White Cheddar Chicken Pasta

If you haven't noticed, we eat a lot of chicken in our household. Don't get me wrong, we love our red meat but chicken is always a better on your budget and easy to have in your freezer. While perusing Pinterest I found yet another great chicken recipe originally posted by Homemade by Holman. Though they used fresh thyme and fresh oregano, I used dry from my pantry and the taste was still delish.

For the chicken:

1 lb boneless chicken breast, thawed and cubed

1 tsp dry mustard

1 T thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 T olive oil

Start by pouring your olive oil into a large skillet, coating the bottom well. Heat the pan on medium-high. Sprinkle your herb mixture on top on the chicken and add to the skillet. Cook until the chicken is cooked all the way through. You can sprinkle more of your herb mixture while the chicken is cooking just to make sure it absorbs all that flavor. Remove chicken from heat and place in a separate container.

For the pasta:

1 pound bowtie or your favorite short cut pasta

2 T butter

2 T flour

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, finely diced

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 T Dijon mustard

8 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

2 cups milk

1 T thyme

1 T oregano

Parmesan cheese to taste

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add flour and whisk over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions and mustard and cook until onions are translucent.

Add the milk slowly and stir. Let stew for 5 minutes to allow the mixture to thicken.

Add cheese and stir until melted. Add the chicken.

Mix with your already prepared noodles, sprinkle on the oregano, thyme & parmesan cheese and serve. Seriously...sooo good! You're going to love this dish, serve with garlic bread and you're set to go.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesian

Hello everyone! Hope all is well in the food blogging world. We've been cooking up a storm here finding new food favorites and some not so great recipes. No worries, we don't post anything but the best so enjoy this new recipe I found on Pinterest (originally posted by Chef In Training). I have fallen deeply in love with our crock pot. It has become my go-to for dinners. With K working late at the hospital his schedule changes day to day which doesn't give me a good timeframe when he will be home for dinner. But not everything we eat can be soups or chili which is why I really loved this recipe. Very simple to put together with a rich Italian taste. If you're a fan of a crispier chicken parmesan then this recipe probably won't be your favorite but if you are a fan of big Italian flavor then give this recipe a try.

Recipe:

4 frozen boneless chicken tenderloins, defrosted

1/2 C Italian breadcrumbs

1/4 C Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp Black pepper

1/4 tsp Kosher salt

1 TBSP Olive oil

1 egg, beaten

1 C flour

1-2 C mozzarella cheese

1 Jar of your favorite marana sauce

Ready, set, cook! In a medium bowl mix the Italian breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt. Grab three dishes, as you noticed I just grabbed anything I can dip the chicken in. Dish 1: Flour, Dish 2: egg and Dish 3: Italian bread seasoning mixture.

 Pour olive oil onto the bottom of your crock pot dish. Dust your chicken in the flour, shake off excess flour.  Now dip chicken into the egg and cover. Last step, place chicken in the breadcrumbs mixture and cover well.

 Place in your crockpot dish.

 Cover the chicken with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Cover cheese with the jar of marana sauce. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.

 So guess what!! We we were so hungry we failed to take a finished photo! I know, I'm so sorry!! This is how we ate it though. We didn't go traditional with the noodles (which also would be great). Instead, we ate it with slices of freshly made (and still hot) french bread and it was amazing. I hope you all try the recipe out, it's a definite keeper.

Enjoy!

Chicken & Vegetable with Pesto

Back to the world of delicious cooking. This dish can technically be a smart eat if you pair it with whole wheat pasta like we did. But really I think it tastes best with yummy carb-i-licious good-old fashion rotelle pasta. Here's another recipe that we have adapted from my Williams-Sonoma "Italian Cooking" cookbook. Fresh flavors without a ton of ingredients equals fresh tasting Italian food the entire family will enjoy.

Recipe:

2 Zucchini, chopped

1 Yellow onion, sliced

1 Red bell pepper, sliced

2 Tbl olive oil

1 lb chicken breast, cubed

1/4 C chicken stock

Salt

Pepper

Your choice of pasta

1/2-3/4 C Pesto

Chop and slice your veggies and set aside.

 In a wok, place 1 Tbl of olive oil and heat. Once it is hot add your cubed chicken. Cook until chicken is golden on the outside and fully cooked through. Place in a bowl and set-aside.

 Boil a pot of water and add pasta. When pasta is cooked, drain and set aside. You can do this while working on the next few steps.

 In the same wok you cooked the chicken, heat 1 Tbl olive oil. Once the oil is hot, on medium-high heat cook the onions until tender. Add the red bell pepper and zucchini and cook until onions are golden. Add the chicken and chicken stock and cook until chick stock is hot.

 Place in a large bowl and mix in the pesto sauce. Toss in the pasta and mix well. This recipe is pretty simple and the taste is exquisite. Add Salt and pepper to taste and serve while hot. I made this and stuck the bowl in the microwave to keep warm until K got home. He was very excited to walk through the door and smell the delicious aroma.

Enjoy!

Cheese Manicotti

The countdown to Valentine's Day continues and we've whipped up a delicious entrée. I know, manicotti may seem like a difficult feat but it's actually quite easy and your loved one will be very impressed by your mad skills!

Recipe:

15 oz Ricotta cheese

16 oz fresh Mozarella, drained and shredded

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

Manicotti noodles, boiled per directions on box

Marinara Sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzerella

Mix together the ricotta, fresh mozzarella, fresh Parmesan, eggs, and herbs in a large bowl and stir thoroughly.

Fill a pastry bag with the cheese and pipe them into the cooked Manicotti noodles

Place a 1/4 cup of sauce in the bottom of the pan and place the filled manicotti in the pan.

Cover the manicotti with shredded mozzerella.

Bake for 20-30min until the cheese in melted and bubbly.

 Like we said before very easy to make and very delicious. You can also team this entree with a previously posted Parmesan chicken recipe.

Enjoy!

Three Cheesy Pizza

Last week we spent time in San Clemente and were introduced to La Rocco's, this super awesome pizza place in San Clemente. There was one pizza in particular that caught our eye and taste buds, it was called "The Whitestone". After eating it K and I turned to each other and said, "We can totally make this!" So with a little creativity and a lot of cheese later we were able to create our own version of this pizza. We call is the Three Cheesy Pizza. It has olive oil, garlic, mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmesan on a thin crust. No red sauce. No meat. Just the basics and it's very delish. Here's the recipe:

Recipe:

Pizza Crust (you can use any crust recipe just use half of the dough to make it a thin crust)

8oz Ricotta cheese

2 cups Mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

2-3 tsp Olive oil 

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and then place on a pizza stone or pan that has been lightly greased with olive oil.

Spread 2-3 tsp of olive oil on the dough, just enough to cover it and sprinkle the chopped garlic on top of the dough.

Drop spoonfuls of ricotta cheese onto the pizza, you can use as little or as much as you like.

Cover the pizza with the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

Bake for 12-15 min until the cheese is browned and the crust is golden on the edges.

This pizza is so quick and simple but it is one of the best pizzas we have ever had. In fact we loved it so much we even made it for dinner twice this week! 

Parmesian Chicken with Homemade Maranara Sauce

As many of your know, K and I are both Italian and let me tell you we LOVE Italian food. Here's a recipe that is so fresh, delicious, and very easy to make. You will look like a super star when making this dish, so make sure you invite many people over so you can brag about your culinary skills.

Recipe:

Marinara Sauce

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 cup cooking wine (optional)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 large cans crushed tomatoes

2 dried bay leaves

Heat the olive oil in a large pot on med-high heat, add the onion and garlic and saute 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

The secret ingredient to this recipe is the carrots and celery. You don't taste either ingredient in the final sauce but it adds that meaty texture which makes this sauce so good! Chop the carrot and celery, I usually just toss them in my food processor, and add them to the onions. Add the salt and pepper, stir and add the cooking wine. We have tried it with red and white wine, both are delicious. Allow it to cook for another 10min until the vegetable are soft and the alcohol has cooked off. It will look kind of like baby food at this point so don't worry if it doesn't look appetizing yet.

Add the can of crushed tomato and bay leaf. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

This recipe makes a lot of sauce, but you can always freeze what you don't use and save it for later.

Parmesan Chicken:

10-12 Chicken tenders

1 cup Milk

2 eggs beaten w/2 TBS water

1 cup flour

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 

Olive oil

Pre-heat the over to 375 degrees. Mix the breads crumbs with the Parmesan cheese, and set up 4 dishes with the milk, flour, egg and bread crumbs. Take each piece of chicken and dip it in the milk, flour, egg wash and finally the bread crumbs.

Drizzle olive oil in a baking dish and place the breaded chicken tenders in it. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top of the chicken.

Bake the chicken uncovered at 375 until golden brown, about 30-40 min.

Serve the chicken over your favorite pasta and top it with the marinara sauce.

We made this dish when our friends C- Puppy & his wife R came into the city. It was perfect because we made the sauce the night before and the chicken the night of. We had leftover sauce which we put in a container and placed in the freezer. Enjoy!

Homemade Four Cheese Ravioli

For all those chefs that want a bigger challenge, we have the recipe for you. Homemade ravioli sound like an impossible feat but we are here to prove you wrong. It may take some time but the final result is absolutely amazing. What's even better, you can freeze the leftover ravioli for a later date.

Here's the recipe:

Basic Pasta Dough:
4 large eggs
1TBS water
3 1/2C sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
15oz carton Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan, Romano, asiago cheese blend (or your fav Cheese blend)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder

For the pasta, add the eggs, flour, water, and salt to your mixer and beat with the flat beater for 30 sec. Exchange the beater for the dough hook and kneed for 2 min.

Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and kneed until the dough is elastic and smooth.

Cover the dough with a bowl and let the dough rest for 20-30 min.

While the dough is resting start the filling. Add the cheeses, egg, salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic powder into a bowl and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it refrigerate for 30min.

Cut the dough in to 4 equal portions and flatten each quarter into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle.

Using a pasta roller, or if you are up for the challenge you can use a rolling pin, to roll out each quarter to desired thickness.

Cut the dough into circles, we found this great dough press that makes the perfect sized half-moon ravioli. Someday we will be able to purchase a ravioli maker but until then this cost-effective gadget is perfect!

Add a spoonful of filling to the dough, being careful not to over-fill it.

Use a small amount of water to moisten the edge of the dough, fold it over and seal it together. Lay the ravioli in a single layer on a floured baking sheet to dry for 10-15min.

Bring water to a boil and add the ravioli. To prevent them from breaking turn the heat down to keep it at a gentle boil. Fresh ravioli will cook in 5-6min and frozen ravioli will cook in 8-9min.

Drain the ravioli and rinse with hot water to stop them from over cooking and sticking together. Top the ravioli with you favorite sauce and enjoy!

This is a labor intensive process, but is well worth the effort. The best part is that it will make 50-60 ravioli so you can eat some and then freeze the rest! Nothing beats homemade pasta, and this one this will really impress as well.