Grilled Chicken penne al fresco

This was so easy to make, and you can make it without the deep dish baker. The dinner only cost about $12, total with french bread.


4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
3 cups uncooked mezze penne pasta
3 cups chicken broth
¾ cup dry white wine such as Chardonnay or more chicken broth
½ tsp each salt and coarsely ground black pepper
1¼ cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, divided
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about ¼ cup packed)
2 cups diced grilled chicken breasts
Additional grated fresh Parmesan cheese
and coarsely ground black pepper (optional)
1. Spray Deep Covered Baker with olive oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Slice
garlic into baker using Garlic Slicer. Add tomatoes. Cover; microwave
on HIGH 4-5 minutes or until tomatoes begin to burst, stirring after
2 minutes. Crush tomatoes using Mix ‘N Chop. Add pasta, broth,
wine, salt and black pepper.
2. Return baker to microwave; cover and microwave on HIGH 16-18
minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring after 10 minutes. Meanwhile,
coarsely chop basil with Chef’s Knife. Reserve 2 tbsp for garnish. Grate
cheese using Rotary Grater.
3. Carefully remove baker from microwave and remove lid, lifting away
from you. Add remaining basil, cheese and chicken to baker; mix well.
Garnish with reserved 2 tbsp basil, additional Parmesan cheese and
black pepper, if desired.
Yield: 8 servings
Nutrients per serving (about 1 cup): Calories 240, Total Fat 2.5 g, Saturated Fat .5 g,
Cholesterol 25 mg, Carbohydrate 35 g, Protein 17 g, Sodium 450 mg, Fiber 2 g
Cook’s Tips: An additional ¾ cup chicken broth can be
substituted for the wine, if desired.
Any tube-shaped pasta requiring 9-11 minutes cook time, such as
penne or rigatoni, can be substituted for the mezze penne pasta.
To grill chicken in the Grill Pan, season 2 chicken breasts, about 6 oz
each, with salt and black pepper. Heat Grill Pan over medium-high heat
5 minutes. Spray pan with oil. Cook chicken 4-6 minutes or until grill marks
appear. Turn chicken over; cook 4-6 minutes or until center of chicken is
no longer pink and Pocket Thermometer registers 170°F.

Thanks,
Sarah

Slush Punch

This is my all time favorite recipe for punch!! It has to be made ahead of time, and then frozen, so you aren't running around at the last minute trying to wrip up a yummy punch! I am asked to make it for every family gathering cause the whole family loves it too!!

INGREDIENTS:
· 2 1/2 cups white sugar
· 6 cups water
· 1 (6 oz.) package strawberry flavored gelatin mix
· 1 (46 oz.) can pineapple juice
· 2/3 cup lemon juice
· 1 quart orange juice
· 2 (2 liter) bottles Sprite
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water, and strawberry flavored gelatin. Boil for 3 minutes. Stir in pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice. Divide mixture in half, and freeze in 2 separate ziplock bags.
2. When ready to serve, place the frozen contents of one container in a punch bowl, and stir in 1 bottle of lemon-lime soda until slushy.

- Can make ahead of time, but remember to pull out of freezer a couple of hours prior to serving so that mixture will get slushy….otherwise it will be too hard.

White Chocolate Fondue

White Chocolate Fondue

1 cup heavy cream
½ stick unsalted butter
2 packages (12 ounces each) white chocolate morsels

Dippers: Sliced apples, bananas, strawberries, cookies, pretzels, and cubed pound cake

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and butter. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat.
Add white morsels. Stir til melted and smooth. Cool slightly.

Transfer to a fondue pot, Serve with dippers.

Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup

Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 (15 oz.) can whole kennel corn, drained
2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth
1 (10 oz.) can chunk chicken
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green Chile peppers, drained

Open the cans of corn, chicken broth, chunk chicken, black beans, and diced tomatoes with chiles. Pour everything into a large saucepan or stock pot. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through. Makes 6 servings.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I hate mac and cheese from a box. My mom used to make it from scratch and cook it in the oven, but her recipe requires an entire block of Velveeta cheese and it not my favorite. I found this online and everyone seemed to like it pretty well! I read all of the reviews at the end and made a few changes. I'll put them at the end. Enjoy!

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Serves: 6-8 servings (there was plenty for our family of 5 with at least 2 servings left over)

Ingredients:
-1/2 pound elbow macaroni
-3 tablespoons butter
-3 tablespoons flour
-1 tablespoon powered mustard
-3 cups milk
-1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
-1 bay leaf
-1/2 teaspoon paprika
-1 large egg
-12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
-1 teaspoon kosher salt
-fresh black pepper

Topping
-3 tablespoons butter
-1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour & mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it is free of lumps. Stir in the onion, milk, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

*************
I used twirly pasta because I had it in the pantry. I also used less than 1/2 an onion and sauteed in a tiny bit of olive oil before adding it to the macaroni. I usually don't like onion but I'm trying to broaden my horizons. LOL

Make sure you don't cook the pasta too long. I pulled it out of the water when it was still a little crunchy in the middle. You don't want it to get mushy. Definitely use the sharp cheddar and use the full amount it calls for. I didn't get a big enough block so I substituted some 4 cheese blend and it wasn't "cheesy" enough. So I might use the full 12 oz in the mix and then use extra on top.

I could taste the butter in it later so next time I might half the roux.

And finally- the 1 cup of bread crumbs was WAY too much. Maybe it was the dish I used, but everyone said there were too many. I'll probably leave them out next time.

Let me know if you make any other adjustments!

Coconut Treats (samoas)

Coconut treats

(samoas-from food network magazine)

I did not order any cookies this year, trying to be better and resist temptation! However, when I came across the recipe, I could not resist trying it out! This way, I can make them year round, right??

3 TBS cold unsalted butter

1/3 cup flour

1 and ½ cups shredded coconut

2 tbs packed brown sugar

¼ tsp salt

5 oz. semi or bittersweet chocolate-finely chopped

Caramel or dulce de leche ice cream topping

Toast coconut in oven until golden brown, let cool for a few minutes. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan with butter. Pulse the flour, ¼ cup coconut, brown sugar and salt in food processor until combined. Add the cold butter and pulse about 5 times, or until the mixture resembles wet sand with pea-sized pieces. Put 1 heaping tbs of the mixture in each muffin cup and press down. Bake until the crusts are golden about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from oven and sprinkle the chocolate evenly over each crust. Turn off the oven; return to pan to the oven to melt the chocolate, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle each crust with 1 TBS of the remaining coconut. Drizzle caramel topping over the coconut. Cool slightly, then freeze crusts in the pan until set, about 15 minutes. With a thin spatula, gently remove each crust from the muffin pan.

Whole Wheat Bread

Whole Wheat Bread

1 1/2 C Warm Water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C oil
1/4 c sugar or honey
2 tsp dough enhancer (opt)
1 1/2 T vital gluten (opt)
1/4 C instant dry milk (opt)
1 Tablespoon yeast
4-4 1/2 c Wheat Flour (or 3 Cups wheat, 1 cup white flour)


Add all ingredients, except only 2 cups of flour. Mix Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time until dough does not stick to bowl. Mix (knead) for 6 -8 minutes. Form into loaf. Place in greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Let rise until double or 1 or 2 inches over top of pan. Bake at 350 degress for 30 minutes. Larger loaf might cook in center better at 325 for 40 mins.

Three-Cheese Beef Pasta Shells

I got this recipe from pillsbury.com - it makes lots of dirty dishes and took a bit longer than I expected it to, but it was SO YUMMY.

Three-Cheese Beef Pasta Shells

Prep time: 25min
Start to Finish: 1hr 20min
8 servings (3 shells each)

24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 jar (26 oz) chunky tomato pasta sauce
1/4 cup water
1 container (8 oz) chive and onion cream cheese spread
1 1/2 cups shredded 6 cheese Italian cheese blend (6 oz)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 to 2 tablspoons chopped fresh parsely, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook and drain pasta shells as directed on package.
2. In 10 inch skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
3. In large bowl, mix pasta sauce and water. Pour 1 cup of the pasta sauce in bottom of ungreased 13x9 inch (3 quart) glass baking dish. In medium bowl, mix cheese spread, 1 cup of the Italian cheese, the Parmesan cheese, egg, and cooked ground beef. Spoon heaping tablespoon mixture into each shell. Arrange stuffed shells over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over top, covering shells completely. Cover with foil.
4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese filling is set. Sprinkly with remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley.
8 servings

Peanut Butter Bars

Thanks for giving me the chance to join you!  This recipe is one we've recently tried and love - I have a stash of these hidden in the freezer that I'm sneaking when the kids aren't around. :)

1/2 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla extract
2 c peanut butter
2 1/2 c powdered sugar
2 c chocolate chips

Combine butter & brown sugar in saucepan, I did this until it started to bubble and combined. Pour into a big bowl with all the other ingredients except chocolate chips, stir to combine and press into greased 9x13 pan. (I did use an extra 1/2 c powdered sugar.) Melt chocolate chips & pour over top, spread. Chill but defrost a minute before cutting or they'll probably be too hard.

* 2 cups of chocolate chips is too much, I did one heaping cup and it was plenty. Next time I would also mix the 1 c chocolate chips w/1 T peanut butter then melted it so the chocolate layer didn't crack when cold. These are similar to peanut butter cups.

Skillet Laz

I made this the other night, it is another new pampered chef recipe, I had to put it on here because it was really yummy.

Skillet Lasagna

1 jar marinara sauce
3 cups water
8 oz lasagna noodle
1 lb bulk hot italian sausage or regular sausage
2 cloves of garlic pressed
2 oz parmeasan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parley
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1/2 cuo shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper
additional grated parmeasan cheese (optional)

Combine sauce and water in skillet. Cover; bring to a boil. Meanwhile, wrap noodles in clean kitchen towl and break crosswise into quarter. Stir noodle into sauce. Cover; reduce heat and simmer 16-18 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. As noodles cook, place sauage into skillet;cook and stir over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking into crumbers. Add pressed garlic; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. stir sausage into noodles and sauce. Grate parmesan cheese, chop parsley, combine cheeses, parsely and black pepper, in a different bowl. Scoop cheese mixture over noodles, Cover skillet and simmer gently 3-5 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

-Sarah

Easy corn chowder

I made this the other night for our family, it was awesome. I just served it in bread bowls.

Easy Corn Chowder

2 Medium unpeeled red potatoes

1 cup cubed cooked ham

½ cup diced red bell pepper

½ cup coarsely chopped celery

1 teaspoon butter or margarine

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 can (14-14 ½ ounces) chicken broth

1 can (12 ounces) fat-free evaporated milk

1 can (15 ounces) creamed corn

2 tablespoons sliced chives

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Cooked crumbled bacon (optional)

1. Cut potatoes and ham into ½ - inch cubes using Chef’s Knife or Crinkle Cutter; set aside. Dice bell pepper. Coarsely chop celery using Food Chopper. Heat butter in Saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and celery; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in flour; heat until bubbly. Gradually add broth, evaporated milk and corn, whisking with Nylon Spiral Whisk until blended.

2. Add potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in ham; heat through. Remove from heat; stir chives into soup and season with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls using Nylon Ladle. Top with bacon and serve.

French's Crunchy Onion Chicken

*copied from French's Website

Servings: 4 servings Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/3 cups French’s® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS:
1.Place French Fried Onions into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin.
2.Dip chicken into egg; then coast with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken on baking sheet. Sprinkle with additional crumbs, if desired.
3.Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center.

Chocolate Butterscotch Bars

If you've ever come to a get-together at my house, you have more than likely had these!

1 cup sugar
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup creamy peanut butter

Melt in a pot on medium heat, stirring frequently.

Stir in:
6 cups Rice Crispies cereal and spread in greased 9x13 pan. (I line mine with wax paper and spray with non-stick spray.)

Melt:
1 cup butterscotch chips and 1 cup chocolate chips in microwave. Spread over treats, let set until hard.

Potato Soup

1. 8-10 peeled/cubed potatoes
2. 2 diced celery stalks
3. 2 sliced carrots
4. ½ yellow onion, sliced
5. 4 cups water
6. 5 chicken bullion cubes
7. ½ tsp pepper
8. 1 can cream of mushroom soup
9. 1 can evaporated milk
10. 2 cups milk
11. 4 tbsp margarine
12. 1 tbsp parsley flakes

Cook 1-6 until tender, then mash. Add 7-12. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cheese if desired.

Tangy Crock Pot Chicken

Honestly, this is the best and it's so dang quick. I found it blogstalking a week or so ago on the polka-dot apron blog. I put an link to that on our page so if anyone is interested, they have more super recipes :)
This recipe may seem too simple to be true, but it is so flavorful and the chicken is super moist, definitely a favorite around here.

Ingredients:
2-4 chicken breast, cut into small strips
1 jar coleslaw dressing (I used Marie's in refrigerated veggie section)
Garlic salt sprinkled over the top

Preparation:
Cook in slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve with or over hot rice, a nice green salad and some hot French or Italian bread. So simple to fix and so delicious to eat.

***Originally posted by Cherie in April 2008