Penne with Brussels Sprouts and Crisp Bacon

Ingredients

• 12 ounces uncooked penne (tube-shaped pasta)
• 3 cups trimmed, halved Brussels sprouts (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 bacon slices (I did 4 because we really like bacon)
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped hazelnuts, toasted (I put sliced almonds because that's what I had on hand)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting the salt and fat. Drain well.
2. Steam Brussels sprouts, covered, 7 minutes or until tender. Drain and sprinkle with salt.
3. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside.
4. Add Brussels sprouts to the bacon drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in cooked pasta; cover mixture, and keep warm.
5. Combine milk, flour, and broth, stirring well with a whisk. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add milk mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk until well blended. Cook for 6 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Pour sauce over pasta mixture, tossing to coat. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese, nuts, bacon, and pepper; serve immediately.

Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream

I got this recipe out of a magazine. Fish tacos was something I just couldn't imagine eating until I finally tried it...and now I'm hooked. These are amazing and so easy!

1 lb. fish 1/2 inch thick (I went with Ahi steaks because it doesn't fall apart as easily)

1 T cooking oil

1 t. chili powder

1/2 t. cumin

1/4 t. each of salt and pepper

6 6 in. tostada shells or tortillas

1/2 cup sour cream

1 t. chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce or packaged cabbage with carrots (coleslaw mix)

1 ripe avocado, cut into thin slices (optional)

1 cup refrigerated salsa

snipped cilantro (optional)

Preheat grill. Place fish fillets on plate and rub each fillet on both sides with the oil. In small bowl combine chili powder, cumin, slat and pepper; rub onto fillets on both sides. For chipotle cream, in another bowl combine sour cream and chipotle pepper, set aside. Grill fish until fish flakes easily, turning fish once. Top tortillas with coleslaw mix, fish and avocado slices. Serve with salsa, chipotle cream, cilantro and lime slices (if desired). Yum, yum!

BLT Pasta

Pretty sure this is a world record for me - two posts in a row so close together, but this is a great summer recipe and a kill two birds with one stone type of deal. Ok, health foodies beware and change this up however you see fit. For those bacon lovers out there like me (and your name starts with an L and ends with an "isa"), I'm pretty sure you won't mind what's going on here.

16 oz rigatoni or penne (really whatever pasta you have on hand, I've even used spaghetti)
12 slices bacon
1 (7 oz.) bag spinach
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered (again, whatever tomatoes you have laying around)
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, fry the bacon over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Spoon all but 1 tbsp of the bacon drippings into a small bowl; set aside. Return skillet to medium heat. Add the tomatoes (I throw in a little oregano and basil) and cook for a minute. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts. Transfer mixture to the pasta and toss. If the pasta seems dry (wait for it...) add up to 1 1/2 tbsp of the drippings. Crumble the bacon over top, season with salt and pepper and toss again. (I keep the bacon separate and put it on as a topping at the table along with the Parmesan cheese).

It's really good and simple and light and the best part are the leftovers. When we have leftovers I add some red sauce to it, toss it in a baking dish, top with mozzarella and have fancy baked ziti. Love a dinner that does double duty. Embrace the bacon and drippings and enjoy!

Baked Mushroom Chicken

Hi girls, hope all of you are doing well. Just found this recipe and it is delish - you must be a mushroom lover, or at least not a hater....

Baked Mushroom Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 pound)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onions (obviously I omitted that one)

Flatten each chicken breast half to 1/4 in. thickness (Pounding out chicken is a real drag to me and a gross mess so I just cut my chicken breasts in half to about that thickness). Place flour in resealable plastic bag; add chicken, a few pieces at a time. Seal and shake to coat.

In a large skillet, brown chicken in 2 tablespoons butter on both sides. Transfer to a greased 11x7x2 in. baking dish. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms in the remaining butter until tender. Add the broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook for 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Spoon over chicken.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheeses and green onions. Bake 5 minutes longer or until the chicken juices run clear.

Serves 4

** Not to go all "allrecipe.com comments" or anything, but I do add in a little lemon juice and white wine in with the chicken broth just because I like that sort of thing. Anyway, with some mashed taters and a veggie, this is really, really good. Enjoy!

Chicken Balsamic Bow Tie Pasta

I've made this a couple of times and the kids really like it! Of course you can supplement whatever for your family!

1 lb.or more of skinless, boneless chicken
lemon pepper to taste
1 box of box tie pasta
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 bag thawed baby frozen peas
Balsamic dressing
1/2 container grape tomatoes

Coat chicken with lemon pepper, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min (or buy a rotesserie like me! :) Cool chicken and chop in bite size pieces. Cook pasta to al dente. Drain well and refrigerate. Drain and chop artichoke hearts. Mix chicken, artichoke hearts and peas with pasta. Coat pasta mixture to taste with Balsamic dressing. Refrigerate several hours before serving. Just add tomatoes before serving! Sorry no picture! Use your imagination! :)

Chicken Bog

I have been meaning to post this recipe for a while now. This is one of those things I remember having as a kid but hadn't eaten in years. And then one day a lady at my church had us over for dinner, and this is what she served. Mmmm...good! It's really easy too if you buy a rotisserie chicken and pull the chicken meat from that.

1 rotisserie chicken

1 kielbasa (I sometimes use the low fat version)

2 1/2 cups rice (I use brown rice--extra fiber)

5 3/4 cups chicken broth

pepper

Cook the rice in the chicken broth (instead of using water). Follow the directions on the rice package. (I added a 1/4 cup extra chicken broth above the amt of water the rice directions call for because this is supposed to be really moist rice--hence the name "bog".) While the rice is cooking, I slice the kielbasa into circles and then cut those in half (I hope that makes sense). Then brown the kielbasa in a saute pan. After browning the kielbasa and adding it to the finished rice, I pour about a tbs or two of chicken broth into the pan to get the kielbasa drippings to add to the rice. Pull the chicken off the bone and add to the rice mixture. Season with pepper to taste and serve.

Warning: This makes A LOT of food, so be prepared to have leftovers or share. This is a meal I make when I need to take a meal to someone b/c there's plenty for us and to take as well.

Tomato Caesar Skillet

This is a super easy chicken recipe that has tons of flavor. You can't go wrong with any recipe containing bacon.

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb.)

1/4 cup chicken broth

Classic Caesar Dressing

1 t. dried basil

2 T chopped parsley

4 plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped (I used a hand full of grape tomatoes...it's what I had on hand)

2 T. crumbled bacon

Cook chicken in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Stir in 1/4 up Caesar dressing, broth, basil and parsley until well blended. Bring to simmer; cook an additional 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and bacon; stir to combine. Cook 2 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Cha Cha's white chicken chili (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
• 3 (15 ounce) cans white beans
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

I leave out the jalapenos and it's just spicy enough :)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm.

Spaghetti Squash

When my church family was bringing us meals after Ansley was born a family brought us a dinner of Spaghetti Squash. It was so tasty and I never got a chance to get the recipe from her. Well I was doing a bit of research on the Internet and found out that the squash is actually called a Spaghetti Squash. All this time I thought she shredded the squash into nice long strands when it turns out that the flesh of this squash naturally does that after it is roasted. So this is a sort of recipe but it's super easy and super healthy. Follow these directions on how to cook the squash.

- one spaghetti squash (recipe calls for a 3 lb squash, I could only find 1 lb squash...so I used 2)
- olive oil
-salt and pepper

- a jar of some type of marinara sauce or your favorite regular spaghetti sauce
- 2 links of sweet sausage (kielbasa) I put in pineapple sausage

Once your squash is roasted throw the rest of the ingredients together and heat it until everything is warmed up. This was great as leftovers too.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

I modified this recipe a little bit to make it my own - it was SUPER easy and got rave reviews from the fam.

EASY CHICKEN POT PIE

1 package of 2 premade pie crusts dried minced onion 1 lb frozen mixed vegetables salt and pepper to taste 4 tablespoons water to steam the vegetables 1 can of cream of chicken soup store-prepared rotisserie chicken Choose diced vegetables for even cooking. Peas, carrots, and potatoes make good additions. In a pinch, canned Veg-All style mixtures may be substituted. Bake one of the pie crusts according to the packaging directions. Shred the rotisserie chicken with a fork and remove the skin and the bones. Set it aside. Pour the vegetables, water, the salt and pepper, and the dried minced onions in a microwave-safe bowl. Put the bowl in the microwave until tender. Once the vegetables are done, combine the shredded chicken, the vegetable mixture and the can of cream of chicken soup in a large bowl. Pour the mixture into the cooked pie crust. Place the uncooked pie crust on top of the pie and cook on 420°F for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 375°F and continue to bake until lightly golden (about 20-30 more minutes).

Salmon Loaf with Cucumber Sauce

This is a favorite of mine that my mom used to make but I don't make very often because Jason doesn't like the sauce (the sour cream) and Salmon Loaf isn't the same without the cucumber sauce.

1 cup cracker crumbs (I used bread crumbs)

2/3 cup milk

2 T chopped onion

2 T butter/margarine, melted

1 egg, beaten

1 T lemon juice

dash of pepper

1 can (15 1/2 oz) Pink Salmon, drained flaked

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine first seven ingredients, stir in salmon. Shape into a loaf in greased shallow baking pan. Bake 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve with cucumber sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 chopped cucumber

1/2 t. lemon juice

1/4 t. dried dill weed

1/4 t. salt

Combine ingredients; mix well. Chill.

Baked Spaghetti - freezer meal

Okay this is the last freezer meal.

1 cup onion, diced
1 t. minced garlic
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 t. dried basil
1 T dried oregano
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
6 oz. spaghetti
1 16oz. bag frozen meatballs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups low-fat shredded cheese (your choice)
1 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 2.4 oz. can sliced black olives, drained

Combine onion, garlic, green pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, basil, oregano, salt and pepper in bowl. Set aside. Place half of the cooked spaghetti in the bottom of the prepared baking dish (9x13 pan sprayed with cooking spray). Layer 6 meatballs and half of the vegetable mixture over the spaghetti in the baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the Parmesan and half of the shredded cheese. Repeat, beginning with the remaining spaghetti and ending with the vegetable mixture. Set aside. In bowl, combine the mushroom soup with an equal amount of water and pour over the baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, shredded cheese and olives.

Cover with foil and freeze, or bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour covered and then 30 more minutes uncovered.

Kielbasa Bean Soup - freezer meal

2 cups potatoes 1/2 inch diced
2 10.5 oz. cans bean with bacon soup
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
3/4 lb. kielbasa sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. black pepper

It can be mixed and frozen in a gallon zip-lock bag or put straight into the crock pot for 5 to 6 hours on low.

BBQ chicken pizza

One night last week Mallory ordered us pizza from Papa Johns - he ordered a bbq chicken pizza and it was so good! I think I liked it b/c it tasted different. Well I decided to try to make one at home...this is a recipe I found online. We shall see how it turns out! :) I am ready for lighter meals with spring here and summer on the way. I am tired of soups and casseroles - so I am just looking for anything different.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half
• 1/4 cup barbeque sauce, divided
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 1 (16 ounce) package pre-baked pizza crust
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken breast in the skillet, and top with 1 tablespoon barbeque sauce. Cook 10 minutes, turn, and top with 1 tablespoon barbeque sauce. Continue cooking 10 minutes, until juices run clear. Cool slightly, and cut into chunks.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. In a small bowl, mix the remaining barbeque sauce and marinara sauce. Spread evenly over the pizza crust. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Arrange cooked chicken chunks and red onion slices over the top.
4. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from heat, sprinkle with cilantro, and let sit 10 minutes before slicing.

Sloppy Joes - freezer meal

Okay this is for those of you who have husbands that were born and raised in the South. As Jason would say "Meat -good. Biscuits - good. Cheese - good. Barbecue sauce - good." (any Friends fans out there?) Anyway, even for this non-Southern girl I really liked this one too.

2 cups biscuit mix
2/3 cup buttermilk (I just used milk)
1/4 cup egg substitute (or just one egg)
1 lb. ground beef, cooked
1 - 1oz. package of dry onion soup mix
1 cup marinara sauce
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup cheese blend

In bowl, combine the biscuit mix, milk, and egg. Stir together to form soft ball of dough. Press dough into bottom and sides of a pie plate. In separate bowl, combine ground beef, onion soup mix, and marinara and barbecue sauces until mixed. Spread mixture evenly over the dough in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.

Cover with plastic wrap and foil to freeze up to 3 months. Or preheat oven to 375 F and bake for about 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Baked Ziti - freezer meal

When my mom was here helping with the craziness of life with a newborn, she made a few freezer meals from the Dream Dinners cookbook. They have been great so I thought I would do a little series of freezer meals that we have eaten and really liked. These are great for make ahead meals or to bring to others that might need a meal. So this is the first one:

1 lb. ziti
1 t. dried rosemary
1 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cottage cheese
3 cups marinara sauce
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup onion chopped (I used dried)
4 t. minced garlic
3 slices provolone cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Spray 9x13 with nonstick cooking spray (I used the disposable tin). Cook pasta for 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to large bowl. Add rosemary, Italian seasoning, sour cream, cottage cheese, and marinara sauce, then stir. Transfer pasta mixture into 9x13. Cook ground beef, add onions, garlic until brown (about 10 minutes). Drain off excess fat. Sprinkle beef mixture over pasta. Top with provolone and mozzarella.

Cook at 350 F for 45 minutes covered with foil (make sure you remove the plastic wrap). Remove foil and bake until browned and bubbly, about 10 more minutes.

If freezing: wrap with plastic wrap and then foil. Label and date and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in frig the night before and pop into oven.

Baked Potato Soup

I jotted this recipe down years ago, but I don't quite remember where from. I love it since I usually have this stuff around, and it's easy to make a batch and a half if I want leftovers. And it's also very quick on weeknights. I just pop the potatoes in the microwave while I cook up the rest of the soup, then add the potato in. My nieces, who were here for dinner tonight, also loved it. I left out the dill for them. :)

2 large baking potatoes

3 Tbs sliced green onions (I substitute a shallot or regular onion, chopped really small)

1/3 cup butter (I usually just use 1/4 cup)

1/3 cup flour

2 tsp fresh dill or 1/4 tsp dried (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 cups milk

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

4 slices cooked bacon

Bake potatoes. Scoop out insides and set aside.

In large pan, cook onion and butter. Stir in flour, dill, salt, pepper.

Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Add potato and 1/2 of the cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Garnish with cheese and bacon.

Cheeseburger Soup

Hey Girls,

It's been awhile, but today is my last day working so I should have lots of time to post! Got any great money saving recipes?! I know there are lots on here and I'm ready to leaf through some of the oldies but goodies. This soup may not look like much, but I am telling you it is deliciouso. I've thought about swapping out the ground sirloin for chunks of ham or sausage so let me know if anyone tries it that way, I'd be curious to know how it turns out. Here it is:

1 lb. ground sirloin

1 tbsp plus 3 tbsp butter

1 stalk celery, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 sm. onion, diced

basil, parsley, salt and pepper (to taste)

32 oz. chicken broth

3 cups frozen cubed hashbrowns (walmart brand works great)

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

8 oz. Velveeta cheese, diced

garnish with sour cream and your favorite shredded cheese

Brown and drain ground sirloin. Saute 1 tbsp butter with diced veggies. Add fresh basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Add all veggies to cooked meat. Add broth and potatoes to mixture. Cook until potatoes are very soft. While potatoes are cooking, melt 3 tbsp butter. Whisk in flour until paste forms. Add to soup, stir and cook 5 more minutes. Once soup thickens a bit, add milk and Velveeta cheese. Cook on low heat until cheese melts. Remove from heat and it's ready to go. Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

This is one of those great recipes with few ingredients but lots of flavor (and very easy to make). Even my boys gobbled these down. (the picture is from the recipe card because they were eaten up before I could get a picture of mine)

1 jar or can of enchilada sauce

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided (I used cheddar and mozzarella because that's what I had and it still tasted great)

1/3 cup sliced ripe olives

1 1/3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, divided

1/4 cup chopped green pepper (I left it out because of a picky husband)

2 T chopped green onion (I used dried onion and still really yummy)

8-10 flour tortillas (6 inch) - I used whole wheat tortillas

2 cups shredded lettuce

In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup sauce, chicken, 1 cup of cheese, olives, 1/3 cup of tomatoes, green pepper and onion. Place a rounded 1/4 cupful of chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in greased 13x9 baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Top with lettuce and remaining tomatoes.

Italian Pork Sandwiches

I'm always looking for ways to use up the tomatoes and peppers from our garden.  And this one is just about my favorite. And it's low-fat too. Of course, it's one that my mom passed along to me.

1 lb pork tenderloin, sliced on diagonal, into 1/2" slices

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 medium plum tomatoes, diced

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow or red pepper, thinly sliced 

Seasoning:  3/4 tsp each of oregano, rosemary, salt

     1/4 tsp each of black pepper and crushed red pepper

Mix together the seasoning.  Sprinkle slices of pork with 2 tsp of the seasoning and press into meat.

Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a skillet over medium and cook the pork slices 2-3 minutes per side until slightly brown and barely pink in center.  Place on a plate and set aside.

Add the onions and peppers and the rest of the seasoning to the skillet and cook for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and let cook for 3 more minutes, or until the tomatoes have broken down.  

Add pork and juices back to the skillet and let cook over low until ready to use.

Toast some crusty Italian bread (it's really good if you rub it with garlic...) and top with the meat and veggies.

*I often just use 1 red pepper instead of two peppers.  And I will add extra tomatoes if I want more moisture.  

*The crushed red pepper in the seasoning is kinda spicy, so leave it out or reduce it if you don't like so much heat.