One Pot Creamy Sausage Noodle Dish

I saw this original recipe here. Neither of us like spicy sausage or tomatoes in dishes like the original, so I changed it up a bit. The leftovers were tasty as well!

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage, mild
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz pasta (we used Barilla Veggie Rotini and it was tasty!)
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1/2 lb fresh brussel sprouts or veggie of choice

1. Add olive oil to an skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add raw vegetable and saute for 2-3 minutes until they soften partially.

3. Add broth, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I figured it's about time I posted another recipe. I actually have a list to add, but just haven't made time to do it. This week both of us wanted Chicken Cordon Bleu, but I didn't want to go to the effort to make them. So, I tried an experiment. I added all the ingredients with some noodles and made it into a casserole. It turned out quite well, if I do say so myself.

1 12 oz package whole wheat egg noodles
3 chicken breasts (uncooked), diced
7 oz black forest ham, diced
2 cups swiss cheese, shredded
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 T. garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 T. pepper
1/2 tsp celery salt
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp ground Thyme

Seasoned Bread Crumb Topping
1-2 cups plain panko bread crumbs
1/2 stick melted unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground Thyme

Butter a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook noodles in boiling for 4-5 minutes until they are 3/4 of the way cooked. Drain noodles and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add diced chicken and ham to noodles. Mix together. In a small mixing bowl add cream, stock and seasonings. Mix well. Pour over noodle mixture. Mix well. Add one cup cheese and mix. Pour into buttered casserole dish. Spread remaining cheese on top.

Melt 1/2 stick of butter. Add bread crumbs and seasoning. Mix well. Spread crumb mixture over cheese. Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes to toast the bread crumbs, or until the chicken is cooked through. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Super Simple Stir Fry

I've always been a little intimidated by stir fry and it's myriad sauces. Then, I received this package of Japan Somen noodles that was simple, fast, and only needed soy sauce. You could probably use almost any type of noodle--somen, ramen, rice, etc. I made a half batch and had 3 servings. If you do a full batch, be sure to use a large skillet.

8 ounces oriental noodles
3 tsp vegetable oil, divided
1/2 lb boneless, lean pork or chicken, cut into thin strips
1 clove garlic, minced
2 green onions & tops, thinly sliced on diagonal
1 medium carrot, coarsely shredded
1/2 lb mung bean sprouts (I didn't have so I substituted some julienned yellow squash)
1 cup (packed) shredded green cabbage
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper

[Note: Have everything cut and ready before you turn on your frying pan. Things cook very quickly once you start.]

Cook noodles as package directs. Drain; rinse with cold water and drain well. Heat large frying pan, preferably nonstick, over high heat. Add 2 tsp oil; coat pan. Add pork or chicken and garlic; stir-fry 3 minutes, or until meat is browned and cooked through. Remove from pan. Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in same pan. Add green onions, carrot, sprouts and cabbage; stir-fry 1 minute. Add noodles, meat, soy sauce and pepper. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until all is heated through. Remove from heat and serve.
Makes 5 servings, 1 1/2 cups each
Per serving (made with pork): 293 cal, 15 g prot, 9 g fat, 37 g carb, 582 mg sodium, 32 mg chol

pesto sauce

4 oz. fresh basil

2 T. chopped garlic

1 oz. pine nuts (I doubled this)

1 c. olive oil

2 T. butter

1 c. grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 c. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 t. pepper

salt to taste

Run the basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and butter through a food mill (messy), a mortar and pestle (VERY messy and will work your arm off), or food processer (the best option unless you're making only a very small amount).

Place in a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients, mix well, and refrigerate in a tightly sealed container.  Take the amount of pesto needed and bring to room temperature 30 minutes before use.

Yield: 2 cups

From Buca de Beppo Italian Restaurant cookbook.

Spaetzle

The first time I had Spaetzle was eating a meal a German coworker made.  They were delicious!  The wonderful family I married into is very fond of German food as well.  I decided to be brave and make spaetzle from scratch - SO EASY!!  The hubs even thinks they're better than restaurant.  The picture above was made without a ricer/spaetzle maker.  I have since acquired a ricer and it's even easier.  If you don't know what a ricer is, check here.

Ingredients:
1 1/2  C. All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1/2 C. Whole Milk
1/2 tsp White Pepper
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
3 Tablespoons butter (for sauteing) 

Combine the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg together in a mixing bowl.  Scramble the milk and eggs together.  Add milk and egg mixture to flour mixture and mix until a dough ball forms.  Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

While the dough is resting, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Have a strainer/colander nearby set on a dish to collect water.  Once the 15 minutes are up and the water is boiling, scoop approx. 1 cup of dough into the ricer and press into the boiling water OR if not using a ricer, drop dough by small teaspoon fulls into water.  The dough is ready to be removed to the colander once it's floating at the top.  About 2-3 minutes depending on the size of the noodles.  Repeat until all the dough is cooked. 

Once the dough is all cooked, heat a skillet on medium and melt 3 Tablespoons butter.  Once butter is melted, saute the cooked spaetzle until golden brown all over.  About 5 minutes. 

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I sauteed half a chopped onion and 3 medium zucchini's diced up while boiling the spaetzle.  Then I mixed it all together.  Spaetzle is great as a side dish for Schnitzel as well.  I'll have a recipe for Chicken Schnitzel up soon ;)

Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac and Cheese

Found this one my Cooking Light magazine and it was very tasty! For and even quicker prep, I would use bacon bits and a can of chicken. It makes a 8x8" pan. They say it's 4 (2 cup) servings. It also reheats well. Bon Appetit!

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1 slice applewood-smoked bacon
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup condensed 45% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded six-cheese Italian blend (such as Sargento)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded colby-Jack cheese

Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Finely chop bacon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to drippings in pan; sauté 6 minutes or until done.
3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup, stirring with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until sauce cools to 155°. Add Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.
4. Preheat broiler.
5. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and colby-Jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Nutritional Information
Calories:497
Fat:17g (sat 9.2g,mono 4.7g,poly 1.4g)
Protein:33.3g
Carbohydrate:51.7g
Fiber:2g
Cholesterol:74mg
Iron:2.4mg
Sodium:767mg
Calcium:368mg

Grandma B's Chicken Pasta Salad

When Grandma first made this for us, we were a little nervous.  Shouldn't have been - like Grandma could ever make anything nasty!?  We ended up eating the entire bowl for lunch!  Every time I've made it for a potluck, it's always a hit. 
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2 c. cooked, cubed chicken
2 Tbs. minced green onion (white and green together)
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/2 c. seedless grapes, cut in half
1 c. finely diced celery
1 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. slivered almonds
1 Tbs fresh lemon or lime juice
1/2 tsp grated lemon or lime rind
1 c. shell or elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 c. whipping cream, whipped

In medium sized bowl combine cubed chicken, onion, salt & pepper.  Mix well.  Refrigerate 2 hours.  Add to chicken grapes, celery, mayo, almonds, lemon/lime juice and rind.  Return to fridge.  Cook macaroni until tender.  Rinse in cool water.  Stir macaroni into chicken mixture.  Whip cream until stiff - sweeten just a bit with powdered sugar.  Fold into chicken mixture.  Refrigerate until time to serve.  Enjoy!
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A variation on this that is tasty is adding garlic cloves or minced garlic to the pasta water while cooking it.  It's a great salad.  Filling, but light.  I don't sweeten the whipped cream much, either.  Hope you enjoy it!

zesty pasta with bread crumbs

This is my new "go to" dinner after a long day at work because it's so easy.

pasta
olive oil
butter
lemon juice
1 clove garlic
fresh, shredded parmesan cheese
panko bread crumbs

Make whatever kind of pasta you like. While the pasta is boiling, brown some bread crumbs (I've found that panko bread crumbs work best, but you can use regular) in a hot skillet - stirring until golden and crispy.

Once the pasta is cooked and drained, put the warm pasta back in the pot. Add some butter and a bit of olive oil, 1 clove of garlic (minced), and some lemon juice. Stir to mix. Once plated, top with fresh shredded parmesan cheese and the crispy bread crumbs.

From donna hay magazine.