Alfredo Mesquite Chicken Pasta

Oh my goodness, this was SO GOOD! But warning, so not healthy. That shouldn't be surprising though right? :)

I didn't feel like cooking and Jack offered to make dinner while I took a nap. I said I left the recipe open on the computer, he couldn't find it, so instead of waking me up made up his own and it was divine! I need to ask him again what he did, but it was something like this-

Half block butter

Half block cream cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

some milk

mesquite seasoning

melted and poured over pasta with cut up chicken nuggets :)

Balsamic Chicken Pasta Salad

Found the recipe here- http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Balsamic-Chicken-Pasta-Salad

• bow tie pasta
• cubed cooked chicken breast
• tomatoes
• chopped red onion
• bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (I used bacon bits)

*I halved the dressing recipe

• 1/4 cup Crisco® Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp dried basil
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water; transfer to a large bowl. Add the chicken, tomatoes, onion, and bacon.
• In a small bowl, whisk the oil, basil, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cranberry Chicken Pasta Salad

I needed to use the other half of my can of Costco chicken and was in the mood for a cold pasta salad. I couldn't decide between 2 I found so I made a little of both. :) I think they would be much better with cubed chicken, but not bad for what it was. I'll include the other recipe in the above post.

Found recipe here - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/chicken-pasta-salad-with-cashews-and-dried-cranberries/detail.aspx

• bow tie (farfalle) pasta
• coleslaw dressing
• cubed cooked chicken
• seedless green grapes, halved
• seedless red grapes, halved
• water chestnuts (I left out)
• thinly sliced celery
• sliced green onions
• cashew halves
• dried cranberries

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine pasta, chicken, green grapes, red grapes, water chestnuts, celery, and green onions. Stir in dressing, and mix well. Place the salad in the refrigerator to marinate for 2 hours, or overnight. Mix in cashews and dried cranberries just before serving. Serve cold.

I mixed up my own coleslaw dressing found here - http://southernfood.about.com/od/saladdressings/r/bl60117c.htm

*I only made a quarter of the recipe below, but I also didn't make very much pasta

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 full of a 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup cider vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• salt, to taste

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a jar; shake well. Refrigerate for about an hour.

Mesquite Chicken Pasta

I've made a few variations of this in the past, but this time it was my favorite, and easiest. Maybe that's why it was my favorite? I used a variation found here - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/cajun-chicken-pasta/detail.aspx

pasta

chicken

mesquite seasoning

butter

sour cream

I had previously cooked some pasta shells that were in the fridge I needed to use so I thawed a chicken breast and cooked it in a skillet with some mesquite seasoning. I added a little butter and cut the chicken breast into bite-sized strips. Once fully cooked I set aside on plate.

Turned heat to low and with the burning mesquite seasoning on the bottom of the pan I added 1/2 cup sour cream, stirring constantly and a little milk to get a good sauce consistency and all the flavor from the bottom of the pan was mixed in. Added about 1/4 tsp of the following-

onion flakes

dried basil

lemon pepper

garlic powder

salt

pepper

Added some parmesan cheese and threw my cooked pasta into the pan, mixing until it was all coated. I add the chicken and there you have it!

I forgot after I ate it I wanted to add some cherry tomatoes I had sitting in the fridge. You could also saute some red and green bell pepper with your chicken that would be tasty!

Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce

Found recipe here - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/aromatic-noodles-with-lime-peanut-sauce-recipe/index.html

Jack really liked this sauce and it's a good meatless meal!

• 3/4 pound spaghetti
• 2 cups (about 9 ounces) broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 scallion, cut into pieces
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more if you'd like)
• 1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts (I didn't have any)

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of water according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. While the pasta is cooking put the broccoli in a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water and steam it for 3 minutes.

Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over a medium heat until they become fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set them aside to cool. Make the sauce by pureeing the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Right before serving, toss the pasta with 3/4 cup of the peanut sauce. Divide into 6 serving bowls and top each serving with the vegetables. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the vegetables. Coarsely chop the peanuts, sprinkle them on top and serve.

Chicken Cacciatore

I found this recipe here- http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/02/chicken-cacciatore/

2 small chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into bite-sized pieces

1/4 c. white flour

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 c. olive oil. I'll be honest, used vegetable :)

1 onion, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and either crushed or halved

1 can tomato sauce

1 1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. marjoram

1/2 tsp. salt

1 bay leaf

1/3 green bell pepper, chopped

1/3 red bell pepper, chopped

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onions and garlic and stir frequently until onions are tender and garlic is fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon (this is why you need to keep the onion and garlic pieces big), shake off excess oil (you don’t have to go crazy here, a little olive oil never killed anyone!), and transfer to your blender. Increase heat to medium-high.

In a large Ziploc bag, combine flour, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. black pepper. Add chicken pieces, seal bag, and shake to coat pieces with flour. Dump the entire bag into the hot pan and stir quickly to prevent pieces from sticking together. Saute until chicken is golden. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

While chicken is draining, add water, chicken bouillon, tomato sauce, thyme, and marjoram to the onions and garlic in the blender. Blend until smooth. Place chicken and bay leaf in your slow cooker and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 3.5-4 hours. When you have about 1/2 hour to go, add the chopped peppers. Cook until tender. Remove bay leaf and serve over pasta. (we used fettucini)

I don't think I'd call this exceptional, but good. And worth making again.