11/19/2011

Creamy Chicken Rotini

Haven't updated in awhile....I have been pretty busy!
Anywho, this recipe is really easy and tastes great! Well, I think so at least! If you are looking for a creamy pasta packed with vegetables then here you go..I found this recipe on family.go.com/food. But, I added spices and kind of tweaked the measurements. All the ingredients are give or take. I usually just add whatever and whip it up..tasting a lot during cooking. So, feel free to add whatever you want! :)


Ingredients..
1/2 - 1 box rotini pasta (depending on how much you want to make)
vegetable oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast - cubed
4-8 oz cream cheese (depending on how much rotini you add and how creamy you like it)
2 cups mixed vegetables
about 1/2 of a bottle of roasted red pepper Italian dressing
1 red bell pepper - chopped into strips
Pepper, garlic salt, paprika - to taste

Directions:
Make pasta according to directions on box. Drain and set aside when done. But, while you got the noodles going..
Add oil to pan and cook chicken until fully cooked on medium high-medium.
Add spices.
I always drain out the oil if any is left in the pan.
Saute bell pepper with mixed vegetables in a separate pan. You can always steam the mixed vegetables as well.
When done add to chicken.
Add rotini to pan.
Pour in roasted red pepper Italian dressing and cream cheese and stir everything together.
Heat over medium-low till everything is blended.
Add more spices if you wish! You can pretty much add any kind of spices you want!

A lot of the times I dont pay much attention to exact measurements, etc. I just go for it! Just taste the dish along the way..
But, this is a Super creamy and yummy pasta dish! Mmmm!!

10/27/2011

Skillet Garlic Meatball Dinner
I got this recipe from www.momswhothink.com. It is delish!!! Especially for those garlic lovers! Love it! We are fatties so we like to eat a lot of it. It is that good!


Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large egg - I usually add two instead of one. The meatballs cook better with two.
¼ cup seasoned dry bread crumbs (I add a little bit more)
3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (I add a little bit more)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 (10 ounce) package frozen cut green beans, thawed
1 (15 ounce) can small white potatoes, drained and quartered
1 (14½ ounce) can stewed tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, minced (Of course we add a lot more...love us some garlic!)


Directions:
1. In a medium bowl mix the beef, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, salt, and pepper. You can also add any other spices as well.
2. Form the mixture into however many meatballs you can make.
3. In a large, deep nonstick skillet, brown the meatballs over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until fully cooked.
4. Add the green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic.
5. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the green beans are tender and the meatballs are cooked through. Serves 4. I added some garlic salt, more pepper and some paprika at the end of cooking time. I also cooked it altogether for 5 more minutes. Serve and enjoy!!!!!

10/24/2011

Red or Green tacos
I got this recipe from a group on facebook called Grubbin' on This (https://www.facebook.com/groups/204644209549348/) I needed to find a easy recipe for dinner and I sure found it! No pictures this time but this recipe is seriously the easiest recipe with barely any ingredients and these tacos taste DELISH! You can make them with either green salsa or red salsa. I have tried making them with both. Both are amazing but I prefer using red salsa because the tacos come out less spicy but also have a better flavor to me. I used a mild chunky red salsa. But, like I said, both are amazing!



Ingredients I used..
1 can green or red salsa
2 chicken breasts
pepper to taste
sea salt to taste
sour cream (however much you want)
cheese (however much you want)
corn tortillas (you can use flour for soft tacos)
vegetable oil

Directions:
Put jar of green or red salsa in slow cooker
Add chicken breasts
Top with sea salt and pepper. Cover and heat on high for 4 hours.
Take out chicken breasts and shred them. Add the chicken back in the slow cooker and stir.
Heat oil in pan and fry up the shells. Top with sour cream and cheese. You can add anything you want to your tacos and there ya go!

YUM!

10/23/2011

Chicken teriyaki with vegetables and rice

This recipe is always our go to meal when I need to fill in a night or something. It is super easy and you can pretty much use anything or make it to your liking.

Ingredients
about 5 chicken strips
white rice - white or brown rice will work.
vegetables - you can use any vegetables you like. I used green bell peppers, onions and carrots.
teriyaki glaze - I used a glaze but you can use just the regular marinade or soy sauce if you wish!
olive oil
other spices if you wish - I used a bit of garlic salt, garlic powder and pepper

Directions
1) Cook rice according to directions.
2) While the rice is cooking saute vegetables in olive oil until fully cooked. While sauteing the vegetables I added some pepper, garlic salt and garlic powder.
3) Cook chicken in a separate pan until cooked through.
I usually combine the chicken and vegetables when I add the glaze but you dont have to.
4) Add vegetables and chicken together when both are fully cooked.
5) Add teriyaki sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Put rice on your plate and top with teriyaki chicken and vegetables and you are done!
YUM!!!

10/18/2011

Chicken with Potatoes and Tomatoes

This is one of my favorite recipes. It is so amazingly tastey!

Ingredients:
3 teaspoon olive oil
1 ½ pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of all visible fat
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic clove, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed or
1 1/2 cup chicken broth (Depending how much broth you want..I like this recipe more like soup so I double the chicken broth)
½ cup chopped fresh basil or dried basil
garlic salt to taste
paprika to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and sauté until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the onion and garlic; cook until the onion is just tender, about 5 minutes longer.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, potato, and broth.
5. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes tender, about 30-40 minutes. I always simmer around 40 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Add any other spices to your liking. I added more pepper, garlic salt and paprika.

10/16/2011

Chicken Pad Thai


I got this recipe from www.verybestbaking.com. I made chicken pad thai for dinner last night. It was surprisingly awesome! I thought I was going to ruin it. It is kind of a pain in the butt to make..but we loved it!

Here is the recipe..

PEANUT SAUCE
2/3 cup (5 fl. oz. can) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
1/3 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

OR to make it easier..just buy a bottle of peanut sauce and Target, like I did! :D



PAD THAI
8 ozs. dried, thin rice noodles (or double depending on how many servings, double the rest of the ingredients if doubled)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 fresh lime, cut into wedges, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 ozs. small shrimp, peeled, deveined or 1 boneless chicken breast, cut into small pieces.
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large egg, beaten
2 cups (about 4 oz.) fresh bean sprouts
1 bunch green onions, sliced (about 3/4 cup), divided
1/2 cup chopped peanuts, divided

Directions
1. Place evaporated milk, peanut butter, soy sauce and ginger in blender; cover. Blend for 30 seconds or until smooth. Set aside. Makes 1 cup. (If you make the sauce instead of buying it).
2. Combine water, sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, lime juice and cayenne pepper in small bowl.
3. Cook rice noodles according to package directions.
4. Heat oil in large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic; cook. Stir in noodles, stirring quickly to keep from sticking. Pour ketchup mixture over noodles; cook for 2 minutes or until sauce is absorbed, stirring constantly.

Push noodles to side of skillet. Add egg to skillet, stirring until cooked. Stir in bean sprouts, 1/2 cup green onions and 1/4 cup peanuts until mixed. Mound mixture on large serving plate. Pour 1/2 cup peanut sauce down center of noodles and sprinkle with remaining green onions and peanuts. Squeeze 2 lime wedges over noodles and garnish with additional wedges. Serve with remaining peanut sauce.


I made more last night so I pretty much doubled everything. I made a few tweaks though. We used more chicken breasts, 2 eggs, a bunch of garlic (probably about 5 cloves) when we cooked the chicken. I also added other spices and when I made the first sauce I added more lime juice (3 more tablespoons about), soy sauce (a few more tablespoons), and I also added Worcestershire sauce (about 4 tablespoons) and not as much sugar as the recipe calls for (when doubled). As for the peanut sauce..to save time I just bought some at target haha. The one I got was kinda spicy but good. I also added more of that and mixed it in the dish at the end as well as put more on top. Delish! Oh, I also added cilantro when mixing in the bean sprouts and green onions.