Blackened Chicken Scampi

I have been on a quest for the perfect Chicken Scampi, which is my favorite thing to get at Olive Garden, for literally years.  After tons of experimentation, and a couple years living in NOLA, I finally came up with this fairly simple recipe.  I always make it blackened, but you could easily omit that part and just make the sauce and even bread the chicken- or use chicken strips.  We always use either penne or ziti as the pasta instead of the traditional spaghetti.  We like these pastas better because they soak up more of the super good sauce in the hollow center.  I hope you enjoy this as much as my husband and I do.

 

Blackened Chicken Scampi

(blackened- optional)

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts or 4 tenderloins- approx. 1 lb
• 2 c (dried pasta) cooked- I use penne or ziti

• 1 can cream of chicken soup (I use the fat free)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbs minced garlic
• ¼ c white wine
• ¼ c milk
• ¼ c chicken broth
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (optional) or
• ¼ tsp Cajun/Creole seasoning- more for seasoning chicken before browning

• Green peppers or mixed peppers cut up- lengthwise is best (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta- set aside
2. Clean chicken and sprinkle w/ Cajun Seasoning
3. Brown chicken- set aside
4. Cook peppers until soft (optional)- set aside
5. In a mixing bowl- mix together the 9 ingredients starting with cream of chicken soup- add either crushed red pepper OR Cajun seasoning- Cajun if blackening chicken
6. Dump contents of mixing bowl into skillet and let it simmer for 10- 20 minutes
7. Layer pasta, peppers, and chicken on a plate or in a bowl- top with scampi sauce
8. Serves 2 to 4 people- Enjoy!!

 

Blackened Chicken Scampi

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Souper Simple Mac & Cheese

I didn’t have enough corkscrew pasta, so I added penne to the mix

My husband LOVES mac & cheese.  It is one of his fave things to eat.  This is my take on his mom’s recipe.  We usually eat it with Chicken Cutlets (recipe to follow).  It would also be great to just make up quick as a side with any meal, as a pot luck item, or as a meal all itself.

This really is the best the first day, but my husband eats it as leftovers just fine.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 can Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese Soup (unless you can find off brand)
• ½ can of milk (whole is great)
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 2 c corkscrew pasta, cooked al dente (or whatever shape you like)
• ¼ c (approx) Italian bread crumbs
• ¼ c butter, melted

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400* F
2. Mix soup, milk, black pepper and pasta in 2 qt. casserole dish
3. Mix bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over pasta mixture
4. Bake for 20 minutes

Souper Simple Mac & Cheese

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Slow Cooker Mom Inserra Chicken Noodle Soup

This is the slow cooker version of the soup my MIL made.  It is a ton quicker since I prep the meat before hand and just pull out frozen stock and chicken when I make this.  All I have to do is prep the veggies and throw it all in the slow cooker and let it do it’s thing.  I am super happy to have a quicker alternative to the stock pot soup, though I did make one change with this one, I added peas since I am trying to pair down my freezer and I had a bag in there.  Peas were a nice color addition, I might even add them to the stock pot next time I make it that way.

 

Note: 

Prepped chicken- I buy like 5 or more lbs of drumsticks when they are on sale, cook them in a stock pot, freeze the broth and freeze the chicken in 1 lb bags to use in different dishes later.  This has been super handy and works great for soups and/or potpie, or really any dish that works best with shredded chicken.

 

Ingredients:
• 6-8 c water (cover the food, plus some- depends on how much broth you like)
• 1 lb chicken, shredded or diced
• 2-4 c celery, diced (including tops)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 6 chicken bouillon cubes
• ½- full pkg shredded carrots
• 4-6 (small- medium) potatoes, diced (small)
• 1 c peas (frozen)

• ½ c Orzo Pasta
• ¼- ½ c Parmesan cheese, grated (shaker cheese)

 

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients except Parmesan cheese and orzo in slow cooker
2. Cook on high for 4-6 hrs or low for 7-9
3. Add Orzo in last 30 min to 1 hr
4. Add Parmesan cheese before serving, let sit for 5- 10 minutes
5. serve

Slow Cooker Mom Inserra Chicken Noodle Soup

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Mom Inserra’s Chicken Noodle Soup

My MIL made the best chicken noodle (or rather pasta) soup ever.  Before we moved, I helped her make it and wrote down the directions.  Now, 5 years after we left WNY, I have changed a few things about how I make this compared to how my MIL made it, though it tastes exactly the same.  The changes I made were just changes to the procedure, making it more streamlined.

 

One of the major things I do differently is that I cut up all the ingredients the night before, place them in bags filled with water, and just drain them and add them to the soup when called for, my MIL cut them up during different parts of the process, this is just easier for me.  I also remove the skin from the chicken to cut down on fat, and remove the chicken before it is fully cooked so that I don’t get any bones in my soup.  We always had to play “find the bone” in my MIL’s soup and that kinda weirded me out.

 

I hope you enjoy this hearty soup.  It is a family favorite and it freezes well!  It is also great to share with friends or neighbors, you’ll have more than enough!

 

Ingredients:

• Large Stock Pot with Lid (16 qt)
• 6-8 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
• Orzo Pasta (16 oz box) approx. 2 ½ cups
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 1 bunch of celery, diced (including tops)
• 1 large onion or 2 medium onions, diced
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 6 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 lb carrots, shredded
• 6-8 potatoes, diced (small)
• Parmesan cheese, grated (shaker cheese)

 

Directions:

1. Fill Stockpot ¾ full with filtered water
2. Place skinned and cleaned chicken in water
3. Let come to a boil (lid on top helps)
4. During the first ½ hr occasionally skim fat (foam) from top of water, throw away
5. Make sure to stir the meat after each time you skim off foam, more will appear
6. After about a ½ hr, when very little is floating on top, remove chicken and let cool
7. Add bouillon cubes
8. Add celery, onion, two cans of broth
9. Add a palm of salt and a palm of pepper
10. Clean chicken off of the bone, dice up, add back to pot
11. Let boil for 2 hours
12. Taste, add more salt or pepper if needed
13.  Add carrots and potatoes
14. Let cook 10-15 minutes
15. Add pasta, mix
16. Keep stirring soup
17. Add ½- 1 c Parmesan cheese
18. Turn down heat, let simmer for ½ hr (or more) to mix together
19. Enjoy!

This freezes well!!

Mom Inserra’s Chicken Noodle Soup

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6-Cheese Pasta Bake w/ or w/o Chicken

This is a great meal with or without chicken.  I made this yesterday for Good Friday since we do not eat fish and we abstain from meat on Good Friday.  I usually make it with chicken but it is great without it as well.  Very filling and super tasty.   Oh and did I mention super easy to make?  You could prep this at might and just pop it in the oven when you get home form work.  You might want to increase the cook time a bit since it would be cold then though.

 

I have a plethora of quick meals, but they are not the most healthy, as you can see, since most involve cheese and canned soup, which I try to use less of now.  When we first got married I didn’t know how to cook, except the bit I learned from my MIL- so I used a lot of recipes that involved canned soup.  I still make some of them, but not as often anymore.  Hope you enjoy this one.

 

I forgot to take pics when we ate dinner and again at lunch today so, I will try to remember when I eat the last bit for lunch or more likely, for breakfast tomorrow before church.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 package 5 cheeses Italian Blend shredded cheese (8 oz)
• ½ c- 1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/3 c grated parmesan cheese (from shaker)
• 1 ¼ c milk (I use whole)
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 2 tbs minced garlic
• ½ -1 tsp Cajun seasoning ( ½ for starters (just adds some flavor- ½ more if you want a kick)
• 3 cups of uncooked pasta (rotini, penne, rigatoni, ziti- doesn’t matter)
• 1 Lb chicken, chunked- cut up (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400* F
2. Boil pasta until al dente (not quite ready to eat- I do 12 minutes instead of the regular 15), drain, and set aside
3. Brown chicken lightly seasoned with Cajun seasoning, set aside
4. Grease a 2 quart or larger baking dish- larger is better if adding chicken
5. Mix soup, cheeses, milk and seasonings/spices in baking dish
6. Add cooked pasta
7. Add cooked chicken (optional)
8. Mix together
9. (if you do not want the top golden, put a cover on it- I leave it off)
10. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes at 400* F
11. Remove and let cool for around 5-10 minutes
12.  Enjoy!

6 Cheese Pasta Bake w/ or w/o Chicken

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Pasta with Bordelaise Sauce

Since living in NOLA, I have discovered a love of fancier food.  I had a meal like this at a nice restaurant here and wanted it again- so I combined a few recipes to make one that was perfect.  I make it with blackened chicken which is not found often in NOLA because NOLA is a Creole city not a Cajun city- that is more in the Baton Rouge area and Blacked food is more of a Cajun thing.

I will post how I make my blackened chicken in a different post, since I use it with a few different meals.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 LB pasta (I used penne)
• 1/2 c olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, minced (6-8 tsp of already minced)
• 1/2 c onion, minced
• 2 tbs white wine
• 3/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme- less if ground (1/4)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 c parsley (I used dry but fresh would be great too)
• 1 c Parmesan Cheese (I use the shaker kind)

Directions:

1.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil (I add a bit of oil to it). Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. drain.
2.  Meanwhile, in a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
3.  Add the garlic and onions and cook, stirring, until it starts to turn golden.
4.   Add the wine, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes.
5.  Return the drained pasta to the pot. Add the sauce and toss well to coat.
6.  When in bowl- top with Parmesan cheese.

NOTES:

Tastes really good with Blackened Chicken.

Makes a large amount- could feed 6-8 people maybe more- we ate it for days.  I might make a half batch next time.

Pasta with Bordelaise Sauce

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Slow Cooker Three Bean Vegetable Soup

I was looking for something that was quick and flavorful- but not spicy- since my husband was sick and I didn’t have time to make chicken noodle from scratch (that will go up eventually too).  This was ok- just not one of our faves and probably won’t be made again.  It was not a fail- we just like our food a bit spicier.  I can’t even pinpoint what flavor we didn’t love- oh well.  Maybe this is something that your family will enjoy.  It freezes well- and we ended up eating all of it eventually.  

P.S. This is meat free.

Sorry the slow cooker is always dirty when I take pics.

Ingredients:

• 10 cups water
• 6 beef bullion
• 6 chicken bullion
• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (or 2 14.5 oz)
• 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained  (1/2 cup dry beans soaked overnight)
• 1 15 ounce can navy beans, drained  (1/2 cup dry beans soaked overnight)
• 1 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained  (1/2 cup dry beans soaked overnight)
• 2 medium carrots, diced (2 cups)
• 4 ribs celery, diced (approximately 1 ½ cups)
• 3/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced (3/4 cup)
• 1 cup green beans
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp basil
• 2 cup dry Rotini pasta
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Soak the beans overnight in cold water in the fridge.

2. Drain and Rinse beans

3. Add more water and bring beans to a rapid boil over stove for a min. of 10 minutes (kills the toxic agent that can cause poisoning in red kidney beans.)

4. Drain and rinse- add to the greased Crockpot

5. Boil 4-6 cups water and add bouillon cubes- melt

6. In Slow Cooker combine all ingredients except, pasta, balsamic vinegar and pepper.

7. Cook for 7-8  hours on high

8. Add dry pasta in the last hour of cooking

9. Stir in balsamic vinegar and pepper before serving

10. Makes a LOT of soup so be prepared to serve a crowd or freeze some.

Slow Cooker Three Bean Vegetable Soup

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Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

This tastes great.  It is just the perfect amount of spiciness due to the sausage and crushed red pepper.  This freezes well and makes a great quick meal.  You could also put this with mashed potatoes instead of pasta- but I do it the Italian way- since I am married to one.

Ingredients:

6 green peppers- cleaned out

1 large can of tomato juice

1 lb ground beef

1 hot sausage roll

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 cup instant rice

Garlic

Oregano

Crushed red pepper

Salt and pepper

Spaghetti

Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. clean out peppers
2. mix ground beef, sausage, and rice together in bowl
3. stuff the peppers with the beef/rice mixture
4. place in slow cooker
5. if you have an extra pepper just cut it up and place in the space around the stuffed peppers in the slow cooker
6. salt and pepper the tops of the peppers
7. can stop here until the next day if making ahead of time- place in refrigerator
8. (next day if made ahead)- pour tomato juice over the peppers
9. Pour tomatoes in slow cooker
10. Mix in garlic (I used a lot- like 6 tbls)
11. Mix in crushed red pepper
12. Set timer for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high
13. If you lift lid remember it adds time to the cooking- I turn mine on high if cooking on low to get temp back up.
14. In the last hr to ½ hr place maybe 3 tbls of oregano in- mix
15. Let it finish cooking
16. Make spaghetti
17. Put a bit of mozzarella cheese on top of the finished product in your bowl
    

    sorry- it is a pic of the cold leftovers!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

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Slow Cooker Lasagna

Update:  I made this today (2/25/2012) and it turned out yummy.  One thing to note- it should only cook about 4

mmm... love meat lasagna!

hours on low (my slow cooker runs really hot- so just know how yours runs).  I cooked it for 6 hours and the pasta was way over cooked, I don’t remember that from the last time I cooked it.  The lasagna still tasted great, but it didn’t look pretty on a plate.  We actually had to eat it in a bowl.

This freezes really well after it is cooked.  It makes a ton- so since it is just 2 of us now- I split it in half and freeze half of it.  So much better than the frozen boxed stuff.

1 Lb Spicy Sausage

1 Lb Ground Beef

8-10 Lasagna Noodles, uncooked (no-boil pasta)

2 Jars Pasta Sauce

1 can Tomato Sauce

12 oz or 15 oz Ricotta Cheese

3-4 cups Mozzarella Cheese (I used 4 cups)

Spices (crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick spray
2. Brown ground beef and sausage together
3. Pour off fat and mix together with the pasta sauce, tomato sauce, and spices
4. Layer the ground beef mixture, the dry noodles, the ricotta cheese, and the mozzarella cheese in the slow cooker
5. Repeat layers
6. Cover and cook on Low 4-6 hours
7. Last 10- 15 minutes, top with mozzarella cheese

sauce

pasta

 

ricotta cheese

mozzarella cheese

Slow Cooker Lasagna

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