Chicken Caesar Pasta

With Memorial Day weekend coming up,
here is one of our families favorite BBQ side dishes.
The Chicken Caesar Pasta is a perfect side for any kind of BBQ.
I have also made this recipe with taking out the chicken and replacing it with broccoli.
This pasta salad is seen a lot in the summer months on our table. If you are making it for a large group I would double the recipe.
Yummy! Enjoy.

CHICKEN CAESAR PASTA

serves 6-8

What You Need:

16 oz. box rotini
2 boneless chicken breasts
1 bottle Cardini’s original Caesar dressing
1 Tbsp. crushed garlic
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash seasoning
1/3 red onion, chopped

How To Make:

1.Cook pasta and drain. Set aside.

2. Cut raw chicken into bite-size pieces and stir-fry in garlic & oil until done.

3. In a large mixing bowl mix chicken in with the pasta. Add dressing, onion, tomatoes, and Mrs. Dash.

4. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Twice Baked Potatoes

My mom made these yummy twist on mashed potatoes when I was growing up.
I loved them then, and I love them now.
My little family also enjoys them, especially my husband.
This is a very easy side to make, and can be made apart of any meal.
Enjoy!



Twice Baked Potatoes

What you Need:

-4 large-ish russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
-2 tablespoons butter, melted
-2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 or 2 green onions, white and green parts thinly chopped
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1/4 cup milk
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

How To Make:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pierce each potato three or four times with a fork and place in the oven (or on a baking sheet). Bake for about an hour, until a fork can easily be inserted into the potato. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Let them cool for about 5-10 minutes.

2. Carefully cut each potato in half lengthwise, so you get two “boat” shapes from each potato. Using an oven mitt or potholder, hold the potato in one hand and with a spoon scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Leave a thin border (a little less than 1/4-inch) of potato innards around the skin so that it isn’t too fragile to hold the pumped up potato mixture.

3. Mash the potato flesh with a potato masher or fork until mostly smooth. Stir in the melted butter, 1 cup cheese, green onions, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper. Mix well.

4. Preheat the broiler and move an oven rack about 3-4 inches away from the broiler heating element.

5. Scoop the potato filling into the shells, mounding each potato shell full of the good stuff. Sprinkle the potatoes with the remaining 1 cup cheese and broil the potatoes until the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 5 minutes.

Recipe Source: Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Shrimp Fried Rice

I always love eating out at Japanese Steak house's where they cook the food in front of you on a huge grill. The fried rice is always so yummy.
To make this home made fried rice I use my biggest skillet pan and it works just fine.
The recipe calls for Shrimp, however, I have used chicken, beef and pork before. Just make sure you cut the meat very thin before cooking.
This is a fun meal to make, and eat!
Enjoy!


Shrimp Fried Rice

What you need:
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil, divided
3 eggs, beaten
2 stalks green onions, minced
4 cups steamed white or brown rice
¾ cup frozen peas and carrots, defrosted
1 tbsp. soy sauce
Few drops sesame oil

How To Make:
1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the shrimp, salt, pepper and cornstarch, and toss well to coat the shrimp. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. When a drop of water immediately sizzles and evaporates, the pan is hot enough to add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Swirl to coat the pan well.

2. Add the shrimp to the hot pan and quickly spread them out so that they are in a single layer, and all touching the pan surface. (You may need to do this in two batches to ensure even cooking.) Let them cook untouched for 30 seconds, then flip over (tongs work well for this) and let cook for 30 more seconds, so that the shrimp are about 80% cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.

3. Lower the heat on the pan to medium. Add the eggs to the pan and stir quickly, to break up and scramble the eggs. When the eggs are almost cooked through but still slightly runny in the middle, remove from the pan to the same plate as the shrimp.

3. Use paper towels to wipe the pan clean and return the pan to high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, swirling to coat. Once the oil is very hot, add the green onions to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the rice to the pan and mix well to combine with the green onions. Spread the rice out evenly over the pan and let cook without stirring, until you hear the rice grains sizzle, about 1 to 2 minutes. Toss the rice a bit with your spatula, and again spread it out over the cooking surface.

4. Drizzle the soy sauce all over the rice, and toss again. Add the peas and carrots, the cooked shrimp and eggs, and the sesame oil to the pan. Toss to combine all the ingredients well with the rice. Let everything heat back up again until the rice grains are sizzling again. Add additional soy sauce to taste, if needed. Serve.

Source: adapted from Simply Recipes

Chicken Kabobs With Lemon & Oregano

Chicken Kabobs With Lemon & Oregano

-1/2 cup lemon juice
-1/4 cup dry white wine
-2 Tablespoons pure olive oil
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
-grated zest of 1/2 lemon
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 1/2 lb of skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
-2 small zuccinni's, cut into 1/2 inch slices
-1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch squares
-1 yellow onion, cut into 1 inch squares

1. In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, wine, oil, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, and salt and pepper. Stir in chicken, zuccinni, red bell pepper, and onion. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, prepare a grill pan by spraying it with Pam or Prepare outdoor grill. Place 8 wooden skewers in fully covered in water for 15 minutes. (this is so your skewers will not burn)

3. Prepare the skewers by pushing the chicken, zuccinni, red pepper, and onion through the skewer sticks alternating the pieces and dividing them equally. Place on hot grill pan or outdoor grill. Grill, turning the skewers once or twice. Cook until chicken is done and vegies are tender.

4. Serve on top of Rice Pilaf (recipe follows)

Rice Pilaf:

-1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
-2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
-1/2 cup chopped yellow onion or shallot
-3 cups of Chicken stock, heated
-salt and pepper
-1 Tablespoon of Fresh flat-leafed parsley or 1 teaspoon of dried parlsey

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow 2 qt baking dish.

2. In a frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion or shallot and saute until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the rice and saute for about 2 minutes. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Add the heated chicken stock, season with salt and pepper and stir to mix.

3. Cover and bake until all the liquid is absorbed, 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover, and fluff with fork. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

This soup is amazingly close to the Olive Garden's Minestrone soup!
It is so delicious and very healthy.
Packed full of vegetables in a tomato soup base and then topped with Parmesan cheese.
This soup would also be really good if you wanted to add turkey sausage.
I usually serve it with bread sticks or french bread and a green salad.
I also love that it is made in a crock pot, that makes dinner time prep a bit more smoothly.


Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

serves 6 - 8

What you need:

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
• 4 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
• 1/2 cup of good shredded Parmesan cheese
  
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 2 cups cooked small pasta like shells or elbows (al dente)
• extra shredded Parmesan cheese to top

How to Make:

1. Rinse and drain beans. Puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in a blender.

2. In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours OR on high for 4 hours.

3. Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

4. Serve soup into bowls and top with extra Parmesan cheese.

ENJOY!

Perfect Cornbread & Honey Butter

I always like to make a Halloween home-made dinner before we go out
Trick-or-Treating with the kids.
I figure the kids will be getting enough junk food, so I want to make sure they get something healthy in their stomachs before they head out the door.
This year I made my all -time favorite Turkey Chili recipe found here.
To go with the chili I made this Perfect Cornbread and Honey butter.
My family loved this cornbread. I am picky about cornbread. I do not care for cornbread that is dry or crumbly. This cornbread is very moist and flavorful. This is my new go-to cornbread recipe.
And the honey butter is to die for! The best honey Butter I have ever made. We had a lot of the honey butter left over, and are now using it in place of butter on our toast. So good!
Thanks to Melanie over at My Kitchen Cafe for her delicious recipes.

Perfect Cornbread & Honey Butter
from My Kitchen Cafe

Cornbread:
½ cup cornmeal
1 ½ cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cup milk

Add dry ingredients, make a well and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center. Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny - don't be alarmed!). Bake in an 8” square pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
(You can double in a 9 by 13 pan)

Honey Butter:
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

Whip all together with an electric mixer and serve at room temperature (can be refrigerated and softened).

Grilled Vegetables

Now is the season to find yourself some squash and zucchini.
This recipe is so easy and simple.
I was pleasantly surprised how grilling these vegie's with olive oil and herb's brings out a sweetness in them.
They were good enough for my 6 year old to actually eat them and LIKE them!
Makes a great side dish.

Grilled Vegetables

2-3 medium-sized zucchini
2-3 medium-sized yellow squash

1 onion quartered

1-2 tablespoons olive oil, enough to coat
kosher salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
Italian Seasoning

Directions:

- Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill to high heat.
- Slice the zucchini and yellow squash on a diagonal into slices roughly 1/4 inch thick. Cut onion in quarters.
- In a large bowl, toss the sliced zucchini, squash, and onoin with the olive oil, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Using a pair of tongs, place the coated vegetable slices on the hot grill pan. Cook until dark char marks appear. Flip the slices using the tongs and cook the other side until charred.
- Serve warm as a side dish or use cold in a vegetarian sandwich or wrap.