Creamy Herbed Chicken & Pasta

Slow cookers are my best friend. Granted, I am home all day, doing nothing, so its not like they help me out in the 'I have no time to cook' department. I'm just lazy. I spend all day just playing with the boys, waiting for the hubs to come home. It just mostly happens that around the time I would usually start cooking dinner, both boys need to be fed/bathed/paid attention to so its always difficult to prepare food with them crying and running between my legs in the kitchen. Again, slow cookers are my best friend.

This recipe is altered a bit. I found a recipe for creamy herbed chicken in my Taste of Home Slow Cooker magazine I picked up while waiting in the checkout line at Walmart. I couldn't find the specific packet of seasoning that was called for in the original recipe, so after about 20 minutes of looking and 30 curse words later, I gave up hope and went in search of the next item on my list. Turns out, in the dressing aisle, Kraft has pasta seasoning packages! Not exactly what the recipe called for, but I'm going to say it was a very successful substitute!

Ingredients:

* 1 lb chicken breast (I use the packages of 3)
* 1 can cream of chicken soup
* 1 cup milk
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
* 1 package garlic and herb pasta seasoning (Knorr brand used in original recipe)
       My substitute: Kraft Parmesan Seasoning Packet in Rosemary and Garlic
* Salt and Pepper
* Pasta of your choice

To Make:

* Spray slow cooker with non-stick spray
* In a medium bowl, combine soup, milk, thyme, parsley, and herb seasoning packet. Whisk together until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste
* Add chicken breasts to slow cooker. Pour soup mixture over chicken
* Cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked
* Cook pasta according to package directions

I also added a little flour mixed with cold water to the liquid after pulling the chicken out of the slow cooker to thicken up the sauce so it could be poured over the noodles. I used fettucini noodles, but since it was a parmesan based seasoning package, it could very well have worked over some cheese tortelloni or something like that... delicious!

Fried Raviolis

Need an amazing appetizer that will impress everyone? Look no further. This recipe is so impressive, Chris has requested I make it for every.single.event. we've been invited to/hosted since Christmas. He's also requested it for dinner alone- and he makes sure we have the ingredients on hand at all times. Chris has never approved of anything I've made this much before. They are also super easy to make. Beware- they are addicting :)

Ok, even seeing this picture is making me glad we keep the ingredients on hand at all times.

Fried Raviolis

Recipe by Southern Living

Ingredients:

* vegetable oil

* 1 cup italian-seasoned panko breadcrumbs

* 1/2 cup shredded parmesan

* 1 tsp. garlic powder

* 1/4 tsp. salt

* 1 (25oz) package frozen cheese ravioli, thawed

* 2 large eggs, beaten

* 1 1/2 cups bottled marinara sauce

To Make:

* pour oil into large dutch oven to a depth of 1". Heat oil over medium high heat to 360 degrees.

* combine breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic powder, and salt in a shallow dish

* dip ravioli in beaten egg, and dredge in crumb mixture, shaking off excess

* fry ravioli, a few at a time, in hot oil 20 to 30 seconds or until golden brown

* drain on paper towel

* Serve with marinara sauce

Spaghetti and Meatballs

When I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner tonight, his answer was the usual: I don't care. We had some burger thawing in the fridge, so I asked him if he wanted me to make meatballs.

His response was: Yes, but make them the normal way ok? Not the way you make them all the time.

Burn.

In my house, meatballs were made with brown gravy and mashed potatoes- and thats how I like 'em.

Apparently, everyone else eats them with spaghetti sauce and noodles (?)  how about that! Please note the sarcasm in that, I'm not an idiot who doesn't know what spaghetti and meatballs is... 

I sighed, never having made them in this fashion, and turned my attention to make some italian style meatballs to appease the husbandly Gods. (I mean, I do still need him to mow the backyard after its done raining.)

Ta-Da!

I didn't use a set recipe- I just shuffled through a bunch on foodnetwork.com until I found elements of some that I liked and threw them all together, which turned out pretty darn tasty. My husband even said 'they turned out good, babe'. Not that I need his praise to know a good job, but if he's happy, he may just mow the front yard as well!

Ingredients:
* 1 lb hamburger
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup italian breadcrumbs
* 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
* Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

To Make
* Combine all ingredients in a bowl (feel free to use your hands)
* Roll them into size of your choice- I made smaller ones to ensure they would cook through quickly
* Place them on a cookie sheet (grease with olive oil if you need to)
* Bake for 10 minutes (or more if they are larger)
* Once cooked through, add them to sauce of your choice, or make a homemade sauce like the sauce for Mama Sue's Lasagna

Place on top of al dente spaghetti noodles- serve with green salad and homemade garlic toast!

Obsession: Pizza

I've noticed that my obsession are getting more and more unhealthy. Oh well. I'm currently loving pizza. Ok, that's a lie, I'm always in love with pizza, but let's be real, so is everyone else. Being the cheap monetarily-responsible and lazy lazy person I am, ordering out and paying delivery fees doesn't appeal to me. What does appeal to me is the ability to make pizza at home using pre-made mini pizza dough! I found these in the bread section of the commissary and all you do is add ingredients and throw them in the oven.

I should have taken a picture of the package so you know what to look for when you go to find this miracle product, but alas, I did not. Epic fail on my part. Anywho, all you do is preheat your oven to 450, lightly brush the pizza with olive oil, add your toppings, and those it in the oven for about 10 minutes! I've come up with some very tasty combinations over the last week...

Tomato sauce mixed with ricotta cheese (left over from stuffed chicken breasts mentioned earlier), and finely chopped mushrooms as the base. Mozzerella cheese, pepperoni and black olive. Yum.



 Tomato sauce base, lots of ricotta (omg I love ricotta cheese) and mozzerella cheese mix, pepperoni

Left over alfredo sauce base. Topped with spinach, pre-cooked chicken, and cherry tomatoes. Parmesan cheese with a small amount of mozzerella mixed in.


Perfect for lunch, dinner, or just a snack :) The combinations are endless! Its also a great way to get rid of some leftovers you have!

Stuffed Chicken Breast

The next three recipes are from a dinner party we threw at my house a week or so ago (maybe it was longer, who knows... time flies when you're doing nothing). We had a delicious stuffed chicken breast, a beautiful cream corned side dish, and topped it all off with a strawberry cupcake.

Here is the recipe for the chicken Mindy made:

Panko Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach, Tomatoes, and Basil
Recipe from For The Love of Cooking.net  (amazing blog)

Ingredients:
* 1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
* Small handful baby spinach, chopped
* Small handful grape tomatoes, diced (remove seeds if possible)
* 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
* 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
* Dash of oregano
* 2 Chicken breasts
* Italian seasoned panko crumbs
* 2 tablespoons olive oil

To Do:
* Preheat over to 400 degrees
* Combine ricotta, spinach, tomatoes, parmesan cheese, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined
* Rinse the chicken breasts, then cut along horizontal slit in the center of the chicken breast- butterflying them. Fill the cavity of the chicken with the ricotta mixture. Season each side of chicken with salt and pepper.
* Carefully dip the chicken in the panko crumbs until both sides are evenly covered. Close the slits with toothpicks.
* Heat the olive oil in an oven proof skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, place the chicken in the skillet and cook until chicken is golden brown. Flip the chicken over and repeat.
* Cook in the oven for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through- it took ours a little longer than expected.
* Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving

Spinach-Stuff Pasta Shells

Now, if you've been reading along, you'll remember that in my last post, I mentioned my husband doesn't like ricotta and spinach in his lasagna. That's fine enough. What's funny, is that he had no qualms about eating this dish the first time I made it. Is it really any different than having lasagna with ricotta and spinach? Nope. Men: can't live with em, but they sure are funny.

Adapted from the Betty Crocker Cookbook

Ingredients:

* 12 jumbo shell macaroni
* 1  10-oz package frozen chopped spinach (I used big handfuls of the fresh stuff- be sure to take the stems off and chop it nice and fine!)
* 2 eggs
* 1  8-oz package of shredded italian cheese blend
* 1 cup ricotta cheese
* 1  26-32 ounce jar of pasta sauce (or make some of Mama Sue's lasagna sauce mentioned below!)

To Do:

* Cook pasta according to box. Drain and rinse pasta with cold water. Set aside.
* If using frozen spinach, drain the thawed spinach, press out excess liquid
* For filling: beat eggs and stir in spinach, 1 1/2 cups italian cheese blend, and ricotta cheese
* Spoon mixture into each jumbo shell- stuff them nice and full! Place filled shells in a 2-qt baking dish. Pour pasta sauce over the shells.
* Bake, covered, in oven at 350F for about 40 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 italian cheese blend on top before serving!

Sidenote: These shells are so delicious looking you will be tempted to grab 6 or 7 on your plate. Don't forget, they are super filling and rich- Chris and I were only able to eat 2-3 a piece!

Mama Sue's Lasagna

Chris and I consider ourselves 'meat and potato' folks. There isn't a lot of exotic cooking in our household. This partially comes from our lack of exposure to these fancier foods, and the fact that Chris is quite particular in what he eats. Chris is not big on ricotta cheese and spinach in his lasagna, which is why I cannot express my love enough for my mother's recipe. Kristin Lynn will agree- it doesn't get much better than this. Its simple, easy, and will fill up even a finicky eater like my hubs! I always serve it with a fresh green salad and some garlic cheese bread hot out of the oven!

Thank you, Mama Sue!

Ingredients:

* 1 lb hamburger
* 3 cans diced italian tomatoes
* 1 small can tomato paste
* Italian seasoning
* 3 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1 lasagna noodles, cooked
* Shredded mozzerella
* Shredded monterey jack
* Grated parmesan

To Do:

* Brown hamburger in skillet on stovetop. Drain excess juices.
* Combine diced tomatoes (including liquid), tomato paste, hamburger, italian seasoning (to taste- but don't be afraid to add a lot of spice!) and brown sugar in pot on stove for one hour. This sauce is supposed to be slightly sweet, so make sure you have a good balance between the spices and the sugars.
* Cook lasagna noodles as directed on package. Drain water. Set aside
* In sprayed casserole dish layer lasagna:
             * Noodles
             * Sauce
             * Shredded cheese (mozz and mont.jack)
             * Noodles
             * Sauce
             * Shredded cheese (mozz, mont.jack, parm)
* Bake in the oven at 350F for 45 minutes or until cheese is nice and bubbly