings, so double if you've got a group!

And also- if you want to be semi-healthy, add a pack of frozen broccoli. :)

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Heads Up!

Ok, so I'm with Rebecca on the whole crock pot recipe week- and yes, I am guilty I havent posted ANYTHING lately- the reason? traveled the entire month of june, had my wisdom teeth out and can now only eat mashed potatoes and mac n cheese. Blah. Boring. Ryan and I have come to an interesting arrangement starting in a few months- once I start teaching again (aug 30). It will involve me having to PLAN and COOK and ORGANZIE meals! This for me is a huge feat, you see after working 12 hours a day teaching (from home) I am not going to have the luxury of loading my cutie in the car and hitting Jack in the Box- yes, Ryan and I have made the decision to go to a one car family (something we have NEVER had to do EVER)

This decision is the best one we feel for us right now as we can afford two car payments but would rather not. Regardless of the reason, I am going to have to PLAN meals, shop at Sams for two weeks at a time and eat at home- this will help my budget, and my wasitline- so what I am requesting of you- is SIMPLE recipes that I can throw together in 10 minutes (I teach 12 hours a day) and also recipes that can be FROZEN and heated up because yes, I am that lazy that I plan on cooking one day for two weeks- so anyone? any easy-freezing recipes out there? I'm looking for a good hawaiin chicken haystack gravy recipe :) any others would be greatly appreciated!

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HELLO OUT THERE!

OK, I'm hoping that the quiet blogosphere is just because it's summer and everyone is busy. If not, that's OK too. This blog will continue to be here until I die (morbid, I know). I know for me, I haven't posted because I honestly haven't been cooking anything that isn't already on here. Some of the staples in our home are Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, Pancake Roll-ups (almost every morning now), and Enchilada Casserole. We seriously have these multiple times a week.
If possible, leave a comment to let me know there's still people checking in. Even if you don't leave recipes behind, I want to know about how many people are actually looking on here. If there are any suggestions or complaints, leave a comment too! Anything to help make this blog easy and fun is constructive criticism in my book.
Thanks to all that continue to post recipes on here. Let's stretch out the Crock Pot week until the 17th, OK?

♥

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Easy Chicken

OK, this is super easy.

1 whole chicken (or as many boobies or thighs to suit your family needs)
1 jar green salsa (the tomatillo kind)

Plop it in a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours (watch it, too long and it falls right off the bone, and digging out bones is no fun) and shred meat for tacos, enchiladas, anything! I shred mine in 1 cup portions and put it in Ziploc bags in the freezer so I always have yummy chicken for casseroles and such.
ENJOY!

(pic to come soon)

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Chicken Stroganoff

I got this recipe from one of my favorite cooking blogs: http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com. You all should check it out! Karen is the author of most of the recipes but this one was a guest post by Lynn. And it is excellent!

Chicken Stroganoff

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3 to 4 breasts)
1 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup instant minced onion
2 TBsp chicken bouillon (or 3 cubes)
1/2 tsp onion powder
3 cups cooked egg noodles

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in crock pot and mix well. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours or high 2-3.

When I made this the first time I was a bit confused about putting already cooked noodles in the crock pot and cooking them for 6 more hours. So I've always just cooked them right before I'm ready to serve it and add them in at the very end. Also, I usually omit the onion powder. The minced onion is plenty of onion flavor for me :)

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Crock Pot Lasagna

This is the only way I make lasagna. I can't cook those big long noodles. And this one's relatively cheap! Yay!

12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 lbs. browned ground beef, drained
1 tea. Italian seasoning
1 jar (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1/4 c. water (I tend to use a bit more- it's more art than science)
1 carton (16 oz.) cottage cheese (cheaper than ricotta!)
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Layer half of noodles at the bottom of the crock pot, you may have to break them to conform to the size. Stir Italian seasoning into the meat and spread half of it over noodles, then half of the sauce. Add the water and 1/2 of cottage cheese, 1/2 of the shredded Mozz. cheese. Repeat the layers. Sprinkle a bit of water on top, cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Don't cook any more than 5 hrs. because of the cottage cheese.
Makes 6-8 servings.

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Enchilada's

I missed mexican week (forever ago), but I made these last night and took some pics, so I figure I'll just post it anyway. I got this recipe from my mother in law and I love it because it isn't very spicy. (It's the american version of mexican food haha)

1 10 oz can of chicken, drained (or 2 if you really like them chickeny)

1 cream of chicken

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

1 can corn (drained)

chili powder

dried onion

shredded cheese

8 tortillas (flour)

Mix all ingredients (minus the tortillas) together in a pan on medium heat until heated through. The chili powder, dried onion and cheese is all personal preference, I usually put a handful of shredded cheese, and a couple dashes of both chili powder and onion.

Pour about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the mixture onto each tortilla (just eyeball it), and put some of it in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish so they don't stick. Roll up tortillas and place in dish and cover with tinfoil. Cook on 350 for 30 minutes.



When they are fresh from the oven, sprinkle cheese and let melt.

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Crockpot Fetticini Alfredo

I love my crockpot, so I have quite a few recipes. This one serves quite a bit and we eat leftovers for a week I swear! (but there is only 2 of us).

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cubed (I use my chicken from the cannery and shred it)
2 jars of Alfredo sauce
4 slices of swiss cheese
3 TBS grated parmesan cheese
1 TSP garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste
1 package fettuccine noodles (you'll need the whole package for as much sauce as this makes)

Mix chicken cubes and alfredo sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours (my cannery chicken is already cooked, so I usually just cook it for 1 hour). Then place swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese on top and cook for another 30 minutes. Add garlic powder and salt and pepper and stir everything together. Cook noodles according to package. Then you can either pour the sauce over the noodles, or just mix the noodles with the sauce and serve from the crockpot.

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Crockpot BBQ Chicken

I would have pictures, but seeing how I haven't cooked this in a while...(It's so hard to cook in the summer! It's always go go go, so we eat out a lot :s) I thought I'd better hurry and post my crockpot recipes before the week is over ;). I found this recipe on allrecipes.com

Frozen chicken breasts (3 or 4 if big, 6 or so if small)
One bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (I like kraft brown sugar, or honey flavor)
1/2 cup of Italian salad dressing (I like the zesty kind)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBS worchestire sauce

Lay chicken breasts on bottom of crockpot. Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl till brown sugar is disovled, then pour mixture over chicken (make sure some of the sauce gets under the chicken so it doesn't burn). Then you can cook it on high for 3 or 4 hours, or on low for 6 or 8 hours (slow is always better). I like to serve with baked potatoes, and then you can pour the sauce mixture over the tatoe...mmm...

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Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Stacks

This is what I will be making for the 4th! I'll post pictures soon. But seriously, how easy could this be?!

2 c. frozen corn
1 can black beans- rinsed and drained
2 lrg. frozen chicken breasts
1 1/2 c. salsa

Lightly grease slow cooker, pour corn on the bottom. Layer frozen chicken on top, then cover with beans & salsa. Cover and cook on low for 6 hrs. Remove chicken and shred with forks. Return to cooker and stir until combined with beans and corn.

Serve on a bed of tortilla chips & top with garnishes of lettuce, tomato, avocado, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, lime wedge, etc.

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Crock Pot Week!

Thank you for the awesome suggestion, Taly! For the next week-ish (7/3-7/11) turn in all your yummy crock pot recipes. It is just too hot to heat up the oven for anything to eat, so crock pot is the next best thing! Can't wait to see what you all put up! I will be putting up the Cafe Rio pork salad up, in a couple days. But I think Sammy has a super awesome recipe for it too, so put it up!! Repeats are fine if there are some minor differences. Oooh, yum, can't wait.

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Raspberry Limeade

Been a bit quiet around here lately- would a Sonic-Style summer beverage perk you up a bit? 

12 oz. pkg. frozen raspberries
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
4 tea. grated zest and 1/2 c. juice from 4 limes
chilled club soda (I used 7up- the club soda was a bit too bland)
ice

Heat raspberries, sugar, and water in saucepan over medium heat about 5 minutes. Mash berries with a potato masher or whisk, then stir in lime zest & juice. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Pour raspberry mix through fine sieve. You'll end up with a little more than 2 1/2 c. syrup. Discard solids. Refrigerate syrup until cool- 30 minutes (it will keep up to 1 week)
To serve, combine 3/4 c. soda and 3 tbl. syrup into a tall glass with ice.
For larger servings, 1 liter of soda will take about 1 1/2 c. syrup.

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