Enchilada and Pasta?! What?!?!

Have you ever heard of this craziness? Well, if not - you have to give it a try! I never would have thought of this combination, but it was wonderful. Thanks Melanie for an awesome recipe!!!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4-ounce can diced green chilies
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 (10-oz) cans green chili enchilada sauce (I used mild)
2/3 cup red enchilada sauce (I used mild)
1 can large black olives, cut in half (I omitted this)
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
16-20 oz. penne pasta (Depending on how "saucy" you want the pasta)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, until pepper is barely tender. Add the cooked chicken, green chilies, spices, enchilada sauces and olives. Let the sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese and heat through, until the cheese is melted (but don't boil!). Pour the sauce over the hot pasta. Garnish with extra sour cream, cheese, diced tomatoes, green onions or crushed tortilla chips.

Winner, winner, Chicken Dinner!!!

I have seen this recipe all over the blog world and finally decided if it was that popular maybe I should give it a try! I'm so glad I did!!! This is total comfort food!!! It really reminds me of chicken noodle soup - perfect for our rainy weather we've been having lately.

I first made it for my MIL, while hubby was in Uganda awhile back. She is so picky and doesn't like to try anything new. She went back for seconds, which is really saying something because not only is she picky - but the skinny lady hardly eats. ;) I was on cloud nine!!! She took the leftovers home and even asked for the recipe!!! Winner, winner, chicken dinner!!! lol... Give it a try - I know you'll love it too!!!

Chicken Pasta

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 pkg. Good Seasonings Italian dressing mix

2 Tbs. butter

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 large pkg. egg noodles or your favorite pasta

Place chicken in a crockpot (can be frozen or thawed). Cut the butter into tiny squares and sprinkle it around on the chicken. Then sprinkle half the dry dressing mix on top. Cook on low for 2-3 hours until chicken is done, tender and falls apart easily. Shred chicken while in crockpot. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. When draining pasta, reserve the hot pasta water in case you need it to thin the sauce. To the warm crockpot, add the cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Pour in the rest of the dry Italian dressing mix. Stir well. If the sauce still seems thick, you can thin it further with the hot water from the pasta that you have reserved. Heat and stir until bubbly and hot. Serve over your favorite pasta.

* I've seen this recipe a dozen times, with a dozen different names. The one I'm using here came from Gather Round Our Table. No reason really, except that's when I finally caved and decided to give it a try!!! ;) lol...

Happy Fall Y'all...

Well, our first cold front blew in and it's really gotten me in the mood for some good ol' comfort food. I'm making my fall menu, but here's one to get started with...

Macaroni Grill Penne Rustica
(our version, of course)

4 oz. grilled chicken breast
½ pack thick bacon
16 oz. penne pasta
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp paprika
Mozzarella cheese

Sauce:
1 tsp butter
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup marsala wine
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chopped rosemary
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups heavy cream

Sauté garlic in butter in large pan. Add marsala wine, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream. Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon, then use left over grease to saute the bell pepper, set aside. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces. Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, bell pepper, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread in pan. Top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese. Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes.

Chicken, Pasta and Alfredo...

Alfredo Sauce

1/2 cup butter
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 box of linguine or other pasta

Cook noodles, and set aside. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, cream, white pepper, and bring mixture to a simmer. Stir often. Add the Parmesan cheese and simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickended and is smooth. When sauce has thickened, add the Mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth. Stir frequently! You can either place pasta on serving plates and spoon sauce over pasta, or I just added it all to the sauce to warm back up and evenly distribute the sauce. Serves: 4-6

Italian Grilled Chicken

Chicken breasts
Zesty Italian Salad Dressing
Juice of a medium lemon

I clean my chicken breasts, and pour enough Zesty Italian dressing to cover it all. Let it marinade in the fridge for as long as I want it. Then in the last 30 minutes, add your lemon juice to the marinade. Then grill it up!!!

*This is how I cook my chicken for fajitas, minus the lemon!! Yummm, the best!!! I thought the lemon would be a nice touch with the pasta - and it was!!!

Dinner tonight...

I made this for dinner tonight and it was super yummy! I'm not that great of a photographer, so this picture doesn't do it justice!!! Happy cooking!

Italian Sausage Pasta

1 pkg (16oz) bow tie pasta (or whatever you like)
1 lb Italian Sausage (you can buy the links and cut into small pieces and brown like meatballs or chop up like hamburger)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I omitted this because we don't like spicy stuff)
2 cans (14-1/2 oz) Italian stewed tomatoes
1-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (I only used 1 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 pkg shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile in a dutch oven, cook the sausage, onion, garlic and pepper flakes over medium heat for 4 - 5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink; drain well, stir in tomatoes, cream, salt and basil. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, toss with sausage mixture or serve separate. Garnish with cheese!!

Tonight's Taste Testing....

Tomato-Basil Lasagna with Prosciutto

(from Cooking Light)

5 garlic cloves
1 (16-ounce) carton 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup (4 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Romano cheese, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 large egg
1 (26-ounce) bottle fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce (such as Muir Glen)
Cooking spray
12 cooked lasagna noodles
1 cup (4 ounces) chopped prosciutto or ham
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese


Preheat oven to 375°.

Drop garlic through food chute with food processor on, and process until minced. Add cottage cheese; process 2 minutes or until smooth. Add cream cheese, 2 tablespoons Romano, basil, pepper, and egg; process until well-blended.

Spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over the pasta sauce; top with 1 cup cheese mixture, 1/3 cup prosciutto, and 3/4 cup pasta sauce. Repeat the layers two times, ending with noodles. Spread remaining pasta sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Romano and mozzarella.

Cover and bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until sauce is bubbly. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let lasagna stand 5 minutes. Serves: 9

*I'm not a big fan of low-fat or fat-free, so I'll be modifying this recipe for sure. I did want to print this recipe just like I found it - in case y'all wanted the lighter version!

*I'll also be using my new pan!!! Yea, I'm so excited!!!

Aunt Billie's Mexican Vermicelli...

This was one of my favorites growing up as a child. When I got married and moved off to England - I quickly called Aunt Billie for this recipe. She is married to a Hispanic man and cooks authentic Mexican food everyday - even for lunch! My fondest memory of her is standing over her hot stove making homemade tortillas. The only hard thing about this is there's no real recipe - she does a little of this and a little of that!!! ughh... That's a really cruel joke to play on a recipe-follower like myself!!! ;) So, here goes... bare with me...


You crunch up the vermicelli noodles to 1/2"-1" or 1-2 little boxes of the noodles, sized just right. Melt grease in a pan - just enough to cover the bottom of your pan. You stir the noodles and cook until brown. Baby them so they don't burn!!! Once your noodles are brown, add a couple cups of water - just enough to cover your noodles. Season your noodles at this point with garlic powder or fresh garlic if you prefer, cumin, salt, and pepper. I wouldn't go too crazy with your spices - you can always add more at the end. Put the lid on and simmer on low. Once the water is gone add one can of whole tomatoes, cut up. Now it's time to taste and adjust your seasonings if you need to. Don't be afraid of the Cumin!!! Go ahead - give a couple more shakes! Besides the noodles, this is the most important ingredient!!!

Serve with Guiso or whatever you prefer. Since we're all visual eaters/cooks I promise to post a photo as soon as I can!!!

Go Greek...

Enjoy the same flavorful Greek beef and pasta taste in a lighter, easy one-skillet meal. We have this with pita bread and yogurt on the side. We also make a homemade Greek Salad as well. It's a nice change to add to your normal list of meals. I also love that it's a cinch to make!!!

Prep Time:5 min

Start to Finish:25 min

Makes:4 servings (about 1 1/4 cups each)

Greek Beef and Orzo (lighter recipe)
recipe and photo source: Betty Crocker


1 pound extra-lean ground beef
2 cans (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 medium celery stalk, sliced ( 1/2 cup)
1 cup uncooked orzo or rosamarina pasta
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or less if desired)
1/2 cup fat-free yogurt


Cook beef in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat about 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until brown; drain.

	Stir in remaining ingredients except yogurt. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until liquid is absorbed and pasta is tender. Serve with yogurt on the side.

Taste Test Sucess...

I made this last week and it was awesome!!! This photo and recipe is from Canary Girl. Trust me - it tastes as good as the photo looks!!! yummm… Even my picky kids loved it!!!


Sorry, I haven't posted in awhile. Our power supply crashed, but No1here got us back up and running :o)

Weight Watcher Wednesday Results

Sorry it has taken me so long to post this but it just wasn't that great of a recipe. I ended up making the Penne with Mushrooms, Italian Sausage, and Broccoli. It needed a bit more flavor, maybe more sausage since it only called for 1/4 lb (not very much!!!). My son said "Mom, where is all the sausage?". He didn't like it so much either. My dad said it was just "Okay". I don't think I'll be making this one again. If anyone tries it let me know what you think and if you did anything different.

1/4 pound Italian style turkey sausage, casings removed
1 (10 oz.) package white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups cooked broccoli florets
4 cups cooked, drained penne (10 oz. dried)
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Crushed red pepper (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Crumble the turkey sausage meat into a large nonstick skillet and cook until golden brown. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel-lined heatproof plate. Pour off and discard any fat in the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are golden brown and all the juices have evaporated, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and the drained sausage; cook until warmed through. Stir in the penne, broth, lemon juice, and the crushed red pepper (if using); cook until heated through. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

Per serving (2 cups): 412 Cal, 7 g Fat, 65 g Carb, 6 g Fib, 23 g Prot POINTS: 8

Another one from Mama Nise

I made this last night and it was pretty darn good, and it was easy to put together! I didn't serve it with pasta, I made mashed potatoes and green beans! YUMM-:0)

Chicken Marsala

6-8 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 cup flour
¼ cup butter
¼ cup cooking oil
1 bottle Marsala cooking wine
2 cups sliced, fresh mushrooms
Fresh parsley (optional)
Wash and pat dry chicken breasts. Mix together the flour and breadcrumbs; press crumb and flour mixture onto the chicken. Brown the chicken in butter and oil. Remove to a baking dish when browned. Sauté the mushrooms in remaining oil (you may need to add more butter). Pour (1/2 bottle or so) Marsala wine into the skillet and scrape around to get up the crusty bits; pour over chicken. Bake, covered, in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 20 minutes more. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley; serve over angle hair pasta (optional).

Menu for Week of 11-5

Here's mine for the week:
Monday - Tacos with rice and refried beans
Taste Test Tuesday - Poineer Woman's Best Lasagna (I'll let you know how this turns out)
Wednesday - I'm going to be a little adventurous and make two soups...Potato and Leek soup and Taco Soup (haven't had t his one yet so I'll let you know how it is on a later post)
Thursday - Chicken Pot Pie
Friday - Eat out night...Fajita Willies (We do this every Friday, so you'll never see a recipe from me on those nights)
Saturday - Spaghetti

Pioneer Woman's Best Lasagna:
http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/2007/06/the_best_lasagn.html

Chicken Pot Pie:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Pot-Pie-III/Detail.aspx
**I put 1 cup each of corn, green beans and carrots (all frozen, and I just run them under some luke warm water to unfreeze them a little)

I'll post the spaghetti sauce recipe later.

What's your favorite... Mac & Cheese?

Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese

(from my Pattie LaBelle's cookbook)

1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 lb. elbow macaroni
8 Tbs. butter + 1 Tbs.
1/2 cup (2 oz) Muenster cheese
1/2 cup (2 oz) mild cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 oz) sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 oz) Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup (8 oz) Velveeta, cut up
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2 qt. casserole. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the oil, then the macaroni, and cook until just tender. You can use this time to shred all your cheeses. Drain your noodles well and return to the cooking pot. Melt the 8 Tbs. of butter and stir into the macaroni. In a large bowl, mix your cheeses. To the macaroni, add the half-and-half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, the cubed velveeta, and the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the buttered casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and dot with the remaining 1 Tbs. of butter. Bake until it's bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes. Serve hot. Serves 4-6

* I use this recipe only for special occasions! Pattie says that on really special occasions, she will sometimes add an extra stick of butter to take this recipe "over the moon". She says that if you do this, substitute milk for the half-and-half.



On an everyday basis... I make mine like my mother-in-law's and do it on the stovetop with cubed velveeta and milk. If I don't have time for Patti LaBelle's recipe and I want a baked version - I always use this one...

Aunt Kay's Mac-n-Cheese

1/2 lb. velveeta, grated
1/2 lb. cheddar, grated
2 cups macaroni noodles
1 cn. evaporated milk (I use about 3/4 of the can)
salt and pepper

Cook noodles until done, but still a little firm. Drain, place noodles in a buttered casserole dish. Salt and pepper, then spread the grated velveeta on first, topping with the cheddar. Pour a can of evaporated milk over the top, evenly. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Kathy's menu this week...

For the week of October 22nd...

Monday - Soup & Sandwiches - sickies at home :(
Tuesday - Chicken Tequila Fettuccini
Wednesday - Burgers on the grill
Thursday - Fajitas, beans, mexican rice
Friday - Nacho night w/ left over fajita meat
Saturday - Steak fingers, green beans, mashed potatoes
Sunday - Carnitas and black bean salsa


Chicken Tequila Fettuccini is definitely a family favorite in this house!!!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Tequila-Fettuccini/Detail.aspx

Carnitas is an awesome dish that no1here is a master of. I'll let him post it! So, stay tuned...