Cajun Night

Although I doubt many Cajuns eat a lot of pasta. At any rate, this recipe is called Cajun Chicken Pasta. I found it from the Pioneer Woman's website. I don't even remember what I was looking for on her site, but I stumbled across this. I never say "no" to a good pasta dinner, so I made this.

I don't know if there was something in the water last weekend, but I swear, my cooking kind of sucked. My cornbread topping didn't turn out (see last post) and when I was making this recipe, my cream sauce never thickened. Oh well. You can't win 'em all!

I have never made a recipe from the Pioneer Woman before, but I plan on making more! This pasta was really good. Even better? Eat it warmed up the next day. Both my husband and I agreed that it was better the next day.

I did a couple of things differently from the recipe. First, I didn't cook the chicken in batches. I have a huge pan so I decided to just cook it all at once. It was much easier for me this way. Also, I didn't have white wine, so I just used a bit extra of the chicken broth. I also made my own Cajun seasoning. It was very simple. Salt, pepper, paprika and some other seasonings. I used more than what the recipe called for since we love things spicy in our house. I am glad I used more too. There was the perfect amount of heat on the veggies and chicken.

This recipe was more time consuming than I am used to these days. That is not to say that it would be time consuming for you. After all, I purposely look for recipes that take less than 30 minutes because I am usually watching the wee one. I need simple. This was simple for sure. It only took a little bit longer than my regulation 30 minutes. It was very much worth it though!

I love pasta so I am glad I found something that had protein to make the husband happy, tomatoes and pasta to make me happy, and spicy to make both of us happy!

Cajun Chicken Pasta
from: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/cajun-chicken-pasta/

3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
3 teaspoons Cajun spice mix
1 pound fettuccine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 whole green pepper, seeded and sliced
1 whole red pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 large red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 whole Roma tomatoes, diced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
cayenne pepper to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
chopped fresh parsley, to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta when it's al dente. Do not overcook!

2. Sprinkle 1.5 teaspoons of the Cajun spice mix over the chicken. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.

3. Add remaining butter and olive oil. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from pan.

4. With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high 3-5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in the cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground pepper and cayenne pepper and/or salt and pepper to taste. Sauce should be spicy!

5. Finally, add the chicken and vegetables to the sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly and hot. Add the drained pasta and toss to combine. Top with the parsley.

Not Quite a Hit

Well, I should have known. Any time I try a recipe in the crockpot that calls for a biscuit or cornbread topping, I am disappointed. You might recall a post from a couple of years ago that was a disaster. The cornbread topping was mush. It never set up. This time, it set up, but it was almost chewy/gummy.

I am still going to post the recipe because the filling was a hit. The cornbread topper? Not so much.

I found this from the wonderful blog of 365 days of crockpot recipes. If there is something I want to try in the slow cooker, I know I can find it there. The last few recipes I made were a hit, so I thought I would try this one. What drew me to it was the fact that it took minimal "special" ingredients. Meaning, I could use most of my pantry staples and not have to buy any extra (aka: expensive) items. What did I have to buy? A sweet potato and a new container of barbeque sauce. Seriously, that's it. I had everything else on hand.

Funny story about the sweet potato. I bought it at the grocery store. It was in a bin labeled sweet potato. When I peeled it, it wasn't orange like I am used to. It wasn't a regular potato either. I honestly have no idea what the darn vegetable was, but I used it anyways. I figure it can't be so horrible since it looked like a potato, but it wasn't orange or yellow-ish like a regular potato. Anyone have a clue what it could have been?

This was very easy to put together. I pre-cooked the chicken like I usually do when a recipe calls for already cooked meat. I also cubed the vegetables earlier in the day so all I had to do was throw everything in the crockpot and hit go. Jack kept me company in the kitchen in his ExerSaucer while I cooked. I am going to have a mini chef on my hands in no time! He seems very interested as I talk him through what I am doing.

I was skeptical about the cornbread topping and whether or not it would set up. Surprise, surprise! It did. However, it didn't taste very good. I had a normal cornbread flavor, however, it was an odd consistency. I suppose that's because I put it in the crockpot, duh!

The chicken mixture was fantastic though! If I were to make this recipe again, I would double the chicken mix and serve it alongside some cornbread from the oven. Or, you could eat it with rice if you wanted to. The chicken mixture was just spicy and sweet enough. The addition of my unknown potato made it thick and slightly creamy. Plus, I love that you get some healthy veggies alongside the chicken.

If you are brave and want to doctor this recipe up to try and make the cornbread edible, I commend you! Heck, for all I know, it was operator error. It could be my fault that the cornbread didn't turn out very good.

Crockpot Barbeque Chicken and Cornbread Casserole

from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/crockpot-barbecued-chicken-and.html

1 pound of cooked or practical cooked chicked, cubed or shredded

1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed into 1-inch chunks (optional)

1 red onion, diced (optional)

1 cup frozen or fresh corn

1 bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce (18 oz)

1/4 cup hot water

Cornbread topping:

Use a mix and follow the directions on the box (minus the oil or butter), or mix together the following:

3/4 cup corn meal

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

* Spray the inside of your stoneware with cooking spray. Cut up the chicken and sweet potato, and add to the crock. Add the corn. Empty the contents of the barbeque sauce bottle, and then add the 1/4 cup hot water to the bottle, shake, and pour that in too. Mix well with a spoon.

* In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. You don't need to mix well. Spread the topping on the chicken mixture.

* Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

Words You Don't Hear Together

Three words that aren't typically heard together: Crockpot, buffalo, lasagna. No, really. If you are already repulsed, you are a weinie. Trust me, although you don't hear these things together, they taste so delicious together!

I love using my crockpot and since I am partially lazy and partially just don't have time, I have been relying on it a lot lately. This blog is fantastic if you ever want any crockpot recipe under the sun: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

I wasn't looking for any recipe in particular when I went searching and I don't recall how I found this one. When I did find it, I knew I had to make it. One of Jason's favorite foods is buffalo wings. I wasn't sure how he would feel about incorporating those flavors into lasagna, but I didn't care. I have a fondness for pasta and he has a fondness for buffalo wings, so it's truly the best of both worlds in my mind.

Things that I did while making this:

* I prepped most everything on Saturday night. I precooked the chicken, cut it and mixed it with the sauces. The peppers got cut and the cheese got pre-measured. This made it very very easy to throw together this morning.

* I used Frank's Red Sauce in the buffalo style for the sauce.

* I used one each of the red, yellow and orange peppers. I thought it be really pretty, plus they came in a nifty package together at the grocery store for less money than buying them individually.

* When I was assembling the recipe, I made three layers, starting with the sauce. I was too lazy to make four and I thought three would be enough to hold together the ingredients.

* I bought pre-crumbled blue cheese. See laziness comment above. I also used more than 1/2 cup. You can't really have too much cheese can you?

This smelled AMAZING while it was cooking. My mouth was watering all day waiting for this to be finished. I was so tempted to eat dinner early just so I could taste it.

It tasted just as delicious as it smelled. I was surprised that with the amount of buffalo sauce that it wasn't spicier. It did have a nice slow burn to it, but nothing that would need antacids or a glass of milk. My only complaint is that I should have let it rest longer than 20 minutes. It still fell apart. It certainly didn't affect the taste, it just looked messy. You can see that by the picture.

Jason loved this! He made the comment "You can make this again", which means I have succeeded. He only reserves that statement when he really likes a recipe.

Look how beautiful this looks when assembled and before cooking:

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

from: A Year of Slow Cooking

uncooked traditional lasagna noodles

4 already cooked chicken breast halves

jar of prepared pasta sauce
1 cup buffalo wing sauce

3 red, yellow or orange bell peppers

tub of ricotta cheese (15 oz)

2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican or cheddar/mozzarella blend)

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

1/4 cup of water (add at the very end)

1. Use at least a 5 qt. crockpot, or cut back on the ingredients.

2. In a large glass bowl, combine cooked and chopped chicken breast, the pasta sauce and 1 cup of buffalo wing sauce.

3. Ladle a big spoonful of the sauce into the bottom of your crockpot. Cover with a layer of the lasagna noodles. You'll have to break them to get them to fit.

4. Add a smear of ricotta cheese to the top of the noodles. Add a layer of chopped bell pepper. Sprinkle a handful of shredded cheese.

5. Repeat layers until you run out of ingredients.

6. Add the blue cheese crumbles. Put the 1/4 cup of water into your empty pasta sauce jar and shake. Pour the liquid over the top of the entire lasagna.

7. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5. When cooking time is complete, unplug and take the lid off of the crock. Let it sit for 20 minutes before cutting into it.

So, it's messy, but it's delicious!

Chicken French Style

Okay, I want to know if cordon bleu is really French. When I was in Quebec, I don't recall seeing a cordon bleu on any menu. However, I might not have been looking very carefully. Also, answer this for me: If this is a French recipe, why do you use Swiss cheese? Would a French cheese be more appropriate? I do know that my family is French Canadian and chicken cordon bleu happens to be my dad's favorite meal. I have personally never made it but I have eaten the very tasty frozen ones from Costco. Knowing how much I love my crockpot, I thought I would give this recipe a try.

I would like to disclaim right up front: This is a recipe I will never make again. Not because it wasn't tasty. It's because they were a pain to make, and when you eat them, you have to worry about toothpicks unless you were smart and counted how many you put in each chicken breast. Jason and I both really liked this recipe, but again, it was a pain in the arse to make. Or pain in the hoosegow as my French Canadian Memere would say.

You can serve these little rolls on either rice or over egg noodles which is what we did. Also, depending on the size of your chicken breasts, you might only need 3 instead of the 6 it calls for. I was able to get a lot of my aggression out on these poor little chicken breasts. Like the regular, non-crockpot cordon bleu, you have to pound the breasts pretty thin.

The recipe calls for prosciutto and hopefully your's will be more cooperative than mine. In retrospect, I should have used ham. The prosciutto was so darn thin that when I peeled it off the paper, it just fell apart. Pain in the butt take one. I had to cut the cheese down a little bit so that it would fit on the chicken breasts. Pain in the butt take two. Next, the chicken had to be rolled up and secured with toothpicks. Pain in the butt take three, four and five. Seriously, PAIN IN THE BUTT.

I didn't want to use white wine, probably because I am lazy and that would have required me to buy some, so instead, I used some chicken broth that I had in the fridge. I feel the substitution was completely fine and I doubt it altered the taste.

I hope you are more successful than I am when making these. Again, they were good, but did I mention a slight pain?

Chicken Cordon Bleu Rolls
from: The New Creative CrockPot Cookbook

6 chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
6 slices prosciutto
6 slices Swiss cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup white wine

On each chicken breast, place on piece of prosciutto and cheese. Roll up each chicken breast and secure with a toothpick. Season each roll with salt and pepper. Place in the crockpot. In a small bowl, whisk together the soup, milk and white wine. Pour this mixture over the chicken breast rolls. Cover; cook on low 4 to 6 hours (or on high 3 to 4 hours).


This is what the rolls look like when you cut into them. Yummy!

Angelic For Sure

This recipe is one that I picked up from someone on the Nest (thanks swmcat!). I am not sure why it took me so long to make, but I am glad I finally broke down and cooked it!

To me, the start of fall always reminds me of pumpkin candles, flavored coffee creamers and using my crockpot. Well, this recipe is definitely a crock pot one and it does remind me of fall. It's a heavier dish than something I would make in the summer. Don't get me wrong, it certainly can be made in the summer time.

Not only is this recipe easy, it's amazingly tasty! Angel Chicken indeed. It was angelic. The husband really liked it too and he's not a giant fan of pasta. How much easier can dump ingredients in crock pot and cover be? Of course, you still need to cook the pasta at the end, but it's angel hair. It doesn't take much more than 10 minutes to boil the water and cook the pasta.

If you are not a fan of mushrooms, the cream of mushroom soup can be substituted. You can always use cream of celery or cream of mushroom. If you don't have white wine, no problem! Use chicken stock or water. I didn't have any wine on hand, so I used the latter. If you aren't a fan of angel hair, substitute spaghetti or linguine. The possibilites are endless!

This will be a recipe that will get added to my repertoire. I liked it and Jason liked it. Plus, my cat liked it. She told us so when she licked our plates after dinner. Bravo Angel Chicken!

Angel Chicken

from: swmcat on the Nest

3 chicken breasts cut in half to make 6 small breasts

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 envelope (.7 oz) Italian dressing mix

1 can condensed mushroom soup

1/2 of an 8 oz. tub of onion and chive cream cheese

1/2 cup white wine or water

angel hair pasta

1. Put chicken in crockpot. In a saucepan, melt butter then stir in Italian dressing mix, soup, cream cheese, and wine. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Serve chicken and sauce over angel hair.

Not Always a Success

Singing in my best Frank Sinatra voice:

"But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes. He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes".

My cooking isn't always a success (can you believe it?!). Not that tonight's was terrible, it just wasn't any spectacular. I thought for sure that I would love this (garlic + chicken + crockpot), but it was just OKAY. Nothing terribly special. I could have had a tastier, juicier chicken in the oven.

It has been a while since I roasted or cooked an entire bird, so I thought "why not?". Chicken is cheap, cooking in the crockpot is easy. Add two of my favorite elements together and you get crock a' cheap! Haha! Seriously though, this was good, just not great.

I did like the fact that I barely had to cut the chicken when it came out of the crockpot. It literally just fell off the bone. That is why I don't have a picture of it. It disassembled itself before I could grab the camera.

The roasted garlic was mighty tasty. I saved some cloves to spread on bread or crackers for another time.

I believe the total cost for this meal was $4.00. $3.30 for the chicken and $.70 for the onion and clove of garlic. I had some potatoes on hand and my go-to vegetable (spinach), so those cost me nothing.

Would I cook this again? Probably not in the crockpot. In the oven though, yes! You could very easily do this same recipe in a roasting pan with the onion and garlic, but covered in foil. That way, the juices stay in and you get the nice flavor of the roasted garlic.

Twenty-Garlic Chicken Dinner

from: Pillsbury One-Dish Meals Cookbook

1 (3-3.5 lb) whole frying chicken

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

1 medium bulb garlic (about 20 cloves)

1. Remove giblets from chicken; remove as much fat as possible. Rinse and drain chicken. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels.

2. In small bowl, combine salt, paprika, pepper and oil; mix to form paste. Spread evenly over chicken.

3. Place onion slices in slow cooker. Place chicken, breast side up, over onion. Separate garlic into cloves; do not peel cloves. Place garlic cloves in and around chicken.

4. Cover; cook on low setting for at least 7 hours.

5. With slotted spoon, remove chicken, onion and garlic from slow cooker. Cut chicken into pieces and serve.

The skin was very flavorful and the roasted garlic (in the middle of the pile o' chicken) was very good.

Messy Messy

So this recipe was tasty. I need to start out by saying that because I will soon forget. Why you ask? It was a PAIN to make. Did I mention it was a pain?

Crunchy Buttermilk Coconut Chicken Fingers. Yum yum! Sounds delicious right? They were. Oh they were. Once you were able to get them off the pan.

Exhibit A:

This is going to take me ages to clean. Overall, it's been a rough week. Not to go into a lot of details about my personal life, but between full time work, and a course I am struggling in, I needed something easy to make for dinner. This. Wasn't. Easy.

These chicken fingers had a nice tang to them and they were slightly sweet. I think it's probably from the curry powder. I am not a huge fan of curry, but I felt it really added to this recipe. My husband loves coconut (his favorite cake is German Chocolate with Coconut Pecan Frosting) but it's not my favorite. Again, I think it really added to this recipe.

Would I make this again? Maybe. I would definitely do some things differently. First off, I made an error by adding the cooking spray before the pan went into the oven. I should have added it afterwards. That is probably what made my pan a disaster. Hey, I don't claim to be an expert cook here. I make mistakes like most people do. Second, I would make sure to coat the chicken better with the flour. When I did this, it ended up in a mass of chicken and flour goo. Not pretty. Third, I crushed the cornflakes with my hands. That wasn't very smart. I blame the cocktail I was drinking during prep time. Hey, I said it was a rough week. My knuckles now look like I was in a fist fight. Good thing I got smart after a while and used the bottom of a heavy glass.

If you decide to make this recipe, I hope you have better success than I did. Good luck and Godspeed.

Crunchy Buttermilk Coconut Chicken Fingers

from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1.5 cups fat-free buttermilk

1/2 cup flour (about 2.25 oz)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

3/4 cup crushed cornflakes

3/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

cooking spray

1. Cut chicken into 20 (1/4-inch-thick) strips. Combine chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish; cover and chill 1 hour. Drain chicken, discarding liquid. Combine chicken and flour in a medium bowl, tossing to coat.

2. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place baking sheet in oven.

3. Combine egg and egg white in a small bowl. Combine cornflakes and next 5 ingredients in a shallow dish.

4. Dip one chicken strip into egg mixture; dredge in cornflake mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, egg mixture and cornflake mixture. Arrange chicken in a single layer on preheated baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake for 6 minutes or until done. Serve immediately.

Warning: Not Healthy!

Once in a while, you just have to cook something that sounds good regardless of what it's made out of right? At least that was my reasoning when I made this chicken. I found it online on my favorite message board website. Being that I was feeling lazy and didn't want to cook, that's why I decided to make it.

This is extremely easy to make. And takes very little ingredients. The ingredients that it does take are strange. If you are not a mayonnaise fan, you probably won't like this. Not that I eat mayo by the spoonful or anything and I don't eat it very often.

Ready for how easy this is?

Mix together 1/2 cup mayonnaise with 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Spread over chicken breasts (I made three). Sprinkle liberally with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Done! Simple as that! So, if you are feeling lazy, make this. I am sure there are a thousand different ways to jazz this up, but I thought it was tasty just how it is. The chicken was moist, and no, it didn't taste like eating mayonnaise. Pair it with some mashed potatoes and a veggie, and you have a complete meal.

Chicken and Potatoes

I have been on a blog hiatus for a while. Mostly because of the holidays. I didn't cook or bake much over the holidays. I figure if I baked, I would just eat it all, which wouldn't be good for my New Year's Resolutions.

Who made New Year's Resolutions this year? I did! One of mine is to continue on with my healthy eating path and lose some more weight. Again, with the holidays, I plateaued for a while. That's okay because I am back on track and am on the road to a loss.

The recipe below is one I found while looking online for healthy recipes. My husband is a meat and potatoes guy, so this was perfect! It had all the elements of a yummy dinner: Tomatoes, meat, potatoes and spicy. I couldn't believe how good this tasted considering it's healthy! I really shouldn't be surprised any more because I have been proven time and time again that eating healthy CAN taste good.

This is a recipe from Cooking Light. Can I just say how excited I am that I received not only a year subscription to Cooking Light magazine, but I also received their 2008 Cookbook! I have been having a really good time going through all the recipes and bookmarking the ones I want to make. Stay tuned for some amazing recipes through this year.

This dish takes some unusual ingredients, but if you have a well stocked pantry, you should be okay. I had to buy some of the items, but most of them I had on hand. Splurge and buy good quality pepperoncini and kalamata olives. That way, you can store them in the fridge and use them again for another dish.

I particularly liked this dish because it didn't use up many dishes. It used a baking pan for the potatoes, and also the pot it cooked in, but other than that, not much clean up!

Enjoy my first post of 2009. Here's to healthy eating this year!

Mediterranean Chicken with Potatoes
from: Cooking Light (online)

4 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
12 small red potatoes, halved (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Cooking spray
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup vertically sliced red onion
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped pepperoncini peppers
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
2 cups chopped plum tomato
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Thyme sprigs (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine 2 teaspoons garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and potatoes on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until tender.

Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add half of chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken; remove from pan.

Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring wine to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 2 minutes). Add potatoes, chicken, broth, pepperoncini, and olives; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 teaspoons garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, tomato, basil, and artichokes; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with cheese. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Yes, it really is LIGHT

Who would have thought that Fettuccini Alfredo could be light, or healthy? Well, leave it to Weight Watchers to be able to make a favorite dish lighter in calories and fat. I thought for sure Jason would grumble and groan about making a fat laden dish light, but he really enjoyed it! So did I considering I am not a huge fan of alfredo. I will eat it, but I don't make it very often, except that one other time (see old blog entry).

I altered this recipe slightly. It called for rubbing the chicken with whole garlic cloves. I love garlic, so I ended up using minced and kept it in the sauce. It turned out great! Also, believe it or not, the pasta doesn't taste like "whole wheat". Once it's covered in the sauce, nobody would really even know it was the healthier stuff.

I had never cooked or eaten Greek yogurt before, but it really added a zip and creaminess to this sauce. My local grocery store didn't carry it, so I had to make a special trip to Whole Foods. Now I will have to find another recipe that uses Greek yogurt. I suppose I could just eat it plain though, maybe with a little honey.

I hope you enjoy this lighter version of alfredo. Now, don't go mess it up by eating a piece of cheesecake for dessert or anything. Unless it's a healthy cheesecake : )

Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo
from: Weight Watchers with my alterations

6 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, washed and patted dry (four 4 oz pieces)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
cooking spray
1/2 cup canned chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup whole milk plain yogurt, Greek style
8 oz. whole-wheat pasta, fettuccini or spaghetti
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium low heat. Spray with cooking spray. Saute garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken and cook until golden, flipping once, about 5 minutes per side.

2. In a small bowl, combine broth, heavy cream and yogurt; pour over chicken and scrape bottom of pan with a spoon to incorporate seasonings. Simmer chicken gently, turning once, about 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

4. Remove chicken from cream sauce and set aside. Add Parmesan cheese to sauce and mix until well combined. Add cooked pasta and toss well. Serve pasta topped with chicken.

That green stuff in the picture? That's a big ole pile of cooked spinach. Mmmmm!

We Have a Winner!

Well, we are back from Disney World. We ate a lot, although the food wasn't very good, and walked even more. Even though I wasn't watching what I was eating while on vacation, I still managed to lose about 1.5 pounds. Must have been all the walking and 85 degree weather!


Now that I am back from being a glutton, it's back to cooking healthy. The recipe below has been going around The Nest for quite some time, but I haven't made it before now. I can't believe I haven't tried it before! It is seriously my new favorite recipe. It was absolutely delicious, and believe it or not: Healthy! Depending on the type of soup and sour cream you use, it's very low in fat but it delivers on taste, that's for sure.


I can't rave about this one enough. The chicken was perfectly cooked, it had the right amount of zip from the salsa, and it was creamy! I might have to hide the leftovers from my husband, otherwise, I won't get any of them.


Introducing: Salsa Chicken! This is sure to become a regular visitor at my house.

I used three chicken breasts because they were so big, and then cut them in half (the recipe makes 6 servings). If you prefer a spicier dish, I would recommend medium or hot salsa instead of mild. I served it over white rice, but brown rice, egg noodles or another pasta would work well also.

What could be easier than dumping all the ingredients in a crockpot? Well, nothing really. This truly is an easy dinner, and very very delicious!

Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken
from: Spark People

4 bonless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
1 package taco seasoning
1 can reduced fat (98% fat free) cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

Add chicken to slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken. Pour salsa and soup over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

Chicken Parmesan, Healthy!

This recipe is one that I have had for years. It's a super easy version of Chicken Parmesan, plus (bonus points), it's healthy!

I got this from the Weight Watchers website, and it's so easy to put together that I used to make it at least once a week. It's cost effective too because canned sauce is inexpensive, and chicken breasts are pretty inexpensive if you buy them frozen. In this tough economy, who doesn't want to save a few pennies?

I made this last night along with whole wheat pasta. Now, for the skeptics of whole wheat pasta, let me tell you that it's come a loooong way. When it first came out, it was very gummy, chewy, and didn't taste very good at all. But, give it a try. There are so many brands and shapes on the market now, and they taste really good. It gives your pasta a very nutty flavor. I am going to start making it more often, especially for the health benefits it has.

Usually, when I cook something healthy, my husband gives me the side-eye. "Oh great, it's another healthy recipe". He doesn't trust healthy eating for some reason, but because I have mad skills (haha) in the kitchen, I can usually win him over. He likes this one.

I don't pound the chicken like the recipe calls for, and it always cooks through in the oven. And, I usually sprinkle a little bit of extra Italian seasoning on top of the sauce, before I add the cheese. It gives it a little something extra.

Go ahead, give this a try! You will be pleasantly surprised as well.



Chicken Parmesan
from: Weight Watchers

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly pounded (four 4oz pieces)
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon olive oil
1.5 cups canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella, shredded
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese


1. Preaheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8x8 inch square pan with cooking spray.


2. Dip chicken in egg whites, and turn to coat. Then mix breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning and dip chicken in breadcrumb mixture, turn to coat evenly.


3. Heat oil in a large skillet; add chicken. Cook until lightly browned and no longer pink in center, about 4 minutes per side; place on paper towels to drain.


4. Pour 1/2 cup sauce into prepared baking dish; place chicken in dish and pour remaining sauce evenly over chicken. Sprinkle with cheeses and bake until bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Chicken from Camille

Mind you, I have no idea who Camille is. That is just the name of this recipe. So, thanks Camille! I appreciate you contributing to my blog. And thank you to All Recipes. I have to say how much I love their website. Not only do I get daily emails from them with a recipe of the day, but I can always find a good recipe by using the search tools.

Tonight, to go along with our herbed dinner rolls, I made Chicken a la Camille. Essentially, this is herbed chicken coated with barbeque sauce. Yum yum yum.

The nice thing about this recipe is that chicken, Italian seasoning and barbeque sauce are always things that one would have on hand in the pantry. Sometimes, it's nice to make things that aren't fussy and take little time.

Add some potatoes and a veggie, and you have a nice dinner in under 30 minutes. I sound like Rachael Ray. Sheesh.

Chicken a la Camille

from: http://www.allrecipes.com/

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup Italian seasoning

1 cup barbeque sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place chicken and seasoning in a resealable plastic bag; sell and toss to coat; place chicken in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

3. Bake for 20 minutes.

4. Place sauce in a shallow dish or bowl and dip chicken in sauce to coat.

5. Bake for another 20 minutes; serve with additional barbeque sauce

Dijon Cluck Cluck

I made a Dijon Chicken last night. It was okay. Jason liked it better than I did. He actually requested I keep the leftovers to pack in his lunch. That is usually the sign of a success in our house.

The recipe was very easy to put together, so if you only have a few minutes, I would suggest making this. It takes ingredients you would probably have on hand, like flour, dijon mustard, and fresh mushrooms. Of course, if you aren't a fan of fungus, you could probably skip the mushrooms. I personally like them, so there.

This is a very rich dish, so I would suggest pairing it with something light, like a green salad or a green vegetable. We had broccoli with our's. I made rice also to soak up the sauce that the chicken is cooked in. It would also be good with egg noodles. This reminded me of beef stroganoff, except with chicken. And mustard. Oh, and whipping cream rather than sour cream. Okay, not like stroganoff at all.

I wanted to put the green onions in the recipe, I really did. However, with the issues my garden was having this year, I had no green onions. They all rotted in the garden before I could use them. Stupid rain and cold weather.

Oh, and if you are cooking for yourself, follow the recipe. If you are feeding two or more, you will probably have to double it.

Have fun taking out your aggression on the poor chicken.

Mushroom Chicken Dijon

from: http://www.allrecipes.com/

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 tablespoon butter

4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 ounces chopped green onions

salt and pepper to taste

1.5 cups heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon Dijon-style prepared mustard

1. Cut chicken breast in half, and pound until flat. Coat with flour. In a small skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat and saute the floured breast on one side for 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Flip chicken breast. Add mushrooms, green onions, salt and pepper to taste. Add cream and mustard, stir all together and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and serve.

Easy Peasy

This doesn't even warrant a recipe because it was so easy. I wanted stir fry and we had all the ingredients on hand. Plus, I had a weird craving for rice with soy sauce. I'm a weirdo.

Below is how I threw it together, but if you have any vegetables on hand, fresh or frozen, you can make a stir fry. Some good combinations:

* Steak, sugar snap peas, bamboo shoots, zucchini, carrots, onions
* Chicken, peas, baby corn, celery, water chestnuts, onions
* Chicken, asparagus, onions, green peppers, red peppers

I could go on and on. For this recipe, I used two cut up chicken breasts. You can either cube them or cut them into strips. My husband made fun of me because I cubed them. He says "That isn't how you make stir fry". Whatever. I am a free spirit. I don't like to follow directions. I also used a package of frozen stir fry veggies. I believe it had carrots, water chestnuts, sugar snap peas and a couple of other things in there.

If you want to get really creative, you can make your own sauce. I used a bottled sauce (GASP!) but your own would work. Soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic, fish sauce, hoisin, or anything else your heart desires.

Here is my take on stir fry:

Pachey's Chicken Stir Fry

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 package (16 oz) frozen stir fry vegetables
4 tablespoons sauce

1. Heat oil of your choosing in a pan over medium heat.

2. Cook the chicken until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes

3. Remove chicken from the pan and add vegetables. Cook, about 5 to 7 minutes until done, but still crisp.

4. Add chicken back in pan. Add sauce and stir to coat. Let everything heat through.

DONE! Serve with rice and my favorite, soy sauce. The best part about this meal is it takes about 15 minutes, not counting the time the rice takes. I have a handy dandy rice cooker, so I always rely on that.

Easy Peasy! How appropriate since this recipe had sugar snap peas in it!

For My Husband

My husband has been asking for this recipe for several weeks now. I have been putting it off because although it's extremely delicious, it's terrible for you. Crescent rolls, cheese and mayonnaise. What could be worse? I suppose a little in moderation won't kill a person and in my defense, we did eat salad with this.

This is a Pampered Chef recipe, and the first time I had it was about 10 years ago. I turned my nose up at it at first, until I actually tasted it. Wowee! It's good!

If you prefer, you can make this lighter by using the new low-fat crescent rolls they have on the market, and lower fat cheese as well as Smart Beat or Light mayo. I did a little bit of a combination. I didn't have Light Mayo, but I did use the lower fat crescents and the 2% cheese. So, I don't feel as guilty. It's still rather tasty with the lower fat items.

This is a fun recipe to assemble. For all you creative folks, you get to braid the dough! I like to make lattice top crusts on pies, so this is right up my alley. I would recommend using a dough roller of some sort to smooth out the crescent roll dough, but if you don't have one, that is totally fine too. I have an awesome pizza cutter so I used it to make the slits, and I also used it to cut the servings in the end. Don't you think it's awfully pretty? Too bad you have to cut into it!

I always pre-grill or pan grill the chicken. I like to add a little seasoning to it so it's not too bland. Also, in the recipe where it calls for the baking stone, you can substitute with a baking sheet. It works just as well : )

I do have to say that I love my baking stone, and it's gotten nice and dark (seasoned) over the years. My aunt's is nearly black because she uses it all the time.

The results are definitely worth it. I just hope my husband thinks so too. Perhaps a nice massage or a date out are in order?

Chicken Broccoli Braid

from: Pampered Chef

12 ounces cooked chicken, chopped (2 cups/about 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1/2 cup red pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, pressed

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons dill

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 packages (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine chicken, broccoli, red pepper and garlic in a bowl.

2. Add cheese to veggie mixture. Add mayonnaise, dill and salt; mix well.

3. Unroll one package of crescent rolls; do not separate! Arrange longest sides of dough across width of baking stone. Repeat with remaining package of dough. Roll dough to seal perforations. On longest side of baking stone cut dough into strips 1.5 inches apart, 3 inches deep. Leave 6 inches in the center for the filling.

4. Spread filling evenly over middle of dough. To braid, lift strips of dough across mixture to meet in center, twisting each strip one turn. Continue alternating strips to form braid. Tuck ends to seal braid.

5. Brush egg white over dough. Bake 25-28 minutes or until golden brown.

Bleh

Ever since I bought this cookbook, I wanted to make this one recipe. The picture looks beautiful. It had all my favorite elements: tomatoes, pasta and cheese.

This week, I decided to make it. I was all excited as I was grocery shopping. All weekend I looked forward to my Mediterranean Baked Chicken. It was a disappointing finish. It was good, but I was expecting so much more. This was probably my own darn fault. I had worked myself up to expecting perfection. After all, the picture made it look so yummy!

I hate when that happens. You get super excited to make something and then it yields less than stellar results. Booooo! Worse thing? The recipe came from my all time favorite cookbook. This will be the first time that I am not happy with the end results.

I think this would have been better if two things had happened:

1. More spices! It was a little bland, even with the tangy artichoke hearts

2. Stop getting so excited for recipes that look pretty in the picture! In this case, the picture looked better than my results.

Can I get an amen?!? I am going to wallow in my own self pity on my sofa while watching "Romancing the Stone". I wonder if we have any brownies left?

Mediterranean Baked Chicken

from: Pillsbury One Dish Meals cookbook

6 oz (2 cups) uncooked rotini pasta

1/4 cup butter

3 large shallots, minced

1/4 cup flour

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth with 1/3 less sodium (I would actually recommend using the regular kind with full salt)

1 package (8 oz) sliced fresh mushrooms

4 oz (1 cup) shredded Swiss cheese

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 jar (6 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 2-quart casserole with nonstick cooking spray. Cook rotini to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in flour; cook 30 seconds. With wire whisk, stir in broth. Add mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cheese until melted.

3. Add cooked rotini, chicken, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and parsley to mushroom mix; mix gently. Spoon into sprayed casserole dish.

4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated and bubbly. If desired, garnish with additional fresh parsley.

The Chicken Legend

This recipe is a bit of a legend. I frequent a website called thenest.com. All the ladies on the What's Cooking board rave about these chicken thighs. My Memere, bless her heart, can't pronounce t-h's, so she would call these "Chicken Ties".

Trust the cooking time in this recipe. It doesn't seem long enough to cook the chicken meat, but it really well. You will result in juicy, flavorful chicken. The recipe is from Cooking Light, so you don't have to feel guilty about eating them.

These are a favorite in our house, and with some couscous and green beans, they make a very quick and easy meal.

Spicy Honey Brushed Chicken Thighs

from Cooking Light

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

6 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1. Preheat broiler

2. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken to bowl and toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.

3. Combine the honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on the chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 minute or until chicken is done.

Poor Chicken

I feel slightly bad for the chicken. They aren't particularly smart birds, however, they are mighty tasty. In my case, the chicken makes an excellent pot pie. Still on a roll from last weekend's meat pie, I decided to make a chicken pot pie.

This is a budget conscious recipe. I got the pie crusts on sale for $.99 for two. If you are even on more of a budget, you can make your own crust using butter, flour and ice water. Frozen vegetables, or even fresh are inexpensive, and the canned soup is a pantry staple that most people have. You don't need to use the best cut of chicken. If you have leftovers from a roasted chicken, you could certainly use that. In my house, we have a bag of frozen chicken breasts from Costco. We always have them on hand, and they are pretty cheap.

I didn't follow a recipe for this pie. If you know my cooking style, that is a pretty big surprise! I am not the type of person that can just "whip something up". The measurements below are estimates. Unlike most of the women in my family who can make a gourmet meal out of baking soda, a banana and leftover ground beef. Seriously, it's an art and I don't have the gift.

This was a really really good pie! My husband was surprised that it was done from scratch. It seriously tastes like one of the premium frozen pot pies. Enjoy, and try not to think about the poor chicken that was sacrificed to make this delicious dish.

Chicken Pot Pie

by Pachey

Pan grill 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or the equivalent of about 2 cups of chicken) using any type of spices that you prefer. I used thyme, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Mix one can of cream of chicken soup (or cream of celery, mushroom, whatever you have on hand) with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk. Once combined, add seasonings. I again used thyme, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Cube the chicken into bite sized pieces. Combine with vegetables (about 3 cups of mixed vegetables). I used stew vegetables, which are more hearty and are a mix of carrots, celery, potatoes and onions. Mix with the creamed soup mixture until combined.

Roll out the bottom crust and place in a pie pan. Pour the chicken/veggie/soup mixture into the pan. Cover with the top crust.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Simple Supper

Once in a while, you just want a tasty dinner but don't want to have to spend all evening in the kitchen. Or, maybe that is just me! Tonight, I went all out with making dessert, so I made a simple supper. I had purchased a small container of premade pesto at the grocery store, so voila! Instant dinner. I sauteed some chicken breasts, which my husband seasoned quite nicely. While the chicken was cooking, I boiled water for pasta. Once the pasta was done, I mixed in pesto while it was still hot. Then, I added the chicken I had cooked (after I cut it into chunks). It was very satisfying and tasty! You don't even need a recipe for this, but I will post one anyways:

Chicken and Pesto Pasta

from Pachey

2 chicken breasts, cooked, seasoned how you wish (we used salt, pepper, fresh garlic, and dried basil)

cooked pasta - whatever kind you prefer and however much you want!

pemade pesto - 1/2 - 3/4 cup

1. Saute the chicken breasts until cooked. When cool, cut into bite sized chunks.

2. Cook the pasta to the desired firmness. Drain, but don't rinse!

3. Mix the pasta together with pesto. Stir together while hot.
4. Add the chicken and stir again.