Crispy Lemon Chicken Pasta

STOP the presses! Your family needs this meal in their lives. We even ate ours on whole wheat pasta and my Mister didn't even mention it (usually he says, it's good, but would be better on regular noodles). It was THAT good.
The recipe comes from a site called Kevin & Amanda and it has a very specific recipe, but I'll tell you how I made it because it is a tad easier and fed all of us with leftover for lunch tomorrow.

photo from Kevin & Amanda - mine was delish but didn't look like this :)

1 (12 oz) box of pasta (we had thin spaghetti)
4 chicken breasts, pounded out so they will cook evenly and quickly
salt
pepper
garlic salt
flour
5 Tbsp butter, divided(I took mine straight out of the fridge and sliced it up for easier use)
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
(the recipe calls for lemon zest, but I didn't have a lemon to zest)
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
1: Cook pasta according to pkg directions. Drain and set aside. Season chicken GENEROUSLY on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Then dredge chicken in flour until coated on all sides. (I just used my shakers and sprinkled all three seasonings over the chicken, put it down on a plate where I poured 1/4-1/2 c. of flour, seasoned the other side and then flipped it over and made sure it was all covered in flour with my hand)
2: Heat 2 Tbsp butter (this is where it helped to have them pre-cut into Tbsp) in large skillet over medium-high heat. When butter is hot and starts to brown, add the chicken and cook on each side, flipping once, until golden brown and chicken is cooked through, about 5 min per side. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.
3: In the same skillet (don't take anything out from cooking the chicken because the seasoned flour on the bottom of the pan adds a delectable dimension to the sauce) add the remaining 4 Tbsp butter. When melted and foamy, add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream and bring to a simmer (while I stirred the cream I also scraped the cooked parts off the bottom of the pan). Add the lemon juice (and zest) and combine. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until smooth and melted.
4: Plate the pasta and top with chicken and then sauce.
5: Thank me for increasing the joy in your life. :)

Note: It helped a ton to have the garlic minced, the cheese grated, the cream pre-measured, and the butter cut before I started. That way I didn't get caught up prepping and let my yummy dinner burn. All the other parts I pulled out and measured when it was their time because they were right there.

Cheesecake Factory Macaroni and Cheese copycat

We loved the mac-n-cheese when we went to the Cheesecake Factory not long ago. Who knew!? So I found this copycat and it was so yummy! It's originally from Cook Eat Delicious.com

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 16 oz elbow macaroni
• 10 tbsp butter
• ½ cup shredded Muenster cheese
• ½ cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
• ½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1½ cups half-and-half
• 8 oz velveeta or processed cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• ¾ cup of breadcrumbs, non-seasoned or seasoned (your preference)

Instructions

1. Boil salted water in a large pot.
2. Add in macaroni and cook until al dente.
3. Drain well and return to pot.
4. In a small sauce pan, melt 8 tbsps of butter and pour on pasta.
5. Combine all the cheeses, except processed, into a large bowl.
6. Add the rest of the ingredients, except breadcrumbs, to the macaroni and mix well.
7. Add in ¾ of the cheese mixture to macaroni and mix well.
8. Place in a lightly oiled casserole dish.
9. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, butter, and breadcrumbs.
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 35 minutes.
11. Serve warm.

*It was suggested on Pinterest that you double all the grated cheeses (so, I did, of course)  and whoever it was that said that was right! But this next time, I wouldn't bake it. It seemed to take all the moisture out (which is the think I LOVE about mac-n-cheese). So next time (and there will definitely be a next time) I'm going to warm everything in the pot before moving it to the 9x13 pan. Put the breadcrumbs on first, THEN the butter and cheese and just broil it for a few minutes in my oven instead of baking it.

Let me know how it goes! I hope you love it like we did!

Pizza on the Grill

So I know we all love the pizza dough recipe, but on Our Best Bites they have a way to grill it! You better believe we are trying this!
Follow this link for directions. By the way, May 15th is National Pizza Party Day so this would be a great way to celebrate!

Chicken Quinoa Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce

HOLY DELICIOUS! We loved these. They didn't hold together very well, but we will have them again fo sho with a tweak or two.
I'll post the original recipe from Natasha's Kitchen but I'll write my suggested changes for next time in hopes that they'll help you - and let's be honest, so I don't forget to change it up next time I make these. :)

For the Chicken:

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled or sautéed and thinly sliced (I made 4 breasts because I wanted cooked chicken for pizza later so I doubled the marinade too)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated, or ¼ tsp dried ginger powder
• ½ Tbsp sesame oil

For the Wraps:

• 2 heads of Boston, Bib or Butter Lettuce (this was too expensive and flimsy - next time we will use romaine lettuce so it will hold up better and is already in a boat shape)
• 2½ cups cooked Quinoa (*see notes below on how I made it) (It would also be good with cooked rice if you don't have quinoa on hand - it really acts as a filler for the wrap and your tummy)
• 1 medium or 3 small cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 1 large or 2 medium Carrots, sliced into matchsticks (I'll cut the veggies into circles next time because cutting a bunch of veggie sticks took more time than I wanted)
• ¼ bunch of fresh Cilantro (we didn't use this much because the kids didn't eat it)

For the Easy Peanut Dipping Sauce:

• ¾ cup Newman’s Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger dressing (P.S. this dressing contains wheat so if you’re gluten free, try: Braggs ginger sesame)
• 2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter (microwave 30 sec if peanut butter refrigerated)
• ⅓ cup chopped peanuts, optional topping 

How to Prepare the Teriyaki Chicken:

1. In a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients of your marinade: 2 Tbsp olive oil, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated ( or ¼ tsp dried ginger powder) and 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
2. Place chicken breast in a medium bowl, add marinade and stir to coat the chicken evenly. Refrigerate for 20 minutes (prep your veggies in the mean time).
3. Once chicken is marinated, heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the chicken along with some of the oil in the marinade (we used pretty much the whole marinade do cook it in) and sauté until caramelized and browned on both sides and fully cooked. If chicken breasts are very large, you might cover with the lid when sautéing the second side for the chicken to cook through.
4. Remove from heat and let chicken breasts rest on a cutting board 5 minutes before cutting into it, then slice into thin strips on the diagonal.

*How I Cooked Quinoa:

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine colander until water runs clear to get rid of any natural bitterness. Quinoa is cooked similar to rice. The ratio is ¾ cup dry quinoa to 1½ cups filtered water. I cooked mine in the rice maker on the white rice setting without adding any salt or butter and it was done after about 20 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a bowl to cool. You want it to be room temp or cooler before using in lettuce wraps.

How to make the best peanut dipping sauce

1. Combine ¾ cup sesame ginger dressing with 2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter and whisk together or shake together in a tupperware with a tight fitting lid. Transfer to a small bowl and top with chopped peanuts if using.

How to Serve:

1. Place all prepared vegetables on a platter: lettuce, sliced cucumbers, sliced carrots and sprigs of cilantro. Add your bowls of chicken, quinoa, and peanut sauce to the serving platter.
2. You can either pre-assemble the lettuce wraps or let your hungry folks assemble their own (my favorite method!). Start with the lettuce leaf, add a heaping Tbsp of cooked quinoa, a strip or two of chicken breast, sliced cucumber and carrots along with a couple sprigs of cilantro. Drizzle with prepared creamy peanut sauce and be prepared to love this

*Note: If you only make the chicken in the marinade, you won't be sorry. It's so yummy! It would be good with mashed potatoes and cooked peas - or however you eat your yummy chicken. I'm going to use our leftover chicken to make homemade pizza and I anticipate yumminess there too!

Chicken Avocado Burgers

I apologize for the hiatus. I thought I was only a week late, but it turns out I'm SEVERAL weeks late in posting a new menu. I haven't tried all of these recipes, but I am in need of new stuff. The weather can't decide if it wants to be warm or cold or both, and it is causing me food-stress (it's a thing - I'm sure of it) so I can't commit to summer food when it's pouring outside and I don't want comfort food when I come in from 70+ degree weather. So....this time I looked up the weather before I planned my menu. BAM! WHAT!
So on warmish days we are having fun summer foods (like today's option) and on cold days (like Saturday and Sunday) we are having comfort food in the crock pot. I hope this works. I'm trusting you google weather app.

Chicken Avocado Burgers
1 pound ground chicken (I couldn't find chicken so I'm using turkey...they're like the same...both birds)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 avocado, cubed (on the firmer side)
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Gently fold in avocado cubes trying not to mash them up too much. Form into 4 patties. Heat grill to medium high heat. Grill for about 4 min per side - until juices run clear.

*note: these needed A LOT more salt than I added, but they were pretty good. We just ate them plain because I forgot to buy buns but no body seemed to care.

The rest of the week is all new stuff

I'm going to be trying other recipes this week and if they turn out, I'll post them, but if there are no new posts....well then you'll know.

Sunday Roast in the Crockpot

This is our tried-and-true go-to roast recipe. It's so good. It turns out pretty much every time - keep in mind though that cheaper meat isn't as tender as more expensive meat (that is why GG's is ALWAYS delicious...she pays for it to be).

3-5 lb. beef roast
10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
4 c. baby carrots (or diced carrots)
4-5 potatoes, quartered
Optional: 1 small head of cabbage, quartered
                4 medium onions, cut into chunks

Place carrots and potatoes in the bottom of the crockpot. Place roast on top of veggies. Spoon mushroom soup all over top. (For extra gravy, mix 2 soup-cans of water with the condensed soup before pouring over the veggies) Sprinkle dry soup mix over soup. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or until meat and veggies are tender, but not dry or mushy.

Crockpot Sausage and Cheese Tortellini

We haven't tried this one either, but it sounds DELISH and so warm for a chilly, rainy day. Be aware the cook time is low for  a crock pot...but Saturdays are good days for crockpoting (sure, it can be a word).

Crockpot Sausage and Cheese Tortellini
1 lb. Italian sausage (not in links)
20 oz. 3-Cheese Tortellini, frozen
32 oz chicken broth
2 can seasoned diced tomatoes - the kind with basil, garlic & oregano, or you can add these seasonings in separately but I don't know how much so you'll have to guesstimate
8 oz cream cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Get the cream cheese out to soften while you brown the meat in a skillet. Add the browned meat, frozen tortellini, chicken broth, tomatoes and cream cheese (cut into chunks) into the crock pot. Give it a good stir to mix it all together and be sure the tortellini are all covered in juice. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. The recipe says to give it a stir after 1 1/2 hours and again at 3 hours, but the pinner who posted it said they left and came back 4 hours later and it was delicious - so whatever you can do. 30 min before serving stir again and then leave the lid off so the sauce can thicken up.