Chicken Pasta Salad

This is my go to at Hug He's for dinner.  Yummy.  Recipe credit to Six Sisters.  They have amazing recipes.  I find myself looking for random ingredients I need to use on their site and customizing one of their recipes around them quite a bit lately.

Salad:

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)

2½ c bowtie pasta (cooked)

2½ c tri-color rotini pasta (cooked)

1 c broccoli (chopped)

⅔ c carrots (chopped)

1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)

Dressing:

1 c sugar

1 c red wine vinegar

1½ c olive oil

1 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp pepper

1 tsp tabasco sauce

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine your chicken, pasta, broccoli, carrots, and kidney beans. Mix until fully combined.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together your sugar, red wine vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and tabasco sauce.

Pour the dressing mixture over the pasta mixture, and toss.

Store in fridge for 30 minutes  Serve cold or warm.  This is one of those recipes that is just as good the next day for lunch.

Curry Chicken Pasta Salad

One of my favorite sites when I am looking for a new recipe to try is The Pioneer Woman. She had this one on not long ago and I thought it sounded marvelous. I tweaked mine a little. And just a note, it is far better on the second day so make it a day ahead.

There is a misconception that curry is a "hot" spice which is not true. I am a terrible wimp and I swear this recipe is NOT spicy!

3 pounds Chicken, Cooked And Diced/shredded
6 ounces, weight Dry Pasta, Cooked And Drained
4 whole Ribs Celery, Thinly Sliced
1 cup red grapes, sliced in half
3/4 cups chopped peanuts
1/2 cups Mayonnaise
1/2 cups Sour Cream
1 cup Heavy Cream
3 Tablespoons Curry Powder, More Or Less To Taste
1 Tablespoon Sugar, More Or Less To Taste
Kosher Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Boil chicken to cook. Boil pasta in chicken broth. Dice/shred chicken. Drain pasta.

Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, heavy cream, curry powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until well combined.

Combine chicken, drained pasta, sliced celery, raisins, and almonds in a large bowl. Pour curry dressing over the top. Fold together with a rubber spatula until combine.

Shrimp Toss

Did you ever one of those recipes that you liked so well and made so often you no longer used a recipe? Well this is me trying to reconstruct an old Weight Watchers recipes from one of the many times I joined. Hi, I am a Weight Watchers drop out, my name is Nichole. Ok so I dropped out more than once....

Ingredients:
1/2 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 chicken broth
2 cups cooked mixed vegetables ~ Costco has a frozen variety bag that I love in a pinch
2 cups cooked linguini
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil ~ evoo
Parmesan Cheese - optional

Directions:
In a large skillet, saute shrimp and garlic in evoo until shrimp turn pink; remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute the vegetables and broth until heated through. Add the spaghetti and shrimp and TOSS; heat through. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if you are not on Weight Watchers.

Cheese with a side of pasta

This was the recipe I made tonight. I got it from here but made some changes based on the things I had on hand. It was even a hit with my nephew that doesn't like cheese. We will address that in another posting....

Ingredients:
4 cups Macaroni
8 Tablespoons Butter
2 whole Medium Onions, Cut In Half And Sliced Thin
10 slices Regular Bacon
1 Tablespoon Bacon Grease (reserved From Bacon Slices)
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Or 2% Milk
½ cups Half & Half
2 whole Egg Yolks, Beaten
Salt And Pepper, to taste
½ cups Grated Gruyere Cheese (I used Swiss)
½ cups Grated Fontina Cheese (I used Smoked Gouda)
½ cups Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (I used mozarella)
4 ounces, weight Chevre (soft Goat Cheese) (I used Myzthria)

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni for half the time of the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Fry bacon until slightly, but not overly, crispy. Drain on a paper towel. Reserve grease.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet and then saute onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown and soft. Set aside.

In a pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter (and add 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon grease for good measure!). Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 1 minute. Pour in milk and half & half, then cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick. Reduce heat to low. Add salt & pepper to taste. (Do not undersalt!)

Beat egg yolks and drizzle 1/4 cup hot mixture into the yolks, stirring constantly. Stir to combine. Pour egg mixture into sauce and cook for another minute.
Add cheeses and stir until melted. Add onions and bacon and stir. Taste for seasonings and add more salt if needed. Add cooked macaroni and stir to coat.
Pour into a baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until sizzling and hot.

Here are my notes:
- the swiss cheese was the strongest flavor so next time I would try Gruyere or use less
- now have another reason to get one of these
- look at your list before you shop so you get the cheese the recipe calls for on the first outing, then get creative

Lo Mein

Ingredients:
2 qt. water
1 pkg (16 oz.) thin spaghetti noodles
1 Tbsp. beef bullion granules
1/2 c. celery sliced thinly
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Soy Sauce to taste

Bring water to boil; add spaghetti noodles and bullion granules.  Cook Spaghetti to desired tenderness.  Drain and reserve 2 Tbsp. cooking water.  Return to pan with cooking water and celery.  Once all water gone, saute with olive oil and soy sauce.  Serve hot.

Any veggies can be added to this, just allow more liquid based on the veggies you add.

Egg Noodles

This month for family dinner I relented and made Homemade Egg Noodles.  Traditionally my mom has always made them but I aggreed to do it just this one time!!  They were yummy.  I don't think this is her recipe and hers are still better but these were good.  Did you wonder if things are better when someone else makes them becuase you didn't have to do all of the work?  I actually cheated using my KitchenAide.  It took me far less time than it takes her I am told...  And well worth the effort!

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired lengths and shapes.

Allow to air dry before cooking.

To cook fresh pasta, in a large pot with boiling salted water cook until al dente.

Spinach Pasta Toss

This is one of my favorites when my spinach is on in the garden!

2 cups rotini pasta, uncooked
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
6 oz. fresh baby spinach leaves (7 cups)
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese

COOK pasta as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, crumble meat into large deep skillet; cook on medium-high heat 10 to 12 min. or until done, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving meat in skillet. Add spinach and tomatoes; cook 2 min. or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.

DRAIN pasta; return to pan. Add meat mixture and cheeses; toss lightly.

Spaghetti with Brown Butter and Mizithra

This recipe is one of my favorite. I always get this when I go to the Spaghetti Factory!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup Mizithra cheese (Harmon's deli has fresh!)
pasta of choice - I like whole wheat spaghetti just like I would get at the restaurant



Browned Butter Procedure: Cut 2 sticks of butter into 8 pieces and place in a 2-quart sauce pan. Place the pan of butter on a burner on medium heat. Bring butter to a slow boil (about 5 minutes).

Once the butter begins to boil, stir constantly to prevent residue from sticking to the bottom of the pan. As the butter cooks, it will start to foam and rise. Continue stirring, otherwise the butter foam could overflow (about 5 minutes) and catch fire.

Once the butter stops foaming and rising, cook until amber in color (about 1 to 2 minutes). It will have a pleasant caramel aroma.

Turn off the heat and remove pan from burner. Let the sediment settle to the bottom of the pan for a few minutes.

Pour the brown butter through a strainer into a small bowl. Do not disturb the residue at the bottom of the pan.

The brown butter can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in a microwave as needed.

Boil the pasta of choice until Al Dente. Drain pasta and divide into four servings. Spread 1/4 cup of Mizithra over each pasta serving. Top with 1/4 cup of hot brown butter.

I serve mine with chicken breasts. I pound them out, coat with egg, then dip into bread crumbs. Then I fry it up in butter until it's golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.

Not a low cal meal but a very good one for certain!

Spaghetti alla carbonara

4 oz. pancetta cut in 1/4 inch dice (you can substitute bacon if needed)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Extra large eggs
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/4 tsp. each kosher salt and red pepper flakes
1 lb. dried spaghetti (I like the whole wheat best)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Cook bacon or pancetta in oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat until golden brown and most of the fat has been rendered, about 8 to 10 minutes, then remove skillet from heat.
3. In a medium bowl whisk eggs, parsley, salt and red pepper flakes until combined.
4. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions, until al dente (tender yet still firm to the bite). Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
5. Add hot spaghetti to bacon mixture in skillet and toss well over medium-low heat until pasta is coated. Add egg mixture and a little of the cooking water; toss gently until spaghetti looks creamy. Add cheese and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Spaghetti sauce with meat

I made this sauce on Christmas Eve and it was such a hit, it will be our annual tradition.

1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
1/2 pound italian sausage
1 onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz can tomato paste
15 oz can tomato sauce
28 oz can diced tomatoes
4 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon crushed bay leaf

1Tbsp sugar  

DIRECTIONS
Place meat in a non-stick wok, or large deep skillet. Drain excess fat. Add onion, and cook until soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Put into crock pot. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Season with thyme, basil, rosemary, marjoram and bay leaf. Cover, and let simmer on low heat for 3-4 hours.

One 16 ounce package of spagehetti noodles is perfect if the recipe is doubled, but you might like more sauce that our family does.

I doubled the recipe and what I didn't immediately use, I froze in indiviual portions and use as needed. Works great!

Sausage & Mushroom Lasagna

1 lb. Italian sausage or Turkey sausage
½ cup onion chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, chopped
2 - 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with oregano and basil
15 oz. Ricotta cheese
10 oz. shredded parmesan cheese, divided
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 large egg
Salt
Ground pepper
Nutmeg
8 oz. lasagna noodles cooked al dente
12 oz. mozzarella sliced thinly

Combine meat and onion in skillet over medium heat. Stir until browned. Stir in mushrooms and diced tomatoes with juice. Cook until slightly thickened about 20 minutes. Let cool. Combine 5 oz. parmesan cheese with ricotta cheese, cream and egg until smooth. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place layer of cooked noodles in pan. Spread noodles with 1/3 of cheese mixture and follow with ½ of meat mixture. Top with 4 oz. mozzarella slices. Repeat layering. Cover top noodle layer with sliced mozzarella and parmesan. Bake 25 – 30 minutes. Serves 8.

Italian Pasta Bake

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground sausage
4 cups mostaccioli, cooked, drained
28 oz. spaghetti sauce (see recipe)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups shredded italian cheese blend

Brown meat in large skillet; drain
Stir in mostaccioli, spaghetti sauce and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
Spoon into 13 x 9 inch pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray
Top with shredded cheese and remaing parmesan cheese
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

Chicken Parmesan

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts – pounded thin
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cups of spaghetti sauce (see recipe)
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
3 ¾ cup wide egg noodles, uncooked

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Dig chicken in egg, and then bread crumbs to coat thoroughly. In large skillet heat oil; add chicken. Cook on both sides until browned. Drain on paper towels. Pour ½ cup sauce in 8 inch square baking dish. Layer chicken in dish; pour ¾ cup sauce evenly over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 25 minutes or until bubbly. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Heat remaining sauce. Place noodles on plate, spoon sauce over noodles. Arrange chicken pieces on top.


WW 14 points

Beef Stroganoff

1 lb. beef sirloin
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
3 oz. canned mushroom, un-drained
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
10.5 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. catsup
8 oz. package of wide egg noodles

Cook egg noodles as per directions on package.
Cut mean in ¼ inch strips.
Brown meat in oil, then add onion and garlic, sautee until onion is clear.
Add all other ingredients except noodles.
Heat just to a boil.
Serve over noodles.

Nic’s Lasagna Masterpiece

8 oz. Lasagna, uncooked
½ lb. ground beef
½ lb. sausage
2 cups of spaghetti sauce (see recipe)
1 ¾ cups of ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain
Lay parchment paper on foil to cool
Heat oven to 350 degrees
In large skillet brown meat; drain grease
Add spaghetti sauce and mix thoroughly
In Medium bowl, mix ricotta, 1 c. mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, egg and seasonings.
Spray 13 x 9 x2 baking dish with olive oil non-stick spray.
Spread ½ c. meat mixture
Place 3 pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce
Spread one half ricotta mixture over pasta
Cover with 1 cup meat sauce
Repeat layer of pasta, ricotta mixture and meat sauce.
Top with remaining pasta, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes
Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until bubblyLet stand 10 minutes before serving