Chicken Cacciatore

I have wanted to make this dish for quite a while but all of the recipes I have come across call for fryer chickens. I have absolutely no idea or a desire to cut up an entire chicken so this recipe calling for chicken breasts was right up my ally. It was a little more work than I originally thought but it was worth the out come.

1 lb. chicken breast, 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
1 onion, roughly chopped

5 -6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 c. white wine, white cooking wine, apple or white grape juice

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. marjoram

1/2 tsp. salt (omit if using cooking wine)

1 bay leaf

1 c. sliced mushrooms

1 green bell pepper, chopped

Heat olive 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, shake off excess oil and transfer to the blender. Increase heat to medium-high.

In a large Ziploc bag, combine flour, 1 tsp. kosher 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. Turn off the heat under the skillet.

While chicken is draining, add wine (or juice), chicken broth, tomato paste, thyme, salt 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 mushrooms and the green pepper. Cook until mushrooms and pepper are tender. Remove bay leaf and serve over pasta. Serves 6 -8.

Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes and Avocado

This pasta is SO good! I have had a jar of sun dried tomatoes sitting in my pantry for about 2 months now while I've mustered up the courage to use them. I loath tomatoes. But these, oh I love these! They are "change your life good". I found it here.

1/2 lb. pasta, cooked as directed on package
1/2 c. sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil
1-2 tsp. crushed garlic
1-2 Tbsp. fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil
pinch of red pepper flakes
1-2 large avocados, chopped
Parmesan cheese, shredded

Drain excess oil from tomatoes and saute with garlic on medium heat for several minutes. Add basil, red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Toss with hot pasta and gently stir in avocado. Top with Parmesan cheese

Baked Pasta with Turkey Sausage

I LOVE My Kitchen Cafe. Love it, love it, love it. Say you get a hankeren' for some delicious banana bread, My Kitchen Cafe. Have a phobia of yeast and need someone to hold your hand and show you every little step of the bread/roll making process, My Kitchen Cafe. Want a wicked awesome pasta dish for dinner, My Kitchen Cafe. Rolls will be attempted later this week. This morning, banana bread. Tonight, Pasta. I tell you what dear friends, I ate the tomato sauce right out of the pan, despite the fact that it was boiling lava hot. The taste buds will grow back. So worth it . So so good. My first time using spinach in a dish. Ah, gasp I know. But it will not be my last. I have been inspired.

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 lb. rigatoni pasta

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

10 oz. frozen baby spinach, thawed and drained well or 1- 9oz. bag fresh spinach

12 oz. precooked smoked chicken (or turkey) sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4" thick

8 oz. mozzarella cheese (4 oz. cut into 1/2" cubes and 4 oz. shredded)

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook for another minute. Stir in tomatoes, oregano and basil then simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Add cream and cooked until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. (If using fresh spinach, add it to the pot of boiling pasta right at the end and cook until wilted.) Drain, and return contents to pot. Add tomato sauce, sausage, spinach and cubed mozzarella cheese to the pot and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Scoop pasta into lightly greased 9"x 13" pan. Top with grated mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.

*Freezable meal: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze. Thaw in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. To bake, increase baking time to 1 hour and 15 minutes. If baking from frozen, bake covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes, then uncover and bake 30 minutes longer.

Creamy Stovetop Mac-n-Cheese

OK, so call me weird but I will only eat grilled cheese sandwiches that are made with Kraft singles. Don't ask why, I'm not really sure myself but that's just how it is in the wonderful world of Jami. This small quirk usually leaves me with a lot of Kraft singles floating around in my fridge. Which is why this recipe caught my eye on Tasty Kitchen. It was pretty good. My dear Hubby even liked it. I did have to add quite a bit more seasonings than it called for. Or maybe I am completely clueless to how much a "dash" actually is.

1 c. Dry macaroni (I used a little over 2 cups)

1 tsp. vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 c. whole milk

8 - 10 slices American Processed Cheese Singles, unwrapped

2 dashes each of Seasoned salt, regular salt, cayenne pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add vegetable oil to water and pour in dry pasta. Cook until al dente and drain. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over low heat. After it is melted, whisk in the flour and continue whisking for about 1 -2 minutes to dissolve and cook the rawness out of the flour. Pour in the milk and whisk slowly until it thickens. Add the cheese slices a few at a time and whisk until they melt into the sauce. Pour over pasta, stir and season to taste.

Chicken Parmesan

4 -6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry

Olive Oil (for sautéing)

½ c. flour
2 eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp. water
1 c. plain bread crumbs

1½ c. finely grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. fresh Parsley, finely chopped
Kosher Salt and ground pepper

1 jar Marinara sauce
1 (8oz) ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ¼” slices

¼ c. fresh basil, chopped

In three different containers, build coating elements. In first container, add flour and season well with kosher salt and pepper. In second container, mix beaten eggs, water, and season with a little salt and pepper. In third container, combine breadcrumbs, 1 c. parmesan cheese, garlic powder, parsley, and a little black pepper.
One at a time, place chicken breasts in flour mixture, coating both sides, then shake off excess and place in egg mixture, coating both sides, then coat both sides in breadcrumb mixture. Then set aside.
In a large heavy-bottomed ovenproof skillet, heat 3 -4 Tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat until hot. Carefully add coated chicken breasts to oil and fry about 4 minutes until golden brown, then turn and sauté second side until browned.
Spoon Marinara sauce over chicken breasts and place fresh mozzarella slices on top of each breast. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and basil. Place pan in oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes uncovered until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve atop a bed of spaghetti.

Italian Sausage & Peppers

3½ c. uncooked penne pasta

1 lb. Italian sausage links
½ c. each julienned red, yellow, orange & green pepper

¼ tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil

3 garlic cloves, minced

¼ tsp. dried thyme
¼ tsp. caraway seeds

1 Tbsp. Olive oil
2 cans (14½ oz each) diced Italian style tomatoes, drained

2-3 c. Pasta sauce

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet, brown sausage over medium heat; drain. Cut sausage into ¼ in. slices. In the same skillet, sauté the peppers, basil, garlic, oregano, thyme, caraway seeds, and sliced sausage in oil until the peppers are crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes and pasta sauce. Cook and stir until heated through. Drain pasta; add to skillet and mix well.

*This recipe originally called for turkey sausage, but Colin doesn’t like it so I use pork. I increased the pasta from 2 cups and added the pasta sauce so that it is not so dry. I don’t bother to use the caraway seeds because the sausage I buy already has them in it. You can also exclude them all together.

Beef Stoganoff

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 c. water
1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak strips

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup

3 c. uncooked corkscrew pasta
1 can beef broth

½ c. sour cream

Heat oil in skillet then add beef, cook until browned, and juices evaporate, stirring often. Add soup, broth, water, Worcestershire sauce and pasta. Heat to a boil. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or until pasta is cooked, stirring often. Add sour cream. Heat through. Yields 4 servings.

*I usually use ground beef in place of the steak strips because I always have it. If I do not have corkscrew pasta I just replace it with cooked egg noodles and it is just as good. When substituting with cooked egg noodles, I only use 2/3 c. of water to keep the sauce from becoming too thin.

Chicken Spaghetti

2 c. chicken, boiled & shredded

2 cans cream of chicken soup
3 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

¼ c. green pepper, finely diced
½ c. onion, finely diced

1 (4oz.) jar diced pimentos, drained
3 c. dry spaghetti, broken into 2” pieces

2 c. reserved chicken broth from pot
1 tsp. Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large pot, boil 3 chicken breasts for 40-45 minutes, or until no longer pink. Reserve the chicken broth from pot and cook spaghetti in it until al dente. Reserve 2 c. of chicken broth from the pot. Do not overcook the pasta because it will still need to cook in the oven. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except 1 c. of sharp cheddar cheese. Use chicken broth, a little bit at a time, to moisten the mixture. This will prevent it from getting to dry while baking. Place mixture in greased casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. If cheese on top starts to be too cooked, cover with foil.

Orzo Pasta Salad

1 c. uncooked orzo pasta

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
½ c. green onion, chopped

¾ c. green pepper, chopped
6 oz. Canadian bacon, diced

1 (9oz.) pkg. sugar snap peas
1 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning

¾ c. half-n-half
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
¼ -½ tsp. salt

In large saucepan, cook orzo in lightly salted boiling water for 6-8 minutes or until just tender. Drain; cover to keep warm. In same saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell pepper, and bacon; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until onions are tender. Reduce heat to medium. Add sugar snap peas; cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in lemon-pepper seasoning, salt and half-n-half. Simmer 2 minutes or until warm. Stir in cheese, parsley and cooked pasta.