CopyCats (Part One)

For Christmas I got a cookbook from my MIL  that is America's Most Wanted Recipes: Delicious Recipes from Your Families Favorite Restaurants (by Ron Douglas). It has been fun to look through it and get excited about making some of the yummy "eating out" food at home!!! I have tried two of the recipes and they are both great.

So first, New Year's Eve I made this pasta that I could tell by looking at the ingredients was right up my ally! I have never eaten at California Pizza Kitchen, which is where this one is from, so I don't know if it tastes like the original or not, but we enjoyed it either way!

California Pizza Kitchen's Chicken-Tequila Fettuccine

1 lb. fesh or dried spinach fettucine

1/3 plus some to garnish fresh chopped cilantro
2 Tbs. minced fresh garlic
2 Tbs. minced jalapeno pepper (seeds and veins removed)
3 Tbs. butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 Tbs. gold tequila
2 Tbs. lime juice
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 1/4 lb. chicken breasts, diced
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 each medium red, yellow, and green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Cook the cilantro, garlic, and jalapeno in 2 Tbs. of the butter over medium heat for 4-5 min. (I didn't use quite as much garlic and jalapeno as the recipe called for). Add the stock, tequila, and lime juice. Bring toa boil and cook until reduced to pastelike consistency; set aside.

Pour soy sauce over diced chicken and let set alteast 5 minutes.
Boil water and cook pasta according to directions.

Meanwhile, cook onion and peppers in remaining tablespoon of butter, until limp. Then add chicken, toss, and add reserved tequila lime paste. Add the cream. Bring mixture to a boil and cook until chicken is cooked through.

Drain cooked pasta and toss with the sauce. Garnish with extra cilantro.

And you know what else I loved about this recipe??? Grab yourself some tomatoes while your at the store and use all your leftover veggies from this recipe to make a fabulous homemade salsa:

Take your tomatoes, onion, lime juice, jalapeno, pepper (I chose the yellow pepper only) cilantro, some salt and cumin, a little bit of extra tomato juice to make it a little runnier- throw them all in the food processor-

Twirl that bad boy around a little and voila-

Yummy!

One Dish Bliss

Here you have a true meal in one. I tried this recipe that a gal I know had put in our church cookbook and I believe she said she got it from a Southern Living easy weeknight meals. I wasn't sure how it would turn out with all the ingredients and I didn't want it to taste too "casseroley" with the cream soup and all, but it really didn't and we enjoyed it as just a good hearty meal.
It was easy, but I did it on a night when I had lots of time to dirty and clean dishes as I went and do all my prep work- if you don't you will have the sink piled up with dirty bowls and pots by the time you are done, and that is no fun! It would make a great meal to take to someone- just bring it to them made up and ready to pop in the oven.

Three Cheese Chicken Pasta

8 oz. penne pasta ( I cooked more)
1 tsp olive oil
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced thin
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 small red bell pepper, chopped fine
1 box frozen spinach
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
16 oz. cottage cheese
2 c. shredded roasted chicken (using a rotisserie chicken is the way to go)
1 c. sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup milk
1 can cream of chicken soup

Preheat oven to 425.

Cook pasta and spinach according to package and drain. (Drain spinach well!!)

Heat olive oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Saute mushrooms, peppers, and onion for about 4 minutes. Add spinach, oregano, and pepper and saute an additional 3 minutes. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine cottage cheese, spinach mixture, pasta, chicken, 3/4 c. cheddar, and 1/4 c. Parmesan, milk, and soup. Spoon into a greased 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses and bake for 25 minutes.

No Recipe Required- Meal Idea #5

Last night when 5:00 rolled around, and I knew the question of "What are we going to do for dinner?" was looming over our heads- I decided to forgo asking Ryan, since that usually gets me no where and think of something creative on my own. I have been kind of digging the finding what's around and trying to use it up thang lately. I had two chicken breasts left from a dinner I am making for a family with a new baby, so I decided to cook them up, shred them , and use them for a BBQ chicken pizza. My other toppings were pretty much extra things I had left in the fridge that were left over or just staples. SOO this is a fun way to get creative, but here is how I did mine.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

1 can Pillsbury pizza dough- cooked at 425 for 8 minutes BEFORE topping- 10-12 minutes after toppings

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BBQ sauce- I would recommend using one you really like- we love Rendevous (locally) but this last time I bought some I bought "Sticky Fingers" and it is delicious!

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2 chicken breasts- cooked and shredded- I did in a skillet with my usual base seasoning of salt, pepper, and garlic powder

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Other Toppings:

Red onion- sliced into small strips

Red Sweet Pepper- sliced into small strips

Green Onion- chopped (I just wanted to use this up and thought it would add something green- wasn't sure if it would be onion overkill, but it wasn't)

Bacon-3 slices, fried and crumbled

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I layered all my ingredients on partially baked crust, then sprinkled with a little bit of crushed red pepper flakes and topped with shredded Colby Jack Cheese and returned to oven to bake.

Before cheese and baking- Finished-
Let me know if you come up with any other toppings that would be good!!!

Creamy Caesar Chicken Pasta

My friend made this for a baby shower she hosted a few weeks ago. I had to go back for seconds, but had to refrain from embarrassing myself by going back for thirds, ha!!! I asked her for the recipe so I could make it for our monthly Grace group tonight, and I am having a hard time not picking in it while it sits in a warm oven waiting to go! It's simple and satisfying and mmm, mmm good!

Creamy Caesar Chicken Pasta

(not sure what the official name of this recipe is=)

1 lb. bowtie pasta, cooked

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast- cut into bite size pieces

1-2 cups green peas, cooked (If Ryan had his way, these would be left out)

8 oz. package of mushrooms, sliced

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 Bottle *Ken's Creamy Caesar dressing

Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Generously salt and pepper chicken (I also used some garlic powder) and saute in a skillet with butter or olive oil.

Saute onions and mushrooms ( I added them to the same skillet after the chicken was more than half way done)

(Transfer to serving dish)

Add in peas and pasta and pour dressing over, mix well, and top with Parmesan.

Dinner Ideas- No Recipe Required

I thought I would try to include on this blog from time to time, some general dinner ideas. Sometimes you don't want to drag out a cook book, measure things out, peruse the grocery aisles for every exact ingredient- Sometimes you just want to make something and just don't know what. We always hate the dreaded "what do we do for dinner?" question. Just making the decision sometimes is more than half the battle in our house. So I thought I would include this "No Recipe Required Dinner Ideas" for those nights that we just need some inspiration on a direction to head.

I have two that we have done this week:

Dinner Idea #1

Grilled Chicken ( we did boneless skinless thighs and I seasoned with Lemon Pepper)

Grilled Zucchini (I use my mandolin slicer to slice them in planks lengthwise and they grill beautifully)

Baked Potato (Just good old fashioned potato in the oven- dressed to your liking)

What a satisfying, easy dinner with little work and even better- hardly any clean up! Also, you only have to pick up three things at the store.

Dinner Idea #2

Shepherd's Pie

Who's mom didn't make Shepherd's Pie when you were a kid? This had been sounding good to me lately so I made it last night for dinner. Talk about a meal with no rules- my mom used to use corn as her vegetable and anything else she could find leftover in our fridge to use up. Once I had Ryan's mom's that she made with green beans and a tomato sauce in her meat. I liked it like that and that way has stuck with me.

So her is how I did mine:

Browned my ground beef (a little less than 3lbs) with chopped onion and seasonings (you can be creative)- I just used salt and pepper, oregano, and some garlic powder. I drained it and mixed in two cans of tomato soup (You can use anything for your tomato sauce- I chose soup to keep it mild)

Meanwhile, I cooked and mashed my potatoes with butter, milk, and some sour cream.

I layered in my big casserole dish- my meat, a thawed bag of frozen french cut beans, my potatoes, and topped with some shredded cheddar and sprinkled with Paprika.

I baked at 350 for about 30-40 minutes.

It hit the spot for us! And if your leftover people like us, you've got dinner for the next couple nights.

I hope the picture is a bonus for you- I felt like a nerd taking a picture of our food, but I thought if it would add something to the blog I would do it =) So I hope you like it. Haha.

Ryan's Favorite Dish

My friend, Erica, said I should put this recipe on here, and of course!- It is Ryan's favorite thing, after all! I always make this for him if I want him to feel special- he loves it. I originally found this recipe online and have come across it a couple times since, it is a keeper.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

2 chicken breast, cut into small peices or slices
2 tsp (+) cajun seasoning
2 Tbs. butter
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
green onion, minced
1- 1/2 cup cream (I use more)
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbs. (+) grated parmesan cheese

Coat chicken in cajun seasoning. In large skillet, saute chicken in butter until no longer pink. Add pepper and green onion. Cook 2-3 minutes, or just until tender. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream. Season with seasonings and heat through. Mix with your favorite pasta- we like bow tie. Mix in parmesan cheese to desired thickness.

** This is one of those recipes that I gave the orginal measurements as a guide to start you off, but I really just throw them out the window and pretty much do everything to taste- we like things pretty flavorful so I usually add a little more of everything. I use more cream to make sure it is good and creamy. I use more red pepper than green- it's all about the way you like it with this one! Yum!

Broccoli & Ham Quiche

1-10" unbaked pie shell
8 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Half and Half
Dash of Nutmeg
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Layer in pie crust as follows:

4 cups broccoli - chopped fine
1 cup ham, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
6+ strips of bacon, crumbled
1 cup swiss cheese, shredded
(Red pepper for garnish)
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Beat eggs, add Half and Half and nutmeg; mix well. Layer ingredients in order given in unbaked pie shell. Pour egg mixture on top. Arrange pepper strips on top of mixture. Sprinkle with Nutmeg. Bake in 350 degree oven for one hour or until knife comes out clean in center of pie.

THIS RECIPE can also be used as a Breakfast Casserole:

Double the filling, (enough to cover the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan), then, instead of crust, make a layer on the bottom of the pan with Hashbrowns from the freezer. Pour egg mixture over all. Bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour or until a knife comes out clean from the center.

This would go nicely with either a Mimosa for breakfast, or a glass of Chardonay for dinner.
Slice fruit on the side would be an added bonus.

An Easy Meal In One!

This is a great, super simple dinner I love to make when I'm not sure what we want and I don't feel like a lot of work. I got it from my Betty Crocker One Dish Meals Cookbook- it doesn't get any easier than this folks!!

Cajun Pork Tenderloin with Vegetables

Package of Pork tenderloin or even just pork loin
Cajun Seasoning
2-4 baking or Yukon gold potatoes
4 zucchini
1 onion
4 Tbs. butter, melted, or olive oil
dried thyme
salt

Heat oven to 425. Rub pork with Cajun seasoning. Place in ungreased jelly roll pan (large cookie sheet).
Cut potatoes and zucchini into bite size chunks. I like to chop my onion up into wedges- you may not use the whole onion. Arrange veggies around the pork. Drizzle butter or olive oil over them and sprinkle with thyme and salt.
Bake uncovered about 35 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 155 degrees (longer if using pork loin- probably at least 45 min). Loosely cover with foil and let rest 10 minutes. Slice and serve with veggie.

Grab yourself some crusty bread and you've got a satisfying and simple meal in one! Yum!