Garlic Chicken Pasta

Mmmmm...pasta.. I really love it. I try to only make it once a week. Normally that does satiate my cravings, but some times I want it more! This week I broke down and made pasta dishes twice. I threw together an Asian noodle dish with some leftover spaghetti noodles and veggies that needed to be eaten a couple days ago and tonight I made this Garlic Chicken Pasta that I came across on Kevin & Amanda's blog. They adapted it from another blog and I am now adapting it from them. It delicious as is, but I think it is even better with my additions.

If you are on some sort of diet that says no pasta, cream, or bacon, I would stop reading now. If you love everything delicious, continue. This pasta has a sauce very similar to alfredo, but it has a kick. It doesn't take long at all and it is a great weeknight dinner.

Before I go any further, I should mention that TBDH is no longer To Be Determined Husband! He recently accepted a job as Technology Support Specialist in a small school district and is enjoying his job so far. So exciting! But now he needs a new name! My brain is a little dead and I am not feeling very creative so I will have to come up with something before my next post. Now back to deliciousness.

Time: 20ish minutes
Yield: about 4 servings
Ingredients
10-16oz pasta (depending on what kind of pasta:sauce ratio you like)
1 1/2 of cooked, shredded chicken (or however much you want, really)
6-8 slices cooked bacon crumbled
 2 Tbsp butter
3 gloves of minced garlic
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Couple tsp of black pepper (depending on taste)
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup white wine
Dashes of cayenne pepper, oregano, and basil (or other desired herbs)

Prepare the pasta and drain. For two of us I used about 3 handfuls of pasta. The original recipe calls for Farfalle, but I used Penne this time. It's really up to you. Dump the pasta back into the pot and toss the chicken with it. Let it hang out while you prepare the sauce.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Toss in the garlic and stir.

Add in the whipping cream, pepper, wine, and spices/herbs.

Stir to combine and whisk in Parmesan cheese. Whisk the sauce until smooth. It will probably take 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust for preferences.

Stir bacon into sauce.

I could eat this whole little bowl...

Dump sauce on top of pasta/chicken mixture. For best results let the pasta sit for a few minutes to thicken and combine. Now try to not eat every last bit by yourself!

Original sources 
http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/becky-higgins-garlic-chicken-farfalle.html
http://www.beckyhiggins.com/recipes/?p=21

Easiest Pasta Ever

Pasta...so delicious.. Pasta is really one of my favorite types of food. If I had my way, it would probably have it's own section on the food pyramid. I love all kinds of pasta...light, creamy, saucy, with meat, with veggies, long, short, shell-, wheel-, spiral-shaped, wheat, made from potato, filled..you name it, I probably like it. Anyway this is one of the easiest pastas ever. It takes very little time to make and keep be adapted in any way. Lots of Italian restaurants serve it under the name Aglio e olio and it is worth trying. We never had a recipe for this because it is so simple to make, but I came across this one from YumSugar and I liked the ratios it suggested. So if you are looking for a light, quick pasta dish, you should try this one.

Time: However long it takes you to boil pasta + 2 minutes max
Yield: 2-4, depending on how gluttonous you feel

Ingredients
7 ounces of your favorite pasta, typically spaghetti or other long noodle is used
2-3 garlic cloves, minced (or more if you are like me)
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (vary this depending on the heat you like)
1/4 - 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Boil your pasta according to directions. I'm going to assume you can read the directions on the box because you are reading this...please don't prove me wrong.

When it's done, drain your pasta and dump it into a big bowl...or the same pot you boiled it in if you are lazy like me.
Dump the garlic, crushed red pepper, olive oil, salt, and pepper on top of the pasta. I know you can handle this...

Now toss it all!

Taste it and adjust seasonings if you would like. That's it! I told you it was easy. Now you can dress it up however you would like. I typically toss cooked chicken in with it to up the nutrition. Cook and season it however you want. Or add shrimp or sausage, or whatever floats your boat. I also love roasted red pepper on this. This pasta just provides a great base for whatever you are wanting. Make it!

Topped with baked chicken, roasted red pepper, and parmesan cheese and served with sauteed zucchini...yum!

Original post at http://www.yumsugar.com/Spaghetti-Garlic-Olive-Oil-Chili-Flakes-21398824

Baked Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Mac and Cheese is one of those comfort foods that everyone loves in some form. Growing up, I never had the stuff from a box, and I was OK with that. Mom always made it from scratch using Velveeta, milk, butter, and whatever pasta we happened to have. As I started making it for myself I started adding pepperjack cheese, broccoli, bread crumbs, and baking it from time to time. Then one day I came across this recipe from How Sweet It Is and we decided we should try it. (By the way, that blog is definitely worth a look...good stuff happens there..)

On a side note, Law School Husband made a big decision this week. He decided that he did not want to continue this career path. After talking with several professors, friends, and me, he withdrew from school and is now searching for what will truly make him happy. I am very supportive of this decision, however I can no longer call him Law School Husband! From now on, he will be known as TBDH (to-be-determined-husband or the-best-damn-husband).

Back to food, I am not typically a fan of food that has buffalo in the title, but this intrigued me. It doesn't have much buffalo sauce and it is a change from standard mac and cheese. So we gave it a shot. I have made this several times now and it gets better every time I make it!

Time: 35ish min
Ingredients
1 lb pasta (shells, elbow macaroni, whatever floats your boat)
2 cups of cooked chicken, shredded or cubed (I almost always use some sort of leftovers for this)
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, about 4 oz or half a small brick
1/3 cup shredded cheddar, and a little extra for topping
1/3 cup buffalo sauce
1 tsp garlic pepper
salt and black pepper
1/3 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Cook chosen pasta according to standard directions, drain and set aside.

In a medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat, melt the tablespoon of butter. When it had melted, add the flour and whisk to make it smooth. Let your roux sit for a bit and get a pretty golden color.

Yours should look more golden than this...remember I do food, not photography.

Once the roux has become golden, add the milk and stir to mix in the roux. Continue to whisk or stir until the milk has thickened. Next, add in the grated cheese and keep stirring until the cheese melts in to the milkyness and everything become smooth.

 

 

 

Not quite smooth at this point..

Once it is all smooth, add in the buffalo sauce and garlic pepper. Stir it all up and add salt and pepper to taste.

So orange and delicious...

It if seems a little thin, it will be ok. Baking it helps it thicken a bit more. Once the sauce is seasoned to your liking, combine the pasta, chicken and sauce. I just dumped everything into the pot I cooked the pasta in but do whatever you please.

 

Mix it all up until everything is combined. Grease a 9x13 pan or a preferred casserole dish. This can also be made in individual ramekins if you feel like it. Dump the mixture in and make it even.

Mine is much small than a 9x13, but I was also only making a half recipe.

Top you pasta with some extra cheddar cheese and bread crumbs and throw it in the oven!

Mine was already in the oven before I realized I needed to snap a picture.

After about 20 minutes, the cheese should be bubbly. I recommend turning the broiler on for 3ish minutes to help the bread crumbs crisp up more and create a nice crust on top.

Dish it up and enjoy!

I'm tempted to try this with bacon, but TBDH was sure how the bacon would be with buffalo sauce...I just really like bacon. It is suggested in the original posting to top your plate with green onions, Gorgonzola cheese, extra buffalo sauce, or cilantro, but we like it just as it is.

Original post at http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/05/baked-buffalo-chicken-pasta/

Creamy Cajun Pasta

I didn't realize until a friend asked me about my blog that I haven't posted in almost a month. School has been crazy! Everything has been piling up and my blog has honestly slipped my mind. But I'm back! It's spring break and my batteries are slowly recharging. I plan to start posting more frequently again. The recipe for today is one that I have made several times and that I have started spotting on pintrest. Cajun Chicken Pasta comes from the popular Ree Drummond ThePioneerWoman.com. If you have not visited her site, your probably should. She has some amazing recipes on there and even has her own book now. Good stuff. This pasta is absolutely delicious if you like spicy, creamy pasta. It's got a cajun zing, veggies, and a creamy sauce to top of your pasta of choice.

Time: 30-40 minutes (depends on how fast you chop and slice things)
Ingredients
3 chicken breasts cut into cubes (I normally use 1 huge one for LSH and I and it makes plenty)
4 tsps cajun mix (use whatever you have or the recipe to follow)
1 lb pasta (Pioneer Woman uses fettuccine but I just use whatever long pasta we have.)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter (You know it's good when olive oil AND butter are involved.)
1 whole green bell pepper sliced
1 whole red bell pepper sliced
1/2 onion sliced (she used red but I always use yellow)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
Cayenne pepper
Salt
Pepper
Parsley

Go ahead and cook the pasta according to directions and let it hang out while you get everything else cooked.

Before you do anything else, make sure you have all your ingredients ready to go. I'm lazy and do not always prep my ingredients before I start cooking. You better do the right thing and prep for this one or else you will have some issues. Cube that chicken, slice those veggies, and have cups ready for you broth and cream. Also have a whisk available.

Toss the cubed chicken with 2 tsp Cajun seasoning.

Pour 1 Tbsp olive oil in a deep heavy skillet (preferably not non-stick) over medium high heat and introduce the oil to 1 Tbsp of butter. I'm not really sure why both are necessary, but it doesn't seem like something to be messed with. Once the oil and butter are well acquainted, throw in the chicken and watch it sizzle. Brown the chicken on all sides and remove it to a plate. The chicken does not get fully cooked in this step.

Leaving the pan hot, add in the other Tbsp of oil and butter and let them get reacquainted. Throw in the peppers, onions, and garlic. Careful with this step because stuff my sizzle and pop as it hits the pan! Sprinkle on the other 2 tsp of Cajun seasoning and cook over the high heat. The goal is to stir slowly and allow the veggies to blacken as much as possible. Once they are good and blackened, toss in the tomatoes and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Remove the veggies to the same plate or bowl as the chicken.

Still keeping the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Scrape the bottom of the pan as the liquids heat up and get all those blackened goodies incorporated into the sauce. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium low and pour in the cream whisking fiercely. Cook the sauce until it starts to thicken. At this point, taste and decide if cayenne pepper, black pepper, or salt are needed. We like it spicy but it's up to you.

Once it has thickened a bit more, add the chicken and veggies to the sauce, including all the juiced from the plate/bowl. Stir over medium heat for a couple minutes until the sauce thickens even more and is bubbly.

When it has reached your desired consistency, toss in the pasta and mix it all up. Top with a bit of parsley and you are good to go! FYI, the longer this pasta sits, the thicker it will become.
 

Original recipe: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/cajun-chicken-pasta/

Cajun spice mixture (from TLC Cooking)
1/4 cup salt
2 Tbsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp paprika
1 1/2 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp black pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp dried cloves

Mix it all together! This makes a lot but it's a good spice mix to just have on hand. It keeps well in a air-tight container.

Comfort Food: Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole

Some days you just need a high-calorie, dense, creamy comfort food. This is one of those foods. LSH and I were in the mood for some warm edible comfort so I thought I would give this recipe a try. I came across a couple recipes for this type of dish, but the base that I used was from Bobby at blogchef. It seemed like it would provide the highest calorie of comfort with the most substance so we gave it a shot and altered it a little bit. So if you are in the mood for something easy and comforting, give it a try!

Time: 40-60 min
Ingredients
2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 ounces egg noodles (it's about half of a big bag of noodles)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup (You can always use 2 cans of this instead of 1 of each. LSH hates mushrooms so that's what we did.)
1 cup sour cream
1-2 cup carrots, chopped
oil
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)
1-2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
1 cup crushed buttery crackers (like Ritz)
1/4 cup butter

If you do not have pre-cooked chicken, you can season the breasts with salt and pepper and throw them in a skillet with a bit of oil on medium heat. Flip the breasts once until they are fully cooked. Cut the chicken into small pieces or shred it. I think we did cubes more or less.

Preheat oven to 350.

 Cook the egg noodles according to the package. Drain them when they are done.

While the noodles cook, saute the carrots with a bit of oil in a skillet over medium heat. The goal is to tenderize them a bit. We didn't do this but it is a good idea to.

Once noodles are cooked and carrots are sauteed, mix together the two cans of creamed soup and cup of sour cream in a large bowl. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and turmeric if you want and any other desired seasonings. Toss in the carrots and the noodles and mix it up. Finally, toss in the chicken. At this point, you should have a large bowl of creamy deliciousness.

Lightly grease an 8x8 pan and dump the whole mixture in.

Melt the butter and stir in the crackers. These tasty little crumbles get put on top of the casserole with the desired amount of cheese. The crackers add an amazing salty, crunchiness.

Stick it all in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes or until the casserole is cooked through and the topping is browned.

Let it cool a little bit then serve a big gloppy spoonful and relish in the comfort. :D
The original recipe says this serves 4, but that seemed ridiculous to LSH and I. We think it serves 5-6 people.

Original post at http://blogchef.net/chicken-noodle-casserole-recipe/

Restaurant Quality Chicken Parmesan

Edit: This now has pictures! I can finally use my camera, but I have gone so long without using it that I neglected to use it when I made pizza last night and when I made this Chicken Parmesan from Someone Left the Cake Out in the Rain tonight. Both recipes will definitely be made again in the future so I will add pictures at that time. LSH has been craving Italian food for a while and when he saw Chicken Parm on my list of possible recipes for the week, he said he definitely wanted me to try that one. I never got to it during the week, but it seemed like a great idea for a Sunday night. We were not disappointed. Like with most Italian food, we were stuffed by the time we finished. LSH rubbed his belly as he said this was better than any restaurant Chicken Parmesan he had ever had. I asked if this recipe was a keeper and he said "Definitely...all the days!" That's how I know a recipe is a keeper.

Next time I will definitely serve smaller plates. I'm also anxious to see how it tastes as leftovers since it seems like the type of food that would get richer the longer it sits. This recipes is pretty easy, but does take some time because you make the sauce from scratch and it is best simmered for a bit. If you love a good chicken parm and have a bit of time on your hands, I would definitely try this.

Time: 90ish minutes
Ingredients
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic
3/4 cup red wine
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
Black pepper and any other desired herbs (I went with oregano, basil, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and crushed red pepper)

4-6 chicken breasts
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp butter

1 cup parmesan cheese (not the kind in a can; we used the stuff in a bag and it was fine)
1 8oz block mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 lb fettuccine or other long noodle (we used angel hair)

Heat your stove to medium-low heat. Pour your 3 Tbsp olive oil into a wide deep pan or a pot. You need something big enough for all the sauce. Add the Tbsp of butter and let it melt completely. You could probably leave out this extra butter and just use the olive oil, but why would you leave out butter? Once the oil is warm and the butter melted, add in the onion and the garlic. Saute until the mixture is fragrant and tender.

Add the wine (steal a sip or two from the bottle) and let the mixture bubble. Once the wine has reduced by about half, add in the cans of tomatoes with the salt, pepper, and sugar. Mix it up and you can choose to add your seasonings now or later. I added them now because I wanted the flavors to simmer all together. Let mixture simmer on medium-low heat for as long as you have. 30 minutes is a good minimum time. I covered the pot while it simmered because it was bubbling all over my stove.

While the sauce ingredients get to know each other, you can start on the chicken. Start by pounding the chicken breasts until they are about 1/4 of an inch thick. I recommend putting the chicken in a bag or putting it between wax paper or plastic wrap. It eliminates ickyness. Once the chicken is nice and flat, trim off the extra fat and whatnot.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Now comes the fun part of dredging. Mix together the flour, salt, and pepper and put it on a plate or in a shallow dish. Beat the eggs into a bowl. Finally, put the bread crumbs on another plate or shallow dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and toss them in the flour. Tap off any excess flour and dip into the egg. Let the egg drip off a bit and then completely coat the chicken breasts in the bread crumbs. Let the chicken breasts hang out on a plate while you get the next step ready.

Don't forget to stir your sauce! If you think it is done you can take it off the burn and let it chill out. Now back to the chicken....pour the 1/2 cup of olive oil into a pan and add the butter. Once it is all melted and hot, gently place the chicken in the pan.

There is no need to cook all the chicken at once, cook it in as many batches as needed. Let the chicken sit for about 3 minutes on one side and then flip and sit for another 3. There should be a beautiful golden brown crust on both sides of the chicken. It really is a beautiful sight.

Finally it is time to assemble it all! Pour about half of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Place the breaded chicken breasts on top of the sauce. Now top the chicken with the rest of the sauce.

Now it's time for the cheese. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top of each chicken breast and then top that with slices of mozzarella. Now you should see a pan of sauce with mounds topped with cheese. Yum!

Place the pan into the oven and let it cook for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is completely done and the cheese is melted. While the chicken bakes, prepare your pasta according to the directions.

Once the chicken is done serve it hot on top of the pasta with some extra sauce.

I recommend starting with eating half of a piece of chicken. LSH and I both ate a whole piece are are now uncomfortably full. It was delicious but pace yourself!

Also, if you halve the chicken in the recipe, I would halve the sauce too. I made a half recipe of chicken but made all of the sauce because we like a lot of sauce. With this recipe it was definitely too much. Enjoy the deliciousness!

Source: http://someoneleftthecakeoutintherain.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/crazy-good-chicken-parm/#more-107