Balsamic Chicken Noodles

I put off making this for a loooong time, and I'm kicking myself for it now. I thought this was super delicious (and I even left out the cheese!). It also helped that it was super fast (done in 20 minutes) and very filling.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound linguine
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
4 tablespoons good-quality balsamic vinegar
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil (can substitute 1/2 cup fresh basil)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (if you don't have precooked, you can cook your chicken at the same time as the bell pepper)
1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (even if I did use cheese, I don't like feta so I would've left this out and upped the mozzarella)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until just tender according to package directions. Drain.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. When combined, slowly whisk in the 1/3 cup olive oil until the dressing is completely combined.

While the pasta is boiling, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the bell pepper. Cook briefly until crisp-tender. Add the cooked chicken and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until the chicken is heated through.

When the noodles have been drained, add the hot noodles to the skillet with the red pepper and chicken and toss. Add the shredded or cubed mozzarella and the feta and toss quickly to combine before the cheese melts. Pour the dressing over the top and toss with tongs to coat all the ingredients with the dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 6-8.

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

Ok ya'll! I'm finally posting a meal I've actually made. It was my night to cook dinner, so I retreated to my Pinterest boards for something delicious looking. Let me just say, this dish is AMAZING!! And it's incredibly easy (after I burned it the first time) :)

• 1 12-oz box pasta (I used bowties)

• 1 tsp butter

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 8 oz package reduced fat cream cheese

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

• 1/2 lemon, juiced

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 14 oz can artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained and chopped

• 10 oz chopped, frozen spinach, thawed, with as much excess water squeezed out as possible

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

• Additional Parmesan for serving

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Slowly stir in milk, then add sour cream, lemon juice, salt and red pepper flakes. Stir in artichoke hearts, spinach, and parmesan cheese.

Drain pasta and add to artichoke mix. Toss and season to taste with salt and additional lemon juice as needed. Serve with additional shredded Parmesan.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

This recipes is from a fabulous cook from my ward back in Pittburgh.  She keeps her own cooking blog which is fantastic.  When I made this yesterday I got 9 enchiladas, and since my boys don't eat a whole one each, I cooked 5 and froze 4.  There are instructions on how to freeze them included in the post, but here's a picture of mine (minus the cheese).  She writes in her post that the sauce is so good she could eat it with a spoon, and she's right, it's that good.

Here's the link.  Enjoy.  Creamy Chicken Enchilada Verdes

IMPORTANT UPDATE!  I had forgotten this tip last time I froze these enchiladas, but was unpleasantly reminded when I heated up a couple of these for myself and Neil yesterday.  The sauce separates and gets watery in the freezer but the enchiladas do just fine.  If you're pulling these out of the freezer, whip up a fresh batch of the sauce (it's really quick), it'll be so worth it.

BBQ Pulled Pork

We're not huge fans of pulled pork in general, but this was excellent! I've always avoided purchasing liquid smoke, thinking it was going to be super expensive or something, but it was actually really cheap and provided some great flavor! Give it a try!

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder (I've also used boneless pork loin – not tenderloin – but pork loin with good results)
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon hickory flavored liquid smoke
• 2 cups barbecue sauce

Directions:

Rinse pork with water and pat dry with paper towels. Rub salt and pepper all over the pork and put in crock pot. Add the water and liquid smoke. Cook on low 8-10 hours, until pork is very tender. Remove pork from crock pot and discard remaining liquid. Shred pork and put back in crock pot, along with the barbecue sauce and allow to reheat for another 20-30 minutes. Serves 10-12 adults. 

Skillet Chicken with Mexican Green Rice

This is a really flavorful meal and has no dairy in it, which is a plus for me because my pregnant body has decided to complete reject it. It's also really quick and only uses one pan. Yippee!

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 poblano peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped (these are usually next to jalapeno peppers - don't worry, they're much less spicy than jalapenos)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 (10 oz.) cans green enchilada sauce (I recommend mild for those who don't want much heat)
• 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (we hate cilantro, so we left it out and upped the spinach)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves

Directions:

1. Gently pat the chicken dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until it is rippling and hot. Brown the chicken on each side for 1-2 minutes until it is golden but not cooked all the way through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
2. In the hot skillet, add the onion and poblano peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cumin and cook for 30 seconds. Add the enchilada sauce, rice and water, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and set the chicken breasts in the simmering rice mixture, nestling them in a bit. Cover the skillet, set the heat to low and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through, stirring every five minutes or so to ensure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom.
3. Stir in the cilantro and spinach and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Slow-Cooker Chili

I made this a couple of weeks ago and it was great.  It's has a little more prep on the front end than most slow-cooker recipes but it makes a lot. It's from my favorite cookbook, America's Test Kitchen Cookbook.

Slow-Cooker Weeknight Chili

This recipe uses 1/4 c chili powder, which sounds like a lot.  However, after 6 to 7 hours in the slow cooker, the heat diminishes.  For a spicier chili, increase the cayenne and serve with hot sauce.

2 T vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped medium
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped medium
1/4 cup chili powder
1 T cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs (85% lean) ground beef
1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 (15.5 oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed
Pepper

1) Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the onion, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 15 seconds.

2) Add the beef and increase the heat to  medium-high.  Cook, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.

3)  Stir in the tomato puree and diced tomatoes with their juice, scraping up any browned bits.  Bring to a simmer, then pour into the slow cooker.

4)  Cover and cook, until the meat is tender, 6 to 7 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.  Stir in the beans during the last hour of cooking.  Before serving, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Strawberry Milkshakes

These strawberry shakes are amazingly good. The part where you soak the strawberries is the key.

1/2 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 pint vanilla ice cream (2 cups)
1/3 cup milk

In a mixing bowl combine the sliced strawberries, sugar and vanilla extract and stir to combine well. Set aside and allow to sit for at least 15-20 minutes. In a large mixer, place the strawberries, ice cream, and milk. Blend until smooth.

Here is the link to the original recipe. You'll notice I have reduced the amount of sugar and milk. We've made this recipe so many times over the years that we have it pretty fine-tuned. Trust me. Also, in the original recipe it says to let sit from 20 minutes to 1 hour. If you do it longer than 20 minutes, it makes the taste too strong.