Our Favorite Recipes

Spicy Tomato, Turkey, Alfredo Dinner

2009-09-25T19:07:00.005-05:00

I really do not know what to call this dish other than delicious. Stephen and I made it up one night as we were preparing my mom's birthday dinner and it instantly became a family favorite.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Turkey Sausage
2 cans of Rotel
2 jars of prepared Alfredo Sauce (or you can make the homemade alfredo sauce I posted below)
1 box of your favorite Pasta ~ we usually either use Rotini or Farfelle (bow-tie)

1. Cook pasta as directed on the box.

2. Brown turkey sausage in a large, deep skillet. Once it is fully cooked, add the Alfredo sauce and Rotel to skillet and reduce heat to low and allow to simmer while the pasta cooks.

3. Serve alfredo mixture over pasta and Enjoy!

Alfredo Sauce

2009-09-25T18:56:00.005-05:00

I am a big fan of alfredo sauce over pasta of any kind! Then add favorite veggies to the side ~ it makes for a really scrumptious dinner ~ at least in my opinion :)

Anyway...I found this homemade sauce that is really not that intimidating and it turned out really great the first time I made it, so I thought I would share it with you...

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Milk
1 1/2 cup of Heavy Cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup Romano Cheese (ricotto cheese)
6 Egg Yolks
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Heat milk and cream in a heavy bottom saucepan until it begins to simmer. Turn off heat. Slowly whip in cheese, then remove from heat.

2. Place egg yolks in a separate bowl and slowly whip in a portion on the hot milk and cream mixture. Slowly add egg yolk mixture into remaining cream mixture. Place back on very low heat and continually stir until simmering. Take sauce off heat so it thickens. (This will increase temperature of egg yolks, known as tempering).

3. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

4. Serve over your favorite pasta and Enjoy!

Chicken Salad

2009-03-17T10:02:00.006-05:00

Chicken Salad is probably one of my all-time favorite meals...it's quick, easy...and super tasty.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. Chicken Breasts
2 Apples - diced
1 Bunch of Grapes - cut in half
Dill Relish (to taste)
Mayonnaise (to taste)
Mustard (to taste)

Directions:

Cook chicken until well done - I choose to cook my chicken for one hour (+/-) on low heat in a big skillet (covered), this makes for easy to shred chicken, plus I do not have to stand over a hot stove cooking the chicken.
*If you do not have the chance to cook the chicken like I do, I suggest either boiling the chicken in a saucepan for about 15-20 min. or cooking chicken in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil until well done. Once chicken is cooked and cooled, shred into small pieces and place in a large bowl.

Add apples and grapes into bowl.

Now, concerning the dill relish, mayo and mustard...add the amount desired to chicken mixture according to your own taste buds. Mix well.

Serve with crackers, chips, or tortillas and enjoy!! :)

Tomato Basil Pizza!

2008-10-23T10:37:00.005-05:00

I found this recipe on Pioneer Woman Cooks!

Ingredients:

3-4 medium tomatoes, this really depends on how many tomatoes you want to put on top
Fresh Mozzarella...the soft kind
Basil Pesto, you can find this on the same aisle as prepared spaghetti sauce
Pillsbury Original Pizza Crust...you can make your own though

Directions:

Preheat Oven: 400 degrees (F)

First, after opening the pesto jar sauce...drain the excess oil on top before stirring the pesto.
Next, place pizza crust on sprayed cookie sheet and spread the full jar of pesto on the crust.
Third, slice the mozzarella into as many slices as possible and then layer slices on top of pesto, you may have a few slices left but that is okay...set them aside until later.
Now for the tomatoes...slice tomatoes just you did with the mozzarella; then layer them on top of the cheese (note: you may use as many or as little tomatoes as you would like, I prefer to fit as many as possible).
Fifth, take the remaining slices of mozzarella and cut them into small chunks and sprinkle on top of entire pizza.

Place in oven and cook for about 14-15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Enjoy!

~kate

Southwestern Chicken and Rice

2008-07-05T21:24:00.005-05:00

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts - cut into 1 inch chunks

1 large onion, chopped

1 can (15-1/4 oz.) kidney beans, drained, rinsed

1-1/2 cups chunky salsa

1 package frozen kernel corn, thawed

1/2 cup chicken broth

1-1/2 cups instant white rice or regularly cooked white rice (totally dependent on preference)

Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and onion; cook and stir until chicken is cooked thoroughly.

(If you choose to use regularly cooked white rice, begin cooking the rice according to package instructions)

Add beans, salsa, corn and broth. Bring to boil.

Stir in rice, bring to boil. Remove from heat. Let it stand 5 minutes before serving.

Suggestion: Top with shredded cheese.

Bistro Chicken Pasta Salad

2008-07-05T21:13:00.004-05:00

Prep Time:

25 minutes

Makes:

4 main dish servings

Ingredients

2 cups cooked penne pasta (I used a whole box in order to ensure leftovers for lunch the next day)

1 pint of quartered cherry/grape tomatoes

1 package (4 oz.) Athenos Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese

Italian Dressing (I used Kraft Tuscon Italian Dressing)

1/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, cut into strips

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed) - optional

2 -3 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked in skillet - shredded

Toss all ingredients together in large serving bowl

Serve warm or chilled.

Strawberry Lemonade

2008-07-05T21:08:00.002-05:00

Ingredients

1 - 1/2 quart (6 cups) cold water, divided

1 cup strawberry halves

1 tub of Crystal Light Lemonade Drink Mix (you can also use CountryTime Lemonade Mix)

Place 2 cups of the water, strawberries and drink mix in blender container; cover.

Blend on high speed until smooth.

Pour in large plastic or glass pitcher. Stir in remaining 4 cups of water. Server over ice cubes.

Grilled Chicken Kabobs

2008-07-05T20:52:00.004-05:00

Ingredients

1 lb. Boneless Chicken Breasts - cubed

1 of each red, yellow, orange, and green bell pepper - chopped

1 pint of grape tomatoes

2 - 3 sweet onions - cubed

Kraft Lighthouse Italian Reduced Fat Dressing

Prep

Marinate cubed chicken in dressing, place in refrigerator overnight. Make sure you leave enough dressing to use while grilling the kabobs.

Next day on skewers place chicken, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions alternate each for colorful spread.

Cook

Fire up grill and place skewers on grill. As the kabobs cook, brush what dressing you have left over skewers to seal in flavor.

Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked, ENJOY!!

Suggestion: Serve with rice or potato salad

I apologize...

2008-07-01T20:45:00.002-05:00

I know that it has been a while since I have posted any new recipes...I have lots though, just not enough time to post them (there are SO many).

Until then...enjoy!

~kate

Campbell's® Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

2008-02-06T14:51:00.001-06:00

From: Campbell's Kitchen

Preparation: 5 minutes
Bake: 50 minutes
Stand: 10 minutes
Serves: About 6

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Stir the soup, water, rice, onion powder, black pepper and vegetables in an 11 x 8-inch (2-quart) shallow baking dish.
Top with the chicken. Season the chicken as desired. Cover.
Bake at 375°F. for 50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender.
Top with cheese.
Let casserole stand for 10 minutes.
Stir rice before serving.

Try It Alfredo: Use 1/4 cup grated Parmesan for Cheddar cheese. Add 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese with soup. Use broccoli flowerets for vegetables. Top chicken with remaining Parmesan cheese.
Trim It Down: Use Campbell's® 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup instead of regular soup and use low fat cheese instead of regular cheese.
Mexican: In place of onion powder and pepper use 1 teaspoon chili powder. Substitute Mexican cheese blend for Cheddar.
Italian: In place of onion powder and pepper use 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed. Substitute 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan for Cheddar.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

2008-02-06T14:39:00.001-06:00

From: Campbell's Kitchen

Preparation: 10 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes
Serves: About 4

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)*
1 pkg. (about 9 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup cubed cooked chicken or turkey
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose baking mix

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Mix soup, vegetables and chicken in 9" pie plate.
Mix milk, egg and baking mix.
Pour over chicken mixture.
Bake 30 minutes or until golden.

Tip: *Or use Campbell's® Cream of Chicken with Herbs Soup.
Tip: Serve with a tossed green salad. For dessert serve pineapple tidbits.

Pasta Salad

2008-01-29T15:26:00.002-06:00

This recipe is wicked easy...and I am sure it will become a favorite in your household, just as it has for us...

The Ingredients:

2-3 chopped chicken breasts
1 box/package of corkscrew noodles (we like the WackyMac, its colorful!)
1-2 fresh cucumbers
2-3 fresh tomatoes (we prefer to use 1 package of cherry/grape tomatoes)
italian dressing
shredded cheese (optional)
on BIG bowl for all the ingradients to go into!

The Making Process :
(note: you do not have to do it all in this order)

sautee` chicken in skillet, cook like you would if you were serving chicken for any other meal. set aside to cool.
cook noodles according to directions on back of the box/package. set aside to cool.
wash and chop cucumbers and tomatoes.
once everything has cooled and the vegetables have been chopped, mix everything together in a BIG bowl.
at this point you can go ahead and add the dressing and cheese if you would like, but you can also allow for each person to add these two ingradients into their personal bowls so that they have as much or as little as desired.

Yields: 6-8 servings (maybe?)

Libby's Pumpkin Roll

2008-01-29T09:22:00.000-06:00

Okay, so this is not the most nutritious thing to eat, but it is oh so yummy and it is really not that hard to make...and yet when people see it, they will think that you are quite the cook! :)

Estimated Times:
Preparation - 45 minutes
Cooking - 13 minutes
Cooling Time - 1 hours refrigerating
Yields - 10 servings

Ingredients:

CAKE
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

FILLING
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

Directions:
FOR CAKE:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:
BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

COOKING TIP:
Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

Let's try this...

2008-01-29T08:00:00.001-06:00

So I figured that it was time to create a place where Stephen and I can share recipes that we have created on our own or found and absolutely loved or even those we have found and kind of tweaked to make it even better than before.
Enjoy! ~kate