Healthy & Delicious: Basil Chicken Pasta Recipe

My mother in law, Sue, made this the other night and it was so good that I am keeping it. I like that it resembles chicken cacciatore but is so much lighter. The recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breast, but I think it would be better with thighs. Probably because they are much more full flavored and moist. However if keeping it healthy as intended, then yes, use breast.

The pasta you choose is key. She used angel hair. The thought of heavy rigatoni or penne would take away from this dish. 

Ingredients
8 ounces (1/2 package) pasta
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until it is al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onions and garlic. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, chicken, basil, salt and hot pepper sauce. Reduce heat to medium, and cover skillet. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is hot and tomatoes are soft.

3. Toss sauce with hot cooked pasta to coat. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Recipe and photo courtesy of https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/12/healthy-and-delicious-basil-chicken-pasta-recipe.html

M-I-SS-I-PP-I

Pot Roast that is! This is the best Sunday no heat in your kitchen or slaving away meal you could ask for. Heck throw it together the morning of a work day and when you get home dinner is waiting! (I say Sunday because mom made a roast every Sunday) Sure it is beef, aka red meat artery clogging goodness - but it is a very rich and decadent beef recipe hence why I only make it once in a while. Here's how you do it:

Put an unseasoned beef chuck roast, about 3 lbs, (thawed or frozen!) or any kind of roast in a low cook set crock pot. The more marbled the better and actually you can use any size you wish (as long as you make sure to leave room for the goodness below). Keep in mind the larger the roast the more of the next ingredients you'll need to buy.

Throw in a stick of cold butter - cut up in cubes or not, doesn't matter!

A packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

A packet of Au Jus mix

About a third or so of a tall bottle of whole Mezzeta's Golden Greek Peperoncini's. Practice saying; "pep-per-awn-CHEE-nees" - kind of fun isn't it? Be sure to include a third of the juice from the bottle.

Put the lid on and forget about it for 7-8 hours. This is the hard part - you're gonna get hungry from the smell way before it is dinner time!

When ready, cut or shred the meat - however you like it falls apart either way. But leave it in the juice! There is a richness in the drippings (thank you butter!) and a pop of flavor from the peppers so do not discard! You will want to spoon this goodness over a bed of mashed potatoes with or without the meat. And wait until you bite a peperoncini! MMM! You could also use the beef for sliders, french dip, tacos, enchilada meat, or  anything - but in my family it never makes it past the crock pot to the plate.

So delicious it is making my mouth water right now! It was the first thing my husband asked for for on this Father's Day so I am pretty sure it is big hit with my beef eater.

Crock Pot Ham, Green Beans, and Potatoes

Stole this recipe off the counter of my mother in law's kitchen the other day (actually 6 months ago) and finally threw it together because we had leftover ham. And it was so tasty - I was really surprised how good it was. For our little family however I halved the recipe, but maybe next time I won't. It will make great leftovers.

I am a one pot meal kinda gal that is why I love soups, stews, and casseroles so naturally crock pot meals I love. And who doesn't want to come home from work to smell dinner without the work? Especially this one, just a bit of cutting the night before, throw in the fridge, and done. EASY PEASY! Going to keep this one.

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh green beans

2 pounds ham

4 baking potatoes

1 large onion, optional

3 cups water

Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

Dice the ham, green beans, onion and potatoes. 

Add ingredients into your Crock Pot with 3 cups of water and season with salt & pepper (according to taste). You can also use Steak Spice in yours. 

Cook for 6 hours on Low. 

Tip: To get a crispier dish, we'd suggest sautéeing everything in a saute pan once it's done cooking in the crockpot.

Easy Brisket

I made my first brisket. It was delicious! The recipe was simple and I love slow cooking meals. My mother in law brought a delicious pasta salad which paired perfectly with the beefy adobo richness of the meat. I didn't have kosher salt so used the sea salt from my mill - wasn't enough flavor. Also I had only a small yellow onion. Still turned out great. True it was a little dryer than I wanted but we chose not to shred it and sliced it instead. Just add the Au Jus and vegetables from the bottom of the crock and a side of beans and it is to die for! This one is a keeper.

Credit given to my Cooking Light Magazine: Smoky Brisket with Peppers and Onions

Ingredients
3 tablespoons minced seeded chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
2 cups sliced white onions
2 cups sliced red bell pepper
Cooking spray 1/3 cup unsalted beef stock

Step 1
Combine chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, oil, honey, cumin, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Rub mixture into brisket, covering all sides.

Step 2
Combine onion and bell peppers in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Pour beef stock over onion and pepper mixture. Nestle brisket into mixture. Cover and cook on low until brisket is very tender, about 8 hours.

Step 3
Remove brisket from slow cooker, and shred with 2 forks. Return shredded meat to slow cooker, and toss with vegetables before serving.

Sasha and Patti's Eggnog Cream Pie

Sasha and Patti brought this for our Christmas Eve dinner and it is going on my list of Seasonal favorites. Not too heavy, nor too sweet, and just the right amount of Eggnog flavor! Everyone loved it so much that I think it will be a great hit for any Christmas party.

Ingredients:
• 1 (3.4-3.9 oz) box INSTANT French vanilla pudding mix
• 1 (8 oz) tub Cool whip
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg, ground
• Canned Whipped cream for garnish
• 9 Graham cracker pie crust, prepared, or homemade
• 2 cups Eggnog

Instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the instant dry pudding mix, eggnog, and nutmeg until thick, about 2 minutes. Fold in the Cool Whip or fresh whipped cream until fluffy and light. Spoon into the graham cracker pie crust and smooth out the top.

Refrigerate the pie for at LEAST 4 hours, or overnight, to set. Just before serving, garnish with more whipped cream or Cool Whip and a sprinkling of nutmeg, if desired.

Red Beans & Sausauge

This recipe I found on a package was so good, my family asked me to make it again. I thought I'd better write it down before it got lost!

1 Pkg Andouille sausage, diced

1 Tbs Olive Oil

3 Stalks Celery, diced

1 medium onion, dice

1 medium green pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper depending on what heat level you like

2 16 oz cans light red kidney beans

Cooked white rice

In a skillet brown sausage in oil for 3-4 minutes. Ad celery, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Continue to cook until vegetables are tender. Add broth, bay leaves, cayenne pepper and beans. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Serve over hot rice.

Heath Cake

We made this one night after Charlie had it at work - someone brought one in for a birthday and he just raved about it. Now if you know my husband he DISLIKES chocolate so of course I allowed him to try this recipe on us. We didn't add the caramel that is typically in the recipes found online and only added the toffee chips instead of actual candy bar pieces. Can you believe Savannah doesn't like caramel? I guess the caramel was too sweet for Charlie too. Oh well, maybe I can get some on the side with mine.

1 box chocolate cake mix, any flavor
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 container whip topping
Heath toffee chips

Make cake according to directions on box, remove from oven and immediately poke holes in the cake with a fork...or you can make bigger holes with a wooden spoon handle, your preference. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top making sure each hole is covered and sides. Let cool and put whipped topping and candy chips on top to your desire a little or a lot just before serving however it is yummier to let it sit overnight in the fridge as it takes time to soak up the milk.

Keep in mind the toffee chips that sit a while will start to melt, which is okay, but they are better crunchy. Super easy and super yummo!

Taco Tot Casserole

1 lb ground chuck
1 can Campbell's Nacho Cheese Fiesta Soup
1 package taco seasoning

1 bag frozen corn
1 bag frozen tater tots
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions

 

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, brown ground chuck and drain grease off. Return ground chuck to frying pan, mix in soup, taco seasoning, and corn.
3. Coat 13 x 9 baking pan with cooking spray, pour tater tots into baking pan. Spread ground beef and soup mixture over top of tater tots. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for 5-10 minutes longer.
4. Try topping with sour cream, lettuce and tomatoes