Pesto!

I have a huge basil plant, and have only used a few leaves for spaghetti and such.  I'm ready to make some pesto!  I found these uses for pesto from my favorite gal--the pioneer woman, Ree Drummond (she has her own series coming on Food Network now too!).  And the recipe is here as well as below, but she uses it with a cream sauce.  You can just do the pesto without the cream sauce for other pesto dishes.  Do you think it'll freeze?  I'd love to make a big batch, then freeze bags of it to use later.  Thanks Ree!

Recipe: Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce

Prep Time: 6 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 10 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 8

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cups Fresh Basil Leaves
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 3 Tablespoons Pine Nuts
• 2 cloves Garlic, Peeled
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan (additional)
• 12 ounces, weight Pasta (cavitappi, Fusili, Etc.)
• 2 whole Tomatoes, Diced

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta until al dente.
Add basil leaves, 1/2 cup Parmesan, pine nuts, and salt and pepper to a food processor or blender. Turn machine on, then drizzle in olive oil while it mixes. Continue blending until combined, adding additional olive oil if needed. Set aside.
Heat cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add pesto and stir.
Drain pasta and place in a serving bowl. Pour pesto cream over the top. Toss to combine. Add diced tomatoes and toss quickly. Serve immediately.

Frosted Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Bars

You've probably seen/tried these at some recent missionary function; they are crazy good.

Frosted Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Bars

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 t almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (I used 4 1/2 cups)
3-5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
food coloring or icing paste


In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer beat the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and egg until nice and frothy. About 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat for 1 minute more.

In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix them around so that all ingredients are well incorporated. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat for about 2 minutes. Press the dough into a large jelly roll (cookie sheet) pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let the pan cool completely.

To make the frosting, in a medium sized bowl (or your stand mixer) combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat for about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and food coloring. Mix for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Frost your pan of cookies. Cut the cookies into bars and serve.

Nanci's notes: I have only used store bought frosting because it is faster and easier and I am lazy, but I am sure the frosting is wonderful. 

Garlic Lime Chicken

My mom asked that I post a couple recipes to the family blog for her. So these are hers, not mine. :) And about the chicken, she said the "Garlic Lime Chicken I made for dinner last night and Dad raved and raved about it.  Everyone else liked it as well and it is super easy so I thought I would give you that."


*Note - this was updated after first posted, my mom saved the recipe under the wrong name, so the one I originally posted was not the one she meant. I changed it to the right one.


Garlic Lime Chicken

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons lime juice

Directions:
In a bowl, mix together first 7 ingredients. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken
breasts.
In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium high heat. Saute chicken until
golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Turn down the heat, remove the chicken
(keeping warm) and add the lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the
browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly.
Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve.

Nutritional Information: Per Serving: 343 Calories; 11g Fat (31.1% calories from fat);
55g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 147mg Cholesterol; 612mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 7 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat.

Pear Oatmeal Cookies

I needed to use up some pears, and my coworker found this recipe online. I tried it and I think it's now my new favorite cookie ever. Seriously. Sweet, but not a kick of sugar in your mouth - SO so so moist.....and stays that way forever! (Okay, they only lasted like 5 days before they were gone, but they almost got better each day.) Enjoy!

Pear Oatmeal Cookies


1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped pears (fresh or canned)
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter with brown sugar; add rest of wet ingredients including pears and beat. Mix dry ingredients together; beat into wet mixture.
Drop by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 15 minutes.

I forgot to sprinkle with sugar, and honestly I don't think it needed it at all, they were perfectly delicious without! But by all means add it if you want.


Nutrition information - for one cookie:
Calories: 66.3
Calories from fat: 20
Total fat: 2.2 g
Saturated fat: 1.2 g
Cholesterol: 9.4 mg
Sugars: 5 g
Total Carbohydrates: 10.5 g
Protein: 1.1 g

Cajun Chicken & Pasta

This recipe comes from Jane.  I tried it out a few Sundays ago, and it was a hit!

Stir fry chicken, onions, and bell peppers (mushrooms, broccoli are also good) in some oil - add cajun seasoning


Cook sausage in a separate pan and drain (sometimes I cook the mushrooms, bell peppers and onions in the sausage grease - it's way yummy but not too heart healthy)

add to the chicken

pour in the heavy whipping cream

cook noodles and combine

Chicken, Mushroom & Spinach Alfredo Lasagna

This recipe is courtesy of Emeril Lagasse....thanks Mr. L! It takes a bit of work, but such a yummy twist on lasagna that maybe even Garfield would approve....or not! :)

8 TBLS (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 lb. button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
3 TBLS minced garlic
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups milk
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly groung black pepper
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I just used dried)
1 lb. spinach, stemmed, washed, blanched & roughtly chopped
3 cups grated Parmesan
2 TBLS olive oil, plus more for coating casserole dish
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces
1 TBLS Essence, recipe follows
1 lb. oven ready lasagna sheets
1 TBLS butter, cut into 8 pieces

I make this and put it in a container to season my chicken in almost any recipe! Yummy!

Emeril's Essence Creole Seasoning

2-1/2 TBLS paprika

2 TBLS salt

2 TBLS garlic powder

1 TBLS black pepper

1 TBLS onion powder

1 TBLS cayenne pepper

1 TBLS dried oregano

1 TBLS dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Yeild: 2/3 cup.

Directions for Lasagna:

Set a large, 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Season the chicken with the Essence and add a 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and place in the hot pan. Sear the chicken, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and cooked throughout, about 4-5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let chicken cool until ready to assemble lasagna.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often until the mushrooms are browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and saute until soft and translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, to make a light roux, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add the milk and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, 5 minutes. Add 1-1/2 tsp of salt, pepper, nutmeg, spinach and 1-1/2 cups of the Parmesan and cook, stirring until thickened about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat a 9 by 13 by 3-inch casserole with olive oil, and spread about 1/2 cup of the beshemel sauce on the bottom of the dish. Lay sheets of pasta across the bottom of the dish, breaking into pieces if necessary to fill in the gaps, and spread 3/4 cup of the bechamel sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle 1/4 of the chicken over the bechamel sauce, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the remaining Parmesan. Lay more sheets of pasta over the chicken. Repeat 2 additional times with the remaining bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the becheamel sauce and scatter the butter pieces over the top. Place the casserole on a baking sheet and bake uncovered until bubbly and well browned, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Chicken & Roasted Veggie Rice

So this recipe I found browsing the Better Homes and Garden website. Some of their recipes are hit and miss, but this was a HIT in our family! Especially the sweet potatoes....don't skimp....they are the yummiest part! Enjoy!!

Makes: 4 servings Prep: 20 minutes Bake: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 lbs.)

1-1/2 cups baby carrots, halved if large

1 cup cubed peeled sweet potato (medium-sized)

1 onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/2 cup chicken broth (I used the chicken base)

2 TBLS snipped fresh sage

3 TBLS olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp groung black pepper

1 box (6 oz.) cooked Uncle Ben's originial recipe long grain and wild rice

3 TBLS snipped fresh italian (flat-leaf) parsley

Directions:

1. Arrange chicken in a shallow roasting pan. In a large bowl, combine carrots, sweet potato, onion, celery, 1/2 cup chicken broth, sage, olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange veggies around chicken in pan and pour juices over the chicken. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and veggies are tender, stirring veggies twice.

2. Cook the rice according to the box directions. About 25 minutes.

3. Add parsley to rice and then add the rice to the chicken and veggie mixture; stir to combine. Return to the oven and cook about 5 minutes or until rice is heated through.

Yummy Caramels!

Todd's sister gave this recipe to me and it's divine!  It is incredibly fast to make these little delights.

1 C butter
1 C brown sugar
1 C white sugar
1 C corn syrup
1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
dash of salt

Butter a pan.  Mix first 4 ingredients in a pot.  Then add sweetened condensed milk and the dash of salt.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for approximately 10 min depending on what heat your on, stirring constantly.  Drop some caramel into a cup of cold water and see if it forms a soft ball, if so, you're done!  Pour into buttered pan and spread.  (This doesn't cover all of a cookie sheet unless spread really thin.  So just do 3/4 or less of the pan for thicker caramels.)  Let cool, cut into pieces, and wrap in wax paper.

Artichoke Portabella Soup

½ Cup chopped green onion (I use reg. onion)
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
½ Cup butter, divided
1 bay leaf
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4 Cups chicken broth
2 portabella mushrooms chopped (I buy the mini portabellas from Costco and chop a bunch of those)
1 Can (14 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
3 T flour
1 Cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion, carrots, and celery in ¼ C butter until they start to caramelize. Add chopped mushrooms and sauté 3 to 4 more minutes, then add bay leaf, thyme, oregano, cayenne, broth, and artichokes. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes. In small skillet, melt remaining butter over low heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Stir into artichoke mixture. Slowly add cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened and heated through.
4 to 6 servings

Let the SOUP recipes BEGIN

Oh, it is starting to feel like soup weather and that makes me so happy! I can easily make soup 2x a week and so I have way more dinner options now that the weather has turned colder. I'll be posting some of mine and my families favs.
(Brian made this one up--I know, what can't he do well? I'll let you know if I discover something he can't do excellently...)

French Onion Soup

4 T Butter
2 T Olive Oil
5 lbs julienne cut onions (I am a mess after cutting these, look like I have been crying for a week!)
3+ cloves of garlic
1-2 T sugar
Cook on med-high heat until clear and slightly carmelized. Then add:

3 Qts boiling water
8 beef bullion cubes
4 chicken bullion cubes
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 T Salt
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp thyme

Bring to a boil. Simmer 20 min. Serve with topped with toasted baguette and melted swiss cheese. (Place in small crocks and broil in oven until cheese is bubbly)

This next one is from Rosie. She got it from her friend that called it,
Medical Board Soup, cause her husband would eat it the whole time he was doing his medical board test. It is tasty! I have made some variations to the recipe, that I am sure she would approve of!

1 Med onion chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
Cooked in 2 T oil

2 lbs cut up chicken
3 cans diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilies
4 Cups chicken broth
2 Cups beef stock
1 T cumin
1 T chili powder
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can black beans
red pepper flakes (a few to taste)

Cook for an hour. Serve with (this is the best part...) tortilla crisps - Spread butter on top of flour tortilla and broil until light brown on cookie sheet, cut in strips with pizza cutter. Top soup with shredded cheese and sour cream.

And last, but not least. Mom's Clam Chowder Recipe. (At Lynette's request) This is always a favorite here at our house...

Bratton's Boston Clam Chowder

2 Cans minced clams
1 Cup onion diced fine
1 Cup celery diced fine
1 Cup diced potatoes

Drain juice from clams over vegetables and add enough water to just cover veggies. Cook 20 min until tender.

3/4 C butter
3/4 C flour
1 qt milk/ half and half
1 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1/2 tsp sugar

Melt butter, stir in flour, etc. Slowly add in milk (warmed in microwave). Stir until thick. Add to undrained veggies. Heat through add 2-3 (of course more) slices of bacon and clams.