Chicken Bites and Creamy Pasta 3 November 2009

Chicken Ingredients:

• boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into bite-sized pieces)
• olive oil
• pepper
• garlic powder
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

 

Chicken Directions:

1. Coat chicken in olive oil, season with pepper and garlic powder.  Let marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Mix breadcrumbs and cayenne pepper, coat chicken with mixture.
3. Cook at 475F for 10 minutes.

 

Pasta Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. chicken bullion
• 3 Tbsp. stick butter or margarine
• 1 tsp. italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 lb. chosen pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine is best)

 

Pasta Directions:

1. Cook pasta to desired consistency.
2. Mix remaining ingredients a small saucepan and boil for 10-15 minutes.
3. Pour over pasta and serve.

 

I made with garlic bread – butter, italian seasoning, garlic, & mozzarella cheese.

Stuffed Manicotti 20 October 2009

This was my first try at making this by hand.  Turned out delicious!  You can leave the spinach out if it’s not your thing.  Didn’t use a recipe for this, just adapted what i remembered of a lasagna recipe my bf makes.

Ingredients

• 1 box manicotti noodles (14 noodles)
• 15 oz. package ricotta cheese
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese (extra if you want to top with it as well)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 2 eggs
• 10 oz. spinach, drained
• 1 jar pasta sauce

Directions

1. Cook pasta slightly under al dente, so they are firm enough to stuff.  Rinse and drain, cool.
2. Mix cheeses, eggs, and spinach.
3. Pipe cheese mixture into shells.  (If you do not have piping bag, use a ziploc with a corner cut off.  Extra pair of hands helps here)
4. Place shells into a buttered or greased 9×13 pan.
5. Top with pasta sauce, whatever kind you prefer.
6. Cook at 350F for 45 minutes.  (add extra mozzarella in the last 15 minutes of cooking if you would like)

Andouille Sausage and Peppers Marinara 21 September 2009

Had some Andouille sausage in the freezer I needed to use, so I went on the hunt for a recipe and came up with this.  From Recipezaar.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 yellow onion, cut into thin wedges
• 1 Tbsp.  minced garlic
• 1 lb. Andouille sausage, cut into thin slices
• 1 (22 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. italian seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 cup sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In large skillet over medium-high heat, saute peppers and onions.
2. When the vegetables are tender, add the garlic and sausage.  Saute for 1 min, being careful not to burn the garlic.
3. Add diced tomatoes.
4. Whisk tomato paste and water together, add to skillet.
5. Add all the spices and sugar.
6. Bring to boil, reduce heat.  Simmer covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 10 more minutes.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Serve over pasta or rice.

Next time I make it I’ll reduce the amount of sugar.  Somewhere between 2-3 Tbsp. seems like it should be right.  It was delicious, but it had too much of a sweet aftertaste for my liking.  Definitely making this one again.

edit:  Made this again using hot Italian sausage instead of Andouille sausage.  The amount of sugar in the recipe was perfect to counteract the heat of the sausage.  I’m not sure which sausage I prefer in it.  I also substituted a 28 oz. can of tomato sauce for the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and water.  I liked the flavor and texture of this method better.

Spicy Stir-fry 16 August 2009

Only made this once so I don’t have any measurements for ingredients yet.  (I don’t cook that way)  So delicious I had to write it down immediately.  There are so many flavors in this that work together in perfect harmony.  And there’s just something about the combination of teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds that’s just amazing.

Ingredients

• pasta (I used linguini)
• vegetable oil
• boneless, skinless chicken breast (pork would likely also work well)
• salt & pepper
• red pepper flakes
• vegetables (I used carrots, snow peas, and water chestnuts)
• FRESH chopped green onions
• teriyaki sauce (I used JES Ginger Teriyaki marinade and sauce)
• toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Boil water and cook noodles to taste.
2. Meanwhile, cut chicken breast into1/4 inch pieces, season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
3. Chop vegetables as needed.
4. Cook chicken in hot oil in pan.
5. Add vegetables, cook 3 more minutes.  Add green onions, cook 1 more minute.
6. Add teriyaki sauce, stir.
7. Drain noodles and put back in pan.  Add meat, veggies, and sauce mixture to pasta and mix together.
8. Add sesame seeds, mix again.
9. Serve with sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

Kickin’ Mac n’ Cheese 20 July 2009

You get a bite with mostly peppers and think “this is almost too much”, then you get a bite with more bacon and it cools off.  It’s like a roller coaster for your mouth.  Adapted from a Recipezaar recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup elbow macaroni
• 1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar
• 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
• 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
• pinch each of paprika, white pepper, and cayenne pepper
• roasted red pepper and bacon to taste

Directions

1. Bring salted water to a boil, add pasta and return water to boil.
2. Cook for 4 minutes on high, turn heat to medium and cook for 7 more minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Drain any remaining water (there won’t be much).
4. Add cheese, margarine, and heavy cream, stir until cheese is melted and all is mixed.
5. Add paprika, white pepper, and cayenne pepper, stir.
6. Finally dice roasted red peppers, add along with bacon, stir.
7. Devour.