One Pot Chicken Lo Mein

I made this the other night.  It was so simple, easy and delicious!!  My kids lapped it up!!  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• ½ lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small chunks
• 1 - 13.25 to 16 oz. box of linguini or fettuccini pasta, broken in half 
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in thin 3 inch long strips
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut in thin 3 inch long strips
• 1 bunch green onions, white part sliced and green part cut in 3 inch long strips
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Add the chicken, then the pasta, then the remaining ingredients to a large stockpot and cover. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir and reduce the heat to medium-low.
2. Cook covered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until most of the liquid is gone and the chicken is cooked through.
3. Remove the lid and let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Paula Deen's Chicken Noodle Casserole

This is a really easy weeknight dish.  It is a comfort food dish and my kids gobbled it up.  I mean what's not to like about chicken, noodles and cheese??  It is basically a take on macaroni and cheese but with chicken thrown in the mix.  It is a great dish for those picky eaters!!!!

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
4 cups egg noodles, cooked and drained (approximately 2 cups uncooked)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
3 cups cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 x13 inch baking dish.
In a large, tall-sided saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion, sauté until near translucent. Stirring frequently, add garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for two minutes more. Stir in the flour and cook until the flour is absorbed. Slowly add the milk and 2 cups of cheese. Reserve 1 cup of cheese for casserole topping. Once the cheese is melted add salt and pepper to taste. Combine chicken, sour cream and noodles into cheese mixture. Stir until the noodles are coated with mixture.
Pour mixture into a prepared baking dish.  Top with remaining cheese. Bake the casserole for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.
Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Grilled Chicken Wings

Wings....they are the ultimate appetizer or in our case, the perfect meal!  Fried, grilled, it doesn't matter.  I'm just a wing lover!  We were craving some grilled wings this weekend and I did mine 3 different ways because we have little picky eaters living in our house.  The first way is really easy and it is just to sprinkle the wings with kosher salt and pepper on both sides and grill for 30 minutes or until no longer pink.  Here is the other way I did it and it is delicious!!

Grilled Wings:

Make the marinade-
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup italian dressing

Pour in a bag with the wings and let it marinate overnight or at least 4 hours.

You can grill them with just the marinade which is so good or the third way I did our wings is to take some of them after they are grilled and toss them into a wing sauce. Grill for about 30-40 minutes or until no longer pink. Here is the wing sauce if you like to spice things up!  I even tossed a few of the salt/pepper wings in with the sauce as well.

Wing Sauce:

1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup franks redhot sauce

Melt butter in a skillet and whisk in the soy and hot sauce.  Pour into a bowl and toss the wings in it.  Delish!

Bruschetta

Ok, here's post #2 using all those fresh tomatoes you having growing.  It is such an easy recipe and I can easily eat the entire making.  You can serve this on toasted french bread or my personal favorite, garlic pita chips.  Yummo!!!  I can sit and dip the entire bag of chips all at one sitting!  Hence my expanding waistline!

4-5 large tomatoes diced
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TSP olive oil
1/4 TSP kosher salt
1/4 TSP black pepper

Combine all together.  You can serve immediately but I like to let mine sit in the fridge for a few hours and lets all those flavors sink in!

Homemade Salsa

I love summer!  Our garden is in full bloom and we are in tomato overload!  I'm not complaining because I could seriously eat tomatoes every day.  My next few posts will be recipes that you can use with all those fresh tomatoes that may be taking over your home.  My first tomato post will be homemade salsa.  I mean who doesn't love a good salsa!  Yummm!

6-7 large tomatoes chopped
2 tsp dried cilantro or 1/4 cup fresh minced cilantro
3 jalapeno peppers (less if you don't like heat)
1 onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
2-3 tsp lime juice
1 TBS white vinegar
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
1 TBS sugar
1 TSP olive oil


Combine tomatoes, onion and garlic in food processor till consistency you desire.  Then add the rest of the ingredients.  You can drain some of the excess liquid off of if you like yours a little more chunky and not runny.

Spicy Sausage Pasta

This is a super quick and easy weeknight dinner!!!  So good!

Ingredients:

1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 lb Smoked Sausage (I used Butterball Polka Kielbasa Turkey Sausage)
1 1/2 cups diced onions
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 10oz can of mild rotel or if you don't want it spicy 1 can of diced tomatoes and a 1/2 small can of diced green chilis
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz penne pasta uncooked
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Add olive oil to an oven safe skillet over medium high heat.  Brown sausage and onions until lightly browned.  Add garlic and cook till fragrant.  Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and cook until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese.  Top with remaining cheese and scallions and then broil in oven till cheese is melted and spotty brown.

Chicken Lazone

My kids devoured this dish!!!  It wasn't very spicy at all.  I would probably add a bit more cayenne pepper if you want some heat.  I did my own spin on this dish.  I found the recipe online and I just wanted to change it up a bit to suit my family's taste buds.  Hope you enjoy!

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or more if you like the heat
• 4 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts or 2lbs chicken tenders (You can also use chicken thighs)
• 1/4 cup butter, divided
• 1-1/2 cups heavy cream
• cooked noodles

Directions:

1. Combine the seasonings and coat chicken breasts.
2. In large saute pan melt half of the butter and cook chicken over medium heat for about 7 to 8 minutes, turning once.
3. Pour the cream into the skillet and lower the heat.
4. Simmer for several minutes, stirring until the sauce thickens then add the remaining butter.
5. Shred/Cut chicken and add back to sauce
6. Put noodles on plate and cover with sauce/chicken mixture

Broccoli Salad

In honor of St. Patty's Day, I'm posting a green recipe :)  It is so easy to make and you will not be disappointed.  I make it all the time when going to dinner at a friends house or having friends over.  I get requests to make this all of the time!!

2-3 heads of fresh broccoli
1 red onion
1/2 lb bacon
1 cup cheddar cheese
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup craisens
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup white sugar
2 TBS white wine vinegar

Directions

1. Place bacon in a deep skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Cool and crumble.
2. Cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces and cut the onion into thin bite-size slices. Combine with the bacon, craisins, your favorite nuts and mix well.
3. To prepare the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad, let chill and serve.

Guacamole

I could totally live on guacamole alone!  I make this at the beginning of every week and just snack on it with chips, veggies, etc....all week long!   It is ohhhh soooo good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Did I say I love guacamole??

Ingredients:

4 ripe Haas avocados

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

8 dashes hot pepper sauce

1/2 cup small-diced red onion

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced


Cut the avocados in 1/2, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl.

Immediately add the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.

Shrimp Tacos

Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients:
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
2 Tbsp Sriracha Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon peanut butter
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup corn starch
2 eggs
6 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
Green onion, thinly sliced
lettuce
tortillas

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, Sriracha, Mayo, and Peanut Butter. Taste–If it’s not spicy enough, add more sriracha. set aside. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.  Place corn starch in a shallow dish, and lightly whisk two eggs together to create an egg wash in a separate shallow dish. Dip each piece of shrimp in corn starch to coat, then dip in the egg wash to coat.  Heat 6-8 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet on high heat. When the oil is hot, carefully add the shrimp to the pan. You may need to cook the shrimp in two batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, until the shrimp are crispy.  Remove the shrimp to a paper towel lined plate to drain.  Add the shrimp to the spicy mayo.  Serve on warmed tortillas.

Meatloaf

I never have been much of a meatloaf eater until I came across this recipe in one of my all time favorite cookbooks by Pioneer Woman.  Now, it is a regular in my cooking rotation.  Trust me, you have to try it out.  I think you will make it a regular on your menu as well!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 6 slices White Bread
• 2 pounds Ground Beef
• 1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
• 3/4 teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/3 cup Minced Flat-leaf Parsley
• 4 whole Eggs, Beaten
• 10 slices Thin/regular Bacon
• Sauce:
• 1-1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• Tabasco To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.
Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.
With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)
Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.
Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.
Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.
Serve with mashed potatoes. Yummy!

Hot Corn Dip

Ingredients:

2 - (11 ounce) cans mexicorn, drained

2 - (4 1/2 ounce) cans chopped green chilies, drained

2 - cups grated monterey jack cheese (about 8 ounces)

3/4 - cup grated parmesan cheese

1 - cup mayonnaise (not miracle whip)

corn chips, for dipping (fritos scoops or tostitos scoops)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F Grease a 9 × 13 × 2-inch casserole dish. In a medium bowl, mix the corn, chile's, cheeses, and mayonnaise until fully combined.

Spread the mixture in the prepared casserole dish and bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges. Serve the dip warm from the oven with corn chips.