Aunt Mary Ann’s Pasta, chicken, & broccoli pesto toss

Recipe sent to me from Jane.  Thought I'd share on here!

This is soooooooo good!  I used almonds instead of pine nuts.

Aunt Mary Ann’s Pasta, chicken, & broccoli pesto toss

4 ounces (about 2 cups) of uncooked vegetable spiral pasta

2 cups cubed, cooked chicken or turkey breast meat (2 breasts)

2 cups small broccoli florets, cooked crisp-tender, cooled

1-½ cups (6 ounces) shredded Mozzarella cheese

2/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

1-cup mayonnaise

1 TBSP lemon juice

½  tsp salt

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/s cup pine nuts or coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Cook pasta according to package, drain and cool.

Combine pasta, chicken, broccoli and mozzarella cheese in large bowl.  Process basil and garlic in covered blender or food processor until finely chopped.  Add mayo, lemon juice and salt.  Process to combine thoroughly.  Stir in Parmesan cheese.  Add to pasta mixture; toss to coat well.  Stir in pine nuts.  Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.  For maximum flavor, remove from fridge and toss gently 30 minutes before serving. 

Makes 8 servings

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.

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.

Creamy Crockpot chicken

3 pounds of chicken
1 cup Salsa
1 can Black Beans
1 Can Corn
1 pkg taco seasoning (I just put my own seasonings in, cumin, chili powder, garlic, onion)

Put all in crock pot for a few hours. Just before serving add

1 C sour cream
1 C cheese

Serve over rice with Chips

Cilantro Lime Pesto

This is just something that I made up, so I'll try to put it into recipe form!

Some pasta--enough to feed a family of 6--linguini, fetuccini, spaghetti, angel hair.  Whatever you've got.
2 packages of McCormick dry Pesto sauce
Oil
Water
4-6 chicken breasts depending on size
1 bunch of Cilantro
A few limes
A package of Pine nuts

OK-  So start cooking your pasta and cube your chicken either before or while it's cooking in some oil.  Mix up the packages of pesto sauce according to the directions on back in a separate bowl or measuring cup.  I always add a little more water than what it says.  Once chicken is 3/4 cooked, pour the pesto in the pan with the chicken.  Let that cook for a bit.  While that's cooking, grab your cilantro and throw some in a food processor and cut it up small.  Depending on how much you love cilantro depends on how much you do.  I usually probably do 1/2 C to 3/4 C of chopped up cilantro.  Put that into the pesto chicken and mix it up.  Don't cook it a lot because then the cilantro loses it's flavor a little.  It's better fresh.  Drain the pasta and dish up some in a bowl or plate.  Pour the pesto chicken and saucy stuff onto pasta, squeeze a bunch of lime juice on top and sprinkle pine nuts all over.  (PS-the lime juice is key, so don't forget it!)  This is a staple at my house.

Another variation to this recipe goes as follows:

If I don't have cilantro or limes, I just do everything the same except add cream of chicken and some milk or half and half and sometimes some sour cream to the chicken and pesto and just eat that over the pasta.  It's quite good as well.

 

Apricot Balsamic Chicken

I made this tonight and we (Kathryn's family) all loved it. I got the idea from a recipe online but changed to my liking. It was a quick meal with lots of flavor. The Montreal Chicken seasoning and the hint of rosemary is what made it so good to me. And of course, I love balsamic vinegar.

2 Tbs olive oil
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken
(I used chicken breast and filleted them and cut them in half so they cook faster)
Salt and pepper
Montreal Chicken seasoning
rosemary leaves, chopped
1/2 cup of apricot jam
scant 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chicken stock (I used bouillon & water)
onion powder to taste

In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
Season the chicken with salt, pepper and Montreal Chicken seasoning. When the oil is hot and ripples, add the chicken and brown 5 minutes, then turn and sprinkle with rosemary to your liking (I only did just a little for my family). Cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
In small bowl, stir together the jam, vinegar, stock, and onion powder. Pour over chicken. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. I used homemade a light apricot jam, so it just a hint of sweet. You can use orange marmalade also.
Serve with rice or mashed potatoes. I served it with rice flavored with chicken bouillon, steamed asparagus, and green salad. Yummy!

Butter Chicken

Just made this tonight for my girlfriends who came out for a girl's night.  We absolutely loved it so much.  Todd raved about it as well.  Remy only had one bite though...  This is honestly one of my new favorites, and will be on the menu often!  The only hard thing was finding the spices.  I had to go to several stores to find the coriander and the cardamom.  Luckily, maybe you already have those, otherwise, you're gonna want them to make this dish over and over!  The cilantro makes this to die for.  I made butter dips with this as well (I figured we were going with the 'butter' theme right?) and they went well together.  I had a recipe for Naan (Indian flat bread) but didn't have the gumption to experiment with that.  Maybe next time.

•4 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
•5 cloves Garlic, Minced
•1 teaspoon Salt
•½ teaspoon Black Pepper
•½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
•¼ teaspoon Ground Coriander
•¼ teaspoon Cumin
•¼ teaspoon Cardamom
•1 whole Lime, Juiced
•1 whole Onion, Diced
•¼ cups Butter
•1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
•1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes
•1 pint Whipping Cream
•1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste
•2 cups Basmati Rice (or However Much You Want)

Preparation Instructions

Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight.
Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream (I have used light cream or half-and-half also) and cilantro just before serving over Basmati rice. (or any rice you want to use)
Note: this is a little spicy, but you can cut back on the cayenne if you want.  I did 1/4 tsp of cayenne and it was a perfect little kick, but do the full 1/2 if you want a lot of kick (but not unbearable).

Image and Recipe via Tasty Kitchen

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I got this recipe when I worked at Sundance several years ago. It is a Davies family favorite.

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 med. red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. cumin seed
2 qts. chicken stock
3 cups chicken, cooked
3 cups Roma tomatoes, chopped
3 cups corn
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro
avocado
lime wedges
tortilla strips

Saute onion, garlic, and jalapeno in olive oil. Add crushed cumin seed and heat through. Add chicken stock and remaining ingredients (chicken, tomatoes, corn, and cilantro). Simmer 30 minutes. Top each bowl with a lime wedge, chopped avocado, tortilla chips or strips and more cilantro.

Shanna's notes: I like to make this soup when I have chicken leftover from a Costco rotisserie chicken. If not, can broil chicken tenders or breasts sprinkled with seasonings in the oven. For the corn I use the frozen white corn and for the cumin seed usually just ground cumin.

Baked Balsamic Chicken

Ok I feel inadequate posting a recipe when I'm amongst such wonderful cooks, but this is a recipe that I found once on the internet trying to find something interesting using stuff I already had on hand. As a result: I love this because it's super easy, doesn't take very long (prep is almost nothing), uses ingredients I usually have on hand anyway, and it really is pretty yummy. In mine and Carter's opinions.

Baked Balsamic Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsps dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper (obviously fresh ground is better but if I don't have any I just use regular.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange chicken in a dish, pour vinegar over them. Sprinkle evenly with oil, oregano, salt & pepper. Bake 20 minutes, baste with juices. Bake 20 minutes more. Serve with juices spooned over.

Carter and I often eat this with rice, which I kinda thought sounded weird at first (it was Carter's suggestion) but it actually goes well we think. And I can throw the rice in the rice cooker at the same time I start making this and it all gets done at the same time. But of course you could do whatever.

Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken

This is another great crock pot recipe that our family loves. We got it from a good friend here in BV, Suzanne Garcia.

Put 2-4 chicken breasts in a crock pot. Cover with-
1 cup salsa
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbl. taco seasoning
Cook 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Just before serving, add sour cream and shredded cheese. Serve over rice. Can also serve with tortilla chips.

Chicken Diablo

This is a Hall family favorite! Probably one of my favorite foods now that I know about it. Plus it's a crock pot/rice cooker meal- BONUS! Enjoy! :)

From the kitchen of Jamie Mather via Cathy Hall via Rachel Hall

¼ cup butter

½ cup honey

¼ cup prepared mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon curry powder

½ - 1 teaspoon garlic powder

3 pounds chicken

Melt butter in microwave in small dish. Stir in honey, mustard, salt, curry and garlic powder. Pour over chicken in the crock pot and cook for about 4-6 until chicken is tender. You can turn/stir the chicken so it all gets coated after some cooking time.

Serve with rice. We like to pour the leftover sauce over the chicken and rice.