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!

Chicken Cordon Bleu & Creamy Parmesan Sauce

 Need a way to jazz up your chicken? Baked chicken roll-ups. Or at least, that's what I call them.
Pound out a chicken breast so its nice and flat, add some tasty ingredients on top of it, roll it up, secure with a toothpick, and bake at 350 for 20-30 mins or until chicken is cooked. Done.

I've made similar dishes (see Cooper Chicken- stuffed with cheese and spinach). I've also done this dish with blue cheese and bacon in the middle- equally as tasty.

This time, we made them with ham and swiss cheese, a traditional chicken cordon bleu. Growing up, we always had these and they were breaded- but since the low-carb diet forbids breadcrumbs (damn you, diet), we went with a simple salt and pepper seasoned chicken breast. I flattened the chicken breasts, added slices of ham and swiss cheese, rolled them up, and baked them.

The recipe for the parmesan cheese sauce is what truly needs to be shared with you guys. It was soooo amazing.

Parmesan Cream Sauce
Adapted from Laura's Recipe Collection at Laurasrecipecollection.com

Ingredients:
 * 1 tablespoon butter
 * 1-2 cloves garlic chopped
 * 1/2 to 3/4 cups half and half (I used heavy whipping cream since half and half was not diet friendly)
 * 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (I used a small pinch of flour since I was out of cornstarch)
 * Original Recipe calls for a splash of white wine... I used chicken stock to make it Alex friendly
 * Salt and Pepper
 * 1/3 cup shredded parmesan

To Make:
 * Melt butter in pan and saute garlic for a few minutes
 * Add splash of wine (or chicken stock) and simmer for a few more minutes
 * Whisk together cream and flour in bowl. Pour into pan with garlic, stir, and cook down until thick and creamy
 * Add the cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until melted and smooth.
 * Serve over chicken/veggies/whatever immediately!
If sauce gets too thick- add another splash of chicken stock and give it a quick stir!

Alfredo Sauce

A few months ago, I went on a no sugar, no carb diet. I completely cut out all carbs except those from veggies. While it was the hardest few months of my life, I did lose weight- like crazy. I'm talking 15 lbs in two months. A-mazing. What's even more amazing is that now, I'm back to eating carbs. While my wasteline isn't as small, my belly and my soul are much more content! Hey, you only live once, right? Right!

I decided to make my own alfredo sauce to enjoy on my carb-packed-and-oh-so-good pasta I have been eating on a regular basis now. Now, I know for a fact that an anonymous source had given my husband the recipe for Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce. Could I find it? Of course not. Did I tear apart my recipe box looking for it, almost to the point of hysteria? Of course I did. Chris must be keeping it a deep dark secret from me. I did, however, find a good recipe from an old 2009 edition of Food Network Magazine. It worked out just fine. Plus, lets face it, Olive Garden alfredo sauce isn't as good unless you have Olive Garden breadsticks to dip it in...

Ingredients:

* 6 tablespoons butter- unsalted
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 cup reserved water from boiling noodles

To Do:

* Cook pasta. Strain, leaving about 1/4 cup water in pot.
* Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat
* Add heavy cream, stir, and bring to boil
* Remove from heat once a boil is reached.
* Return noodles to pot with water reserve
* Add butter cream mixture to pot with noodles and 3/4 parmesan cheese
* Toss to combine
* Season with salt and pepper, top with extra parmesan cheese.

I did cut the recipe in half, as I am still cooking for one and half at home. Alex loves my cooking, and he can sure take down a lot of it for a 9 month old, but there was no need for me to make the whole batch of sauce!

I tossed my alfredo with some cheese filled tortellinis and some shrimp that I sauteed in butter and garlic salt.