Very Veggie Alfredo

I'm always up for pasta..mmm...  I love Alfredo  but this sauce is rich so we toned it down with lots of veggies and grilled chicken.  That cancels out the butter and cream right?  I like to think so.  I actually made the Alfredo sauce yesterday when I was home so half the work was done for me.  More than half since OJ chopped all the veggies (so nice).  It was really easy to put together after a long day at work.  Penny said "mmm, Mommy, I like this a watts!"  That's the highest praise she gives, I'll take it :)

Very Veggie Alfredo
1 zuchinni, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1/2 - 3/4 container of baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1 box Veggie Bowtie pasta (just for fun, you can use whatever you like)
Grilled chicken slices (I bought the already cooked frozen ones to save time. Whatever chicken you have on hand)
Alfredo sauce (below)

Cook pasta acording to package.  Chop all the veggies to a similar size.  I cut them into bite-sized chunks.  The smaller mushrooms just quarter, the larger cut into 6.  Just make them all the same size.  Saute in olive oil until tender crisp.  Add chicken, cook for a few minutes.  Add alfredo sauce and simmer until chicken is ready and sauce is heated through.  Add pasta and toss to combine.  Top with a little more cheese when served.

Alfredo Sauce
3/4 stick of butter
1 pint of half and half
1 c Parmesan cheese
To taste:
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

Melt butter into a sauce pan.  Add half and half.  Bring just to a boil and reduce to simmer for 25 - 30 minutes.  Add cheese and seasonings.

Chicken Quesedillas

With OJ & Penny's cheese obsession, quesedillas are definitely a staple in our house!  We like to find ways to change them up every now and then.  This one was sooo good!   We added some shredded rotissoire chicken, with a poblano pepper and some baby bella mushrooms.  I gave the veggies a quick saute in a pan.  I kept the temp a little high so the peppers would blister a little and everything would stay a little crisp.  Like when you do fajitas.  Then we layered them up in our new Cuisinart Griddler (love it!) and cooked both sides at once.  No flipping! I kept the peppers out of Penny's.  They were a hit!  I love coming up with twists on our favorite foods.  It keeps things interesting :)  

Steel Cut Oatmeal

I know, this isn't really a recipe, but I thought I'd share a quick breakfast idea.  I cook up a big pot of Steel Cut Oats.  I like the texture of the steel cut. 

My mom used to make us cracked wheat when I was growing up and it's similar to that.  It has an almost nutty flavor and a little bite to it. 

They take about 30 minutes to cook so it's easy to babysit it while I'm cleaning the kitchen etc. on a weekend.  I sweeten it up with a little Splenda.  

 Then I divide it up into 1 1/2 cup servings and put them in the fridge (Penny had to eat some right away - she loved it!).  In the morning I'll grab out a bowl, add some frozen berries or fruit, and microwave for 60 -90 seconds until it's hot.  Add milk and a little honey if needed and breakfast is served.  It's as fast as a packet of instant oatmeal but with more fiber and way less sugar.  

Chicken Pot Pie "Cupcakes"

It's such a cold, snowy, day here I was in the mood for something warm and comforting.  These were so easy and fun and very tasty!  For the original recipe click here.  Really, I didn't change a whole lot.  I called for a couple of dry herbs - I just used a few shakes of Italian seasoning and some garlic powder.  I poached the chicken breasts with some water, chicken broth, Mrs Dash Lemon Pepper, a little garlic powder and pepper.  I like a hint of lemon in, it just brightens the flavor.  I made a little extra chicken so we could make Shawna's Chicken Chimis again later in the week - yum!)  The other thing that was different from the original recipe was that I bought a tube of 8 biscuits, but it called for 12.  So I took a little off each of them and made it work.  We probably also used a tad more cheese then it called for.  That happens a lot when you live with OJ and Penny :)  Whenever I get the cheese out Penny always has to have her own little pile she can eat or she will NOT leave it alone.  OJ usually just stands over my shoulder and keeps telling me to add more. "Are you afraid we're going to run out?"  Anyway, they were really good!  These would also be perfect to take to work or send in Penny's lunchbox.

Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 c cooked chicken breast, cubed

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c frozen mixed veggies

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Italian seasoning

Garlic powder

Pepper

Pillsbury biscuits (enough for 12 muffin cups)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400*.  

Combine everything but the biscuits in a bowl.  

Lightly grease muffin tin and place biscuits into each cup, pressing into the bottom and up the sides.  

Evenly spoon pot pie filling into each cup.

Bake for 15 min but check it after 12 min.  

Let rest for 5 min before serving.

German Pancakes

I love breakfast for dinner (or "brinner" if you prefer).  And, as you already know, I pretty much love every kind of pancake out there.  German pancakes is something I'm sure you've done before.  They're super easy and so much fun!  I remember being absolutely amazed when I was little and my mom would make these for us. Tonight it was Penny's turn to be impressed!  We had a good time making them together :)

OJ commented on how they look like lemon squares.  Next time we're thinking we might do a lemon blueberry something to put on top...to be continued...

German Pancakes

6 eggs
1c milk
1c flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs butter

Preheat oven to 400*.  Put butter in a 9x13 baking dish and place in oven until butter is melted.  Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Pour batter into buttered baking dish.  Bake for 20 min until puffy and golden on the edges.  Top w/ powdered sugar. You can also top with fruit or jam.

Chicken Noodle Stoup

 

A few years ago when I actually got to watch TV regularly I saw Rachael Ray make a "stoup" thicker than a soup but thinner than a stew. I loved the idea and changed the recipe a little from what she originally had it as! It is a great meal on a cold winters day! You know we get a lot of those here in Az ;)
 
Chicken Noodle Stoup
1-2 small cans Cream of Chicken soup
2 cans Chicken stock ( I like low sodium)
1 package Egg Noodles
Celery- I use 4 to 5 stalks
Carrots- I use 4 to 5 large "bugs bunny carrots" as the boys call them :)
Diced onion, I use a very small amount (like 2TBS diced)
2 tbs butter
1 rotisserie chicken (easy to grab on the way home)
French bread 
 
Chop veggies and simmer in pan with butter until translucent. Season to taste (we just use salt and pepper) and cook until tender. Add the chicken stock now, I usually only do one can at this point. While this is simmering shred the chicken and boil water for egg noodles. I add one can of cream of chicken soup to the veggie/broth mixture at this point and then add in the shredded chicken. If you want it thinner you can either add more broth or water. If you like it a little more stew like add the 2nd can of cream of chicken soup. Let this cook together until the flavors blend (like 10-15 mins) and slice the french bread. We like to make it into a cheesy bread to dip in the stoup. This is a super quick and easy meal and is YUMMY! :)

Green Chili Burros

 

Nursing school has once again taken over my free time/life so I haven't been on to post! I will try to be better about it :) I made this a few weeks ago and again tonight! This is an all time favorite at our house! I make a double batch sometimes just so we can have leftovers for lunch the next day! It is actually really simple and doesn't require a lot of attention so its nice to throw in the pot and do things around the house while it cooks!

 

Green Chili Pork

1 package boneless pork chops (about 6 to 8 pork chops) cubed into small bite size pieces

2 small tomatoes

1 medium yellow onion

Frozen green chili to taste (I use about 3/4 of a tub of Bacas green chili but you don't need to use that much if you don't want it very hot!)

Lawry's Seasoning salt to taste

Lawry's Garlic Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

2TBS Pancake mix (any kind, Bisquick works best)

Cube the pork chops into small bite size pieces, about 1/2" cubes. Chop tomato up into small pieces (doesn't really matter how small or if they are all perfect shapes because by the end they dissolve into the chili) and dice the onion. Put this all in the pan together and do NOT add any oil to brown it. Season with the seasoning salt, garlic salt, and pepper. Let this simmer on med to med/high for about 30 to 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Cook longer at medium to make the meat more tender if you want. When all the meat is browned and cooked through there should be some water/juice from the veggies if not add about 1 to 1 and a half cups water. Then whisk in the pancake mix, whisk quickly so there will not be any lumps. (my brother in law gave me the idea of the pancake mix and I thought he was nuts but it actually is really good and makes it a nice consistency without having to use oil) Let this come to a boil for about 5 minutes and then add the green chili to taste. Let this simmer for about 15 minutes and serve in a burro with or without cheese! This meat also makes DELICIOUS green chili cheese folds!

Spicy Pop Pulled Pork

I had a great picture to go along with this, but we had some technical difficulties :)  Penny really wanted to show this to Bobby, but oh well.  I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond, foodnetwork.com).  It's super easy and delicious!  It has a kick to it, but all three of us loved it!  In the original recipe she bakes it in the oven.  I used the crock pot.  It only took me less than 5 min to throw it together this morning.  I can handle that.

The other thing I did differently was a trick I learned from watching Rachael Ray.  When we buy a can of chipotle we usually only end up using a little bit, then the rest sits in a baggie in the fridge and we forget about it.  Her trick is to puree the whole can, use what you need, then put the rest in a baggie in the freezer (like we do w/ green chiles).  Since it's already pureed, you just break a piece off or grate it in.  I had about the right amount frozen so I just threw it in there.

We cut the recipe in half (since we're a small family) and served it up on some mashed potatoes.  OJ actually got them all peeled, cubed and cooking before I got home!  What a sweetie!  We were in the mood for something rich so we used butter, milk and Laughing Cow soft cheese.  Mmmm....it was so nice to have such a wonderful dinner come together with so little effort on my part :)

Spicy Pop Pulled Pork

from Ree Drummond

2 onions, peeled and quartered
1 whole pork butt (pork shoulder roast)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 11-ounce can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper (we use diet or Dr Pepper TEN)
4 packed tablespoons brown sugar

A Little of Everything Chili

This is a recipe that I tweak every now and then depending on what I have on hand/ need to use up.  It’s kind of a mix of a couple different ones I’ve used in the past.  It’s surprisingly healthy with low fat meat.  I know that adding the mushrooms may sound strange.  It was part of a South Beach Diet chili recipe that I’ve kept going.  The baby bellas (or portabellas) have a really hearty, almost beefy flavor.  It’s a good way to bulk up the chili without adding so much meat.   Plus they have lots of Vitamin D which we are low on.  You could easily do this in the crockpot too....hmm...I'm going to have to try that next.

We served it over crushed chips.  It would also be good over quinoa or rice or with the usual chili toppings.

A Little of Everything Chili

2-3 Tbs   Olive or Canola oil

1 lb  Lean hamburger (90% or above)

1 onion, diced

2 -3 cloves garlic, minced

3 carrots, diced

2  red bell peppers, diced

1 sm carton of baby bella mushrooms, minced

1 8oz can fire roasted diced green chilies

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 qt  beef stock

Season to taste with:  chili powder, cumin, salt & pepper

Heat oil in a large pot.  Brown hamburger.  Add onion, garlic, carrots, bell peppers & mushrooms.  Cook 7 min or so until vegetables are tender.  Add all other ingredients.  Bring to a simmer. Season to taste.