Louisiana Chicken Pasta

I'm always looking for my next good recipe.  I got this recipe off of Annie's Eats, one of my go-to blogs for recipes and ideas.  I'm really into spicy things lately--I'm loving anything with some spice and heat in it--though not too much spice because I am a little bit of a wimp.  So this recipe sounded like a winner when I read it and saw pictures.  And I'm happy to say that it's a keeper!

Louisiana Chicken Pasta
Source: adapted from Annie's Eats
Print Recipe Here

Ingredients:
For the Chicken:
1 pound large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
Salt and pepper
Cajun seasoning

For the Pasta:
16 ounces bowtie pasta (I used penne)
salt

For the Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

Directions:
To cook the chicken, heat a small amount of butter or olive oil and in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and a generous sprinkle of Cajun seasoning.  Add to the skillet and cook until lightly browned and cooked through.  Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain the cooked pasta and set aside.
Meanwhile, return the skillet to medium heat and heat butter and olive oil until butter has melted.  Add the bell peppers and onion to the pan.  Mix in the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper.  Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 6-8 minutes.  Add the half-and-half and heavy cream to the pan and bring to a simmer.  In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water, and add to the skillet once the cream mixture has started to bubble.  Allow to cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
When the sauce has thickened, add the cooked pasta and chicken pieces to the pan.  Stir well to combine and cook at medium-low heat just until the chicken is warmed through.  Adjust the amount of Cajun seasoning if necessary to suit your taste.  Top with additional Cajun seasoning if desired.

Amy's Notes:
I made this over two weeks ago.  But now as I am writing this, I really want some again.  This pasta is really good.  It is spicy but not too spicy.  It is great warm but could also be made ahead, chilled and served as a salad.  You could also make it without the chicken for a pasta side dish. I will be making this recipe again soon!

Pizza Night!

About a week ago, I made these spinach and mushroom calzones and totally forgot to take pictures.  They were good, too!  Anyway, the recipe for pizza dough on that spinach and mushroom calzone recipe made a lot of dough, so I stuck half of it in the freezer and planned to make pizza with it a week later. 

When I was in college, my roommate and I made a lot of pizza.  We used to joke about one day opening a pizzeria because we were getting so good at making it!  It made for a lot of fun times and Friday nights with delicious pizza.  An essential in homemade pizza is a pizza stone.  It makes the crust crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  I would recommend a pizza stone to anyone who makes pizza more than a few times a year. 

We made our favorite pizzas since we hadn't had homemade pizza in such a long time.  The first pizza had marinara sauce, pepperoni and black olives.  The second had pesto sauce, chicken, pine nuts and roasted garlic. (Find recipe for roasted garlic here.)  They were so good, especially the pesto chicken pizza! 

My pizza dough defrosting

Pre-roasted garlic

A little too roasted garlic

Got my toppings ready!

My dough is ready and rolled out--one onto a pizza pan and the other onto the pizza stone

Chicken Pot Pie

If you ever go to Savannah, GA you absolutely have to go to The Lady and Sons, which is the restaurant owned by Paula Dean of the Food Network.  It's hard to get into though.  You have to be there early in the morning to put your name in for a reservation later in the day.  The wait it totally worth it though because, oh my gosh, the food is delicious!  I bought a cookbook from the restaurant gift shop which has a bunch of the recipes used in the restaurant in it.  This particular one is one of those!  And boy is it good. 

Chicken Pot Pie
Source: The Lady and Sons Cookbook
Printable Link Here

Ingredients:
1  10 3/4 ounce can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 10 3/4 ounce can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 cup milk
2 pounds boneless, skinless, cubed and cooked chicken
1 medium onion, diced
1 10 ounce package frozen peas (or one 8 ounce can, drained)
3 carrots, sliced, cooked, and drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pastry for top and bottom (recipe to follow)
Butter to dot pastry

In large saucepan, heat soups and milk.  Stir in chicken, onion, peas and carrots, salt and pepper.  Cook until mixture boils.  Remove from heat.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour into pasty-lined pan(s).  Cut pastry for top into strips.  Lay over pie filling in a lattice style.  Dot with butter.  Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown. 

Pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup shortening
Ice Water

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.  Cut in shortening with pastry blender until pieces are the size or small peas.  Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of ice water over part of the mixture.  Gently toss with fork; push to side of bowl.  Repeat until all is moistened.  Form into two balls.  Flatten each on a lightly floured surface by pressing with edge of hand three times across in both directions.  With a floured rolling pin, roll out on floured surface.  Roll from center to edge until 1/8 inch thick.

Amy's Notes:
Paula uses a whole chicken for this recipe, but I use chicken tenders or breasts because that is what I keep on hand.  I cook the chicken in a saucepan and once it's cooked, I add the soups and milk and continue from there.  I always roll out the pastry for the top instead of making a lattice top, mostly because it's easier.  You could buy your pie crusts too and skip making them on your own, but they really aren't too hard to make.  Pretty much you could add whatever veggies you want for these!

Red Curry

As much as I love to cook, often after a long day of work, the last thing I want to do is stand on my feet for hours and cook dinner.  I tend to do most of my serious baking and cooking on my days off or at the beginning of my work week when I still have energy after getting off of work.  I try to have several meals on hand that are quick and easy to make for during the work week.  One of those meals is red (or green) curry.  I learned how to make curry during my time in Philadelphia during Mission Year.  And I've been making it every since it's quick, easy and very tasty!

Red Curry
Printable Recipe Here

Ingredients:
1-2 pounds chicken
Salt and pepper
1 or 2 bell peppers, any color
1 onion
1 cup frozen peas
1 can coconut milk
2-6 teaspoons red or green curry paste
Optional:
4 leaves fresh basil

Directions:
Cut up chicken and cook in large skillet with a little oil.  While the chicken is cooking, slice bell peppers and onion.  After the chicken has cooked, add salt and pepper to taste, a little more oil and the peppers, onion and peas.  Stir occasionally and cook on medium-low until peppers and onions are mostly cooked.  Add coconut milk and cook on low until it begins to boil.  Add fresh chopped basil if using.  Begin stirring in the curry paste 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired heat.  (Do not add the curry past all at once--you can always add more paste to make the curry hotter but you cannot take it away.)  Serve over rice. 

Amy's Notes:
This recipe is how I made my red curry the last time, but I rarely make it the same twice.  You can use whatever color bell peppers you want.  I usually use one green and one red, but used only green this past time.  This was the first time I used peas and I really liked them in the curry.  And if you want to make a vegetarian version, just use tofu instead of chicken.  I used lite coconut milk so the curry was a little bit healthier.  I think I like green curry more than red, but both are good.  I kind of forgot about red/green curry and I hadn't made it in months so this tasted SO GOOD!

All my veggies, coconut milk, and curry paste ready to go!

My bowl of veggies ready to be added

Cooking the chicken

The chicken and veggies all cooking

After I added the coconut milk and curry paste

All ready to eat!  Yummy!

Two Pioneer Woman Meals

Do you know The Pioneer Woman?  If you don't, you should get to know her here or buy her cookbook here.  I don't have the cookbook yet, but it is on my list of cookbooks to buy sometime soon.  I'm hoping to find one cheap on ebay!  You can find both of these recipes on her website. 

Tequila-Lime Chicken
Source: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
3 whole limes, juiced
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 whole jalapeno, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup tequila
5 tablespoons olive oil
4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup monterey jack cheese, grated

Optional:
Pico de gallo
Refried pinto or black beans
Mexican rice
Sour cream
Avocado slices
Flour tortillas

Directions:
Combine lime juice, garlic gloves, sliced jalepenos, salt, cilantro, and tequila in a food processor or blender.  Pulse until combined.  Turn on the blender/food processor and drizzle in the olive oil until it's all combined.
Slightly flatten chicken breasts with a mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet.  Place in a plastic bag and pour in marinade.  Seal bag and marinate for several hours or (preferably) overnight.
When ready to cook, remove chicken from bag and place on the grill.  Cook until completely done.  Toward the end of cooking, top chicken breasts with grated monterey jack and allow to melt.  (You can also top chicken with cheese and melt under the broiler.)
Serve topped with pico de gallo or salsa, alongside refried black beans, mexican rice, sour cream, avocado slices, fresh flour tortillas...and whatever other garnishes make you smile.

Amy's Notes:
Have you ever made a recipe and halfway through realize you don't have what you need?  I am sure it happens to everyone at some point and it happened to me while I made this recipe.  I had my chicken marinated and ready to cook when I realized you are supposed to grill this recipe.  And sadly, we had to get rid of our grill since our apartment doesn't allow them.  It's not a huge deal, I figured, I can just cook it on the stove.  But it just wasn't the same.  Plus, I got all thrown off by the lack of grill issue and forgot to top it with cheese at the end.  It was still pretty decent, although it would have been better grilled and with cheese on top.  I will have to make it again to redeem myself. 

I put my chicken in my ziplock bag and it fell out the bottom all over the floor.  That is what happens when you buy cheap ziplock bags.  I rinsed the chicken off and put it in a different container... : )

Tequila-Lime Chicken over rice.

Chicken Spaghetti
Source: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken
3 cups dry spaghetti, broken into two inch pieces
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 jar (4 ounce) diced pimentos, drained
2 cups reserved chicken broth from pot
1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt
1/3-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup additional grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Cook 1 cup up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups.  Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente.  Do not overcook.  When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except 1 cup additional sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar.  Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly, (if the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Amy's Notes:
I didn't use a fryer chicken and used canned instead because I had it on hand.  Because I didn't cook the chicken, I didn't have the chicken broth to cook the noodles in so just cooked them in water.  I omitted the pimentos because I've never had them and am afraid to try them.  I really liked this recipe.  It was a nice change from the traditional spaghetti that gets old so quickly. 

Fresh out of the oven

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken and Cilantro Lime Rice

I've been thinking, how do I keep my recipes and cooking notes straight without having to print it all out?  I'd been wanting to keep sort of a 'cooking journal' but, again, didn't know how I could do that without spending a lot of time and money printing.  Thus, this blog will be my cooking journal.  Hopefully, it will also be a great way to share some of my favorite recipes as well as my cooking/baking triumphs and failures.  I hope you enjoy!


I love a delicious, easy, and cheap recipe and this is no exception!  It's super easy--dump it all in and let it cook all day.  Plus, the ingredients are all things I keep around anyway. 

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
adapted from : http://makelifedelicious.com/2009/08/crock-pot-salsa-chicken/

Ingredients:
1 can chicken
1 can corn
1 can black beans, drained
1 jar salsa

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low about 6 hours.  Shred chicken with fork.  Serve over rice or in torillas as soft tacos.  Makes 4-6 servings. 

Amy's Notes: I used our small crock pot to cook this dish.  It barely fit in the crock pot and overflowed a bit, so I would reccommend a normal size crock pot.  I also took the lid off for about an hour or two so the chicken would thicken up a bit. 

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

Cilantro Lime Rice
adapted from: http://annies-eats.com/2010/06/10/cilantro-lime-rice/

Ingredients:
1 cups white rice
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove chopped garlic

Directions:
Combine the rice and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Set over medium-high heat.  Bring to boil, stir briefly, cover and reduce heat to low.  Let cook, covered, until water is absorbed and rice if fluffy and tender, 16-18 mins. 

While rice is cooking, combine cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and garlic in blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Stif the mixture into cooked rice and fluff with fork. 

Amy's Notes:
I must admit, I have no idea how to cook rice over the stove.  I always cook my rice in a rice cooker, so I have no advice for cooking rice.  Sorry. 
I used cilantro I had leftover from another meal that I froze.  Also, I am not a fan of my blender, so I chopped the cilantro by hand and mixed it all up with a fork in a bowl. 

Cilantro Mixture

Cilantro Lime Rice

The finished product:

And it was delicious.