Pasta

Ingredients
1 pound linguine
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
2-4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
4 tablespoons butter
2 green onions, thinly sliced
4 cups half and half
4 tablespoons sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried basil
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon garlic powder
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground black pepper
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.  Drain.  

2. Place chicken in bowl with Cajun seasoning and toss to coat.  

3. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Add chicken and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.  

4. Reduce heat to low.  Add green onions, half and half, tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper garlic powder, and black pepper.  Cook until heated through.  Add in linguine, toss to combine, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  

Comments
This recipe is from Blog Chef and, woah, was it spicy.  The original recipe called for 4 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning and I used the full amount.  I ended up eating Tex-Mex for dinner since it was entirely too hot for me to tolerate.  I recommend going with a smaller amount of Cajun seasoning unless you really love spicy food!  I think I’d like to try to make this again, I’ll just modify the spice level and see how it goes.  I think I would have liked more sundried tomatoes as well, but that might be because I’ve got a weird sundried tomato craving going on right now.  Art loved it and ate all of the leftovers during the rest of the week.

Internet - Blog Chef

Ingredients
1 pound bacon, cut into small pieces
1 pound rotini pasta, or similar small pasta shape
1 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons dried dill
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
2 avocados, pitted and chopped

Instructions
1. Cook bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate or sieve set over bowl. 

2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until cooled. 

3. In large bowl, stir together  mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, pepper and dill.  Add cooled pasta, tomatoes, avocado, and bacon.  Toss until well combined.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Life’s Ambrosia and has some of my favorite ingredients.  I decided to make it for lunches during the week because neither Art nor Lance care for avocados.  I greatly enjoyed this pasta salad, but the dill added a flavor that didn’t mesh well for me.  I think that, next time, I’ll omit the dill.  The pasta will certainly be flavorful enough without it!

Internet - Life’s Ambrosia

Ingredients
1 pound penne pasta
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 (14.5 ounces) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
¹⁄₄ cup dill pickle relish
¹⁄₄ cup Dijon mustard
¹⁄₄ cup ketchup
2 teaspoons steak seasoning (Such as Montreal steak seasoning.)
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions
1. Cook pasta 1 minute less than directed by packaging and drain. 

2. Meanwhile, in large skillet or Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is cooked through.  Add pasta to meat in skillet. 

3. Stir in tomatoes, relish, mustard, ketchup, and steak seasoning.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. 

4. Sprinkle with cheese and let stand 5 minutes. 

Comments
This recipe is from Taste of Home and was suggested to me by a fellow food blogger.  I admit, when I started out I was not too thrilled, but I think I’ve got to blame that on my dental work because this was great.  All three of us enjoyed it and actually polished off the entire pot of pasta.  Take “serves 4” with a grain of salt.  When I make this again, I should remember to double it if I’m expecting any leftovers!

Internet - Taste of Home

Ingredients
1 pound medium shell pasta
¹⁄₂ cup mayonnaise
¹⁄₂ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced or dried chives
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
4-6 ounces prosciutto, finely chopped
4 cups baby arugula
2 cups frozen green peas

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain well and return to pot. 

2. While pasta cooks, combine mayonnaise, buttermilk, chives, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic in small bowl. 

3. Heat skillet over medium-high heat.  Add prosciutto, cook 2 minutes.  Drain on paper towels. 

4. Turn heat under pasta to low.  Add sauce, arugula and peas.  Stir until peas are thawed and ingredients are well distributed.  Remove from heat and stir in prosciutto. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual and, um, I completely forgot to add the arugula and didn’t even notice until just now, when I went to type the recipe up.  Drat.  And I love arugula!  I am not happy with this mistake!  It’s a good thing we all loved the pasta, because I guess I’ll just have to make it again the right way. 

This was really delicious, nice and tangy with a super amount of flavor from all of the spices. 

Shown here with Mom’s Chicken.

Cooking Light 2011

Ingredients
18 ounces fresh fettuccine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups baby arugula
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain in colander over bowl and reserve 1 ¹⁄₃ cups cooking liquid. 

2. While pasta cooks, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage to pan and cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes or until browned.  Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds, then add tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  Cover and cook 2 minutes.  Mash tomatoes with back of wooden spoon or potato masher to break them apart.  Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and cook 3 minutes.  Remove pan from heat.  Add pasta, reserved cooking liquid and arugula, and toss well.  Sprinkle with cheese. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual and I loved it.  I’m loving arugula these days and I’m not sure why the sudden infatuation happened.  It’s so peppery and delicious.  The tomatoes broke down into a nice, light sauce.  The sausage made everything flavorful.  This was a great meal and I hope that I remember it in future meal plans since I’d love to eat it again.  It will be even better with summer tomatoes and arugula!

Cooking light 2011

Ingredients
1 pound elbow macaroni or other short pasta
4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¹⁄₂-inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 cups milk
1 (10 ³⁄₄ ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (I use Healthy Request.)
1 ¹⁄₂ cup Italian cheese blend, shredded
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded

Instructions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

2. Cook bacon in large ovensafe nonstick skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp.  Remove bacon to paper towel lined plate with slotted spoon, leaving fat in skillet.  Increase heat to medium-high.  Add chicken to skillet and cook until done, about 6 minutes.  Remove chicken to small bowl or plate. 

3. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.  Add flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Combine milk and soup.  Gradually add milk mixture to skillet, stirring constantly.  Bring to boil and cook for 2 minutes, or until thickened.  Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.  Add Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill and salt.  Stir until cheese melts.  Stir in pasta and chicken. 

4. Heat broiler. 

5. Sprinkle mac and cheese evenly with reserved bacon and Mexican cheese blend.  Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual and the flavors are, indeed, reminiscent of ranch dressing.  I’d say it was a success because both of the guys had seconds while I was still working through my original helping!  The blends of cheeses worked well, the chicken and bacon added nice flavors, and this was a pretty tasty mac and cheese variety.  It was also very easy to bring together – I did everything in the Dutch oven in order to spare my dishwasher. 

If you’re pressed on time, you can always use multiple pans in order to do steps all at the same time.  You can do the pasta in one pot, cook the bacon and chicken in another skillet, and then make the sauce in yet another pot.  It’s entirely up to you.  Just make sure that whatever dish goes in the oven at the end is broiler safe!

Cooking Light 2011

Ingredients
1 pound penne pasta
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups bell pepper strips (From 1-2 bell peppers.)
2 cups salsa (I used medium salsa fresca from my grocery store’s deli case.)
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups Mexican cheese blend, shredded
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F. 

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook pasta 1 minute less than instructed by packaging, drain. 

3. Heat oil over medium heat in Dutch oven.  Add onions and sauté until softened.  Add ground beef and cook, stirring, until browned and cooked through.  Add taco seasoning, tomatoes, and bell pepper strips.  Saute until vegetables soften.  Add salsa and salt and pepper to taste.  Add pasta and 2 cups cheese to Dutch oven and toss to mix. Top with remaining 2 cups cheese.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese melts and starts to brown. 

4. Before serving, garnish with cilantro.  Serve with guacamole, sour cream, and extra salsa if desired.  (We thought it was great without anything extra.)

Comments
This recipe is from What’s Cookin, Chicago? I modified it a bit and doubled it as well.  I have this intense dislike for using partial containers of things, so I tend to tweak amounts in recipes so that they’ll use entire containers of ingredients. 

This casserole was delicious, tasty, and we all gobbled it up.  It’s also a casserole that would be very simple to vegetarianize by switching the ground beef out for some canned and drained black beans.  This was a great casserole and I can easily see it entering to our “regular rotation” or recipes.  You know, if we had a regular rotation of recipes….

Internet - What’s Cookin, Chicago?

Ingredients
Salt and pepper
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 (28-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes (Hunt’s is the recommend brand.)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
¹⁄₂ cup all purpose flour
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups half and half
1 cup chicken broth
4 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400*F. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and macaroni and cook until just al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain pasta and return to pot. Pour diced tomatoes with their juices over pasta and stir to coat. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Stir in flour and cayenne and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in half and half and broth until smooth. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Off heat, whisk in cheeses, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper until cheeses melt. Pour sauce over macaroni and stir to combine.

3. Transfer Dutch oven to oven and bake until top begins to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2010 Cook’s Country Annual.  I’m a fan of mac and cheese but try not to make it regularly due to Lance’s lack of love for cheese.  This recipe looked like it would be a nice twist on the usual mac and cheese and I loved it.  The tomato flavor was really great and the mixture of cheeses worked out very well.  I think all sharp cheese would have been a bit too much, so the mild cheddar evened the flavors out well.  Leftovers were equally tasty the following days! 

Shown here with Deviled Chicken.

Cook’s Country 2010

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 slices white sandwich bread, cut into ¹⁄₂-inch cubes
12 slices bacon, chopped (I used an entire package of 12 ounce package of center cut bacon.)
1 onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
1 pound small pasta, such as shells
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
5 ounces baby arugula
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
1. Bring large pot water to boil. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bread and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl and wipe out skillet.

2. Cook bacon in empty skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate or sieve set over bowl and pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. Cook onion in bacon fat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 ¹⁄₂ cups cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot. Stir in tomatoes, arugula, Parmesan, bacon, onion mixture, and 1 cup reserved pasta water (adding additional water as needed). Season with salt and pepper and top with croutons. Serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2010 Cook’s Country Annual.  I loved this as a meal, the guys both felt that it was a summer dinner and not really a winter dinner.  I could have eaten the whole thing by myself.  I suggest adding the Parmesan at the end so it doesn’t melt and clump like mine did!  I appreciated the peppery bite of the arugula in this dish, but spinach could be substituted if you don’t have access to arugula.  Art ate the leftovers cold the following day and said that was tasty too!

Cook’s Country 2010

Ingredients
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
8 ounces penne or ziti, about 2 ¹⁄₂ cups
3 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₄ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup white wine
2 cups chicken broth
¹⁄₂ cup half and half
8 ounces broccoli florets, cut into 1-inch pieces
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Instructions
1. Cook sausage in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain sausage on paper towel-lined plate.

2. Cook onion and bell pepper in sausage fat until softened, about 8 minutes. Add penne and cook, stirring oven, until pasta is lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, broth, and half and half and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta begins to soften, about 8 minutes.

3. Arrange broccoli on top of pasta and continue to cook, covered, until broccoli is bright green and tender and pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Off heat, stir in sausage, Parmesan, basil, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Comments
This recipe is from the 2008 Cook’s Country Annual and it falls into the category of “recipes Lance loves.”  Why does Lance love this type of recipe?  Because it only uses one skillet.  A dishwasher’s dream!  I’m also a big fan of one-skillet meals because they tend to be nice and simple, great for a busy evening or to end a busy day. 

I thought all the flavors in this dish were great, Art enjoyed it in leftover form a few days later, and I’ll be making it at some point in the future when I need a quick weeknight meal.

Cook’s Country 2008