Chicken and Egg Noodle Casserole

Comfort food at it's best!  Warm and inviting and perfect for feeding a crowd.  Veggies, egg noodles and cheese - what's not to love?  

Packed with flavor from chicken broth, white wine, carrots, onions and celery, then combined with half & half makes this dish so creamy and delicious.  You can make it easier on yourself by purchasing a rotisserie chicken, rather than cooking and shredding the meat yourself.  I used a very simple pan steam method to cook my chicken - about an inch of water in a deep skillet, bring to a boil, add 2 chicken breasts and cover for about 20 minutes (depending on how thick the chicken is).  Shred and add to recipe.   

As if the noodle, veggie and white wine mixture wasn't enough, the casserole then gets topped with shredded mozzarella.  Baked until bubbly and the edges get a crispy cheesy crust - remember what I was saying about comfort food?!  This is sure to be a hit with your whole family.

Serves 8

Chicken and Egg Noodle Casserole

4 tablespoons butter
12 ounces egg noodles
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup diced onion
1 medium carrot, diced
1 large stalk of celery, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup half & half
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 3-quart casserole dish (or a 9 x 13-inch baking pan) with non-stick cooking spray.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles until al dente, about 4 minutes.  Strain.

While the noodles are cooking, heat the butter in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour to form a paste.  Stir in the onions, carrots and celery and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Cook 5 minutes to soften, then add the wine.  Whisk for 30 seconds, then add the chicken broth and heavy cream.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Fold in the noodles and chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to the greased casserole dish and top with the shredded mozzarella.  Bake until bubbly and brown on top, 40-45 minutes.

(Source:  Adapted from Food Network)

Broccoli Pasta Salad

Broccoli salad is one of my favorite side dishes.  I have a fantastic recipe for another type of Broccoli Salad, but when I saw this one from Damn Delicious, I had to give it a try!  

And it looks pretty, too!  Would be a great dish to take to a potluck or picnic.  I guarantee everyone will be clamoring for this recipe.  Everything just pairs so well together.  Broccoli, sweet grapes, crisp bacon, pecans and pasta all tossed together in an amazing tangy dressing.  

The dressing is light but so flavorful.  The combination of Greek yogurt, mayo and red wine vinegar give it that tanginess that I just love.  It just works so well with the broccoli and rest of the ingredients.  Can't forget to mention that it's overall a pretty healthy side dish! 

If not serving the entire recipe immediately, I recommend saving some of the dressing to toss in again after it's been sitting in the fridge.  I actually only made 1/2 of the recipe the way it's written because I knew I would be the only one eating it, and had plenty of dressing left over (even after halving that too).  The dressing dried out a bit after sitting in the fridge.  Still good!  Still ate it for 3 days at lunch!  But save some if you can.  

Serves 6

Broccoli Pasta Salad

8 oz farfalle pasta 

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets and chopped

6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped

2 cups red grapes, halved

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced

1/4 cup chopped pecans

For the dressing

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Make dressing by combining all of the ingredients and whisking.  Set aside. 

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain well.  In a large bowl, combine pasta, broccoli, bacon, grapes, red onion and pecans.  Add about 1/2 of the dressing and stir to coat well.  Add more as desired.  Serve immediately and store leftovers in the fridge.  Save extra dressing for tossing into the leftovers out of the fridge.    

(Source:  Adapted from Damn Delicious)

One Pot Lemon and Garlic Pasta with Broccoli

I'm obsessed with this pasta!  It tastes amazing, but I LOVE the fact that it's a one pot meal!  So easy!

Cook the pasta and broccoli together, drain, add the rest of the ingredients and...DONE!  Tons of flavor and it takes no time at all.  Make it as spicy (or not spicy) as you like by adding more or less red pepper flakes.  If you salt your pasta water before hand, you may not need the garlic salt.  I usually do salt my boiling water because it's the only time you get to actually flavor the pasta.  I forgot this time, which is why I added garlic salt, so use according to your taste.  

  

I made garlic bread to serve with this - you can find the recipe for that here (also too easy not to make with this dish!).  

Serves 2-3

One Pot Lemon and Garlic Pasta with Broccoli

8 oz dried pasta
3 cups frozen broccoli florets
1/4 cup olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring water to boil in a large pot.  Cook pasta, according to package, but about 6 minutes shy of al dente.  Add the broccoli florets and cook pasta and broccoli together until pasta is al dente.  Drain and return to post.  Add olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and red pepper flakes and stir.  Add Parmesan cheese and stir.  Serve topped with more red pepper flakes and Parmesan (optional).

(Source:  Adapted from Martha Stewart)

Bolognese Sauce with Ground Turkey

I actually don't eat ground beef so I tend to shy away from a bolognese sauce.  But, I'll replace any recipe that calls for ground beef with ground turkey and I almost always love the results!  We eat turkey burgers and more recently tried turkey meatballs which were awesome.    

This recipe is adapted from Tyler Florence's Ultimate Lasagna.  I made the lasagna too, which is incredible and I'll post soon, but I wanted to share this amazing sauce first.  Tyler uses ground pork and ground beef in his sauce, so I just substituted those for an 85% lean ground turkey.  When we were eating it, my husband said if I had told him I used ground beef he would've believed me.  Yeah!  

A true bolognese begins with a soffrito - which is onions, carrots, and celery.  This recipe combines those 3 with garlic and sage and then processes to a vegetable pulp.  An entire 750 milliliter bottle of dry red wine is added (yup!), along with 1 large can of crushed tomatoes and then cooked slowly for over an hour until it becomes thick.  

  

It is SO good!  It definitely has a tangier flavor than a true, red tomato sauce because there is so much more wine used than tomatoes.  It's best served with a wider pasta, something like a tagliatelle, but pappardelle and fettucine would be good too.  

Serves 8

Bolognese Sauce with Ground Turkey

1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
Olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
2 tablespoons flour
1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place onion, garlic, carrots, celery and sage in a food processor and process on low until it becomes smooth vegetable pulp.  Coat a large pot with oil and set over medium heat.  Add the vegetable pulp and saute until fragrant and some of the moisture has evaporated, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Push the vegetables to one side of the pot.  Season the ground turkey with salt and pepper and add to the pot.  Stir and break up the meat until it is browned and mixed in with the vegetable pulp.

Dust the meat and vegetable mixture with the flour, then add the wine, tomatoes and milk.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, uncovered, until sauce is thick. Add Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with fresh pasta or dried pasta, a wider noodle like tagliatelle, pappardelle or fettucine.

(Adapted from Tyler Florence's cookbook My Place for Dinner)

Vegetable Lasagna

Confession - I cannot write this without laughing out loud thinking of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine and Putty break up (and get back together...and break up) on a plane and they nickname the guy next to them Vegetable Lasagna.  Elaine: "Oh please, I took you back! You know it, I know it, vegetable lasagna here knows it!"

Sorry, we're Seinfeld obsessed - my entire family and I can find a Seinfeld reference in practically any given situation.  Laughing aside, you're going to love this lasagna!  No red sauce, but it's plenty creamy and flavorful from a broccoli sauce and ricotta mixture.  

My favorite pieces to eat are the corners, which get all crispy from the melted cheese on top.  If you like, you can also add 3/4 pound of sliced mushrooms.  Just cook separate until slightly browned, then add them to carrot/onion mixture for that layer. 

  

I did 3 layers of lasagna noodles and used at least 4 noodles per layer (4 long ways, slightly overlapping, then 1/2 a noodle to go across the bottom because the noodles didn't reach all the way end to end in the pan.)  At the bottom of this recipe, I added 2 ways to assemble the lasagna.  Depends on if you want yours a little thicker (use the first option).

Serves 12

Vegetable Lasagna

1 lb box of dried lasagna noodles
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans cream of broccoli soup
1 (10 oz) package of frozen chopped broccoli
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, diced
2 (8 oz) packages of shredded mozzarella, keep 1 cup separate
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 eggs

Cook lasagna noodles in a large pot with boiling water - follow instructions on box for cooking time.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan on medium, combine and heat the broccoli soup and package of frozen broccoli until everything is warmed through.  Add olive oil to a skillet over medium high heat.  Stir in the carrots and onions and saute until veggies are very tender (about 10 minutes).  Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix the mozzarella (minus 1 cup), ricotta and eggs in a bowl.  Assemble the lasagna in this order:

1 cup broccoli sauce, lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the cheese mixture, all of the carrots/onions, 1/2 remaining broccoli sauce, lasagna noodles, 1/3 cheese mixture, lasagna noodles, remaining cheese mixture, remaining broccoli sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzarella.

OR

1 cup broccoli sauce, lasagna noodles, 1/2 cheese mixture , all carrots/onions, 1/2 remaining broccoli sauce, noodles, remaining cheese mixture, remaining broccoli sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzarella.

Cook for 45 minutes until cheese is melted and the top starts to turn golden.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

This soup is my cure-all when my family is feeling icky.  It's the easiest noodle soup you can make - I've even made it for myself when I've been sick.  That's how easy it is!  I have two little ones with coughs and colds, plus it's freezing out, so I decided to whip this up for lunch.  It was done in about 20 minutes.  It's incredibly warm and comforting - add a chicken breast when you add your veggies if you want actual chicken noodle soup.  It will take around twenty minutes to cook (after it starts boiling), then remove, shred and put back in when you stir in the pasta.  Serve with butter crackers or good bread for dipping! 

Serves 4-6

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

2 quarts reduced sodium chicken broth 

1 chicken bouillon cube

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced carrots

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper

2 cups dried pasta (I used rotini)

In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, bouillon cube, celery, carrots and bay leaf.  Salt and pepper to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper).  Turn heat on medium-high, let it come to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes.  Add the dried pasta and cook according to the time on pasta box.  Check for seasoning and serve.  

Tip: If you have leftovers, you may need to add more chicken broth the next time you heat it up - as it sits in the fridge, the pasta really soaks up the broth!

Lighter Penne Alfredo

I typically shop for the week and try to plan most of my meals, but sometimes things come up and you need something quicker and easier - or maybe your just in the mood for Alfredo!  We have a tight grocery budget, so I'm also a big believer in using what I have available and not rushing out to the store just because we were in the mood for something that I didn't plan for.  In this case, I already had the penne and the rest of the ingredients because I am always using them - especially the milk and butter, but also the cream cheese and Parmesan.  I'm sure you have a "stock" list of items that you consistently use too.  

So, what I'm trying to say is that feel free to use the ingredients you have on hand - a different pasta or 1%  milk, heavy cream instead of half & half (after all, it only calls for 2 tablespoons).  You can also add a cup of frozen broccoli to your cooking pasta a few minutes before it's done to get a veggie in there!  Just drain right along with your pasta and toss it in the sauce too.  

Serves 4

Lighter Penne Alfredo

1/2 box of Penne pasta (8 oz)

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 1/4 cups skim milk

2 tablespoons half & half

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (heaping cup full)

2 oz of 1/3 less fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)

Cook pasta according to directions on package.  Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat.  Once fully melted, mix in flour and cook, whisking constantly for 2 minutes.  Gradually add in a little milk at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition.  Stir in half & half, salt and garlic powder.  Continue cooking sauce until mixture thickens and begins to gently bubble, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.  

Reduce heat to low and add the Parmesan and cream cheese; stir until cheese has melted.  Drain pasta well, reserving a little liquid in case your sauce is too thick.  Add pasta to sauce and toss evenly to coat, adding a splash of the pasta water if needed to thin out.  Serve immediately with freshly ground pepper and more Parmesan cheese.  

(Source:  Adapted from Cooking Classy)

Bruschetta Pasta

It's getting to be that time of year again...weather is getting warmer, I have basil growing in my backyard and tomatoes are more readily available.  All this combined made me really hungry for Bruschetta - chopped tomatoes with basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar - and I thought instead of just making that served with crostini, I could just toss it with some pasta for a quick no-cook sauce.  It was excellent!  So great for a hot summer night when you don't feel like slaving over a hot stove (except to make the pasta of course).  I also included the recipe for the crostinis (little toasts) because I served them with our pasta.  

Serves 4-6

Bruschetta Pasta

1 pound thin spaghetti 

6 plum tomatoes, chopped and seeded

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

6-8 basil leaves, chopped

sea salt and black pepper to taste

freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Crostini

1 baguette of French bread

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic

Prepare pasta according to directions.  Follow the next steps while the pasta is cooking.  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Slice the baguette in 1/2 inch slices and arrange on a 9 x 13-inch baking sheet.  Using a pastry brush, brush a small amount of olive oil on each slice.  Toast for 5-6 minutes until they start to turn a golden brown.  Once removed from the oven, rub a little bit of the garlic clove onto each piece of toast. 

Chop and seed tomatoes while bread is toasting.  In a medium bowl, toss with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and basil leaves.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.  When the pasta is done, drain and return to the pot.  Toss with the tomato mixture and top with Parmesan cheese (if using).

Cheesy Alfredo Baked Penne

We eat a ton of pasta in my house, it's really the only thing that the kids will eat these days!  It's like all of a sudden they've become vegetarians.  I mean, not really, but it takes a lot to get them to eat chicken or even scrambled eggs lately.  Just at that picky stage I guess, but now I am constantly on the hunt for new and different pasta recipes (and where else but Pinterest to help me out with that!).  

This recipe was adapted from the blog Plain Chicken and it's amazing.  This was by far the best pasta bake I have ever made!  The added chicken makes it a little more hearty and I was even able to sneak a few bites past my kids.  So score one for me.  :)  I diced my chicken breast, cooked it with a little spicy grill seasoning (my go-to for every dish) and then set it aside to add to the pasta later.  You can use whatever spice you want for your chicken, even just a little salt and pepper.  

It's an incredibly easy dish, almost a one pot meal, except for cooking the chicken.  Cook the pasta, drain and return to the pot.  Then add Alfredo sauce, sour cream, ricotta, garlic, Parmesan cheese, the chicken and top with a ton of mozzarella.  Incredibly creamy and cheesy. 

My 3-year old loves to help me in the kitchen.  There are always little fingers on everything!  She's a great help and learning more and more.  

See?  Incredibly cheesy and creamy.  The mozzarella cheese gets bubbly and brown and I love those crusty bits!  

Cheesy Alfredo Baked Penne

1 16-ounce box of penne
1 15-ounce jar of Alfredo sauce
1 8-ounce container of sour cream
1 15-ounce container of ricotta cheese
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a large oval or 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  Cook penne according to directions on box, drain and return to the pot.  Add all the ingredients, except for the mozzarella, and stir to combine.  Pour mixture into baking dish and sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

(Source:   Adapted from Plain Chicken)

 

Tortellini Bake

This is one of those meals that your family will have no idea it only took like 5 minutes to throw together.  It is delicious and so fast!  I always (always!) have bags of frozen tortellini or ravioli on hand because they cook in minutes and are great for nights when I just don't have the energy or time to do something more extensive for dinner.  

Last night was one of those nights...

But I made a little more effort this time and mixed 2 different types of sauce, tossed it all together with the tortellini, topped with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and voila!  There, that's the recipe, really.

Just kidding, I have the specifics below, although I feel like I can hardly call it a recipe! 

Serves 4-6 

Tortellini Bake

1 bag of frozen cheese filled tortellini (19 or 20 oz)

1 jar of alfredo sauce (15 oz)

1/2 jar of marinara sauce 

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the tortellini according to package directions.  In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and in a medium bowl, mix the 2 sauces together.  Drain the tortellini and toss the pasta together with the sauce mixture.  Pour everything into a baking dish (Mine was oval but something like an 8x8 or 9x9 will do).  Top with mozzarella cheese, followed by Parmesan cheese.  Bake for about 15 minutes until it's all heated through again and the cheese has melted.  Turn your broiler on for the last 5 minutes if you want to get your cheese crispy in some places (that's what I did).

Chicken and Penne with Tomato Cream Sauce

This is my version of Pioneer Woman's Penne a la Betsy and it's absolutely divine!  I love a good, creamy pasta, especially one that mixes tomato sauce with a cream sauce.  In her original recipe, she used shrimp and I will definitely try that version next time.  

 Pouring the half & half into the tomato sauce mixture...

 

Lots and lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese!

 And stir all together...

Serves 6

Chicken and Penne with Tomato Cream Sauce

3/4 pounds Penne pasta

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup prepared tomato sauce

1 cup half & half

Fresh basil (about 8-10 leaves), chopped or chiffonaded
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4- 1/2 cup, divided)

Salt and Pepper

Cook penne pasta according to package directions, until al dente.  Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet.  Add chicken, salt and pepper to taste, and cook until done throughout, about 6-8 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.  

In a large, deep skillet, heat the butter and remaining tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and saute, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes or until it becomes fragrant.  Add the white wine and let evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the tomato sauce and stir well until combined.  Add the half & half and continue stirring.  Turn heat to low and let simmer.  

Add chicken back to cream sauce, give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste.  Add chopped basil and stir until combined.  Finally add the cooked pasta, stir, add the Parmesan cheese and stir again.  Serve and grate more Parmesan cheese on each serving. 

  

(Source:  Adapted from Pioneer Woman's Penne a la Betsy)

Incredibly Light and Quick Pasta Sauce with Garlic Bread

Looking for a super fast, super simple pasta dish for dinner tonight?  Well, look no further.  It's tasty, it's light and will be done in no time at all.  And I know there is cheese and half and half, so it doesn't sound light, but it is...believe me.  Not heavy like a typical cream sauce.  Try it with any type of pasta you like, but be sure to serve this garlic bread with it - which is just as fast and just about the perfect compliment to this dish!  

And sorry there are no measurements for the ingredients for the bread...I just do everything to taste, so if you prefer less salt, use a lighter sprinkle of the garlic salt or even just use garlic powder.  I use a LOT of salt in my dishes so my measurements might be a bit salty for other people's taste! 

  

Serves 6-8

Incredibly Light and Quick Pasta Sauce with Garlic Bread

1 pound of rotini (or the pasta of your choice)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

20 leaves fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup half and half

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

For the garlic bread 

1 loaf of french bread

softened butter or spreadable butter

garlic salt

paprika

grated Parmesan cheese 

In a large stockpot, bring water to boil to cook pasta.  Follow the directions for pasta to be al dente.  While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil and garlic in a deep saucepan over medium heat.  When the garlic becomes fragrant (2-3 minutes) add tomatoes and heat through.  Stir in basil leaves until they wilt.  Add the cream to your sauce and stir until it becomes a shade or two lighter.  Drain pasta and toss with sauce.  Stir in Parmesan cheese and serve with garlic bread (recipe follows)

To make the garlic bread:  preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice loaf of french bread in half lengthwise.  On the cut side of both slices, spread a thin layer of butter.  Generously sprinkle with garlic salt (depending on your taste), and lightly top with paprika and Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until the bread toasts and becomes golden brown along the edges.  

Penne with Chicken and Asparagus

So this was a fun day when I made this (there's just a little bit of sarcasm in that because truly, it was a really fun day, with a couple of hiccups).  My mom was visiting from Pennsylvania - Gigi, as we can her.  We went to the beach for a couple of hours and thinking that my 2 year old and 6 month old would take naps when we returned home, we decided that we were going to meet my husband for dinner in downtown Savannah.  It was Gigi's last night visiting after all, we wanted to do something fun!  Needless to say, nothing really turned out as planned.  My daughter, the 2 year old, decided "no map!!" (no nap) and was a crank pot for the rest of the evening.  I think she cried/whined for a good hour and a half, during which we had a full blown tantrum resulting in me locking her and myself in her bedroom to try to get her settled.  So pleasant...and dinner out was now out of the question. 

But, what to eat??  We decided pasta would be quick and easy.  I also had some asparagus that I needed to use.  This was sort of my take on a primavera, which is what I googled to come up with this recipe.  Funny because this is adapted from the Pioneer Woman and my mom and I had been talking about how much we enjoy her and her show.  I'll tell you what, this was done pretty fast, really in the time it took to cook the pasta, but I'm sure glad that Gigi was there to help with the kiddos while I made this (Jules eventually calmed down and was back to her pleasant self by the time daddy came home - of course, right?).  

This pasta dish is creamy and the asparagus had just the right snap to it.  You know me, I threw in a little spice while cooking the chicken so that made it all the more flavorful.  Definitely a hit for sort of coming up with on the fly...I will absolutely make again, maybe with broccoli or peas, and definitely with asparagus when I have it.

Serves 4

Penne with Chicken and Asparagus

1 pound penne pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

1/2 tablespoon spicy Montreal grill seasoning

2 tablespoons butter

2 tsp minced garlic (3-4 cloves)

1 pound asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook penne according to directions.  Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add cubed chicken and season with grill seasoning.  Saute until cooked throughout and transfer to a plate, set aside.  Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the butter to the same skillet and cook the garlic until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.  Add the asparagus and saute for another 1-2 minutes (they should still be bright green and have a bite to them, not be soggy).  Remove and transfer to same plate with chicken.

In the same skillet, deglaze the plan with the white wine and scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Add the chicken broth and 1 tablespoon butter, continue cooking for another couple of minutes until the sauce starts to thicken a little.  Add the heavy cream and half and half, stir to combine.  Add the Parmesan cheese, then the chicken and asparagus.  Pour entire sauce mixture over pasta and serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese.  

(Source:  Adapted from Pioneer Woman's Pasta Primavera)

Penne with Blackened Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Sauce

There's this recipe that I found for Cajun Chicken Alfredo (from Guy Fieri) that I absolutely love and make a lot in my house.  I am now addicted to blackened chicken and the fun thing for me is that I get to break out my cast iron skillet!  I also stumbled across another recipe for a Tomato Basil Cream sauce on Pinterest and I thought - well, what if I sort of combined the two together?  It was genius, I must say.  What a great tasting dish!!  At the end, when you combine the chicken and that blackening spice gets all throughout the pasta, it is heavenly.  Salty and spicy and delicious!  Both dishes that I took inspiration from contain a lot of the same ingredients...sun dried tomatoes, white wine...but with my dish, I get to use sauce from a jar and it makes it super, super simple without losing any of the flavor.  

A tip - watch out for that blackening seasoning!  Make sure you have some sort of ventilation throughout your house (open window, ceiling fan, oven fan) because it always makes the air in my house smoky and spicy and we all end up coughing and sneezing.  :)

If you are using a well-seasoned cast iron skillet to blacken your chicken, you can omit the oil.  If not, just be sure to use a heavy-bottomed skillet and follow the instructions below.  Pound out the chicken breast so they are pretty thin and it will really help to blacken without over cooking.  I actually just took one really big chicken breast and sliced it through the middle so I had two thin pieces.  Also, serve with good bread...you don't want to waste a drop of this sauce!   

    

Serves 4

1/2 pound dried Penne

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded thin

1/2 cup blackening seasoning

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 15 oz jar of Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo sauce (Classico is the only brand that I found that makes this)

1/4 cup white wine

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 tablespoon dried basil

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook Penne according to directions.  Meanwhile, heat skillet or cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  Dredge chicken in blackening seasoning and blacken both sides of chicken, cooking all the way through.  Slice strips on the bias and set aside.  

While the chicken is cooking, pour Alfredo sauce into a medium saucepan.  Pour wine into sauce jar, replace cap and shake well.  Add wine mixture into saucepan.  Add tomatoes and basil and cook until heated through.  

Toss with pasta and add the Parmesan cheese.  Top with blackened chicken and serve as is or stir chicken throughout (I recommend doing it this way!).  

Carbonara with Fresh Fettuccine

I am incredibly addicted to my KitchenAid mixer...I feel like I use it practically everyday.  There are a ton of attachments that you can purchase for it and the one that I have been wanting for YEARS is the one that makes fresh pasta.  I asked for it from my dad for Christmas and had not had a chance to use it yet (mainly because I just didn't have the time or the energy) but finally decided this past weekend it was about time!  It was SO much fun!!!  I was practically giddy.  It brought back so many memories of my Italian grandma...her kitchen just littered with racks of drying pasta.  We used to sneak pieces of it to munch on, what a great memory.  She was my Nona (although I know that the correct way to spell it is Nonna) and now my dad is Nonno to my babies!  

Anyway, Nonno was visiting and we thought what better way to break in my pasta maker.  And, this is what we made!  So creamy, so decadent and just delicious.  Certainly not good for you, but a little indulgence is good for ya every once in awhile!  :)  The recipe for the dough said it made 1 1/4 pounds of pasta.  I just tried to judge and use about a pound of it for us, so if you're using dried pasta, use a pound also.

6 servings

1/2 pound bacon

5 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cream or milk

1 1/4 cups of Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound of fettuccine (fresh or dried)

Cook bacon until crisp and can be crumbled.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, cream, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook according to directions (fresh pasta takes 2-5 minutes).

Drain pasta, but do not rinse.  While the pasta is still hot, return to the pot and quickly toss with the bacon and egg mixture.  It's important to work quickly so the heat from the pasta will cook the egg mixture but not curdle.  Toss with remaining Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.